The Sun.
London, England, 1851-01-01 00:00:00

to face for a fight. Each is for being the Church,
the whole Church, and nothing but the Church.
One half of the apostolical descendants bastardizes the
other. This goes for dogmas, and that for priests. It
is wonderful that people do not laugh in their pews when
the Psalm is read, " Behold how good and how pleasant
it is for brethren to dwell together in unity." The
world has never seen such a spiritual scandal as the
Anglican Church, and its vaunted uniformity. The
commands of its rubric are hooted as innovations, cus-
tom is set up aganst canons, and in its law and order
" nothing is but what is not." Folks are astounded at
finding out what it is which they believe, and of which
they were utterly and orthodoxically unconscious. Can
this schism be patched up? Unless it be, is there a possi-
bility that such an institution should retain any particle
of respect in the public mind, or any power of useful.
ness? The Archbishop of Canterbury thinks that this
is no time for a revision. If not, then it is a time for
contempt and dissolution. Something must be done.
Root out Popery, and please the Evangelicals: or restore
Convocation, and please the Puseyites. Either way will
satisfy a faction; neither way will satisfy the people.
It is left for 1851 to smoothe this tangled skein?
We shall inevitably have a theological session. This
is the old year's worst bequest. Questions of solid prac-
tical utility, and of great urgency for the country's well
being, will be pushed aside by these candlestick contro-
versies. Parliamentary and financial reform are in
danger of going into abeyance. Retrenchment, law
reform, education, knowledge, taxes, every thing, is in
peril of being pushed aside by Protestantism and Popery.
The whale is off, full drive after the tub. Whiggery
will be delighted at such a diversion. The cassock de-
bate will cut short the colonial. The suffrage must be
postponed to the surplice, and reform to the rubric. We
shall be stunned with the clamour of jackdaws. " The
wide, the unbounded prospect lies before me," and it is
c9vered with the thorns and thistles of theological con-
troversy. The growth of all useful grain is likely to be
choked. It would relieve Parliament and facilitate
public business could we have a convention of delegates,
fairly chosen from all classes of the community, to
decide upon our religion, for the coming year at least, or
to ascertain whether it may not be quietly left to our-
selves to settle.

There is one chance for the young year of being bet-
ter than his father. The public mind is ascertained, by
long experience, to be only capable of entertaining one
idea at a time. Now the May Exhibition is an idea
which may do some service. Let us hope it will save
1851 from being another Church year. A year of in-
dustry will be most welcome, to all but the parsons,
after a year of theology. • The Crystal Palace will be
mere crowded than any metropolitan Cathedral. In-
ventions for the handicraftsman will happily replace the
jargon „of the schoolmen. The sight of cheap fabrics
will refresh the mind after church-rate discussions and
distraints. Cardinal Wiseman will be cut out by the
new eat of a cardinal. Albs and mitres will not be ad-
missible in Hyde-park. People will look at tickets in-
stead of texts. We shall come down from the clouds to
see how the soil may be better cultivated. " White
black, and grey, with all their trumpery," may go again
to limbo. The Pope will be less interesting than Paxton.
The expositors in request will be those who expound the
miracles of manufacturing machinery. Our Chinese
visitors may repeat the exclamation of the Mandarin on
hearing the Athanasian Creed. "It is astonishing that
people should talk such nonsense who make such good
watches!" There will be more human brotherhood in
one day's intermingling of the denizens of all regions to
gaze with common feelings of wonder and delight on the
diversified scene, than in all the Christmas preachings of
the bigot combatants. Divines may despise the Exhibi-
tion as a collection of " base matter," but there will be
a good spirit in it; aye, a spirit more divine than Harry
of Exeter ever bestowed upon kneeling priest, by the
imposition of his pugnacious fingers. Lot 1851, then, go
to the Exhibition fur a character. It will give him more
than a European reputation, a world-wide fame, and one
which may last for ages. It is his golden opportunity.
So, farewell to the old Ecclesiastic; let him totter out,
mumbling his Protestant Litany, or counting his Catho-
lic beads; and welcome young Industry, with his arts
and inventions, and without either creed or crozier;
welcome to the transparent Palace which Genius has
reared for his reception.

PUBLICOLL.

THE CASE OF MR. SLOANE AND

JANE WILBRED.

Yesterday afternoon a special general meeting of th•
Board of Guardians of the West London Union was
held at their house in West-street, for the purpose of
taking into consideration what steps should be adopted
by the guardians (of whose union, it will be recollected,
the unfortunate girl Jane Wilbred was formerly an
inmate) to ensure the apprehension of Mrs. Sloane and
Miss Louisa Devaux. There was a very full attend-
ance of guardians; and Mr. Bethell, of Farringdon-
street, the chairman of the board, presided.
Mr. lIERAPATH, of Holborn-hill, said he rose to
bring before the board of guardians a matter of the
deepest importance to them and to the public at large.
It was relative to the case of that unfortunate creature
Jane Wilbred. They had achieved one point in the
committal of Mr. Sloane; but they must not rest there.
—(Hear, hear.) Mrs. Sloane was at large, ho was sorry
to say, through the supineness of Mr. Alderman Hum-
phery, as was also Miss Devaux. Since they last met,
Mr. Pontifex, the clerk of the union, had examined
Jane Wilbred, and from the answers she gave it ap-
peared that Miss Devaux was not only preseLt and wit-
nessed the atrocious proceedirga of the two Sloanes, but
actually took part in the cruelties perpetrated. It' the
girl's statement were true, end he (Mr. Herapath) had
little doubt of it, Miss Devaux was at least particeps
criminis.—(lle6r, hear.) It now became the duty of the
guardians, as guardians of the poor, and as it wore fathers
of those unfortunate creatures who were placed under their
protection, to strain every nerve, and to leave no stone
unturned, until they brought to justice all the individuals
who had taken any part in the detestable cruelties which
had been recorded in the public prints, and which had
excited such a general feeling of disgust.—(Loud
cheers.) It was quite certain, that unless they adopted
some extraordinary means, Mrs. Sloane and Miss Devaux
would escape. The plan which he was about to suggest
was to offer a reward for their apprehension.—(Loud
cheers.) Some of the guardians might object to the
expense of such a course, but he (Mr. Herapath) felt
quite assured, as he was from the first moment when he
originally brought the case before the board
of guardians, that the Poor-law Commissioners would
allow every farthing of any expense it was necessary to
incur in the prosecution of this case.—(Bear, hear.) In
fact ho felt so certain of it that, rather than the matter
should be further delayed, ho would himself consent to
raise the money by a subscription, and ho knew enough
of the public feeling to say ho could raise ten times the
sum in one day. But ho would put the matter upon a
higher ground. He contended that even if they had to
pay the money individually, it was their duty to raise it
in order that persons might be punished who had so
grossly maltreated one of the unfortunate children com-
mitted to their charge, and to whom they stood in loco
parentis.—(Hear, hear.) The resolution which he had to
propose was as follows:

"That this board do offur a reward of 20/. for the ap-
prehension of Mrs. Sloane, and that application be made
to the Right Hon. Sir George Grey, the Secretary of
State for the Homo Department, requesting the Govern-
ment to increase the sum to 501."

Mr. WEIGHTMAN rose to second the resolution. Ile
said he cordially agreed with the sentiments expressed
by Mr. Herapath, and was of opinion that the guardians
should lose no time in carrying them out.
The resolution was then put and unanimously
agreed to.

-Mr. HERAPATII said ho thanked the guardians for the
cordial manner in which they had seconded his endea-
vours to bring to justice all persons accused in this case.
Ho had but one object in view when ho took upon him-
self the office of a guardian. It was not to save the
parishioners a few paltry pounds that he consented that
those duties should be imposed upon him, but that he
might see that the poor, whose necessities compelled
them to throw themselves upon their fellow-creatures for
support, should bo humanely treated and properly pro-
vided for. He wished to let it be distinctly understood
by those who took into their service persons from that
union, that the guardians were resolved that they should
be protected, as they would protect the daughter of a
tradesman or a nobleman, and that no case of maltreat-
ment would be allowed to go unpunished.—(Cheers.)
After some discussion it was resolved, also on the
motion of Mr. HERAPATII,
" That the clerk be requested to consult with Mr.
Huddlestone, the counsel for the prosecution, as to
whether the board of guardians had better apply to the
magistrate for a warrant for the apprehension of Miss
Louisa Devaux."
A vote of thanks having been awarded to the Chair-
man, the proceedings terminated.

THE ExHIBITION OF 1851.
TheEXTECN following
circular has just been issued :
" N
OF TIME FOR RECEIVING CERTAIN
Oro

ohFavecoboeDens.
made to the t,Numerous sugcgLekeStisoEnSs
exe-
cutive committee, pointing out that it would be a serious
detriment to certain classes of goods if tb y
exposed to light, moisture of the atmeoswh'eerree,tes,ebe
at an earlier period than is absolutely atmosphere,
and requesting permission to deposity,
.such particular
goods in the buildingat
February.
" The executive committee do not feel they would be
justified in submitting to her Majesty's Commissioners
the advisability of altering their decision as to the time
of receiving the goods; but they are prepared to under-
take the responsibility on themselves of considering a li-
mited extension of time according to circumstances.
Those exhibitors who shall have caused the space al-
lotted to them in the building to be completely fitted
up with the necessary shelves, cases, &c., before 'Thurs-
day, the 20th of February, so that nothing remains to
bo done, but simply to bring iu the goods And deposit
them in their proper places and receptacles, will thereby
acquire a title to have requests for extension of time
examined. Exhibitors who, having obtained a certificate
from an appointed officer that their spaces and stalls are
quite completed by the 28th of February, will then bs
required to give borne satisfactory
guarantee to the ex-
ecutive committee that they are prepared to bring in
their goods at the order of the executive committee, and
tension of time will then be duly
such requests for ex
considered and dealt with on their merits.—By order of
the executive committee.
if DIGBY WTATT, Secretary.
" The Building for the Exhibition of 1851,
Kensington-road, 1650."

BLACR DOLL AT OLD STORE SHOES.—Is it not
probable that the black doll was an image of the Virgin,
sold at the Reformation with a lot of church vestments, and
other "rags of Popery," as tho puritans called thu aurget.t.
wad first hung up by more Puritan or Hebrew tlealater4refes
(mid Querie,:z.