The Earl of Rodenpresented a Petition from the Protestant Nobility, Clergy, and Gentry, of a part of the County of Down, against the New System of Education in Ireland. He presented Petitions to the same effect from Stanmore and Clonmel.
§ Lord Cloncurrysaid, if he had been aware of the intention of the noble Lords to present petitions of this nature, he should have been enabled to present petitions in opposition to them sufficient to cover their Lordships' Table. The best portion of the Protestants were favourable to the system, whereas these petitions came only from a faction, and that they did not represent the opinions of more than half a million of people. The greatest neglect prevailed in Ireland for a considerable period on the subject of education. The Catholics, who composed the great body of the people, were altogether neglected, and had long been kept in ignorance, and thence arose the disturbances in Ireland, while Protestant schoolmasters were appointed in every district, though on an average there were not fifteen Protestants to each school. It was for a long period a capital offence for Roman Catholics to keep schools, and afterwards it was a misdemeanour. But the restrictions had been removed, and the best portion of the Protestant population were favourable to the instruction of the Catholics, and to a sincere friendship with them.
Viscount Lortonsaid, he was astonished at the noble Lord calling those persons, from whom he and other noble Lords presented petitions against the new system of education in Ireland a party or a faction.
The Earl of Rodencould not suffer the noble Lord to call the nobility, clergy, and gentry, from whom he presented a petition, a faction. They were resident noblemen and gentlemen, who had the interest of their country at heart, and it was most unjust to call them a faction. The noble Lord was mistaken in other respects; and if he inquired into the fact, he would find, that two millions and a half of Protestants, and not half a million, were adverse to the new system of education.
§ Lord Cloncurrysaid, he did not mean to offend either of the noble Lords, or to cast any imputation on the respectable persons 242 from whom they presented petitions. He was aware that many Protestant clergymen had done their duty, but he did not think the Kildare-street Society had been useful to the country, or that its schools had dispensed such an education as the people of Ireland desired to have.