The Irish standard., 1908-05-02

'lege. True to their traditional hatred
of Irish Catholicism, the Ulster Union
lists oppose the bill, even though it
provides special university for Bel Z
fast. They want to drive Catholics to
Trinity or else keep them deprived
Of university education.
When Il division was taken on the
first reading of the bill, the Ulster
bigots, assisted by two or three of the
same brand from English constituen.
cies. made total of twenty-four votes
against 320 Ulsteria, as it has been
well called, is thoroughly exposed by
this time. Not even the most ana.
thetic English representative is do.
ceived by 1t nowadays
The new university i'm Dublin (for
no opposition to the bill is anticinated
in the House of Lords) will be in
existence within Il couple of wears.
Special buildings arc to be erected.
and the Irish party intend to pres.
Tor better financial provisions, in
which respect the bill leaves much to
be desired
The new university in Belfast will
DC on the same lines. Neither will be
denon'inatonal but it is quite clear
that tho students, but it is quite clear
tion will mostly be Catholics, while
Belfast will naturally supply Pro-
testant atmosphere.
From a Cathoic point of view, the
present bill is quite as as good as the
abandoned Bryce scheme, though the
latter was preferable in the national
sense.
Trinity College is left untouched. an
IFS supporters desired It's future.
however. does not appear To be very
promising. At present it's students are
few in number, and the intellectual
standard was never lower. Tho estab-
lishmcnt OF Belfast University will
certainly divert from Trinity nany
students Of the Protestant faith who
Will find the scale Of fees more at
tractive than those of Trinity, and the
standard Of tenching probably higher.
Trinity College has rich endowments.
but 1t is not cndowments that make a.
university If she cannot attract Irish
intellect to her lecture halls, her en-
dowments cannot save her Trinity
College has been a. foreign institution,
not national one. In a. few years
time she may be lumbIy seeking a,
union with her new competitors. Her
sun is setting, and Ireland does not
mourn.
Unfriend1y critics of ireland have
often gloated over the statistical re-
turns regarding lliteracy in this coun-
try, as Il proof of Irish ignorance and
unfitness for scIf-government. Ac-
cording to published raturns IA per
cent Of the population of Ireland were
shown to be illterate. A writer in
an Irish magazine has just published
p remarkable article showing how
this figure is arrived at 1t transpires
that the age at which the English
statistician brands an Irish child as
iliterate or unable to read or write)
is five years! The law does not make
attendance at school compulsory un-
til the age of six has been attained.
In New York child is not bound bv
law to attend school until eight years
old, that is, three years after a child
in Ireland becomes liable, according ia
law, to be officially registered as illit-
erate.''
1t is also interesting to note that
similar statistics are not compiled in
England or Scotland. The whole meth
cd adopted would suggest a very
definite effort to create q. false i'm
preston in the public mind. I think
1t was an American who gave the IA
nous example Of the three degrees OF
colnparison-lies, id lies, statistics.
That particular philosopher must hava
been studying the English 4st,1sas
g