The Sun.
London, England, 1852-05-26 00:00:00

HOUSE OF COMMONS, May 25.

(Continued from our Afternoon Edition of yeaterday.3
i..tAirNOOTH COLLEW ADJOURNED DE
BATE.

On the order of the day for the resumption of the ad-
journed debate,
Mr. Sergeant MURPHY rose for the purpose of op-
posing the motion of the lion. Member for North War-
wickshire, but it must not be supposed that he was
opposed to inquiry, for he was of opinion that the result
orthe most stringent inquiry would redound to the credit
of the Maynooth College.—(flear.) The conclusion of
such inquiry, he believed, would satisfy every impartial
person that Maynooth College was an institution which
had answered the purpose for which it was intended,
and in which the soundest moral doctrines and the
strictest loyalty were taught.—(Hear, hear.) Why,
then, he might be asked, do you oppose the motion?—
(Hear, hear.) He would tell them. The inquiry was
proposed in a mean spirit of retaliation upon the Roman
Catholic body, and it was not brought forward in good
faith.—(Hear, hear.) At first the motion was
absolutely against the grant to Maynooth, and so the
notice of motion remained on the votes down to
the end of February, when an additional notice of mo-
tion for an inquiry was placed upon the paper, • and the
previous notice was still allowed to remain standing.—
(Hear, hear.) But shortly after this period her Ma-
jesty's present advisors came into office, and as, no doubt,
the original motion was discovered to be a difficulty in
their way, the notice of motion for the absolute discon-
tinuance of the grant to Maynooth was expunged froni
the votes.—(Bear, hear) So far, then, for the
first. Now for the second. What necessity
was there for it? He insisted that there , was
none, because some few years ago a commission was ap-
pointed by the Crown to examine into the doctrinea
taught in Maynooilo and that investigation ended,hs ell
others would do, in establishing not ooly the roundness,
but the validity and scrupulous morality of the princi-
ples taught and inculcated in the minds of the students
at Maynooth.—(Hear, hear.) All the charges which
had previously been made against the college were
thoroughly refuted, and the insinuation that ultramon-
tame views were entertained by its professors
eras denied in the report prepared by the
Commissioners.--(Hear, hear.)
Where, then, would be
the benefit of instituting a second inquiry? If the mo-
tion was intended to put the House in possession of more
information upen the subject he could assure the /lonia
that no more information could be obtained thannhe re-
port contained, and all, therefore, that they should do, if
that was the object of the motion, was to order the re-
port to be reprinted.—(Hear, hear.) But, admitting that
another iaquuy was necessary, the, iequiry could be had
without any motion of the sort, for the Lord-
Lieutenaet not only possessed the power of appointing
an aennal visitetion, but also, if he so thought fig, to. re-
new the Commis,ion, which could sift the subject far
more efficiently than a Genet if tee of this House.--(Hear,
let art) tithe .visitation had take::: pitee,ev•:.,ry year since
th existence of the grant, and if any of these abuses did
eziat in the collegeoehich had been charged against it,
they would long ago
have bten brought to light.--(Hear,hear.) Ho complaineci of the spirit and o manner in
which this motion was made. A Commission was
sitting and easesireieg into.., the abuses of the Eeglish
Universities, but in the appointment of that Commission
there had been ao . desire to prejudge ,the question,
as was manifested in this iaztaace.—(flear.) How
could the Hon. , Member fur North Warwickshire, as a
stroeg and conscientious Protestant, conduct an impartial
inquiry into : the doctrines and religious principles
taught in Maynooth? But setting that objection aside,
could this, inquiry be proposed in good faith, when it
was clear that they had almost attained the end of a
moribund Parliament?-se(Bear,;hear.) Appoint. tho
Committee, and what could it do? hy, nothing, but
simply meet once and adjourn, and then the dissolution
would suddenly bring their labours to a close.—(Hear.)
Permit him, however, to ask the question, what grounds
had bees urged in favour of the inquiry? None at all.
Every argument which had been brought forward was not
in favour of inquiry, but against the grant, because the
Roman Catholic; religion was the iuling principle of the
college.—(hear, hear.) It should be remembered that
the object of the Legislature in assisting the college was
to promote the domestic religion of the people of Ire-
land, and he was prepared to prove that the college
authorities had in no way departed from the original
purposes of the institution.—(acer, hear.) He con-
tended that Maynooth had nothing to do with the ultra-
montane teaching now prevalent in Ireland. Did they
suppose that if Sir Robert Peel, when he proposed to
iecreato the grant to Maynooth had found the: the
teaching practised at tho college, was such as it was
described to be, he would not have asked a commission
of inquiry, and been guided by the result? Sir Robert
Peel was slow in approaching reform, but when he did
effect any reform, it was always of the moot Bearching
and comprehensive character; yet, with all his caution,he
had never seen anything to condemn or complain of in
the. system cf education pursued at Maynooth. The cur-
r:cuitiro at Maynooth extended ever eight yearn and that
period elapsed from the time the young men entered
until he wont forth to the world an ordained priest.
Now the permanent grant west:or:do in 1845, but it did
not coma into operation until 1846, so that six years bad
elapsed since the benefits of the grant had been enjoyed
tniaynooth. Therefore, he would undertake to say
that not a single Roman Catholic priest, educated at
Maynooth since the grant was made, had participated
in any public demonstration in Ireland. Wan it a legit
cal conclusion, thee, to, say: that such was the system of
education pursued at Mayuooth, and such the evil effects
arising leom dt, that an inquiey was absolutely
necessary ? He thought he was bound to make
the inquiry whether, if it • •was proved: , before
thp Committee that the system of education had
never been altered and. was free from the objections that
had been urged, those who supported the. Hon. Member
for Warwickshire ,would be prepared to uphold the
rant? When insurrection was rife in Ireland, who was
it that steod between the people and bloodshed but the
Roman Catholic priests? Ho met with a positive denial
the assertion that the education at Maynooth encouraged
immorality, and shook the allegiance of those under:
its influence. Ono of the most illogical reasons for
doing away with the grant, was advanced by the Home
Seeretary, who said the College, of Maynooth was
once poor, but was now comparatively rich,
But after improving the condition of the professors, and
making them almost affluent, were they to reduce them
to a state of povertyanain? The Home Secretary had
also stated that the 4llege was intended for domestic
being
purposes, end that the funds voted by Parliament, in-
6for the
education o
edueaf fotionreigu priestspriestso.f
employed a
t
used i o
the
ittoerna'cle ,of
were ;
but it that Right Ho •n. Gentlemen had instituted the
. most meagre inquiry he would have. ascertained there
was no foundation whatever for thafassertion, which was
so often repeated- by the great cliampions of Protea.
autism. When famine, visited Ireland than there
was a fusion between the Roman Catholics and Pro-
testants, who forgot all their religious differences in
their anxiety to minister to the wants of tho people,
and now the Hon. Member for Warwickshire sought to
separate and destroy that happy union by a motion
of this nature. It was said there was a conspiracy at
Maynooth, but he treated the present movement as
part of a conspiracy in high places in' this country
against Catholicity—as a conspiracy on the part of the
University of Oxford for the purpose of retaliation
against that earnest inquiry which had ' been evinced
•by Protestants to arrive 'at the religious truth. The
Protestant feeling abroad in the country would notula
low a Government, however well disposed, to do justice
to Ireland. Roman Catholic Members in that House
had,- therefore, only one resource, and that was self-de-
.pendence, They should attach themselves to no party,
and keep aloof from alleparty conflicts, and then, *hen
•the fitting moment arrived, form themselves into com-
pact. array and .teach the Government anal the• House
that the undeniable rights and privileges of the Roman
Catholics were not to be tampered' with with impunity.
Mr.•NAPIER' said -that the preseht motion having
been brought forward
the'
'an independent Member of the
House, it was for the Government to consider what
course they would take on the Subject. Before the pre-
sent Government had taken office, the proposal was in
the ehape of an absolute repeal of the grant. ' To that,
of course the Government could not, consistent with
a due discharge' of their' duty, assent, nor
could he himself, whatever his individual conr
,viction on the subject might be; give his con-
sent to such a course; but after the accession of the
'Government to office, the Hen. Mover of this motion,
knowing that the Government would not consent to a
repeal of the grant, had altered his motion to
a request for a Committee of Inquiry. To that
motion he considered the Government were bound
to consent. Such an inquiry—to see whether
the grant were carried out to the full benefit
of those for whom thvgrant was first establisheds--cOuld
not but bo of ute. In the first place it was necessary to,
see what were the intentions and" the purpose of that
legislation by which this grant was established. After
tracing at some length the progress of legislation with
regard to the Roman Catholic religion the Learned
Gentleman proceeded to show that Maynooth

bwaats
as en
d
establishedsaca
an education for those who, but for the ex-
pense,institution,endowment,provide and their not being able to be wider the Roman
Catholic discipline, might at that time have repaired to
Trinity College, Dublin. That was the object with
which Maynooth was founded, and it was not intended
then as a state establishment, but merely recsiv;ng
stare aid. • As they received a State grant, he coa-
tended it was the duty of Parliament to asecrtaiu
whether the grant was applied to the proper purposes.
It was under those circumstances that the inquiry which
had been already alludad'took place. Originally May-
nooth-wag not regarded as a seminary for priests but for
persons of the Rehash Catholic religion, and it was