plishment. The first thing that strikes the observer is, that just before the new Commission was constituted, a Report of a remarkable character had been made by one of the Chief Inspectors, with regard to a certain class of schools in his districts situate in the province of Munster. In this Report, the writer, with an apology for being compelled to speak unpalatable truths," and many accompanying statements of the respect he entertained for the morals and accomplishments of the ladies resident in the Convents, whose schools were multiplying in number over the lay schools of the country, still inveighed in very strong language against those Convent and Monastic schools, as being carried on with the design of "extinguishing" all education except such as they afforded— an education properly flavoured with the ceremonial, and propagative of the doctrines, secular and other, of the religious Orders. That striking document, which we shall in the sequel fully justify our description of by extract, also contained a promise by Mr. Sheridan, its author, that on account of the gravity of the subject, he would devote a sufficient portion of his time at an early date to an examination of those convent schools, with a view to a more elaborate report. That Report Mr. Sheridan never drew up; and although, in reply to a question by Sir Hugh Cairns, the Attorney-General for Ireland has stated in the House of Commons, that Mr. Sheridan was not forbidden to carry out his design, it is remarkable that his non-performance of an intention of the kind should correspond in time with a change in the composition of the Board, rendering it ultramontane, and, therefore, favourable to the convent project. Mr. Sheridan was, perhaps, shrewd enough to perceive that his new masters would be little pleased with a defence of the "lay" system in opposition to the monastic orders. The genius of the whole scheme had, in fact, altered within a few months, and what formerly was a line of objection calculated to satisfy the Government and not offend the Commissioners, it had become flat heresy so much as to

name.

This preface will prepare the reader, not before familiar with the topic, to

understand the nature of the struggle now going forward, and the various documents already issued bearing upon it. For instance, we take up a Return to an Order of the House of Commons dated 11th February, 1864, for (1) copies of the whole of the Revised Rules recently sanctioned by the Commissioners of National Education; of any dissents from or protests againt the adoption of all or any of the above Rules on the part of any of the Commissioners of National Education in Ireland, and given in by any of the Commissioners to the Board and, lastly, of all memorialsto his Excellency the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, against the recent changes in the rules and regulations of the Commissioners of National Education, and the replies of the Commissioners thereto. We now for the first time hear of revised rules and recent changes; so that the ultramontane majority of the Board went very soon to work after being established in Tyrone House. The nature of those so-called "revisions" will be best explained by quoting the memorials and protests of the supporters of the system who have been betrayed by them.

The history of the matter may be taken up at the moment when an influential deputation, headed by one of the latest and most enthusiastic converts to the Government scheme, the Bishop of Down, along with a number of Presbyterian clergymen, and influential laymen, wait on the Lord Lieutenant and place in his hand a statement which he immediately enclosed to the Commissioners for their observations, adding—

"I have received private letters to the same effect from persons entitled to much deference; but their views, as well as those stated by the deputation, during our interview, may be sufficiently gathered from the

contents of the two documents enclosed.

"It will appear that the apprehensions thus widely excited, are mainly founded upon the 10th paragraph of the rules and regulations, printed in 1863, fifth part, under the head of paid monitors, page 17.

"It was also alleged that the addition of monasteries to the heading 'Schools con

nected with Convents,' (page 18) was an

innovation.

"It is obvious, from the character of the persons who have made such representations, as well as of the representations themselves, that I must wish to be put fully in posses

Schools being practically exclusive and denominational, and consequently an obstacle to the extension of the National System, their farther increase is not desirable. It is, therefore, in memorialists' opinion, most unwise to offer them such advantages as

tend directly to their increased establishment throughout the country, and thus to the extension, by means of the National Sys. tem itself, of another system at variance with its principles and objects, a result which seems certain to arise from the grant to Convent Schools of capitation allow ance, free stock, premiums for extras, paid monitors, industrial teachers, pupil-teachers, &c.

"Because where such schools are established, they are used, as your Excellency may by inquiry find, to draw away the pu pils from other schools in which the system of the Board is honestly conducted, thus leading to the impoverishment or entire closing up of these latter schools.

"Because from the hostility exhibited by the Roman Catholic prelates and clergy towards the Training and Model Schools of the Board, and their openly expressed wish to get the training of Roman Catholic teachers into their own hands, there can be little doubt but that an attempt will be made to use the Conventual and Monastic Schools as Training Schools an object which the grant of allowances for pupil teachers would greatly facilitate.

"Because the favour already shown to Convent Schools having excited the suspicion and jealousy of some to whom similar indulgence has been denied, any extension of exceptional privileges must increase such feelings, and will no doubt be successfully,

and with some degree of justice, used as an argument against the National System by many of its opponents.

"In fine, memorialists object to the proposed alterations, because not only would they continue and greatly extend a system based upon principles inconsistent with those of the National System; but they are of a nature to support and strengthen schools which are openly and without disguise used for the overthrow of others founded by the National Board, and in which its rules and regulations are bona fide

carried out."

The third of these paragraphs merits the close attention of the reader. He will learn from it, if he has the least previous knowledge on the matter, or has weighed our opening remarks, that the step of making the Convent and Monastic Schools training-schools for teachers is but a means to an end. The party in whose interest those changes are made first got the Board into its hands by obtaining a fixed majority; they then

proceeded to establish the system of paid monitors in Convent Schools; they next cut down, as we shall subsequently show, the sums spent on the Model Schools proper, to obtain larger funds for their policy; and it was only after a vast deal had been securely accomplished in this direction, that they placed a Rule upon their books justifying their conduct, as appears by an entry under date the 21st of November, 1863, which we take from the Parliamentary Re

turn :

"Extract from Minutes of the Proceedings of the Board of National Education in Ireland, at their Meeting on the 21st November, 1863.

"The Commissioners resume the consideration of the Rules and Regulations as re-arranged, and some further verbal altera

tions and omissions are made.

"Ordered-That the Rules, as now altered and arranged, be approved.

"Mr. Gibson and the Rev. John Hall protest against the insertion of the new Rule (Part IV., section 5, paragraph 10), viz. :

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"In the case of a few very large and highly efficient schools, the Commissioners are prepared to appoint young persons of great merit to act as first-class monitors, with a rate of salary somewhat higher than that of paid monitors of the above grades."

efficient schools," the reader is to For "a few very large and highly substitute the terms, which the Commissioners astutely avoid-namely, Convent and Monastic Schools. Indeed the grossest part of this unexampled transaction is their use of such phrases as paid monitors," omission of all reference to the consuperior monitors," and the studied ventual establishments, in order to disguise their real policy and doings from the public, whose servants they are. The Derry memorialists further pronounce those proceedings "fraught with danger to the existence of the system," and language of the same description has been since held by all the independent organs of opinion in Ireland formerly advocates of the system.

Let us look now at the protests registered against the exploits of this ultramontane majority of the Commissioners by a minority of their own number. It will appear conclusively from those documents that the public

have not taken up the matter under any misconception, or without accurate information. So far as is known the non-content Commissioners were, the Lord Bishop of Derry, Dr. P. S. Henry, the Rev. John Hall, and Mr. James Gibson. The latter two may have fought against the innovators round the green cloth when the subject was under debate. It cannot be said whether they did or not; they were content with a very brief and feeble intimation of dissent when the revolutionary project was completed. But our concern is not with the alleged failure of individuals to perform with courage and efficiency the duty intrusted to them by the religious body to which they belong. Dr. Henry, even, was more outspoken in his protest, though tardy

"In accordance," he said, "with views formerly expressed by me respecting the inexpediency and great danger of the recent changes that have been made in the rules of the Board of Education, in regard to conventual schools, I have to request that my name shall be recorded on the minutes as indicative of my dissent from those changes. In my humble judgment the recent changes of rule seriously interfere with one of the fundamental principles on which the system of National Education was founded. After the experience of nearly a quarter of a century in administering the funds of the State in order to sustain a system of united education that has conferred inestimable blessings upon Ireland, I am constrained, by a sense of public duty, to express officially my opinion upon a question which I regard to be of imperial importance."

This declaration of opinion is unmistakable. If the younger Commissioners are all but silent objectors, those whose experience goes over nearly the whole period during which the system has been in existence, speak plainly enough. The most important protest, however, is that of the Lord Bishop of Derry. Dr. Higgin, an old and earnest supporter of the system, puts his pen to paper against it with manifest unwillingness. But there is no sign of hesitation in the able letter he wrote on the 6th of November, 1863, whilst the New Rule was not yet finally passed-a letter sustained by a second protest on the 4th of February, 1864.

Having considered with much attention" (says his lordship) “the Revised Rules and

Regulations which are proposed for the adoption of the Commissioners of National Education, I feel myself called upon to express my dissent from any alteration of the rules relative to the grants made to convent schools; and at the same time I take occasion to observe that I am of opinion that any revision or alteration of the Rules and Regulations of 1855 is inexpedient, inasmuch as such a procedure creates distrust in the public mind, and is at variance with that understanding of fixedness with which they were compiled and published.

"As it is now proposed to augment the allowances (to convents), by the introduction and payment of pupil teachers, it appears to me that such augmentation will countenance and promote to a serious extent the denominational system. It is a

fact that many vested and non-vested schools have been closed by the operation of the rule as it now exists; and it cannot be doubted that, should the amount of aid already given be increased, this class of schools will be greatly augmented, the denominational system more extensively spread by the establishment of additional convent schools; and when they are so established, the adjacent female schools will be seriously interfered with, and in the end altogether absorbed.

"This further departure from the principles of the National system, in favour of schools belonging exclusively to one religious body, will afford a cause of wellgrounded dissatisfaction to others to whom such privileges are refused, thus furnishing the opponents of the National system with an argument which they will not fail to employ to its disadvantage.

'Considering that the restrictive rule relative to convent schools is a fixed and fundamental rule, calculated to meet the just expectations of the Protestant and Roman Catholic mind, I am of opinion that its alteration will be a breaking of faith connexion with the Board, under the convicwith many who have placed their schools in tion that the National system was clearly and unalterably settled; and some of these persons may be constrained to withdraw from a connexion which has already brought them into collision with their private and political friends.

"I am of opinion that the granting of pupil teachers to convent schools would be an admission that these schools are preliminary training-schools, as much so as Model

Schools, and is therefore to be regarded as the introduction of a new principle, or at least the changing of a fundamental rule.

"The model and training schools are under the direct cognizance and control of the Commissioners; and, being so, they are the proper places for the training and improvement of the pupil-teachers.

"I have only further to observe that when, at the request of Her Majesty's Go

vernment in Ireland, I was induced to accept the office, and undertake the responsibilities of a Commissioner of National Education, I did so under the assurance that the organic rules and regulations of the Board might be considered definitively fixed."

Before inquiring what answer the Commissioners were able to give to these memorials and protests, when forwarded to them by the Lord Lieutenant for explanation, let us revert to Inspector Sheridan's Report of 1861, which possesses peculiar value as a document prepared at a time when the subject of the character and working of convent and monastic schools was not formally under consideration, and when the evil, if evil it was, of subsidizing and encouraging them was less in magnitude than now. Mr. Sheridan wrote without any very apparent or immediate object, what his observation and experience had taught him. As a Roman Catholic, and a zealous one, moreover, he was an impartial witness, and every word he says on the question goes to support the views expressed by the Bishop of Derry and the Ulster memorialists. For example, it is stated in the paper drawn up by the Derry Association, during the present year, that the effect of showing special favour to convent schools will be, to "draw away the pupils from other schools in which the system of the Board is honestly conducted." Let Mr. Sheridan be heard on this point, in the words of his Report :

"While there is, undoubtedly, a large proportion of children that will attend the schools of religious communities in preference to any other, there is always, on the other hand, a not inconsiderable number of children who would readily attend lay schools, but cannot be induced to frequent those conducted by religious teachers. This is a fact which cannot be gainsaid. I have an intimate knowledge of its truth, and could readily adduce abundant proof of it. And let it be understood that I am not alluding to children of different denominations, but only to Catholic children. What is the result? When the lay schools are extinguished, a considerable portion of the children of the poor locality receive no education whatever.

"In the town of Killarney there are two convent schools and one monks' school for the education of the children of a population amounting to nearly 6,000 persons. day school conducted by lay teachers would be tolerated there. Well, I have it on the

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best authority that the number of children attending schools in Killarney is consider ably less than that of those who never enter a school."

It is true that Inspector Sheridan pronounced no absolute condemnation of convent schools, but he pointed out as defects in their constitution and management, principles, motives, and practices, which the New Rules, far from modifying, will vastly intensify. For instance, he recommended that a lay superior teacher should be introduced into each convent school, under the direct control of the Commissioners (as we understand him), from whom the lady managers might acquire a proper system of teaching, and who would represent in this class of schools the spirit of the State system. That suggestion, it need hardly be said, has not been adopted: the later policy runs quite the other way. But hear Mr. Sheridan speak again on the "intolerance" of the conventschool propaganda :--

"It is a characteristic of these teachers that they are impatient of competition. A rival school, if it can possibly be extinguished, is not allowed to exist. In crowded cities this is, of course, impossible; but in Tralee, Killarney, Newcastle, Kinsale, Queenstown, Middleton, Skibbereen, Bandon, Dingle, and a host of smaller towns, no female schools, except those connected with Convents, are to be found; none are permitted to be established.

In some of

them, indeed, such as Tralee, Killarney, Newcastle, and Dingle, in which there are Monks' schools as well as Nuns' schools, even the ordinary male National schools have been proscribed.

"Now, I am perfectly convinced that in pursuing this policy these worthy teachers are actuated by good motives. They have faith in themselves, as all earnest devoted teachers have, or ought to have; and believing conscientiously that their own schools are best adapted for the proper training of youth, they consider themselves justified in using all their influence to remove other schools

out of the way. But to me such a policy appears most objectionable. It savours of intolerance. In fact-there is no use in mincing words-it is intolerance; and, like every other intolerant policy, the evils it gives rise to are more than sufficient to counterbalance the good it is expected to effect."

What reply have the Commissioners given to the several documents of 1864, before referred to, and to the equally remarkable Report of their