1827.] The Four Natfuns. 481 



same as in England. Nay, they are far more tempting to the upper 

 classes; and, therefore, by necessary consequence, far more completely 

 monopolized by them. Princely as is the possession of lawn sleeves in 

 England, it is nothing at all compared with the train of substantial wealth 

 and political influence attendant upon an Irish mitre. Comfortable, too, 

 as is an English rector, and snug and sleek as is an English dean, they 

 are nothing compared with their brethren on the other side of St. George's 

 Channel ; because there, while the labourers are many and the wages 

 excellent, the vineyard is limited indeed ; and even now the ironical 

 commencement of the service with the words " Dearly beloved Roger," 

 would apply to many a well-endowed clergyman of the establishment. 

 The Catholic religion, too, while it renders the established church an 

 object much more desirable, tends, by its peculiarities, still further to nar- 

 row the wish for education. Catholicism always has been, and when in 

 vigour always necessarily must be, inimical to freedom of thought ; and 

 this without any question about its purity as a system of religious faith ; 

 because, if the people put their minds under servitude to any man, how- 

 ever good and holy he may be, upon a subject of so extensive arid over- 

 whelming a nature, it is not possible that they can have free or ardent 

 scope upon other matters. But, by prohibiting the reading of the Bible 

 which, independently of its divine origin, is really the most delightful 

 book for every-day reading and by commanding an election among other 

 books, the holy brotherhood of the Catholic religion still farther narrow 

 the desire of education to their humbler disciples ; while certain bars that 

 lie in the way of the advancement of Catholics to the very highest offices 

 of the state, must throw a damp upon the desire of education, even to the 

 very top of the Irish community. 



The literary impulse which the peculiarity of its church gives to Scot- 

 land is much more extensive, and much more valuable, than would at first 

 be imagined. Even discounting the loss that may be supposed to be sus- 

 tained by the scaring away of the higher classes, it will be found, upon 

 examination, that it brings into the field not only a much greater proportion 

 of the whole people, but a much more talented proportion than is called 

 forth by the limited and aristocratic system of the sister kingdoms. In the 

 upper classes, the son who is educated for a parson may, by possibility, be 

 the one who if the expression may be pardoned is fit for nothing else : 

 at all events, he will be the one whom they cannot better provide for ; 

 whereas the peasant will naturally select for sending to college that branch 

 of his family which possesses the greatest aptitude for acquiring knowledge. 

 The larger proportion of the people, too, from which the candidates are 

 taken, necessarily makes the number of candidates much greater in propor- 

 tion to the number of livings. In England, considering the classes whence 

 they emanate, no man thinks of bringing up his son for the church unless 

 he has some prospect, and that a pretty clear one, of obtaining a living for 

 him. Not so in Scotland; for, if the candidate should not got a living, 

 there is another office in every parish as important, scarcely less honourable, 

 and which, though it rises not much above the verge of poverty, is a 

 respectable enough sort of starvation that is, the office of parochial School- 

 master. To the institution of these parochial schools to the cheap rate 

 at whidh education is obtained at them and to their, generally speak- 

 ing, keeping quacks out of the field, and rendering unnecessary those 

 jobbing establishments styled CHARITY-SCHOOLS in England establish 

 rnents in which charity really covers " a multitude of sins " the supe- 



M.M. N*w SrrirsVoL. TIT. No. 17. 3 Q 



