The Sun.
London, England, 1844-04-17 00:00:00

t"rtain feelings might be excited, which he was sure the
:',47,ht Hon. Baronet would be the last person to treat
"di/ disrespect ?—(Hear, hear.) If these buildings
Were thrown open free of charge, and the Govern-
-Inel:it would take steps to preserve the necessary order
and decorum, he firmly believed that the people
Would
soon become their own police.—(Hear, hear.) He
knew from his own experience of continental churches,
that those great evils
which were anticipated from the
not fre.
reunou participation of such advantages occurred much
ess often when the admission was free than when it was
e•—(Hear, hear.) They had every reason to be-
,e that the people of England were as fit to go and
eillieY theeiselves—and, he would add, to improve them-
Theies'ves,---in Westminster Abbey and St. Paul's, as a French-
---31 in Notre Dime, or an Italian in St. Peter's.—(Hear,
hear
•)
--ss'With respoct to the character of these monu-
ments, he believed the chapter of St. Paul's had lately
come to a decision not to admit any more monuments
which had heathen subjects, and he believed they had
enlY acted in accordance with public opinion. The
question of removal was a very difficult one, and required
tgrave consideration. If they decided hastily for re-
oval 'they might take away from these buildings
aneir national character as Pantheons, if he. might
4.
,epress himself, or representatives of the tastes
erected.tile different ages in which the monuments were
There were, in fact, evils on both sides.
titre hoy.ed the Right Honourablei
.Baronet would with-
an' nis opposition to the resolution. He had all pos-
aibhe respect for the religious services performed in these
lifiees, but he thought that every effort ought to be
h made to open them to the present generation, and he
seeped that they would not suffer the stionsa to remain "It the
to s, English were the only people who were unable
°.tain free admission to their national cathedrals.
1. PEEL said he had had opportunities of witness-
monuments the result of free admission to works of art and 1110orluinents of antiquity, and he saw no reason whatever . retract the opinion he had expressed on former occa-
11)es' --(Cheers.) He thought every facility which could
be given for admission to the cathedrals of this country,
ekonsistent with the preservation of the works of art and
mod effect,
which they inclosed, could have none but a
;'2ll9,ffeete-s-(Hear.) He thought that the moral effect
will: he good. Admission to these ancient buildings,
the f 0
were recommended by their Venerable appearance,
th aeOrded proofs of a pious disposition on the part of
tikl'n founders, and instances of the devotion of great
to " arid great science to religious purposes, must tend
1) eeite emotions which could produce none but the 1
„esit results. His Hon. Friend, the Member for the '
tuhn.vrsity of Oxford, had said, and said truly, that
chili had been periods in which great refinement and.
tae'',lsation had existed, concurrently with great profit-
sn• 21is Hon. Fried also said that there had been
Ith --'8 of persons of great intellectual acquirements,
pe„° avere not deeply impressed with the importance of
s'.'acsios!,
All that was perfectly true ; but it seemed to (711 (Sir It. Peel) to be entirely beside the question.—
' l'ar, hear•) The question was, whether or no the
..senaetions which would probably be excited by free ad-
-eissio
doe is to edifices of this description were likely to pro-
itthrise
aadgeondta;offl(et on the minds of those who enjoyed
Hear, hear.) If his Hon. Friend's
elle Teta had any foundation, it would go much further
to'stlnenhe carried it ; it would go to show that admission
tion Places must have a tendency to check civilise-
ev *--(Rear, hear, and laughter.) He thought, how .•
tine!! that the emotions likely to be excited were emo-
dor talc the
to wean from vulgar habits, and from
Re ass.lng. pursuit; and to refine and iniprove the mind.
caseuld not contend that they would necessarily, in all
edifis' imPress the parties who contemplated these
possiebeise with the great truths of religion ; but was it
than that the emotion produced could have other.
lie a good- effect? Could they do otherwise than mi.-
I,elei and efie?—(Hear, hear.) If they did not create a
Bst°illlorgli
eefsns character—if that must be derived from other
the good were not complete and perfect,
e' them derive as much benefit as they could from
e.i refinement and civilization. So far as public and politi-
tbo,,re,sults were likely to arise from them, he: certainly
ee,",g, nt, that by leading the working classes of this
te etry, those who derived tbeir existence from daily
~,o'l, to these buildings, they would be teaching them to
bot'd with veneration what came to them associated
sofa with religion and with a long existence. Therefore,
likely
yeausidpusbeleic and political considerat ions were concerned,
nothing but good for the Constitution as
tionly to arise from encouraging feelings of this descrip-
he , So far as moral and social results were concerned,
suould
this
eliarais contemplate, with great satisfaction, the free
ealtdtitssion of the humblest classes of society to the
of the country. It was his opinion also, that
iihs,seicrsa-l'prnrois' sriis°inon
might be granted without incurring the
which were sometimes apprehended. At present,
was made in Westminster Abbey for
eye'..adinission of the public, not only on Sundays, but on
vice,r37 day of the week during the performance of divine ser-
ethbut they said that if the public wished to enter at any
'Sieber thne they should pay a certain sum for admission.
cone
was this but encouraging those who might have
devotee from religious feelings to attend Divine service, to
,s,ftr the time to the contemplation of works of art?—
if ':-Lear, hear.) He had the strongest impression
.that
ti ht certain days of the week, they gave an unrestricted
ortht ef admission, the public would not avail themselves
on at right to an inconvenient extenS, but would act
Ivhoa PerineiPle which very much governed themselves,
v 4,:hen'ing that they had the opportunity of seeing
ceetiite"'nanY curious and distant countries, were very well
Public tied to stay at home.—(Laughter.) He thought
.the
Nell would use the advantage, but not in
pre, a manner as to interfere with the safe
Ile teirlvati,nn of anything that was valuable
tea te thou that nine-tenths of those who were admit-
-4 h 3,
_. view public exhibitions of works of art were led
4 teal desire for knowledge and improvement. The
PaPhehr:Tnenext
exhibitions
hadofbeen made of the admission of the
works of art had been highly fa-
'lguraille• Thertlealassad been certainly one case of a per-
Belit `rklhring the pictures in the National Gallery.
to Lthat was done by a person who was proved
might " of obscured intellect ; and the same thing
been have occurred if the price of admission had
Is.offp (Hear, hear.) He was in
.°l„rour the fullest freedom of access to all exhibitions
'n public monuments that could be afforded with due re-
gard to the preservation of monuments. He believed
who had the charge of preserving the
cathedral monuments were !billing
to public access. A resolution of the House of C regulations. om-
to give every facility
those personsto depart from their own
was by far the best course to leave it to
an attempt made There was, a few nights ago,
re_
en to put down duelling by an Act of Par-
It
themselves,ethern
2i_ull_ t. Re amongst others was opposed-- to legislation
1,! tehe übject; and he considered that this also was one
1..
etjtutions of the country thehad
in h had best be left to parsons in whose hands the
laced
it.A
resolution
effect
as the Ron. Gentleman proposed would have the
/sect rather of raising• opposition . • of
Promotin them. to his views than
Sir itgi
entirely
.NG LIS said that his Right Hon. Friend had
there . misapprehended him. He had not denied that
the fi_weas a moral tendency in exhibitions of works of
tnentn•. arts. if sae had only protested against the state-
Q,_thist such exhibitions were alone sufficient to
bon,':attanise the people. The fees must be paid some-
jeet and by somebod •and he hadabsolutelyb-
ed to the y , not o
pence. e reduction of the fees from a shilling to six-
es IVI.r•
p, w A y,
glere] ssitT said that the object of the motion was
sepoe 4 to express an opinion of the House, and not to
Ported the the ecclesiastical establishments. He sup-
ahswere'n,,e motion. The Right Hon.: Baronet had not
appoint a the question whether or not he was willing to
nineentsa, commission for the conservation of public mo-
Sir it: p ,
tO sa, , ELL said that he was by no means prepared
}nibje4. that he would appoint a commission on the
Sir Th•
bews:v ALTER JAMES said that he had seen in the
wart sailers a statement that, on Easter Monday, 41,000
l‘iati4unalnitted to the British Museum, and 25,000 to the
Were as Gallery, whereas only 200, on the same day,
Plesed‘tlitted to St. Paul's. As a religious man, he de-
Rieti to freer access to the great churches was not
kuch e the Public, andlhe regretted that the Church so
doer neglected own interest as to shut the
1. s et, v _ its ,
eie she the cathedrals against the people.—(Cheers.)
the always wishthat the character of
edifice
svie should be
we impressed u on the
rather thatthose the
k d suould be admitted to these cathedrals on a
rvitshitiai, because he thought that there would be great
admitted and crowding on the Sunday if the public were
lead uldiserimin tel • observations had been
e aston a 3 ' Some.
eathen. le propriety of removing what were called
Sneed teish Monuments from the cathedrals. He ad-
tes that some of the monuments which had been
what
the days of Anne and the Georges exhibited
erer, 00t of a heathenish character. He did not, how-
keno object to the emblems of war being placed on the
aihl inelltss ofsoldiers, because
e that he thought it very pos •
Air
~, a soldier might be a good Christian.
the es. 1 soldier
I3OTHWICK concurred in the object of
4d• '.otion and
• issent '
was glad to find that there was scarcely
Wished sleht voice in the House on the subject. They all
dill 'ult'
, hat the cathedrals should be opened, but the
1101; Y was how the • should wishes of the
Wiliesl: to the Church.) T,
.sw
ac
so novneey
(t) ifi e
the difficulties
eente la fro th • This
lal 01 he m their not permitting the Church to
eel, r own affairs.—(A. laugh.) They threw
Pre ell the
e vente Church for not doing that which they
4 'lurch, sneer from doing ; they tied the hands of the agged 1 Said, Why''' do you not act ? They
lau her and said Wh do not speak ?
*ere 01.) The nso ' y. you
ofcathedrals
?
in s racist in_on monuments in some the
„ t, pes„te gruous. The monnment of Dr. Johnson
t'iaere afte7h, looked like an overgrown Hercules, placed
s'e'e Nonster e had rested from his labours, to grow to
•cie 4,„„,
a, which he was there represented to be.
13°411 the'.; also censure the placing of guns and bayonets
11113tim numents of warriors. What we in our pre-
riora eh calle e th
A• , but end ~_ e dark ages," had also their war-
Peourt We re tombs of the heroes of Cressy and,
th_la was a.
eats eadthe words " Non nobis Domino. "
°£ oleo oer inscription • memory the inscriptions on
w tit, umerect d ''f
h
tb... e Pres_, e to tne o t e heroes
says there 7_l" clay, would lead the reader to forget
ei,Led their
~w_a_h_.ar God who directed their valour, and
et*: niestane'eusun_t
__Y: It was monstrous, that under anyd
th Med For __; n, al any time, a fee
shouldbe e
6 °sight that the to our cathedrals. Not that he
Iles . ie"..`t they ought to be made mere sculpture gal-
_ eateZlireeeci"epl the taste of the public would not be
roved
.DY looking on the monuments in our
stieti 3 1 but und bt dl they ought to be
t, 0 se to ou e y
4 „,, sunset ever
he "Lri vote fur y day. If the House divided he
~,„.ear,,is, the motion, but he believed it could not
7.! the 074 out without the assistance of the Convocation
‘ll tergY, and
)3%1
sr therefore he hoped that that day week
h PPort of this motion would vote with him in
er k... L the address he intended moving,beseeching
e 'Jests, to
4w olonei
~.. restore the Convocation of the Clergy.
14e half-
past said the debate had now lasted
lie past six o'clock
11'50411' , and they were all agreed that
k of that Ought. to have access to the cathedrals. He
-(9111„ .i. opinion, but as
Of 0044- • he did not think that the
thone had any right to interfere with the