*

by the various societies; we appeal to the most undeniable of all witnesses, the present reverend opposers of these systems; -we read their success recorded in the lately excited opposition, in the simultaneous movement against Bible Schools through the country-in the violence they have used, and ineffectually used, to prevent the children from attending them. Can it be for a moment supposed that such an excitement could have existed without some cause; that an experiment which had failed could have kindled such a flame; that fictitious lists or non-existent schools could have given birth to so much zeal? We will not say, for our argument does not require it, we will not say that the Roman Catholic priesthood are hostile to Education in the abstract, and that therefore they opposed it to keep their flocks in intellectual ignorance, but we think we may say, that they perceived a system walking over the land, in which they might be agents, but over which they had no omnipotent controul; that the peasantry receiving Education from Protestants, would necessarily regard them with a feeling which, however consistent with the legitimate influence of the priesthood, was hostile to that at which the Romish clergy have ever aimed, and that if they would keep that power unscathed, they must oppose Education. To this we fear may be added political causes: the demagogue made common cause with the priest; the one feared that association with Protestants would render the peasantry less liable to political, the other to religious influence, and hence they joined in the outery which had the immediate and baleful effect of separating the Protestant from the Roman Catholic, and handing over the latter to the undivided power of the clergy; hence the imputation of proselytism, which never existed, and of bigotry which seemed to have changed sides; hence the creation of Roman Catholic schools which lasted but for the moment, and hence the hundreds and thousands who never received Education or perhaps existence but in the veracious pages of Mr. Eneas Mac Donnell.+

If we are correct in this view of the subject, the societies which were labouring in Ireland, were labouring with effect; they were accomplishing a silent, a salutary, an effectual reformation, and giving to the rising population of the country, just that sort of intellectual and religious excitement which would disenthral them equally from ignorance and bigotry ;-they were not attempting that most monstrous of all absurdities, the proselytism of children, but they were enabling the children when matured, to "try all spirits whether they be of God;" and they were educating together in

The Report of the Commissioners gives a number between 400,000 and 500,000 as the probable amount of children under Education, and of these but a small proportion can have been in any but the schools connected with some of these societies.

+ So gravely quoted as authority by the Edinburgh Review. We know a little of the Western parts of Ireland, and we can assure our friends in Edinburgh that the statements of the learned gentleman with respect to this subject are as little to be depended on as on others.

the endearments of infantine society, and the acquisition of common knowledge, the children of those who professed different creeds, and followed different religious guides.-Government with equal liberality and wisdom, gave assistance, not by intermeddling with the details, but by selecting the principles, and from the public funds gave a portion to the society that was more peculiarly connected with the Established Church, and a still larger portion to that which was most Catholic in its principles, and most liberal in its grants. But the spirit of legislation prevailed, and a Commission was appointed, and the Roman Catholic was roused to war, and much that was beneficial was checked, or rendered suspicious in its course.

The first result of the Commission was to produce that excite ment in the Roman Catholic mind, as connected with political circumstances, which evidenced itself by attempting to remove all the Roman Catholic children from the Protestant schools. The very Roman Catholic clergy who had assisted in the extension of the previous systems suddenly became enlightened on their pernicious tendency, and denounced them as antichristian and heretical; -the children who had been fostered into mutual love and affection in their schools were suddenly separated, and taught to regard each other as enemies and heretics. The storm which was excited, and of which we must regard the Commission as the occasion, though the cause lay deeper and has been we think already developed, still lowers, and so long as there exists an hope of that influence which is connected with the disposal of the £60,000 or £80,000 a year which has been usually granted to Irish Education, so long will it lower.

If so, it will be said, there is no hope that the former systems will regain their influence, and the only mode in which the wants of Ireland can be met must be by one which, with the Commissioners, while it recognises religion, expels the Bible; or with the Edinburgh Review, makes religion permissive not conditional. We differ from the objectors altogether, and in laying our reasons for so differing before our readers, we may perhaps justify some of our former opinions. It is conceded that Ireland requires Education :-not that Education which consists merely in reading and writing, unaccompanied by industrious and regular habits, and a morality founded on scriptural principles, but one which has religion for its source, and moral conduct for its consequence. So far we have with us the Commissioners, the Roman Catholic prelates, and perhaps even the Reviewer himself. Now this morality, all professing, at least all Protestant Christians, join in founding upon the Sacred Scriptures, which they consider to be the medium devised by Providence itself for the preserving and communicating the Divine Will;-they consider an acquaintance with these Scriptures to be an essential in the Christian's life, and they regard youth as the time most favourable for acquiring that interest in and that intimacy with the Divine Volume which they justly esteem so important; nay, from the usual routine of a peasant's life,

youth is perhaps the only period at which such information is to be gained. All classes of Protestants would wish to inculcate their own exclusive tenets, but each in contemplation of the special circumstances of Ireland, would consent to surrender its own peculiarities, and to substitute the book which all join in receiving, for the catechisms and expositions which each would recommend. If there could be any guarantee that the Scriptures would form part of the religious education of the Roman Catholic youth out of the school, it might be yielded that it should not appear in the school, and a purely intellectual system of Education might perhaps be adopted :-there is no such guarantee;-the discipline of the Roman Catholic Church when left to itself, has been decidedly opposed to it, and the words of man's wisdom, and the decrees of man's ingenuity have been uniformly substituted for the sacred records. Now judging by experience, we may say that in proportion to the circulation of the Scriptures and man's acquaintance with them, has been the progress and maturity of industry and morals ;-it is therefore equally our interest and our duty to have these Scriptures read, not as a common school or class book, but by all who are competent to read; and hence the perseverance with which we insist on their forming part of the discipline of the school, and being in daily use; hence our obstinacy in uniting religion in this its most general form with the progress of intellectual Education, and leaving to time and the care of their respective teachers the discovery of why professing Christians differ, to find one common centre of union in the sacred page. Now so far we think the Commissioners will proceed with us, but here we separate :-they deem a selection from the Divine Volume, and a selection made by the Roman Catholic prelates, a sufficient substitute for that book which in its entireness is man's property and consolation. We deem that no selection can supply its place, for no selection can join doctrine and precept with the perfection of Divine Wisdom, and no selection can satisfy the Divine command of comparing spiritual things with spiritual. It is not an easy matter to conceive how it would be possible to make a selection which would please all the parties concerned, and above all, how one made by the Roman Catholics could do so ;— and even were that done, such a selection would be but an human work, and would come unsanctioned by that authority which lives and breathes from the entire volume, lending to it that sacredness and sanctity which no human selection can claim.

It may be perhaps objected to us, that we too employ selections in our schools, and that every master is both compelled and allowed to use his own discretion. We confess the fact, but deny its application. Selections are used in schools, but never as substitutes for the Scriptures; they are used, but never given as containing all that should be known, but as preparatory for something better,and they are given as the work of man, unclothed with the sanction of divine authority :-masters do select the passages which the scholars read, but this is obviously the result of necessity, and

neither tutor nor pupil for a moment suspects it to be meant as a substitute for the whole. In short, Protestants think, and with justice, that morality must be grounded on religion, and connected with a knowledge of the Scriptures ;-they have no pledge that Roman Catholics would so connect their teaching, as to give just and correct notions of the duties connected with social life which they conceive can only be learned from the Sacred Volume; they would therefore claim as a primary part of Education, that the youthful mind from a perusal of the Sacred Volume itself should imbibe those principles, which so far as human experience can promise, or human teaching facilitate, conduct to correct and moral conduct. With that conduct alone have the government of a country to do ;-though it is not without a preference for a. peculiar form of religion, it is obviously a paramount duty neither to terrify nor seduce, neither to persecute or bribe, any of its subjects out of the preference which he may have reasonably or unreasonably for another: but with moral conduct the business of government commences, and it is their duty to co-operate, indirectly perhaps with most effect, to lay the foundation of such conduct, and to facilitate the extension of its principles. But they have likewise to choose the mode in which they will do it, and if the positions we have put forward be sound and Protestant without being persecuting, we see not how they can with consistency and prudence assist any system of Education in hostility to these principles, or with awful temerity sanction as a part of the national expenditure, a systematic exclusion of the Bible.

It may be perceived that we are no friends to what may be called National, but should with more propriety be termed Government Education-connected with government, directed by government, supported by government; we are not a little afraid of the tor pedo influence of places and salaries, and really think that well paid boards, resident in the metropolis, would relish the halfyearly visit to the Treasury, as well or better than any other part of the labour. We would not have the managers paid for their services, and though they might be assisted by government, we would have the energy of individual feeling acting in extension of the plans of free and well-arranged benevolence, supplying local wants and calling forth individual gratitude. We really think that the influence of government is already quite extensive and powerful enough, and we hope for the sake both of Protestant and Roman Catholic, that among the monopolies, which well weighed opinion is beginning to condemn, a monopoly of Education will never be found. England has no national system, in this sense of the word;-Scotland has no national system in this sense; and we believe that we but echo the opinion of all friends to Ireland when we say that we trust Ireland will never have one. Let the government, instigated by the legislature, assume the part of surveillance over the different systems; let well paid Commissioners, (and they should be well paid, for the labour is extreme, and we believe our friends the present

Commissioners will agree with us, not free from much that is invidious,) let such periodically go through the land, to examine into and correct abuses; let many such volumes as the recently published one be laid upon the table of the House, and let every officer or agent, paid or unpaid, feel himself amenable to public opinion and public censure; but here let the interference of the Executive cease, and let private benevolence devise, and private energy execute, the most feasible plans for general Education.

We have wandered a little from our subject, and must return to consider an objection which we had examined in a previous part of our observations, but which is again obtruded in the present. It may be said that our observations may be perfectly true, but that the prejudices or the discipline of the Roman Catholic Church are so hostile and so powerful, that there is no possibility of overcoming them; that though they permitted for some time what they never ceased considering to be an evil, they have now roused themselves, and have removed the children from the schools, and that nothing now remains but to give a purely intellectual Education, trusting the religion of the scholars to their respective teachers. Now in reply to this we must observe, that if such were the alternative, we would not perhaps refuse it. Education is so great a good that we are not prepared to say that we would reject it, though unaccompanied with what we regard its essence, if it could not be had with it, but we must declare our denial of the fact on which the objection is founded, and we must again deplore the unfortunate exertion of legislative interference, which has produced the evil that is here alluded to. Either the discipline of the Roman Catholic Church is of a very pliable nature, and varies most singularly with circumstances, or the reverend ministers of that Church must have been guilty of strange neglect, for there is no fact more undoubted than that for years schools in which the Scriptures were read, had, if not the patronage, at least the permission of the Romish clergy, and except for an occasional ebullition of zeal, their flocks were congregated with Protestants and subjected to the influence of the Bible. What became of the zeal and the consistency of the Church when such abominations were suffered to go on, and whence the new light which broke in upon its Prelates and excited the present hostility? But is it true that the schools are really so deserted, and that the influence of the clergy has been so successful? We doubt the statement exceedingly; we allow that in many instances it has been so successful, but we are convinced that in very many it has not. We have the assertion of the Kildare-street Society, that on accurate inspection it appears that upwards of three-fourths of the attendants in their schools have returned to them. We happen to know that even the schools of perhaps the most obnoxious of the societies, the Hibernian, are attended by Roman Catholic children; and we have in common with all well-wishers to Ireland rejoiced over the temperate and manly declaration of opinion from Kerry which must have asto