The Sun.
London, England, 1835-03-19 00:00:00

Sir R. Peel's wise and well-digested measure for reliev-
ing Nonconformists from an inconvenience, which really
amounted to a grievance, because they- fah it to be such,
toward
and because it was at the same time unnecessary...
is
the support of any branch of our constitution in Chums
or State, has given, we may venture to say, very general
satisfaction to all honest men among the classes for whose
accommodation it was intendeda and all rational thinkers
of those classes, as well as of the Established Church. The
Dissenters have always, since the enactment of Lord Hard-
w;clse's Marriage Act, been complaining that they were
not permitted to contract legal marriages, without the per-
fornsance of religious ceremonies from which their con-
sciences revolted. That was the sum and substance of
their complaint and no other. And we may affirm that the
Bill introduced by Sir R. Peel removes that obnoxious
obligation, and absolves the Dissenters from the neces-
sity of submitting to any religious rite whatever, com-
pelling them simply to go before a civil Magistrate:—
the first time, to declare their intention to marry, accom-
panying the declaration by an oath to certain descrip-
tive and other essential facts—and a second time, after a
reasonable interval, to sign the contract, and complete the
marriage ceremony, so far as is requisite to render the mar-
riage legally valid. The partieS are afterwards at perfect
liberty to superadd whatever religious ceremony may be
conformable to their own particular creed, being wholly
and absolutely released from the duty of calling in the rites
of the Church of England to their assistance, or applying
to her ministers otherwise than in the character of civil
ikinliionaiies, who hold in custody the parish registers of
the kingdom, to enter the date of each respective marriage,
and the names of the parties, in those official records.
We arc inclined- to think that such a measure as this,
which meets directly, and completely abolishes the whole
matter of grievance alleged by the, Dissenters, may
satisfy that entire body. And we will venture to say,
the great bulk of those who have a right to be respected
as religious Dissenters, not seeking to separate themselves
from the Established Church, but reluctantly and for
conscience sake submitting to such a separation, are
thoroughly satisfied with the principle of the measure,
and grateful to its authors. But, unfortunately, the poli-
tical Dissenters, or at least their clique of political advo-
cates, judging by the statements in the newspapers, appear
contented only in so far as they can extract from those pro-
visions which were meant for the relief of the Dissenters,
materials for further acrimony and injustice. It is not
enough for these troublesome intruders to obtain for an ag-
grieved body of subjects the most extensive and unexcep-
tionable redress as concerns themselves, but they must turn
the tables on the members of the Church of England, and
insist that because we have exonerated the Dissenters from
a religious ceremony which they disliked, we who lo not
dislike it, we who regard it as a comfort, a security, and a
blessing, shall 'deprive ourselves of the benefits which we
assign to its performance, on the plea of putting ourselves
on an equal footing with those by whom it has been
anxiously repudiated. "We won't have the prayers
of your book," they say, "as part and parcel of our
marriage ceremony, and therefore you sla'n't have
them as a necessary adjunct to your own marriage."
And this is freedom—this is toleration—this is what
.Lord Sandon, with much propriety, rebuked, as so much
miserable pedantry and arrogance, bearing on it' the false
'label of " philosophy !" Philosophy ! What a desecra-
tion of the term ! Is deceit, bolstered up by an accumula-
tion of cant phrases learnt by rote—is blundering sciolism—
is ignorant pedantry to be dignified with the exalted cha-
racter of a love of wisdom ? Then the vermin which infest
a lion's mane may be said to partake of the noble qualities
of the lion. No ; wisdom is not pert, nor affected, nor
pragmatical, but ever cautious, inquiring, modest ; always
learning, because always feeling that more remains to be
learned. We repeat, that the Bill is an excellent Bill, ex-
cellent in itself, but as compared with the " Marriage Act"
attempt of Lord John Russell it is a miracle of Legislative
wisdom. It.may, perhaps, be susceptible of some improve-
ment in two or three matters of detail. From the bulk and
outline of it, however, there is abundant room for hoping
that the great mass of English Dissenters will be lastingly
conciliated to the Liberal Government which has taken
such pains to serve them, and, at all events, that the quiet,
though comprehensive, change thus aecomplished will en-
sure the cordial suffrages of the dispassionate and en-
lightened Englishman.—Times,
We lament to state that Sir Edward Sugden is under-
stood to have relinquished an appointment in which he had
shown, durincs his short period of office, judicial qualities so
distinguished that they impart to his resignation the cha-
racter of a national calamity. We fear we must add that
the Lord Chancellor of Ireland is, at this instant, on his
way to London, if indeed be have not already arrived. Of
the cause of an occurrence so unexpected and abrupt
we would willingly forbear to speak, although it must
soon obtain an unlimited and painful notoriety.
We need not say that the cause is of a nature which
does not reflect the least discredit upon the professional
or judicial character of this eminent lawyer, nor detract
in the slightest degree fom the high estimation in which
his qualifications for the Bench were and are deservedly
held by his Majesty's Government, sympathising with and
reflecting in this particular, the' general sentiment of two
nations. .But while we sincerely regret that any circum-
stances should have arisen to, render a protracted residence
at the Irish capital disagreeable to the feelings of Sir Ed-
ward Sugden, and thus to deprive our fellow subjects of the
sister kingdom of the services of a Lord Chancellor so emi-
nently qualified to fulfil, with honour to himself and advan-
tage to them, all the duties, judicial and ministerial, of his
exalted station, we, cannot impugn the lofty and honour-
able principles, the manifestation of which by the Viceregal
Court are understood to have led to the sudden retirement
of the late Lord Chancellor of Ireland. The state-
ment which we have heard, and the accuracy of which
we do not doubt, is, that in consequence of an intima-
tion from the Lord Chamberlain that no Lady would
be received at the Drawing-rooms of the Castle who is
not considered, in all respects, eligible to be presented at
the Drawing-rooms at St. James's, the Lord Chancellor
immediately adopted the resolution resigning his office and
quitting Dublin. It.is said, and we believe correctly, that
Sir E. Sudgen has determined to relinquish the pension to
which his brief poasession of the Irish Seal Would legally
entitle him ; and rumour ascribes to him the further inten-
tion of resuming his former eminent position at the Equity
Bar of this country. The latter report is, we incline to
think, of doubtful authority. We know no one who is less
likely than Sir E. Sugden to overlook the consequences
which such a proceeding on his part might produce to the
interests of other meritorious men ; or to establish in his
own person a precedent which would certainly militate
against the welfare and dignity of the profession in which
he has successfully sought out for himself the road to for-
tune and to fame.—Morning Post.
We stated yesterday, in reference to the Bill brought in
by Sir R. Peel to afford relief to the Dissenters in their
marriage contracts, that it would be premature to give a
decided opinion upon its merits until we either had the Bill
before us, or had had due time to consider its provisions, as
announced by Sir R. Peel. We, however, with this ad-
mission, declared that so far as we could form ,an opinion
upon the subject, from the hasty glance at it which we had
had, the Bill contained one capital fault, which was the
foundation of much error, and which would render it
obnoxious not only to Dissenters, but to those who -be-
long to the Church of England—and that that fault
consisted in the absence of a broad foundation of so-
cial equality in the eye both of law and of religion,
and that, in consequence, the Dissenters were still, not-
withstanding the relief afforded by it, a marked and
procribed class. From this, perhaps somewhat hasty, but
nevertheless conscientious, opinion, we do not feel inclined
to withdraw. We readily concede that the Bill is an im-
provement of the existing law ; but it is nevertheless equally
true that it is not a final measure, and that, after it has
been passed, it will not yield satisfaction either to Church-
men or to Dissenters generally. Politically, and from re-
ligious conviction, we are in favour of marriage being ac-
companied by religious ceremonies--we deem the contract
more solemn and more binding by its being accompanied
by the attestation of the ministers of religion—and we trust
that we shall never live to see the day when English men
and English women shall be so devoid of all regard for the
faith which they profess, as to omit the observance of the rites
by which it sanctions their marriage contract ; but the con-
tract for all civil, or rather earthly, purposes is a civil contract,
and we can see no reason, in consequence, why, in order
to ensure that harmony of feeling and charity' hi' conduct
which Christianity dictates, as its first, its last, and unal-
„tamable law,—all marriages, be they those of Catholics, of
Dissenters, of Church of England men, or of any other
sects, which may be mentioned, should not, in all cases,
and in the eye of the law, be deemed to be civil contracts
—the contracting parties being always at liberty to super-
add the more solemn sanction of religion to the bcind pre-
scribed by the law. Such a plain and simple enactment as
that of which we have given the outline, in a feve words,
could afford no just ground of dissatisfaction to any one.