grievance, and which
still remains one of the chief disabilities of Ireland. There are at the
present moment two universities in the country, but since one of these
is only an examining board let us begin by considering the status of the
other. Trinity College, Dublin, was founded by Queen Elizabeth with the
proceeds of confiscated Catholic lands, both monastic and lay, with the
avowed intention of propagating the principles of the Protestant
religion. During Grattan's Parliament, at the end of the eighteenth
century, it threw open its gates to others than members of the
Established Church--an example which was not followed by Oxford and
Cambridge for three-quarters of a century. There could be no greater
mistake than to imply from this that it thereby lost its strong
sectarian character. After Mr. Gladstone's attempt in 1873 to solve the
University question had failed, Fawcett's Act removed the religious
tests which barred not only Catholics but also Presbyterians from its
offices and scholarships, and thereby made the College, in theory,
undenominational. In point of fact it is little less Episcopalian than
it has ever been. Its chapel services are Protestant, as are also its
Divinity schools. Its governing body, comprising the Provost and seven
Senior Fellows, is entirely Protestant, while of the 4,200 names on its
electoral roll 2,600 are those of Protestant clergymen.

Of other institutions affording opportunities for higher education in
Ireland, the three Queen's Colleges in Cork, Galway, and Belfast were
destined by their founder, Sir Robert Peel, who established them in
1838, to supply the higher education which was lacking among the
Catholics of the country. The Protestant "atmosphere" of Trinity being
the great obstacle in the way of Catholics who wished for higher
education for their sons, it was thought that by removing this and
setting up undenominational colleges all would be well and the religious
difficulty would be solved. It was as great a mistake as it was possible
to commit. They were stigmatised by a leading Protestant of the time as
godless colleges; they ran counter to all Catholic principles of
education, which demand at least some connection between secular and
religious teaching, and the taboo to which they have in large measure
been subjected has to a great extent resulted in making a failure of
Cork College, and still more of Galway College. The undenominationalism
of Queen's College, Belfast