The Sun.
London, England, 1852-10-29 00:00:00

„itit,
MAY AMA "144'
x;ii

LONDON, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 29, 1852.

Mr. BRIGHT has taken full advantage of his Irish
experience. Like many former travellers in that
country, he has fencied that he could, during a tour
of a few weeks' duration, make himself thoroughly
acquainted with the various evils and abuses by which
that unhappy land is afflicted, and solve the problem
that had puzzled the natives, aye, and would-be legis-
lators, for centuries. The Honourable Gentleman is,
however, resolved that he will not "hide his light."
He has conceived a plan for the satisfactory settle-
ment of the Irish Church question, that fertile source
of dimension and discord—the establishment of per-
fect "religious equality "—and the removal of all
future disputes on the subject of " the loaves and
fishes." This he has published in the form of a letter
—to which we gave insertion in our impression of
yesterday—which is to be laid before the Conference
about to be held on the subject of " the existing ec-
clesiastical arrangements of the country," and for it
he apparently hopes to have the concurrence of all
parties engaged in the contest.
His scheme has at least the merit of simplicity. He
sets out by assuming that the most perfect" equality "
before the law for the different religious sects that
exist in Ireland—which singularly enough he limits to
the Protestant Episcopalian—the Presbyterians and the
Roman Catholic Churches—is indispensable. It is not
enough that there should be universal toleration—that
every man should be allowed to worship his Creator
in the manner which in his soul and conscience
he believes to be most acceptable to the Deity; and
that without incurring any disability or disqualifica-
tion on account of his opinions. No, that would be
rejected with scorn, unless every honour or emolu-
ent accorded to the one were participated in by the
,then, and the rival Churches were made like the

,wo Kings of Brentford, " a lling at the one nose-
gay." How then is this desideratummc to be attained ?
Is it by elevating the Rom
torians to the same positionanas Catholics and Presby-
,_,het e Episcopalians,—by
allowing the "Protestant'
trod is Mr. BRIGHT'S
continua to be a
--,4 to remain as it is, or, at least,
State Church, building up at its side Catholic Es-
cPresby-
tablisbment ; and to complete the scheme, a
feria' Establishment also, having a batch of
Prelates and Presbytererian Divines in
Lord JOHN
Lords ?" No'--this scheme of equality,
seems to think would meet the views of Lord
which" he
RUSSELL and Earl GREY—he declares would, in his
opinion, be, and must necessarily be, altogether im-
practicable,— a matter on which we pect there
will be the most complete unanimity throughout the
length and breadth of the land. It requires no subtle
reasoning or prolened argument to prove the absur-
dity (Shaving "two Established Churches in Irelend
—the one Protestant, and the other Catholic ;" or of
Having in the House of Lords " Protestant and Ca-
tholic Bishops elbowing each other on the right
reverend bench, guarding the temporal and spiritual
interests of two Churches which denounce each other
Bs idolatrous or heretical." That point may, there-
fore, safely be dismissed without farther discussion.
But if it be impossible to elevate the Roman Ca-
tholige Rd Presbyterians, it is comparatively easy to