The million-peopled city
Garwood, John
1853
Especial Suitableness of Irish Scripture-readers and Missionaries for Irish Districts and the more Especial Facilities with which they may be obtained.
The greatest difficulty in imparting religious instruction efficiently to the working classes of London is in the obtain- ing of a sufficient number of properly-qualified readers and missionaries. These are more easy to obtain than they were a few years since. But the demand for them has increased in the same proportion. For imparting religious instruction to the Irish of London, Irish readers and missionaries are best adapted and most suitable, especially if they can speak the Irish language. Now it so happens that furnishes a large supply of valuable labourers, and the wants of London as to the Irish can therefore be more easily met than those of other classes. It might have been supposed that would have furnished more | |
316 | religious labourers for such a work than . But such is far from being the case. has hitherto furnished very few, and very many, while those which Scotland does furnish, with very bright exceptions here and there, are not so generally acceptable to our poor. Nor can the circumstance be altogether lost sight of, that, with whatever freedom from party or sectarian teaching, a lay agent may labour, in this country there is a very large portion of its wealth in the hands of those who are scarcely at present prepared to support any other agency than that of the Established Church, and who when they resolve on aiding a mixed Society, such as that of the , yet stipulate that the missionary supported by them shall be a Churchman. Now Irishmen from those parts of where emigration takes place, are almost all Churchmen. The exceptions are very few. And thus any feeling of preference or prejudice may without difficulty be met in the case of the Irish of London, while it is frequently difficult to comply with it, without sacrifice of objects far more important, as to other classes. The Irish of London are also undoubtedly less prejudiced against receiving Protestant visits than they were only 2 or 3 years since. |