New-York tribune., 1873-04-15
JEISH HISTORY IN IRISH SCHOOLS.

Weak are the WAYS of craftsmanship and
especially of English craftsmanship" so far
as all Irish affairs are concerned. Or Cath
Ollie education IN Ireland and of the success OF
the Irish in educational matters when at all
lett to themselves, the representative OF The
TRIBUNE, whose remarkable and timely CORES
pondence from Dublin we have been lately
printing, treated at length in the letter printed
i'm The TRIBUNE of Saturday. But while the
Gladstone overthrow and reinstatement give
fresh interest to the old, old misfortunes of the
unhappy country, we are glad to seize the OPP
portunity to direct attention more to phases OF
English effort to deal with the problem of Irish
education.
There is nothing which is likely to fill lib
erai mind with a vaster and deeper indignation
than efforts, by mousing ways and by unfair
expedients, to divert the mind of people not
into the habit of thinking, but into habit of
thinking enormously. This is to cOntaminate
the fountains Of education at their source. 1t
betrays an ignoble timidity and, to certain
extent, bad conscience. 1t follows the policy
of shifts and expedients, and seeks to accom-
pish the largest ends by the smallest means.
When we meet in history with the story of
attempts to conceal truth, to pervert the pop
ular Judgment and TO keep men from think
ing for themselves-and it is a story which we
meet with too often-we are accustomed, in
this nineteenth century, to thank our stars
that we were born when inquisltiOns and CEN
sorships and expurgat0rial indexes, to say
nothing of the stake and the State gibbet, had
gone out of fashion. But the managing men
of mOnarchical politics are much the same in
all ages and the race Of those who think that
fire can be smothered by fax is perennial Poor
Ireland never had any other government than
one of shifts-has she, with her Model Schools,
any better to-day
The IRISH youth, it seems, are not TO know
Irish history What would be thought of an
American school system which took care that
the pupils should know nothing of American
history OF course the cases from one point
of view are not alike; but the question is,
whether an hishman has not a right to be ac-
quainted with the history of his country
However, this is matter which will be better
comprehended by a statement of several facts
When DR.. Lyon Playfair lately was in Dub
lin, investigating the education problem, he
visited the Central Model Schools in Marlbor-
ough-street Dublin. In the boys school, after
the head master had examined several classes,
DR.. Playfar thought that he would put few
interrogatories on his own account. So he
began with: "When was the Confederation
I" of Kilkenny, and how did it originate ~
Nobody knew anything about it. "Who
was Owen 0'Neill ~ Blank ignorance
What were the issues at stake
at the Battle of Boyne, and what was the
result Here an Irish lad timidly answered,
"Orangemen and Catholics; King James ran
away "Wbo was the Duke of Tyrcon-
"nellf' Vacancy and sence "FOr what is
Limerick remarkable 7" "They make good
hams, Sir" was the answer. Things were
getting critical; and tho Resident Commits
sioner interfered with, "Dr. Playfair, j did
mot wish to interrupt you, but you evidently
are not aware that, under our system, his
tory, or at least Irish history is unfortunately
excluded" DIR. Playfair was naturally in
credulous. lie came from Scotland, where any
attempt 10 exclude Scotch history from the
schools would naturally be followed by "a riot.
But he was forced to accept the fact. Irish
history cannot be legally taught in Irish
schools
Now, the shame of this is that it is keeping
ap, in q small way, the numerous and ont
rageous provisions of the old Irish Code with
all It's harassing details, and with all its san
Culinary penalties. Why should MT Irish his
tory he taught in Irish schoolsY Why should
Euslish statesmen DO ~ sLamofaced about tho