“No matter what obstacles the Nonconformists may have inserted
    in the Constitution of the University to keep it from being
    Catholic, we will make it Catholic in spite of them.”

Personally, I do not object to denominational Universities.  I regret that young men who are going to live in the same country should not be able to study law and medicine together; but if that is their feeling and the feeling of their parents, I admit that having separate Universities may be the best solution of the difficulty.  But if so, let it be openly avowed that the University is denominational; to “make it Catholic” and at the same time to say that it is no injustice to Protestants that County Scholarships paid for by the ratepayers should be tenable there and nowhere else, seems to me absurd.

The other incident to which reference must be made was the great Convention held in Dublin in 1909.  The Nationalists, believing that a Home Rule Bill would soon be introduced, devised the scheme of assembling a monster Convention, which would be evidence to the world of how admirably fitted the Irish people were to govern their own country.  It was attended by 2,000 delegates from all parts of the country, who were to form a happy family, as of course no disturbing Unionist element would be present to mar the harmony and the clerical element would be strong.  Mr. Redmond, who presided, said in his opening address:—­

“Ireland’s capacity for self-government will be judged at home and abroad by the conduct of this Assembly.  Ireland’s good name is at stake, and therefore every man who takes part in this Assembly should weigh his words and recognise his responsibility.”

The meeting ended in a free fight.

At the end of 1909 Mr. Asquith did a very clever thing.  A general election was pending, and he wished to avoid the mistake which Gladstone had made in 1885.  He therefore, at a great meeting at the Albert Hall unfolded an elaborate programme of the long list of measures which the Government would introduce and carry, and in the course of his remarks said that Home Rule was the only solution of the Irish problem, and that in the new House of Commons the hands of a Liberal Government and of a Liberal majority would in this matter be entirely free.  He and his followers carefully abstained from referring to the subject in their election addresses; and Mr. Asquith was thus free, if he should obtain a majority independent of the Irish vote, to say that he had never promised to make Home Rule part of his programme; but if he found he could not retain office without that vote, he might buy it by promising to introduce the Bill and refer to his words at the Albert Hall as justification for doing so.  The latter happened; hence the “Coalition Ministry.”  The Irish party consented to please the Radicals by voting for the Budget, and the Nonconformists by voting for Welsh Disestablishment, on condition that they should in return vote for Home Rule.  As Mr. Hobhouse (a Cabinet Minister) expressed it in 1911:—­