The Sun.
London, England, 1826-03-21 00:00:00

' ceemissionciathet the school establishments in Ireland illitauld
be put down ; but there was one point connected with the eats.
cation of the Irish on which it was impossible to inaksteto
niuch—namely, the necessity of destroying those seeds of .
indict, and jealousy, diet shot up in the otinds of the fpA ' - set
anti uninstructed, to the manifest injury of good fetli ' d
social order. It was of the first importence that those leads
should be eradicated, in order to induce cordiality arid good
feeling between Protestant and Catholic. There want no one
point which would be so strongly insisted on as this; arid the
only way in which that consummation could be effectually ob.
tained was by affording separate religious_ instruction to the
children professing different perauasiona.—{ Bear, !tear I) ....It
was a lamentable fact, that the poor Catholic children were
brought up in a state of the darkest ignorance,_ that deceit you
inculcated, into their minds by their religious instructors, and
that they were brought up with a rooted aversion to their Pro-
testant brethren. Now was it to be expected that under the
influence of those prejudices, the child of the Catholic peasant
should willingly receive instruction in union with those against
whom those prejudices had been excited ? An education
which did not embrace religious instruction was of Ms avail,
but it was proper that the particular forms of religion, to which
persons of diiterent pentuamione wished to adhere should be re.
sleeted. With this view it was absurd to place the Bible in the
hands of an Irish peastost es a book of instruction. It did
any thing but good. It. was mischievous, and tended to de-
feat the object which it was intended to promote. The Catho-
lic children were taught to believe that the Bible was a Pro-
testant book—that its tendency was any thing but good, and
that it was altogether a book which they should not read. It
was the custom to point out to the children passages from
Scripture which they could not comprehend, and which, not
comprehending, they neither respected nor believed. This
course of education was had, because it was forced upon thu
children against their inclination and understanding. Religi.
ous instruction should only be offered to those who were will-
ing to receive and ready to respect it. Yet, although the
Kildare-street Society were so far defective in their system, it
could not be denied but that their labours had produced
much good to Ireland. One of the rules of the Society wait
that the appointment of governors, as well as the admission of
pupils, should iven without regard o favour. Ths rule,
if duly acted onb,e would produce infinite good. It wasi one of
the rules of the Society for the Discouragement of Vice, that the
clergy should be of the Protestant pentutution, notwithstanding
that the contrary had been recommended by the Commissioners
of Education ; but whether the rule were carried into effect or
not, it must be ineffectual so long as the Catholic Clergy
possessed power over their flocks. 'Dr. Murray had stated,
that the Testament should not be read without proper explamt.
don, in order to explain its meaning; but the Protestant teachers
said " Read it, and make religion out of it." It was on those
grounds that the Roman Catholics were averse to receive thei
Bible without note or comment, and softie there was a difference
of opinion between the Society and the Roman Catholics. This
plan of forcing the Scriptures on the Catholic pupils, although
a might partially succeed, would never be resented to by the Cn.
tholics themselves, and eventually it must WI, because it was
opposed to the feelings and prejudices of the people. Different
classes should be selected in the schools, and each class should
be instructed by its respective religious teacher...4llm, bear?)
The Roman Catholic clergy, although opposed to the principle
of placing the Bible in the hands of the ignorant without note
or explanation, had no objection, nevertheless, to place it within
reach of those who were competent to understand it. The Don
Gentleman proceeded to observe, that if there could be any
means devised by which there could be a proper anion of edu-
cation established, he should hail it as a measure of the greatest
benefit to Ireland. The way to e&ct this, was to remove every
cause of complaint, and to endeavour to soften the prejudices
of the ignorant. While, on the one band, the Bible should
not be pressed upon the Catholic children, care should also •
be taken that no books should be used by them which
should tend to bring other religions into discredit. If' a
general plan of education could be adopted which would
exclude every thing objectionable, and reconcile the pre-
' judices of the two religions, 490,004 Catholic childreh might
then be instructed, instead of the comparatively limited num-
Ibee of 25,000, -which the Kildare-street Society had at pre.
sent under their care. It was necessary to soften the prep.
, dices of the Irish people. They were sore from the Iwo!.
lection of past times, and there were people enough in Ireland
who ware anxious to keep alive that soreness. The people In
thus country were suspicious of their neighbours. -They herded
together, and the animosities of' the father were inherited by the,
son. Was it possible, therefore, that any other feeling but
that
of distrust should he excited when Instruction was offered by
those whom they were taught to look on with feelingsby no
means in unison with that cordial understanding by Which all
classes and all religions should be infienced ? Nor was it more
probable that the books which were placed in the hands of
the Catholic children abould be relished by them. The cottnie.
quence was, that the Roman Catholic children cameprovided
with their own books. Yet the books of instructionissued by
the Kildare-street Society were commended by many of the
Catholic priesthood, and Dr. Alurrfty had said in his (Mr.
Lewis's) hearing, that those books were well adapted to the
purposes of instruction. The great object which Parlia,
ment should have in view would be to establish a system at
education in Ireland by which all classes would be instructed
according to their respective creeds and opinions. The Hon.
Dentleman then took occasion to conatrast the wretched yet
crowded state of the Catholic schools In Ireland with the well.
regulated but poorly attended Protestant seminaries in that
country, with a view to chew how much a union of education,
under proper regulations, was to be desired. The 'louse, he
proceeded to state, should endeavour to unite nn education in
Ireland in which religious instruction would be fairly and itii. partially established. By effecting this object an inestimable good would be secured to Ireland. The Honourable Gentle.,
here tattled to a petition presented to the House from a Ro.:
man Catholic Gentleman (whose name we did not learn) pray-
ing for a transfer of the sum appropriated to the Kildare-street
Society for the purpose of educating a school of Catholic chit-
siren ; and he cautioned the House not to accede to its prayer.
Let the system of education, he continued, be conducted by per-
sons who were not partistous of any sect or creed..._..( Hear l)._.
Ile did not say it in disrespect to the Roman Catholics, but he
should regret to see any fund placed exclusively in their hands
for such a purpose. It would be one means of perpetuating
those feelings of distrust and jealousy to which he had already
alluded, and which even the heads of the Roman Catholic tee
ligion were unable to controul. As to the probability °fain:cells
with regard to a united system of education, he could not Ofilie
an opinion further than that, from the systems already aieti, It
was natural to infer that such a plan of education es he had pro.
posed would be most desirable. The Hun. Gentlemen, lifter a
few farther observations, gave his dissent to the amendment of
the member fur Limerick.
Alr. /11. FITZGERALD contended, that any seems: ofredu.
cation for Ireland must prove abortive if not puritted in ac..
cordance with the views of the Roman Catholic clergy.,
where their flocks were concerned. This was evident trot-Oho
returns which had been read ; for where the Kildareotreet Aloe'
ciety hail, with the aid of large grants, only educated soma 80,00 or 40,000 Catholics, the latter had themselves,. without
any such grunts, educated 340,000 of their community. liti.:
til they had, therefore, the free assent of the Catholic clergy,:
it would be in vain for any public board to prosecute with any prospect of surcess the education of the great bulk of' the:
sjwiraisthiltlitviptetemtaTlitt
tuition
itftlelecltaltrP, Scripturesilcane,sdtsh,etiy,erocihittetu):,tlt;biletotoeekrai.,i
if
telriyuliniltoetiiihnnot
same school, toilette, indeed, they wished to diffuse polemical' '
contention among the people. Besides, it was unnecessary'
the Scriptures were not used in this way at the' great public,
seminaries of England, and why should they .be it /Man& where it was so peculiarly necessary that the rehgitms instinr.;!
tion of children, of every denomination, should be kept as litrWer
possible apart front their ordinary education, and left entirely':
to be governed and communicated by the parents themselves::" AA to the general want of education among the lower ciasseaht ~
Ireland, he could to“ttra the House, that in many parts of.thil".
country the people hail themselves made great progeesi ttk.-itc.,,
quiring knowledge., With the particular pert (Kevry)ltt 017_
.!toet of, he could assert that the ragged boys who rattovetratr,t,;
lace of the country, might ehalknge, he 'would nal lat!rC:3,lk,
courtesy, that if unite; but certainly they ought the 1 /
of society in England, exclutilligh,stheebl;:ttilet:fteenf:,:,4ll::i::: .',44:di: ,
the bine stocking hofiee,,to, exceed them in
ietm,r 'illuir7s'ertreu:
algebra, Greek,. and Latin.
queenly seen with their Heiner, Cicero,':ra.
* lend shelbournr
books, (allay iog the greatest proliell., mid, . tem k was
not
had no It strutter tit:elution very Inii= '
Indeed wanted, but th
literary ,edutation • Odd) the litaq t I • et- 1 habits ., g
•
Pretrstant robgion m hood , • ~
tit;irimiti.ut:iltn.he'ed444;sthtutv;:p7::::::feAtt that
religtottsal.44; I
duary,,, eh, „..„„ rp)" ~osueinero efitt Ilq so Much 1.0,.;: ,