New-York tribune., 1873-02-28
REFORM IN IRELAND.
THE UNIVERSITY EDUCATION BILL

,veoM THE REGULAR CORRESPONDENT OF THE TRIBUNs.l
LONDON Feb. 4.-There seems want OF
tact In bringing forward the night in Parliament
two proposals OF such magnitude the Irish University
Education bill and the bill for erecting Supreme Court
of Judcature Tact indeed, has never been Mr.. Glad
stones strong point Mr.. Dlsrael would have studied
how TO make the most OF each measure and to give each
its fair chance OF making impression on the public
Consider atoms Of that cert are not In Mr.. CLAD
stones way. 1t did not occur to MIN that
the average voter would hnd ufh-
Guilty in digestng both Lord sclborne's speech
and his own during a single breakfast The most
practiced student of Parliamentary debates might open
his newspaper this morning with some dismay The
Lord ChancellOrs exposition OF his first instament OF
Law, Reform fills seven columns Mr.. Gladstone on
irish University ucatOn fills ten Both subjects are
full of interest certain Glasses Of people, but neither
eau be called popular In itself, and both involve
mastery OF detail than suits the taste OF the gen.
crafty even in the countries whose interests are con-
oerned 1t hardly be expected that other countries
should take the pains to understand chem completely
You will ind little space to print the debates wmcn
Irish University Education will occasion during large
part Of the session In both houses. but since TINS Is
avowedIy the chof Of the Ministry for TINS
session shall state in very summary and elementary
way its objects and character
First OF ALL il religious question 1t is the exist
ence OF the Catholic Church in Ireland the ad-
herence Of great majority OF Its people to that Cburch
the policy or It's governing
the question Of Irish Education question OF hgh poi
itos and OF marty politics ireland has at this moment
very respectable nnmber OF colleges and two unyer-
Sites we'll endowed and. in many respects well man
aged capable Of educating great many more young
men than frequent them do not say they are enough
It's part of Mr. Gadstone's case that they are not
enough but the difficulty is the want Of students
than the want Of colleges. Nor is 1t true that
the Irish are indifferent TO academic education.
The fewnpss OF the students Is not due
60 that cause. The difficulty may be stated
in sentence. The majority OF young men who should
and would students are Roman Catholics; the col
Ieges Roman Catholic and because they are not
they are in reat measure deserted by the Roman Cath
olic population The Irish bishops. welding power
on which Protestant England looks with aversion and
dread will nothing TO do with any university or
college whose teachers are not OF their own appoint
nent They against secular education and against
any education Roman Catholic. They were not con-
tent with q mixed university where Protestants
and Roman Catholics should meet on equal
terms both as teachers and students. They COM
planned that Roman Catholic students could not
obtain degrees except By going before examiners whom
the Bishops neither appointed nor approved They have
for years demanded that Government should endow a
University to be supported by public money, but to be
under control OF the Roman Catholic hierarchy. On the
other hand the rich. intelligent active, and always
powerG minority OF Irish PrOestants, backed by the
great majority of the people Of England and Scotland
have protested against any system OF education sup
ported by Government in whole or IN part which should
not either distinctly Protestant OF at least free from
Roman Catholic control.
The second great question is Trinity College Dubhni
corporation Of wealth. purely sectarianssti ex-
GLIDING Catholics from It's benefits by tests, and
from variety circumstances standing confessedY in
urgent need OF reform With this is involved the further
question Of the treatment of the Queens Colleges,
established by Sir Robert Peel In 1915. Of the Queens
University and the University of Dubn; the latter
described 10y Mr. Gladstone in state Of seryitude to
Trinity College.
The problem therefore is nothing less than reorgan
izatOn OF the whole academic system of ireland, and
the establishment OF new system. which, without doing
Injustice interests alternating the sympathies
OF the class from which existing institutions derive their
students shall set university for the whole country,
and for all crecs university which shall not repel
Protestants, yet constituted that Roman Catholic
bishops shall longer have plausible preteXt for turn
Ing away oeks from its open doors. 10 state the
problem almost TO pronounce its solution impossible
The idea Of Catholic endowment and surrender 70 the
UiramOnt1ne demands sketched above are impossi-
bic in themselves and rejected by Mr. Gladstone
in terms. what he proposes is reconstruction OF the
present University OF Dublin, the ancient historical
University Of Ireland, and within its limits and
under It's examining authority TO effect the needed
reforms they relate to the purely educational
side of the question. In TINS University, the Queens
University merged and Trinity College together
Catholic University to hold relation 10 1t similar to
that which the Colleges OF oxford and Cambridge hold
TO those Universities. Galway College TO be abolished
II will have Professors organization, and rev.
enues, will examine and viii grant degrees. OF the
religious difficulty Mr. Gladstone proposes to get rid by
aboishinc Tests emancipatng the University from the
Colleges opening the University both as a teaching
sud examining body, to students who are
not members Of any college as well as to
students who ar0 and abOlishing all instruction IN
Theology Moral Philosophy, and Modern History. No
student Of any college Will be examined in the two latter
unless he chooses and examination in any one OF
them will be required for scholarships or felowshps
The government Of the new University will be vested in
a Chancellor appointed by the Crown ViceChanceor,
elected 10y the Governing Body, which viii consist OF %
ordinary members be named in the act at rst
ces be led during the FIRST 10 years alternately by
the Crown and by cooperation four members after that
period retiring annually, whose places will be filed one
By the Crown one by the Council by the professors.
and one by The cost OF its maintenance will
be provided for by annual contribution OF t600e0
year from Trinity College. $4,000 year from the
sodated fund the treasury e) $4,000 from fees, the
from the surplus Of the ecclesiastical property
In Ireland
1t is obvious this does not meet the Catholic
demands above recaptulated. The Uni
versity puts Catholics and Protestants on equal
terms, and 20 the former equal
chance Of all university prizes flor which Government
sDprOpriates t2500 year, and all degrees subject to
NO tests aud to liability OF attending herehcal teach
Ing any kind We may well think the Bishops ought 10
demand no more but they do and Rome is In
the habit Of compromising Mr. Gladstone has undoubt
edy counted opposition for he takes pains he has
sought to avert 1t by an understanding in advance
One point gained, doubt After years OF negotia
ton ana hesitation, the Government which Rome knows
10 be more liberal 70 ireland than any other she
hope for which long exposed to the suspicion
OF subservency 10 the priests. and Of willingness TO