The Sun.
London, England, 1838-09-03 00:00:00

truth, and ought never to be disunited. But men of selfish
and narrow minds never fail to disjoin them. If they are
asked to contribute to a foreign object—if they are reques-
ted to enter upon the wild field of philanthropy, to patronise
an expansive scheme of charity, comprehending distant
regions, then they instinctively reply that charity begins at
home. But, on the other hand, if it chance that their at-
tention is directed to the sufferers at their own doors, to the
institutions which contemplate the alleviation of human
misery within the limits of their neighbourhood, or their
country, then, as if by magio, they assume a new character,
their benevolence expands, their pity and tenderness
are not to be confined within such narrow limits, and
they declare themselves philanthropists on a large
scale ; they immediately apprise the applicant that
acting on the principle that charity, though it should
begin at home, yet ought never to end there, they have
literally exhausted their means, run the whole length
of their tether, and, what with claims abroad and demands
at home, they have nothing left. Thus is truth perverted
for the purposes of selfishness. No passage of Holy Writ
has been more abused in this way and for these purposes
than that which predicates that "if a man provide not for
his own, and especially for them of his own household, he
bath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel." Every
pretender to Christianity possessing a heart encased in sel-
fishness, or perchance consumed by covetousness, has this
truth ever in his mouth, and never fails to make it an
apology for doing nothing for any but himself. So uni-
versally has this averment been appropriated by selfish-
ness and covetousness for their unhallowed purposes,
that unless positive and cogent proof be afforded to the
contrary, every man who employs this language as
an excuse for withholding his pecuniary means from
objects of charity, may be at once set down as " a
covetous man, who," St. Paul says, "is an idola-
ter." Not so, however, our good friends the Tories.
Their charity, indeed, begins at home ; but it does not
terminate there. Those patriots of a high order have,
with laudable zeal, directed their attention to the crying
evils which have been produced by Whig legislation at
home ; and through their organs of the press have de-
nounced with great severity and vehemence what they re-
gard as the malpractices of the Liberal party. Jealous
for the honour of the poor, and full of benevolent concern
for their welfare, they have pointed out the new laws which
affect them, as they conceive, injuriously, and demanded
their immediate amendment. And far be it from us to
detract from the merit of this good deed, by insinuating,
as some would uncharitably insinuate, that they are rather
late in the exhibition of their tenderness. Rather would
we say with the old adage—" Better late than never ;" for
we kt.ow full well that they, who, in their hatred to every
thing Popish, have renounced all works of supererogation,
can ill afford to lose any part of the credit of their per-
formances. Preferring the language of Scripture to an un-
inspired maxim which savours a little of vulgarity and se-
verity, we would say, "Render, therefore, to all th eir dues," and
this command we wouldcheerfully obey, abating nothing. Full
of zeal for Protestantism and Church of Englandism, they
have been at considerable pains to demonstrate the rapid
growth of Catholicism, and the fearful inroads made upon
the revenues and rights of the Clergy, and this in order to
their being prevented. They have taken upon themselves
the task—confessedly no easy one—of showing to what an
awful extent the Liberals have encouraged Popery, by pa-
tronizing that Arch-Papist O'Connell, and injured Chris-
tianity by doing justice and extending liberty to the Dis
senters, and by restoring to them thei▪ r rights. Nothing
could be more difficult than to prove that Protestantism
could possibly be injured by a suspensi▪
on or total repeal of
the laws of persecution ; and such an effort, moreover,
might have involved inconveniences, forasmuch as our good
friends did themselves, on one occasion, urged by dire neces-
sity, and for the disinterested purpose of retaining office for
the benefit of the country, attempt and accomplish, with the
aid of the Whigs, the repeal of certain laws of this class af-
fecting the Roman Catholics. They have, therefore. found it
desirable to leave this work unattempted. But to show that
the National Establishment might suffer in its temporalities,
or rather thatrich pluralists and others would suffer by such a
course, was less difficult, and they have, therefore, applied
themselves to the task, and have pleaded their cause most
valiantly and heroically. Manifold other grievances, which
we cannot stay to detail, they have exposed and con-
demned--grievances, be it observed, equally fearful and
palpable, and, indeed, so palpable and prominent, to them-
selves at least, as almost to render unnecessary the hand-
posts they have been so careful to set up and the warnings
they have so repeatedly given. But time would fail us to
tell of all that the Tories have, through the channels
referred to, done or attempted in the way of pointing
out defects, exposing what they conceive to be errors,
and denouncing what they regard as palpable evils, pro-
minent dangers, or threatening mischiefs. The Liberal
party, and the Government, in particular, will, of course,
estimate, as far as possible their disinterested kindness;
and feel that they are laid under infinite obligations by
their good offices. Ungrateful indeed would they prose
themselves, were they to fail in this respect. There is an
old and sound maxim, however—and they who, like our
Tory friends, are great admirers of the wisdom of our an-
3estors, will not regard it the less for its antiquity—of
hich we are just now forcibly reminded, viz.:-" That one
mend-fault is worth a hundred find-faults." This is worthy
the consideration of our friends. It is rather late in the
day for them to learn this lesson, especially as they have
set up far teachers of others ; and to carry it into practice
will, with them, be somewhat difficult. But there is an-
other lesson of importance which they cannot fail to have
learned, viz. :—" He is not too old to learn who is not too
wise to be taught." And if, amongst the multitude of

evls to he remedied they should be at ;loss where to begin,
we would venture to suggest to them the Corn-laws.
Great as is their sympathy with the poor, and vehement as is
their desire for their benefit, they will doubtless apply
themselves to this work, so as to be prepared, on the
meeting of Parliament, to afford relief so palpable,
tangible, and extensive. They may then proceed to
the education of the poor of Ireland on an ample scale.
Thus they may remove the darkness, superstition, and
cruelty of that land of error and wickedness, as they are
wont to represent it ; raise the character, and elevate the
moral and intellectual condition of those whom they con-
sider to be in the worst state of degradation ; and by
making way for the increase of Protestantism, for which
they are so zealous, shut the flood-gates of Popery, which
they so cordially hate, and the encroachments of which
they so deplore and deprecate. These things, and others
which we might mention, have been forgotten by them.
But who can feel surprise that men of such ample views
and enlarged plans—men of such devoted patriotism and
distinguished philanthropy—should overlook some smaller
matters ? They have taken an elevated position, and have
looked far and wide. No marvel, then, if a few things near
at hand have escaped their notice. They who can scan the
world, can hardly he expected to observe very minutely.
We shall return to this subject to-morrow.—A/onring
Advertiser.
Moderate and enlightened justice has obtained another
triumph in the rescue from their impending fate of the two
young women at Chester, sentenced to death for infanti-
cide. This triumph has been obtained by the force of pub-
lic opinion compelling Ministers reluctantly to abandon
the intention of sacrificing the lives of two wretched victims
to the demoralising effect of the bastardy clauses of the new
Poor-law, when their doom appeared to have been defi-
nitively fixed. Had the Queen's Ministers brought the
cases of these women under her Majesty's notice at an
earlier period we are convinced, from what we know of the
mild and merciful sentiments which animate the Royal
heart, that a favourable answer would have been sooner
returned than it was to the petitions and remonstrances of
the people. Instead of all applications for mercy, in the
first instance, proving fruitless, as we were informed by
the Chester Courant, public anxiety, which was excited to
a most painful degree on this subject, would have
been at once relieved, and Ministers would have been
spared the storm of indignant commentary which they
brought about their own ears by their conduct on this oc-
casion, and which gives the exercise of the Royal preroga-
tive, which ought to seem an act of grace and spontaneous
clemency, the appearance of an extorted concession to an
irresistible " pressure from without." When we first
brought the cases of Dinah Jones and Ann Byrom under
public notice we could scarcely anticipate any serious in-
tention on the part of Ministers to allow the sentence of the
law to be carried into effect. Still, as Mr. Baron Gurney
had, as far as in him lay, fixed the fate of the prisoners, and
peremptorily rejected the recommendation of the jury in
favour of Dinah Jones, we felt it an imperative duty to
state our reasons why the beneficent prerogative of the
Crown should interfere to overrule the judicial determina-
tion to have the unfortunate women banged. Having no-
ticed the subject two or three times, and stated that a pe-
tition for mercy bad been forwarded to the Queen, which
was signed by the rector of the parish in which one of the
women resided, six other Clergymen and Ministers, two
county Magistrates, and a great number of respectable trades-
pf,reeeormnputles
a,eywnitnegvileft the matter there, and refrained for some time
anythingouldh
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ing to cases so distressing, by sacrificing their own preju-
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Poor-law seduction had provedanh,,est teuratgtauel
the
usual preparations for judicial homicideit; Chester
agitatedthaton
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were going on. Then it was that we once
the subject ; and as Ministers are fond of all
gat
tends to benefit themselves, we do not see why they
not get enough of it when it tends to the advantage ofonind
terests less selfish and perishable than their own. There-
fore we " agitated" against the execution of the female
victims of the new Poor-law in language which, though