with other inventions of the devil, intended to oppose the truth, and to perpetuate error. It appears from the reports of different societies, that many of the schools in Ireland are disturbed, from time to time, by the impertinent interference of popish priests, who insult the teachers, and terrify the children, and even drive out of the school such as they conceive to belong to their communion. I shall give here a recent instance of this, with a most reverend archbishop's approbation of the fact; and then ] shall show what sort of education the priests have prepared for the poor children, of whom they claim the exclusive oversight. Letter from the Secretaries of the Dublin Sunday School Union, to the Most Rev. Dr. Troy, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Dublin. "No. 16, Upper Sackville street, 7th September, 1819. MY LORD-It is with very great pain we feel ourselves obliged to call your lordship's attention to a transaction which occurred on Sunday the 2d ultimo-the circumstances attending which are shortly as follows: "One of the objects aimed at by the society of which we have the honour of being secretaries, is to establish Sunday schools throughout the city, in such situations as may seem to be most in need of them; and among other similar institutions, our committee were enabled, by the kindness of friends, to begin a small Sunday school on the 28th of March last, in Sampson's lane, off Moore street. Since that period this school has been carried on with considerable diligence, and with some prospect of success; the only endeavour of the teachers being to make their pupils able to read the sacred scriptures, and to understand the meaning of what they read. But on the day already mentioned, the Rev. Mr. Salmon, of Liffey street chapel, entered the school, took the books from the hands of several of the children, and in an authoritative manner, ordered all that were Catholics peremptorily to leave the place; he in effect forcibly turned the children out of the school, and accompanied his conduct with such observations, as showed, that his hostility to such institutions was of the most decided description. 66 Convinced, as we all are, of the feelings that such a procedure must excite, not only in the breast of your lordship, but of every wellwisher to the good morals and peace of society; we consider it an imperative duty laid upon us, to state to you the occurrence explicitly as it happened. We are constrained to do so, not only from the circumstance of its affording your lordship an opportunity of expressing your sentiments on the subject; but, as the gentleman of whom we complain, stated that he was a curate in your lordship's diocess, and that he was, determined in future to oppose all Sunday schools. For himself, we can only regret the mistaken views which could lead him to such a determination; but for our own sakes, we have most respectfully to solicit, that your lordship will take such precautionary measures, as will prevent him on any future occasion, from molesting our schools. "It will always be with extreme reluctance that our committee will appeal to the constituted authorities of the country for protection, but if the restraints of professional character, of civil decorum, or of superior ecclesiastical jurisdiction, should be found insufficient to hinder this inVOL. II.-8 dividual, or any other, from rudely disturbing these peaceful seminaries of knowledge, which we have under our care, your lordship must perceive that such an appeal is unavoidable. "Our committee will hold a meeting at No. 16, Upper Sackville street, on Tuesday evening next, the 14th instant, for the purpose of receiving your lordship's answer on the subject, and in the mean time, we are, with great respect, "My Lord,-Your lordship's very obedient and humble servants, (Signed) W. SMITH, Jun. Most Rev. Dr. Troy, &c. &c." M. POLLOCK, Secs. "P. S. In addition to the above, it should also be stated, that the attendance of the children was perfectly free and voluntary, not only on their own part, but that of their parents; as may be confirmed by their parents' declarations, both before this transaction and since. Indeed, many of the children were specially given in charge to the teachers, by their parents and other guardians. No inquiry as to particular religious profession was ever made by the teachers; nor, until the Rev. Mr. Salmon divided the school in the unpleasant manner we mention, did they know to what distinctive communion their scholars belonged. "W. S. Jun. (Signed) M. P." Letter from the Most Rev. Dr. Troy, to the Secretaries of the Sunday School Union. "3, Cavendish Row, Dublin, 13th September, 1819. "GENTLEMEN:-The Catholic church sanctions no other English version of the sacred scriptures but the Douay edition, translated from the Latin Vulgate of St. Jerome, in the fourth century; and which, when accompanied with appropriate notes and comments, is permitted to be read by the learned and the lettered: she does not, however, approve of the Holy Bible being degraded to the level of a common school book, or capriciously explained by unauthorized commentators. tories of the Bible, historical and moral extracts from it, and catechisms, are generally used in Catholic schools. His "The present learned bishops of Lincoln and Peterborough, and other eminent divines of the established church in England and Ireland, have proved the inexpediency and danger to religion, from reading the Bible without note or comment; and of submitting it to the interpretation of every reader's private judgment, which experience has proved to be a prolific hive, from which have issued countless swarms of sectaries, distracting Christendom, each clamorously appealing to the Bible, the Bible, and however disunited amongst themselves, all arrayed in hostility to the Catholic parent church, which they most uncharitably continue to misrepresent and calumniate. Christianity was preached before the gospels were written and published; were the Bible alone sufficient for the knowledge of religion, the ministry of the word would be superfluous and the sacred ministry itself rendered useless. "The Catholic church does therefore prohibit the youth of her communion to frequent schools in these kingdoms, where a different version of the scriptures from that of Douay is used, or where unauthorized persons assume a right to expound the divine oracles; in which Saint Peter says in his second epistle, That there are some things hard to be understood, which the unlearned and unstable wrest to their own perdition, and that no prophesy of the scripture is made by private interpretation. "Conformably, therefore, to those maxims, and to the uniform discipline of the Catholic church, Rev. Mr. Salmon went to your school, to withdraw the Catholic children from it, at the very time when religious and moral instructions were given-particularly to children, in Liffey street parish chapel, he cannot on this account be justly accused of opposition to the constituted authorities, which allow the free exercise of the Catholic religion, and the authority of its ministers to instruct the ignorant of their communion. "Protestants and Catholics may zealously concur in promoting a general education of the poor, and still maintain the faith and discipline of their respective churches. If this be not permitted, no system of general education can succeed; why then are Catholic poor children invited to schools where their catechism is not taught, and a prohibited version of the Bible without note or comment is used, and explained by incompetent unauthorized persons? 64 As to the particular conduct of Rev. Mr. Salmon, I should be sorry indeed that he would act on any occasion in a manner unbecoming the meekness of a clergyman, or the manners of a gentleman. I this moment receive his enclosed explanatory letter, and have the honour to be with great respect, and in the spirit of perfect charity, "Gentlemen,—Your very humble servant, I shall now proceed to show what sort of an education it is which the priests have provided for the youth of their communion, whom they are now willing to instruct in the art of reading. Archbishop Troy says, that "Histories of the Bible, historical and moral extracts from it, and catechisms, are generally used in Catholic schools." Now, I happen to have in my possession a great number of these catechisms, and also some of their histories of the Bible, with historical and moral extracts from it, and I do not hesitate to say, that all of them are just what we might expect from the devil, professing to be Christian. The Christian vocabulary is used to a certain extent; language that savours of the love of God is introduced; but the tendency of the whole is to alienate the mind from the knowledge of God as he is revealed to us in the scriptures, and to lead the deluded worshipper to dependance on himself, or on some other creature. I shall, at present, confine, myself to the celebrated school book, edited by W. E. Andrews, which Dr. Milner, vicar apostolic of the midland district, England, declares to be "the most complete and valuable work of its kind in our language, and eminently entitled to the patronage of the Catholic public;" and the right reverend prelate promises to recommend it in those places of education over which he has any authority or influence. Nay, as I showed in my first volume, this work is praised by a correspondent of the author, as a much better book than the Bible, because, from it one will acquire a better knowledge of religion at one reading, than he will learn from the Bible in a whole life. I shall now favour the reader with a sample of the doctrine which is taught by this, which some of our English Papists consider, the best of all books. "The souls of some, who have not been very good during their lifetime, and yet have had pardon of their sins, will go into a prison, called purgatory, for a while;" page 67, 4th ed. The reader will observe, that the pardon of their sins here spoken of, is that which a priest can grant for money; and having obtained this, they need not be very anxious about the future, though they have not been very good persons; as they will only go to prison "for a while." You have been made To a child, the author thus addresses himself. "By baptism which you have received, you are washed from original sin, by the application of the merits of the blood of Jesus Christ; delivered from the universal curse of mankind incurred by sin, and freed from the power of the devil. You have been made a child of God; the disciple of Jesus Christ our Saviour. You have acquired God for your father, Jesus Christ for your master, your instructer, your example, and for the rule of your life; the holy church for your mother and guardian; the angels for your protectors, the saints for your intercessors. the temple of God, who dwells in you by his grace. The heir of his eternal kingdom, from the title and hope of which you were fallen for ever; and you are brought back into the secure way that leads to it, being made a member of Jesus Christ and his church, out of which all those who obstinately remain cannot be saved, and wherein you are now illuminated with the light of the faith of Jesus Christ, instructed by his doctrine, nourished by his precious body and blood, assisted by his grace, and furnished with all the necessary means for salvation." page 116. All these blessed things are said to belong to the young Papist, not as having received the Holy Spirit, for in that case the statement would be partly true, but merely because he has received a sprinkling of holy water from the hand of a priest. I do not know any thing that can have a more pernicious effect upon the youthful mind than this. your In perfect consistence with the well-known character of popery, this best of all school books teaches, page 177, that a lie is not a mortal sin, when it is not in a matter of consequence. It is admitted, indeed, that "a lie is always a sin, because it is always against the truth, known to be such by him that speaks;" and that "the habit of lying, although lightly, is not a light thing, nor of small consequence." There is here an attempt to guard the error, because it would not be creditable to teach the venial nature of a lie without some such qualifying expressions; but when it is plainly taught that a lie in any sense is not a mortal sin, every Christian must hold it as a doctrine of the devil, who was a liar from the beginning, and who, since he has become schoolmaster, will, no doubt, endeavour to persuade the popish youth to believe in the purity of his own character, and the innocence of his own practice. In the account which this writer gives of the feasts and fasts of the church, there is such a mass of superstition and will-worship, that it is impossible for a person to perceive any traces of real Christianity. The Virgin Mary and the saints appear to be every thing; and the Saviour, in comparison, appears as nothing. The Virgin Mary is declared to be "the mother of purity itself;" and speaking of her child-birth, when she brought forth Jesus, it is called that "to which, out of her great humility, she submitted." Such is the instruction provided for our popish youth, in what is called by a bishop of their church, the most valuable work of its kind in our language. I appeal now to the Christian reader, whether I have not made good the assertion with which I set out, that the devil himself has become schoolmaster. CHAPTER CXIV. LETTER FROM IRELAND. DR. LANIGAN'S CASE. SHAMEFUL OPPRESSION. INTEREST ING ACCOUNT OF THE CONVERSION OF A FAMILY FROM POPERY. AUSTERITIES ENJOINED AND PRACTISED IN IRELAND. TITLES AND CHARACTER OF SEVERAL POPISH PUBLICATIONS. SATURDAY, September 16th, 1820. In consequence of the very extensive circulation of my work in Ireland, I have lately acquired some more valuable correspondents belonging to that country; and from them a great deal of information, which will be interesting to my readers. Without farther preface, I shall proceed to give the substance of a letter which I received about two months ago. "SIR,-I have just read, with much pleasure and interest, your first volume of THE PROTESTANT. It only came into my hands last week, or I should have communicated with you sooner. I have long desired to see such a publication as yours, and I trust it will get into circulation in this benighted country.-I could not read your publication without desiring to give you any information that I think may be useful to you in conducting a work that is calculated to excite so much attention. My first communication shall be to give you a fuller account of Dr. Lanigan's business than you seem to possess; (See vol. i. page 226, Glasgow edition, in which this reverend doctor is introduced as giving five reasons why a promise may be broken;) as it is one of the extraordinary instances of the character of modern popery, where it has power, that it discovers the high sense of the rights of honour, conscience and citizenship, for which Vindicator would make it stand remarkable. I must preface my story, in order to give it to you at large. "In the beginning of 1808, there appeared an infamous paragraph in one of the Dublin papers, saying, that Mr. R. of Kilkenny, preached a violent Orange sermon in the church there, on the Sunday preceding; and some strong expressions were quoted, as if used by him. It was a day on which some soldiers of an Orange lodge went to church in some procession, which made Mr. R. preach a sermon determinately opposite to what was said in the paragraph, in which he besought the congregation to live, as far as possible, at peace with all men. Mr. R. got his attorney to write to the printer, to say that he purposed to prosecute him for the libel. The printer gave up a priest of that town, as |