This article, from the April 22, 1848 issue of John Bull, points to a contradiction in the perceived relationship between government/law/the nation and religion. What is this contradiction, and how does it tie in to the conclusion of Mary Barton? How would readers in 1848 have understood the religious implications of the novel's conclusion, and would they have accepted the religious answer provided by the novel. How might an article like this--and those who espoused its argument--have commented on the novel's conclusion (and, in particular, the final conversation between John Barton and Mr. Carson)?
This prayer is not from Punch but from The Children's Missionary Magazine (published in London from March 1838 through December 1894). What type of religion does it depict? What type of child might be expected to say this prayer? In what type of household would he or she reside? Can you imagine children at Lowood School saying this type of prayer? Why or why not? What are the implications about the British empire in this prayer? What would it mean to have small children thinking about Madagascar, Jerusalem, and Ireland? Why these three places in particular (especially Madagascar and Ireland, since Jerusalem has obvious Biblical implications)? Can you compare the type of religious belief expressed here to that held by Bute Crawley, Mr. Pitt Crawley, Miss Temple, Mr. Brocklehurst, Helen Burns, or Jane herself? (April 1, 1847)
