The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1839-10-11 00:00:00

WORKINGS OF POPERY

(From the Dublin Statesman.)
The following is a sample of ruffianism worthy of being
exposed. E. J. Shirley, M.P., in order to secure education
for the children of the tenantry on his estates, procured for
them Roman Catholic teachers and the Douay version of the
Bible. The priest, named Keon, proscribed the schools, the
teachers;and the children. The teachers remonstrated, but
in vain, and then appealed to the bishop, but without effect.
The following is a copy of the remonstrance addressed by
the teachers :

TO TUE PEOPLE OF FAE.NEY.
Friends and Neighbours,—We, the Roman Catholic
teachers in this parish, on the Shirley estate, desirous that
you should be acquainted with the circumstance of our
having transmitted to the Right Rev. Doctor Kiernan, the
following mild and reasonable remonstrance with the Rev.
Mr. Keon, and to which, though forwarded nearly three
weeks ago, we have not had the favour of a reply—do now
consider it a duty due to you, our schools, and ourselves, to
give it publicity in our neighbourhood, submitting the entire
merits of the case to the exercise
.of your good sense and
judgment.
Magheross, October 3, 1839.

(corny.)
Magheross, Sept. 14, 1839.
TO THE RIGHT REV. DOCTOR KIERNAN, R. C.. BISHOP, &C.
My Lord,—We humbly beg to acquaint you, that we waited
on your lordship at your residence in CarrickMacross, a few
days ago, and being told that you will not be home for a few
weeks, we now beg to inform your lordship by post, with the
object of our having called on you ; namely, to apprise your
lordship of our humble remonstrance with the Rev. Mr.
peon, and to entreat your 'lordship to use your authority
over him, to cease his bitter and unlawful persecution pf us
and our schools, and to earnestly request that an unprotracted
assurance to that effect, be given to us, by his reverence in
reply. With all due respect to the person and calling of
your lordship, we are, my lord, your lordship's most obedi-
ent, humble servants, the Roman Catholic teachers of this
parish, undersigned in the accompanying expostulation.

TO THE OFFICIATING ROMAN CATHOLIC CLERGY OF THE

PARISH OF MAGHEItOSS.
We, the undersigned, Roman Catholic teachers on the
estate of the Evelyn John Shirley, Esq., situate in the parish
of Magheross, do hereby solemnly and publicly testify that
we knew of no cause or reason, whatever, why we, the chil-
dren, and the parents of the children who attend our schools,
are prosecuted by the Rev. Mr. Keon, and debarred from
their religious rites; and our schoo!s incessantly denounced
from the altar, save and except this be considered the cause
by that rev. gentleman, namely,,that of having some copies
of the Douay or Rhemish Testament, in which we permit the
children to read one day in the ; which Testament, it
is needless to observe, is the selfsame which the Rev. Mr.
Kean sells at ls. 6d. a-piece. Furthermore, as sincere and
faithful members of the Church in which we were brought
up, as that rev. gentleman himself, we beg to protest against
such prosecution, entirely unmerited on our parts, and ut-
terly unbecoming a minister of the gospel of peace, and
which compels us to give public worship, distant from our
homes, in order to avoid the abusive and opprobrious
epithets, which the Rev. Mr. Keon uses towards us, our
schools, and scholars, on the Lord's day in the public con-
gregation, and within the House of God. Furthermore, we
invite that reverend gentleman, accompanied with any two
respectable men of the parish of Mageross, agreed on by
him and us, to visit our schools when—and as often as he
chooses ; and if any book, in the least derogatory, or Ton-
tradictory to our church, be found, let this be the agreement
—viz., that we forthwith pay the sum of £5 to such two re-
spectable men, to be distributed to the poor of the parish ;
and if such book or books be not found, then, that the Rev.
Mr. Keon pay the same sum forthwith, for every school so
visited by him. In conclusion, we beg leave to ask the Rev.
Mr. Keon, why we are prosecuted in this parish for reading
OUR OWN VERSION of the Holy Scriptures, when in
the next parish, and upon the same estate, the Rev. Mr.
Boylan, permits and consents to the scholars and their
parents reading the same
Parish of MaghcrOss, Sept.9th, 1839.
Patrick Sheridan, Coraghyl Owen Sheridan, Carga-
more ; Mary O'Neal, lUorduff Kelly ; Bernard
Hand, COrnasagsanah ; Owen Rush, Grea 'Wane ;
Peter Ward, Carriekmaclim.