The Sun.
London, England, 1842-07-18 00:00:00

SPIRIT of the PUBLIC JOURNALS.

FROM TUE EVENING PAPERS OF SATVRDAT.
GLOBE.—One of the advantages of having a
party so strong as the Conservative party is, that we
can spare a few " deserters," is the reflection by which
the Standard endeavours to console the regrets of its
party under the defection of Mr. Gaily Knight ;
whom the organ of the Conservative democracy de-
nounces with every term of contumely which the
refined vocabulary of our classically correct Contem-
porary could supply. We have extracted the passage
in another place, as an apt illustration of Conserva-
tive character-painting by Conservative organs.
Desertions from and divisions in the camp of the
" strong Conservative party" are of such frequent
occurrence, that we fear the ingenuity of our pro-
verbially inventive Contemporary will be taxed, to
supply some stronger consolation to its party than
that we have alluded to, in which there is more of
spleen than is quite consistent with philosophy. We
rather think the events of last evening portend a further
split in, the party, which will sorely shake its con-
stitution, and diminish its vaunted strength. The
champion of High-Churchism last night made a furious
tilt at the Government, in, vindication of the claims
of the Church to the exclusive appropriation of the
funds voted by Parliament for national education.
This the Home Secretary repelled with asperity, and
called forth a rejoinder of unabated fierceness.
We commend the entire " passage at arms " to
the careful consideration of the Standard ; and
shall look with some curiosity for the interpretation
of these somewhat ominous signs of the times, and
an explanation as to whether the " strong Conserva-
tive party" out of doors, is as perfectly united as it is
within the walls of the House of Commons. It will
be seen, that Sir R. Inglis, having laid it down as an
axiom, that " no plan of education could, according to
the Constitution, be supported by grants of the public
money, which was not based upon the principles of the
Established Church," proceeded to protest against the
opinions on the subject to which Lord Wharneliffe,
the President of the Council, had given utterance in
the House of Lords ; and which he hoped were also
at variance with the opinions of the rest of her Ma-
jesty's Ministers, who, he trusted, would not allow that
Noble Lord to be considered on this question their re-
presentative." Sir James Graham's reply was by no
means calculated to appease the rising wrath of the
High-Church Champion.
STANDARD.—The Conservative party in Parlia-
ment consists of about 700 Lords and independent
gentlemen ; of these at least 650 have 'no motive that
can be assigned even in imagination for supporting
any party or Ministry, longer than the party or
Ministry suports their favoured principles. NOW,
among 600 or 700 men there must be a diversity of
opinion upon many points, and points of great im-
portance too ; and as the 650 unconnected with
the Government are perfectly independent and
ingenuous men' this diversity of opinion will often
show itself. The exhibition is inconvenient, no
doubt, and, by repetition,rmay become injurious ; but
it is the inevitable result of the strength and honesty
of the party, and the utmost that can he desired in
such a cause is to limit, as far as can 'be done,
saving sincerity and truth, the occasions for it.
Probably, the best means of limiting those occasions
is, for noblemen and gentlemen to avoid, in the
discharge of their public duties, that didactic or
epicdeictic style which it has been for some years
too fashionable to employ ; a style which, in the
transaction of public business sins nearly as much
against good taste as against good policy. There is
no doubt a strong temptation to feeble minds to
extend as far as possible the sphere of their tri-
butaries of praise ; and when they cannot ob-
tain the applause of friends from whom they
differ, to canvass the applause of opponents by
blazoning the difference; this, however, is unwor-
thy of any one above the intellectual stature of Mr.
G. Knight; and to such as he, who can do little
harm in any way, the silly indulgence ought to be
left. Among men agreeing for the attainment or
protection of one great object there ought to be a
great deal of reciprocal concession, but to begin
this concession upon just and liberal terms it must
be commenced with reserve. If on one side lords
and gentlemen will volunteer professions of princi-
ples condemned by others of their party, they chal-
lenge division ; if; on the other side, men will not
make allowance for circumstances that may some-
times constrain votes, they make a division. Now
we cannot help thinking Lord Wharncliffe's speech
alluded to last night a departure from the prudent re-
serve of which we speak. What on earth was the
necessity to introduce a singing petition, with an
array of latitudinarian common-places, upon the sub-
ject of general education ? It was a wanton throw-
ing down of the gauntlet to all who do not hold lati-
tudinarian opinions upon the question, that is, to
nineteen-twentieths of the Conservative party through-
out the country ; and Sir Robert Inglis would have
failed of the duty which the country expects •from
him, and never expects in vain, if he had not taken
up the challenge as he did. On the question of the
Irish education grant we think that there was a
reciprocity-of error—the grant is bad in principle,
but the principle has, unfortunately, been made
inveterate and ineradicable, by time ; for it is as
old as the Maynooth grant, and the bad principle
has ibeen made worse in practice by the working
of the Commission ; but it ought now to be remem-
bered that the matter is in good hands, as far
down, at least, as the Government ; and time
ought to be allowed to try what! may be done, by a
good practice under a good Government, towards
mitigating a bad principle. Lord Eliot's allu-
sion to the Kildare-place Society, however,
very clearly proves that his Lordship has
been most grossly misinformed as to the state and cir-
cumstances of Irish education when the new Board
was established. If the Kildare-place Society had
been the inefficient institution he had been taught to
believe, no " National Board" would now exist, no
grant would ever be called for. It was because it was
doing too much, not because it was doing too little
for the people, that the Kildare-place Society was
superseded.