[To TIIE EDITOR OF- THE "SPECTATOR."]
Sin,—You will, I trust, be able to help the clergyman whose letter I have just been reading in your last week's paper out of the dilemma in which he fancies himself.
He says he is much in favour of the clisestablishment of the Irish Church, because he believes it would much promote the spread of true Protestant and liberal teaching, and that more rapid progress would be made in enlightenment and civilization ; but as a politician he fears it would happen that in some parishes, if difiendowment takes place, the parochial charities, small trades- men, and the post office would lose their patron.
Now, surely, the spread of Protestantism, increased enlighten- ment and civilization, must be a general good; the loss to a few parishes of the only "real gentlemen" (if this " terrible " con- sequence should follow) can be but a very partial evil.
Under these circumstances alone (leaving out of view the justice of the measure towards the Roman Catholic population) the course to be taken seems to me clear enough, even for the politician ; and for the reverend gentleman I could suggest an easy solution of the difficulty. Let him act on his conviction as a clergyman, and leave the other side of the question for the politician to deal with.—I
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