to allow Catholic students in the College the
same facilities for religious teaching by the members of their own
Church as are at present provided for undergraduate members of the
Episcopalian Protestant Church. On the first occasion Cardinal Cullen,
shortly after the passing of the University Tests Act, replied that he
could be no party to such a proposal. When the process of sounding the
Catholic bishops was repeated in November, 1903, the Provost and Senior
Fellows expressed their willingness to consent to the erection of a
Catholic chapel in the College grounds provided a sufficient sum of
money was forthcoming for its erection. A similar advance was made to
the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church, and
the reply in each case was the same--that the parties concerned could
not accept the offers made by the College Board. The failure on the part
of Presbyterians to make use of the College has been attributed by the
Commissioners to the ancient alienation of the Presbyterians from
Trinity, as well as to the existence of the useful work done for that
body by the Queen's College, Belfast. That this ancient alienation
exists in the case of Catholics far more than in that of the
Presbyterians is but natural, seeing that the College was founded by
Elizabeth to undermine the Catholicism of the people. For all that,
however, the taunt is raised with some superficial measure of
plausibility that in refusing the offer the Catholics and their bishops
lay themselves open to a charge of narrowmindedness, seeing that they
have not a College suitable to their needs as have the Presbyterians in
Belfast. That the _genius loci_ is Episcopalian Protestant no one will
deny. At an inaugural meeting of the College Historical Society a few
years ago Judge Webb declared--"Their University was founded by
Protestants, for Protestants, and in the Protestant interest. A
Protestant spirit had from the first animated every member of its body
corporate. At the present moment, with all its toleration, all its
liberality, all its comprehensiveness, and all its scrupulous honour,
the _genius loci_, the guardian spirit of the place, was Protestant. And
as a Protestant he said, and said it boldly, Protestant might it
evermore remain." To this exposition of the spirit of the College two of
its most distinguished members--Lord Justice FitzGibbon and Professor
Mahaffy--gave their assent.

In the light of this frank admission the at