The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1873-03-14
The Gladstone Defeat.

After an existance of over four years Mr..
Gladstone's ministry has met defeat on the
vote in the House of Commons on his hin
for the reorganization of university educa-
ton in Ireland. Although there are a large
number of colleges in Ireland belonging TO
the various creeds, there are only two uniyer-
sites, Trinity College and the Queens Uni
versity that can give degrees, consequently
the students of all the others are obliged to
go through one Of these two TO obtain a de-
gree. Trinity college at one time was a
strictly English Church institution and its
honors were awarded to those only who sub
scribed to the Thirty-nine Articles. But lat
serly its scholarships, prizes and de-
grees are free to every lrlshmah
OF every church, there being no
question as to religion. In the Queens
colleges in Ireland no religion is at all recos
nized except to enter the creed OF the STUDENT
and send his name to clergyman OF bis own
church known as the sDean OF Residences"
But Cardinal Cullen and the Roman Catholic
bishops object TO both Trinity and Queens
colleges. They protest against their Catholic
young men being educated outside of the in
fuence and control of the Church. They
even object to their mixing with Protestant
young men during their college course in law,
medicine or other scientific pursuits. They
define Trinity college as purely Protestant
institution and the Queens colleges as "God-
less schools" They accordingly demand a
charter and an endowment for a Cathol C
University and College to be controlled by the
hierarchy and supported By the State.
In view of the difficulties involving the
subject, Mr.. Gladstone's bill proposed to
abolish both of the present universities and
create, instead of both, the Irish National
University, which should have power to CON-
throughout Ireland or upon any student who
could pass its examinations, no matter where
he studied.
To carry out this scheme the vast State
endowments of Trinity College were to be
re-adjusted so far as to serve national pur-
poses.
But as has been seen by the London des-
patches, this proposition did not meet the de-
mands of the Catholics, and consequently
led to the defeat of Mr.. Gladstone's purpose
to give Ireland one of the best universities
in the world, and to place the system in har-
mony with the spirit of the age which de-
clares against any connection between church
and state, or the support of sectarian schools
by revenues derived from the government by
general taxation.
MIR. Gladstone's administration has been
remarkable for the progressive character of
its measures and has certainly entitled him to
be called reformer. In the four years that
he has been prime minister he has carried out
four great reform measures: the settlement
OF the Irish land question, the disestablsh-
ment Of the Irish church, the introduction
OF the ballot and the extension of the fran
chise, and the abolition of the purchase sys-
TEN in the army. Taxes have also been re-
dnced and, thing unlocked for, the national
debt has been diminished. The foreign poll
cy of Gladstone has not been SO marked as
that Of some ofhis predecessors ;but he Inherit
ed from them the perplexing questions grow
ing out of the Alabama claims, occasioned by
the utter lack of good faith of the ministry
that managed affairs during the war. 1t is
quite possible that during Mr.. Gladstone's
administration. Great Britain -lAA.- r-e--
tige among the first powers but this has prob
ably been the result of agencies beyond the
control Of any ministry.
The conservative party may be able to
form new government, but Great Britain
is not in the mood to accept a tetrogressive
or even stand-still policy; consequently its
overthrow will only be question of time and
very short period at that.