The Sun.
London, England, 1855-11-23 00:00:00

AqTLETS ROYAL AMPHITHEATRE.

Lessee and Manager, Mr. Win. Cooks.
THIS EVENING.
Mademoiselle CLEMENTINE SOULLIER, the rreatest Eques-
trian Artiste in the World ! (Vide " Times," 13th Nov.)
Mr. W. Cooke's Leviathan PROVINCIAL EQUESTRIAN
ESTABLISTINI ENT, during this week only !
Also, the gpeetacle, The FALL of RAS rOPOL !
After which, th.• GEM: of the CIRCLE, ; with Vie Magnificent
Act of Mlle. S.:miller, and the Performance of the Provincial Esta-
blishment; with other Entertainments.
nos-oißce open from Eleven till Four. Stage Manager, Mr. W.
WaE. Equestrian Director, Mr, W. Cooke, Jun.

HIGH WATER AT LONDON BRIDGE.

Trl
li3 DAY—Morn. 2) min. aft. I—Evening 24 min. aft. 1
To-lionr.ow—Morn. 46 min. aft. I—Evening 6 min. aft. 2

THE WEATFIER.—SuN ORPION, Nov. 23.

THERMOMETER, IN THE SHADE.
45—highest since noon yesterday.
40 -Its.west this morning and during the night.
43 -this day at noon.

BAROMICTXR. 29.83.
liTisrt.—W.N.W.—Light, with fine, dull weather.

‘A-
- ..v6

LONDON, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 1855.

Is Lord JOHN RUSSELL also among the Volun-
taries ? He who has defended Church Rates as
the outwork of the Crown and the Constitution--
he who taunted Ministers, not supported by State
endowments, with preaching to please, because
they preached to live—he who even joined in
giving up the appropriation clause, which would
merely have applied improved values of the pro-
perty of the sinecure Church of Ireland to general
Irish education in that Protestant-ridden country.
In the Church-rate debate last Session Lord
JOHN RUSSELL taunted Lord STANLEY, apparently
envying him a just reputation for honest and
solid liberality, with the remark, that "his ar-
guments fairly carried out would lead to Volun
taryism." The sarcasm, forsuch it was meant to be,
was unfelt by the liberal Tory Lord. He took
the case before him on its merits ; he suffered nc
party consideration; no apprehensions that a just
j udgment on the particular question raised might
interfere with some old prejudice or foregone con-
clusion, to bias his decision ; he acted on the old
and trite adage, Fiat justitia runt ccetttm,, and
voted for the abolition of Church Rates. Lord
JOHN, who seemed that evening to have caught
the mantle, or, we should rather say, the Whig,
of Lord ELDON—for most certainly he spoke not
by inspiration, but in the most Itaprophetic nar-
rowness of vision—Lord JOHN trembled for
Monarchy and the Upper House if the Rector
could no longer seize the Quaker's goods to pay
for washing his surplice, and for his sacramental
wino. Woe to the State when the symbols of
the sacred passion were no longer purchased by
compulsion of conscience, even to fine and impri
sonment !
Lord STANLEY may now enjoy the et to quoque
It was not in the Senate House, it is true, but i
was in a read lecture, at an immense public meet.
ing at Exeter-hall, and with three or four thou-
sand of the youth of London before him, that
Lord JOHN RUSSELL delivered himself of senti-
ments the only fair result of which is the Volun-
tary system. Having combated—easy work now
—"the intense bigotry of the great Dr. JOH-NSON
having raised a laugh at the logical Doctor's re-
mark " that the magistrate has a right to. enforce
what he thinks, and
he who is consciorts of the
truth has a right to sum
sr ; —hi: Lordship's pen
"
and tongue warning, he exclaims
" Why net per-
mit the free circulation of truth and error ; leave
to truth its own all-sugicient armour, and to error
its own stratagems and delusions; leave argument
to be met by argument, assertion by in-
quiry." Again :—" Here, in fact, is the
turning point of the whole question. Dr.
JOHNSON and others contend that Government,
have the right and duty to control their subjects

as parents control children. The friends of Reli-
gious Liberty contend that Governments have no
such right, and have no special capacity to fit them
for the task." We may safely appeal to any
ol un ta ry whether he desires any better basis for
his arguments
laughed at the D, and, whether, as Lord JOHN
octor's logic, Lord JOHN'S might
not be ridiculed with equal justice, if ho defends
henceforth State endowments of religion, and
especially the enforcement by the State of pay-
ments for what Ring, Lords, and Commons de-
clare to be State-truth.
If truth is really to be " left to be its own
sufficient armour," what need of the
armour of