Observations and Reply on the Review of the Bible not a Dangerous Book," &c.

She had

desponding spirits with the fair promises of hope. shewed herself formerly in the unfavorable light of inconstancy and folly; she now shone forth in all that superiority of tenderness and consideration which are almost peculiar to the female character. Her fortune was deeply involved; but her father's will had rendered it unalienable, and it required only time and economy to restore them again to com. parative affluence.

I have visited them during their misfortunes without revealing myself. Her children were neatly clad; her house comfortable; her husband-I envied him;-herself the picture of contentment and happiness. I almost exclaimed that it was a pity she should ever be cursed with wealth, as with its loss, her love of admiration-of fashion-of follyall had vanished.

I have known other instances, but none so striking as this. It has been truly said that woman's hour is the hour of misfortune;-if you wish to know their virtues, follow them to the mansion of sorrow. Who can alleviate the troubles of mortality? Others may try, and we may be grateful, but a woman-a wife only can sustain us. She has voluntarily devoted herself to our happiness-consented to bear her share of our joys and sorrows. In the bosom of the partner of our happiness we repose our griefs. She is our refuge from despair--I had almost said "our hope and strength, a very present help in trouble."-" Her price is far above rubies-strength and honor are her clothing, and she shall rejoice in time to come." Oh! how unfortunate a man is the Philanthropist!-How miserable is an old bachelor!

OBSERVATIONS AND REPLY, ON THE REVIEW OF "THE BIBLE NOT A DANGEROUS BOOK, &c."

"THE life of a wit," says Pope, "is a warfare upon earth; and the present spirit of the learned world is such, that to attempt to serve it, any way, one must have the constancy of a martyr, and a resolution to suffer for its sake." The records of literature present so many details of differences and disputes, that we do not feel much surprised at meeting a partial check even at this early period of our progress. We have received a variety of communications this month,

Observations and Reply on the Review of " the Bible not a Dangerous Book," &e.

and we select the following for publication, as it claims more than ordinary attention. It is the first expression of displeasure with which we have been assailed since the commencement of our undertaking-it is the first opinion we have heard in condemnation of the principles upon which we have acted. Unfavorable as it is, we might have suppressed it-the arguments it uses might never have reached the public, did we wish to conceal them, and we might continue in our course without seeming to understand the disapprobation that followed us; but the candour and honesty which should characterise the avowal of just and manly sentiments urged us to give it an honorable place in our pages.

SIR,

To the Editor of the Dublin Inquisitor.

Dublin, April 9th, 1821.

WHEN I concluded my last letter with a promise of shortly resuming our correspondence, little did I fancy that its earliest continuance should be occasioned by a subject of reproach to the Inquisitor. The topic is a most ungracious one, and in consequence, I shall exert myself to dismiss it with all the brevity which candour will permit. The printed prospectus which first introduced your miscellany to public notice, contained a solemn assurance, that no discussion of those theological points that have so long divided our unhappy country should ever occupy a place in its pages. It was indeed a wise determination, at once calculated to allay the acrimony of dissention-gradually to attract towards your work, the patronage of every party, and to concentrate within its compass the rays of literature, scattered through every sect. For my part, I hailed it with a degree of pleasure to be equalled only by the regret of my present disappointment. You already perceive, that I allude to the article in the Inquisitor for the present month, in which a letter upon the Bible is reviewed, and in which are couched sentiments that, I fear, blast your claims to the neutrality, whose promise interested so many for the success of your undertaking. According to that promise, your's was to be a journal of pleasing, useful, and moral literature, equally removed from the extremes of profaneness on the one hand, and officious interference with the peculiarities of any christian creed upon the other, such as every good man of whatever persuasion might peruse with unmingled satis

Observations and Reply on the Review of "the Bible not a Dangerous Book," &e.

faction, and objectionable only to the bigot, the sceptio, and the profligate. The utmost latitude of remark then, in which with consistency of character you could have indulged in your review of this work, should not have exceeded the limits of its style and manner. So far only were the interests of literature and general morality involved. You might have enlarged upon the excellence of its language, or the perspicuity of its reasoning; and extolled with every epithet of praise the moderate and charitable tenor of its remarks. Thus you would be liberal at once, and consistent; you would have recommended the author as a polished and temperate writer, but committed to those whom it concerned to pronounce upon the conclusiveness of his arguments. As men however seldom maintain a neutrality upon any subject of debate, as seldom can they refrain from the declaration of their partialities. A victim to this frailty you have not only applauded the above qualities in this writer, but published the coincidence of his sentiments with your own, nay, and enforced the system he defends with all the emphasis of zeal; though that system be a matter of theological dispute, though it be diametrically opposed to the convictions of a large majority of your countrymen, and though you had guarantied the total exclusion of such topics from your miscellany; and in truth is it not singular to hear you profess yourself the advocate of no party, and yet support the maxims of a notorious one-disclaim hostility to the particular creed of any body of christians, yet inculcate principles which Catholics must deprecate-call yourself the peace-maker, yet support a measure which if it were but for the mere hopelessness of its adoption, can tend only to perpetuate the confliet of bigotry? When you ac knowledge the illiberality of the means adopted by the Kildare-street gentlemen, is it not rather too much to demand their pardon from Catholics? can the end, however excellent, sanctify the iniquity of the means-or can persons be expected to abandon the convictions of their bosoms to gratify the whims of a few? It is not my business to investigate the justice of your private sentiments with regard to the indiscriminate circulation of the sacred Seriptures, nor is it my wish to withold the meed of applause for the temperate style in which they are expressed-but while your manner might have honored other mediums of publicity, your matter disgraces" the Inquisitor."

I am aware, Sir, that you are most probably as indifferent to the censure as you would be to the applause of "Juvenis,"

Observations and Reply on the Review of "the Bible not a Dangerons Book," &c.

but it becomes obligatory upon him to state, how far what he conceives a departure from original stipulations may have operated upon him.

Though his years be not many, he has had time to trace the blood-stained annals of his country, and to pause with anguish over the ruins in which ruthless fanatacism has involved her dissension, (as yourself eloquently expresses it) has withered her finest energies-and to such feuds he bas declared himself a foe. Experience has shewn that the attempts of the Bible Society are calculated to rouse feelings which should slumber for ever, and hence towards the success of any periodical work tending to uphold their system, I would deem it a crime to contribute even my insignificant exertions. With extreme reluctance then, am 1 compelled to withdraw my consent for the printing of those few trifles of my composition that remain unpublished in your hands, and to entreat that instead of committing them to the press, you will commit them to the flames!

Believe me, Sir, that it was not until I had overcome many a painful struggle with my feelings, that a sense of imperative duty finally obliged me to adopt this most painful alternative. No length of time shall erase my gratitude for the personal obligations which your polite attention has conferred upon me, nor can I conclude without deploring a calamity which deprives me of its future advantages.

Sir, your's with respect, "JUVENIS.”

We respect the feelings of" Juvenis;" he is one of those ardent writers who espouse in baste what they defend with warmth; his talents are of an order too brilliant to remain in obscurity-but too inexperienced to wing the dense atmosphere of cold and unattractive philosophy;-the tenets of religious creeds, although perhaps simple of attainment in their superficial aspect, involve errors and difficulties that have startled great and comprehensive minds-their mys teries, received alike by the intelligent and the weak, are the only points upon which both agree-for that which is beyond the compass of the human understanding is equally regarded by all. To the reasonable parts then of the christian code, we must turn for those distinctions of belief which compose the separate faiths of men, and here what a wide and varied scene is opened,-the very beings who marshal themselves in all the exultation of strength, and consciousness of recti

Observations and Reply on the Review of "the Bible not a Dangerous Book," &c.

tude under the same sacred banner, divided into scattered groups, as if the very cause which brought them together precluded the practicability of their union. On this reflec tion a thousand painful thoughts arise-such as we would willingly dismiss-such as we can not with propriety entertain. Dissensions in Theology seize the young imagination with a firm grasp but it is enthusiasm and zeal that then direct opinions which should be guided only by experience and conviction; and, however happily a chain of words may lead to some plausible deduction, there will always be something fallible in the reasoning which is not governed, step after step, by strong and incontrovertible truths. We will confess we are gratified by the open and candid epistle of our Correspondent-it gives promise of a mind capable of exalted conceptions, but too rapid in its survey of externals.

He has more than once favoured us with communication by letter, which we have acknowledged with a suitable feeling of obligation-we regret that the conduct of any branch of " the Inquisitor" should have induced him to withdraw that assistance, but before we part from him we would add a few words in exculpation of what has met his disproval.

The principal point to which we feel ourselves bound to reply is that which accuses us of a departure from primitive principles a deviation from the central track which we had originally designed to tread, "equally removed from the extremes of profaneness on the one hand, and of officious interference with the peculiarities of any christian creed on the other."-In refutation of this charge it is only necessary to refer our Correspondent to the article which is the foundation of his opinion;-surely he cannot have overlooked the sentiments which it emphatically expresses-" We would be clearly understood, however, not to arraign or defend the prejudices or opinions of any particular denominations of Christians

OUR END IS THE PROMOTION OF CHRISTIANITY, &c." Again, we condemned without reserve, illiberality in theological tracts, which is a negative proof that we disclaimed it ourselves we censured the conduct of the Kildare-street Society, when we considered they were wrong, and agreed with them when we thought they were right--the same candor we observed towards Mr. O'Connell-if this does not argue neutrality, it at least proves independence;" We are not the advocates of any sect-we are not the supporters of any party.""Ireland can never be happy while her children are disunited."-" We would be the mild conciliators of all