The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1847-09-21 00:00:00

THE IRISH CHURCH EDUCATION SOCIETY..

Yesterday evening, the annual meeting of the members
and friends of this excellent society was held in the Royal
Amphitheatre. The attendance was very numerous, and
highly respectable—the:house being crowded in every part.
The Rev. Chancellor RAIKES took the chair, and his •
entrance was hailed with loud approbation. Amongst hits
clerical brethren who accompanied him we observed, the
depotation from the parent society, namely,—the Rev.
Dr. Singer, Rev. Mr. Verschoyle, of Dublin, and the
Rev. W. M'llwaine, of Belfast ;—also the Revs. Dr.
M`Neile, A. Hume, J. R. Connor, C. Cowan, F. Barker,
W. Falloon, H. Carpenter, D. Stewart, C. W. Lawrence,
P. Ould, and many others.
The CHAIRMAN expressed the joy he felt in seeing so
large and reepectable an assemblage, particularly when he
considered the importance of the object in view. He
could safely assign to those around him all the requisite
information as to the proceedings of the society. Of late
they had had many appeals made to them from the sister
island, owing to the calamity that had befallen her, but it
was not now the people, but the Church of Ireland that
appealed to the sympathies and assistance of her sister
church in England. They undoubtedly owed a great debt
of gratitude to the Irish Church, for the extensive good
they had done to the Church of England. He believed
that there was no place in England to which the appeal of
the Church of Ireland could be made with more probabi-
lity of success than to the town of Liverpool. (Hear.)
It was hardly, indeed, in their power to discharge the debt
by eny resolutions that could be passed that evening. He
would not refer personally to those of the clergy
from Ireland who were around him, as he felt a delicacy
in doing so in their presence; but this he would assert,
that it was the bounden duty, and of especial interest to
the Church of England to extend to the Church of Ireland
that means of assistance which the circumstances of the
latter at the present time especially demanded. He dis-
claimed all political feeling in the question under consi-
deration, and after alluding to the judicious conduct of
the great man who at the commencement of the last
grand national struggle hae said that it must be fought
either in the field of Spain or in that of Ireland, and had
wisely preferred the former, he concluded by saying
that if the Church of England was to maintain the true
education of the people as a mother church, it behoved
them to support this society, whose efforts were directed.
to promote that object. _ _ _

The Rev. HAMILTON VERSCHOLYE moved the first
resolution, to the effect " that the Church of England
School Society in Ireland, being established to offer the
blessings of Scriptural education to the children of the
Irish poor, appeared to the meeting to be eminently cal-
culated to promote the best interests of Ireland. The
Rev. gentleman urged many arguments, and related some
anecdotes in favour of Scriptural education of the people,
andexposed many of the fallacies inculcated by the Ronaisk
priesthood, who did all they could to prevent the people
from reading the sacred volume. He adverted in strong
terms of reprobation to the Government system of edu-
cation in the national schools. He stated that the society
had to support about 2000 schools, which educated about
100,000 children, of whom about 30,000 were Roman
Catholics. If the Society's schools were not upheld,
they would all become useless for the Roman Catholic
children. About £30,000 had been collected annually
for their support by the Irish clergy, but in consequence-
of the famine, which had in some parts raised the poor-
rates to 40s. in the pound, and the difficulty, which land-
lords had to obtain their rents, and the small livings of
the clergy, the burthen had become great upon them, and
they now appealed to England. Roman Catholic child—
ren were pressing for admission to the schools, and they -
had not in some parts the same opposition as formerly
from the priests, the protestants having assisted the poor-
during the famine. He read extracts from letters and
other documents in proof of what he had advanced.
The Rev. DAVID STEWART ably seconded the resolu-
tion, adducing the great success he had experienced inhis
own school in proof of the permanent advantages of Scrip-
tural education.

The resolution was unanimously carried.
The Rev. Wm. MCILWAINE, of St. George's Church,
Belfast, moved the second resolution—to the effect " that
the meeting cordially responded to the appeal made to
them from the Irish prelates and clergy to the Protest-
ants in England, and honoured them for the maintenance
of the great principles for which they were contending."
He said that one primary principle of the society was to
contend against the National Education Board. That
board shoud never have existed. it was a monster evil ;
and if God gave him grace, he would rather ascend the
scaffold than join it. He read extracts from several pub-
lications issued by the board, especially their Charter,
in which her Majesty (in legal verbiage) had put in com-
pany with the Archbishop of Dublin, her " trusty and
well-beloved cousin," Dr. Murray, a Roman Catholic !
The rev. speaker was very facetious in his remarks on this
point, and excited much merriment. The board had
been working for thirteen years, and he showed that their
scriptural readings for the children were all tending, by
perversion of the true text, to Romanism •, and that if they
were permitted to go on, the Douay Bible would, in the
end, be adopted. He referred to a letter of Lord Stanley's,
at the commencement of the board, and went the length of
saying that the noble lord ought either to be compelled
to eat that letter, or to renounce the name of Protestant.
The rev. gentleman gave a most interesting account of
the working of the system in Ireland, and concluded with
an ardent appeal to the audience to support the schools of
the Establishment in Ireland, in which he stated the mode
in which the present premier, Lord John Russell, had
responded in the negative to the prayer made to him to
afford the aid of the State to the support of schools esta-
blished by the society. After the rev. gentleman had sat
down, a collection was made for the expenses of the meet-
ing, during which a hymn was sung.
The Rev. FREDERICK BARKER seconded the resolution,
and apologised for the absence of Mr. Adam Hodgson
and Mr. Samuel Holme, on account of indisposition.
The Rev. Dr. SINGER rose to move the next resolution,
and stated that he had been in a species of maze since he
first entered into the meeting, caused by the numbers
assembled together, through the influence of their clergy,
to advance a measure in which the interests of Ireland
were concerned. He appreciated the display made by the
assembly the more that the people of Liverpool had made -
the noblest effort ever made to carry out the object for
which they were pleading,—the Scriptural Education of
the people. The rev. gentleman then referred to a speech
of Sir R. Peel, in which the right hon. bart. pledged him-
self to Church Education for the children of members of
the Church. He appealed from Sir R. Peel then to Sir
R. Peel now—from Philip drunk to Philip sober—and
asked which was the most consistent and valuable testi-
mony. The rev. gentleman gave a similar expression of opi-
nion, very strongly hostile to the Education Board, from
a speech of the Duke of Wellington. He gave also the
opinion of Sir James Graham, that there should be no
system of education paid by the state, except a system
conducted by, and based upon, the tenets of the clergy of
the Established Church. The reverend gentleman, after
paying a high compliment to the character of Lord Stan-
ley, whom he termed the founder of the national system,
read some extracts from his speeches in the House of
Commons, in which his lordship declared that it was im-
possible for them to fritter away the truths of religion to
conciliate any party in the country. The reverend gen- _
tleman expressed himself surprised that in a man from
whom such sentiments, in which they could all agree,
could emanate, they should find the author of the go-
vernment scheme of education. After alluding to the
three thousand Romish priests who, by our grants
and Government money were riding over the con-
sciences of the people of Ireland, he illustrated, geogra-
phically, the difference between the law of God and the
law of man, and said it would be worse than tyranny to
compel them, by accepting government bounty as a bribe,
to give up as an equivalent the Scriptures of God. He
concluded by moving the second resolution, which was as
follows :

"That the exclusive appropriation of the Parliamentary
grants foi the purposes of education in Ireland, having left the
church in that country destitute of its accustomed aids for the
instruction of the children of the poor, it is the bounden duty
of English Churchmen to assist in supplying the want thus
created. and to support the Irish clergy and laity in their pre-
sent efforts to extend the blessings of Scriptural education to
the great body of the people."
The Rev. Dr. M'NEI LE then appeared amidst prolonged
applause. He clearly displayed the object of the meeting.
and expressed his high approval of the course that had
been taken by his Irish brethren present. The collection
had amounted to only £26, and he urged the necessity. of
contributions at the door to defray the expenses of the •
house. After giving a clear and distinctive view of the
actual effect of the National grant for Irish education,
and lucidly and eloquently showing its bearing on the
English Church, he urged the necessity of an appeal ta
her Majesty and her Majesty's ministers, expressive of
the feeling manifested by the meeting, and seconded the
resolution, which was heartily responded to.
A vote of thanks was then moved to the chairman, and
the meeting separated.

A. SOMERSET CLOWN.—On entering the church-yard,
which I did over a wooden stile, from the village, I found,
as one generally does in a country parish, a number of
rustics loitering about. There was one odd fellow, how-
ever, seated by the base of the ancient cross, and at the
moment engaged in winding up or setting his watch by
the village oracle, to whom I applied myself, as being the
most conversible son of the soil there. " Fine morning,
measter," said he, on seeing me approach ; " what be the
time by thee ?" and he pointed to the bunch of seals
which descended from my fob. I told him. " Dost thee
keep railroad time ?" was the next inquiry. " Ha," said
he, with apparent satisfaction, " I be delighted that
there's be one as don't go by those run-away ingines.
All the village are a-going mad, shoving on their watches
ten minutes to be by the rayle, as they say." Here's an
old " worshipper of the rust of antiquity," thought l—
one of the fossil remains of the real rustic, who distrusts
or despises every thing new. I'll be bound he'd sooner
take three hours and travel in his own market-cart to
Bristol, than be indebted to Brunel or the " rayle," as he
calls it, for taking him there in one-sixth the time.
asked him the name of his clergyman. " Our parson ?
repeated he, as if he knew him better by that title, " Mr.
Clarke ; and as worthy a man as ever wore a gown.
" Charitable, I suppose?" "If he has an enemy, I'll eat
un," said the rustic, closing his watch in its outer. case,
droppingand the old-fashioned affair into his fob ; " if a
man ben't :favourite who visits and helps the poor, edi-
eates the children, and knows and advises all his neigh-
bours, why it would be hard to please us country yolk."
" But you have said nothing about his preaching : how
do you like him in the pulpit ?" My neighbour scratched
his head, and seemed rather brought to a pause by the
question. " Whoy," said he, at length, "if thee ask me
what kind of a preacher he be, I like a loud preacher—
one to make the old church ring agin, like Parson 8., a
fine speaker that knocks the dust out of our hearts and
the ould velvet cushion. Mr. Clarke is a good preacher
for some ; but I am old and getting hard o' hearing ; and
he goes so fast I can't always understand him, as it were,
you see."—The Churc,', user ; Rural Rides or Calls ust
Country Churches.
) /ryEtz Poor
Sldt ND 1 R 71'
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