The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-03-24
r,,a D,sestabItshment OF the AFis"
A"O Church.


.h., .ha hill for the disestsblishment OF tne
Irish Church be read second uwo'
evidsnt that Mr.. Gladstone has been iar hore
.rscessful in his treatment of this questloa
an In his management of the Reform bill,
sor be has rallied his full party strength, and
the only possible chance Of retarding the
speedy triumph Of this great and just reform
must be sought in the dilatory or hostile
action of the House of Lords.
Il is scarcely possible for an American,
trained under a system which tolerates no
oouneotion between Church and State, but
1asyss to all sects freedom of worship, and to
all citizens freedom to appropriate every cent
Of the money they are willing to devote to
religious purposes to the support Of the de-
nomination they individually prefer, to fully
comprehend the outrageous and horribly
unjust nature of the religious grievance
under which Ireland has groaned for GEN.
turies.
The British Government has systematically
taxed the Irish people not only for the main
tensnoe Of the so-oalled Established Church
where It has an actual existence, but in parts
of the island where it has scarcely single
worshipper large salaries are paid year after
year for hypothetical church services for hy-
pothetical congregations. The meagre pittance
of an impoverished people is subjected to
onerous exactions for totally useless pur-
pose, and the Irishnsn's soanty rations of
pig and potatoes are reduced to starva-
tion standard that few prelates
and pastors may live in luxurious ease. Long
ago it was said that many of these churches
were founded for the same reason that butcher
shops were opened, to the horror of the ma
tives, in every village in India-not that any
body used or needed them, but that it was
possible an Englishman might some day want
to 60 to an Established church in the Catholic
parishes of Ireland, or to get dinner of roast
beef in the heart of Hindoostan; and that all
considerations of decenoy, justice, or hu-
manity must pale before the necessity of sup
plying every loyal John Bull with exactly
what he wanted in every part of the British
dominions.
In some parishes where the Government
exaOts large sums from impoverished Catho-
Gos to support dignitaries of the Established
Church, there was never permanent Pro-
testant resident. Sydney Smith, himself a
Protestant clergyman of the Established
Church of England, said, in reference to this
subject, years ago, that
"Of what Protestants there are in Ireland,
the greatest part are gathered together In
Ulster. or they live In towns. In the country OF
the other three provinces the Catholics see a }
a 1ha IN
n1teen to one Protestant In the diocese of
Tuem they are sixty TO one; In the parish of St
mullins, diocese or Leghlin, there are four
thousand Catholics ana one Protestant; In the
town OF Grasgenamara, In the county of XII.
dred Catholic houses. and three Protestant
houses. In the parish of Allen, county XII.
9srS 6neTe Is no 5aSTs6 Y
county. the proportion is one hundred 10 one
In the whole county of Kilkenny. by actual
dioeeseof Kilmacduagh.p province OF Connaught
nfty to one"
With slight notifications these statement
are substantially true to-day. Some year.
ago the British Parliament agreed to grant
tolsrsbly liberal annual appropriation from
the Church fund to Maynooth College,
Catholic institution; but this measure ha
only mitigated to a very slight extent the in
justice of the present system. Mr.. Gladston
proposes to ''reform 1t altogether" but at tn
same time to respect vested rights. II hi
measure prevails, disestablishment will no
take place until January 1, 1871, and com
mission viii be appointed to arrange, durin
the next ten years, a redistribution of tn
assets of the existing Church, which ar
valued at about eighty millions OF dollar:
The new Episcopal Church is to receive cles
title to all the private endowments or gifts
has received since 1850, and fair valua.io
ia 10 be paid for the life interest of its bishops
inoumbents, and ourates. The Catholics an
Prssbyterians are also to receive fixed sun
which will yield them about the amount
their present annual appropriations. tt
interest of the surplus remaining after IL
payment of these charges is to be appropriate
to the relief of the lunatics, deaf and dunn
idiots, and the poor of unhappy Ireland.
The adjustment of the details Of this me
sure has been attended with great difficult
but IL deserves high praise as an honest effo
TO relieve an oppressed people from grievol
burden. Mr.. Gladstone contends that it wi
save everything In the Irish Establishme
that is worth saving, while 1t will commar
sths approving shout of mankind" by |
grand stride towards complete religious fire.
dom.