The Irish standard., 1893-02-25
WIN. E. GLADSTONE
How He Fought and Won the Bat
tie Of Church Disestab abish-
ment in Ireland.

ment IN Ireland.
JOHN BRIGHT's COOPERATION
Denounced as a Sacrilegious Rob
Der and ain Anti Christ fo1 Dis
endowing the Church.
When Mr.. Gladstons rose ia the Bit
ish House OF Commons Monday af~er-
noon, Feb..l3, to present his Home Rule
tor Ireland bill, many called to mind his
first great fight for religious equality for
Ireland more than twenty years ago. 1t
may be pleasant to men of this younger
generation to be told how that battle for
the dieestablishment and disendowment
Of the Irish Church was ought and won.
I The condi ion of affairs may be very
briefly told The population of Ireland
in 1867 was about six millions. OF these
100000, 4.5N,0 900 belonged to the Roman
Catholic Church. Half million only
belonged to the Protestant Episcopal
Church, another half million owed ale
glance to the Presbyterian Church. The
census never gave the Irish Church even
from Episcopal authorities more than
100000. This church of the minority ar
rogating to itself the title of "The Irish
Church. or 1.-The Church OF Ireland
had always manifested the warmest SYM
pathy with the oppressors of ireland, and
was spending public money in an unjust
and Improbable manner This church
was absorbing in annual salaries sums
amounting to $3,500,G0O to 81, 100000 de
rived from National property amounting
to from $65, 100000 to s700Oo,0OO Much
of this money was wasted in the employ
ment of three or four times as many REG
tors and curates as the church could pos.
sibly have use for. Yet all the while
Ireland was in the depths of poverty, ia
nine-threate Or famine -smitten from
year to year.
RELIGIOUS EQUALITY.
To change all tins, to bring in the
reign of religious equality, to place all
the churches in Ireland on an equal foot
ing, such as they are in this free land,
and to apply these vast funds that we're
so shamefully nisused to alleviate the
sorrows OF the manned and the halt and
the blind, and to such a. suffered from
the sadder lot of mental weakness, these
were the grand purposes Mr.. Gladstone
set his hand and his heart to, in his first
great battle in behalf of Ireland.
I am thinking how that great battle
was fought and won more than twenty
years ago. I am not concerned to dis
cuss at length the merits Of thu Irish
Church measure. nor am / disposed to
underestimate the sincerity of those who
really thought Mr. Gladstone was en-
am persuaded that Mr., Gladstone WAS
not himself more sincere than many of
his opponents. Born and trained non
Econformist Of nonconformists a my
81 sympathies, if not my prejudices, ran iii
favor OF dieestablishment. And dozen
years and more of happy observation Of
religious equality beneath the Stars and
Strip have only served to deepen my
conviction that Count Cavour's dream
for Italy OF "a free Church in free
State, SO very good dream for ali lands.
lam looking back over the stretch Of
twenty years. [ am calling to mind the
grandeur OF the battle, Of the calm fixed
enthusiasm of Mr.. Gladstone, whose per-
sonal influence on his followers was
largely the secret of the steadfast valor
of the conflict and the dignity Of i final
triumph.
BATTLING FOR REFORM.
From the very outset this battle for
religious equality was elevated to the
dignity OF a conflict. The battle for re-
form had often fallen very near the gut
ter. On both sides Of this religious war
fare men were in dead earnest Mr..
Gladstone had scarcely laid his bill on
the table OF the House of Commons be-
fore the hoodgates of abuse we're thrown
vide open. It was, of course, the easiest
thing ia the world to charge Mr.. Glad
stone with treachery to his earliest and
deepest convictions, he being the old time
defender Of Church esta blishments. He
was "turncoat,' traitor" a irene
gade, and every thing else OF the kind.
Nothing lmpresses me more as look
back than Mr. Gladstone's perfect indif-
ference to this whole TRADE of abuse L
sometimes wonder il be knew half what
was written OF said. He did not treat
.calumny with scorn, he vas 50 absorbed
lnEnis mission that he lived above il I
am thinking, too, of his brief visits to onr
scommittee rooms during that grand