The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1838-03-23 00:00:00

constitution_ and regulations of the Trish Board of Educa-
tion, in which he lahours with all his might to prove,
that no system of instruction can possibly satisfy the
Popish hierarchy,- unless it inculcates Popery, and is
placed under the sole administration of the priests. This
is a fact which we have long since endeavoured to make
known—a fact of which every .individual, who knows
.anything of the real spirit of Popery, must be perfectly
cognizant. It has, therefore, excited no surprise in us,
that this insolent representative of the Papists of Ireland
should deal in such sweeping terms of condemnation in
reference to the conciliatory plans adopted by the Edtr-
cation Board. it is just what we have all along ex-
pected. For a season it suited the crafty priests to
maintain silence on the subject. The temporising policy
' of the present imbecile government led them to look for
further concessions, until at length, the instruction of all
the children in the National Schools should be entirely
monopolized by the priests. We are glad that the cloven
foot has been shown at last. The British public are now
aware, from the testimony of a Roman Catholic bishop,
that Popery admits of no compromise—that it must have
an undivided sway—that it will submit to no controul.
The motto of Popery is "server eadeni." Its intole-
rance admits of no change or mitigation. Would that
the people of England were more gesnerally impressed
with this truth ! Would that they would act more on
the defensive against the subtle machinations of the
Popish priests ! -
Before we proceed to notice the contents of this last
epistle of Dr. M'Hale, we must express our astonish-
ment-7no, we retract the word—our disgust at the con-
duct of the radical press in reference to the voluminous
correspondence of the titular Archbishop of Tuam. Why
do we not find his letters to Lord John Russell quoted
and animadverted upon in the Liverpool liberal journals ?
The reason is obvious. These honest radical journalists
know that they would find in these letters a sweeping
condemnation of the system of education pursued at the
corporation schools, and an ample refutation of all the
villanous calumnies which have been levelled, within the
last two years, at the clergy of the town. It would ill
suit the purpose of our self-styled liberals to show that
no system of education, excepting one exclusively Po-
pish, can, by any possibility be tolerated by the Roman
Catholic priests. It would by no means suit their pur-
poses to open the eyes of the people of Liverpool, and
to show them that it is a perfectly hopeless task to en-
deavour to conciliate the Popish priests, without throw-
ing Protestantism .overboard.
But to proceed. We find Dr, at the very
commencement of this letter, bewailing in the most
affecting terms the diminished power and influence of
the Popish clergy in Ireland, and attributing this " re-
trograde movement" of their interests to the " transfer
of their confidence to those who prove unworthy of their
trust." He then proceeds to detail the defensive opera-
tions to which the adverse change in the prospects of the
clergy gave rise. Speaking of the Protestants he re-
marks :

" Despairing of open force, of the abortive effect of which the
vast Catholic population of Ireland was a monument, they had
recourse to fraud, and spread over every portion of the country
their religious toils, in order to catch the unwary simplicity of
the rising generation.
"They carried on for some time the insidious scheme of se-
vering the connection between the pastors and the faithful with
apparent success, and never failed to season their religious in-
structions with the most insidious insinuations against the Ca-
tholic priesthood. From covert attacks they were emboldened
to carry on a system of open aggression.
" The zeal and energy of the clergy and the people were at

length roused by a mutual sympathy for each other, and they

resolved to repel the injuries and insults which they respectively
sustained. The one by a display of talents and learning, which
at once astonished and dismayed their opponents, nobly vindi-
cated their insulted religion—the other determined to guard
their faith by raising up the fallen fences of their civil liberty,
without which religion itself cannot be long protected; and all,
with unanimous accord, put themselves under the guidance of an
individual, whom Providence had raised up to achieve the inde-
pendence of hie country,

Here we find the exertions of those who were engaged
in the benevolent work of educating the poor
.of Ireland
stigmatized as "fraud," and their labour of love desig-
nated as " religious toils." Does not this language
sufficiently justify us in characterising the Rothan Ca-

tholic clergy as intolerant? But we find in the last pa-
ragraph quoted above something of a OW more objec-
tionable character. We are told that the whole Popish
population of Ireland, clergy and laity, have placed
themselves under the guidance of O'Connell, who is de-
scribed as "an individual whom Providence raised up
to achieve the independence of his country! Can there
be any mistake after this as to the object—the ultimate
design of O'Connell and the priests? Is it mot here
avowed by the Popish primate of Ireland that the end
contemplated is the " independence of It eland ?I'

After alluding to the present position of the Popish
clergy, this titular proceeds to deplore the mischief
caused by the " compromise" which he alleges the priests
entered into with the government on the subject of edu-
cation. He says—

" As my concern is at present with the religion of Ireland, I
must confess that I seldom contemplated a more sad spectacle
than to find ourselves, after such a struggle, borne down as well
by the force of the current, as by the relaxation of our own
efforts, to the same point trim which we started some years ago.
And yet is this all the clergy and faithful of Ireland have
gained by the signal triumphs, in which they borne a conspicu-
ous share, that they musC now submit in silence to such dan-
gerous and ignominious conditions in the religious education of
their children, as in the period of their civil and religious disa-
bilities would not be endured ?"

" Dangerous and ignominious conditions !" Hear
this, ye sage councillors of the education committee !
This is the language applied by a Popish dignitary to
the conciliatory system which you have been instrumen-
tal in introducing into our public schools. What have
you gained by importing the Irish extracts, and by in-
sulting the Protestant population of Liverpool ? Have
you satisfied the Popish priests ? Does not titular
M`Hale call the " conditions" of even your system of
separate religious instruction " dangerous and ignomi-
nious ?" Hear this, ye Protestant parents who have
entrusted your children to the care of the education com-
mittee ! A Popish archbishop calls it a " dangerous and
ignominious" thing for any of the children of the " faith-
ful" to be educated under the sameroof with the offspring
of Protestant heretics.

On the subject of the introduction of the scriptures
nto schools we have the following very explicit lan-

guage:_—

" What were the unanimous sentiments of the Catholic
bishops of Ireland in the year 182,1, regarding the introduction
of the Sciiptures into schools, your lordship may learn, from
the following extract of a petition on the subject of education,
which they presented to Parliament :—"f hat Roman Catholics
hare ever considered the reading of the sacred Scriptures by chil-
dren as an inadequate means of imparting to them religious in
struction, as an usage whereby the Word of God is made liable
to irreverence, youth exposed to misunderstand its meaning
and thereby not unfrequently to receive, in early life, impres-
sions which may afterwards prove injurious to their own best
interests, as well as to those of the society which they are des-
tined to form.' Compare, my lord, this solemn, deliberate, and
unanimous expression of the sentiments of the Catholic bishops
of Ireland with the inodification in their rule by which the com-
missioners propose the reading of the Scriptures in the schools, at
any time that will not be objected, to by the parents or the guar-
dians, and you will perceive that the hoard or the government,
or both, vainly calculate on the hierarchy's surrendering now
those conscientious principles which they maintained under
more adverse forttines. I have experienced no small share of
obloquy for asserting thoseordinary duties annexed tomy sacred
office, and which I cannot resign without a renunciation of the
trust which the Prince of Pastors confided to me. Over the books
used for the religious instruction of my flock, I have stated that I
shall exercise, without regard to any board, exclusive and absolute
control. It map now be necessary to add, that I shall never en-
trust their religious education to any person professing a differ-
ent faith, or Khose faith shall be tainted by the religious training
of any professing a different creed. No master shall have the
control of such education who will not be appointed with my
approbation:"

Here, again, we are told, in terms that cannot be mis-
understood, that the Po.pisli priests not only consider the
scriptures as "an inadequate means of religious instruc •
tion,"' but: tlrat the reading of the, Bible is calCulated to
produce impressions Which may prove injurious to the
best interests of the children, and of society. This irre-
verent language is applied to. that book which emuhati-
tally maketh wise unto' salvation. But the real objection
.of the Popish hierarchy .to the reading of the scriptures