d two committees, of "a combined moral and literary and
separate religious instruction". A board of national education was
established in Dublin, composed of eminent Roman catholics as well as
protestants, to superintend all state-aided schools in which selections
from the Bible, approved by the board, were to be read on two days in
the week. Though provision was made for unrestricted biblical teaching,
out of school hours, on the other four days, protestant bigotry was
roused against the very idea of compromise. A shrewd observer remarked,
"While the whole system is crumbling to dust under their feet, while the
Church is prostrate, property of all kind threatened, and robbery,
murder, starvation, and agitation rioting over the land, these wise
legislators are debating whether the brats at school shall read the
whole Bible or only parts of it".[109] The opponents of the national
board failed to defeat the scheme in parliament, and it was justly
mentioned with satisfaction by the king in his prorogation speech of
August 16. But its benefits, though lasting, were seriously curtailed by
sectarian jealousy. Most of the protestant clergy frowned upon the
national schools, as the Roman catholic priesthood had frowned upon the
schools of the Kildare Place Society, and a noble opportunity of
mitigating religious strife in Ireland was to a great extent wasted.
Thus ended the eventful session of 1832.

FOOTNOTES:

[104] See Professor Dicey's observations on this clause, _Law and
Opinion in England_, p. 54, _n._

[105] Wellington, _Despatches, etc._, viii., 206; Parker, _Sir Robert
Peel_, ii., 207.

[106] Parker, _Sir Robert Peel_, ii., 206.

[107] Goldwin Smith, _United Kingdom_, ii., 354; Dicey, _Law and Opinion
in England_, p. 85.

[108] C. Creighton, _History of Epidemics in Britain_, ii., 768, 793-97,
860-62.

[109] Greville, _Memoirs_ (March 9, 1832), ii., 267.

CHAPTER XV.

FRUITS OF THE REFORM.

It was assumed in 1832, and has been held ever since, that a
redistribution act must be speedily followed by a dissolution, so as to
give the new constituencies the power of returning new members.
Accordingly, parliament, having been prorogued until October 16, was
further prorogued until December 3, and then finally dissolved. The
general election which followed, though awaited with much anxiety, was
orderly on the whole, and produced less change than had