But the most important part of Mr. Balfour's speech was
what he said on University education. He did not conceal his regret "that the clergy had felt it their duty to discourage members of the Catholic Church from taking full advantage of the Queen's Colleges or of Trinity College, Dublin ;" but in matters of this kind, regrets, he said, were vain things ; he must take facts as he found them, and the only course was to try to devise some scheme by which the wants of the Roman Catholic population should be met, other than those which at present had been attempted. He did not think that it was proper for him on that occasion to suggest even the main lines of what the scheme ought to be ; but that they ought, if possible, to carry out such a scheme which would satisfy all the legitimate aspirations of Roman Catholics, he entertained no doubt." He hoped that he himself should be able to undertake some of the practicable educational reforms which he had suggested, though, of course, he fixed no definite time for them. In the meantime, he thought the Roman Catholics of Ireland ought to be satisfied when they con- sidered that what is in the main a Protestant State, con- tributes towards Roman Catholic education, managed by Roman Catholics, though under certain mild restrictions, funds larger than those contributed by the Exchequer of any Roman Catholic country on the Continent in support of Roman Catholic education.
Previous page
