The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1838-10-02 00:00:00

Liverpool, and there examine on the spot into the me-
rits of the three litigated points, viz.: First,—whe-
ther the Corporation Schools, as at present conducted,
and so far as they had gone, had failed or succeeded in
answering the end for which they were originally
built; Second,—whether the masters and mistresses
(being Protestants) were required to see that the Ro-
man Catholic children were taught their peculiar re-
ligious doctrines during a prescribed hour daily;
Third,—whether a man named Farrell had been 'dis-
missed by the school committee from, or forced to re
sign, his situation as schoolmaster, for one reason
among others that he had inconveniently pressed his
conscientious objection to be made responsible for the
teaching of Popery. In this letter the writer also in-
timated his intention of referring to this correspond-
erice, so far as it had gone, at an approaching•.educa-
tion meeting, should there be no objection, and making
such comments thereupon as might appear advisable.
To this arrived, in due course of post, the reply
marked 5, in which, after a very strong expression of
chagrin at finding his labours not quite so successful
as had been sanguinely anticipated, our worthy com•
missioner announced his intention of an early visit to
Liverpool, in urder• to pursue in person those inquiries
which had ❑ot yet produced a perfectly satisfactory re-
sult. This letter, it will be observed, contains a strict
prohibition against the use of the correspondence in
the way that had been threatened, without the per.
mission of the Mayor, or even with it, lest, forsooth,
there should not be a fair tribunal to try the questions
at issue, and in the absence of " a full and satisfactory

opportunity" for the arguments being answered. The
reader is requested attentively to walk this circum•
stance. It su happened that before this meeting was
held, the young gentleman had arrived, and was ac-
tually in the evening when it took place. He tvas in-
vited on the morning of that day to be present and
hear the statements that would be made; but, from
whatever cause or with whatever motive, certain it'is

that he did not present himself on the occasion. His
request was, of course, complied with, and there was
no allusion made to the letters during the proceed

"Now, up to this period, be it remarked,-it had never
entered into the writer's mind to conceive that these
letters and investigations were intended to answer any
p►iblic purpose, or pursued with any further view than
to the personal satisfaction of the inquirer. Had
there been any surmise to the contrary, the writer
would of course have been more reserved and guarded,
and probably refused altogether to supply material for
a budget which was being got up to answer a political
and party purpose. It never occurred to him to sup-
pose that one whom he had so long known could be
induced to take a treacherous advantage ofprivate and

unreserved communications, for the purposes of a
paltry and personal ambition. And, while he sin-
cerely deplores the necessity of recording such con-
duct in one whose youth ,nd inexperience present the
only pleas of apology and excuse, his feelings of in•
dignation are naturally roused against those grey-
headed employers, or at least encouragers, who have
moved the strings of their puppet from behind the
screen of their concealment.

"During his stay in town, two or three private con-
versations took place at the writer's house upon the
points in question. The objectionable principle of the
system sought to be defended was strongly insisted
upon; the truth of the allegations upon the required
submission of the teachers to .the liberal regulations
of the school committee, now so notorious, was de-
monstrated; and the pamphlet of Farrell, entitled
"The Schoolmaster's Appeal," was, according to pro-
mise, placed in his hand, where," by the way, it still
remains. Considerable pains were also taken as be-
fore (for this was the chief point of anxiety with the
writer) to disabuse the young man's mind of the pre-
judices it had imbibed from bad company and vain
ambition; and he was finally recommended to call
upon and converse with Mr. M'Neile upon the various
points of diflicUlty, in the hope, and he will acid, with
the prayer, that through the blessing of God upon his
superior acquaintance with the subject, and the inte-
rest he was likely to take in one who bore a name so
respectable, something effectual might be done to-
wards bringing him to embrace sounder iews and
adopt better principles. With very great reluctance,
and only, as it is believed, from fear of being open to
reproach for persisting in a refusal, he-did muster up
courage to visit the distinguished opponent of modern
Popery, in whatever guise it appears ; and the reader
is especially requested to observe the account given of
this interview in the letter marked 6, which arrived

long after the whole subject had passed from the
writer's mind, and at a time when he was residing- for
the summer in the north of Ireland. He has since had
an opportunity of conversing with Mr. M`Neile, and
is enabled to state that tl►e account above alluded
to is substantially incorrect. This indeed manifestly
appears on the face of the narration itself : for while
the inquirer admits that " Mr. W.N.eile received him
most kindly," he gives such a statement of his re-

marks as would lead to the conclusion that he had ex-
pressed himself with the greatest i trdeness. When
he said he thought the " schools hail succeeded," he
used the term relatively to the objects which the pro-
pounders of the new system had in view. The word
success is a relative term. If the object of the Town
Council, in voting the adoption of the new system,
was "a severe blow and heavy discouragement to the
church," and the gratification of the prejudices of po-
litical partisans at the expense of the best interests of
the children, of Protestantism, and of true religion, it
is fully conceded that if these were their objects, they

have bad abundant success. If, on the other hand,
their design was to strengthen the church, with which
these schools were until now closely identified, to pro-
mote the true welfare of the children, and maintain
the cause " of pure and undefiled religion," then, there
hus been no success, there has been a total and dis-
graceful failure.
" When the writer returned home at the beginning of

September,. and then first received the letter of the
2Geh July, franked as before, he was struck with espe-
cial astonishment at finding, in the postscript, an ex-
pressed intention on the part of its author, without

asking, or waiting for, or receiving any permission to
forward to the Corporation School Co►iimittee,and the
Irisl► Board of Education, the " results" of the young

gentleman's inquiries during his week's visit, "together
with a copy of the correspondence," in its then imper-
fect state ! The writer's absence in Ireland was well

known to his friend ; that he should have paused a lit-
tle to ascertain whether a letter addressed to Liver-
pool, to an individual then residing in Coleraine, had

reached his hand, and whether it was his intention to

offer any explanation or reply, was no more than might
have been reasonably expected. But, that he, who

was so exceedingly unwilling to allow any public no,
Lice to be taken of the letters at a casual meeting, and
to whom the courtesy of silence had been at once con.

ceded, because of the alleged partiality of the tribu-
nal, should, without waiting for any answer or acknow-
ledgment of the receipt of his communication, and
while, in point of fact, it lay for six weeks unopened
on the writer's table, transmit a confidential and unfi.
nished correspondence to the impartial scrutiny of his
friends, the Archbishop of Dublin and the Mayor of
Liverpool, for the edification of their respective col-
leagues at thißoard and in the ToWn Council, does
seem to be, tire writer regrets to be obliged to affirm,
one of the most audacious liberties ever hazarded by
an individual who might be presumed to be acquainted
with the usages of civilised society ; and characterised,
moreover, by an indiscretion which, it is hoped, the.
present exposure will satisfactorily demonstrate to the
ill-advised youth himself. Should it conduce to the
better regulation of his zeal in a bad cause hencefor-
ward„or prove happily instrumental in awakening him
to a sense of the false position in which his headstrong
obstinacy has placed him, one pi incipal end of the pre-
sent publication will have been abundantly answered.
A prompt reply to this last communication was at
once returned, which will be found marked 7, and to
which, up to the period of going to press, no rejoinder
has been received. And here, it is hoped, for the sake
of the principal party himself, the controversy will ter-
minate. The writer does not invite, nor will he shrink
from, any further pursuance of it, by which the expo•
sure of this mischievous education movement may be
accomplished, and the interests of truth, principle, and
religion promoted and maintained.
"The subsequent publication of a part of the corre-
spondence in a pamphlet entitled " National Educa-
tion in Ireland," which seems to have issued fi our the
council chamber of our reformed corporation, has ren-
dered the present disclosure imperatively necessary as
an act of self-defence.