Richmond daily Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1842-1861, 1845-05-22
An UNFINISHED FRAGMENT FOUND AMONG
% PAPtRS or THE LATE REV. SIDNEY
- SMITH.

,.ss s.ryiy. for : siurl. ins,.n, ~i,hou, sir Robert. tina,
sksy coah form an ultra tory administration. s there q
charsiA n Great Britain who would not. uPoa the hrsi IN
sss..Asn e ssrh On attempt. erde. = new suit Of clothes:
ssd call apoa The banker and miik. man Tor an extended
essSaf o. thsrs . political rrasoner who woe'd not come
a. Il he hole With o new constitutional 10 there one rnv-
~soss ssxse whs would not be looking for his preyf IL
4 sksrr oss hsnest man u common sense who docs not see
thu, universal dissiect,on and civil war would follow from
me blind fury, the childish pccjudiees, and the deep igno-
rance II such q ssctf have n high opinion oi SIR Robert
Pssl. 10, he must s~muson mp oil his political courage aud
do s~omethiax next session fcr the payment, OF the Roman
4 Catholic priests. lie must run some risk 81 shocking pub
lc opiniou; no greater risk. however. than he did tn Cath
olc emancipation. am sure the wings would be true To
him and ! dhink I observe ,hatvery many obiuse country
gentlemen arc alarmed by the state ut Ireland and the hos
nifty Of France and America.
Give what yoa please to the Catholic priests, habits are
not broksa in q day. There must be Time as well as Justice;
bat in the end these things h~ase-thcir effect. A buggy
house, some field near IL. n decent income paid quarterly;
IN the long run these arc the cures OF scdiion and disafec-
tioa. ,aen don't quit the common business OF life and join
bitter political parties unless they have something Justly To
complsin Of.
B.s whore is the money-sbou, $4,000 per annum-
60 come from. Outof the pockctsof that best OF men Mr,
Thoaas Granville; out of the pockets OF the bishops. at
sr Robert lngus, and all other men who pay nil other tax.
e.; and never will public money be 50 well and wisely Gu
plcyed.
diplomatic engagements with tho pope. The sooner wo
become acquainted with a gentlemen who has 80 much TO
Say to eight millions of our subjects the better. Gao any
thing he so childish and absurd rs n horror OF commune
eating with the pope. and all ~hobgoblins We have imagined
OF prsmunincs aud outawries for this c%ontraband trade in
p,ety. Our ancestors (strangc TO say, wiser than ourselves)
have left us 10 do as VIC please, and the sooner government
do what they eaR do lawfully, the better. A thousand OPP
poriuniiics OF doing good in Irish Affairs have been lost.
from our having no avowed and dieniiicJ agent At the court
VI Rome. II II depended upon me. l would send the duke
ol .Dovonshirc there To morrow, with nine chaplains aud
several tons Of Protestant theology. / have no love OF po-
perry. butthe pope isat all events better than the idol OF Jug
gernsut, whose chaplains I believe We pay,-and whose
chariot l dare say is made in Long Acre. We paw $4,000
n year 10 our ambassador NJ Constaninople, and are star
ficd with the idea Of communicating automatically with
Rome. deening the sultan abeuer Christian than the pope.
Tho mode 81 oxacing clerical dues in Ireland j. quite ar.
b.tsry and capncious. Uniformity is Uui ot the question:;
everything depends on the disposition and temper oi tho
ctcrgyHen. There are salutary regulations put forth IN
each diocese respecting church dues aud church discipline,
and putiorth by episcopal and synodical authority. Specific
Sums are laid down Tor mass. marriage. and the adminisira-
ton VI the Eucharist. These authorized payments are mo.
.ierste enough, but every priest. in spite of these rules,
makes the most he can OF his ministry, aud the sfrdasesf
Discrepancy prevails, even on the same diocese, IN the de
msnds made upon the people. The priest aud his flock
arc continually coming into collision on pecuniary matters.
Twice = yesr the holy man collects confession money IN.
der the denomination at Christmas and Easter offerings
ie selects in every neighbnrhood one or two houses In
which he holds stations al confession. Very disagreeatle
scenes take place when additional money is demanded, or
when additional lime for payment IS cravcd. The first
thing done when there is 4 question OF marrying n couple
Is to make n bargain about the marriage money. The
wary minister watches the palpiiaiions, puts on a shilling
for every sigh. and iwoPence on every tear, and madjens
the impeiuosify OF the young lovers up To a pound sterling.
Tue remuneration prescribed by the diocesan statutes IL
never Thought Ut Tor a moment; the priest makes o. hard n
bargsia rs he can, and the bed the poor peasants are 10 lie
down upoa il sold To make their concubinage lawful. But
every one prcseni nj the marriage is 10 contribute; the min-
ister-aiter begging aud enueaung some time TO little pur
pose-gcts into n violent rage, abuses aud IL abused; and
an this way is celebrated one OF the sacramen;s Of the Ca
thoiic church! The same scenes OF aitereation and abuse
take place when gossipInoney Is refused nj baptisns; but
the most painful scenes take place nj extreme unction-a
ceremony To which the people OF Ireland attach the utmost
importance. "Pay me bsiotehand-Ihis is not enough;
insist upon more Il know you can afford i'll insist upon
Larger lee ." And all thI~ before the dying man, who feels
DE has not an hour TO live, and believes that salvation de
pcads hpsn the timely application 1T this sacred grease.
Other had consequences arise out Of the present system
ID Irish church support. Many of the clergy are con-
<sndy endeayor,ng 10 oveueach and undermine one ancih.
or. Every man looks Il, his own private em~olument-, re
sardless Ut nil covenants, expressed or implied. The Gu
rate does not make n fair return 10 the parish priest, nor
the parish priesi TO the curaie. There is 4 uniyerssl scram
Bile every one gets ~hai he can, and seems to think he
would be almost justified in appropra,ing tho whole To
i,iaselE And how can all this be otlerwise7 How are
abe poor wreiched clergy To live but by setting 4 high price
on their theological iabors. aud using every incentive ol
fear and superstition TO eSiOrt from six millions OF boggars
abe little payments wanted Tor the bodies OF the pool, and
the support Of lite ! maintain that u is shocking and
wicked To leave the religious guides Of SIX millions oil peo-
pe ga such = state OF destitution. To bestow no more
thoughi upon them Than the clergy Of the Sandwich Is
lands IL ] were n member Of the cabinet, and met my
colleagues once n week, TO eat birds and beasts, and 10 tak
over the state OF the world. ! should begin upon ireland
before The soup was finished, go on through fish, turkey,
aud saddle Of mutton, and never ,nd till the last umblelul
Of claHet had passed down The throat VI the incrcdulnus
Hsddington but there they sit, week after week there
fhere come, week after week; the Piecadily Mars, the
Scotch Neptune, Thenis Lyndhurs,, the Tamworth Baro.
net. dear Cody. and dearsr GLADLY, and think no more Of
paying the Catholic clergy than q man OF real fashion does
OF paying his tailor And there Is no excuse for this i'm
fanslcism. There is only one man in the cabinet who Oh.
iects from reasons purely fanatical. because the Pope is the
Scarlet Lady, or the Seventh Vial. or the Little Horn
All the rest are entirely of the opinion that ii OUGHT 10 he
done-that Is the one Thing needlul but they are afraid Of
bishops and county meetings, newspapers and pamphlets.
and reviews all lair enough objects Of apprehension, but
obey must be mel, and encountered, and put down. II is IN
possible that tho subject can be much longer avoided, aud
fhat every year is 20 produce a deadly struggle with the peo.
pie, and 4 long trial in time Of peace with OSomebody,
che patriot OF the time being, or the general, perhaps, IN
time Of q foreign war.
nj were u bishop. living beautifully in a state OF serene
pieniiiude. i don't think 1 could endure the thought Of 80
many honest, pious, aud laborous clergymen Of another
faith placed in such disgraceiUl circumstances. / could
not get into my carriage With Jelly springs, or sec my iva
eoursers every day, without remembering the buggy aud
the bacon oil some poor old Catholic bishop, ten times az
iaborious, and with much more perhaps Of theological
learning than myself, often distressed for n few pounds,
aud burdened with duties utterly disprOportiOned 10 his age
and strength. j tIink, 81 the extreme comfort OF my own
condition did not eItnguish all feeling for Others, should
SHARPLY eommisserate sacb a church, aud attempt, with az.
dor aud perseverance, To- apply The proper remedy. Now,
let US bring names and well known scenes before the En-
giisb reader, to give hIm a clearer notion Of what pa.se. in
Catholic Ireland. The living Of Saint Georges, IIanoye,
Square, is n beneiicc OF 500 per annum and
q good house. IL Is IN the possession OF Doctor Hodg-
son, who is also Dean Of Carlisle, worth | believe alr,u
fl 500 more. A more comfortable existence can hard
y be conceived. DR.. lIodgson Is a very worthy amia-
bic man, and ] am very glad he ~ rs rich as he j.
hut suppose he had no revenues but what he got oh
LAS own bat: suppose that, instead Of tumbling through tho
sky light as his income now does, u was procured by Cath.
Ole methods. The doctor tells Mr.. Thompson he will not
marry hun 10 Mics simpson under thirty pounds: Thomp.
Hon deinurs, aud endeayOrs TO beat him down. The Doc.
coo soos Miss Simpson, finds her very pretty. thinks
Thompson hAsty, and after a long and uhJignirsd nego-
iiaiion. the Doctor gets hs fec. soon after this ho receives
message. from Place, the tailor, to come and annoint him
with extreme JUNCTION. lie rcpaircs 90 tho bedside and
tells Mf.Pisce that he will not touch him anier n suit of
cloths, equal 10 ten pounds. The family resist, the alter.
cation goes on before The p%erishing arusan. and the price
- reduced to eight pounds. Hnd Mr.. Place Is oiled. On
the ensuing Sunday the cluld Of Lord Il. Is To be chnsiened
the godiail'ers aud godmotlicrs will only give a sovereign
each the Doctor refuses 90 do II Tor the money, and Inc
ehHrcs - scene 81 elamor aud confusion. Those arc
the scenes which, under similar circumstances, would ,ak,
place here, Tor the congregation want the comforts Of foi.
Eion without lees. aud will cheat the rlergymsn, II the,
can; aud the Clergyman who means 10 live, must meet al
theso aIiiices with stern resistance. And this j. tf
wnetched state Of the lu-h Roman Catholic clsrgyi a mis-
cradle blot snd rsin on the English nation, What hlct
sung TO this country would D real bishop be-! a man VIII,