1830.] [ 611 ] 



LORD MOUNTCASHEL AND THE CHURCH. 



THE Earl of Mountcashel is an enthusiast; probably an honest man 

 certainly a rash one,, and as certainly plunging into discussions beyond 

 his depth. The truth is, that having felt disgust at the conduct of in- 

 dividuals in the diocese in which he lives, he has expanded his disgust 

 over the whole Irish church has determined to believe that a fac-simile 

 of the Bishop of Cork presides over every diocese in Ireland, and that 

 an honourable Tom St. Lawrence revels in pluralities in every corner of 

 the land. Disgust will do much with a man of strong feelings ; and we 

 should not have been surprised to hear Lord Mountcashel pouring out a 

 stream of indignation on the state of things directly within his view. 

 But he should have deliberately examined the general aspect of the 

 church, have balanced the characters of the active, the learned, and the 

 sincere against his prepossessions, have ascertained how much of the 

 existing evil was to be attributed to the past legislative corruption ; 

 and, as a conclusion, decided that the Irish church was an important 

 'agent of good to the people. If the Irish church were to be overthrown, 

 the Irish state would follow it. If the influence which the Protestant 

 clergy exercise upon the civilization of the country were to be with- 

 drawn, three- fourths of Ireland would degenerate into barbarism; arid 

 if the connexion which their presence upholds between the Irish feeling 

 and English government were to be dissolved, the islands would be di- 

 vided in heart from that hour; Ireland would cease to be a part of the 

 British empire. A rebellion would break the bond ; followed by a re- 

 volution which would set up a local tyranny ; followed by a war, in 

 which Ireland would be the field of battle. 



For what horrors the land must be prepared that can contemplate 

 such a struggle. What utter devastation of the present means and fu- 

 ture powers of Ireland must be made in the course of a struggle between 

 the mad rebellion of the people and the angry vengeance of England ; 

 how tremendously the evil must be aggravated by the interference of 

 popish Europe, an interference which would undoubtedly be urged with 

 all the subtlety of Jesuitism, and all the fury of bigotry ! The island 

 must be covered with ruin ; population must perish ; production must 

 be extinguished over the face of the land ; and unless England should 

 be overborne and crushed by the united strength of European popery, 

 Ireland must be held to her allegiance only by the lash and the chain. 



We can feel no surprise that the church establishment should be made 

 the theme of that multitude of silly and ignorant disputers, who habitually 

 molest society. A blockhead who will argue though he cannot reason, 

 and will talk though he cannot learn, is among the worst nuisances of 

 civilized life. This haranguer is often some unlucky and obscure strug- 

 gler in the lower walks of some profession ; he sees himself surpassed 

 on all sides, and he salves his wounded vanity by abuse of all existing 

 things. He feels himself scorned in the general intercourses of intelli- 

 gent society, and he tries to revenge the scorn by reptile hatred of all 

 that dignifies public and private life. In default of all other know- 

 ledge, he takes up the miserable common-places of politics. He is the 

 radical. In the most repulsive ignorance of divine things, he takes up 

 the miserable common-places against religion ; hunting after the mean- 

 est sources of gain, he is outrageous at the established revenues of every 



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