271 



PLYMOUTH INSTITUTION. 

 PROCEEDINGS IN THE ATHENAEUM. 



October 16tii. — Mil. Purdon's Lecture on Ireland. 



The object of this paper was to shew by what process security 

 might be obtained for property expended upon Irish improvements. 



The lecturer considered that the irrational prejudice against the 

 vernacular tongue was a deep rooted cause of the evils of Ireland. 

 Those who had the moral and religious guidance of the people 

 were either ignorant of their loved and native tongue, or they 

 would not condescend to instruct them through its medium ; 

 whilst, on the other hand, designing and unprincipled persons had 

 used it as an instrument to subvert tlie authority of those who by 

 neglecting it had virtually cut off all intercourse between them- 

 selves and the people. 



Most people would be surprised when told that the Irish were 

 the only people in the United Kingdom who did not hear their 

 religion in their own vernacular tongue — in all other parts of the 

 kingdom it is proclaimed in four different languages, English, 

 Welch, Gaelic, and Manx, by resident and properly qualified mi- 

 nisters. This neglect is in direct violation of the 94th clause of the 

 Irish Established Church, which enjoins the proper officers to 

 provide hooliS in churches in the Irish language, ivherever the ma- 

 jority of the people speak the Irish language. Notwithstanding 

 this gross carelessness as to the moral and religious direction of 

 the Irish people, their number is more than three times the amount 

 of all the Highlanders, Manx, and Welch in the British Islands. 

 Under this culpable neglect can we be surprised at the outrages 

 which are continually perpetrated by these badly-led and untaught 

 people — ought we not to be surprised that they are not far worse ? 



Amongst the Irish, half a million do not understand ani/ En- 

 glish : but there are four millions whose knowledge of English 

 only extends to the capacity of buying and selling at market, and 

 conversing on very trivial concerns : to these any other language 

 than their own is a dead letter, as far as regards their acquiring 

 moral or religious instruction through its medium. The lecturer 

 was convinced that if the Irish were properly taught, through the 

 medium of their own language, that more than half the object of 

 acquiring security for life and property would be obtained ; and, 

 as the people had an enquiring mind, they themselves would sub- 

 sequently see the advantage of acquiring a knowledge of English, 

 as had been already observed amongst the Scottish Highlanders. 



