There can’t be many universities in the world who have a statue showing him sitting with an open book of an alumnus who escaped with a pass degree and a second class divinity testimonium. A fine monument of William Edward Hartpole Lecky is in the front square of Trinity College Dublin. After his student days (1856 -60) he spent some years on the continent enjoying a species of literary vagabondage which culminated in a rather remarkable two volume study of ‘Rationalism in Europe’ pub.1865.. This at the age of 27. It runs to over 800 pages of small but quite readable font. I have it before me now in the authorised edition of 1910. He writes in Vol.II on Persecution:
"is to determine the judgment by an influence other than reason; it is to prevent that freedom of enquiry which is the sole method we possess of arriving at truth. The persecutor never can be certain that he is not persecuting truth rather than error, but he may be quite certain that he is suppressing the spirit of truth.” (The gravamen of the charge of persecution and the inculcation of blind faith falls on Roman Catholics)
Prior to this observation he discovers the milder forms of encouragement that can wrought a change of belief:
"he firmly resolved to make any sacrifice rather than profess what he does not believe, yet still his affections will endow their objects with a magnetism of which he is perhaps entirely unconscious.”
Have we not seen this recently with those who have donned the white alb of science, the lab coat, to promulgate doctrines which are without foundation? Farther down:
"Indeed, the simple fact of annexing certain penalties to the profession of particular opinions, and rewards to the profession of opposite opinions, while it will undoubtedly make many hypocrites, will also make many converts. “
I wonder if this may not reflect on his own ancestors who first came to Ireland in the 17C. as Quakers and who as dissenters would have suffered debilities. Obviously lightened by the time of William Edward who ended up owning 721 acres at Aughanure, Bestfield and Kilcock and via the Hartpole side 1,200 acres at Shrule Castle, Co. Laois. The Hartpoles remained Catholic until 1640. It seems that part of the plantation of Munster was not aligned to religion.
In a curious inversion of history Cullenswood House where Lecky was born in 1838 became Scoil Eanna set up by Padraic Pearse as a Gaelic academy.
“In 1833 Cullenswood House was bought from Charles Joly, the then proprietor, by John Lecky, grandfather of the historian. John Lecky was succeeded by his eldest son, John Hartpoole Lecky; and John Hartpoole Lecky’s son, William Edward Hartpoole Lecky, was born at Cullenswood House on March 26th, 1838. So our school-house has already a very worthy tradition of scholarship and devotion to Ireland; scholarship which even the most brilliant of our pupils will hardly emulate, devotion to Ireland, not indeed founded on so secure and right a basis as ours, but sincere, unwavering, lifelong.”( from an essay of Pearse -Pearse on Cullenswood
Pearse may have been a little charitable here for Lecky regarded Home Rulers as murderous ruffians and agrarian incendiaries. In the end however it was the Black and Tans that burnt Cullenswood House.
It seems to have been repaired and in the 1990‘s was functioning as a Gaelscoil and again becoming delapidated due to neglect. The story of its renewal and refurbishment is told here
as gaeilge
Nach Iomaí Cor sa Saol
Ps. Since blogspot decided to change its site html is awry and formatting is exasperating.
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