The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1869-04-04
Irish Church Dissstsbli.hmsn..

AS might be expected, the English and
Irish papers are largely occupied at the
present moment with the great question of
the day, which Gladstone inaugurated last
week in Parliament. We condense the fol-
lowing comments from the Dublin Nation,
which seems to be tolerably well pleased
with the. Premier's method of getting rid of
che monstrosity which has SO long crushed
the Irish people: g..
Col. Adair, one of the Royal Church
Commissioners, states that the object of the
Anglican Establishment was to make the
Irish nation Protestant; but he admits that,
SO far from uniting the two races on the
Irish soil, their separation may still he
traced by the more rigid line of ecciesiasti-
cal demarcation. The truth is, that from
the first the Anglican clergy reversed the
principles of Apostolic missions. The Apos
tie Paul said to the people, al seek not
yours but YOU" The Anglican missionaries
said to the Irish, ave seek not you but
youss.r If they and their, English follow
ers got the land, they cared little for the
people. 1t is true that from time to time
spasmodic efforts were being made to force
the natives into uniformity, but even then
the Gospel of the Irish Church was the sta
tute book. AS the late DIR. Chalmers re-
marked, even in her work of Evangelical
ton, she put on the armor of intolerance
and took up the carnal weapon. "Accord-
tingly she was struck with impotency. In
giving up the warfare of principle for the
warware of politics she lost her power"
Mr. Gladstone, in his magnificent speech,
states the simple truth when lie says that,
through all the evil years of ]penal legisla-
ton, the authorities of the Established
| Church stood in the foremost rank of those
who enacted and executed the cruel code,
and that SO long as the Establishment lives,
| sspainful and bitter memories of Ascendancy
can never die" t-ys i'a .4 -
The severance of the Irish from the Eng
lish Church is no doubt painful operation.
But the separation is not the cutting of a
bough from tree or u limb from the body.
| like that which unites the Siamese twins.
| In the case of the twins the operation might
| be fatal to either or both, and so, perhaps,
they have wisely resolved to live and die
/ together. But in the case of the Churches
the connection is, happily, not so vital. 1t
is the effect of an act of Parliament, which
has only to be repealed, and the conse-
quences will be beneficial for both parties.
| DIR. O'Brien, Bishop of Ossory, has just
published q pamphlet, to prove that il the
Irish branch be cut off, the English tree
must speedily wither and die, hoping by
Bishops, to cause the rejection of Mr.. Glad
stones measure in the House of Lords
But. whatever may the fate of the English
| Establishment, the severance of the con-
nection will be liberty for the Irish Church
/ This liberty abe will soon learn to prize be-
yond all treasures; and despite the dolefu
anticipations of Bishop O'Brien, she viii
find that it will contribute materially tt
the development of her financial resources
The Irish Church will not be turned out
| into the cold world dowerless, to make hel
way like n poor unprotected female. She
goes forth with a fortune which, though
diminished by one half, will still be the
envy and admiration of Continental ant
American Churcbes-no less than eigh
millions sterling. And then the cnrates
whom Mr.. Gladstone was to consign tC
= starvation. will receive the magnifcen
sum of $500 900. +.
Considering, then, that the Irish Ghurcl
has utterly failed in the accomplishment o
her allotted mission demonstrating that she
has not Anglieized the Irish-that she ha.
not Protestantized the Catholics-that she
has not loyalized the ;Fenians-that she ha.
not strengthened the Union-and that, not
withstanding her rich endowments, he,
ample subsidies, her inviilious privileges
and her great monopoly, she has proved ;
complete failure, she ought not to complain
= that her affairs are wound up in Il manne
so advantageous To herself.
L. M. TRoPLoNG. = This eminent .jurist
whose decease was announced last week