6S0 



O^DriscoTs Viewi of Ireland. 



pie more than Uie estalilishnient ? And 

 is it not confessed that they are in utter 

 igntjrance of their duties as men, as sub- 

 jects, and as Christians. 



The poor of Ireland are educated at 

 llie expense of British benevolence, and 

 jet we see numerous societies in Ireland 

 sending money abroad for the instruction 

 of the Jew and the Heathen ! This is 

 Ihe vanity of charity. Every person en- 

 gaged in pursuits of charity, is not, wo 

 fear, lo be set down as charitable. There 

 is a fashion in these things also ; there 

 arc cliaritnble coteries, and religious co- 

 teries ; and tlie talkers and pretenders in 

 these circles do infinite mischief to tho 

 c;iii.so <jf real religion and charity. Up 

 and down, in these societies, you meet 

 with cliaractcrs of real worth and un- 

 aH'cctcd virtue. The pretenders, and 

 the mere religious and charitable gossi- 

 ]>ers, are easily known. With these, 

 charily and religion is taken up as a 

 means of acquiring notoriety, as an intro- 

 duction to good society, or as a resource 

 against emiui or idleness. They have 

 need of something to talk about, and to 

 interest them to a certain degree ; but 

 they make no sacrifices : what they give 

 in the way of charity is very small, just 

 enough lo save appearances, and mea- 

 sured with a cautious and timid hand, 

 lest any inroad sliould be made upon 

 their comforts, or the rising structure of 

 their wealth be at all impaired. Some 

 of these are cunning managers, and Irafiic 

 rather in the charily of others than their 

 own : some are wealthy persons, living 

 in circles of religious luxury, whoso 

 charities are very sparing and economi- 

 cal, but whose parties exhibit a rich dis- 

 play of whalever can gratify the senses, 

 or delight the palate, or flatter the vanity 

 of the entertainer, and make the religious 

 guests admire and envy. 



There is a class of publications, 

 ■which, in this reading age, has served 

 to fill the ranks of religious pretenders 

 and trillers. We allude to religious 

 novels. We have heard of certain con- 

 gregations of ]\Iethodists, who, having 

 set their psalms to the music of our 

 most popular airs, justified this inno- 

 vation, !)y saying, they were determined 

 " that the devil should not have all the 

 good music." So, perhaps, our writers 

 of religious fiction are resolved, that 

 Ihe arch fiend shall not have all the 

 novels. 



The religious novel has displaced the 



ordinary novel at the tea-table, and in 



the closet, and furnished our parties 



with a phraseology of another kind. 



4 



This is often, we fear, the only change. 

 If we had not these publications, we 

 should not have so many talkers upoii 

 religion ; but we should have, perhaps, 

 quite as many impressed with its awful 

 truths. We are inclined to think we 

 should have a greater number, because 

 tiicn there could be few self-deceived 

 and deluded. There are numbers who 

 can enter into the sentiment of the reli- 

 gious novel, and feel, and, perhaps, 

 weep, and give a little occasional alms, 

 whose religion is all upon the surface of 

 the mind : at bottom is the love of the 

 world, and the pride of life, and the 

 selfishness which hardens the heart 

 against real suffering, while it melts at 

 imaginary woe. 



In speaking of education societies, 

 the "Dublin Society for the Education 

 of the Poor of Ireland," Kildare-place ; 

 the " London Hibernian Society," the 

 "Cork Hibernian School Society," and 

 the " Baptist Society," deserve our 

 warmest commendation. All these 

 have made the Holy Scriptures ind ispen- 

 sable in their system. And this has 

 been made a ground of objection lo 

 them. We have elsewhere stated our 

 ojiinion, that Scripture education is es- 

 sential for the poor. The first objection 

 made to the circulation of the Scrijjtures 

 amongst the people by the clergy of 

 the church of Rome, was upon the 

 ground, only, that the version attempted 

 to be distributed, was the authorised, or 

 Protestant one, A number of Catholic 

 and Protestant gentlemen, considering 

 this objection as not unreasonable, en- 

 tered into a subscription, and published 

 an edition of the Hemisli translation, 

 for circulation in the schools, and in the 

 country. This was no sooner done than 

 the clergy shifted their ground ; and now 

 it ajipeared that they could not permit 

 the poor to read any version, or edition, 

 whatever of this obnoxious book. 



In those schools, where the adventures 

 of Freney the robber, and Don Bel- 

 lianus of Greece, and other books, with 

 the names of which we shall not stain 

 our paper, had maintained, and continue 

 to maintain, a quiet and immemorial 

 possession, the New Testament was 

 carefully excluded, and violently de- 

 nounced. 



We object (o the Charfcr-School sys- 

 tem, because it is the application of 

 the purse of the nation, to which all con- 

 tribute, to the teaching of a ])articuiar 

 creed. AVe should, in like manner, and 

 for the same reason, object to Catholic 

 schools supported by government funds. 

 Schools, 



