The Irish standard., 1908-01-18
ANXIOUS TO JOIN TOGETHER.
Remarks of Chief Secretary BirrclI in
A Speech at Belfast,

What ho considered to be a singular
tact or aspect of the situation as to
conversions and pcrvcrsions among
Catholics and Professionals in Ireland
was noted by Chief Secretary Birrcll in
Il speech recently at Belfast. Talking
of religious difficulties and disputes be-
tween 1riSlmcn, which. he said, were
at ono time more fierce than they are
now, he remarked that they arc being
diminished and show symptoms of dis
appearing altogether. and lie expressed
the belief that the Catholic popu]atiou
would be found extremely ready and
willing i'll its present frame of mind
to show its perfect good faith in this
matter to secure to the Professionals Of
the North every kind of protection,
more, perhaps. than strictly speaking
4 they would be entitled to in order To
show that they were anxious as any
Protestant to join together in tho great
work of the regeneration of Ireland.
! In these words reference is made TO
W
the nrofcSScu fear Of Professionals that
under Home Rule they would be Der
secuted or unjuStly treated by tho ma
jority in the Irish Parliament which
would naturally be Catholic. as tbc
three fourths of tho population of tho
country. Mr.. Birrcl has 40 such idea
He believes that there would be no I'm
justice whatever by Catholic To Profess
tant and he has another Interesting be-
lief which perhaps was not very plc;ls-
ing to some if not many among his
Belfast audience. You will ncvcr il,
this country (sad hc) turn many Pro-
testants into Catholics or MANY Cath
olicS into Professionals. Nothing amuzcs
nc more as an JjngIishman that has
always been accustomed to regard
these differences as what you may call
4 intellectual Observation-Disclosures or
temperament, differences of study and
tho like-nothing an,azcs me more than
the religious difticultics that prevail
so largely in this country. have
known III my day (Mr. Birrcll contin-
ued) many of my Protestant friends
who have become Catholics, and / have
known one or two Catholics. though |
admit IT. is rare. to cease their Catilo-
licism and become Professionals. These
things in England arc regarded as mat
ters for intellectual discussion and re-
ligious consideration. But here
in Ireland l find your differences are
regarded very much as il they were
differences between different natural
becoming IL Protcstant: no Protestant
ever dreams of becoming ~ Catholic.
The idea of conversion from one side
to the other seems entirely to have
been overlooked.
Hardly overlooked for has there not
been an Irish Church Mission instit,,-
the idea and doing It's best through the
agencies of soup, blankets and other
creature comforts, To win our native
Irish from the errors Of popcry' which
WAS indeed, the main object the prevent
Queen Elizabeth had i'm founding Trim
ity College in Dublin, after rubbing tho
Catholics of their colleges, and thus
planting in ireland the seed of tho
trouble MIR. BirrcI now has in hand in
the settlement of the Irish University
question? IT, is gratifying to know that
Mr.. I3irrcll has this question in hand
ana that he promises by II Bill in the
next session of Parliament to settle il
to the satisfaction of the Irish people