The Sun.
London, England, 1853-02-23 00:00:00

MAYNOOTH COLLEGE.

Mr. SPOONER presented petitions deprecating the
continuance of the grant to Maynooth, and praying that
it might be immediately stopped.

Captain ARCHDALL presented a petition from Fer-
managh, praying for the removal of the grant.
Some other ;petitions having been presented to the
same effect,

Mr. SPOONER said that during the last Parliament
he had thought it to be his duty to bring under the con-
sideration of the then existing House of Commons the
system of education carried on in Maynooth. He had
asked the house for a select committee to inquire into
the system of education, and he had stated his reasons
for so doing. He had stated that he was prepared to
prove that the education there carried on was injurious
to society,.detrimental to morality, completely subver-
sive of due allegiance to the Sovereign, and antagonistic
to the holy word' of God. He had stated that as his
opinion, having read and studied their works and made
himself master of a great number of them. He had then
asked for a committee of inquiry, because he thought
that very few members of the house had taken the
trouble to investigate the system of education taught in
that college. He knew of his own knowledge that there
were many Roman Catholics, in the house and out of it,
who knew nothing of the doctrines there inculcated ; and
there was one gentleman, not now a member of the house,
to whom he quoted some of those books, who said they
were not his opinions, and if they were taught at May-
nooth the sooner it was abandoned the better. He be-
lieved the public were not aware of the system of educa-
tion taught there, and all the consequences that must fol-
low from it. When he brought forward this question before
he had received no small amount of personal abuse, he
was met with imputations of sinister motives, and he was
charged with wishing to raise an electioneering'cry, but
he was not met with a single denial of the truth of his
statement. His charge was admitted, and he felt that
there was no necessity for further inquiry. He would
say more ; he moved for an Inquiry, not from auy doubt
respecting the necessity for that inquiry pressing on his
mind, but with very considerable doubt whether he was
right in limiting himself to inquiry, because he feared
that by asking merely for an inquiry into details, it
would be considered that he recognised the principle,
and thought it was right if the details were correct. He
opposed the measure of 1845, and he still held the same
opinion ; but still he thought it better
,to ask for an
inquiry. He asked that the house would do its duty to
the country, to the Sovereign, and to itself. Every one
of them was sworn' to do the best In his pOwer to support
the Established'religioxi in Church and State.
An HoN. Minimal—No, no.
Mr. SPOONER begged to refer the hon. gentleman
to the oath he had taken.
An HON. MEMBER—Read it.
Mr. SPOONER would read it, and abide by what he
had said. Did anybody deny that the Protestant oath
was of the nature he had stated ? Here was the oath ;
" I do swear that I will bear faith and true allegiance
to her Majesty Queen Victoria, and her will defend
—(loud cries of " hear, hear")—to the utmost of my
power against all traitorous conspiracies and attempts
whatever which shall be made against her crown and
dignity." (Renewed cries of "hear, hear.") Now, what
was the oath the Sovereign had taken? Was she not bound
to maintain the constitution in Church and State ; and
were they proving their true allegiance to the Crown if
they neglected to support the constitution in Church and
State. (A laugh.) Honourable gentlemen might laugh;
but if there was any meaning in the words. "bear true
allegiance to her Majesty," they must defend her in the
exercise of the duties which the State imposed upon her.
One of those duties, and the main duty, was to support
the Protestant institutions in Church and State, and he
defied any person to contradict him. Here was the form
of the oath—" I do swear that I will defend to the ut-
most of my power the settlement of property within this
realm as established by the law, and Ido hereby dis-
claim, disavow, and solemnly abjure any intention to
subvert the Protestant Church establishment, as settled
by law, within this realm ; and I do solemnly, swear that
I will never exercise any privilege which I am or may
become entitled to, to disturb'or weaken the Protestant
religion or Government in the United Kingdom ; and I
do solemnly, in the presence of God, profess, testify, and
declare that I do make this declaration and every part
thereof in the plain and ordinary sense of the words,
without any evasion, qualification, or mental reserva-
tion." The Crown held its, title by the performance of
the duty of preserving the constitution in Church and
State ; and holy could the Protestant members exercise
true allegiance to the Crown, if they did not themselves