The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1824-04-10 00:00:00

ne no. laid unon the tab: that there wart 0 ore than three rniVicre
twenty-fiur thousand persons who wore still in want of religenis
accememetation ; and tiic nnu r.ouireil tor this purpose
according, t., the rate oil:trio, d to the House, amount to
the sent of twenty millions ..t e (trey. This wan the sun;
which the Eight 1 loneteinehle (Semi:man said would net be
asked for at met, but the Parliament would be tolled up
to grant it liy decrees. It shoold Le recollected that the part of
the population sueplied anti religious aeconiniodation ran not
the one-third or ore -notrile of the entire. This wan certainly
the c.ese. The number of peronts wanting rel•gious acrammodi.
Bon was stated by the returns :o be 3,082.2411, and if this wes such
a crying; want, it would be cruel—it would be impossible to leave
such a number of peesora in went of this accommodation. The
necessity of thus acting would be greater and greater. If Fuck a
number of persons were in want of religious education, we must
give them n.oney. We could not suffer them to wander about tho
country in want of this accommodation. If the rumher of persons
already mentioned required such a auto, the whole population
could be in want of CO.OMl,fditil.; and thus the country would be
embarked in an expenditure of money to which the representatives
of the country could not consent. The preventing of such an ex.
penditure would therefore, in his opinion, be a matter of vital, of
primary, of essential necessity. Ile therefore objected to the prit.
dole acted upon by the Right Ilonottrable Gentleman, of asking
for a supply for the whole population, because the million
granted would accommodate comparatively but a mall pro.
portion, and the additional sum would serve but 77.n00. lie
could, if he were be allowed, point out a remedy, and he did nee
see how any objection could be made to it. lie would have doteole
service said in the churches—(hear)-if necessary, he would has,
treble service performed. (lieu.) it was unnecessary for him to it.
form those who were acquainted with the mode of performing divine
service on the ('ontinent, that the churches were open from ten to
twelve. lie was aware how different the Roman Catholic service
was front the Protestant—how much shorter it was; it was finished
in about a quarter of an hour ; and when one Mass wait said, the
church might he applied to other purposes. Why should not our
churches open as early as die Roman Catholic churches, and why
should not two or three sod vices be performed ? would, in his
opinion. bea better plan than taking half a million from the poekehof
the people for the purpose of building churches. He would venture
to submit another plan which the lion. Alember for %lidhurst had
suggested. to which lie could see no possible objection ; it was, when
the population became too large, and could nut resort to the parish
church, these persons should be peemlued to select a pastor, and
build a church of their own. He had beard the liberal principles
of the professors of the Established Church spoken of, and it was
upon that liberality he built, when he argued upon their paying
their own pastor and building their own t urches. Of this there
was an instance in this city : there was a private church built in
Curronatreet by one of the noble family of that name. If this per.
mission was given to the people, and churches were built, the
ground let for such purposes would bring a higher rent; it would
be said the ground was well applied, and its produce would be
sweet and savoury. A friend had told him, he let ground for a
house, and he was surprised to find a church upon it. In the elec-
tion of the pastors by the people and the building of the churches,
he was sure the people would not be found niggardly. lie would
not allow them to appoint pastors who differed from the Establish-
ed Church ; he would refuse his assent to the selection of such per.
soon as would be schismatic-4; if such were elected, the church
would degenerate into as many schisms as there were churches.
lie would not, as he said, allow the people to choose their pastor,
except with the approbation of the diocesan t the Ilishop should
have his veto on the choice. This was the view he took of this
part of the subject, and he trusted it would not be considered illi-
bend lie would not suffer the Liturgy to be given up, when he
gave the people the right of appointing their own pastors. There
was another remark made by the Right Honourable Gentleman, to
which I c would ullude. He had remarked upon their paltry nig.
gardliness about pounds, shillings, and pence. He was sorry to
hear the Chancellor of the Exchequer say this, especially at the
beginning of his career. It was surely his business to look arta
things of this description. Certain statements had been made to
the House; and he argued from the six parishes of Westminster,
containing 130,000 inhabitants, that these statements were exag-
greeted and overcharged. No complaint was made upon the sub-
ject. lie went to all the Churches, and made all the inquiries in
his power, and he now gave the result to the General Committee.
lie would now move, as an amendment—" That the sum of one
million had been already granted for the building of churches, and
that a fnrther demand of halls million was made by his Majesty's
Ministers for the same purpose, and that but a small number of
persons had been supplied with religious accommodation by the
NUM already granted, and from the rate orthe sum granted, not less
titan twenty millions would be necessary for the object in view ; it
would therefore be inexpedient to make any other Parliamentary
grant, and it would be more expedient if Ministers devised some
other method of affording religiousaccommodation.
Mr. PEEL said, nothing could be more fair, nothing could be
more liberal, than the principles on which the Honourable Gentle-
man had rested his argument. lie admitted the importance of the
subject—be admitted, and, as he conceived, with the greatest pro-
priety, that the national religion ought to be protected. Ile assented
to the object of the measure; and, he said, that if the expenditure
called for was necessary for, or requisite to, support the established
religion, he would be amongst the foremost to contribute to
that expenditure ; but granting all this, he ettetopted to op-
pose and weaken the arguments of his Right Honourable
'Friend, and his object now would be to shew that he had failed in
the effort—that he had no success in the combat. In the corn-
niencenient of the argument the lima. Member bad said it did not
appear there was any ground tOr the complaint-411m the measure
before the House required support. There were not many peti-
tions on the subject ; it was not called for, and in many parts of
the country there was a perfect and complete indifference on the
subject ; this very indifference was one of the strongest reasons
for the motion, and he would consider it as one of the greateo
arguments that could be adduced its its favour. The strongest a--
gement that could be adduced in favour of the motion was, that
this indifference m to religious accommodation could neither be
cherished nor inculcated. He would remind the House, that, pre-
vious to the year 1817, complaints were made, and acentnniods-
tion called for by various parts of the country ( 'omtnissioners
were appointed for the express purpose of investigating these
matters; and it was to them Commissioners the complaints and
petitions were addressed, and not to the Parliament. Were it
not for this circumstance ; it' these commissioners were not in.
atituted, those petitions included in the appendix which lay before
them from various places would be heard within the walls of the
House. The arguments adduced by the lion. Member as to the state
of the established church inlVestnimster were far limn being conclu.
sive on the subject. In these document! he had chewed that the
churches which he had nientioned were not full, and there was ae-
coniniodation in them. 'l'o make his arguments conclusive be
should have shewn that those who made the complaints could have
attended these churches. lie wished to know if these churches
had pews, and if they were free of admission. He wished to know
if these were chapels of ease, and if the pews were not the property
of the rich. The Honourable 31ember did not touch upon then
part of the argument, tor the object of the motion was to
give the the right of free admission to the poor. Ile believed
the lion. Member was mistaken in the nature of the returns before
the House. Trey were not the returns of all plies; they
were the returns of parishes conta'aing 4.000 persons; and to mike
his argument conclusive, he should have proved that there were
no places in Westminster which poseessed, notwithstanding the
expenditure of money, such a nuniner of perstms without religious
accommodation. To be consistent, he should have shewn that
since 1719, notwithstanding the expenditure of the mosey. thou:
was no place with a population of 4,11111/ deprived of the actonnue-
dation. Ile would take some of the great marufacturbig towns. and
shew the Committee the real state of the subject. Ile would
begin with Birmingham and Walsall. These places had
nut complained; they had not coiled for money, but it
should not be inferred they had no muse of complaint, or
that they did nut want the money. lie would ask If it would null
be contidered ass great advantage if even one individual of a family
were provided with religious accommodatiqn, would not this be a
great and efficient good ? (Hear.) It as it not known to all
that the vicious habits of an entire family were often shamed
and rebuked by the conduct of a single individual ? (Hear, hear.)
that a single person, by the practice of virtue and religion, had often
reclaimed front crime those who devoted their leisure hours to vice?
( ilear,) was it not known to them all that even a child, who had
the advantage of being well instructed, had often shamed its parents
from the vicious courses to which they were accustomed, and these
parents abstained from crime in its presence? (Hear.) It was a well
known fact that even an infant child reclaimed its parents from
their vicious course. It would be conferring the greatest benefit
upon every poor farnily, if the head, or any individual of it, were
enabled to attend a place of religious worship. It was in his opinion
clear, that if, whet., there was a populatin.l of fiooo persons, and
room but for the relig' accommodation of one thousand,
the remaining five thousand must, of necessity, go without it ;
though, his computation was, perhaps, not correct, as from the
member should be deducted such as could not attend from age,
also children, to whom any attendance was, frOITI their tender years,
unnecesaary. lie would also deduct, as he thought he ought, the
dissentene. He did runt object, God forbid he should, many per-
sons in :his free country going to any place of warship they thought
proper ; but there were certain cases in which it was justifiable to
reclaim (and he would not use the word ralaim if he could avoid
it) dissenters, if we could, by fair means. This was juoili-
I able, if we were seriously torten,. ett of the truth of the
religion we professed ; and by lessening the number of those
who differed from that religion we weuid certainly be dune,.
a great good, provided it were done by justifiable wears ;
and,. as amongst the disonters, there were some honest enough in
admit that they were dissenters, nut frau' conviction but becsu<t•
they pmfetreel that religion to nor.e—if, tone a population of
104'00 such, 2,500, the one-fourth, were ree hinted, he thought a
great good would be done by the grant. Ile would now state the
so.uatton of the manutaetuting tears. The population of one of
them (we could not catch the nan:o) was, i:: 11117, 411.000: 11'0'
was religious accommodation for snot tiu, one-fourth.
allowance ter the disser tees. It would not lo• denied that this saw
should not be allowed to hest. 'rite 10111 n.. larlll% bad a populate
of 114,0119; there was religions acootanientation to: about Dion I.
This, eurely, could cot he alley: el. to 3.01N1.000 tf persons
i spoken of by the Honourable Alenib.r, it was a most egregious
lacy. God forbid there should li, stall a eumbcr, but if them
were, the granting the money would b.: th.: way to reduce it. The
granting this stunt would be a good work, • litele would enable us
to sow the aced front abide we hareem of the greatest
advantage to the country. The En; ^orauie 31eniticr spoke et a
tuned) her the evil : he wished .o I.a. to,;:ole services; this was
the case ; it was dowel:far as it sv:.sy,..,s.h,s; this plan ought to
co-operate with the grant ; he was nor advmk to it ; but he
doubted if it would answer. '1 here were, in some instances,
three services; lie could skew, to the satisfaction of the Ho-
nourable Member, there were, in sonic cases, not leas that
five nervioes. if this euggewien were adopted, it should he
recollected there were other services: there were catechisms.
the baptism of children, and the administration of the sacra.