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

state to soma of your own body-

which appeared on Tuesday do not reach the question of
iools, but only how it is to be

what is to be done with the s

if we understand you aright, you are nut only deter-
mined that the good thing shall be done, but also laudably
anxious that " your good should not be evil spoken of," and
therefore that it should be done in the best possible manner.
The education committee, of whomsoever composed, will, of
course, be so constructed as to carry or

done?

in the great ques-

tion now under review, the determination of the majority of
the council. The selection of the individ

.►als, therefore, who

shallcompose that committee (the only difficulty now remain.
ing) is a matter of practical wisdom, rather than fundamental
principle. There is no one member of your body so per-
sonally identified with the school question as to render his
individual election on that committee a matter of principle.
Here, then, is a matter to which the advice, respectfully
submitted to your consideration in my former letter, fully
applies. I speak not of your avowed opponents in all things,

1 marvel how any unitarian or Roman catholic member of
the council, if you bad one, could submit, if he could avoid
it, to he placed on such a committee—a manifest cypher in
influence, yet lending his apparent sanction and co-operation
to measures which lie must repudiate. But among yourselves
we look fitst to measures, not to men. In determining on
the great measure to be adopted in the case of the schools,
you consult for your own principles, your own consistency,
and the clearly expressed opinions of your constituencies.
In determining upon the men by whose special instrumen-
tality that measure is to be carried into effect, you are at
liberty, I think, perhaps I should rather say, you are bound to
consult for the good feeling of that section of the con►-
niunity, who are not so decidedly with you in the measure,
as to be above the consideration of the difference between the
men. If sonic of your men be personally objectionable, for
any cause, or without any cause, to that class of the com-
munity, why should you needlessly obtrude them on your
Education Committee, when by selecting others the
for•liter in re loses nothing ; and the sunriter iii modo
gains much ? Why should such men wish them-
selves to be on the committee ? What can the great
cause gain by it ? Were 1 among you, and such a man, I
would say to you, Gentlemen, I entreat that you will not
place my name on that committee ; there is no principle in-
volved in it ; if there were, i would not, could not swerve,
but there is not. It is wholly a personal affair. I cannot be
unconscious of, perhaps I do not dislike, the charge of ultra-
is M connected with my name. I hope it is by my uncom-
promising faithfulness to my principles that I have incurred
that charge. But here is a matter in which it may damage
our cause with some, and cannot advance it with any; I beg
therefore that you will proceed with our great measure,
leaving my name off the list of its special conductors.
My lette.• is already too long. But if I could enlarge still
fut the r, and add persuasion to argument, I would with all
the energy of faithful affection implore you to remember that
although your majority is decisive and triumphant, it is not
such as to warrant any of you in dividing the whole council
upon any great question whereon you are divided yourselves ;
neither should ally of you move in the council, in an insu-
lated extemporaneous manner, without previous consulta-
tion.

Be so good as to read my former letter in connection with
this. Excuse my freedom—Cultivate a disposition to agree.
Yours, FIDUS ACHATES.

Liverpool, Nov. 11th, 1811.
t The framers of the written law here referred to, have
been, it seems, practically violating their own statute, with-
out having the honest boldness to avow their disapprobation
of it, and openly to rescind it.

CORPORATION SCHOOLS

To THE CONSERVATIVE MEMBERS OF THE TOWN
COUNCIL OF LivEnrooL.

GENTLEMEN,—Permit me to congratulate you on the
proud position which you now occupy in the municipal
government of this great commercial town, and to express
the high sense which I entertain of the true British feeling,
moral courage, and patriotic spirit displayed by your respec-
tive constituencies at the late elections, in order to place you
in a majority in the Council Chamber. That object has
been secured by a success which has outstripped our most
sanguine expectations, and.for which the thanks of all who
feel interested in the triumph of constitutional principles,
and the preservation of the Protestant Church, are justly
due.

It fell to my lot three years ago—though folloy:ing in the
wake of other and abler men—to take a prominent part in
exposing the heretical character and destructive tendency
of the new system of education in the corporation schools.
That system was introduced by the radical majority of the
Town Council, and forced upon the town, amid loud and
general remonstrance—a remonstrance which was felt so
galling as to induce the patrons and abettors of the plan to
modify some of its worst features, but which proved ineffec-
tual for the expulsion of the plan itself. The obnoxious
system is therefore still in the schools. But the time is now
conic for the subject to be re-considered, with the prospect
of far more auspicious results. And if I can assist in re-
opening the discussion, which I candidly admit is the direct
object of my letter, I shall have attained my end.

But in doing this', I must beg leave most respectfully to
state sonic of the reasons, which, in my opinion, will fully
justify you as magistrates and members of the corporation,
in removing at once from the schools the objectionable system
in question, and replacing it by one more scriptural and less
heterogeneous.

1. Consider the responsibility attached to the exercise of
civil power and authority. It is written in the pages of the
inspired volume, that " there is no power but of God : the
powers that be are ordained of God." No matter what
form that power may assume in human governments, or how
numerous the intermediate steps by which it descends to
man, God is the true source from whence it is derived, and
his glory the end for which it is to be wielded. He is the
supreme Head and moral Governor of the universe ; but lie
has thought fit in divine compassion to mankind, and for
the more convenient administration of their national affairs,
to delegate his authority to men, and to constitute such as
his subordinate agents in the government of the world. All
officials therefore invested with power,—say in our own_
beloved country, from the sovereign down to the policeman
with the
tloief
and constable, are amenable to Almighty God
ydofoolrth:.
that power, and their responsibility varies
extent of their power. " The God of Israel said, He that
ruleth over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God."
2 Sam. xxiii. 3.
You, as borough magistrates, and members of the cor-
poration of this large and wealthy town, are invested with
no small degree of power, but hold a conspicuous place
among the rulers of the land. The influence of your exam-
ple in the discharge of your magisterial and corporate duties
will extend far beyond the limits of the borough •, and the
character of your public measures will attract attention
throughout the length and breadth of the empire.
T improvingtown,
and duties of lighting, paving, and the
and affording to all its inhabitants full protection oflifead
property may be efficiently discharged w ithout entailing upon

yourselves much personal inconvenience, or causing any sen-
sation in the public mind. But the moment you undertake
to remodel the system of education in the corporation
schools, and to rid the children of the poor from the cor-
rupting influence of the one now in operation, your religious
principles and moral courage will necessarily be put to the
test, and every step you take will involve you in a degree of
responsability truly fearful and overwhelming. Nevertheless,
inasmuch as you are, in your capacity of the powers that be
" ordained of God," you have a solemn duty to discharge in
reference to those schools, from which I trust you will not
shrink. You must discharge it in all faithfulness to God, as
well as in all fairness to your fellow townsmen.

2. Consider the character of the system at present in
force. The children of Roman Catholic parents are regu-
larly taught by the authorised masters and monitors, in the
absence of the priests, the Romish catechism, which con-
tains the most oblectionable doctrines of tee Rornish creed :
such as " the infallibility of the church in matters of faith "
—" that the souls of the righteous must, after death, dis.
charge the debt of some mortal sins in the tire of purga-
tory "—" that doing the penance imposed by the priest is
satisfaction for sins committed after baptism "—" that some
sins are venial and do not kill the soul ."—"A prayer to the
Virgin Marc."—" That it is lawful to honour relics, cruci-
fixes and holy pictures as memorials of Christ and his
saints."—" That by fasting men may satisfy God for their
sins."—" That the holy eucharist is the true body and blood
of Christ under the appearances of bread and wine." "That
the mass is the unbloody sacrifice of the body and blood of
Christ "—and other blasphemies equally false and contra-
dictory to the word of God. lam confident you would
shrink with horror from the inculcation of these corrupt
doctrines on your own children : as consistent and honest
men, you cannot do otherwise, as regards any children in-
structed under your immediate patronage, and by your paid

masters

It may be replied, that you ought to consult the wishes of
the parents, and to forego your own predilections in favour
of theirs in this matter. If it were possible for you to trans-
fer from yourselves the responsibility at the same time, and
make the parents alone answerable to God for the conse-
quences, it might be done ; but as God will hold you respon-
sible for your own acts, and will not allow the parents of the
children instructed to be regarded as the keepers of your
consciences, you have no alternative left but to adopt and
enforce a system of education which you believe to be in
strict harmony with the will of God, and calculated to be
highly beneficial to the children themselves. lf, in the adop-
tion of such a system, you appear to give offence to certain
parties in the town, you will still have the satisfaction of
knowing that the fault will then lie, not in yourselves, or
your plan, but in the objectors; for there are parties whose
temporal interest it is to withhold from the poor the bless-
ings of a scriptural education. They will not openly say so,
but will labour to hide their real sentiments by starting such
objections as will appear plausible to the public, and vexa-
tious to yourselves. To yield to such would be an act of
moral madness.

If von are prevented from giving to the children of the
poor Roman Catholics such scriptural instruction and moral
training as you deem essential for your own offspring, you
must wash your hands from the business altogether ; for no
man in his right mind would patronise and sanction a system,
in the public charity schools, which he might not any day
introduce and enfo."ce in his own family. You must " love
your neighbours as yourselves," and not have one description
of education at home, and another of a diametrically opposite
character in the Corporation Schools. And when you treat
the children of the poor as you do your own, you leave the
objectors no fair ground of opposition.

Proceeding on this principle, your first duty will be to banish
from the schools the Popish catechism, the Popish extracts,
and all such books as contain the corrupt doctrines of the
apostate church of Rome. You are bound in faithfulness to
God, and in fairness to the children themselves to do it. If
it be objected that such a step will drive the Roman Catholic
children from the schools. Be it so. Your answer will be
ready, that you cannot sell your conscience to please the
papists, or sanction the teaching of such false doctrines and
superstitious practices to the inoffensive children of the poor
as will endanger the salvation of their souls. Or if it be ob-
jected, that as all parties contribute to the funds, it is but fair
that all should be equally educated ; we admit the justice of
the objection, and fully concur in it, by saying that the
schools will be open to ALL, without any distinction of creed,
language, or colour. The best kind of instruction will be
offered to all alike, and the children of the Romanists will be
admitted to the full enjoyment of all the advantages and
privileges conferred on the children of the Protestants. What
can be fairer?

But, if it be attempted to force this last objection a
step further, by saving, that as all religious denominations
contribute to the corporation funds, out of which the schools
are supported, it is but fair that all should be cducated in their
own way. To this we demur, and we think we can assign a
snbstantial reason for so doing. The payment of rates im-
posed upon the inhabitants of the town by the competent
authorities becomes a duty which every one liable is bound
to discharge as a matter of conscience. For it is written,
" Render to all their dnes ; tribute to whom tribute is due;
custom to whom custom ; fear to whom tear; honour to
whom hononr."—Rom. xiii. But when payment is made
the ratepayers have done with the matter—they have dis.
charged their duty, and their conscience is not further
affected. The responsibility has passed with the money
from them into your hands, and with you it entirely remains.
And when you come to apply a portion of those rates in edu-
cating the children of the poor, you have the same infallible
law to guide you in the disposal as the inhabitants had to
direct them in the payment of such rates. The simple
command—" Train up a child in the way he ihotdd go,"
is an epitome of that law, and is, at the same time, so clear
and simple as to leave no room for mistake. Nothing must
be taught the children within the precincts of your schools,
which will not stand the test of Holy Scriptures, or which
will require to be untaught at some subsequent period, in
order to secure their eternal happiness.

If it be still argued that you 'Might, in fairness, yield to
them in this point, and let them have their own way, I re-
join, that it is just as fair that they should yield to you, and
let you have your own way. And as the responsibility rests
with you, it is more than fair—it is right, and only right—
that you should be allowed, without annoyance, to pursue
such a plan as will enable you to answer for it without re-
morse at the last day.

Gentlemen, your constituencies will expect you to do your
duty, and will await your determination with intense inte-
rest—fiat justilia real ccelum. I remain, sirs, your most
obedient servant, DAVID JAMES.
Kirkdale, Nov. 11, 1841.

--.1110...---

TO THE EDITOR OF THE LIVERPOOL STANDARD.

SIR,--I take the liberty through the medium of your paper
of making known a discovery to whichl think I may safely
lay claim.

Asthma is generally supposed to be a disease of the lungs,
but in the course of a series of experiments I have been mak-
ing lately, I feel convinced that the lungs are only secon-
darily affected, and that asthma, in almost every case, arises
from spasmodic action of the abdominal muscles, which will
be found to have lost their expansive power.
Acting upon this principle, I have given relief, during the
last fortnight, in upwards of thirty cases, and shall be happy
to prove the value of my discovery to any gentleman—medi-
cal or otherwise—interested in the subject.
If the above remarks are found correct,—of which I have
no doubt—a new era has commenced in the history and treat-
ment of the diseases of the lungs.—l am, sir, your obedient
servant, DENIS CRONIN.
Dispensary for the Diseases of the

Lungs and Heart, Oldham-

street, Nov. 11, 1841

THE QUEEN DOWAGER

(From the London Standard of Tuesday.)

We are happy to state that the bulletin received at Marl-
borough House this morning is more favourable. The follow-
ing is a copy : _ _

The 4"ueen Dowager has had some refreshing sleep in
the night, and her majesty, on the whole, appears less languid
this morning. _ _ _

(Signed)

" DAVID DAVIES, M.D

" Sudburp Hall, November 8, 1841."
In consequence of reports of an unfavourable nature being
very prevalent regarding the state of her majesty's health,
we deemed it our duty to make prompt inquiry at Marlborough
House, to ascertain whether there was any foundation for
such rumours; and we are happy to say, that though no further
bulletin bad reached Marlborough House than the one
received this morning, and published above, yet we are in-
formed that private letters, addressed to different members
of the household, which reached town at the same time, speak
more favourably of her majesty's health than even the bulletin
itself. Marlborough House has been crowded all day with
anxious inquiries from the principal nobility and gentry, now
.resident in town.

Lord Stanley, in answer to a deputation from Scotland,
assured the gentlemen who waited on him that the subject
of emigration was under the serious consideration of her
Majesty's ministers.

It is asserted in well-informed quarters that a sense of
duty to the nation will impel the Earl of Aberdeen to advise
the Queen—it indeed his lordship has not already done so—
to revoke the appointment of Capt. Elliot to the consul
generalship of Texas. In taking such a step, however dis-
agreeable to the noble earl's feelings, public opinion would
fully support the Foreign Secretary.
According to a statement just completed, there appears to.
be a balance of cash and securities placed to the credit of
various accounts in Chancery to the extraordinary aniount.of
forty-two millions sterling and upwards.

SHROPSHIRE CONSERVATIVE FESTIVAL.—The celebra-
tion, takes place this day. The Earl of Powis will occupy
the chair, supported by TILE TWELVE, and by the following
noblemen and gentlemen :—The Earls of Liverpool and
Bradford, Lord Forester, Sir F. Burdett, Bart. M.P., Sir
\V. W. Wynn, Bait. M.P., Sir John Hamner, Bart. M.P.,
Right Hon. C. W. Wynn, M.P., Sir John Walsh, Bart.
W. R. Ormsby Gore, Esq., M.P., (for Sligo), G. C.
Ugh, Esq., M.P.,Townsend Mainwaring, Esq., M.P., Hugh
Cholniondeley, Esq., M.P., I'. 0. Egerton, Esq., MY., Sir
W. Cockburn, Bart. Edward Rogers, Esq.. (Stannage Park),
Panton Corbett, Esq., &c., &c. The Duke and Duchess
of Sutherland have arrived at Leaton Knolls, the seat of J. A.
Lloyd, Esq., and intend to honour the Festival with their
presence.
A person passing through Alnwick, and observing upon a
door, " Haswell, surgeon, &c." remarked that the gentleman
would be as well without the H.
A number of gentlemen in Glasgow, who disapprove of
public news-rooms being kept open and frequented on the
Lord's day, have resolved to establish one which shall be
entirely shut on the Sabbath.
The whole works on the line of the Edinburgh and Glas-
gow Railway, it is said, are expected to be completed by the
middle of the present month, when that important link be-
tween the two first cities in Scotland will be open to the
public.
Sir Arthur Aston, it is said, has presented to Queen Isa-
bella an autograph letter from her Majesty Queen Victoria,
congratulating her on the failure of the attempt of the ith.
The young Queen, it is stated, was most sensibly affected at
this mark of affection on the part of our most gracious sove-
reign.

RAILWAY TO WARWICK AND LEAMINOTON.—The di-
rectors of the London and Birmingham Railway have co-
operated with several gentlemen of great influence in War-
wickshire for the purpose of constructing a branch railway
(corn their line at Coventry (through Kenilworth) to War-
'sick and Leamington.
TILE MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS.—By a return in the
MorninD Herald of the result of the principal municipal
elections through the country, we learn thartal
councillors have been returned, whilst the &el:n:117:4011T;
271.

CHURCH PASTORAL AID SOCIETY.—We are glad to find
that the excellency of this institution is deservedly growing
in public estimation, and that the Principality of \Vales is
becoming snore sensible of the debt of gratitude which it
e dA on strong
Tuesday,e vi det nh cee2t4ht that t
alt..this
owes for the liberal grants made for the supply of ministerial
aid in our populous
feeling is increasing
in the parish church. of Nevern, Pembrokeshire, where a
parishes.as afforded
d
sermon was preached in support of this admirable society by
a
tinhoestßaetvt.e.Jtoi veaheolZugereesgnon ; when, after a powerful appeal, of Loughor, to an overflowing and
made in behalf of the thousands who inhabit our populous
districts, destitute of the means of grace, a collection Wars,
waewhich wore than doubled that of the previous yea
amounting to the considerable sum of £l4 10a
thereby that their national gratitude to the society, provingttn
dtbit
high estimation iu which they hold the religious privileges
their peaceful parish has eojA)ved during years long gone bv,