The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1842-04-05 00:00:00

been attended

By the same paper we observe that Mr. Councillor
Platt will move, on Wednesday, " that a special com-

_ .
mittee be appointed to take into consideration the pro-
priety, or rather the necessity, of having two additional
schools, one in the south and the other in the north
district of the town, for the accommodation of the
lower classes, (of which the Catholics form a consider-
able part,) and to give them a good secular and moral
education but no religious instruction." (!) Excellent,
Mr. Councillor Platt ! A somewhat different kind of.

personage are you to the redoubtable Alderman ; and,
therefore, we little fear your assault upon the principle
of Scriptural education ;—seconded, although doubtless
it will be, by that eminent and enlightened Conserva-
tive, Mr. John Smith ! " MORAL EDUCATION 13UT
NO RELIGIOUS INSTRUCTION." Will there be no

Romish catechism taught" in these schodls, Mr. Platt

If not, we greatly fear that their reverences, although
the council should be willing' to play "the Prince of
Denmark, with the part of Hamlet omitted," for their
amusement, will scarcely thank them for the perfor-
mance. We may he in error, however. The next
good thing to being a Roman Catholic, in the estima-

tion of the priesthood of that schism, is to be oof no
religion at all ; and, therefore, "moral education" with

"no religious instruction" may be the next best thing
to being educated under the immediate tutelage and in

the creed of Rome

A mind trained up—educated—morally educated (!)
—without a knowledge of religion, of a Supreme
Being, or of a future state of rewards and punishment-L

what a scroll will there be presented for superstition to
trace her dark imagery upon ! What a society would
that form whose youth were cursed with such a system
of education ! Reflect upon it—think of it—good
Liberal gentlemen of the council. What fruits could
you possibly anticipate from this moral education with-
out religion ? Is not that charity worthy of being ac-
cursed which would take into its keeping the children
of the poor and deny them the knowledge of the God
who made them;—which would impress upon the
youthful mind merely secular knowledge, and leave
the fair table, which it presents for receiving religious
instruction, A BLANK, to be impressed in after life
with the hideous falsehoods of Infidelity, of Deism, or
of Socialism ? Oh ! gentlemen, discard this odious,
destroying, soul-debasing attempt to reconcile possi-
bility and impossibility, truth and falsehood, right and
wrong; discard it! That every true Conservative in
the council will do so we/ trust; and we entertain a
sanguine anticipation that, with the exception of a few
gentlemen, of the peculiar mental conformation of Mr.
Councillor Platt, there will not be found many, even
of the Liberal portion of that body, who will stultify
and degrade themselves by giving such a proposition
'their support

We have, heard much, of late, from liberal lips with

respect to the " symptoms of repentance" which have
been displayed by some Conservatives upon this ques-
tion of scriptural education; and more than one ru-
mour has reached us, pointing out the course which
will be pursued by certain -gentlemen, whose defec •
we should be sorry to see, upon one or both of these
We trust sincerely that calumny has misre-
opinions of those to whom we o

motions

presented the

Id that they wi

1 not, on trial,

1 he found wanting to

those great principles," the undeviating maintenance of

which has contributed so mainly to their present posi-

Lion in the confidence of their fellow-townsmen. Should
it be, however, that the cunning plausibilities, by which
they are insidiously surrinmded, have shaken the mind

of any Conservative members of the council, we implore

of them to tear from before their eyes the film of error
throug'l which they have been seduced to view this

question, and to look at it boldly, and exercise upon it
their native good sense and integrity of judgment. Let
them do this only, and we are confident that we shall

not have to regret the loss of 'one voice with whose

support Conservatism may not readily dispense

STATE OF TRADE, MANUFACTURES, &C

Our Cotton Market during the past week has been marked
with extreme dulness, and the prices of the low descriptions
of American have given way to the amount of about id. per
lb., whilst the best qualities maintain their prices. Surats
have been in good demand ; but, being offered freely, have
declined about id. per lb. The sales of the' week were
18,940, including 1200 American taken on speculation, and
600 American and 450 East India for exportation, leaving
only 17,890 taken for consumption by the trade. The feeling
altogether in the trade is one of great depression.
The sales on Saturday amounted to 4000 bales, including
400 for export ; and yesterday fully 4000 were sold, the prices
of the close of last week being fully supported.
A considerable business has been done in Manchester in
Yarns, but at no improvement in prices. Cloth still conti-
nues heavy of sale, and little hope is felt of a speedy revival
of demand, owing in part to the complete stagnation of the
American markets. A better business has been doing in the
Country Trade. The accounts from the Clothing Districts
of Yorkshire continue of a more cheering character than from
the Cotton Districts of this and the neighbouring counties.