The Sun.
London, England, 1845-05-10 00:00:00

114' bienin

LONDON, SATURDAY, MAY 10, 1545.

The House of Commons met shortly before Four.
Mr. FORBES MACKENZIB took the oaths and his seat
for Peebles-shire.
Mr. GISBORNE moved, " That in all cases in which
the Members of a Committee on a railway Bill, or group
of Bills, should be reduced to four, the proceedings on
such Bill or group of Bills shall fbe suspended until the
Committee of Selection shall have discharged one of the
said four Members from further attendance on the said
Committee."
The motion was opposed by Lord G. SOMERSET,
Mr. LABOUCHERE, and several other Members.
Sir G. GREY moved the following amendment :

" That upon all questions before Railway Committees,
on which there was a difference of opinion, those ques-
tions should be decided by the majority of voices ; but
where the Members on the Committee were even, that
the Chairman should have two voices, or a casting voice."
After a short discussion the motion was withdraw n,
and the amendment was agreed to.
Sir R. PEEL moved that the House at its rising do
adjourn to Thursday next, which was agreed to.
The second reading of the Parochial Settlement Bill
was postponed until the 9th of June.
Sir .1. GRAHAM then moved for leave to bring in a
Bill on the subject of Academical Education in Ireland,
and in so doing, admitted that religious differences con-
stituted the great difficulty in the way of
establishing a general system in
.both countries,
and that in Ireland this great anomaly existed
viz., that for centuries the religion of the great majority
of the people had b?en treated as a hostile religion. The
only way in which this difficulty could be met was by
adopting the principles set forth in the report of the
Commission appointed in 1806 to consider this subject,
which proposed to institute a national system of educa-
tion which should be open to all classes of the people,
while it kept clear of all differences with respect to the
particular religious tenets of any. On that principle be
intended to f.,und his measure. The Right Hon. Gen-
tleman then went at great length into the history of na-
tional education in Ireland up to the present time. He
should have no hesitation in recommending in Ireland the
establishment of universities on the same plan as the
University of London, where no test was required of
either teacher or student. He proposed to establish
one such University in the south of Ireland—most pro-
bably at Cork—another in the west, either at Limerick
or Galway, and another in the north, either at Lon-
donderry or Belfast, but most probably at Belfast.
About 30,000/. each would be the sum required for
building and fitting up those Universities, and about
6,0001. a-year ( ach for the annual endowment
Each college would have ten or twelve professors, who
wculd be allowed 30UL a year each; and both at Cori,

and Belfast there would be medical schools, and amon;

these twelve professors would be included the professors
in anatomy, surgery, and chemistry. Considering that
the endowment was to be made by the Crown, he pro-
posed that the professors in all the three college r
should be nominated by the Crown, and that
the Crown should have not only the power of nomi-
nating, but the power of removing, lon cause shoo n.
The principals would reside in the college, but not either
the professors or the students. The course of instruc-
tion would be given by lectures and daily examinations.
The: e would be in none of these colleges endow
mants for professors of theology by the Crown,
but if private individuals chose to endow such professor-
ships, every facility would be given them for so doing,
but the attendance upon such lectures would
not be compulsory. The fundamental principle-
of the measure was the avoidance of all
ir.terference, positive or negative, with the re
ligious scruples of the people. It was the
intention of the Government to continue to the four
divinity professors of the academical institution in Bel-
fast, the endowment which they had enjoyed for the.
last twenty years, and if the Bill should pass, he
thought the institution would transfer their premises
and library to the Government on easy terms, for the.
purposes of the new Belfast university. The Crown
would not feel bound in such a case to re-appoint the
existing professors, but to those not re--appointed, it
would award ample compensation. He had not
finally determined, -but he thought it would be better
that these colleges should be united into a central uni-
versity for the granting degrees, rather than that each
should possess the power, and the central university
should be in Dublin; but he did not at all intend to
interfere with Trinity College as it at present existed.
After paying a tribute to the high-minded and honour-
able course which had been pursued by Mr. WISE, the
Member for Waterford, in reference to this question—
of academical education in Ireland—the Right Hon.
Baronet concluded by moving for leave to bring in
the Bill.
The House was subsequently addressed by Mr.
WYSE, Sir R. H. INGLIS, Mr. SHEIL, Sir R. PEEL, Mr.
SHAW, and several other Hon. Members, when leave
was given to bring in the Bill.
The House then went into Committee of Supply,
when 50,0004 were voted on account of the public ser
vice, and, the other orders of the day having been
disposed of, the House adjourned at Half-past Twelve.

The Irish Academies' Bill, introduced by Sir JAMES
GRAHAM last evening, appeared to meet with the general
approbation of the House, and looking at the difficulty
of establishing a system of education for young men of
different religious persuasions, which shall not give offence
to one party or another, we can see no objection whatever
to the scheme. Schools, and academies, and universities
are but iil adapted for teaching theology, and unless a
Confession of Faith is laid down which every pupil must
subscribe, the great object of such institutions would be
defeated, and constant wrangles be carried on about
particular dogmas in religion. If such a rule of faith is
established, thwu only one sect can be benefited, and
all the rest must trust, not only to their own means fur
education, but also pay for the teaching of the favoured
class. This is the case at Oxford and Cambridge ; and
for that reason nearly one half of the community are op-
posed to these venerable institutions. Trinity College,
Dublin, is founded on a much more liberal plan ; it partakes
more of the progress of the age and less of the wisdom,
or, more properly speaking, of the bigotry of our an-
cestors, and admits Roman Catholics to certain honours
and preferments, and scholars professing the Catholic
faith are eligible for a -considerable number of the pro-
fessorships. It is'wise, therefore, to leave that scat of
learning as it is, at least fora time, and till the experiment
proposed by the Government shall have had a fair trial.
Nothing, however, can prevent its success but bigotry.
The system has been long in existence in one of the most
religious countries in the civilised world, and it has
been found to work well. Irt the University of
Edinburgh, fur instance, no religion whatever is
taught. Catholics and Protestants, and Maho-
medans and Hindoos may assemble in the same
class, enjoy alike the blessings of education, and
aspire also to the highest degrees. Such an inter-
course tends to humanise the mind—it wears off the
asperities of different sects encourages good-
will among pupils who had unfortunately been
taught to hate and detest every religion but
their own, and it often leads to friendships which last
for life, and contribute largely to mutual happiness. 'I he
man who can obstruct, from: selfish motives, such a
system can have no claims to those cardinal virtues which
raises the Christian faith above all others. Sir ROBERT li
Ilscrus, the representative of Oxford University, stood
almost alone in opposition to the Bill, and denounced: it
as a " gigantic scheme of godless education." He, of
course, would have religion taught, but only the reli-
gion contained in the Thirty-nine Articles, and would
thereby exclude from its operation all Catholics, all
Jews, and all Dissenters—the very men who by some
strange infatuation have leagued themselves with their
bitterest enemy. The measure, we trust, will have no
such opponent in Ireland, but be welcomed as another
proof that the Government and the Imperial Parliament
are resolved to persevere in the right course, and pave
the way for full justice to that distracted country. When
measures of such importance are under discussion, it is
to be regretted that Mr. O'CONNELL and his colleague