The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1897-11-20

are Protestants, and tho Overwhelming
majority Of the students are of the
same religion. l am simply stating
facts; and say that can we'll under
stand devout Roman Catholic layman
objecting to send his boy to be educated
there. do not believe there ever has
been anything like charge Of proselyt-
ism. But I put it to any Protestant
present-if the facts were reversed-If
the atmosphere was as intensely Oath
olic as 1t is undoubtedly Protestant-if
the Fellows and professors were all
Jesuits-if the Catholic Divinity school,
instead of being at Maynooth were
there, II Mass was sung every day in
the chapel, what would you do? Would
you send your boy there for his educa-
t1on? And would it be an answer to
you that every Office was open to Prot
estants? No, you would do nothing
OF the kind. And If this be so, why
should We ask Roman Catholics to do
what we would utterly refuse to do
ourselves? I am trying to place this
question fairly before you tonight-try-
ing to strip 1t of the heat and passion
with which 1t is so often invested. Then
l am told that to set up a Roman Cath
olic university in ireland would be to
endow Romanism, and that the Protes-
tant church was not disestablished and
disendowed in order to endow its great
In parliament l have been utterly hos
tile to the state endowment of religion.
But where do we stand? Unfortunately
1t is no longer possible to stand on that
platform. On the disestablishment of
the Protestant Episcopal church in Ire
land the college of Maynooth received
very large communication sum. and the
money thus given was scandalously TAX
en- from the Irish church revenue. And
what is the intermediate system but an
endowment of Roman Catholicism and
out of the church revenues too! What
is our denominational training college
system, but an endowment of Roma1l-
ism? And even in the Royal university
there is large expenditure against
which this charge might we'll be
brought. I say it is too late to fight
this principle. 1t has been conceded,
and if education is to proceed, it can
not be wholly avoided. But take these
| objectors on their own ground. They
say that Trinity College is not Protest
10 fn oil
| we'll. So far as any scheme has been
administered, there is no proposal 30
set up Roman Catholic university, The
| most that l have ever heard Of is that
!! a second teaching university should he
| established Oh the same lines as the
University of Dublin-that no theoogi-
cal chair should be paid for out of pub
lie funds-that its offices and cmolu-
ments should be open to all creeds,
| but that just as the atmosphere of Trim
| ity college is distinctly Protestant the
| atmosphere OF the new university should
| be distinctly Roman Catholic. This is
| the proposal which the Irish Nationalist
| members accepted when the Home Rule
bill was in committee. And 1t was to
a proposal of this nature the Irish Par
| lament proposed to set up by the bill
was to be limited. Now, my friends on
the other side must be fair and logical.
IT Trinity college on these lines is not
Protestant, how can another university
on the same lines be described as Ro-
man Catholic? l am told again that
the establishment Of any university of
this kind would be calculated to degrade
education, and those who use this arg,l-
ment point to seminaries OF learning
abroad where Roman Catholic influ-
ence is predominant, and ask us to take
warming Very WELL could, indeed,
understand this argument If it were pro-
posed to establish a Roman Catholic
college within the University OF Dublin.
There are those who favor such a set
tlement Of the controversy. But in nv
opinion such course would inevitably
involve friction. and the standard of
| general education would certainly not
be advanced by 1t. But the answer is
plain. Who is 1t that asks for this
university? The Roman Catholic blsh-
ops and the Roman Catholic laity. If
they degrade the standard of education
who will be the sufferers? They will
be handicapped heavily enough at &C
start. A new university with no pres
tige Will have a hard enough fight for it.
For many a long day its degrees will
not be worth much. But If you add to
this something like degradation of tho
standard OF education, what will hap
pen? Why that those who attend and
take It's degrees will be everywhere beat
en- in the race of life. Surely the Roman
Catholic laity can be trusted to take
caro- of their own interests in a. mat
ter which involves so much to them
and their descendants. or course tie
establishment of any such university
would inevitably lead to great changes.
The Presbyter1ans would naturally say
that If Protestant Episcopalians and
Roman Catholics are to be provided for
they cannot be left out in the cold, Thew
are fully entitled to say this. TO my
mind the Genehal Assembly at it's last