The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1841-11-12 00:00:00

OUR PORTFOLIO.—No. VIII

There are many good things in the world spoiled, by being
put out of their place. " I pity the man„' says Sterne,
" who can travel from Dan to Beersheba, and cry, tis all
barren—and so it is, and so is all the world to him who bears
about with him a distempered mind." We hate your uni-
versal denunciators ! but, at the same time, the consciousness
that there are ,uch men in the world, should make us cautious
and discriminating.

Now there is nothing which tends so effectually to deprive
the censorious of a theme, as keeping things exactly in their
proper place. This is a matter of the very first importance ;
but one often too much neglected--and when so neglected,
not unfrequently the cause of direct confusion and trouble.
We would name as one instance, that dear and delightful
thing called Liberty. Your misanthropes, your Timons,
your wholesale satirists, would ask us perhaps to tell them
what it is ?—would declaim upon the vanity of human wishes
and pursuits, and tell us that it is but a plumstone, a dream
by which countless multitudes have been beguiled to their
destruction, and which has introduced into the world little
else than an incalculable amount of evil. Now there is truth
in this cutting observation. We cannot deny that the foul-
est crimes have been committed in the name of liberty ; we
cannot deny that rivers of blood have been shed in seeking
its attainment, and we cannot deny that the proportion at-
tained in the world bears no comparison with that which has
been found to be unattainable. Is Liberty then not a good
thing, or is it a good wholly forbidden to the aspirations of
mortals, or wherein has the error consisted? We answer,
that the error has consisted in a slight invertion of the order
of things—in making liberty wholly an end, when it should
be looked for only as an accident. Read the works of our
poets ancient and modern, and what epics, what cantos, what
odes and sapphires will you not find addressed to Liberty.
She is converted into a goddess and worshipped ; happiness
and misery are at her dispensation, and temples are, or should
be, erected to her honour. No wonder if people's heads
were turned by such incantations. Nor were our bards the
only fools in this species of ill•regulated enthusiasm;
grave philosophers were their associates ; multitudes
participated in their feelings, and woe betide the man
who would venture to utter one word in disparagement
of the idol supremely worshipped by so many. We
would only remark that unless the term " liberty" have
some conventional meaning, (which it frequently has,) this
deification of liberty in the abstract, is a species of heathenism
quite unworthy of an age which enjoys the glorious light of
Christianity. A well regulated freedom is the precious, the
invaluable incident of a diffused Christianity, and Christian
institutions ; sought for ipdependently, or wooed for its own
sake, and you grasp a shadow, or embrace perhaps an inani-
mate carcass.

Now Commerce is another of those good things spoiled by
this process of undue exaltation. Excellent and valuable as
it is, in its place, we find in some men a disposition to extol
it beyond measure, and to treat it as a substantive thing,
rather then the handmaid, and instrument to something else
to be estimated not by its own extent or power, but by the
purposes which it subserves.
"To you, Gentlemen," says Dr. Channing, in his address
to the Mercantile Library Company of Philadelphia, " Com-
merce is the commanding interest ; and this has no limits
but the habitable world. It no longer creeps along the shore,
or lingers in accustomed tracks, but penetrates into every
inlet, plunges into the heart of uncivilised lands, sends its
steam-ships up unexplored rivers, girdles the earth with rail-
roads, and thus breaks down the estrangement of nations.
Commerce is a noble calling. It . mediates between distinct
nations, and makes men's wants. not, as formerly stimulants
to war, but bonds of peace. The universal intellectual ac-
tivity of which I have spoken, is due, in no small degree, to,
commerce, which spreads the thoughts, inventions, and writ-
ings of great men over the earth, and gathers scientific and.
literary men every where into an intellectual republic. So it'
carries abroad the Missionary, the Bible, the Cross, and is
universality to true religion,"-Tike. &c. In such language as
this, it is evident that something more is attributed to the
commercial principle than, if closely examined, it will be
found to be entitled to. If the Doctor's description were
quite correct, commerce and civilisation, commerce and
Christianity, would be found moving universally hand in hand,
and both alike diffusing blessings through the world ; but,
unfortunately, facts do not bear out the description ; com-
merce, we are grieved to say, has been no such angelic
missionary to the world. Let us take just one passage from
George Catlin, on the manners, customs, and condition of
the American Indians in proof of this assertion ; it is one of
the first that comes to our hand,---
" The Indians of North America," he says, " are copper-
coloured, with long black hair, black eyes, tall, straight, and
elastic forms, are less than 2,000,000 in number, were origi-
nally the undisputed owners of the soil, and got their title to
their lands from the Great Spirit who created them on it,
were once a happy and flourishing people, enjoying all the
comforts and luxuries of life which they knew of, and conse-
quently cared for ; were 16,000,000 in numbers, and sent that
number of daily prayers to the Almighty, and thanks for his
goodness and protection. Their country was entered by
white men, but a few hundred years since ; and 30,000,000
of these are now scuffling
.for the goods and luxuries of life,
over the bones and ashes of 12,000,000 of red men ; 6,000,000
of whom have fallen victims to the small-pox, and .the re-
' tnainder to the sword, the bayonet, and whiskey ; all of which

Imeans of their death and destruction have been introduced
and visited upon them by acquisitive white men ; and by
white men, also, whose forefathers were welcomed and em-
braced in the land where the poor Indian met and fed them
with ' ears of green corn and with pemican.' Of the 2,000,060
remaining alive at this time, about 1,400,000 are already the

miserable living victims and dupes of white man's cupidity,
degraded, discouraged, and lost in the bewildering maze that
is produced by the use of whiskey and its concomitant vices ;
and the• remaining number are yet unroused and unenticed
from their wild haunts or their primitive modes, by the dread
or love of white man and his allurements."
The aborigines of America—such of them we mean as are
left to tell the tale—have little to boast of as the result of that
commercial enterprise which brought white men to their
hennsphele. Africa has still less. Europe and Asia may
divide the honour between them. Theore we inquire, the
less reason we shall find to be satisfied wTth the civilising, or
even humanising, effects of commerce standing apart
.frorn
any other principle. And how should it be otherwise? By
itself, the commercial principle is purely one of barter.
When men go to barter, it is not of another's good they are
thinking; they do the best they can for themselves. Lord
ie book-

oyrun useu to matte nary bargains with Murray, t....
seller. for his poems ; for some, at least, of his latter pr--
auctions. "I consider," his lordship used to say, " two
persons going to make a bargain, like two men going to fight
in a saw-pit; and the only discredit in the transaction is that
of coming off second best." The mainsprings of commerce
are luxury and necessity. Men do not embark in it for their
amusement, or for the good that it will do to those with
whom they propose to carry on their intercourse; no, they
do it for their own advantage. How, then, can commerce—.
confining the use of the term strictly to its original and pro-
per signification—be the missionary of more than that for
which it is sent, or possess powers beyond its commission ?
Yet, there is something admirable in that extended commerce
which pervades the world, and which is every day extending,
and will continue to extend, till the consummation of all
things. It proves that, as man increases upon the earth,
corresponding means for his employment develop themselves;
and, there is no doubt that, influenced, guided, and directed
by a higher, that is, by 'a Christian principle, it may, and
probably will, subserve all those noble purposes of which the
writer whom we have quoted speaks. The error we complain
of consists in attributing that directly to commerce which
belongs to it only as an accident. The vast commerce of our
glorious country is surely a blessing—a blessing that may
not be disputed; but if here

busy Commerce waits
To pour his golden tide through all her gates ;
Whose fiery suns, that scorch the russet spice,
Of eastern groves, anti oceans floor'd with ice,
Forbid in vain to push his daring way
To darker climes, or climes of higher day ;
When the winds waft wher'er the billoWs roll,
From the world's girdle to the frozen pole.
—if this be so, we say, there are also corresponding respon-
sibilities. Commerce is a blessing, because it furnishes to
man, whose doom is labour, the opportunity of doing so
profitably and advantageously. It supplies a motive to his
industry, lightens his toil by giving him a cheering confidence
of reward, and not only smoothens the rugged path of life,
but strews flowers, luxuries, and pleasures along the way of
it. To commerce we humbly make our acknowledgments as
one of the main instruments of British greatness; but there
is a greatness beyond that of mere commercial dealing, and
all the wealth and power which commerce can bestow ; it is
to be derived from the use we make of it. lf we are the first
commercial nation in flee world, we have corresponding re-
sponsibilities. If we draw our wealth from every point of
the compass, and every part of the world, surely we owe the
world something in return—somethin beyond those merely
perishable commodities which our industryr furnishes it with.
We conclude, then, with our theme : every thing in its place.
Commerce, liberty, science, learning, the arts—each and ail
in their place. We should avoid the heathenish error of
deifying secondary causes, and of resting satisfied with that
kind of eminence which the vulgar of a former age, both
great and small, agreed in calling great.

THE LIVERPOOL CABMEN

TO THE EDITOR OF THE LIVERPOOL STANDARD,

Stn,—Through the medium of your excellent paper, allow
me to put travellers arriving by the steam-boats or railways
on their guard against a deception practiced very generally
by the cab and coach men plying in their vicinities.
It has been my custom for many years always to reside at
one hotel ; but of late I have been prevented going to my
accustomed " hostelrie," by a trick which I accidentally
discovered had 'been played upon me by these fellows. .A
short time ago, on arriving from Dublin, I desired the car-
man to drive me to an hotel in Ranelagh-street, when I was
told "oh ! you need not go there, sir ; they are full. I took
a family there this afternoon, and was obliged to go else-
where." Upon this, believing his story, I desired him to
take me to any other establishment. He drove me into
Clayton-square, where I sojourned. Visiting Liverpool again,
I was served in a similar manner. On a third occasion I
shared the same fate, when, accidentally meeting my old and
well-respected host, I informed him of my disappointment
in not being able to enjoy any comfort in his excellent house,
when he informed me that the carmen—in consequence of his
having resisted very successfully their attempts to impose
upon some of his guests, and from his refusing to fee them
as other houses do for introducing strangers—had deluded
persons, and taken them elsewhere, with similar representa-
tions as made to me.

Strangers should, therefore, when they wish to reside at
any particular hotel, insist upon being taken there, and
ascertain for themselves whether they can be accommodated
or not. I am, &c. A TRAVELLER.
Liverpool, 1011 s Nov., 181].

[We understand that the above is practiced to a great
extent ; and we trust our contemporaries will put strangers
also on their guard. These cabmen are sad fellows.]

CORRESPONDENCE

TO THE CONSERVATIVE MEMBERS OF THE
TOWN COUNCIL OF LIVERPOOL.

LETTER II

GENTLEMLN,—Amongst your high and honourable re-
sponsibilities, you are entrusted with the management of a
portion of public property devoted to the education of the
children of the poor in this town. You are aware of the
manner in which this was originally done. At a large public
meeting, held in the Amphitheatre, on the 13th July, 1836,
the Rev. Jonathan Brooks, the chairman, said—
" It will most likely be known to all who hear me—at
least to the great majority of my hearers—that a few years
ago the common council, the acting body of the late corpo-
ration, thought it right to establish two schools, the one in
the north, and the other in the south end of the town, for
the purpose of educating the children of the great mass of
the people. When they did so, they also thought proper to
call in the assistance of the clergy of the established church
in the education of the children of those schools. The clergy
most willingly obeyed the call, and had great pleasure in
giving every assistance in their power The religious in-
struction of those schools was left entirely to the discretion
of the clergy When the municipal bill for altering the
system of town councils passed, a different mode of electing
that body came into force. Early on the new body coming
into office, a communication was sent by the mayor to the
clergy, desiring they would continue their services in the
schools till something was definitively fixed as to their future
management. The clergy most willingly acceded to this re-
quest. Subsequently an education committee was appointed
from the body of the town council, and it has been their
pleasure to recommend, and that of the council to adopt, a
different system, which is called the Irish system of educa-
tion."

The resolutions of the council adopting this Irish system
were thus worded :

" 1. That the schools shall open at nine o'clock each
morning, and commence by the children singing a hymn
from the selections of the commissioners of national educa-
tion in Ireland, and by the masters reading a portion of the
Scriptures from the same selections.

" 2. That one hour of each day be devoted to the reli-
gious instruction of those children whose parents do not ob-
ject ; and that such hour be in the afternoon, after the school
has closed. That the school shall be considered as closed at
three o'clock in the winter, and at four o'clock in summer.
That instruction be given on Thursday afternoon as on other
days, and that Saturday afternoon be considered a holiday.
" 3. That the clergy of the different denominations be so-
licited to attend for these purposes, and that every practical
accommodation be afforded them.

" 6. That the books of the commissioners in Ireland be
adopted, and that they have a fair trial previous to the in-
troduction of any other."
The books of the commissioners of education in Ireland,
here referred to, did not include the Bible. The schools in
Ireland, previously in operation and supported by govern-
ment, did include the Bible, but this was discovered to be a
vital defect, and the new system was introduced to remedy
this defect. This is plain from Lord Stanley's letter on the
occasion, addressed to his Grace the Duke of Leinster.*
Concerning the manner in which this Irish system was in-
troduced into this town, the Rev. Augustus Campbell, at the
meeting already referred to, said—
" I lament, sir, that the education committee, before they
decided upon the rules, had not been so kind as to consult
you and me upon the subject. The Roman Catholic clergy
were so consulted, I believe. It should be known that we
were really and bona fide the acting committee. I had au-
thority from the mayor, whose letter I have now in my
pocket, wherein he thanks us for past services, and requested
us to continue them until further notice. We were really
and truly the paramount authority—the schools were con-
ducted entirely under us. It would certainly have been dis-
creet and wise to have consulted us, and asked the clergy for
their concurrence. This was not done. The thing was de-
termined upon ; the Irish system was adopted ; and we were
compelled to withdraw."
The change so introduced was of too important a character•
to pass sub silentio as a mere matter of business. It involved
a great principle. Mr. Brooks said—
" The very essence of protestantism is the free and un-
shackled use of the Bible."
Mr. Sands said—

"To take any part of the Bible away---I will not charac-
terise it as a robbery, though I might he justified in so doing,
but I will say, sir, it is a direct interference with the rights
and privileges of the rising generation. Secret things belong
to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us
and to our children for ever ; if, therefore, we withhold, or
attempt to withhold, any part of this revealed treasure, we
are guilty of a breach of the trust that has been committed
to us."

Mr. Adam Hodgson said—
" It is our imperative duty, as inhabitants of this town, to
secure for the population of this town, in their schools, the
unshackled and unrestrained use of the unmutilated protes-

* WHILE they (the government) do full justice to the
liberal views with which that society (the Kildare-place So-
ciety) was originally instituted, they but be sensible
that one of its leading principles was calculated to defeat its
avowed objects, as experience has subsequently proved that
it has. The determination to enforce in all their schools the
reading of the holy scriptures, without note or comment.
was undoubtedly taken with the purest motives, with the
wish at once to correct religious with moral and literary edu-
cation, and, at the same time, not to run the risk of wound-
ing the peculiar feelings of any sect by catechetical instruc-
tion, or comments which might tend to subjects of polemical
controvert. But it seems to have been overlooked, that the
principles of the Roman Catholic Church (to which any sys-
tem intended for general effusion throughout Ireland, the
bulk of the pupils must necesssarily belong) were totally at
variance with this principle; and that the indiscriminate
reading of the holy scriptures, without note or comment, by
children, must be peculiarly obnoxious to a church whose
duties, even to adults, the right of unaided private interpre-
tation of the sacred volume, with respect to the articles of re-
ligious belief. Shortly after its institution, although the so-
ciety prospered and extended its operations under the foster-
ing care of the legislation, a vital defect organ to be noticed,
and the Roman Catholic clergy began to exert themselves
with energy and success against a system to which they
were on principle opposed, and which they feared might lead
in its results to proselytism, even although no such object
were contemplated by its proposers.

Cant version of the sacred Scriptures

, Mr. Campbell said—
! " The Roman Catholic clergy were consulted as to wire•
ther they would permit the use of prayer in the schods,
They said their children could not join in prayer with (Abet
sects. Therefore prayer has been excluded. For the same
reason the Bible has been excluded during school.hours. W(
are permitted to take the Bible when the schools are closed,
This is the only permission, I believe, given us by the ~critter

Gentlemen, this subject, as you well know, has been dis-
cussed ever since. The town has been appealed to again and
again. Your clergy, your parliamentary representatives,
your candidates for municipal honours—all have reiterated
;his appeal. The constituencies have responded; and at the
earliest possible opportunity, the first retirement of a section

irdanee with the provisions of the

Reform Act, you find yourselves in a majority in the coun-
cil. Can you hesitate as to what you will do with the
schools? Can you hesitate about the exclusion of the "Irish
ntroduction of the Bible avowedly and
unrestrictedly into the use of the schools? Can you hesitate

extracts,

about adopting a resolution that the Bible shall be read by
all the children in your schools who are capable of reading?
Can you hesitate about inviting again the co-operation of
those Christian ministers who will co-operate with the Bible,
but who cannot co-operate without it? Can you hesitate
about thus giving to the inspired word of God its lawful
place of unrivalled ascendancy over all compositions of men,
however excellent in themselves? Can you, by putting it

upon a level with anything else—by subjecting it to the same
treatment with anything else—by allowing its use or disuse
to be a matter of discussion, like anything else—can you, by
any such hesitation, imply that you do not believe it to be,
what nothing else is, the word of God himself
No, gentlemen ; I feel assured you cannot—
rill be tempted, however. Your political opponents—who,
chile they had the power, carried toeir measures by tyrant
thout any charitable consideration of the feel-

majorities, Wi

will not. You

ings of Protestants—will now adopt the soft voice of flattery,
and entice you to make a character for liberality by consider-
ing charitably the feelings of Roman Catholics.

They will say to you, "surely you wouldn't insist upon the

children of poor Roman C

tholic parents reading the author-

ised version of tt

Inleir.en, be assured

this is not the voice of affection, emanating from poor Roman
Catholic parents; but the voice of faction, emanating from
Roman Catholic priests: I appeal to facts. The poor
Roman Catholics do not object to their children reading the
authorised version of the Bible. It requires all the authority
of their priests, in repeated exercise, to prevent theta' from
sending their children to schools in avowed connexion with

the Established Church. In trial

, they cannot be prevented,

and multitudes of children of Roman Catholic parents are
at this moment in Church of England schools in this town ;
reading jnot only the authorised version of the Bible, but
also the Catechism and other formularies of the National
Church.

The clergy of this town have consented to. I should rather
say have been forward to avow and impress a distinction be-
tween the word of God and the formularies, however excel-
lent, of the church. In drawing up rules for the management
of the Collegiate Institution, now in progress, they decided
to use the formalities of the church, as a matter of course, for
church children ; but not to enforce them upon all as they do
and must enforce the reading of the Scriptures. In this distinc•
tion they have the hearty concurrence of the most distin-
guished of the laity of all ranks in the town and county,
backed by contributions approaching £20,000. Gentlemen,
I venture to express my conviction that this distinction will
commend itself to you for adoption in your schools. I am
trance that on this great question you arc
t was the influence of this great

triumphantly unanimous,

question, far beyond any others, that gave you your triumph-

ant ►najority

Doubts have, indeed, been expressed, and some faint hopes
of differences and diiEculties among you have been excited in
your opponents, by the published report of the proceedings
at your meeting on Tuesday last, on the subject of the edu-
But, gentlemen, your best friends in the
town feel satisfied of what it may be well and wise plainly to
—namely, that the differences

cation conunitte