The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1874-06-28
M,rning Star and Catholic Messenger
from Our Own Correspondence
OUR IRISH LETTER.

His Eminence, Cardinal Cullen, has had a re-
script from the Pope commanding him to sum-
mon a National Synod of the Irish Catholic
Church and it is stated that the education
question-primary, intermediate, and UnlVer-
ssity the recent attempts on the part OF Judges
.Keogh and Lawson, and their party, to banish
Catholic ecclesiastics from political life the
attacks on the converts; and other matters OF
great importance will engage the attention OF
the assembly, by the convecatlon OF wnlch
the Protestant party in this country seem TO
have been almost frightened, If we are to Judge
from the wild efforts of their organs to excite
. against the Catholic Bishops the Protestant
wrath of the Empire and to represent the
coming Synod as o means of " advancing Ul-
tramontane pretensons at the expense OF civil
liberty" There can be no doubt, indeed, that
the decisions of the Synod will have vast
influence on the politics of Ireland and of the
Empire, for the Catholic laity, as good Catho-
lies, will extend them their full approval; and
it is knowledge of this fact which inspires
the Protestant comments to which have re-
fsrred. The last National Synod was held
more than a score of years since in Thurles,
the ecclesiastical capital of Munster; but the
locale this time is to be Dublin
The controversy that has so long ragged be-
tween the Board of National Education and
the unfortunate Father O'Keefe of Callan, is
at last ended. The reader is probably aware
of the history of this controversy. Father
O'Keeffe was suspended by his Bishop and by
Cardinal Cullen. Thereupon, the National
Board, acting strictly in accordance with pre-
cedents, dismissed him from the managership
of the parochial schools, and refused to pay or
otherwise recognize the teachers he appointed
, A minority of the Board, of which Judge
Lawson was a most conspicuous member, per-
sisteutly opposed the adoption of such course
arguing that the Board should not act on the
ipsi dirt of Father O'Keeffe's Bishop as to the
fitness of Father O'Keeffe for the position of
manager and the Secularist party in England
made several attempts in Parliament to get
the majority of the Board censured and thus
to compel them to resign. In these attempts
the Tories, generally speaking, heartily joined,
but the Liberal Ministry, conscious that the
whole national system of education would go to
pieces if the Board were broken up on such an
issue, contrived by various expedients to ward
off the threatened blow. At last the Liberal
government had been itself dismissed and the
Tories, Father O'Keeffe's great sympathizers,
installed in Office. Father OReeffe was
now, at all events certain to have revenge
his Prosecutors" But what has happened 7
Last week q motion of censure on the Board
was made by an English Conservative member,
Father OKeeffe's latest champion. Did the
Tory government support it Not at all. On
the contrary, they deserted Father OKeefe,
conscious, of course like their predecessors,
that if the motion were carried, they might
prepare themselves to their favorite ma
tional system rooted up from its lowest foun-
dations and scattered for ever to the four
winds of heaven. They fought shy of the real
question at issue-namely, whether a priest
who has been suspended should be continued
as manager of national school where Catho-
lies attend, and defended the dismissal of
Father o Kt efe, as doubt they could easily
do, on other grounds such as that he was not
a man of irreproachable character. In the
division which subsequently took place, the
government were deserted by all their Irish
Tory followers and by sixty eight English To-
ries; but they were supported by the entire
Home Rule vote and so gained a victory. The
O'Keeffeites were beaten decisively, and the
O'Keeffe and Callan schools controversy was
thought to close!
The rage CT the Irish Protestant press at this
result was and is awful and it is rendered
still more terrible by the fact that the real
significance of the action of the government
was 1ot allowed to remain in the shade. The
government speakers pretended not to see the
great question at issue at all-totally avoided
it; but Mr.. A. NJ. Sullivan made good the
omission in a speech which was listened to
with great attention and has attracted
considerable notice from the English press
Mr.. Sullivan boldly said that the government
dared not impose suspended priests on schools
and directly challenged the government tc
carry on the national system without taking
the word of his bishop as to the fitness of g
priest for the office of manager. 1t is quite
amusing to notice the way in which Mr.. Sulli
vans declarations have been received by the
English press. Mr.. Sullivan" it says, in
demanding for the bishops control over the
managers of the schools, demands what Parlia
ment will never grant," although, as matter
of fact, three-fourths of the entire number o.
national schools in the country are denomina
tional in all but namo and are directly under