The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1840-11-03 00:00:00

SUNDAY SCHOOLS FOR IRELAND

The annual meeting of the Liverpool Auxiliary to the Irish
Sunday School Society was held in the Royal Amphitheatre,
Great Charlotte-street, on the 'evening of Friday last. The
attendance was very numerous, every part of the house being
nearly filled. On the platform we observed the Rev. Dr,
Byrth, the Rev. Fielding Ould, the Rev. A. M'Conkie, Rev.
Mr. White, Rev. Mr. Peil, Mr. O'Neil, an agent to the
society, and a deputation from the parent institution, con-
sisting of the Rev. Robert Gage and the Rev. William
Archer.

The Rev. Dr. BYRTII having been moved to the chair,
prayer was offered up by the Rev. A. M'CoNKTE.

The CHAIRMAN then stated that although unexpectedly
called upon to occupy the chair, he did not occupy it un-
willingly. It was to him a great privilege to stand before
them as the president of the proceedings of the evening, for
he felt as he trusted all felt, a strong sense of the imperative
demands which this society had upon our best affections.
He hoped they would see not only that it was desirable to
promote the objects of this institution, but also enter into
the higher feeling that it was an acceptable thing to God to
place such a cause before them. He should not, however, be
discharging his duty unless he said something about the
Sunday School Society for Ireland—(cheers)—and though he
would be the first to repel the charge that the Irish were an
unthinking multitude as they had been unjustly designated,
yet he felt that the slight token of applause, when he men-
tioned the name of the society, was an encouragement to him
to proceed. He had mentioned the name of the society as a
sufficient recommendation of the cause ; and his friend, Mr.
Ould, was aware that there were others better able to advo-
cate it than himself. But there were things which recom-
mended themselves—which hardly needed to be seconded by
human eloquence or earthly logic—and this was perhaps the
very reason why they were not adopted, It was so with true
religion and heavenly virtue. So with regard to this society.
Ready should he be to say much with regard to Ireland,
knowing there was a debt to be paid to her which men,
Englishmen had never yet been able to pay, and feeling that
there were resources in that country at which they might be
astonished. It was the object of such societies as this to
show what that debt was and how it was to be paid—silently
but certainly, without ostentation, but without the possibility
of failure. According to his own opinions this was the best
way to pay this debt. When the society first began its ope-
rations there were only about 80 Sunday schools in Ireland,
and now there were 3000; give him these 3000 and he would
fight popery even at Rome, and conquer popery in this
country, without the exhibition of one malignant feeling.
(Cheers.) It was one of the blessed characters of these
schools, which had now existed 30 years, that they had done
no more than they intended •, and that they had kept them-
selves as the handmaid of the religion, without interfering
with the order and arrangements of the church. (Hear.)
The rev. chairman, after some extended remarks upon the
utility of the society, concluded by observing, that the only
way to destroy popery was by circulating scriptural know-
ledge, and that this society, Which had never gone away to
any of the false principles which now prevail in education,
would teach that if it taught nothing else. (Cheers.)
Mr. O'NEiL, agent to the society, read the annual report
of the Liverpool Auxiliary to the Parent Society.