The adjourned debate on Thursday was languid, though con- siderable
men took part in it. It was opened by Mr. Horsman, who always speaks in a statesmanlike tone, though never in a statesmanlike way, and consisted mainly of an amplification of the following sentence :—The Government has revealed its policy clearly ; "on the Church it is a policy of inaction ; on the land a policy of procrastination ; on education a policy of retrogression." The single measure proposed was the creation of a Catholic Uni- versity, and this Mr. Horsman would resist, as tending to over- throw Lord Derby's great gift to Ireland—national education. Three and a half millions of children have been educated in the national schools since 1833, and 75 per cent. of all children are still attending them. The Catholic laity object to such a Univer- sity, and prefer the Queen's. The Church of Ireland ought to be disendowed without further delay, the question having passed out of the region of inquiry; and as to land, the "feeling of insecurity which is driving tenants abroad ought to be removed by some means or other." That is Mr. Horsman all over. He made an extremely clever speech on the right side, admitted every evil admitted by Liberals, and then confessed that he had not an idea how the greatest of them all was to be met. It is practical sug- gestion, not clever talk, which Parliament wants, and that is the reason why Mr. Horsman's ambition has remained so long ungratified.
