Free Church of Scotland. REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY ON POPERY. MAY 1867. YOUR Committee have again to report, with much regret, the progress of the Romish system in the United Kingdom, and the systematic support which it continues to receive from the public treasury. The principles of the Reformation seem to be entirely ignored by all classes of our leading statesmen. The Churches of the country are to a large extent apathetic on the whole subject, and Romanizing doctrines are openly avowed, especially by some in the Church of England. The opposition to the endowment of the College of Maynooth has almost entirely subsided, and some clergymen of the Established Church of Ireland now advocate the endowment of the whole Popish priesthood in that country. The Church of Rome has her priests supported at the public expense, in the army, navy, jails, workhouses, and other public institutions, and large sums are lavished upon her, in connexion with education, both in Ireland and in Great Britain. Nunneries and monasteries are being multiplied, and religious orders seem to be establishing themselves, and acquiring property over the whole country. The sums given by the British Government for the support and maintenance of Romanism now amount to upwards of £1000 a day.1 The organization and agency of the Church of Rome in the United Kingdom is increasing on all hands. Besides a cardinal in 1 Statement of Annual Grants paid out of the British Treasury for Romish purposes, extracted from Report of Scottish Reformation Society for 1867 :— Ireland, taking every opportunity to assert his position as 'a Prince of the Church, and an archbishop in London, insinuating himself into the higher classes of society, there are in England 1425 priests and bishops, in Scotland 193, making a total of 1618. This shows an increase during the past year of 49. There are in England 1014 churches, chapels, and stations; in Scotland, 193; giving a total of 1207, being an increase of 36 in the year. There are in England 63 monasteries (in defiance of law), being an increase of 5 in the year. There are in England 204 convents, in Scotland 16, total 220, being an increase of 9 during the year. There are in England 11 Colleges, in Scotland 2, total 13, being an increase of 1. There are 32 professed Roman Catholic Members of Parliament, as well as several others Protestant in name, but pledged by the priests to advance the interests of the Romish Church, 26 Peers and 50 Baronets; besides Committees of various kinds, organized expressly for demanding concessions from Parliament and otherwise promoting Romish interests. During the past year, the system of lotteries has been largely prosecuted over the three kingdoms for the purpose of establishing and endowing Popish institutions. Various efforts have been made to arrest this illegal and demoralizing traffic. Your Committee are glad to report that the late Lord Advocate of Scotland (Mr. Patton) readily took such steps as for the present will suppress this system in Scotland. 1. Grants to Popish Schools in Great Britain, 2. Reformatory and Industrial Schools in do., at least, 3. Popish Chaplains in Government Prisons in do., 4. Popish Chaplains in other Prisons under Prison Ministers' £29,646 19,000 550 Act,' say 890 5. Commissioned Chaplains in the Army, say. 4,037 6. Officiating Popish Priests in do. at 85 Stations in Great Do. at Naval Stations at Home, say 14. Popish Chaplains in 41 Prisons in Ireland, say 15. Do. 2,043 2,109 . 6,840 185 80 792 150 1,837 16. Grants to Roman Catholic Schools in Ireland, say 17. Do. to Reformatory Schools in do., 18. Grant to the College of Maynooth (including Incidental Charges for Repairs on Buildings, etc.), Total, 8,000 250,000 8,887 30,000 £368,418 During the last session of Parliament various Bills were introduced, and proposals made in the interests of Romanism. The tactics of the Popish party seem to be to make their new proposals chiefly at the close of a session, or at the critical period of some great political question; and thus to obtain more readily the concession of their demands. Two Bills relating to Reformatories and Industrial Schools, were thus introduced at the end of last session, containing most objectionable clauses. By the efforts, however, of a few Protestant members, these clauses were modified. Certain demands were also made at the same time, in connexion with the Poor-law Amendment Bill for England; and the Charitable Trusts Bill for Ireland. The latter was withdrawn, and several of the attempts of the Popish party were happily frustrated, chiefly by the efforts of Scotch Protestants. Probably the most serious effort during last session was in connexion with the National system of Education in Ireland. If the changes referred to are yet adopted by the Government, it is feared that a thoroughly exclusive Romish education will be established in that country. The alterations embrace three important subjects, viz., 1st, Model Schools; 2d, Boarding of Teachers; 3d, Chaplains for said Teachers. The following comparative statement will show the serious nature of these changes : The Present System. 1st, MODEL SCHOOLS. There are, in addition to the General Training Institution in Dublin, 17 District, and 7 Minor Model Schools in Ireland, for preparatory training of Teachers, previous to their going out as teachers of ordinary National Schools, or their admission into the General Institution in Dublin. These schools are under the same rules and regulations as other National Schools; and religious instruction is given regularly to all classes of pupils in separate rooms, by teachers of the same religious persuasion as the parents of the pupils. (2.) 1st, MODEL SCHOOLS. The domestic estab- (3) sources. The schoolhouse may 1st, MODEL SCHOOLS. This would tend to supersede the present District Model Schools. The proposed New Model Schools would thus be independent Training Schools, under the exclusive local management of the Roman Catholic Priests. Convents or Monasteries would be made the 'domestic establishments' in the respective districts, and thus teachers of National Schools would be separated from all family or parental influence, and come under the influence of a class of institutions most exclusive and objectionable. Convents and Monasteries would thus be maintained and propagated at the national expense. (5.) The teachers thus under training must necessarily belong to the Roman Catholic denomination; and thus united education would be undermined, and by and by completely subverted. The Present System. 2d, BOARDING OF TEACHERS. The Teachers who are under training in the General Institution in Dublin are boarded in a boarding establishinent, superintended by officials under the Commissioners of Education. This establishment seems to work satisfactorily: for the Commissioners, in their official report for last year, make the following statement :- The establishments in which the Teachers both male and female- attending at our Training Institutions are boarded and lodged, continue to be efficiently conducted. The inmates have been distinguished as heretofore for the general correctness of their conduct, for the maintenance of order and discipline, for the exercise of kindly feeling towards each other, and for the careful observance of their religious duties.'-See 31st Report, vol. i. p. 14, sec. 32. 3d, CHAPLAINS FOR SAID TEACHERS. NONE. 3d, CHAPLAINS FOR SAID The late Government recom- (1.) upon the recommendation of 'The (3.) Chaplain should have control, The board and lodgings 'out of the official establishment' would be in convents and monasteries in Dublin; for it must carefully be observed that the teachers sent up to Dublin would virtually be compelled to board whereever the priests might dictate. This, on the one hand, would perpetuate the exclusive Popish system begun over the whole country; and, on the other, maintain and support convents and monasteries at the public expense, and make such places nationa institutions. 3d, CHAPLAINS FOR SAID TEACHERS. The religious instruction of pupils, or teachers, would be no longer under the control of the parent, or, in the case of teachers, at their own discretion, but placed absolutely under the control of the Every teacher, before he Popish priest. could receive the benefit officials would be thus created at the expense of the United Kingdom, and a fresh national endowment of Romanism. Νο doubt Jesuits, Monks, Nuns, and other members of Romish fraternities or orders would become the recipients of such an endowment; and thus such orders would be not only recognised by the State, but endowed as servants of the nation. This subject is still under the consideration of the Cabinet. During the present session, a Bill has been introduced seeking to extend the Industrial Schools Act to Ireland, and containing very objectionable clauses; but it is hoped that the Protestant members will succeed in getting these clauses altered during the passage of the Bill. Another Bill has been introduced proposing to open the LordLieutenancy of Ireland and the office of Lord Chancellor to Roman Catholics. The latter part of this proposal is not yet finally disposed of, but the first portion has been rejected by the House of Commons. Your Committee cannot help referring to the agitations which have sprung up in Ireland, under the name of Fenianism. There can be little doubt that the policy of the Romish priesthood, their doctrines and practices, have an intimate connexion with those agitations. It has also been brought out in evidence before a Commission of the House of Commons, that the Romish priests control the elections of Members of Parliament in certain districts, and succeed in sending representatives who will not scruple to sacrifice every other consideration to the promotion of such plans as may be propounded by the Romish hierarchy. Your Committee would specially call the attention of the Assembly to a new and insidious movement made by the Romanists in connexion with the administration of the Poor Law. They have put forth a claim to have all the pauper children supported by the Poor's Board handed over to the priests, with the sums paid for them, their main object being that these children should be boarded at the public expense in Popish institutions, one at Lanark being specially mentioned. There are manifest objections of the most conclusive kind to such a proposal, and your Committee are glad that the guardians of the poor in Edinburgh, who have been specially pressed upon the subject, are strenuously resisting it. The guardians of the poor are not entitled to delegate their duties to others, and least of all to Romish priests. Whatever right parents may have to control the upbringing of children, priests have none in connexion with the management of juvenile paupers. It would be a monstrous thing, moreover, to have Popish institutions endowed over the land out of the public rates, and yet, if such a system were introduced, it is hard to say where it would end. The guardians of the poor are bound to act as parents to orphan children, and to train them up in the way that they should go. Your Committee regret that the Board of Supervision should have taken the view of the priests on this question, but they hope that the Protestants of Scotland will strongly resist this new form of Papal aggression. Your Committee are glad to observe a re-awakening of Protestant feeling in the southern portion of the kingdom in connexion with the ritualistic practices which are widely spreading in the Church of England. Courses of lectures have been delivered by eminent |