The Statesman.
London, England, 1821-05-07 00:00:00

FOR THE STATESMAN.

TO CHARLES WESTERN, ESQ.,
M. P. FOR TIM COVXTY Of IVISPX,
ON THE OBJECTIONABLE PROVISIONS OF MR.
BROUGHAM'S RILL, FOR THE EST AP.LISHMENT
AND SCPPORT OF PAROCHIAL SCHOOLS.

LETTER THE TIItItT.
(Cooeisided from our Paper qj Friday.)
But who are the people whom this eloquent patron
of clerical monopoly, has so contemptuously desig-
nated " the sectaries," and on whom he would have the
legislature pass the ban of exclusion from the honour
of conslecting a parochial school ? Why, Sir, under
strrions religious denominations, with those shades of
t3ifference which are the natural offspring of mental
liberty, they include one third of the whole populatiits
on
of the contort,. tied a still greater proportion of
avowedly religious character". They are the de-
s:rodents of those zealous and consistent protestant'',
e•e Puritans and Nonconformists of the sixteenth and
seventeenth centuries. whose it attachment
: the reformed religion, through many privations and
s•irctiners, was the means of preaerving this country
ft-em relapsing under the Papal yoke. They are the
.8,5.-enflanta of those patriots whose noble straggle for
1' r ritiriplrg of civil and religious liberty, maintained
:Le spirit of the constitution under many difileultica,
"r nbont the expulsion of the Swirls, effected
elorions revolution, and secured the election of the
ii;•nat- of Bronsiviek to the throne. Nor let it be sup-
-11,,,ed that I asanme these facts in favour of our :Inces-
t -rs tv;thout due authority, since even Ibune was coup
rlled to own the Puritans and Nonconformists as the
sarsAervators of British liberty. while he scorned and
r!liettleti the peculiarities of their faith. Indeed, Sir,
I may venture to affirm, without fear of contradiction,
tList through the whole period of their history, amidst
al the vicissitudes of the State. the dissenters have
s' themselves the steady friends of the constitution,
f era supporters of the reigning dynasty, and wake-
f -! d: Genders of those rights, civil and religious, with-
c %Odell existence would be little better than a curse.
Ard though in the present age of depressed whiggient
und temporising expediency, they cannot boast of
frA:ly who wear a coronet and stand high in power,
c• in consequence of their expulsion from the national
-i %Trait ies, may not obtain an equality of literary di,
tlt.ctiott, they are not inferior to t.!me rest of their
u:intrytren in mental endowments and moral worth,
o: in civil rectitude and constitutional loyalty. In the
asks of agriculture, trade and commerce, and in
tt use professions which affect the improvement and re-
•ylon of the country, they will not yield tile palm to
tf cis opponents. ta nth regard, likewise, to those et-
fo:ts of plilatithropy which form the glory of age, we
1...1)- venture to affirm that the dissenters have neither
t: r.,n n impediments in their way, nor been backward to
scppn!! them by their property, influence and time. In
t: nbolition of the slave trade, the support of Christian
ssiona, the origin of Bible societies, the establish-
-1-.! et of British and Sunday schools, together with
u::.er local institutions of a benevolent character, the
il4e'!..%* of the dissenters of all denominations, as the
mobile of their existence, is too notorious to
• uni:nown or denied. Had not the ingenious plans
u. !.accaster, originator of the British schools, been
cuuntenanced under great difficulties, and recotnmend-
wt !to royal favor, by the decided support of the din
s..r.ting interest, the Madras system, time admired
fassis of the national schools, would in all probability
been allowed to sleep among the papers of its
as:Golly author, or been beard of in Britain merely in
soy., historical account of the Presidency in which it
ees first tried. So that if the general body of the
cm, gv are disposed to patronise the establishment of
parrichialeehools, is it sot because they have been pro.
• tike4l to jealonsy by the previous efforts o.* these de-
spAea seetari. s
Yet these are the people towards whom the Honour-
ahie mover of the Bill in question. has shown no du-
Lome symptoms of hostility ; unless we suppose him
to have formed so mean an estimate of their numl'
and capacity, as to presume that a few saving and
excepting clauses would reconcile them to a mea-
sore the spirit and tendency of which are reptignant
to their just riprh:s and best affections. If, indeed,
uctler the mask of dissent, they hail beat a body
of factious tlemargues, or profligate atheiats, who
had thrown off the sanctions of religion and morality.
a legislature ever anxious for the moral interests of
a* community, might think it necessary to wartye
the children of the poor from the possibility of so
dangerous a contagion. tint why do they relinquish
• *e advantage' of the established sect, endure the
stigma of nonconformity, and with their common
c.are of die public burden', incur the expel'', of sup-
portiog their own inetiottioas ? Not because they are
head of singularity and faction. Not heritage they
are insensible to the good opinion of their reigh-
boors. Not because they are unwilling to serve the
puhlir, or share is those honours which the State may
think proper to confer. But they subject themselves
ter certain privations and disabilities, imposed by the
narrow policy of doubtful times, because they be-
lieve Christianity is a personal religion designed to
make its way in the world by the forte of evidence
ant rot by the rewards and penalties of the State : be-
cause they believe its alliance with the State. tinder all
the forms of its establishtaents whether Papal or
Protestant. has impaired its beauty, abused its In-
atome% corrupted its institations, and, instead of bene-
fitting. has greatly injured the civil interests of the
world: and because they would rather suffer their
privations with integrity and a good conscience, than
procure the emoluments of office by the compromise
at principle, or the proatitation of a sacred rite to
seamier and profane purposes. Whatever may there-
fore be thought of the soundness of their creed, or the