Papurau Newydd Cymru

Chwiliwch 15 miliwn o erthyglau papurau newydd Cymru

Cuddio Rhestr Erthyglau

22 erthygl ar y dudalen hon

THE BURIALS BILL.

Newyddion
Dyfynnu
Rhannu

light of intelligent developement, it at one and th- same time punishes those who would interfere witl its good work. Further, any rule or statute implie opposition, and in the cause of Education, by reasoi of the array of opposing forces, the regulation which exists to secure the recognition of the government 01 national intention is known as "the Compulsory Clause." Our own records of the workings of national education in Great Britain tell us in un- mistakeable language how necessary such a clause is, and how miserably futile our educational effort would be without it. Unfortunately its appreciation is optional, but when it has been applied the police courts bear ample testimony to its necessity, and its local administrators would as soon think of dis- pensing with School Boards altogether a. to dream of its withdrawal. All this tells us that large masses of the people cannot be entrusted with the education of their children, though we have trusted them at Merthyr, and contented ourselves with propping up the Education Act, as far as its enforcement is con- cerned, like an effigy of straw, simply for the people to knock it down again. This is bringing the law into contempt with a vengeance, but still there is no denying the fact that we have built spacious and expensive schools, and employed an attendance officer to work a large district, and—try to induce the parents to send their children regularly to school. Many of the parents do not as a general thing do anything of the kind, and the unlucky officer referred to finds that they have discovered his lack of power, and do not hesitate to take advan- tage of it We are surprised that our School Board £ 5 been in the slightest degree successful as an j Been 11 & we are gure that were it not foS untiring zeal andlocalinfluence of itemembers, lor the unuriiio orough efficiency of its officers combmed with the J most certainly not and teachers, such result supp0se we must have been realised. But ana nal ^(Kj,r be particular while dealinj^i ■ dislocate the —the ultimate infinitesimal wui words, vertebra of the "ship of the desert, „ the last straw will break the camel's biLck." Now we should not like to state that t e P wag and presented to the Board when t cy • on a mere atom of dolorous complain m the'iinti- "with similar productions called for v-tant, 0f educational spirit existing among some m this town. We should be sorry to say the kind, goodness knows matters are after all the Board has done, to need no exaggcra- tion while in the course of an argument. 1 might be more proper to say that the lengthy list referred to at last aroused the Board to decided action, by the nature of its contents, and so ™ the world that at Merthyr our local admnrush?itoire had not become oblivious to the fact that different character to those they had alrea y c pp were in existence. At any rate the happy result IS the same, and at the moment we write, for wbat we committee is considering the advisability o PP 3> o compulsion in some ot the special cases ro under their notice. We hail this result with un- bounded satisfaction, and only hope it beginning of better days., educationally an There are objections to be urged we admit, especially at this moment, and in this district, whic partially paralysed from the effects of COI?^ei° disasters. If a parent is taken into the po i and it is proved that he cannot pay his child s school fees, the Board or the Guardians must my, and then comes the question of calling" in t e a already heavily burdened ratepayers. But the question still ren.ains, shall our children be educated, and if we see to the conscientious carrying out of our duty in this respect, and the number of children in the schools is increased and the regularity of theu attendance becomes ensured, how far by the crease of fees and grants should we be assisted in is onr most righteous effort ? These are considerations for the members of our School Board, and we leave the matter in their hands, in the meantime giving utter- ance to a hope that as we have magnificent schools built here they will adopt such measures as will en- sure their being fully occupied by pupils. THE BURIALS BILL. MR. OSBOBNE MORGAN recently addressed hi3 con- stituents, according to annual custom at Wrexham The hon. and learned gentleman dealt with a variety of subjects, but the one predominant topic of the Burials Bill must necessarily possess the greatest interest for the public. For several years the mem- ber for Denbighshire has devoted himself to the solution of a problem which concerns not only Churchmen and Dissenters, but those of the com- munity who, like Grimaldi and his family during the No Popery Riots, are of "no religion at all." The right to burial in the churchyards of the country has long been earnestly contended for, and cannot be much longer denied to Nonconformists. The safety of the Establishment is more likely to be secured by concession than opposition on this points In an age when religious equality is aimed at the exclusion of members of any faith from God s Acre is calculated to excite feelings of mistrust, and when to that is added the effects of ill-will engendered by a refusal to permit the friends of the dead to choose their own service, and perform the funeral rites in a way consonant with their wishes, it must be admitted that complications of an irritating kind are likely to ■arise, highly prejudicial to the common weal, and injurious to the cause of Christianity itself It is 'quite time something was done to heal the wounds which prolonged strife has inflicted on members of various religious denominations, and next session we may expect that steps will be taken, if not to recon- cile the differences of opinion existing on the point, at least to put at rest the disquieting influences which have led to many sad scenes in churchyards, and brought discredit upon those who took part in them. Every year the popular mind becomes more thoroughly imbued with a sense of the propriety of putting a stop to the painful proceedings which usually follow upon a refusal on the part of a clergy- man to read the appointed service over the dead, or to allow the ministers of another church to adopt one of their own within the walls of the burial- j ground. The cry that the Church is in danger will no longer avail to prevent a change in the law, and it is beginning to be generally felt that Churchmen are themselves primarily interested in the adoption of a policy of conciliation. Nothing probably has tended so much to embitter the hostility of Dissen- ters towards the Establishment as the quarrels which have arisen out of the opposition of clergymen to their wishes in respect to the interment of the dead. No doubt, in the majority of cases, conscientious scruples have had much to do with the matter, but in many the letter of the ecclesiastical law has been the chief stumbling block. The theory that if once Dissenters have conceded to them the right of burial according to their own notions within the limits ot a churchyard, they will proceed to take possession of the fabric of the church, and claim the privilege of ministering therein, does not hold good The day must come when disestablishment will be accomplished, but such strength as the Establishment continues to possess, lies in concession to dissent. It is only by "caving in" at the right time the church can save even what she may be entitled to secure to herself. Prolonged opposition will lead to disastrous results, and Nonconformists will take what they have a right to, if it is not given them in a spirit of amity and good will. In the eye of the law," says Mr. Morgan, the churchyard is merely so much parish land, vested in the incumbent as to the surface for his own use, and as to the soil for the use of every single man amongst his parishioners. Every person dying in the parish has at common law a.n equal right of interment therein; and so sacred is that right that if a vicar or rector presumes to resist it he could be punished by criminal pro- ceedings." There can be no doubt on this point, and it must be obvious that injustice is wrought where these facts are disregarded. The honourable and learned member also pertinently remarked that "to say, as some people did, that because in some extraordinary or mysterious way the cnurehyard had become the property of the church by onsecratjon was to say nothing at all, because the law recognised no such mode of acquiring property and as to the popular notion that because the church stood in the middle of the churchyard, therefore the churchyard belonged to the church, it had no foundation in tact, because in early times the churchyard, so far irom being close to the parish church, or surrounding it, was at a great distance from it, and the modern custom of having the churchyard near to the church had its origin in the superstition of praying for the dead. There could be no doubt as to the right of burial, and the only thing which was iu dispute was the conditions under which that right should be exercised. This the bill deals with, and it is to be hoped that ti e ConservatiTes will unite with the Liberals in an effort to carry it. it is of the highest •possible importance that the elsh members geaerally should rally round Mr. O. Morgan, as it is evident that an attempt will be made to constitute this bill the |battle-bone of the session, and supine- ness would almost be criminal after the exertions of the past. In due course the question of Disesta- blishment will have to be settled. Meanwhile let it ,be the policy of at least the Liberal party to see the Burials Bill adopted, as ^he law of tta tand.

jLOCAL INTELLIGENCE.

[No title]

MERTHYR SCHOOL BOARD. --1-

MERTHYR POLICE COURT.

Advertising

ABERDARE POLICE COURT.

Advertising

EHYMNEYINTELLIGENCE,

Advertising

WHAT THE " WOKLTT^AYi.

[No title]

[No title]

Advertising

SHOCKING FATAL ACCIDENT.

NOT GOOD-LOOKING ENOUGH.

CONTAGIOUS DISEASES (ANIMALS)…

SIR JOHN MANTELL AND VAGRANTS.

THE GLADSTONE DIVORCE SUIT.

THE COMIC PAPERS.

[No title]

Advertising