The Sun.
London, England, 1845-05-14 00:00:00

beentas

LONDON, WEDNESDAY, MAY 14, 184.

At the Repeal Association, held on Monday, two
subjects of importance were brought forward for dis-
cussion—the Irish Academies Bill and the Call of the
House—and on both Mr. O'CoNziELL was the chief

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speaker. —lt is with pain that we advert to
the remarks he made, because they show little

disposition to aid the Government in confer•
ring benefits on Ireland, and no sympathy what-
ever with the Irish Members, who perform their duties,
and risk the anger of the Repealers for the good of
their country. The scheme proposed by Sir J. Gnaiiiax
he pronounces most objectionable, and wonders at " the
flippancy with which the Irish Members (meaning, of
course, Mr. SHEIL and Mr. WYsE) of the House of Com-
mons expressed their approbation. Yes, they displayed in-
decent and unworthy flippancy. In the new colleges there
was not to be lodging for the professors or students,
no burner, no provision of any kind for their support
or protection. They were to have no connexion with
any clergyman, nor be under the authority of any
bishop." These are only a few of the objections pointed
out, and it is curious to observe that the very same
comphints would apply to Edinburgh and Glasgow
Universities, seats of learning that produced Rein and
SMITH, ROBERTSON and BLAIR, BLACK and CULLEN,
and MoNno, besides a bright galaxy of illustrious men,
not less distinguished for morality and religion
than for important discoveries in eltnost ever)
art and science. But the evident ground of
antipathy, or, rather, hatred to the measure,
rests on the fact that the Catholic bishops are to have
no control over the institutions. GOD forbid that they
should ! Such a clause in the Bill would, to a certainty,
have destroyed every benefit it is calculated to confer,
and would justly have raised such a host of enemies
that the strongest Government could not carry it through
either House of Parliament. The Bishops, both Protestant
and Catholic, have quite enough to do in attending to
their religious duties without interfering with the edu-
cation of young men, and bending their thoughts to pecu-
liar theological dogmas. It ought to be the primary ob-
ject of the measure to avoid all distinctions of sect and
party, to bring the youth of the country into the
same school, to refine their minds by literature
and science, quench religious animosity, and teach them
to live together as friendly subjects of the same Sove
reign. Mr. O'CoNNELL agreed with only one speaker in
the debate, the very last man in the world with whom he
should agree on such a subject. " It was a godless scheme
of education, and he agreed with Sir R. Noels,
when he denounced it as a gigantic scheme
of godless education." But on what principles can they
agree, unless Sir R. INGLis has adopted the theological
tenets of WARD and NEwMAN, and is a rank Catholic ?
This, however, is not Mr. O'CONNELL'S meaning. Ilia
scheme would establish an impassable gulf between
Protestants and Catholics, give power to a clergy
already too powerful, and keep up that system of aliena-
tion which has caused such woes to Ireland. From his
colleges all members of the Established Church, all
Dissenters, all young men, in fact, of every shade of reli
gion, except the true one, would be excluded, so
that we should not only have a repeal
of the Union, but the total destruction of
some of the most noble institutions in
the United Kingdom. Such a scheme is utterly im-
practicable. Nu Government:could propose it—no legis-
lature would adopt it—the plan would be scouted by
the universal voice of England and Scotland, and per-
hapsy Ireland too, and we must infer either that Mr.
O CuszsiELL's mind is not what it was, or that he really has
in view the purpose which his enemies impute to him.
His attack on Louis PHILIPPE is equally out of place.
That sagacious Sovereign, we admit, has not maintained
the principles on which his dynasty was established
in 1830, but he has made great atonement for
his political back slidings by his firm determi-
nation to put down the Jesuits and curb the insolence
of an encroaching and despotic Church—the bitterest
enemy of freedom and sound moral instruction. Thu
Jesuits have done incalculable mischief to Europe, as is
well stated in the following extract from an able article
in the last Edinburgh Review :
Wherever a Jesuit colony alights, a factitious life is corn.