The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1836-10-07 00:00:00

NATIONAL EDUCATION.

The following letter, addressed to the Editor, appeared in the
Ulster Times of Saturday :
" Sir,—ln reply to the Rev. Daniel Sharkey's letter of the
21st inst., I beg to inform him, through your paper, that I was
not in the least disappointed in the pelf ect satisfaction expressed
by the Commissioners of Education, through their. secretary,
with his explanation,' whatever that exptrination might have
been, as from that quarter I looked for nothing. less; but whe-
ther Dr. Cooke and Protestant Ulster would be so perfectlu
satisfied with Mr. Sharkey's explanation, weie it permitted to see
the of day, is quite a different question. Surely it would
hive bten Mr: Sharkey's duty, had he pretended- to tin r-degree
of candour, to have given his explanalion publicly, rather iharf
to have imputed fabrications to me and Dr. Cooke, thinking
thereby to beguile the public with Mr. Kelly's specious hale
note of approbation, tricked out and garnished with his trite,
school-boy, puerile quotations ? Please, 'Sir, Permit the copy
of the letter sent to the Board to appear in your paper, and then
let Mr. Sharkey refute the statement contained therein, touch-
ing the treatment received by the little Presbyterian girl in his
school, if he can. Yours, Sze.,

"WALTER BOYD."

wishes, respecting the Natie'oxriaelctSca/t.oroelsult.
TO TIIONIAS F. KELLY, SECRETARY, &c.
Sir,—Although I do not
introducedf avoura favourable
into
o this
s-
parish ast year (under the most partial circumstances), yet I
feel it my. duty to mention to you, for the information of the
Protestant inhabitfanPtossslt'hhelu'snoefeating`'
! Commissioners, a feat • • the said
must render it,machineryone of
ff
the
,),,n;inene,t;mthoeruenoitbinngoxinioouns
etshyasnteernyecrhtioldit.ehne
—The only Protestant child (Rebecca Quin)
of
Ihtisisl‘alsaifiejsiltoyw'ss :
of different creeds."'
that has been received into this Schoolsminictteeid.tsaeftennininemenot
It appeared that the children of theScholfevyltegrrwee
(now nearly a year and half) was ad
to know who and what she Was. Questions
such as—how many. Gods are there? what brought
you here?
resorted secoe. ur
tiod7lt toY,
where do you go on Sunday ? The little stranger, under no
very composed state of mind, ventured to answer the queries;
and in reply to the litter, said—To Meeting (meaning to the
Prtehescholarssbyterian place of worship,) when one .of the most Arward
of
(Elizabeth' King) immediately retorted with all
due emphasis—" To Meeting! If Mr. Sharkey knew you went
to Meeting he would kick ,you out like a dog. and so he ought to
kick you out." The poor little Protestant girl, under considera-
ble distress of mind, reported these sayings to her parents
a alarmed,ssdrumm°anlsdo),;at the threat held
who immediately
out by the Rev. Mr. Sharkey. "That if he did act .. see every
d(ji sacmo netsinatineddS
scholar at the Chapel next Sunday, they should not be in that
haerarhaQueunind,aonfeGel
school." In consequence of the absence of the little girl, the
Secretary sent for her mother, and inquired into the cause of
her absence. The following Monday the matter. Was investi-
gated in the school before Mr. Sharkey and. his Secretary,
when the foregoing facts were established by the clear and art-
less testimony of little Rebecca Quil. To prevent the exposure
of the matter, every inducement was offered to her mother
(kind words, &c.) tf, - , .:1 upon her to contiuue her daughter's
attendance, to this effect, thP.4- as she was the only Protestant
child in the eehool, every indulgence should be given her, and
any doctrine her parents chose should be taught her.
Now, Sir, permit me, with great respect, to remark, that if
such are the general features of the (so-called) National Svsteni
of Education far Ireland, none need be surprised at the seces-
sion of those clerical individuals who had been heretofore dis-
posed to yield a,patient and impartial trial to your System of
Education —I have the honour to be, Sir, yours, Etc.,.
Cii A it LES BOYD, Vicar of Megheradroll.