Pagina-afbeeldingen
PDF
ePub

"if any parent or guardian or other person having "the care of any scholar attending such school, shall "notify to the master thereof, that he or she desires "such scholars may not attend on the days and at the "hours when such catechism or portions of liturgy are taught as aforesaid, such scholar shall not in

[ocr errors]

66

66

any manner of way be obliged to attend at such days and hours, nor punished, rebuked, or other"wise chastised or molested for not attending.

[ocr errors]

"And be it further enacted, that the scholars of every school to be provided under this Act, shall "attend the divine service of the Church of Eng"land, as by law established, under the care and in the charge of the master thereof, once every Lord's

66

[ocr errors]

day, in the church or chapel of the parish or cha"pelry wherein such school is situated, or in some "other parish or chapelry joined with the same, in "the complaint to the Justices at the Quarter Sessions, and their order thereupon, unless he be satis'fied that they do attend such worship under the

[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]

care of their parents, guardians, or other persons "having the charge or care of them: Provided never"theless, and it is hereby expressly ordered and "commanded, that if any parent, guardian, or other person having charge or care of any scholar, shall

66

66

notify to the said master that he or she desires "such scholar not to attend the worship of the “Church of England as by law established, but will "take care that the said scholar attends some other 'place of Christian worship; such scholar shall in "no wise be obliged to attend the public worship of "the Church of England established as aforesaid,

66

B

"with the said master, nor be punished, rebuked, "admonished, or in any manner molested for not "attending the same."

[ocr errors]

The provisions in the clauses affecting to protect the interests of the Dissenters, are very specious, but we will endeavour to shew that the practical effect of the whole plan will be most mischievous.

That measure is essentially bad which places the interests of the poor in opposition to their duties. It is of the highest importance that even the humblest of our fellow-creatures should be encouraged to form and cherish his own religious convictions, and profess them openly, without fear of molestation; and surely that conduct is nothing short of absolute persecution that would impose obstructions, in any shape, to the free enjoyment of this inalienable right. The sufferings of the poor are sufficiently severe, without depriving them of those consolations which flow from the uninterrupted exercise of religious profession. Numerous are the hardships,even in this land of liberty, and in the nineteenth century, which the poor, in country villages, frequently endure for conscience sake. A Dissenting meeting-house, or school, upon the British or Sunday School system, is perhaps established. The pious labourer is conscientiously desirous of attending the worship of the one, and of sending his children for instruction to the other. In doing so, he incurs the displeasure of his clergyman, whose intimacy perhaps with the wealthy of the neighbourhood renders his power more formidable. Their countenance is withdrawn,―his employment is endangered, and sometimes

lost.-Parochial relief, should he require it, is with difficulty obtained, or altogether withheld.-From participation in village charities, his family is excluded, and all these injuries he sustains, because, acting as an honest man, he obeys the dictates of religious conviction. Cases of this kind frequently occur in every county, and some have taken place within the writer's own knowledge. In a populous parish in London, an attempt was lately made to withhold parochial relief from a family because the children attended the British and not the National School; and in a large village near the Metropolis, where the clergyman is the magistrate, the poor have been threatened with similar privations for this offence. Not long since, several boys were actually dismissed from a National School, because the parents, after taking them to attend the regular worship of the Established Church on the Sunday, sent their children in the evening to a Dissenting meeting-house. In the immediate vicinity of town, a subscription was not long since raised for supplying bread to the necessitous families resident in the village; and, on the suggestion of the Rector, the parents, whose children attended the Dissenting meeting and Sunday School, were to be excluded from the benefit. The proposal, having been made in an opulent village, the residence of persons of several religious denominations, was over-ruled; but, had the circumstance occurred in an obscure place, there is little doubt but that its injustice must have been endured.

But it may be said, "In what respect will this Bill increase the clergyman's power of exercising oppres

[ocr errors]

sion?"-Simply thus:-The first effect of the measure will be to reduce materially the number of Schools now in existence, supported by voluntary contributions. In a village, for instance, in which is already a Day School, on the British plan, and a Sunday School, such schools will, after the passing of this Act, be no longer considered necessary by the supporters, who, deceived as to the real effect of the schools to be established, and compelled to contribute to their maintenance, will withdraw their voluntary subscriptions. The Dissenter residing in such a village has no alternative: he must send his child to the "established" school, or deprive him of education. There are many evils to which both parent and child will be exposed, which the Act does not contemplate, and which would not come within the cognizance of the Ordinary, or Dignitary of the Diocese. The parish Minister has, under certain rules, the power of sending children gratuitously to the school: these free admissions he may choose to confine to the children of Churchmen. He has the right of examining the children at the School. He is also authorized to give his sanction to the introduction of any book of religion which he may think proper. It is perfectly well known what bearing these examinations and the instruction from such books may be made to produce on the child's religious belief. For these grievances, besides many others, the parent has no remedy: but let us imagine a very possible case-an instance of gross aggression, such as would constitute a violation of the Act. Suppose the corporal punishment of a child for refusing to learn the catechism, or attend the parish church. What is the legal course for the parent

to adopt? He applies, in the first place, to the parish Minister, who may be the author of the oppression: from him, therefore, he can expect no redress. His legal remedy is then to appeal to the Ordinary, who may, says the Act," from time to time as he shall see fit, visit such school either by himself in person, or by directing," the Archdeacon, Chancellor, Dean, &c. &c. to do so. It is not intended to convey any reflection on the office of Ordinary, or on the character of those gentlemen who fill it, when we venture to suspect, that the cases would not be very numerous where the Ordinary would "see fit" to make a formal visitation, or hold a visitation of the Dignitaries of the Diocese, on the petition of an humble and obscure village labourer, complaining of the conduct of his parish Minister. Observe, there are no means of redress whatever, should the Ordinary refuse or neglect to institute inquiry; but let us admit, for the sake of argument, what is not very likely to occur, that investigation would always follow complaint, and that it as uniformly terminated in favour of the villager. Is the contest in no way likely to be injurious to his interests? Will he be in the same situation-will he reside with the same advantages in his village, enjoying the favour of the clergyman and the opulent of the neighbourhood, on whom probably depend his employment, and the subsistence of his family? No. Such a contention would be ruinous. This right of appeal, then, to the Ordinary-the only legal remedy which the Bill provides-would produce one of two effects. If exercised, it could scarcely fail materially to injure the appellant: Or it would induce the poor man to suffer oppression, and violate his conscience,

« VorigeDoorgaan »