The Sun.
London, England, 1853-07-21 00:00:00

DAILY WEATHER TABLE.

THURSDAY, JULY 21, 1853.
state of the wind and weather at each of the following
',lace:: at nine o'clock on yesterday morning. The stations
a -e arranged in order of latitude.
SOUTHAMPTON—N.W., gentle breeze—cloudless.
FOLKESTONE—S.W., gentle breeze—overcast.
TuNBRIDGE--W., gentle breeze—partially cloudy.
BASINGSTOKE—W, calm—partially cloudy.
GREENWICH—S.W., gentle breeze—partially cloudy.
STROOD—W., calm—partially cloudy.
SWINDON—W. fresh breeze—partially cloudy.
YARMOUTH-B:W., calm—cloudless.
The returns from the following places indicate the state
of the weather on Tuesday morning at nine o'clock :
LIMERICK—W. calm—partially cloudy.
MULLINGAR— W., calm—partially cloudy.
LEIGHTON--W., calm—partially cloudy.
IIoLTHEAD—., gentle breeze—fine.
WHITBY—N., gentle breeze—foggy.
DARLINGTON—S.S.W., gentle breeze—overcast.
SHAD—N., calm—overcast.

lIIGII WATER AT LONDON BRIDGE:
VILi DAT —Morning 4 min. after 2 Evening 31 miu.aft. 2
To-Nloar.ow—Morning 56 min. after 2 Evening 20 min.aft. 3

TUE WEATHER.—SoN OFFICS, JULY 2.

THERMOMETER, IN THE SHADE.
72—highest since noun yesterday.
60—lowest this morning and during the night.
70 —this day at noon.

BAROMETER, 29.93.
WIND, W.S.W.—Fair, but cloudy.

THE PUBLICATION OF

" THE

SUN"

COMMENCES EVERY AFTERNOON
AT THREE O'CLOCK,

AND THE
LATE OR THIRD EDITION,

We have in former articles explained the origin
and commented on the working of the Irish
National System. We have indicated the clan-
gers to which that system is exposed, between the
bitter hostility of one sect and the lukewarm sup-
port of its rival. We have pointed out the appa-
rent inclination of the present Government to
tamper with its rules, if not to subvetrt its fun-
damental principle. It remains only to see how
this inclination has been evinced, and what are
the circumstances which have led to the retire-
ment of Archbishop WIIATELEY from the Board.
It is well understood that among the friends
of so-called " secular" education (a term, by
the way, whose use has gone tar to create
prejudices against the mode of teaching
which it professes to describe) there exists
a considerable diversity of opinion as to the ex-
tent to which the religious element should be
introduced. One party—the bond fide secularists—
content themselves with ignoring it altogether.
These, however, are few in number, and their
theory is generally repudiated. Others, again,
are satisfied with the reservation of cer,',ain days
and hours for combined moral and literary instruc-
tion, allowing religious teachers of all denomina-
tions to have free access to the schools at fixed
periods, as, for instance, on one day of the week,
and before and after school hours on other
days ; and stipulating only that, :in such
teaching, the schoolmaster himself shall not
be required to take part, and that attendance
thereupon shall in no case be made compulsory.
, A third section go still farther, and desire to see
introduced into the general teaching of the school
such religious lessons as can be given to all with-
out objection being raised by any sect. Between
these two last plans the National Borkrd has at
various times oscillated. On its first institution,
a variety of works, partly of a religious character,
were prepared and issued with the sanction of the
highest authorities in both the Protestant and
Roman Catholic Church. These, intended not as
substitutes for, but as supplementary to, other
religious instruction, were generally received into
the schools, and read, with the consent of
the Roman Catholic Archbishop, in school hours.
But, objection being taken in Sol-D.O quarters
to a portion of these works, the Board, anxious
to guard against even the semblance of an en-
croachment on conscientious scruple; laid down
a rule to the effect that " where the parents of
any child objected to that child using a particular
book, its use in the case of that child should not
be insisted upon." Considering that; so far as
the practical operation of the rule was, concerned,
' the word " priest" might have been substituted
for " parent"—and also that the concession here
made, if largely taken advantage of, must have
materially disturbed the discipline and, uniformity
of the schools, it may, perhaps, be thought that
the Commissioners went too far in th eir efforts at
universal conciliation. But the fault;, if such it
were, was on the right side. They might be taxed
with imprudence—at least they could not be taxed
with illiberality. Will it be credited that this
concession is now complained of as inadequate ?
and not only complained of, but actually done
away, a rule being substituted which, de facto,
allows the priest to make an index expurgatorius of
every work which he may choose to disallow ? Yet
such, unless our authorities misinform us, is the
fact. By the regulation of 1853, if any parent
object, on behalf of his child, to the reading of any
book whatever, moral, literary, or scientific, that
book is thenceforth to be discontinued in the
school where such complaint is made ! We
presume
that an appeal is. left open to the COM-
rckissi°llers ; but the working of this rule
tends to give
the parish priest an. absolute
veto on all such teachin as he may,
disapprove
and thereby
entire management
that Archbishop Nvu
friend to bigots—should
virtuallyo tthog hand over to him the
this innovation by continui;
the Board. There is n
ehaschool. Small wonder
ATELEY-----110 bigot, nor a
fl.e rheif.susaetdtattc:dsananccotioant
revoersthedsguithseinsgo-evitthedif Nthai-s
policy be not speedily
tional System will become merely sectarian, and
assume the form of an exclusive grant in favour
of Roman Catholic schools. And mark the injus-
ticedi thus perpetrated. A public and powerful
society, compoged of Irish Protestants 'who slike
the administration of the Board, has for years
past been organising an educational system of its
own on purely Protestant principles. This society
is excluded from the benefit of Government assis
tance, on the ground that it is essentially see.

tarian, and thus does not fall within the scope of

the Act of 1832. Nothing can be fairer, so long
as this Act remains in force. But where is the

justice of continuing the exclusion, now that the
National Schools are made by recent legislation to
assume an equally one-sided character ? The
Lrgiunents of Messrs. HAMILTON, NAPIER; and
WiumlDE, easily answered so long an the prin.

Dnimsu FISIIERIES.--The report of the commis-
sioners for 1852 has just been published. The combined
accounts bring out a gross catch for the year of 602,6604
Carrels being a result undoubtedly below a general aver-
ag,3, and no less critch of the previous than 122,7554 barrels below the gross
year. THE OFFICE Or SPEAKER.—Sir Robert Inglis, on
Tuesday evening, gave notice of his intention on Friday
next to bring under the consideration of the House of
Commons the report of the select committee, and to
Cove that, " whenever the house shall be informed of
the unavoidable absence of Mr. Speaker, the Chairman
of the Committee of Ways and Means do take the chair
for that day only ; an 4, in the event of Mr. Speaker's
absence continuing for more than one day, do, if the
house shall think fit and shall so order it, take the chair
in like manner
.any order
day during such
aboonce.::