The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1909-07-20
By HUGH SUTHERLAND

~
devastating effects upon the
IL country and the people. the pass
ing system Of Irish landlordism has
always been the most prominent Of
The evils OF misrule. There is another
long standing grievance. however. and
THIS is the denial Of decent educational
facilities That the doors so long
barred by injustice and prejudice have
hnslly. been swung open constitutes one
OF the most important achievements
Of progress in the last seven years.
The century old tight of Irish pa
triotism. eliminating during recent
years in the mastery campaigns Of the
Irish parliamentary party. has won tr1-
umph at last in the establishment OF
the National University ef Ireland-a
free. untrammeled, comprehensive insti-
tuition OF learning, 70 be owned and
governed absolutely by the people of
Ireland themselves.
How great an advance this is can
be understood only upon realization of
the anomalous and intolerable eondi-
tions which have~rased in Ireland in
the past. The country, it should be
observed. was literally eonhscated by
England through successive conquests
and land grabbing invasions. And the
subjugation was made permanent by
the deliberate Withholding OF educa-
tion from the people. In passing. 1t
may be noted that even in the mat
ter Of education the national demands
are inextrieably associated with the
great foundation demand for self gov
ernment.
Little Short of Infamous"
During all the years there has been
virtually but one institution of higher
learning in all ireland; that is, an
Institution having the prestige and
pove. of public endowment and sup
port This is Trinity college, Dublin,
justly famous for its scholarship and
the high attainments of its graduates.
but little short Of infamous in the
injustice Of which it has been the
beneficiary.
Ordinarily, religion has no proper
place in dealing with national problems
nsg be excluded from the discussion.
Indeed. it is at the very foundation of
the claims which have just been recog-
nssed by the British parliament Two
statements of fact viii set forth the
issue clearly. First, -ffths of the
people Of Ireland are Roman Catho-
lics; second, Trinity college. the only
institution Of its kind in the country,
endowed with Irish funds and grown
tat upon an estate taken from the peo-
pl.. is uncompromisIngly and aggres-
Ssvely Protestant in its aims. its at
mosphere and its regulations for the
government Of its members.
Founded by Queen Bess
The circumstances of its founding are
vividly significant of the course it was
10 pursue through the centuries and
upon which it continues today Trinity
college was established by Queen Eliz-
abeth with the proceeds of lands con-
hscated from Irish monasteries ana
Irish Catholic citizens. and its avowed
purpose was to propagate the princi-
pies Of the Protestant religion. For
more than 100 years it was open only
10 members Of the established lPro-
testant EpiscopsD church. During the
brief but brilliant regime Of the Irish
parliament. forcibly brought to an end
by the act OF union of 1890. it opened
its doors 10 students Of all denomina-
tions; but not until 1874 were removed
the religious tests which barred not
only Catholics. but Presbyterians, from
its Offices and scholarships. and it be-
came. in theory, undenominationaI.
Nevertheless. IL is still almost wholly
Episcopalian in government and wholly
so in spirit
Sir Robert Peel sought to remove the
obvious ~eviI by establishing strictly
undenorninationai colleges in Cork, CAL
way and Belfast. But here the pendu-
lum swung too far the other way. Cork
and Galway colleges have been failures
because they were hopelessly at vari-
ance with Catholic principles of educa-
ton. which insist upon some connec-
ton between secular and religious
teaching.
Question of Religion
The Belfast institution has hourished
because its nonreiigious atmosphere