[TO TRH EDITOR OF THE "SPECTATOR."] Silt,—In your notice of
Dr. Maguire's letter to Mr. Fawcett you say that "the numbers of the Roman Catholic and Protestant middle-class in Ireland from whom the Universities ought to be recruited being about equal, the fact that there are twice as many Protestants as Catholics in the learned professions shows pretty plainly that the ordinary schools of learning have not the con- fidence of the Roman Catholic middle-class." Will you allow me, solely for the purpose of getting information, to question the as- sumption made in the former part of the sentence which I have quoted. It is obvious that its truth or falsehood seriously affects the whole question. I have been living all my life in Ireland, and my impression has always been that in the classes at all likely to avail themselves of a university the Protestants are in a vast majority. I have heard the assertion made over and over again by men of quite opposite shades of opinion, and I cannot recol- lect ever having heard it questioned. I may add that my ideas on the subject are not derived from any one part of the country, for I have resided in two or three. Are there any figures by which the question can be satisfactorily settled? I do not think anything short of a very clear argument founded on figures would convince that I have all along been completely mistaken on this subject.
You say that Dr. Maguire's argument from numbers tends just the wrong way for his case. Putting aside the Physicians and Barristers as at least not plainly justifying his conclusion, I cannot see that the same objection applies to the case of Solicitors. They do not require an university education, and I imagine very few of them have enjoyed one, although I believe the possession of an university degree shortens considerably their term of apprentice- ship. I do not understand how they are affected by the theolo- gical character of the Universities.
I quite agree with you that every Irish priest ought to have a- degree in Arts, and I fear "it is certain that this will never be the case till an Irish University exists which, while testing. stringently the soundness of the secular learning of the graduates, does not alarm and repel orthodox Roman Catholics." Such an- University, I fear, we never can see, except in the form of a mere- examining Board, and be it remembered, to such an University the Roman Catholic Bishops, in 1868, expressed, through Arch- bishop Leehy and another Roman Catholic bishop, the most decided objection.—I am, Sir, &c., A LIBERAL PARSON. [Our assumption was made and accepted on both sides of the' House of Commons in the debates of last Session on University Education in Ireland.—En. Spectator.]
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