The Sun.
London, England, 1838-11-10 00:00:00

SPIRIT OF THE PUBLIC JOURNALS'.

It is not without unfeigned repugnance that we have felt
ourselves compelled, by facts of the most provoking and
daring nature, to generalize, as we so frequently have done,
ouranimadversions upon the Romish Priesthood of Ireland.
The course adopted by the most active and conspicuous
leaders of that body, and followed, or acquiesced in, by
hundreds of those who were not leaders, furnished the Pro
testant community with no unreasonable ground for imput-
ing to the Priests, without exception, that arrogant, en-
croacling, tormenting, tyrannical, and deceitful spirit, which
governed so systematically the public conduct of tho Rev.
Fathers M'Hale, of Tuam, and Maher, the incendiary of
the town and neighbourhood of Carlow. If, in the univer-
sality of our reprobation, some Priests were included who
personally deserved it not, the error rests not so much with
us as with the parties themselves, who failed to come for-
ward and exonerate their own characters from all sham
of the reproach so justly inflicted on their brethren.
If, through influence or intimidation, the Roman
Catholic clergy who had no political or fanatical sympathy
with such men as John Tuam were wrought upon to con-
ceal their dislike of his incendiarism, and negatively to
identify themselves with him and his misdeeds, we may,
and do, for their sakes, lament their feebleness ; but we
cannot justly take the blame of it upon our own conscience.
At length, however, there have begun to show themselves
symptoms of self-assertion amongst the Roman Catholic
clergy. For a long time the fierce expressions of Bishop J.
M'Hale against the scheme and management of the " na-
tional education" of Ireland, as not being favourable enough
to his projects for the exclusive advancement of Popery
throughout the island, were left unopposed, and therefore
passed for being unanswerable. Not many weeks ago.
however, Dr. Murray, Roman Catholic Archbishop',-,f bub-
lin, took up the gauntlet thrown down by him of Connaught,
and in defence of the National Boar.l, of which he is a
member, put forth a denies of John Tuam's facts, derived
from his own personal experience and knowledge, with a
refutation of the M'Hale arguments, founded on the
clearest common sense, which began to make the dupes of
that turbulent and intriguing tyrant wonder what it was
that bad misled them. Although we are not free from dis-
trust of the tendency of these so-called " national" schools
in Ireland, from the notorious preponderance cf Romish
leaven in their composition, and of priestly spirit in the
conduct of them—a distrust of a very opposite nature to
that which was professed by Dr. J. Mc Hale, who denounced
them as being too little Popish—it is far from our meaning
to insinuate that the public appeal of Dr. Murray was
not in a high degree temperate, candid, and persuasive.
Had the question remained where Dr. Murray took leave of
it, no rational person could have doubted where the truth
lay, as between that Rev. Gentleman and Dr. John M‘ Hale:
none could have doubted that, whatever might become of
Protestantism, the interests of the Romish Church at least
were amply provided for under the " National Board."
But the discussion has been carried further, and
with consequences more fatal to John of Tuam, as a con-
troversialist, by another priest of the Roman Catholic
Church, subsequently to Dr. Murray's exposition. The
Times of yesterday contained a letter from the Rev,
Thaddeus (curtailed and fondled, according to Irish usage,
into the pet abbreviation of " Tady") O'Malley. This
champion of the National School system, and inexorable
castigator of the Connaught scold, has rebuked, in s:rong
but just and dispassionate language, the misrepresentations,
distortions, and various fallacies, which meander through
the pages of John of Tuam. He proves that a resolution
of the Romish Bishops:of Ireland, passed in the year 1826,
and insisting on certain powers over the education of
the Roman Catholic poor in that country, has and
ought to have no operation at the present 11191110 t.
It is the purpose of Dr. J. M'Hale to dreis forward
that episcopal resolution as a text
im-
pugn the existing regulations o Aereby- to f
being repugnant to it.k .Bu , the National Board for
says Mr. O'Malley, Rowanism
was at the formeroe:,
lod beset by dangers from which it is
now abselutt and entirely exempted (indeed, we might
say, which are now transferred to, and incurred by, the Pro-
testa7;c Established Church), to wit--lst. The peoselyt-
i,eg spirit by which the educational system ef that day, car-
ried on by the well-known Kildare.street Society, was sup-
posed to be directed, and which is now altogether given up,
2d. The depressed state of the Roman Catholic body in
1826, before the passing of the Relief Bill, as compared
with their present state, when, according to the frank
and manly description of Mr. O'Malley, they are "an
emancipated people, admitted to the very sanctuary
of Ow constitution, and possessed of every means and
facility of detecting every covert act, as well as
defeating every open assault, of the enemies of our
fathers' faith." These, be it remembered, are the words of
em able, well-informed, scholar-like, and in mind, whatever
he may be in station, independent Roman Catholic priest.
He tells his Roman Catholic brethren that their condition
differs fundamentally from what it was before " emancipa
tion ;" that they were then prostrate end defenceless,
having causes both of suspicion, precaution, and complaint
which do not now affect them ; that they are now free ;
that the inmost recesses of the glorious Constitution are
laid open to them ; that they are invested with the full
means of defence for their religion and its interests, both
against artifice and force, and that neither the same murmurs,
MOT thesame alienations,nor the same distrustfuland unfriendly
course of action, befit them now, as they might have blame.
lessly resorted to before their acquisition of those con-
stitutional rights and privileges which have since be-
come lawfully theirs, and have placed them on a level with
the most favoured subjects of the Crown of Britain. These
are the sentiments of an enlightened Roman Catholic cler-
gyman, a reasonable being, an upright and conscientious
writer. What, in the presence of such a man, becomes of
Mr. Daniel O'Connell, with his yells about persecution,
and malignant threats and cures, and brutal agitations for
the " repeal of the Union," and all his other apparatus of
fraud and imposture devised for the exasperation to crime
and madness of a duped and plundered people ? It gladdens
our heart to see such an oasis in the desert and melancholy
waste of Irish Popery. But the truth is, that crime has
been carried to extravagance, and that human nature re-
volts from it with disgust. We have noticed but a small
portion of Mr. O'Malley's letter. The whole of it will
repay the deepest and most sustained attention.—Times.
" If a man were to set out," says Lord Halifax, " with
calling every thing by its right name, he would be knocked
down before he got to the corner of the street ;" and we
shall so far adopt this maxim as to refrain on the present
occasion from giving the Tories their just designation, but
we will take them at their own word, and call them " Im-
provers." They are the advocates of " improvement," be-
cause, it seems, " Reform" has been so hacknied and mis-
applied that it is odious in the ears of all true believers in
our infallibility. That the Times should now feel as strong
an objection to the word " Reform" as before 1835 it felt
an admiration for it, is not at all wonderful ; if, " like a
crab, it could go backward," (as it may do some fine
morning); the Times would admire it again. It has al-
ways paid more attention to words than to things, and
at present " improvement" is in especial favour with
it, and its patrons are not Tories but Improvers. " A
rose _by any other name would smell as sweet,"
and a Tory by any other name is just as offen-
sive. But since these gentlemen are so anxious
to get rid of their old appellation, and to start, as
it were, upon a new foundation, let us consider a little what
this, race of " improvers" would be likely to do to entitle
themselves to the confidence of the country, had they the
opportunity. For the sake of the speculation we will sup-
pose the worthies installed once more in the chief offices of
Government ; it is a bold stretch of the fancy, to be sure,
but " such tricks bath strong imagination," and we will
indulge it. Mark first, reader, that the Tories (" Im-
provers" we mean), " hate the very name of Reform."
Lord Stormont avowed it, and the Times, on behalf of the
whole party, expunges the word from its vocabulary.
When Sir Robert Peel issued his manifesto on last taking
office, he professed his intention not to repeal the Reform
Act ; it had been passed into alaw,andhe no doubtbelieved
that be could defeat or nullify its most wholesome provi-
sions without incurring the odium of repealing it. The
success of the " Improvers" in this respect, ever since
they were unceremoniously expelled by the Whigs,
shows that Sir Robert did not miscalculate. If they
have been able to do so much in the way of res-
toring the old corrupt system when out of power, how
much more might they not have accomplished had
they been in possession Of the authority and influence of
Government ? Well, the
declarationnati n favour of the Re-
form perverse enough hno
not
to trust to Sir R. Peels
Act, and we take it for granted that should he once
more contrive to set his foot on the threshold of the
Treasury he would not repeat that declaration. He would
not repeat it, first,
because the repetition would obtain no
more credence than the original statement ; and, secondly,
because, mainly by the fraudss
maned
escsoennttriiavlanpcaersticouflatrhse,
Tories, the measure has, in
worked so ill, that not a few of itso f!ibrnrloegraatedt;tocaaittcosgedtohuebrt.
whether it would not be better to
Of course the " Improvers" would not fail
itto
to
taketheir
i ardvoawnn
rage of this partial persuasion, and adding
oorfßthee.
undisguised anxiety to get rid of the re
nuisance, we may reckon it quite certainnl that the poor
Re-
form Act would be consigned by them taoinp:entlciiitiotnc.)
next grand " improvement" would probably apply Great The
Britain only. The Municipal Act must eppaty.once and
for ever destroyed. Nothing can be more anti-Tor} fled
than the whole of it, since it really takes the govern-
ment of Corporations out of the hands of a corrupt
and greedy few, and gives it to the many.' It puts respec-
r.:eP - ers upon a footing of equality, and gives
i i4ttis ' " -
' A,. .nt an interest in the good conduct and respec-
r•Ailippi(4- .orough. This condition of :affairs could
1-7' Wat.,;- a- " " be endured by the " Improvers" for a mo-
(4I --liriorfN 4t. • mine " Improvers" are for the misappro-
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