The Express.
London, England, 1847-02-01 00:00:00

IRISH PROSELYTISM.

F6THAJID GLIII3I4,—FOUVTTVP7I;;;HIRT.—SiI: On
late occasion Mr. O'Connell is reported to have used the fol-
lowing words—" It was mid the English people were sub-
scribing to assist the Irish people, but he (Mr. O'Connell)
would tell them truly what they were then doing. They were
offering bribes to effect proselytism; they were offering food
to the poor Roman Catholics to induce them to become Pro-
testants. Now he would say, could the fiends of hell invent
anything more horrible than this ? than to force
!introits to
allow their children to change their creeds in order to sate
them from death ? for such were the terms of relief."
These expressions (slam explained) seem to me to be an-
justifiable on two grounds: —lst. The great mass of the sub-
scription, which are now being raised with so liberal a
hand, are wholly out of the reach of such a charge, as Mr.
O'Connell has, indeed, acknowledged; they have no refer-
ence, directly or indirectly, to the spiritual concerns of the
poor. 2nd. That special fund, which does contemplate some
religious agency, is in the hands of those who are incapable
of acting on any principle which they do not think .
strictly just. Still, with this allowance, and much as I
esteem many who arc parties in this matter, I cannot but
disapprove and deprecate every movement of the kind. If
the same hand which deals out to the starving Romanist
bread to eat, furnishes him with a supply of Scripture
readers, what is this, to speak the fair and honest truth, but II
to make his extremity the welcome opportunity of tampering
with his religion ? It is quite idle to say that proselytism is I
not the object of every society which invites the Roman
Catholics freely and without restriction to read the Scrip- I
tures. At all events it ought to be their object. It ought
to be the object of even Protestant and every man to make
as many converts as *he is able by righteous methods ,
and ingenuous means to the religion which he him-
self embraces, because he thinks it is the truth
of God. But there are principles which lie deeper
than the mooted dogmas about which theologians con-
tend and bigots fight. There are canons of everlasting
righteousness which will live when the subject-matter of
most controvenits has vanished. " I will have m rcy, an I
not sacrifice," saith Go 1. 'fhis will stand for ever. And so
will that golden sentence which the same lips have spoken :
" Whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye
even so to them; for thi. " imperishable truth, this is
essential and not circum.tantial religion, "the law and the
prophets."
How should we feel if a large Protestant district were
visited with famine, and such scenes of horror were acting
there as are now in appalling exhibition at Skibberecu ?
H nr should we feel if the French were to raise subscriptions
for the relief of this distress, at the same time providing
that no assistance should he given where the sufferers should

retain to act against what theft pastors had taught
them as • principle of their religion? We might
net say that the "Sends of hell could nut invent
anything more horrible than this." But I think that we
should agree it segued a narrow spirit ; that we should
stamp it with the name of baseness; and that if one of the se
poor Protestants were to ask our advioe, and say, " Shall I
receive this bounty, brought to me by one who interferes
with my religion," we should answer, " If God gives you
fortitude aad strength, endure your hunger, and keep your
conscience clear." lt is mere begging the question to say,
" Oh, the cases are not parallel, our religion is scriptural and
true, and the Romish faith a mere !roman invention." If,
this be our opinion, we may hold it as firmly as we please.
But no man has a right to force his opinions upon another.
The Roman Catholic may Tercet and my, "Mine is ex-
' elusively the Church of God, and yours is • modern heresy."
Who, then, is to decide ? There is no appeal. It must be
a drawn battle, each piety agreeing that he should act to.
wards the other as he would think it fair and honourable in
that party to act towards him.
Nor is it lea unfair to say, " the Scriptures are neutral
and common ground." Allow that they are, and waiving
all differences about translations and canonical books, yet,
though the BaSle may be neutral ground, the question
whether it should be sndieerinsinatelif read is not neutral
ground. It is, perhaps, the most hotly disputed °jet of
any. Well then, is it lair play, is it generous, is it likely
to render our religion amiable in the eyes of the Roman
Catholics, is it right, in it pleasing in the sight of OA, to
enter a famished district and nffer the starving people this
alternative, either death for themselves and their children,
or listening to those whom in their conscience they suspect
as unsafe and treacherous guides in the way of salvation ?
I cannot help thinking that this well-meant attempt at
doing good may be the instrument of much evil, and tempt
many a man to act the hypocrite., and at the time he most
wants the consolations of religion induce hint, sooner
than see his children starve, to do violence to the dictates
of his heart, and to prefer the relief of their bodies to the
interests of his own soul. But it will perhaps be said, " Oh,
this would be very well if the two religions were on a par.
But the ease is widely different." Allow, then, that if both
systems were fully carried out, Church of England piety is
as much above Romsn Catholic piety as the liberty of • son
is above the trammels of a servant, yet will any one contend
that the Roman Catholic* of this country have not in their
dire extremity found a constraining and consoling influence
in their religion ? A poor roan joiner: me on the road is the
county of Mayo, about the middle of October last, sad
entered into conversation with me. He spoke of the pas.
.ailing famine and of his awn privations, and then exclaimed.
" But patience is a tins thing. I had rather die in Hot
ditch than do anything out of the way." And then, after
some paw*, he added, " and if a man were to die patient,
what could be better for him than that ?" Now, if any
can think that such a reflection, under such circumstances,
does not seem to argue a Christian spirit, however clouded ita
apprehension may be of many important doctrine., all I can
my is, that, in my judgment, to Airs belongs the charge
of bigotry and superstition, and not the patient sufferer, at
whose door he would be disposed to lay it. The country is
full of such instances of meek submision to the will of •
chastising Providence. The Rev. Patrick Poundal", d'l
Westport, in the county of Mayo, thus reports: " Indeed,
our people are patient and gentle in the extreme. I think
they would rather die than commit a crime." It is impair
able for any one who, like that respected clergyman, bee
had an opportunity of witnessing the conduct of these psitkome
sufferer., to withhold hie testimony to the bright example
they are now setting, of (I will say) pious resignation to the
hand that smite. them. And is it well to interrupt this
process by the infusion of disturbing influences ? Shall we
invite them in their miseries to lie down for rest upon the
thorny bed of controversy ? When the vital spark is just
going out, shall we demand of them to remodel the
whole machinery of their minds ? To recall their
hearts from all the channels in which they have been
taught to move, to suspend their operations, and leave a
naked field for mere intellect to act on? No; instead of
saying with the promoters of this plea, " This is the time for
such agencies to work," I would emphatically proclaim,
" This is not the time," I would say to them, " Whatever
your future plans may be, suspend their execution for the
present The hand of God is upon the country, and our
calamities ere producing at least one blessed fruit; they are
softening down the asperities of party, and making men of
various creeds feel like brethren in distress. Do not run the
risk of spoiling all by this dash of cmtroversial poison.
However right, however imperative upon us it may be at a
fitting season,—nay, at every season but the very one you
have chosen, to spread the light of the free unfettered gospel,
yet, in the '.sine of Him whose gospel it ia, do not place the
cause you would maintain under such suspicious &cum- I
stances. Do not administer your temporal charities in such
a shape as to appear like bribes to the omeeienoes, sad snares
to the souls of the poor. You will not be unlikely, believe
me, to check the free comes, of British bounty ;
for if your plea goes on many will say, " No, I will have no-
thing to do with underhand proceedings." Bat more than
this; this ill-timed scheme will tend to thwart and counter-
act all the benefits of the happiest occasion which perhaps
Providence has ever opened of endearing Protestants and
Protestant England to the minds and hearts of Irish Roman
Catholics. You would do more to recommend your religion
to the latter by a generous abstinence from all interference
with theirs at a time when they feel themselves in your
power, than by all that societies or scripture readers could
effect. Do then, I entreat you, suspend these worse
than doubtful agencies. Wait till the storm of famine
end pestilence is over ; and when the calm ensues,
then will be the time for the still small voice to speak. The
favourers of your scheme talk of employing temporal relief
as an advantageous channel for the conveyance of spiritual
instruction. And why ? Because when men see that you
feel for their bodies, they will believe that you take a real
interest is the welfare of their souls. Well, then, do not
defeat this very object; do not extend your temporal
bounties in such a form as cannot but excite a strong sus-
picion that you feel no compassion for the bodily privations
of the poor, hut that all you want is to induce them to
change their religion, and to embrace yours.
H. WOODWARD.

SCOTLAND.
RDINBURGH, JAN. 29.
The magistrates of Perth having doubts as to the
extent of the Highland destitution, instituted certain
inquiries into the subject, and the result was a resolu- I
tion to calla public meeting of the inhabitants. Their
information, however, has convinced them of the pro-
priety of great prudence being exercised by relief
committees.
For example, it was stated to them by the overseer of one
of the railways now in course of formation in Perthshire,
that he had lately been on a t< or along the west meats of
Argyle, Inverness, and &rehires, in quest of labourers,
and offered to procure permanent employment to 600 men at
2s. a day, and could not induce any to accept of it, on the
ground that they understood they were going to receive a
sufficiency of meal and provisions from government without
any equivalent.
The Stirling Observer has some interesting remarks
on the Drainage Act, which we quote in an abridged
form :

--- .
COMPARATIVE ENTERPRISE or SCOTCH, ENGLISH, AND
IRISH LANDLORDS.—If anything wen wanted to proclaim
to the world the vest difference which exists with respect to
intelligence and enterprise in the management of theirestates
between the landed proprietors of Scotland and the other
divisions of the empire, it will be found in a table published
in the Express last week. By an act of last session of
parliament three millions of money were committed to the
care of the Commissioners of Woods and Forests, to be given
in loan to landed proprietors, for the purpose of draining
their lands. Two of these millions were intewled for Eric
land and Scotland, and the other for Ireland. Now, what is
the result, so far as it has y7et been known ? Ireland, not-
withstanding the dmdtul famine now raging is it,
has hitherto applied for only 8,6011. ; England, which
is not so pinched as Ireland, requires 80,1141. 13s. 9d.
while Scotland, which in its northern parts is
suffering considerably, requires 309,8154. Bs. Bd. But
the Scotch landlords have another and equally patriotic
and humane object in view, besides the improvement of their
estates and the general good of the country. They know
that this sum of money expended on wages, at the rata of
301. a year—and the whole of draining =silts of wages—
will set to work 10,327 able-bodied nten.„and that averaging
families at five individuals each, they be able directly te
support decency 61,656 persons, pang and old, at the same
time that they Me impro estates, and adding to
the general wealth of .ntry. Again, the arable sur-
face to
face of 4ngland, a M'Culloch, is. as 29 is to 37 ;
or in other word 17,000,000 of acres of which the
surface of Eng ,Vales is composed, 29,000,000
are arable, or as ',dud it, if not in actual trainee-
\ tionceapable of be In Ireland the piersertion il as 14
to 20; while in rand, from the some 'ark/IY, it is..
6 only to 19. This ode of showing the case, as i tebeta at
I present, proves that e demand in Scotland for improve-
ment amounts to up ards of one shilling for each arable
acre in the country, w 'le in England it amounts to only
five-eighths of a penny, and in Ireland to the scarcely appreci-
ablerh
amount of one.ei hth of a penny for each arable
acre. Had the landlo of Ireland availed themselves of
the million devoted to t improvement of that country,
many of the people would h are been set to profitable employ-
ment, and 50,000 families, w hewer have nothing to depend on
but public charity, might have had 201. each, honestly and
honourably earned, which would at once have kept them
from starvation, and from herrn, a burden to this country.
Supposing requisitions for this moo .v to proceed at the same
ratio in future, Scet:and will ha e appropriated about
1,550,000/., sod England only about 415.,.:::01., while the in
capacity or indifference of Irish landlords will have allowed
their share to remain oilmen unasked. In short, before they
bestir themselves, the people will have been starved off by
thousands.—Stirling Oburrer.