tries, he has attempted to enlist under his banners, with a view to its suppression, all true Protestants of every shade and party. "Faveat coeptis Deus optimus maximus." Hereford, April, 1840. CONTENTS. MAYNOOTH COLLEGE. THE College of Maynooth, situated in the County of Kildare, about twelve miles from Dublin, was founded in the year 1795, by an Act of Parliament, the 35th Geo. III. c. 21, entitled, "An act for the better education of persons professing the Popish or Roman Catholic Religion." The avowed object of its institution was to provide for the Roman Catholic Clergy of Ireland not only a better education, but one more in conformity with their character as subjects of the British Crown, by securing their allegiance. Mr. Pitt, the minister of the day, in founding the College of Maynooth, was influenced by the expectation that the concession of such a boon would tend to render the Roman Catholic Priests of Ireland the fitting guardians of the people's morals, the devoted adherents of good order and social tranquility,-the inculcators of charity, peace, forbearance, and philanthropy, towards Christians of all denominations,—in brief, to make them enlightened members of society, and sincerely zealous teachers of that pure morality which reason inculcates, and the gospel enforces. Never was B there a more mistaken measure than that well-meant but ill-judged step, or one that more completely deceived the hopes of its founder. Among the baneful effects produced by the ill-placed liberality of the Government, which yielded a portion of the public money to the support of this Institution, is the facility afforded to persons of the lowest rank to enter the Roman Catholic priesthood. Before the College of Maynooth was founded, it was comparatively a rare occurrence for individuals starting from the lowest classes of society to provide the means of investing themselves with the sacerdotal dignity. To secure the then indispensible advantage of a continental education, it was necessary to be able to muster something not much short of £100, in order to defray the expenses of transport, and entrance at the foreign colleges. Such a sum would be quite out of the reach of the average class from which the priests are now selected. Collections at the parish chapels were the only means by which pauper candidates for the priesthood could then by possibility push themselves forward; and, mulcted as the people were under the voluntary system for the support of their pastors, collections of this description were not set on foot without considerable difficulty; and were rarely made except in favour of those who were supposed to be possessed of extraordinary merit. Now, however, the rudest ploughboy, if he have but |
