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Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1841-12-10 00:00:00

therefore, has answered the question
replying, " That Scriptural system of doctrine

What is truth ?"
hich is

".fo-rthin the formu&ries of 'the Established Churc

" realm." Our modest hesitating councillor, may, therefore,
throw himself for support upon his country. Surely, thus
encouraged, unless he mistakes the veriest Inattraise honte of
awkward bashfulness for commendable modesty, he will hold
up his head like a man, a conservative, and a Christian. If,
on the contrary, he will still have it, that the great question
of truth is not settled, and persists in placing himself wilfully

and unnecessarily in the chair of decision and arbitremcnt,
he can scarcely suppose that one, who thus, without the
slightest occasion, elevates himself to so prominent and judge-
like an eminence, can be entitled to the respectable character
of a modest man.

11, But what are we to say of our charitable hesitaters?
Why, we say just this. Shew us that it is charitable to teach
children doctrines which you acknowledge to be essentially
false, and, therefore, destructive to the eternal happiness of
your fellow creatures. Prove this to us, and then we will
request you not to hesitate, but unhesitatingly to deluge your
schools with Popery and Sociniauistn. Let us see whether
your charity will bear the light, which a very simple illustra-
tion often throws on puzzled and misunderstood matters.
We will suppose that, from the pressure of the times, the
poor of your town are grievously suffering from famine. You
are entrusted with certain funds to be expended for them in
food. it has been decided that meat, flour, and potatoes are
proper and wholesome nourishment. You accordingly dis-
tribute them. You do nut force them down the throats of
the starving, but you simply offer their
Many thankfully receive them, but there are son

acceptance.
whose

vitiated palate rejects this wholesome nourishment which
you have provided for them and offered to them, and demand,
instead of your meat, flour, and potatoes, ardent spirits and
opium. They tell you, that unless you give them exactly
what they choose to consider wholesome, but which you
think poisonous, they cannot benefit by your charity, and
that, therefore, you are uncharitable. What would

you say

to such reasoners ? Why, you would say tomething of this
sort, " My good people, we offer you what we ourselves eat,
" and what we believe to be the most wholesome food for
" you. The articles you mention would be poisonous to us,
" and we therefore naturally conclude that they would be
" poisonous to you. If you wish to poison yourselves we
" cannot help it, but you must not expect us to assist you in

. .
" doing it. We would rather set before you what we know
" to he good and useful viands, in order that you may be
" weaned from your present dreadfully vitiated taste."

Would it be uncharitable in returning such an answer ? " Cer-
tainly not," you reply. Then do not, I entreat you, under
the guise of charity, assist in poisoning the souls of Papists
and Socinians. Keep yourselves pu►e.
But our charitable friends, who rather too suddenly sup-
pose that the expulsion of the Douay Bible is synonymous
with the ejection into the streets of all the Roman Catholic
children at present in the corporation schools, should read
the second annual report of the Church Education Society
for Ireland. It is the report for this present year. That
society, which has only been lately established, has at present
59,067 scholars in 1,015 schools. In all those schools the
authorised version of the Scriptures is read by all the
children ; the Douay version is completely excluded ; prayers
are offered up by all the children unitedly, and all the
children are bona fide members of the Church of England
and Ireland. Now, out of those 59,067 children, who are
thus strictly educated in this uncharitable system, how many
are Roman Catholics? No fewer than 21,120. Moreover,
of the year's increase of 15,4-10 scholars, over and ',hove

those enumerated in the first report of the society,
are Roman Catholics. Facts are stubborn things. Take
courage. Do not be so nervously afraid of being called un-
charitable by those who are attempting, by practising on na-
ture's kindliness, to liberalize good, soft hearted, and easy
conservatives. Remember that words smoother than oil
may proceed from a very warlike heart.
3. A single word to the friends of justice. The funds at
your disposal find their way into your hands from all sorts
of pockets, and therefore you must teach all sorts of reli-
gions. Now, if you will jump so unnecessarily to such ex-
traordinary conclusions, be consistent. Carry your princi-
ples of justice fairly and manfully out. Chartists, as well as
Papists and Socinians, pay their proportion. Let their chil-
drai, if they respectfully request it of you, be diligently
taught and catechised in the equalising doctrines of chart-
ism. Let the socialist obtain the same boon for his young
ones. And why should not thieves put in their claim for
the instruction of their children in their fathers' moralities
of pocket-picking ? In short, if you once begin fairly to act
out your principles of justice, I know not where you are to
stop. if you stop at all, it will be from the necessity of self-
preservation, not certainly from principle.
But, in truth, the whole matter is a very simple one. The
corporation is one of " the powers that be " in England.
As one of " the powers that be," they have the right, within
certain limits, to obtain funds from the subject. The duty
of the subject is to pay his tribute, simply because it is de-
manded by the power, which God has placed over him, fur
purposes of government. He is not to dictate the
its application, nor is he responsible for that mode,
it may be. The powers that be are to determine that, on
their omen responsibility; and their determination must be
guided by their conscientious and unbiassed desire to pro-
mote the general good. The party who were lately in power
in the council did act conscientiously, and, according to their
apprehension of the matter, justly. They taught Popery
and Socinianism in the schools, even though the consequence
was the expulsion of the clergy. They deserve commenda-
tion for having acted according to their professed principles
of conduct. Let every conservative councillor act according
to his professed principles likewise, " Fas est et ab haste
doceri."

I am, Gentlemen,
Very respectfully, your faithful servo t.
A CHAPLAIN

Dec. 9, 1841

COURT OF REQUESTS JUSTICE

TO THE EDITOR OF TIIE LIVERPOOL STANDA

Sin,—A decision has this day been given in the Liverpool
Court of Requests which induces me publicly to ask is there
no responsibility attached to, or no appeal from, the parties
who professedly administer justice,
or as they term it, equity,
in those courts? If such be the case, the absolute power
which such parties possess, if equalled, is certainly not sur-
passed in its pernicious results by any court in the most
despotic country on the face of the globe. 1 was summoned
for a small debt to the Liverpool Court of Requests under
the following circumstances :—I had been the tenant of a
public-house, which I subsequently let to another party.
That party, after taking possession, obtained goods from a
tradesman, for which, not being able to obtain pay 'ea, I
was summoned to the above court for the amount.
1 pleaded that I never had a transaction with, or ever sa.,
the tradesman in question : that having left and let tl‘, house
to another party I was under no responsibility :
party obtaining the goods was bona fide not a serva
in the strictest sense of the word, a tenant ; the goo
were invoiced to the tenant, yet, in the face of these facts,
judgment was given against me, on the alleged ground that
my name was still over the door, a fact which is accounted
for by the circumstance that the license had not then been
transferred.
This decision is, I am sure, contrary to every principle of
both law and equity, and I would simply ask, is there against
such adminstration of jtatice no appeal and
no redress
Such may be the chse, but, at all events, the publicity of
these facts may be of use to the public. Let me add, that
in the hearing of the case alluded to, there was but one indi-
vidual present to hear it, and he, 1 believe, is the stipendiary
commissioner.—l am, sir, yours respectfully.
Liverpool, Dec. 9th, 1811. GEO. WEBB.

In vain

hat the
ut, but,