Correspondence.

Press, Volume V, Issue 558, 13 August 1864, Page 3

Correspondence.

TO THE EMTOB OF THE ' PEESS. ,

Sir, —I have some claim to ask you that you should print the passage from Mr. Trollope's work to which I alluded to in the last letter you were good enough to publish in your ieaue of the 9th inst:—" An Englishman of strong religious feeling will often be startled in America by the freedom with which religious subjects are discussed, and the ease with which the matter is treated, but lie will be rarely shocked by that utter absence of all knowledge on the subject —that total darkness which is still so common among the lower orders of England. It is not a common thing to meet an American who belongs to no denomination of Christian worship, and who cannot tell you why he belongs to that which he has chosen. But I feel very strongly that much of that which is evil in the structure of American politics is owing to the absence of any national religion, and that something also of social eril has sprung from the same cause. It is not that men do not say their prayers. For aught I know, they may do so as frequently and as fervently, or more so, than we do ; but there is a rowdiness in their manner of doing so which robs religion of that reverence which is, if not its essence, at any rate its chief protection. It is a part of their system that religion shall be perfectly free, and that no man shall be in any way constrained in the matter; consequently the question of a man's religion is regarded in a free-and-easy way. . . • Everybody is bound to have a religion, but it does not much matter what it is." Your own allusion to the Irish system is co worded as to lead one to think it must be altogether the opposite of the English, and quite undenominational. I hope yon will in fairness, publish the instructions of the Irish Board, issued, 1 believe, in 1832. Tour obedient servant. Subscriber. The Commissioners appointed for administering the funds placed at the disposal of his Excellency the Lord lieutenant, for the education of the poor of Ireland, are ready to receive applications for aid towards the building and fitting up of echools, the paying of teachers, and the obtaining of books and school requisites, on the following conditions :— I. They will require that local funds be raised : — 1. For the annual repairs oS the school-house and furniture. 2. Towards a permanent salary for the teacher j the amount of such salary, in each case, to be settled with the approbation of the Commissioners. 3. For the purchase of books and school requisites at half-price. 11. Where aid is sought from the Commissioner* for building a school-house, they will require that, at least, one-third of the estimated expense be locally contributed: that a site for building to be appro red of by the Commissioners, be secured for the purpose - and that the school house, when finished, be vested in trustees, to be also approved of by them. lll.—They will require that the schools be kept open for a certain number of hours, on four or fire days in the week, at the discretion of the Comtniseionera, for moral and literary education only; and that the remaining one or two days in the week be set apart for giving, separately, such religious instruction to the children as may be approved of by hOlm Oil tllO Other days of ti»e week. i IV.-—Ther will require to have the entire contro OTiP all iMWto tP- &9 wwd in the 8chool9 » hefcl^ "* combined moral and. litemry. or sepairatc religious instruction; none to be emplojedin tlie former except under the sanction of the Board, nor in the latter but with the approbation of those members of the Board who are Of the tame religious porsuasum witk the clifldren for whose use they are intended. Although it is not designed to exclude from the Let of books for the combined instruction such portions of sacred history, or of religious and moral teaching, as may be approved of by the entire Board ; it is fto be understood that the use of euch booss is by no means intended to constitute a perfect and sufficient religious education, or to supersede the necessity of separate religious instruction on the days set apart for that purpose.

j V.—They will require that in all schools a register jbe kept, in which shall be entered the attendance or non-attendance of each child on Divine worship on Sundays. Vl.—They will allowto the individuals or bo lice, applying for aid, the appointment of their teachers, subject t<) the following restrictions and regulations : — 1. All teachers (except of schools now existing, a?) 1 which shall bs approved of by the Board), c,, .-\l! have re-'cived previous instruction in a Model School, in Dublin, to be sanctioned by the Board, and shall also have obtained from the Board testimonials for good conduct and general fitness. 2. All teachers shall be liable to be fini>J, suspended, or removed, when the Commissioners deem it necessary. Vll.—The Commissioners, by themselves, or their Inspectors, to be allowed to visit and examine tho schools whenever they think fit. VTlL—They will particularly require that the principles of the following lesson be strictly incul- j cated in all schools approved of by them, and that the lesson itself be printed, and copies of it on paste board be hung up in each school : " Christians should endeavour, as the Apostle i Paul commands them, "to live peaceably with all men," (Romans 8, eh. xii., v. 1,) even with those of a different religious persuasion. " Our Saviour Christ commanded his disciples to " love one another." He taught them to love even their enemies, to bless those that cursed them, and to pray for those who persecuted them. He himself prayed for h»s murderers. " Many men hold erroneous doctrines ; but we ought not to hate or persecute them. We ought to seek for the truth, and to hold fast what we are convinced is the truth ; but not to treat harshly those who are in error. Jesus Christ did not intend his religion to be forced on men by violent means. He did not allow his disciples to fight for him. " If any persons treat us unkindly, we must not do the same to them, for Christ and his Apostles have taught us not to return evil for evil. If we would obey Christ., we must do to others, not as they do to us, but as we should wish them t j do to us. " Quarrelling with our neighbors, and abusing them, is not the way to convince them that we are in the right and they in the wrong. It is more likely to convince them that we have not a Christian spirit. "We ought to she r ourselves followers of Christ —who, " when he v * reviled, vjviled not again" (1 Pet., chap, ii, verse -' —by behaving gently and kindly to every one." As one of the main objects of his Majesty's Government is to unite in one system children of different creeds, and as much must depend on the co-operation of the resident clergy, the Board will look with particular favor upon applications procaed ing either from— 1. A Protestant clergyman and B>oman Catholic clergyman conjointly. 2. A clergyman of one denomination, and a certain number of laymen of the other. 3. Laymen of both denominations.