THE COLONIST. NELSON, TUESDAY, MARCH 22, 1859.

Colonist, Volume II, Issue 148, 22 March 1859, Page 2

THE COLONIST. NELSON, TUESDAY, MARCH 22, 1859.

In ' our -number of Tuesday last, we noticed thte great interest which the subject of •national, ovfwfe ;. JXiigiit.Bay,uni\.erßaleduc-ition has been advocated by, ijoliie lords, bishops, and ladies..- Notwithstahding' which,it is admit ted on all hands, thatthe increase of vice and crime, even in thatpart of the country where gospel ministrations as they are called, are mbst abundant, is most decided and conspicuous.'. Sheriff Alison tells us, ".that in churchr-going and Sabbath-observing Scofl._nd, the growth of "crime,; as compared with its former, self, is only top apparent, in the face of the fact that,-by-the institution of the Free Church of Scotland, the church establishment and ft he so called education of the people have within the last ten years been practically doubled!" Surely we may assert without fear of contradiction, except from'the mentally blind and the fanatical idiot, thatthe only deduction to be drawn from such premises is, that there must be some radical defect in the theological and moral system, which, to use/a commercial phrase,, dishonors all drafts upon its services with the endorsement of "No Effect." And yet in the same category we find Lord AsHiiEV, whose sincere and, earnest (though we contend mistaken) philantrophy for his fellow men at an Auxiliary Bible Society, seriously contending amidst the deafening cheers of liis admiring auditors, that a panacea is to^tig; found for all the evils flesh is heir to in the Bible."* According to his'lordship's idea,it is to make the tour of the globe, and put a girdle of holiness, wisdom, and virtue round the earth. All the west-is to be regenerated^ and then the east. We are to coyer India, and China with bishops, preachers, —■' send out whole hosts; of missionaries—clouds upon, clouds of bibles, diffusing" them over the length and breadth of the land, asthey are fast doing over the great continent and islands of the Southern Pacific; Now, it should be. borne in mind that his lbrdship's'elpquencei like that of all enthusiasts, is apt to confine itself to the advocacy of a one-sided; view of.a subject^ and . thus totallyov^irTQbfeangytlief other /side, an 3 that this faith alone is;,fa comparative .novelty '• in / the church to which >his lordship belongs, and to • which f he fis so truly and practically an ornament ih; all the relations of life. We are old enough to recollect when, half a century ago; for an orthodox clergyman to belong to it was as much as his. position ih society was worth. He-was denounced asa dissenter—he was a;blackf sheep; among black gowns-^he was abused in clerical pariiphiets~he f was cpld/shouldered in the. . society of his professional brethren, until the period when a sort of Sty John Long's Clerical Society was opened undei* tlie title of the Church; Bible Society, in whiqh the bible and the prayerbook were inseparably; linked tbgetherj aiid-the >ne/was not trusted abroad without the other. 3b that whatever credit is due to that 'institutions )r whatever of good or evil may have sprung from ihe indiscriminate circulation of the bible, belongs n strict justice to the Low-church and DissenteVs. [tappears, however,■.never to have occurred to the iPble.lord and liis cb-adj utoi-s, that; if Hhe bible is :o circulate through the, globe, there are certain; . >ther tilings which -are likely;to gpfrburid with |it, :o say nothing of the multiplicity of publications •yhiphriow-a-day challenge the correctness and •yen the honesty piF the viarious translations of the lociiments from which it is compiled. Science viti go witlrit, ,_^ its mis-; akeß in . astrohpmy-, geology, chronology, and various othfer/spie^ it vith its ifwrnref and --jtertecution, fand slistsy of -: nartyre mbng9t/its^ most, sftenuous "^advocates

»a* fo whose was the troe ahd «j?ly true renipfc or interpretation of the; allegoriesand.parables, .its | riia|jS^^^ ■ appear that: his Lordship reserved as a wind-up to } his splendid exordium in favor of tbe Bible, the '. ..J-r. ;--r--;VJ..r; ■,- -.-.vy :- .-<£ '■ ,-..: ■-.-.*■.■ ■-■'>-. !;.■s;■■'•,■',:■,,_';'-•■.■»■..' •".- ■■;'/ ■>'-'...•?»-..r ,;--F following effusion :—J { Were any foreigner to come . witlif.hbstil^ntemt-tb spyv;oute'the strength o|this; count^yhb would riot^Akiehim toAlderehptjWr -Woolwich/ or any of;purycam^ andfdp^jrKi-ds^; Xhvip •(where does the reader aupj_^^why* pif^l^hef places in the.greatimetrppolis?) to the warehouses i of thb; Bible - Ssiillflnd? Inhibit' the ;rhiliidnrot ftheoldgiGiil;;!^ exhibit the treasured jthere; reiidyffor distribuyon/ '■: and 'kit <■ that does riot frighten /them," ■ says;his Lordship, .'I do, not/understand national defences." Well, then, proceeding from great things to small; Surely, neither wefirior bu^ iiiorey neighbours have any cause to fear, for the safetyof our ares et faces with such a liberal reinforcement ibf our clerical staff as the^^ Chui;ch and Bible Societies have lately; vouchsafed! «s;whehy it is recollected that comparatively speaking they will have the -yaht age aground; oyer/ a perhaps body in any. country ih'tl^o world/if wp are to ;bk judged by our yyo.rldly /for :we have literally realised/the- hitherto fabulous stories x>f the; land,of gold; and, as a natural seflutmce^M'e. shouldibe able to add.iin. of all real poverty; or, physical deterioration a,rising^rd,ihthe want of the means of'commanding theiai>uhdant supply of the first necessaries of life; TOet,. at home, fboasted; arra^ibf thoblbgicaltreasui^s, it; appeals the social rTei)i;|r •sented,and with 4 too muchf-trathi. m''beingfsurl'/ ; rounded by peculiar perils, \v*hicb, it is asserted/it is essential should be timely provided against, j The mode of life- is there represented.as too arti-:j€cwxZ>*-;.ther(Bf-'; is..'not,;U"'is;BJ_iid^sufficient' yaTietydh • the means of living. WMn the cotton crop fails, or the wool clip ;is,short,f;tliere is real danger to be..apprehended from tlie discontent of''the numerous masses suddenly reduced to material zero. . Well, then/ can ,our readers be so blind as to see no possible paralell; between that picture of home, with-'that which burfßp&ula^ing.arti^es are f^t; filling up the foreground of their own canvas with. Will they deny that the social state of the colonies; is not highly Artificial, in every sense ofthei vybid ? If we substitute a falling off of the.yield of the gold- ; diggihp;ibr;thb;iailuref;of thef cotton; crop and-wpolf clip,—which last we should be the firist to feel the: effects o,f,r-rhaye we nothing.to appi*ehendffpmihe discontent of the congregated masses on tlie goldfields, 'and our consequent'dependence upon other and distant countries/ for/tl^/fob^/ yi^iich the attractions of the gold-fields' .has already brought upon' us, by seducing^bur agriculturialrpo^ulationfrom the production of? / Ityis furtlier stated at honie/ that/tli&cost pfth^W^alcoiisumptibn of spirits/beer, and tobacco exceedsthe Governmental revenue of -the * couhtiy; yWe statistics at, hand,/but ceeding the bounds of conjecture if we say, that the, population Of the southern' colonies are not second to tliatibf;the,^p. her shew whether, the war steamers of the Bible Societies, and their staff Of engineers; will -pyove themselves a match ■>, for the, high pressu.rO gas works of the, spirit-merchant; and whether the population of the;, gold-fields, where every square yard will maintain its man,.will eclipse, oreyen realise, > the poetical description of those-good old times, when it is said inEnglaudew^ 'twined its man..y,l_i the meantime "vveX Say,' yirietehiote." ' •".- -v ; -.-•■■ .Ay ■•■ ""- '•' ofry. v..