ion' at the hands of Protestant teachers, and consequently
the objects of as distinct proselytism as can be well imagined.
Then, under the presidency of the Dowager Duchess of Beaufort,
there is the Ladies' Hibernian Female School Society, for
'combining a scriptural education with instruction in plain
needlework'; Gardiner's Charity for apprenticing Protestant boys;
the Sunday School Society, with 2,700 schools on its books, 21,000
gratuitous teachers, and 228,000 scholars; the Irish Society for
promoting the 'scriptural education of Irish Roman Catholics'; the
Ladies' Irish Association, with a similar object; Morgan's Endowed
School, 'for forty boys of respectable Protestant parentage';
Mercer's Endowed School, 'for forty girls of respectable Protestant
parentage'; the Protestant Society, with 430 orphans; the
Charitable Protestant Orphan Union, for 'orphans who, having had
only one Protestant parent, are therefore ineligible for the
Protestant Orphan Society'; and last, though not least, on the
imposing catalogue, the Society for Irish Church Missions to Roman
Catholics, and the West Connaught Endowment Fund Society".

In addition, then, to six hundred thousand pounds of public money, all
this enormous income is yearly spent to uphold in Ireland the religion
of a fraction of the population!

It would take us too far out of our way to follow the author in his
investigation of the results obtained by these powerful resources,
especially in the west of Ireland. Let it be enough to say that he
rejects the current stories about wholesale conversions to Protestantism
among the peasants of the West. But we cannot pass over the following
remarks made by Mr. Cunningham on the handbill method of controversy
adopted by the proselytisers.

"After politely requesting the reader not to 'be offended on
receiving this', the handbill goes on to state that the invocations
of the Madonna and saints are 'pronounced by the Bible to be the
awful sin of idolatry, and that all idolaters have their place in
the lake that burneth with fire and brimstone. Do not be hurt',
continues this agreeable mentor, 'at this strong statement, but
think! is it true?' Do not be hurt! And this, after a summary
statement that the religion of three-fourths of the Christian
world, the creed of whole generations of the best, purest,