The Sun.
London, England, 1827-11-01 00:00:00

of the people, by precisely the same means—
namely,
.the omission of religion .in a grand
system of popular edycati&.--49e baneful pro-
ject was utterly foiled by a measure strictly
analogous to that which we hope to see
adopted upon the present still more urgent
occasion. The irreligious and demoralizing
tendency of the Lancasterian Schools was
effectually counteracted by the beneficieilt in-
stitution of the National Sclimoh and we

cannot but recur with A feeling of honest
pride to the recollection that it was in the co-
lumns of this Journal, that the first suggestion of

national schools was thrown out—of Ta) institu-

tion admirable in itself, and imperiously required
at the moment from the circumstances to which
we'have alluded. We now find, however, the
same parties at work, and with the same mis-
chievous designs; beaten upon their former
ground, they have betaken themselves to new ;
but let them, we say, be met now as they were
met before, and they will again be defeated and
dislodged, The idea that an assemblage of youths
congregated together in an University can be
neutral upon the important subject of religion, is
of all notions the most absurd and ridiculous. In

proportion as their minds are cultivated, their cu-
riosity upon this, as upon all other subjects, will
be awakened, and them speculations acquire new
boldness and vigour. if there are no guides to
conduct them into the right course of inquiry,
they will not, on that account, be more in-
clined to stand still. Lifted up by the pride
of academic distinction iu those depart-
ments of science in which they are to have
leaders, they will he above the influence of pa-
ternal or social admonition or example in that
the most important of all sciences in which no

academic leaders are to be allowed them. Reli

gion among any body of youthful students
would in such circumstances become a mere

matter of chance or of caprice. But religion, i

it is not to be an academic exercise, cannot,
however, be prevented from becoming a topic of
social conversation among these young men. It
will be the solitary topic upon which no acade-
mic authority interferes to fetter their ingenuity,
to chastise their wit, to repress their presump-
tion. The love of distinction, to be acquired
in all cases more easily by subtile sophistry

and audacious singularity, than by patient
and candid investigation, will here exer-
cise an unbounded sway. The boldest infi-
del will hence acquire upon easy terms the
collegiate reputation of being the cleverest
man. We understate the case when we

say, that the religion of these congregated youths
is to be left to chance, or to individual caprice.
The strong probability is, that the most inge-
nious men educated in this University will be-
come infidels. They are in "effect foredoomed to
be infidels. The ancient academical institutions
of the land are in fact, and in our judgment a
most fortunate fact it is, blended and identified
with the religion of the land. The London
University is to be estranged from religion alto-
gether. This is a broad and palpable distinction,
and the only broad and palpable distinction which
is to exist between them. A corporate spirit
will necessarily grow up in the new institution
upon the subject of religion to which this dis-
tirction alone, if there were no other cause,
would impart a character of decided hostility.
The enthusiastic attachment of youth to the in-
stitutions of which they form a part, would be
sufficient to reconcile them to propositions gra-
duated much more violently than the following :
—Our University is the best. Our University
is the best, although it pays no attention to reli-
grim,. Religion is not of much importance.
Ana then of necessity follows the next impious
step in the progression, religion is false. These
are the tendencies, and these must inevitably be
the effects of the establishment and success of an
irreligious University in England. And we
earnestly call upon the more dignified and in-
fluential portion of the Clergy to lead the way,
and upon all the loyal, religious, and well dis-
posed part of the community, to lend their aid
in the adoption of some effectual measure to repel
the contagion, if they cannot effectually resist the
introduction, of this fatal pestilence—a pestilence
so much the more to be dreaded and deplored,
as it directs its attack towards a class of society
which has hitherto been justly deemed the most
pure and the most sound.—Morning Post.
Many of our contemporaries are amazed, and
some of them furious, at the accounts which
reach us pretty regularly of the piracies commit-
ted under Greek colours in the Levant. We
are as much disposed to regret the existence of
these atrocities as any of the London Journals,
but we cannot participate in their wonder nor
sympathize with their rage, much less are we in-
clined to father the continuance of the evil on
the Allied Powers, as has been very logically at-
tempted. It has been said that they bargained
for a cessation of hostilities on the Turkish side,
and why not on the Greek side ? it being taken
for granted, of course, that every convention or
armistice with a recognized Government must
include all the robbers who have credit enough
to purchase a bit of bunting of the same colour
as the regular forces of that Government are in
the habit of hoisting ! And in addition to this,
that the Greek Government has the means of
compelling obedience to any armistice which the
Allied squadrons may impose upon it. Let any
one look to the map—lie may take the smallest
he can find—and say, if it be possible for a
fleet three times larger than those of the Allies
and Greeks conjoined, to prevent acts of piracy
and plunder among the islands and rocks that stud
the Archipelago, and the numerous creeks and
coves on the Asiatic and European coasts. And
let him attend also to the fact, that never
since the beginning' of the contest, which
the Allies, with much patience, prudence, mad
temper, are now endeavouring to terminate, had
there been any regular organised Government in
Greece, to whose commands obedience has been
generally acknowledged ; and that for some
months back there has been nothing that, in
strictness of language, deserved the name of Go-
vernment at all. When these two facts are
fairly taken into account, we think the continu-
ance of the piratical practiCes of the Greek
islanders will cease to excite astonishment. But
more general causes have been in operation to
produce the evil complained of. War is a great
demoralizer, conduct it how we will, but civil war
is peculiarly so. The war between Greece and
Turkey has been a civil war, with all the con-
comitants which render such a war one loath-
some picture of moral and physical abomination.
It has been throughout a death struggle between
masters and slaves ; between an enchained tiger
and his brutal and enraged keepers. The domi-
nion of the Turks over the Greeks has been one
long continued act of outrage. Their treatment
ten years ago was no better than it was ten
years after their first subjugation. - They had no
protection, no privilege, either in law or in custom.
Such a series of injuries called forth unheard-of
vengeance on-the sea.aS on the shore. The feeble-
ness of the Greeks has fostered the system of re-