The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1899-07-08
wHATELY's EVIL INFLUENCE.

That Protestant divine became COM
missioner of national education in Ire
land, and while acting in that capacity,
his constant aim was to anglicize and
Protestantize the Catholic youth of the
country. He was mainly responsible for
keeping Irish history out OF the schools
in order that the boys and girls of Ire
land may not know how their native
land had been misgoverned by England.
Everything calculated to inspire pariot-
ism in the breasts of the rising genera
ton was eliminated from the books in
use. The vigilance of the Catholic hier-
archy frustrated the plan of the govern
ment to pervert the faith of the children.
and the patriotic press of the country
gave them the historical information de-
MED them in school.
In recent letter to the Dublin Free
mans Journal, that eminent Irish &C.
clesiastic, John Canon O'Hanlon,
shows the evil influence exerted by
Archbishop Whatey in his day. Among
other interesting recollections he says:
"Soon after the induction of Richard
Whately to the Protestant See OF Dub
lin, i'll October, 1881, DR.. Petrie and the
Rev. Caesar Otway, who had projected
the starting OF the popular Dublin PEN
ny Journal, to elevate the national lite
rary taste, and to make the public better
acquainted with the general and local
history, antiquities, biography, scenery,
traditions, ETC., Of ireland, sought an in
terview with the newly-appointed arch
bishop to obtain his sanction and pat
ronage for their meditated enterprise.
The periodical in question was to be
non-sectarian and non-political, and, if
anything, serving to soothe the acri-
mony of religious controversies and the
bitterness of party feeling, then at an
acute condition of excitement through
out the country. When the plan of their
periodical was unfolded to the arch
bishop he expressed the most decided
disapproval, and told them that if they
desired the intellectual Improvement of
the Irish people the best methods must
be to withdraw their minds from the
study of past Irish history and remi,
niscences, which should be rendered OBJ
solete for that generation; but he strong
ly recommended them to issue penny
periodical, introducing only articles on
general history, science and literature,
to which he would willingly lend his
support. Needless to state that both
gentlemen, although Protestants and
Conservatives, left DR.. Whately, and,
shocked with the deep-rooted English
prejudices he entertained against the
study or cultivation Of Irish history and
national literature. More determined
than before to carry out their project,
arrangements were accordingly made,
and on June 80, 1882, appeared the
first number of the Dublin Penny Jour
nal, which from the start attained a
widespread popularity and an extensive
circulation, not alone in Ireland but in
England, Scotland, and abroad. The
successive numbers were the priced
feuilletons Of our schoolboy days, and
from them Our first lessons in Irish his
tory were derived. The late renowned
Irish ecclesiastical historian, Right Rev.
William Reeves, bishop Of Down and
Conner, assured me that the periodicals
in question first gave him an enthusiastic
love for those studies that have since re-
hected such honor on himself and on
the country he loved so we'll and served
so faithfully"
Canon O'Hanlon relates an anecdote
to show how unpopular Irish history
was then among the English people.
He says:
"When John Dalton, author of the
History of the County OF Dublin, and
of so many other valuable Irish histoc-
ical works, had one OF these ready for
the press, he waited on Mr.. Longman,
head OF the great and we'll known Lon
don publishing firm, who, having
learned from the author that his work
referred to Ireland, said, Just change
the letter into c, Mr.. Dalton, and the
book should have some chance of a
SALE"
Canon O'Hanlon says that the exclu-
sion OF Irish history from the curriculum
of the national schools has made Ire
land and her school children exceptional
to the standard OF primary education in
every civilized country in the world.
Happily there is an advance of late.
since the impartial and admirable ellis
tory OF Ireland" by DR.. Joyce, is now
admitted as an alternative reading book
for the advanced classes. The history OF
Ireland has been always taught in the
Christian Brothers schools throughout
Ireland, but in many public and private
schools the study is altogether ignored.
When ireland obtains self-government