True? Remarks on the position and prospects
of the Irish Church Establishment._ By H. S. Cunningham, of the Inner
Temple, Barrister-at-Law. London, Longman, 1864; pp. 45.

Autumn leaves do not fall in Vallombrosa more frequent than the
invectives which, for the last thirty years, have been constantly
directed against the Irish Church Establishment. Men of views the most
unlike, have contributed their share to this hostile literature. Lord
Normanby and Count Cavour present very dissimilar types of mind and
feeling, and yet both are of accord in condemning the Establishment in
Ireland. Lord Palmerston and Mr. Disraeli see things from opposite
standpoints, and yet neither of them has praise to bestow upon it. Every
species of composition which could be employed as a weapon of offence
has been made to tell the wrath of men against the monster grievance.
This rich variety of arguments against the Establishment has its
advantage and its disadvantage. It is, no doubt, an advantage that light
should be poured in upon every side of a question so important. But it
is a disadvantage to discover the question to have so many sides, that
it becomes a task to master them all. It is not our present purpose to
increase the literature of this subject by adding another to the already
large list of attacks of which we have spoken above. Our object is
rather to set forth the one argument against the Establishment, which,
upon an analysis of that literature, is found to underlie all the
others. If we consider the various charges against the Law-Church in
Ireland mainly in reference to what they have in common, we discover
that they are, generally speaking, modifications of this one objection,
viz., that the Irish Establishment is an unjust application of state
funds. No doubt there are other and more solemn reasons to be urged
against it. No Catholic can be indifferent to the presence within it of
that poison of error which robs the Church of so many children, and
Heaven of so many souls. Judged upon grounds such as these, it is
already condemned. But the struggle is now mainly transferred to a field
other than that of religious principles. We base our objections against
the Establishment on this--that it is a political and social injustice.
We cannot expect all to agree with us in believing the Establishment to
be a fountain of erroneous doctrine; but Mr. Cunningham's little work,
named at the head of this article, is an excellent proof t