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Leader (1850-1860), 12th November 1853, Edition Town of 2, Page 1089, Untitled Article

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      Untitled Article

      hffVd earerally read Mr . Maurice ' s letters , and we must honestly say that Ms belief is too subtle , % oo refined * for our comprehension . In this Dr . Jelf has an advantage over his opponent , because lie sets forth a gross , an inhuman belief , in the existence of a hell of fire . Such * he says , is the doctrine of the Church of England . Which is right ? Mr . Maurice appeals to the formularies and the Scripture ; Dr . Jelf appeals to the same authorities ; and each obtains a dififerent interpretation ! , ¦ . ' It may be useful here to tell a few plain truths

      about the Church of England . All men know that she has certain documents , articles , creeds , and what not . These form a fixed standard of belief ; a fixed test of faith- Every person who subscribes to them , or accepts them , is a member of the Church . But although the standard is fixed , the interpretation is the chance of the hour ! In the present ease , Mr . Maurice says , this seems to me to be the interpretation ; Dr . Jelf says , that seems to me to be the interpretation . Is it not obvious that , if Mr . Maurice had been Principal of King ' s College , and Dr . Jelf

      Theological Professor , Mr . Maurice might have dismissed Dr . Jelf P Again ; Mr . Gorham said , I believe this to be the doctrine of baptismal rer generation ; the Bishop of Exeter said ^ I believe that to . be the doctrine . All the time the standard remains the same , and each of the gentlemen is a member of the Church of England . What is a creed P A provisional convention , to enable those who agree to declare their sentiments in common . The same rough definition

      applies to articles and formularies . Those of the Church of England were framed avowedly to comprise the largest possible number of persons . They are the results of an elaborate compromise , therefore as capable now , as when they were adopted , of different interpretations . They assume to be the expression of the whole truth " revealed" to man respecting his spiritual relations—all that is necessary to save him from the torments of that hell which Dr . Jelf believes to

      exist—yet , as we have shown , four men , all accepting the standard test , shall put incompatible interpretations upon the doctrines embodied in that test ! All these conflicts show that tho Church is not content with its creeds , its articles , and its formularies ; and what we really behold is the strife of a sect to reconcile itself to truth . There is no unity ; the Act of Uniformity is a mockery ; there is no organization on the basis of belief in tho Church ; only an organization , on the basis of property and social convenience . The sects cast away unity and consistency when they cast away the Catholic system ; and these struggles arc tho night-mare evidences of tho perturbea conscience of Protestantism .

      Untitled Article

      VILLA VOLPIOELLI . Aivhioxtgh tho charge advanced by Mr . H . B . Hamilton , the director of an English school at ¦ Naples , bears chiefly against Lord Malmesbury , tho English Govornment is concerned in the fact that a groat tfrong has been perpetrated upon an ^ ng hsh subject , who obtains no redress . At Villa Volpicolli , on tho slopo of the Vomero , M . r . IlaTnilton had established a school , principally v i l for tlie ' children of English residents in ^ a-ploH , but open also , it would soom , to tho cJuidron

      of other foreigners . Part of his pamphlet just published , is devoted to explaining tho character of tho instruction given ; and wliilo "' ^ PP ^ ars to have boon very amusing to tho onudron , while it , may suggest useful improve-> i ( mta upon the common routine of education , it v j' at tho Hamo tiino provoke a smilo at tho clclity of Bomo portions , and will , perhaps , bo aocoun tod mi impolitic ; exhibition of at least luumial

      ' proceedings in tho art of schoolmastory . ,, ' lH ' > lfc a-U events , candid , and helps to provo ] ' !¦ » - ! r » milton made no attempt ut prosoly-¦ an" r ¦ ll ° WftH confi'H » o ( Hy ll Protestant , but » ' " K > ouR instruction wa » given to tho pupils y nlorgymoii whom their parents selected out of an ° l > oh TllUH r Mr - Hamilton put in ibrco , for a Plj f . lr ( 4 ntly with success , a plan suggested , . m '» ui education in this country ; and it is « , ,. sln"pi'iHing , after tho objection foil ; against « ivore , mfr instruction from " religion" hero , that lpios should oxomplifv tho same objection in a . noro positive form , it is tmo that school inn-i !! 2 ^ 2 ! L Protestant children would ho ¦ ¦ If 111 ll II

      could not call him to account for the easy deportment which he imparted to his pupils , as preliminary to the more mechanical instruction in dancing . They could scarcely have Jesuitical ingenuity enough , although that would go far , to find fault with his teaching geography in an artificially sunned room , by means of card-board mountains and glass oceans , to little students , who traversed imaginary routes , by drawing little railway cars and toy ships upon the mimic territories . They could scarcely discover anything heretical in the novel course of whistling , which , formed one of the branches of education , in his establishment

      impossible in Naples under direction of the clergy of that place , as popular education proves to be in this country , under the conflict of our sects . But , somehow , . Mr . Hamilton managed to get his school into working order , and then the Grovernment began to oppress him . The clergy set on the Government , and took the lead . Members of the black-robed body called upon him ; and , although there was nothing in his school which could challenge theological objection , they discovered an easy point of attack , in the plain fact , that he was a Protestant . They

      for young gentlemen . But he was a British subject , and therefore a Protestant , so they attacked him . with suggestions , that it would be better for him . that he should join their own church ; and here , again , pops out , through Mr . Hamilton ' s naive candour , more of his want of policy . He quoted the Bible to them , and confesses that he " did a little redden , them ; " for , perhaps , through their having read the sacred writings only in Latin , their acquaintance with those compositions was " very limited indeed , for clergymen . " A

      more effectual means of pursuing the controversy was sought , and a new power intervened . Occasionally a pale servant rushed into his Schoolroom , and announced " the police , * ' to the terror of tutors and pupils . From 1850 to 1853 this persecution was carried on ; thus , surrounded by an armed police , the school was prematurely closed ; and the schoolmaster , after distributing his pupils to their parents , or to some other safe custody , found himself minus 500 / ., for which debtors wore clamorous .

      He had in fact the sanction of the British embassy in claiming the right to carry on his business under the international treaty of 1845 , which stipulates that the Neapolitan police shall not enter any British subject ' s domicile unless furnished with a warrant from ono of the regularlyconstituted courts of law . One of the attaches of the Embassy told him that he had au undoubted right to keep in his house and educate English

      children , arid that tho police could not interfere with him for so doing . But they did interfere ; and although he had the assurance from the Embassy that nothing was meant , the end proved serious , as we have seen . He invoked the protection of tho Marquis Fortunato , Neapolitan Minister for Foreign Affairs ; but that statesman was silenced by the notorious Peecheneda , Director of Police , who ' avowed orders from tho clerical Ministers of Public Instruction .

      Tho matter advanced from bad to worse , and in an unfortunate day for Mr . Hamilton , as well as for some others , Lord Palmers ton , after a brief interval , was succeeded by the Earl of Mulmosbury . To tho Earl , Mr . Hamilton addressed himself for compensation at least , after tho Neapolitan Government had stripped him of his

      moans . "At tho end of hovcii or eight monthtt' urgent and incoHMant application to his Lordnhip , I was HiirpriHcd to bo called ono day to liin ICxoellcnoy tho Neapolitan Minister for Foreign Afl ; iirs , who requested mo to accept thft Hum of Jiffy pound * an a present from hia Majesty tho King , in proof of his . 1 loyal sympathy and re . Hpoot ; for mo pornonally . Whon I Hfcatod ( hat in tho i ' aco of my obligations huoIi a mini wan wholly hhc ' Ichm and that I had hopoM that Lord M ' ahiioHluuy would obtain wheruwith to pay tho Mchool-orodilorn in full his I ' ijfcollonoy waH plcamxl to laugh inuuodoratuly . ' Why / H : tid ho , ' you iiuihI . ho dreaming ! Yon think

      po » hapn that Mi-lord Malnionlmry ih like Mi-lord J'almoraton , ready to lisfcon to every complaint ,, and obtain rodroHH for every grievance ! ' , thank God \ he ifi not quite ho Quixotic iw that . Why , only look nt Uuh lohfcor which wo hayo just received ( rom ' J ' ritice Carini , ' our AmbaHfjador at ijondon ;—hog what he Bays : ' // tad ( t lontj conve . rmt , ion with . Lord Malmeshury . J did not , fail to try U > imprtuia on Mh mind the ncautdty of kit taking even / opportunity to prove , hifi sympathy with the Sovaxiyns of Italy and Austria ., mwr especially by dixeonrayhuj the compluhitn of lirithk travellers , and other persons who vnijht consider themselvim agyncved . 11 is Lordship quite < ir / rml

      with me that Lord Palmerstatv , vn , seeking to protect individuals , had almost ruined the nation . And when I adroitly turned the conversation upon the case of Mr : Hamilton , I had the satisfaction to hear hia Lordship say : ' You ean give Mm , anything you lifce ,- * - it does not incdterwhat it is , so long as I can say that yen have given him something . " " When his Excellency had finished reading this extract , he said emphatically , ' And remember , Sir , that this is a , private letter from the Ambassador , and not an official one ; and I suppose you know that the truth of any subject or sentiment is always contained in the private correspondence ;'"

      Is this Earl of Malmesbury the sanie statesman wb . om the young Tory organ calls tie Foreign Minister par excellence , the same of whom that journal boasted that he would have done more for Miss Cunninghame than Lord Clarendon . What has he done for Hamilton ? But indeed we must not ask only what Lord Malmesbury did j we may ask what any British Minister has done P There are some very ugly circumstances connected with thi 3 case . Mr . ¦ Hamilton points out , that although the known departure of Lord

      Palmerston from office gave a new tone to the Neapolitan police , it had already exercised an unjust and lawless oppression upon a British subject by the sufferance of the British minister who has so long adorned the Neapolitan court . Well may France doubt whether England ever means to act . Well may Russia conceive the idea that England is but a scarecrow whom no sparrow of spirit would dread , since subjects of Queen Victoria and subjects of persecution , whom any paltry government may molest , are synonymous terms » If Mt \ Hamilton had been an American citizen t—

      But tre need not pursue that point . There are two races of men , speaking the English language with a slight diversity jn the intonation . The Austrian police well know the distinction . Those who speak it with a more listless smoothness may be molested ; those who speak it with a more marked accent must go free . Nay , let a man but have a documentary right to be regarded as an American , let him be actually an Austrian subject bearing an American certificate ,. and tho twobeaked eagle will surrender him to the Bird of Washington . If Mr . Hamilton could have

      applied to the American Minister , perhaps he would not have been molested ; but if he had been , most certainly Naples would have seen a vessel enter into her lovely waters with a star spangled banner at her peak . But , alas ! he is only an Englishman .

      Untitled Article

      TUEIUSH DEGENERACY ! Aghast at the slight , but not insignificant , successes of the Turks , the Times prints an article to show that the ' Russians ought not to bo beaten ; and to prove , that if tho Ottomans alone can drive tlie liussians beyond tho Pruth , we may givo up tho Turkish alliance . Tho leading journal states this with some bitterness ; and insinuatoH , that the Turks , knowing that the Western Powers must support them , are moroly attacking the . Russians to gratify vindictive and bloodthirsty feelings , with tho certainty of ultimate

      defeat before them . For , says tho writer , " surely all tho lessons of experience , all the presimiptioriH of reason , and all the proofs of conviction , lead us to believe , that ; this partial hiutohh cannot bo maintained . " In proof of these assertions , tho writer declares , that though wo do not accurately know what the Russian armies are , wo know that they were , powerful in Europe forty years ago ; that ; when Turkey was stronger and . Russia weaker than they are tit present , I ho latter woro

      superior to the Connor ; that Russia robbed Turkey of tho Crimea , j Kherson , and Bessarabia , and the mouths of tho J ) anubo , when tho Cxnrfl had fewer resources than Nicholas has now ; that the . Russians woro at Adrianoplo twenty-five years ago ; and that , as late as iH ' . ii ) , Iho Pasha of Egypt , but for European inlerfrreneo , would havo overrun the . Ottoman Empire I All tin ' s is to show thal < Turkey cannot provo a match for It / iissia .

      This is plausible argument ; h \ it whal , is if ; really worth P From tho accession of Potor tho Oivat , up to tho proHont tiino , Turkey has boon considered fair game . tSlio vronstrd ilio founder of the ^ Russian power in Europe . Catherine owod her fiviflooflfles , in . 1772 , to the short-sighted policy of Lord North , who permitted a Russian fleet to bo oflicored by Ih'ii ' mh subjocln , and fitted out in British waters . JSho owod bor success , in 1787-91 , to tho important allianco of tho

      Untitled Article

      as H " ^^^ i ^ p ^_ " ^ r ifA'lll ' I ^ N ¦ ^ ' ¦¦¦¦ V' T'llMt R # ^ V /¦ M # . ' ' ...... . i HnJ \\ it ! f *> h »« eUi ; or , tho ti / mt So / tool * Uy II . 11 vm » ltou , Into director thotoof .

      Untitled Article

      N ^^ smb&r 12 , 1853 . ] THE LEADER . 1089

  • Citation
    • Leader (1850-1860), Nov. 12, 1853, page 1089, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2012/page/9/