The Sun.
London, England, 1868-06-30 00:00:00

SPIRIT OF TEE PUBLIC JOURNALS.

Tho Times declares that the House of Lords by their
decision on the Suspensory Bill remit the question of the
Irish Church to the constituencies of the kingdom. The
opinion of the House of Lords is clearly indicated by the
division, but it is confessedly an opinion. The speeches
during the three nights that have been given to the sub-
ject have been so far satisfactory that no peer of any rank
among the speakers has ventured to proclaim an unyielding
determination to maintain the Irish Establishment. Lord
Salisbury and Lord Derby, equally with Lord Russell
and Lord Granville, have acknowledged that the will
of the people of England, delivered through the constitu-
encies of the kingdom and expressed by the House of
Commons, must eventually prevail over the sentiments of
the Upper House. The defenders as well as the opponents
of the Irish Establishment thus appeal to the nation. The
question is whether the House of Lords or the House of
Commons better represents the opinion of the people. The
answer cannot be doubtful. The nation is not misled by
the mcr3 esprit de corps of ecclesiastical brotherhood, nor
will it hesitate to do what is right from the apprehension
that because a just act has been done an unjust act
must follow. The people of England have the courage of
faith, and when once persuaded that a prayer is founded
on justice will insist upon its being granted. Upon this
issue let the question go : Is it right, or is it wrong, that
national property shall be devoted to the use of one-
eighth of the inhabitants of Ireland ? Does the distribu-
tion produce peace or engender disaffection? The reply
will come with fullness and with power, carryingaway with
it the opposition of the House of Lords and of all who
would build on the sand of unjust privileges.
The Post explains to some extent the decision of the
Lords by observing that persons sincerely desirous of
seeing the existing Church Establishment in Ireland
swept away might nevertheless disapprove of a measure
the sole effect of which would be to place the Establish-
ment, so to speak, in abeyance during the short interval
which the promoters of the bill presume will elapse before
the final measure receives the assent of the Legislature.
The matter before the House of Lords was, as Earl Grey
pointed out, simply a question of a few thousand pounds.
It was not whether the House of Peers would consent to
the clisestablishment of the Irish Church—for they were
not asked to assent to any such measure—but whether
they would interpose to prevent the filling up of any
vacancies which might occur in the Irish Church pending
the future decision of Parliament, whether that Church
should be disestablished or not. But although this was
the true issue, still, as the Suspensory Bill affirmed the
expediency of severing the existing connection between
Church and State in Ireland, an opportunity was afforded
of discussing on general grounds the entire policy of dis-
establishment; and were it not for this fact, the debate in
the House of Lords would be all its political and historical
value. Except in some few instances both votes and
speeches were dictated by individual feelings, not in re-
gard to the particular merits of the Suspensory Bill, but
the general merits of the Irish Church policy of the
Liberal party ; and no one can doubt that if the measure
had been one for the complete disestablishment of the
Irish Church, the result would have been practically the
same.

The Herald points out that Lord Russell commenced
his speech by a prudent endeavour to Underrate the im-
portance of the bill, speaking of it as the comparatively
insignificant measure which it would be if no resolutions
had preceded and no measure of permanent spoliation
were to follow ; and he complained that Lord Derby, in
dealing with these precedent and consequent matters, had
led the House away from the real subject of the debate. A
sufficient answer to this charge immediately ensued, for
almost in his next sentence Lord Russell turned to
the general question of disestablishment, repeating the
arguments and invectives which have formed the staple of
every Liberal speech in either House, and the equally
often-reiterated and refuted misinterpretations of Lord
Mayo's speech ; vindicating the conduct of his own Govern-
ment in not entertaining the subject in 1866 (wisely evading
the real question of his critics, why it was not entertained
between 1860 and 1865) ; and never again remembered
that, by his own profession he was discussing, not the dis-
establishment of the Irish Church, but a merely temporary
measure to prevent the creation of new vested interests
until the new Parliament can undertake the settlement of

the whole subject.
t. The Daily News observes that the spectacle which the
House of Lords has presented in this debate has not been
reassuring to the country. It is like a part of the crew
taking up Jonah's cause, and protesting that they
will either save him from destruction or go overboard
with him. Of course, not even the Bishop of
Oxford, nor Lord Redesdale, means this. There
is a good deal of what the Americans call " buncombe "
in this talk. The speeches of Earl Russell and the Lord
Chancellor, summing up the discussion, brought out the
contrast between the balance of arguments and that of
. numbers. The present and immediate result is that the
House of Lords is in antagonism to the country on a
question in which they are so valorous now, because the
necessity of finally yielding already looms in the distance.
The Standard devotes its criticism to the Duke of
Argyll's speech. It is very hard upon what it terms " the
very curious and convenient theory" developed by his
grace as to the right of the State to deal with property
which is in intention given to the service of God. We
are to judge, the duke says, whether money is given to
the service of God by the results it produces. If these
results are not agreeable to our notions we may pronounce
that the money was given to a Church, and not to
God, and confiscate it accordingly. If the effect
of (the working of a Church is to produce peace and
goodwill amongst men, as if any Church true to
its mission could well produce these results if
situated in the midst of a hostile majority, then we may
say the money was given for the service of God, and it
should not be appropriated ; but if, for political or social
reasons, we should think the results of the working of the
Church unsatisfactory, we have a right to say that the
money is not employed in God's service, and appropriate
it to building lighthouses or police barracks. But
plainly, the doctrine, in the opinion of the Standard,
amounts to this. If I, the Duke of Argyll, don't like the
Church which has the endowment, or have some purpose
to serve which would be helped by taking the money of
that Church, I am entitled to say the money was not
given to God's service, and forthwith apply it to that of
Mammon.

Everyone, the Star says, must have anticipated the
decision at which the House of Peers arrived. If their
lordships had as clearly anticipated the consequences of
that vote they would probably, even at the last moment,
have disappointed the general apprehensions of their
countrymen. Large words are an inexpensive luxury,
and Lord Shaftesbury advises that when the issue becomes
distinct between the disestablishment of the Irish Church
and the extinction of the House of Lords, their lord•
ships should choose the latter alternative. But
he perceives, what will soon be very evident to all
the members of his order, that the rejection of Mr.
Gladstone's bill will needlessly exacerbate the general
election, without in any considerable degree hindering the
'object which the House of Commons has in view. Now,
it would be very calamitous to see thb House of Lords
brought to the point of accepting its own extinction ; but
it is positively ignominious for that House to spew spirit
and obstinacy at an immaterial stage of the great measure
proposed by Mr. Gladstone, which they will not persevere
in evincing when the final struggle comes.

A baker in Paris is selling bread made of this
year's crop of wheat.

MISS RreS EM RAN'TS TO CANADA.—On tho
llth June 60 of the 100 girls taken out to Canada by Miss
nye arrived at Toronto under the charge of that lady.
The Toronto Globe says that though they did not appear
equal in bodily strength to the ideal English iiervant, they
were eagerly engaged for domestic service at good wages.
The Government emigrant agent, who met them at the
stationrsaid he was sure he could find occupation for a
thousand, so numerous were the applications he had
received.

FIRE IN 111 E Ho= PARR, WINDSOR.—On
.!londay morning the parched grass in the Home Park,
Windsor, skirting the Datchet•road, was discovered to be
on fire near to the row of choice fir trees planted by the
Queen, the Prince Consort, and the royal children. The
:abourers engaged in the gardens and slopes succeeded in
beating out the fire, though not before an acre of uncut
grass had been destroyed. The fire is supposed to have
been caused by a lighted vesuvian having been thrown
down at the side of the road by some wayfarer after light-
ing his pipe.

SCENE IN A THEATRE.—Daring the performance
it the Haymarket Theatre (London) the other night of
" The Hero of Romance," an incident occurred of a kind
wliieh, though rare nowadays, was not unusual in bygone
thnes, when audiences used to surrender themselves more
absolutely to the illusion of the scene than they are wont
to do in this matter-of-fact age. In that passage of the
third act where Mr. Sothern leaps from the lofty parapet
of a castle into the grove beneath, a young lady in the
stalls was so excited by the action that she shrieked " He
is killed !" and springing from her seat attempted to rush
nut of the house. Fortunately, her friends came promptly
to the work of " disillusion," and succeeded, though not
without some difficulty, iu pacifying her mind at the ex•
pause of her imagination. This little episode was produc-
tive of no little sensation among the audience, whose
excitement was not allayed until Mr. Sothern came in
front of the curtain, looking sound and hearty, anti uctt
whit the werae alarming pap,