Activate Javascript or update your browser for the full Digital Library experience.
Next Page
OCR
—__— ewes
“SUBSCRIPTION FOUR .
“\) DOLLARS PER ANNUM.
AND. a
‘ oo) ET REL
Te the Kost Rev. Dr. MackLale.
Mr Lorv—As LI have never been ‘honoured by your grace
with any communication on the subject of national. education,
~ except what has reached me indir ‘ough the public press,
». I hope I shall not be deemed wanting in courtesy to your grace
} _ by adopting the same public method, for the purpose of calling
our grace’s attention ‘to the injustice of the aspersions which
~ your grace has thought proper, in your late address to the clergy
and laity of the diocese of Tuam, to cast upow the system of na-
tioual education, with w hich I am immediately connected, and,
of course, upon myself. .:
Finding but litle in that address which was ‘not fully an-
swered by anticipation, in a ished letter, which I took the.
liberty of addressing to the Roman Catholics of Ireland, my ob-
» servations at present shall be but few.
I dispatch at once your grace’s remark about the ‘* Hail Mary,
full of grace,” by a mere reference to that portioa of the scripture
which is taken from the first chapter of St. Luke, the slightest
‘inspection of which will be enough to prove that the commis-
sioners were so far from translating the text alluded to in the
wa} your grace insinuates, , that they did not attempt to
translate j it at all In a passage which is inclosed within brac-
- kets, for the avowed purpose of showing that it is not to be con-
. sidered as scripture, * peculiarly blessed" are applied to the
- Virgin, not, however, as a translation of the Greek word signi-
fying “full of grace,” but as a paraphrase. of the words “blessed
» among women.” . How can your grace justify the misstatement
whieh your grace’s. remark about the Hail Mary but too clearly
4 implies?’ «Surely itis not possible that such a misstatement
- » gould have been deliberate. ». {
The argument. by which your grace attempts to prove the
accuracy ‘of your former assertion, that the commissioners of
_ education regulate, through their inspe » the quantity of reli-
gious instruction to be given to the people, ¢ hibits a specimen
> Of logic 80 exceedingly curions, that itis quite deserving of no-
. The commissioners allow the nationals to be given up two
day in every week, in order to allord che respective pastors of the
children an equal opportunity of giving them as much religious
instruction as they choose; andy: besides these two days, U
allow the managers, on every other day of the week, to not
8 many hours, prov ided they do not clash with the time neces-
for joint instruction, a3: they may ‘think proper. for’ the
=
1B
a gious purpose. *. From these premises, which are suffi-
ciently clear,’ your. grace jumps. all at once to the conclusion,
: that the commissioners are, therefore, guilty of ‘the
“Yous charge of attempting to regulate the ‘quantity ‘of reli-
gious instruction which the children—your grace said, on a for-
met occasion, the people—are to receive.» The uantity,””
4 your grace gravely observes, * is regulated by the hours alloted
“| io retigio ous instruction.””.) Coul id your grace have been really
© serious in drawing from such premises such a conclusion? Per-
a hy “ipsso; for even old Homer himself, while engaged i in compo-
1 shag his undying works, was sometimes, as we read, known to
a slumber and if he were not blind, I would add, with Bs eyes
7
i The objection drawn from what has been eaid, in one of our
books regarding the ereation, has just as, much argument as the
last to recommend it. Surel in the present state of science,
Jour grace would have been ‘somewhat ashamed to urge it, if
4 you had read the learned and orthodox work of Dr. Wiseman
the connexion of science with religion. »
Inallusion to powers exercised by the National Boa rd, ‘which
5 taut could approve,” your grace says, ‘Such, for i instance, is
4 © power of pertnitting the vernacular scriptures, in or out t of
x “hool hours, whether is separate of joint cducation * ’
+ Yithout the permission of the ordinary of the dioeese ia eh
‘ men Vernacular versions are read.” ~ Your grace is aware that
14 oard does nat permit-the reading of the sacred scriptures in
4 ational schools, during the joint instruction. * Why, then’ does
4 grace, by the studied anbignty. of your language, ‘seem
4 rel ing to insinuate that it ing the time set apart for
ah is instruction, it, of coursé; permits-that f is, it does not
ize sibit (how could it?)—the use of the sacred volume, to those
‘ay choose to avail themselves of it.» But how this non-
{ pny & can interfere with the authority of the ordinary (were
admitted to be: such as your grace represents it) Iam
mucli at a Jdss as, I am sure, all the rest of the world
ect tocomprehend. It really makes one melancholy to re-
in labo the pitiful straits to which a great mind may be Teduced
ring t to sustain a helpless cause. +)
ares $8 over various such objections, ‘the futility of which i it
ot be difficult to discéver; and J come to the pointon which
grace: seems ‘principally to rely for support—namely, that
f your grace.to the system ‘of national education
2 erordce with. the sentiments’ of the greut majority of
piscopal. brethren. “In my letter, alreadyyalluded to, ad~
SSed 0. the Ror an Catholics of Ireland, J demonstrate, cn
ite as
Will be,
NEW-YORK, § TURDAY, J JANUARY 12
4 OE ps
SMa
Ps eusE
» Truth ts powerful and will prevail. °
utter variance with the truth.
a siretch of boldness which few would venture to imitate, seems
to throw a
system of proselyteism under ise of educ
it right to come to the resolutions which your grace has quoted,
as the only means which then appeared practicable for securing
the faith of the children who attended the’ schools of the. Kil-
dare place Society ; and had no sufficient guarantee been de-
vised as a substitute for the conditions mentioned in those reso- |
lutions, the bishops would, without doubt, have adhered to them }
sternly and perseveringly. | But a new era arose. ,The system
of education, now justly called national, was proposed ‘as an |
experiment. The bishops saw in it what they considered a
suffic’ent guarantee for the safety of the religion of the children.
educated under it. It appeared to the great majority of them
» to secure, with sufficient efficacy, the object which they had in
view inthe adoption of the previous resolutions ;.and it was,
therefore, allowed asa substitute fur them, to spread, without
eppesivon from any quarter, over the whole face of the coun-
t tace’s ever-to-be-lamented predecessor, in the see
of, Tuam had signed. the: resolutions of 1826; and ‘yet, without
once thinking that he was violating the spirit of: them, he was
among the first'to embrace the new system, by the establish
ment of a national school at Tuam. The ill sus Dr. Doyle,
than whom theré was not a/ more uncompromising champion of
the faith, and who had also signed the same resolutions, was
so convince chat the new system contained an adequate substi-
tate for the security which he had previously sought, that he is
sued a cireular leuer to: his clergy recommiending them to en-
courage the spread of national schouls throughout every parish
in his diocese. \ Still further: from the time ‘of the commence-
ment of the national system u ual the middle of February, 1837,
there were six general meetings of the Catholic bishops of Ire-
vancisg: under. the system of the. prelates, in all ‘directions
through the country. ».And yet in not one of those meetings was
there a single resolution (don't say passed, but even proposed, )
to condemn it, as falling short of’ the’ terms previously insisted
ons :I now proceed to still more recent testimony to prove that
the national system was freely accepted by our prelates, without
the least dread of your: grace’s favorite ‘resolutions. | As your
grace (I cannot conjecture why) bas thought it right to insinuate
that certain cireumstances of the north of Ireland have placed
some of its . prelates under the: necessity of being, more pliant
than their brethren elsewhere, I will go at once for testimony to
the extreme south, where no such circumstances ex }
The Bishop of Kerry, under date of the 8th of. March last,
after expressing the satisfaction which his lordship and his clergy
felt at being relieved from the monoyanee of the Kildare-place
Society, writes thus:— ! a his
haps there is not a single exception) are’pledged to the present |
system, because: the “ally either personally, or through \ their
clergy, have applied for aid to the present commissioners to
build schools, and to! pay the masterss which, most eertainly,
should not be' done if any substantial objection was entertained
them. 'In' conclusion, I pray your grace to affix my name
a any document you may draw Up | in “approval of the system
that now exists..°
“The Bishop of Linieriek, indet date’ of the mth’ of March,
afier alluding to, ‘the ‘unsuccessful ‘attempt! which * your grace
made at the February’ meeting of the resent year, thus writes:
But, to come more directly to your 'grace’s questions, I am of
opinion that. if.the bishops of Iteland were now to discounte-
nance the established system, of eJucation, they would” subject
theniselves to the charge. of inconsistency, if not ot tergiyersa-
tion. my therefore, under the most unqualified, ‘conviction,
that fow'e! circumstances could be more disastrous to the interest
of this country, civil and réligious, than that" your grace should
cease to be a member of the national ho de :
But w hy veed Y harrass your gra bY the long recital of si-
milar ag onies, when’ I can-come at dace to the object which
Thav b producing your: gr: ce’ 's own jimportant and
comctusietestimony to sustain me? Bo lately
May last year, an application, bearing four grace’s well-known
signatare, reached our. boa aying for aid. towards the esta-
blishment of a national school in Tollvmount.’, By that signa-
tute your grace distinctly renounced, uhder your own hand, your
which you now hold t
alterable obligation? aes
SPOR rea ca dheradd catgut
sped
¥ ‘
at . ‘
+1839.
the unquestionable testimony of two distinguished prelates, who |
not be deceived as to the fact, that his assum ption. was at.| such a.nature that the commissioners did not. think :tbemselves
As, however, your grace, with, at liberty to accede to it. , It was for a sum of money to establish
|
|
|
land, held in Dublin. « Dariog the whole of that time it was ad-,
‘I besides consider, that almost all the bisliops of Ireland (per- :
as the 30th of | were submitted to'us.
adhesion tg the onions required by those same resolutions, the
be: so inviolable, and: you accepted, in j of
their stead, the: natonal. system. With; what consistency, can | su
ou now bring them forward, as’ a they werd p pf. fixed and un- | have been offere:
Itis true that ‘your ‘grace’ 's application ‘was, unfortunately, of
school in the dwetling-house of the Rev. James Mac Hale,
loubt upon the validity of even their: testimony, What new, right this disappointment may have thrown upon the
chiefly, because they did not refer to certain episcopal resolutions | national system it is not for me to guess... But it appears that,.
passed in 1826, it may, not, be inexpedient to examine, some- | on the following February, in a meeting of bishops, from which
what at large, whether those resolutions can now be brought | a severe illnes 3 compelled me to be absent, and after some of the
forward, with any kind of fairness, against the national system. prelates had retired, your grace, as Iam infornied, thought prop-
t is quite true that the Catholic bishops, when harassed by a | er, with out any previous communication with me, to animad-
cation, did deem | verton the commissioners, i
no very measured terms, for their
imputed-partislity in the distribution of the education geant, and
to harangue the meeting on the dangeroustendency of thesystem *
which they administered. . Part of this scene is thus described,
under the date of the 14th of March last, by another southern
prelate, who was witness to it— I heard from one respected
prelate some (I cannot call it specious) declamation against the
propriety of surrendering the instruction of the people committed
to our care to a government board orto any other board; butI d
| not think it deserving of any attention, as it was plainly 1 not on
in argument, a begging ofthe question, but, in fact, manifestly at
variance with the truth.”
My lord, these statements have been wrung “from me. I
withheld them long, in the hope that at some moment ot sober
teflection a blush might ultimately steal and burn upon your
grace’s cheek, at the thought of continuing to pursue a course
regarding the concerns of our common religion at open ;variance
with the known wishes of the great majority, and approved of,
Tbelieve, by none of your brother prelates.
Tnow retire from this controversy, which bas been forced upon
me ; and I do so with the consciousness that Ihave been drawn
into it by .no consideration of, personal feeling, but merely by a
sense of: public duty, ata time when longer silence on my, part
vould | have’ been injustice.
. however,.1 finish, T beg to offer your grace g one word
of consolation, -Your grace seems to think that the very atmos-
phere of, our training school ,is tainted, with the poison of heresy.
Pernit me now toinform your grace that of the masters now there
in a course of training seven- eights are of the ancient faith; , that «
many of them evince much piety. by. their frequent recourse to
the sacraments; that all of them have an opportunity of receiv- ¢
ing religious. instruction wihin. the’ school one day in the week,
besides, the, additional opportunities afforded ‘on the , Sabbath;
and that itis nezriy iy impossible ‘slould any attempt be made on the
religions opinions of such men, tbat it could escape immediate”
detection and exposure.
aving now,, as far as my slender bilities “would permit, en-
deavoured to dissipate the alarms, which your grace studied to.
excite relative to the system of national education, and having, |
at least, in some manner, enabled the public to judge between
your gtace and a few on the one hand, and ‘the vast majority of
the Catholic, hierarchy and priesthood of Ireland” on, the ether,
it only remains for me, to recommend the result to the over ruling
providence of that gracious. God, who has so long protected our
holy faith, under the grievous trials through which he has con-
ducted itin safety, and whose merciful i interposition Tdaily i in-
voke for its wider extension and unbroken perpetuity. (eas
ith the sincerest. wishes for your grace’ 's happiness, [have-
the honour to remain, my lord, your grace’ 's humble servant and
| brother in Christ, t ‘D. ‘MURRAY,
Dublin, 8th November, 1838, ‘
have to apologise thatit was not in my ‘pow er to ‘claim 4
‘your grage "s notice earlier, as. my temporary absence from Dub-
lin prevented me from having immediate access to some of
the an to which I. was ‘desirous to call your grace’s ‘S$ at-
oo oe
. “Meeting of the Precursor Society in Dubl .
On Monday, the adjourned, meeting of the Precursor Society.
was held at the Corn-Exc ‘e, Dublin, for the purpose of hear-
ing the Report of the Committee appointed on Thursday last.
Mr. O'Connell entered the room, a little after two o'clock, and
was received with loud cheers. .P. Purcell, Esq 7 Was called .
to the Chair.
Some time was then spent in receiving names and subserip-
tions, which, on . this occasion, were very numerous; * after «-
which, *
“Mr. 0" Connell came forward, and said,—Sir, as ‘Chairman
of the Committee appointed on the last day of meeting, itis’ ny
duty to. bring up to you the reports upon the questions which
Three. particular abjects engrossed our
aitention. The first was a reply to an address from the Radi- |
cals of England, which‘ was received from Mr. Lovell, the Se- ”
cretary of the Working Men's Association in London* Hear.)
‘The contents of the address do them no great credit3‘ and, in it,
‘display the greatest ignorance of the affairs and ‘epadition
reland. I hada draught of a reply to this address read
bmit to the corisileration n of the meeting; and it would, this day,
to you for adoption, ifs some things had.n
curred s Since our’ last nreetings which made it doubiful wheter
mE gait Petes mops tad tach |
'