The New York herald., 1871-01-01
T r = l. A N D.
Roman Catholic Sentiment Against Protestant
Church DiSendowmant.


Years Day-The Maynooth Col
lsge Of the Future-A New
Glass Of Priests.
-. DUBLIN, Dec. Ia, 1870.
Will you believe It, there are Catholics among us,
and their number Is by no means small, who com.
plain more bitterly OF the dsestaDlshment OF the
Church than the Ulster Orangemen. 1t is only now
that they are beginning to feel the effects OF the
change, as, since the bill became law, things have
been allowed to remain pretty much as they were.
At the beginning Of the year we may expect great
''stir" for then the provisions OF the bill will como
into operation and the Church will virtually be dts
established.
MOVING CAUSES.
Your readers may ask what reason have tAN
Catholics to complaint Are not the PrOtestants the
only persons who suffer by the bil2 Was 1t not
intended TO benefit the former and to deprive the
latter of an unjust ascendancyi The Catholics
tanlY thought that they had obtained great boon,
while the Protestants imagined that all was lost.
The fact ls both parties have been partially de-
ceived; the Catholics not having obtained so grea
an advantage nor the Protesrants having sustained
great disaster as what each at first were led to
suppose.
AS regards the Catholics, 1 may say that disestab.
lishment will not put penny In their pockets;
on the contrary, many are complaining that
1t will be q serious loss to them; that
1t will have an injurious eject upon the
Catholic religion and upon the country at
large. few days ago l was speaking with
country gentleman who strongly or this opinion.
He said that, although Catholic the fail OF
the Protestant Church, for the next five or six years,
would be a serious loss to him. His case no doubt,
is peculiar one; but hundreds of Others are circum-
will explain how large number Of persons are az
fected by Mr.. Gadstone's Church policy. He had,
ne told me, three farms, for which he paid neither
tithes what Is called .'rent charge" nor any
sum Whatever towards the maintenance OF the Pro-
testant Establishment.
THE LAND QUESTION COMPLICATIONS
1t is an important fact that the owners Or holders
OF land purchased or rented since 1884, not bur-
oened with tithes In that year the late Lord Derby
who was Irish Chief Secretary, made some very i'm
portanr, and to do him justice, some very udlcious
alterations In the ecclesiastical system in Ireland.
Seeing that the Irish people were resolved upon
ssting the payment or tRs rate and having the
OF the frighuul maSsacres at NewtOwnbang and
other places before his eyes, the Chef Secretary
abolished ten bshoprics initiating may almost say.
that policy of dsestabishment which he opposed
with such ability and path0s in the last speech Of hS
pubic life. But he did more than aoollsh the ten
Dlsnoprics. He changed the ouious OF 'tithes"
which had almost driven the people mad. to the
milder, but ainly less lntelligbe, OF "rent
charge,n and the '.rent charger was henceorth to
be paid by the tenant to TIE landlord, and by the
landlord to the parson.
THE CHURCH MILITANT IN THE oLDEN TINE.
Before Lord Derby took this veXed question In
hand the clergyman collected his own tlthes. He
usually rode on horseback, or, II not on horseback,
In his carriage whenever any danger or opposiuon
was apprehended he was certain to De accompanied
by large retinue Oltentimes by crowd OF soldiers
and bas, who were ready to enforce his orders with
the bayonet or the sword. But need not now enter
into a dlsqnisition on 'tthe-gatlerng' in Ireland
or detail the blood-staned scenes by which 1t was
accompanied That cruel custom Is now, or will be
In few days more, at an end forever, and the sooner
all recollection OF 1t is lost the better.
MODERN INTERESTS, BUT NOT APOSTOLIC.
In this way my informant told me he escaped the
payment VI uthes. The existence OF the Protestant
establishment, therefore, as State institution cost
him notling nevertheless, he was anxious that re-
llgious ascendancy should be oyerthrown But as
shall presently show, the dlsesablishment ana dis
endowment OF the Church likely have an effect
upon him which, had 1t peen foreseen, would, I
think, have cooled his ardor Tor religious equality.
establishment and ulsendoWuent OF the Protestant
ChurChs
MAYNooTH COLLEGE.
Well said lie, a son OF mine mas Just entered May
nooth and the course there is rarely less than six
years. Every year he spends there wil ca cuate,
be 10 me an expense OF nifty pounds sixty pounds
sterling independent OF books, clothing and other
necessarles The Roman Catholic bishops held
that every student should pay To the college for
board and lodging the sum OF forty pounds sterlin9
Several Of the DrOesSorships are to be ABOLISHED,
ana Tor the future the education OF the Irish
priesthood will neither be general nor SO
showed that they cared very little for the success OF
their institution when instead Of committing, like
The clergy OF the Protestant and Presbyterian
Churches, they preserved intact their life interest
In the college. They appear TO have no generosity
or dslnterestedness, no interest In the OF
the college, no regard for maintenance Of their
successors The condition OF the latter WILL think,
be wreLched enough aud, OF course, the condition
OF the students VIII be propOrtionately miserable.
on the whole, | am strongly OF opinion that May
nooth has had It's day, and that it VIII be very IN
ferior educational institution Tor the future.
think that this opinion Is most correct, and that
IL Is the opinion Of the vast majority OF Irish Catho-
ncs. II the Protestant Church is dlsendowed 50 is
the Catholic College OF Maynooth 1t has lost the
annual sum OF fSO000. SO long as it i'll receipt
OF this income no student was necessitated to pay
single iarthing. during his SIX years. residence. to
the college. On the contrary, Tor four years out of
the six each student received G2O per annum Tor his
maintenance. But TINS Is stopped, the student,
as have SAID must now depend upon his father or
his guardians.
Tie disendowment OF Mayncoth. however lightly
thought OF at first, Is certain, as every one now
sees, 10 have an injurious erect upon the Catholic
religion In Ireland. The expense OF education under
the new ARRANGEMENTS is very great compared with
what it was heretofore, ana the number of candi-
dates for the. priesthood VIII be- comparatively
NEW CLASS OF PRIESTS
The priests for the luture Will be different class
OF persons from what they We're In the past. Only
the wealthy classes, or what are called the wealthy
classes among US, viii hcnceorth be able to
educate their children Tor the priesthood.
Hitherto persons OF the lowest grade in life
little M aculty give boy IN s1me local un Academy as
much knowledge OF the classics as enabled him to
pass the preliminary examination in Maynooth.
When he entered there he was no longer any ex-
pense TO his parents or guardians; but now, when
he becomes an inmate OF that once 'royar' estab-
lishment, the real expenses OF his education are only
beginning This will undoubtedly be a great bar 10
many asplrants to the ecclesiastical office. Their
number, 10 my opinion, Will scarcely be one-teath
The Irish priesthood henceforth NAV be drawn
from more wealthy and respectable class, but AZ
will not De more Jealous, more learned or better
qualified for the discharge OF the priestly functions
Time alone Will tell whether the change Is ior The
better or Tor the worse.