The Sun.
London, England, 1869-03-23 00:00:00

VOLUNTARYISM IN AMERICA.

An American writes to the Times on the volun-
tary support of religion in the United States. He
complains of the manner in which Dr. Ball disposed
of the subject in the House of Commons the other
night. He declares that his countrymen are a reli-
gious people, and the voluntary system has been
successful among them. The various denomina-
tions meet the necessity of erecting churches
to supply the wants of the increasing popu-
lation with promptitude and liberality. With
respect to the salaries of English and American
clergy, he is convinced that the voluntary system will
suffer nothing in comparison. All the great denomi-
nations of America are in prosperity, and out of these
have sprung the numerous colleges which maintain
courses of instruction that would do no discredit to
Oxford or Cambridge. The American does not
assume to say what is best for England or Ireland,
but if our questions are to be settled by suggestions
which are furnished by American experience, he
desires that such experience should be taken as it is.

THE IRISH CHURCH.
Lord Oranmore and Browne writes to the Daily
Telegraph giving his objections to the Irish Church
Bill. "I object to its provisions," he says, " because
the powers given to commissioners are unprece-
dented and unconstitutional, because they are untrue
to the preamble, dishonest as touching private
endowments, and that, while they ignore the
claims of the Protestant laity, they deal more
favourably with the interests of those clergy who
had no claims on Church funds than with the just
claims of the clergy of the Church itself." His
lordship chiefly addresses himself to what we
may call the denominational objection. He points
out that reformatory and industrial schools, institu-
tions for training nurses, deaf and dumb asylums,
and refuges for those of weak intellect are carried
on by the energy of the different sects ; the larger
number of the population being Roman Catholics, a
larger number are tended by friars and nuns. The
end of the lives of these persons is to convert to
Romanism. In giving the money to these people,
111 r. Gladstone will be giving it towards the propaga-
tion of Popery. The preamble of the bill declares
that the endowment shall not be used for the teach-
ing of religion. The measure itself disregards the
preamble. Lord Oranmore goes on to say that the
measure will please the Catholics, but is a palpable
insult to Protestants. He finishes his epistle by
abusing the Roman Catholic clergy and extolling
the virtues of the Protestants. While the latter are
all that can be wished, the Roman Catholic priests,
as a body, and the lower orders of Irish led by them,
are now, as ever, religiously and politically hostile
to the English and Protestant connection. They look
for the establishment of a national and Socialist
Republic, in which the Roman Catholic clergy expect
to have a dominant influence. The more that is
yielded to violence, the more will be demanded,
backed by still greater violence, which soon will pro-
duce feelings of bitter hostility between class and
class, and religion and religion, ending by Great
Britain having again to reconquer Ireland.