The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1905-04-15
THE NTERMOUNTAIN AND COLORADO CATHOLIC, APRIL


from outside. That is exactly what our
opponents have not done. What really
is it that makes Trinity college so poor
an institution in comparison with all
| the great universities of the world
and it is poor institution notwith-
| standing ali the tall talk we hear
| about tt-what is it that makes 1t so
poor? 1t is because its provost mas
always been appointed by the govern
Inent, and because it has been reallS
naTrow-minded, bigoted political In
| stitution, and not a broad-minded, aca-
| demic institution with single mind 10
! the interests Of learning. II 1t was
necessary to prove this proposition
look at its members of parliament.
! If it wsre for nothing else /. for my
| part. as an Irishman, faithful, / nope
| to the most glorious traditions OF our
| race, that is, our devotion to knowl-
| edge and our appreciation OF lts
| boundless value, I would decline 10
! advise my cOuntrynen to go INTO rim
! ity college, because l do not value tHS
! prestige of Trinity college from the
/ education point of view even II We
| were to look at it from that point OF
view alone (Applause) / believe II
has been founded and maintained 10
! thous hour under a false educatlonal
tradition; and 1 think the best thlng
that could happen to Trinity college,
and the best thing that could happen
10 the future of knowledge in Ireland,
is that a new institution should
be founded OH a true academ-
ic basis something in the spirit
which animated the old university
founded by Cardinal Newman, Which
will bring Trinity College to it's bear
1ngs. have been charged sometimes
with advocating policy in this mat
ter of going to the Parliament of Eng
land to ask for endowment. No, nave
not advocated that policy, but l will
always advocate the policy of de-
manding the right to use the resources
of Ireland for this endowment, (Ap-
plauseD / say that at this hour of
the day to talk about setting up
university by public subscription Is, to
my mind, an absurdity. (Hear, hear.)
Why, let any man name civilized
country in the world that has MAIN
tanned university by public subscrip-
ton. The thing is unheard Of Even
in rich America, where wealth is over
flowing in every direction, they don't
maintain universities by public sub
scription. And I say that, even if that
were possible thirty or forty years ago,
1t is impossible now, because you can
not have an up-to-date scientific, WELL
equipped university without immense
resources and funds; and every eivi-
lized country recognizes that the first
charge on the resources ut its people
ought to be the education of it's peo-
pie. Why should Ireland be denied
this right? We ask nothing from the
Parliament of England except our
right. and we shall never have a uni
versity worth having until we have
the power to draw upon the resources
of Ireland, and do what is the right of
a nation to do, and that is to endow,
and literally endow, the higher educa-
tion of it's people
This is a strong plea for a Catholic
university which certainly is greatly
needed in Ireland It is also vigorous
statement of Trinity's attitude. Truer
words have seldom been spoken. 1t is
not probable, however. that either
the government or Trinity will be
moved to greater justice.
JOHN VI. M'GRATH, in New World |