ELEMENTARY EDUCATION IN IRELAND. [To THE EDITOR OF THE "
SPECTATOR.") SIR,—In an article on the Queen's Colleges in Ireland in your issue of the 9th inst., you refer to the Government as being
"pledged as no Government ever was before" to govern Ireland in accordance with Irish ideas, a phrase which is commonly understood to mean the clearly expressed and practically unanimous desire of the country.
Now, it cannot be said with truth that any such unanimity prevails in regard to the demand for denominational educatior. It is confined to the Roman Catholics. The Protestants mak-- tain that as regards elementary education, united, secular, and separate religious instruction is the system best adapted to the wants of Ireland. They believe that if the youth of the country are to grow up good neighbours and useful citizens they must be trained together on the same benches ; and they advance various weighty arguments in favour of their con- tention. Without, however, attempting to repeat any of these, I may mention one which applies in the North of Ireland, an which, although it may not be considered of much importance, may serve to show how the wind blows.
It is scarcely necessary to say that unfortunately party feeling runs high in Ireland, and, whether from this cause or not, it generally happens that the attendants at a school pro- fessedly Protestant, or under Protestant management, come to regard the school on the other side of the street under Roman Catholic management, as antagonistic, while the attendants at the latter regard the former in the same light. A feeling the. reverse of friendly thus arises, which not infrequently breaks out in actual hostilities in the form of stone-throwing and the like, especially on celebration or anniversary days; and it will be easily understood that as the lads grow up, and the political agitator takes the place of the school-book, the antagonism thus engendered does not diminish. Every person who considers the evil results flowing from Denominationalism, and who values the future unity and peace of this country, must fervently hope for the speedy arrival of the time when no school under the control of any religious denomination whatever shall receive one shilling of the money of the State.
This need not be made a question of "trying to inspire the people with a lofty indifference to all forms of religion," for the- religion of all should be respected and taught by the proper parties, and at the proper time and place; but if the surroundings of the establishments in which religion is now professedly taught are such that one of the results is a tendency on the part of the youths to break each others' heads, then better a thousand times that every school with which the State takes anything to (1(4 were effectually cut off from either creed or party.—I am, Sir, W. McL.
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