The meeting of the Roman Catholics at St. Martin's Hall
has a political as well as moral interest. The great object was to secure the full rights of our fellow-countrymen under the recog- nized principles of civil and religious liberty, particularly to secure free access for clergymen of the Romish faith to schools, workhouses, prisons, and other public establishments. -One 4ifficulty which lies before the movement has been made by it member of the Roman Church,—that reverend gentleman who assisted in keeping Mary Anne Macdonald away from her natural parents ; but aflo.do foget tbatAliala Pace was also kept away by religiose *gaiety, ,and we heartily join. our fellow- countrymen in their endeavour to secure the strictest adminis- trative equality for members of all religious persuasions. IVeler can we refuse to recognise the appeal from sect to the principles of Christianity. The political aspect of the meeting is rendered interesting by the peculiar circumstances of the day. Confident calculations have been made as to the support which would be transferred from the Liberal party to its political opponents on the score of this very question. The general spirit of the meet- ing, however, implied that the great majority of the gentlemen present had not been prepared to lower their own movement by prostituting it to party purposes ; and undoubtedly they will carry with them a far larger amount of public sympathy if they keep free from that kind of strategy.
Previous page
