The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1838-06-01 00:00:00

NATIONAL EDUCATION (IRELAND )

(From the Dublin Evening Mail.)
On• Friday last, in the house of -Lords, the Bishop of -Exeter,
in a speech unexampled for its force and eloquence,- brought
toward his promised resolutions, condemnatory of the National
Board of Education. fro attempt an analysis of this masterly
oration would imply almost a transcription of the whole: for
the arrangement is so connected, the argument so close, the ex-
pression so condensed and unredundant, that it is impossible
to the nicest ingenuity to compress the materials within a
smaller compass, or represent them in language more terse,
and at the same time, intelligible. The general import, however,
of his lordship's speech may be collected in the compact form of.
the resolutions which he proposed. l hey are three iu number,
and are as follows :

" lst. That it appears that the system of national education
in Leland has failed to attain the objects which are stated in a
letter dated Oct., 1831, written by Mr Stanley, now Lord Stan-
ley, to the Doke of Leinster, especially as to uniting Roman
catholics and proteStaiit4 in the same schools.
"2d, The: the working' of the system has tended to-the undue
eocniiragement of the Roman catholic and Discouragement of
the protestant religion in Ireland.-
..

"3d. That the modifications recommended in the fourth report
have not been found adequate to prevent or mitigate the evils
complained of."
To the proof of those propositions his lordship devoted his
great talents and research with such address and effect, that the
utmost defence undertaken by ministers or their friends amounted
to no more than an evasion of the charges, or the induction of
a few particular cases where the' system, in their opinion, had
not worked out all the evils which it has a tendency to produce.
Lord Lansdowne's reply was rather an apology than a defence;
whilst that of the'Bishop of Derry, who was understood to ex-
press his "heartfelt satisfaction at baying an opportunity of re-
cording his humble, hut conscientious, support of the national
system of education," was an open—( should we not add ?)—an
indecorous desertion of the principles to which he himself, by
sanctioning their proceedings, committed a large and misdi-
rected pOrtion of the clergy of his united diocess, in the cele-
brated document known as the Derry and Raphoe resolutions.
Those resolutions were as strorgiv condemnatory of parts of the
national system as the Bishop of Exeter himself could draw up;
they bad the Bishop's sanction; if our memory serve us cor-
rectly he presided at some of the deliberations in which they
were adopted. But it should appear his lordship's expediency
has taken another turn ; and rather than not support the-Whigs,
he has turned his back upon his own clergy. To their construc-
tion we resign him. Another Bishop (quere Protestant?) at-

tempted the defence of the Popish Propaganda in Marlborough-
street :

" You complain (said Doctor Stanley, the Titular of Nor-
wich,) that the Roman Catholics of Ireland are barbarians.
(- No, no,' from the opposition benches.) Why, you say that
they are not to be believed on their oaths (` no, no,' and a cry of
hear' from the same benches;) and you call them ittulators.
(' Hear, hear,' from the ministerial benches.) Now, if they are
barbarians, if they are ignorant of the obligations of an oath, if
they are idolators, if they are thus immersed in barbarism and
superstition, whose fault is it (` Hear, bear,' from the mi-
nisterial benches.)"
We can tell hint whose fault it is—and upon an authority
which he will not choose to reject=that of a commissioner of
his favourite board—its most active commissioner—the life and
soul of the whole system, even the Rev. James Carlile—trans-
lator of the pro-popery version of Scripture Extracts used in the
National Schools. his gentleman, whether wittingly or not,
has told the cause why Ireland is barbarous, why perjury is pre-
valent—nay, why murder is almost 'a Sabbath pastime. We
quote from the Bishop of Exeter's speech the following solution
of those awful mysteries :
" On the authority of the Rev. James Carlile, the resident
commissioner," said his hirdship, "au 'authority which the go-
verninent, at all'events, would not be likely to dispute—he was
enabled to state that which he well kneW'br;fore, but which their
lordships might be glad to hear had become evident to Mr.
Cathie—that the Roman Catholic priests held the Roman Ca-
tholic people in the'itrictest and 'most oppressive thraldom. In
a memorial, a copy of which ha held in his band (proceeding,
as we understood, from the aboVe-named rev. gentleman) it was
stated that recent events prOved that the Roman Catholic
priesthood in Ireland were must deeply tinged with intilel
principles, and that they rejected the• Scriptures as the Word of
God, although they formerly held them to be so sacred that
none but the clergy should be allowed to peruse them. Some
amongst the Roman Catholic priesthood in Ireland held that it
would have been better if the Bible had never been written. It
was justly observed that the people of. Ireland possessed no
means of learning what Christianity was, otherwise than
thiough those teachers."

Is it now a wonder that Ireland should be so barbarous ?
Have we now a solution of that state of things which led Baron
Richards to remark on the frequency of murder following close
upon attendance at the mass house-? Are we surprised, as the
learned baron expressed himself to be, that the instruction the
people received from their church had neither a moral, a re-
ligious, nor a humanizing tendency ? Alas! it is for not
effectually counteracting such teachers and such lessons--bv
endowing colleges and establishing boards—that she is still
more awfully responsible. And yet—it is with sorrow and
shame that we record it—and yet. with these facts staring him in
the fate, we find the illustrious Wellington lending the sanction
of his name to this ungodly system, and voting for a continued
experiment on the morals and religion of the nation through
the agency of the National Schools. His Grace admitted the
truth of the Bishop of Exeter's charges; he distinctly admitted
that as a system of conjoint education the national scheme had
failed—that its tendency was to encourage popery, and to dis-
courage the protestant religion in Ireland; and yet he would
leave it undisturbed to work out its evil purposes. We can un-
derstand the whigs, who have no disrelish for infidel principles;
we can understand the bishop of Derry, who wishes to support
the whigs through thick and thin ; we cau understand the bishop
of Norwich, in which see a faucy far popery, seems to be inhe-
rent; but we really cannot comprehend the Duke of Wellington
in the course which he has taken.

His grace may probably be paving and smoothing the way
for his return to power in company with his former colleagues.
But we can assure him that should he trample down in his way
any of those great principles which the protestants of the em-
pire venerate, he will come to the helm with the public confi-
dence in his virtues very much diminished, and of course with a
corresponding diminution of that power which has hitherto
borne him forward to the object of his ambition.

The Earls of Roden, Wicklow, and Winchelsea, are not
chargeable with this time-serving abandonment of either friends
or principles. They boldly stood out for the sake of truth, pro-
testantisin, and civiliiation, and have added to their patriotic
wreath the laurel of an independence which severs them from a
respected leader, whenever-be appears to depart from that
course which true religion points out, and the soundest policy
sanctions. The speech of the Earl of Roden will be read with
delight by every man in Ireland who desires to see -national
education conducted on sound and holy principles, who reve-
rences the Bible as the word of God, and respects the clergy of
the established church as a learned, pious, and able Christian
ministry, zealous in their master's cause, and devoted to the
service of their countrymen of all religious persuasions in what-
soever pertains to their temporal or eternal happiness. We
trust the Bishop of Norwich will lay to heart the truths so im-
pressively brought before him by this distinguished champion of
the protestant faith.

MORE OF THE NUNNERY BUSINESS.

(From the New York Protestant Vindicator of April 13.)
MR. RICE AND HIS DVPARQ TRIAL.

We have frequently alluded to this famous trial, in Kentucky.
The friends of the notorious priest Duparq, at the head of whom
was Mr. Elder, the President of Bardstown Romish college,
brought a suit against the Rev. Mr. Rice, Presbyterian wisister
in Bardstown, and editor of the Western Piotestant. They
charged him with libel. Ile had published the universal talk of
the State about this Duparq's licentious conduct, his improper
connexion with nuns; the affair of the eloped nun, Milly
M 'Pherson, who has told certain appalling tales about this priest,
and other priests. She did this in assigning her reasons
for eloping from the horrid den of her nunnery. No body
doubted her word. All the- world cried out against the
priests and nuns, and the nunneries ! But lo! 'suddenly the
poor eloped nun Milly M'Pherson, disappeared! She was seen
last going to the house of a Roman Catholic family. And to
this day she cannot be found, dead or alive ! Every one saw
that her disappearance was necessary to save the priests, and
the nuns, and the nunnery . She did disappear just in time.
And a certain priest high in office, in Bardstown college, uttered
a mysterious saying. namely, " iliTheison will be fosth-
coming when we need her evidence The public called aloud,
for tier appearance. Every body was beginning to execrate
priests, and bishops, and nuns, and nun's cells, and all such
dens ! Mr. Rice put these things into print. He told in print,
what every body was speaking of. The president and priests
of Bardstown, felt that they were suffering, and their cause
sinking. The priest Duparq was sent off to France for a season,
till the storm should blow over. Meantime the priests bring a
law suit. They laid the damage at ten thousand dollars! The
trial went on. Some extraordinary details were dragged to
light. The trial is published by Mr. Rice. The jury gave a
verdict of damages, one cent, and ro costs! The sum of one cent,
is by jury of honourable men, deemed the amount of the value
of Duparq's character. And the priests, and Mr. Elder in
particular, have lamented most bitterly the day they had re.
course to a jury by trial ! They would have had a better chance
in an inquisition! While writhing under this calamity, and
under the additional inflictions made on the them by Mr. Rice's
book of Trial, the priests of Philadelphia are, by the Herald,
calling on the Roman public to come to the rescue ! The Im-
plore the whole posse of the Roman subjects of the Pope, to
come up with their subscriptions to aid Mr. B. J. Webb, of
Bardstown, to come out with his version of the Trial, to counter-
act the fatal effects of this Auful Trial and this awful honk of
Mr. Rice. We venture to give the Philadelphia and Bards-
town priests an advice. " Don't publish ! You will make the
matter worse ! Just agree to produce poor Milly M'Pherson.
Bring her from her dungeon, if she is alive. If she is dead, tell
the public the whole history. Only produce Maly if you can.
Be advised : bring poor Milly out of her cell, from Maryland,
or Kentucky, or Ohio. Be sure to produce the eloped nun.
This will settle Mr. Rice's career very soon ! Only produce
her; you can " easily gag her, and crush her stories."