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THE 



CATHOLIC WORLD. 



MONTHLY MAGAZINE 

AP 




GENERAL LITERATURE AND SCIENCE 



PUBLISHED BY THE PAULIST FATHERS. 



VOL. XCVI. 
OCTOBER, 1912, TO MARCH, 1913. 



NEW YORK: 

THE OFFICE OF THE CATHOLIC WORLD 

120 WEST 6oxH STREET. 



1913- 



CONTENTS. 



Alcohol, The Political Economy of. 
Frank O'Hara, Ph.D. . . 774 

Among the Roses of Madeira. 
Joseph Francis Wickham, . .524 

At the Gateway of Italy. Joseph 
Francis Wickham, . . .617 

Aquinas, Bergson, and Newman. 
Thomas J. Gerrard, . . . 748 

Balkan War, The, . . .385 

Bergson His Philosophy of Change. 
Thomas J. Gerrard, . 433, 602 

Bergson, Newman, and Aquinas. 
Thomas J. Gerrard, . . 748 

Canada and the Colonies : A Les- 
son for the " Guardians of Lib- 
erty." Edwin Ryan, . . 449 

Catholic Deep-Sea Mission, A. 
William P. H. Kitchen, Ph.D., 370 

Catholic Poets, Our. Agnes Brady, 233 

Catholic Scientist, A Great. Sir 
Bertram C. A. Windle, LL.D., 627 

Christian Science. Adrian Feverel, 

180, 360, 466, 655 

Christmas, The Poetry of. Kather- 
ine Bregy, .... 350 

Colonies, Canada and the : A Les- 
son for the " Guardians of Lib- 
erty." Edwin Ryan, . . 449 

Cuthbert, O.S.F.C., Father : A New 
Life of St. Francis of Assisi. 
Virginia M. Crawford, . .322 

Foreign Periodicals, 

119, 264, 411, 551, 698, 840 

France, The Social Apostolate in. 
Max Turmann, LL.D., . . 225 

Francis of Assisi, St., A New Life 
of. Virginia M. Crawford, . 322 

Henry the Fifth, Shakespeare's 
Man of Action. Emily Hickey, 66 1 

Indians, Father Serra and the. 
Redfern Mason, . . . 745 

Is Satan the Hero of Paradise 
Lost ? Emily Hickey, . . 58 

Italy, At the Gateway of. Joseph 
Francis Wickham, . . .617 

Johnson, Lionel, The Poetry and 
Prose of. Elbridge Colby, . 721 

Land System, Methods of Reform- 
ing Our. John A. Ryan, D.D., i, 156 

Land Where Dreams Come True, 
The. Joseph Francis Wickham, 763 

Lang, Andrew. Agnes Repplier, 289 

"Lead, Kindly Light": Its Sources 
and Its Meaning. James Mearns, 
M.A., ' . . . . . 500 

Legislation, Minimum Wage. John 
A. Ryan, S.T.D 577 

Literature of Relief, The. William 
J. Kerby, Ph.D., . . .81 

Madeira, Among the Roses of. 
Joseph Francis Wickham, . .524 

Methods of Reforming Our Land 
System. John A. Ryan, S.T.D. , -i, 156 



Minimum Wage Legislation. John 

A. Ryan, S.T.D., . . .577 
Mistral and His Work. Charles 

Baussan, . . . . -379 
More, Sir Thomas, and His Time. 

W. E. Campbell, . . 192, 477 
Mystery of Rodin, The. Thomas J: 

Gerrard, . . . . . 302 
Newfoundland : A Catholic Deep- 

Sea Mission. William P. H. Kit- 
chen, Ph.D., . . . .370 
Newman, Bergson, and Aquinas. 

Thomas J. Gerrard, . . . 748 
Our Catholic Poets. Agnes Brady, 233 
Our Past. M. Philip, . . .77 
Paradise Lost, Is Satan the Hero 

of? Emily Hickey, ... 58 
Philosophy of Change, Bergson's. 

Thomas J. Gerrard', . 433 602 
Poetry of Christmas, The. Kather- 

ine Bregy, . . . .350 

Poets, Our Catholic. Agnes Brady, 233 
Points of View. Vincent McNabb, 

O.P., 801 

Pombal, Marquis of, The Voltaire 

of Portugal. Mary H. Allies, 46 
Poor, The. William J. Kerby, 

Ph.D., 215 

Recents Events, 

126, 273, 422, 559, 706, 849 
Reform, Economic, The Spiritual 

Factor in. Thomas J. Gerrard, 31 
Relief, The Literature of. William 

J. Kerby, Ph.D., . . .81 
Rodin, The Mystery of. Thomas 

J. Gerrard, . . . .302 
Russell, Father Matthew, Personal 

Reminiscences of. Katherine 

Tynan, ..... 207 
Scientist, A Great Catholic. Sir 

Bertram C. A. Windle, LL.D., 627 
Serra, Father, and the Indians. 

Redfern Mason, . . . 145 
Social Apostolate in France, The. 

Max Turmann, LL.D., . . 225 
Shakespeare's Man of Action. 

Emily Hickey, . . . .661 
Spiritual Factor in Economic Re- 
form, The. Thomas J. Gerrard, 31 
Tertiary Man in Argentina. Jabez 

B. Cough, .... 807 
The Poets' Chantry. Katherine 

Bregy, 233 

The Voltaire of Portugal. Mary 

H. Allies, .... 46 

Van Beneden, Pierre Joseph, A 

Great Catholic Scientist. Sir 

Bertram C. A. Windle, LL.D., 627 
Wage Legislation, Minimum. John 

A. Ryan, S.T.D., . . .577 
With Our Readers, 

137, 284, 425, 571, 7i7, 861 
Work, Mistral and His. Charles 

Baussan, . ... . 379 



STORIES. 



A Royal Maundy. E. M. Dinnis, 788 

Celia's Lover. John Ayscough, . 587 
The City of Goodwill. Jeanie 

Drake, ..... 487 



The Maid of Seraghtoga. " Oliver," 331 

The Postboy. Jeanie Drake, . 170 

The Red Ascent. Esther W. Neill, 733 

The Wooing of Guesca. "Oliver," 637 



The King's Cradle. E. M. Dinnis, 314 The Wound. Thomas B. Reilly, 72 



The Least of the Little Ones. 
E. M. Dinnis, 



While Jane Anne Was Away. 
Katherine Tynan, . . . 456 



CONTENTS 



in 



Ballade of Unknown Saints. T. 

Lawrason Riggs, 
Christ's Cradle. Edward F. Gar- 

esche, S.J., .... 
Eternal Sequence. Caroline D. 

Swan, ..... 
Father Doyle. Maurice Francis 



Egan, 



POEMS. 

Oil Ancient Wharves. Caroline D. 
191 Swan, ..... 30 

Pennies. /o;yc Kilmer, . .601 
523 The Hague Court. Caroline D. 

Swan, ..... 224 
773 The Monks' Church. Edward F. 

Garesche, S.J., . . . . 298 
238 The Wise Men. E. M. D., . . 348 



NEW PUBLICATIONS. 



Abbot Wallingford, . . . 409 

A Book of the Love of Mary, . 838 

A Dixie Rose in Bloom, . . 400 

A French Kindergarten of To-day, 404 

A History of American Literature, 821 
A History of the United States for 

Grammar Schools, . . . 832 

A Montessori Mother, . . . 822 

A Prisoner of War in Virginia, 115 
A Synchronic Chart and Statistical 

Tables of United States History, 825 
Amelie in France, . . . 837 
Americans and Others, . . 679 
An Experiment in History Teach- 
ing, ..... 408 
As Caesar's Wife, . . . 408 
Belgium, The Land of Art, . .691 
Between Two Thieves, . . . 539 
Blue Bonnet's Ranch Party, . .114 
Books by Catholic Authors in the 

Cleveland Public Library, . . 248 
Cardinal Bourne : A Record of the 
Sayings and Doings of His Emi- 
nence Francis the Archbishop of 

Westminster, .... 404 
Cardinal Mercier's Retreat to His 

Priests, ..... 690 
Catherine Sidney, . . .261 

Catholicism and Socialism, . . 241 
Changing America, . . .250 

Chapters on Christian Doctrine, . 1 1 1 

Charles Louis Philippe, . . 697 
Christian Science and Catholic 

Teaching, .... 550 
Christian Social Reform, . .103 

Christ's Christianity, . . . 263 
Chronicles of Avonlea, . .103 

City of Sweet Do-Nothing, . . 263 

Consumers and Wage Earners, . 676 

Contemplation, . . . 697 

Crowns and Palms, . . 550 

Davidee Birot, .... 99 
De Vasectomia Duplici necnon de 

Matrimonio Mulieris Excisae, . 839 

Dogmatic Canons and Decrees, . no 

Early Christian Hymns, . . 248 
Economic and Moral Aspects of the 

Liquor Business, . . .115 
Edgar Allen Poe, . . .113 

English Grammar, . . . 696 

English Songs of Italian Freedom, 115 

Everybody's Saint Francis, . . 397 
Exposition of Catholic Morality 

Grace, . . 548 

Facts and Theories, . . 674 
Faith and Suggestion, . .691 

Faustula, . . . 680 

Fifty Famous People, . . 696 

From Dante to Verlaine, . . 693 
Further Notes on St. Paul Ephe- 
sians, Philippians, Colossians, 

Philemon, .... 109 

Ginevra, ..... 689 

God Made Man, .... 252 



God, the Author of Nature and the 

Supernatural, . . . .in 

Gone Before, .... 549 

Handbook of Composition, . . 550 
He Is Calling Me, . . .116 

Henrik Ibsen : Plays and Problems, 244 
His Grey Eminence, A Historical 
Study of the Capuchin Pere Jo- 
seph Francois Le Clerc Du Trem- 

blay, 262 

History of English Literature, from 

Beowulf to Swinburne , . . 533 
History of the Royal Family of 

England, ..... 833 
Hospital Society Addresses, . . 834 
Homiletic and Catechetic Studies, 687 
Hound of Heaven, . . 550 
Immigration and Labor, . . 686 
Incidents of My Life, . . . . 107 
In St. Dominic's Country, . .831 
Introductory Philosophy, . . 397 
John Hancock, the Picturesque Pa- 
triot, 408 

John Hungerford Pollen, . . 394 
La Loi et La Foi fitude sur St. 

Paul et les Judaisants, . . 837 

Lessons in Logic, . . . 254 
Le Modernisme_ Social-Decadence 

ou Regeneration, . . .113 

Life of St. Anthony of Padua, . 697 
Looking on Jesus : The Lamb of 

God, 543 

Loretto : Annals of the Century, 116 

Manual of Christian Pedagogy, . 117 
Manuel Pratique de la Devotion au 

Sacre Coeur de Jesus, . . 839 

Margaret's Travels, . . . 263 

Marriage and Sex Problem, . 820 

Mary, Mary, .... 261 

May Iverson Tackles Life, . . 682 

Miriam Lucas, .... 538 
Missions and Missionaries of Cali- 
fornia, . . . , .98 

Modern Progress and History, . 685 

My Heaven in Devon, . . . 689 
My Unknown Chum, . . .106 

New Ireland, .... 824 
Notes on the New Rubrics and the 

Use of the New Psalter, . . 406 
One Hundred Masterpieces of 

Painting, . . . . .100 

Our Reasonable Service, . ' . 828 

Penal Philosophy, . . . 835 
Peronne Marie : A spiritual 
Daughter of Saint Francis of 

Sales, . . . . . 262 

Phoebe, Ernest, and Cupid, . . 690 

Plane and Solid Geometry, . . 695 

Polemic Chat 688 

Prisoners' Years, . . 252 

Race Improvement or Eugenics, 537 
Reasonable Service or Why I Be- 
lieve, ... .116 

Religion in New Netherland. . 54 



IV 



CONTENTS 



Reminiscences of a Diplomatist's 

Wife 683 

Retreats for the People, . . 101 

Saint Francis Xavier, . . . 405 

Saints and Places, . . . 824 

Saleswomen in Mercantile Stores, 105 
Sancti Benedicti Regula Monach- 

orum, . . . . . 410 

Sans Lumiere, . . . .112 

Searching the Scriptures, . . 117 
Sermons and Addresses of His 
Eminence William Cardinal 

O'Connell, Archbishop of Boston, 677 

Sermon Plans, .... 688 

Short Treatise on Confession and 

Communion, . . . . 550 

Socialism and Character, . . 97 
Socialism and the Workingman, 118 
Socialism from the Christian Stand- 
point, . . . . . 674 

Sonnets and Songs, . . . 839 

South American Problems, . . 249 
Spiritual Exercises for the Purga- 
tive, Illuminative, and Unitive 

Ways, . . ... . 830 

Spiritual Progress, . . . 696 

Steamship Conquest of the Sea, . 693 

Story of Saint Mildred of Thanet, 693 

The Advance of Woman, . . 549 
The Adventures of Four Young 

Americans, . . . . 837 

The Appearance of the Blessed 
Virgin Mary at the Grotto of 

Lourdes, ..... 825 

The Black Brotherhood, . .261 
The Blessed Eucharist : Belief of 

the Early English Church, . 831 
The Book of Saints and Heroes, 242 
The Boy and His Gang, . .118 
The Catholic Church From With- 
out, ..... 410 

The Catholic Encyclopedia, . . 260 

The Church and Eugenics, . . 550 

The Church and Social Problems, 696 

The Church of Christ, . 550 

The Communion of Saints, . 544 

The Consolations of Purgatory, 697 

The Decision, .... 262 

The Delinquent Child and the 

Home, ..... 107 

The Dramatic Festival, . . 694 
The Elements of Dogmatic The- 
ology, ..... 697 

The Enthusiasts of Port Royal, 543 
The Eucharist and Christian Per- 
fection, ..... 696 

The Eve of Catholic Emancipation, 545 

The Flowing Road, . . . 407 

The Golden Ladder, . . . 694 

The Golden Prayer Book, . . 550 

The Golden Rose, . . . 240 

The Gospel and Human Needs, . 826 
The Greater Eve, or the Throne of 

the Virgin Mother, . . . 403 
The Growth and Development of 
the Catholic School System in 
the United States, . . . 393 
The History of Religions, . . 243 
The History of the Roman Breviary, 832 
The Holy Christian Church, . 535 
The Home Book of Verse, Amer- 
ican and English, . . . 532 
The Home Rule Bill, . . .255 
The House and Table of God, . 838 



The Housing Problem, . . 550 
The Idea of Mary's Meadow, . 263 
The Inheritance, . . . 542 
The Kiss, and Other Stories, . 683 
The Last Frontier, . . .401 
The Life and the Religion of Mo- 
hammed, ..... 101 
The Litany of the Sacred Heart, . 694 
The Little Cardinal, . . . 408 
The Living Flame of Love, . . 256 
The Lost Art of Conversation, . 247 
The Holy Mass According to the 

Greek Rite, . . . .no 
The Mass : A Study of Roman Lit- 
urgy, 239 

The Messiah's Message, . -255 

The New Psalter and Its Use, . 406 

The New Rubrics and Psalter, . 550 
The New Rubrics Governing the 

Recitation of the Divine Office, 406 

The One Top Many, . . . 549 

The Pleasuring of Susan Smith, . 114 
The Poets' Chantry, . . .251 

The Principles of Moral Science, 399 

The Rich Mrs. Burgoyne, . 261 

The Romance of a Jesuit, . 262 
The Romantic Story of the Puritan 

Fathers, ... . 690 

The Rule of Saint Clare, . 409 

The Science of Logic, . . 402 

The Second Book of Kings, . 838 

The Sisters of Bon-Secours, . 398 
The Son of Man His Preparation, 

His Life, His Work, . .109 
The Spiritual Life or the Journey 

of the Soul to God, . . 253 

The Story of Christopher Columbus 115 

The Story of the Bridgettines, . 104 
The Story of the Sodality of Our 

Lady, 695 

The Sugar Camp and After, . 694 

The Training of Children, . . 695 
The Unbeliever ; A Romance of 

Lourdes, . . . . .108 
The Unknown Quantity, . . 403 
The Vital Touch, . . .117 
The Waif of Rainbow Court, . 695 
The Way of the Cross, . . 550 
The Woman Hater, . < . .829 
Theodicy : Essays on Divine Prov- 
idence, ..... 673 
Troilus and Cressida, . . . 838 
Twelve Catholic Men of Science, 674 
Unseen Friends, .... 250 
Vocation, ..... 697 
Volonte et Liberte, . . . 684 
Wild Flowers of New York, . 407 
Williams' Choice Literature, . 407 
Whippen, ..... 262 
Why Should We Change Our Form 

of Government, . . .108 
Zebedee V., . . . .261 

Musical. 

Mass of St. Francis de Sales, . 410 
Mass of the Immaculate Concep- 
tion, . . . . . 49 
Organ Accompaniment to the Can- 

tate, 4 

O Salutaris Hostia, . _. . 409 

Recordare, Virgo Mater Dei, . 409 

Requiem Masses, . . . 4 J 

Tantum Ergo, . . 409 

Tozer's Catholic Church Hymnal, 410 



THE 




CATHOLIC WORLD. 



VOL. XCVL OCTOBER, 1912. No. 571. 
METHODS OF REFORMING OUR LAND SYSTEM. 

BY JOHN A. RYAN, S.T.D. 

N economic and social discussion the word reform is 
commonly opposed to the word revolution. It im- 
plies modification rather than abolition; gradual, 
rather than violent, change. When men speak of 
reforming the land system they do not, as a rule, con- 
template such radical schemes as land nationalization or the Single 
Tax. Some extension of the scope of state ownership and of the 
taxation of land values may, however, be quite properly included 
under the head of land reforms. They are changes in, rather than 
a destruction of, the existing system. 

Almost all the land within the borders of the United States 
was at one time held by the government, colonial, state, or national. 
By far the greater part of it has long since passed into the hands 
of individuals and private corporations. With regard to the arable 
land, this disposition was, on the whole, the best plan at the time 
available for bringing land into use. This statement is particularly 
true of the Homestead Law, which distributed the public domain 
in small tracts among actual settlers. In all probability no system 
of leasing or renting would have been as beneficial to the community 
or to the cultivators as outright ownership. 

There are, however, other kinds of land which can be used on 
conditions more advantageous to the whole people when the title 
is retained by the state. Such are timber, mineral, oil, phosphate, 
natural gas, and water power lands. In many countries of Europe 
it has long been the policy of the government to retain these lands 
under public ownership. This policy tends to prevent the socially 

Copyright. 1912. THE MISSIONARY SOCIETY OF ST. PAUL THE APOSTLE 

IN THE STATE OF NEW YORK. 
VOL. xcvi. i. 



2 METHODS OF REFORMING OUR LAND SYSTEM [Oct., 

injurious destruction of forests, the private monopolization of 
limited natural resources, and the private acquisition of exception- 
ally valuable land at ridiculously low prices. The products of these 
lands can all be extracted and put upon the market through a leasing 
system. That is to say, the user of the land pays to the state a 
rental according to the amount and quality of the raw material; 
for example, coal, lumber, gas, and water power, which he takes 
from the storehouse of nature. To be sure, the state could sell 
these lands at a price that would bring it fully as much revenue 
as the leasing system ; but this result is very unlikely to happen, and 
practically never has happened. Under the leasing system, more- 
over, the state can easily secure just treatment for both consumer 
and laborer, by stipulating that the former shall obtain the product 
at fair prices, and that the latter shall be paid fair wages. 

To the objection that capitalists will not invest their money in 
nor carry on extractive enterprises, whether in lumbering, mining, 
or water power development, on a leasing basis, the sufficient an- 
swer is that they are doing it now. A very large quantity of 
minerals are produced from land which the operator has rented 
either from private owners or from the state. Thirty- four per cent 
of the coal mined in the United States in 1909 was taken from pri- 
vately-owned land which was operated under a lease. Much of the 
iron ore annually produced is extracted under the same arrange- 
ment. If the rental or royalty demanded is not unreasonably high, 
the capitalist will be quite as willing to produce raw material from 
leased land as he is to manufacture or sell goods in a rented build- 
ing. The terms of the particular lease, not the leasing system, are 
the important consideration. 

Unfortunately both our state governments and the national 
government have permitted the greater part of these valuable lands 
to pass under private ownership. Forty years ago, three-fourths of 
the timber now standing was public property; at present about 
four-fifths of it is in private hands.* By far the larger portion 
of our mineral deposits, coal, copper, gold, silver, etc., have likewise 
fallen under private control (according to the estimate of Dr. 
Howe, a royalty of twenty-five cents per ton on the mineral out- 
put of the country in 1907 would have yielded five hundred and 
seventeen million dollars, or almost the entire expenditure of the 
Federal government for that year). The only considerable body 

^Report of the Commissioner of Corporations on the Timber Industry in the 
United States. 



1912.] METHODS OF REFORMING OUR LAND SYSTEM 3 

of such resources still owned by the national government are those 
of Alaska, which are worth several billions of dollars. The Com- 
missioner of Corporations estimates the total amount of water 
power in the United States, developed and undeveloped, as some- 
where between twenty-seven and fifty-two million horse power, of 
which only about four million horse power is developed.* While 
the Federal government owns comparatively little developed water 
power, its undeveloped power has been roughly estimated at about 
fourteen million horse power in the national forests, and consider- 
ably less than that amount in other parts of the public domain. f 

All the lands and natural resources just enumerated, which 
are still publicly owned, ought to remain so. Instead of being sold, 
they should be leased to private concerns on such terms of rental 
and occupation as would yield the rates of interest and profit that 
are ordinarily obtained from other enterprises and investments sub- 
ject to the same degree of risk. In some instances, no doubt, the 
government might with advantage itself undertake the development 
and operation of these resources. In any case, not a single valid 
reason exists for the sale outright of any more of this part of the 
public domain. Happily the majority of the American people, and 
all the disinterested authorities on the subject, are in favor of the 
leasing policy. The National Conservation Congress, held in Sep- 
tember, 1910, took this ground with reference to all national re- 
sources; the Commissioner of Corporations strongly urged the 
same policy in the matter of water power ;$ and the Secretary of 
the Interior recommended it in the case of the public coal lands, 
particularly those in Alaska. Through the adoption of this plan 
the rental value of all these lands would go to the whole people 
instead of to a comparatively small number of individuals, mo- 
nopoly would become impossible, and the publicly-owned natural 
resources of the country would be conserved and protected against 
rapid and ruinous exploitation. 

Those natural resources that have passed out of government 
ownership, and that have become, or are tending to become, mo- 
nopolized by private concerns, such as the anthracite coal mines 
of Pennsylvania and the iron ore beds of Minnesota and some other 
States, should be so regulated by the government as to prevent 

*Report of the Commissioner of Corporations on Water Power Development 
in the United States, pp. 4 and 5. 
Wdem., pp. 193-195. 
%Op. cit., pp. 201, 211. 
^Address to the Mining Congress at Chicago, November, 1911. 



4 METHODS OF REFORMING OUR LAND SYSTEM [Oct., 

their products from being sold at extortionate prices. While a full 
discussion of the means by which this end may be attained is im- 
possible here, one or two general indications will perhaps not be 
out of place. Either of two methods might be adopted : First, the 
monopoly might be destroyed through compulsory sale of the 
property to several distinct owners, in order to enforce genuine 
competition in production. Or, if this should not prove feasible or 
desirable, the maximum selling price of the output, for example, 
coal, ought to be fixed by law at a point that would prevent extor- 
tion upon consumers. That is, the price should not be permitted 
to exceed the level that it would have reached if the commodity had 
never been monopolized. There are, indeed, good reasons for 
allowing the owners of mineral and other especially valuable na- 
tural resources to profit in the same measure as the owners of 
other kinds of land by those increases in price which take place 
under competitive conditions of production; but there is no reason, 
either of morals or of expediency, why they should reap gains 
from value increases which are due solely to the manipulations of 
monopoly. 

Grazing lands which are now in possession of the state 
should remain there until such time as they become available for 
agriculture. The cattle owner could rent the required number of 
acres from the government on terms that would be fair to both 
parties, and whatever improvements he makes upon the land could 
be fully protected in his lease. 

With regard to agricultural lands, the case is somewhat dif- 
ferent. In order that they may be continuously improved and pro- 
tected against deterioration, it is necessary in most cases that the 
user should be given every reasonable opportunity to become the 
owner. If he has not this hope and this intention he will not, as 
a rule, make the best use of the land, nor properly attend to its 
conservation. The difficulty of distinguishing between the value 
of the land itself and the value of the improvements made in (not 
upon) it, and consequently the difficulty of guaranteeing the tenant 
full payment for his improvements when he quits the land ; the temp- 
tation to wear out a piece of land quickly, and then move to another 
piece; and all the other facts that stand in the way of the Single 
Tax as applied to agricultural land, show that the government 
should not assume the function of landlord in the matter of arable 
land. In the majority of cases the state would do better to sell this 
land in small quantities to genuine, settlers. 



1912.] METHODS OF REFORMING OUR LAND SYSTEM 5 

There will, however, be many instances in which recourse may 
well be had to the leasing system. For example, the opportunity 
ought to be given to those cultivators who are unable to buy the land 
to become tenants of the state rather than of private landlords. 
State competition in this province would compel the private land- 
lord to adopt more reasonable methods in his dealing with the ten- 
ant. In all such cases the state should lease the land for a suffi- 
ciently long time, and with sufficient safeguards to the tenant to 
encourage as far as possible the keeping up of the land and the mak- 
ing of permanent improvements. It should, moreover, do every- 
thing within reason to enable the tenant ultimately to become the 
owner. To this end it ought to make loans to cultivators at 
moderate rates of interest and for long periods, after the manner 
of New Zealand and Australia. Such a policy would benefit not 
only the persons directly affected but the whole community, on ac- 
count of the resulting increase in agricultural products. It would 
be especially feasible in connection with lands which are to be made 
productive through government projects of draining and irriga- 
tion. 

Whether the state ought to purchase undeveloped land from 
private owners in order to sell it to settlers, may well be doubted. 
The only lands in regard to which this scheme would seem to be at 
all necessary, are large estates which are held out of use by their 
proprietors. Even here the transfer of the land to cultivators 
could be brought about indirectly. An extra tax on such estates 
would undoubtedly achieve the desired result. Here, again, New 
Zealand and Australia have shown the way. Hence the only direct 
action by the state that seems necessary or wise in order to as- 
sist men who wish to become cultivators of privately-owned agricul- 
tural land, is the making of loans to those who are capable of be- 
coming efficient farmers. In the interest of cheaper food products, 
and in order to reduce congestion in, and the abnormal growth of, 
cities, our governments, state and national, will sooner or later be 
compelled to undertake a systematic and extensive scheme of aiding 
people to " get back to the land." 

So much for productive lands of all sorts. No city should 
part with the ownership of any land that it now happens to possess. 
While capitalists are willing to erect buildings costing hundreds of 
thousands of dollars upon sites leased from private owners, there 
is no good reason why anyone should refuse to put up or purchase 
any sort of building on land owned by the municipality. None 



6 METHODS OF REFORMING OUR LAND SYSTEM [Oct., 

of the objections to the leasing system as applied to agricultural 
land are valid in the case of urban sites. For the value of improve- 
ments could easily be separated from the value of the land; the 
improvements could be sold as readily as though both land and im- 
provements belonged to the same person; and the owner of the im- 
provements could not be deprived of them without full compensation. 
So long as the lessee paid the annual rent, his control of the land 
would be as complete and certain as that of the private landowner 
who continues to pay his taxes. On the other hand, the leaseholder 
could not permit or cause the land to deteriorate if he would. The 
nature of the land makes such a thing impossible. Finally, the of- 
ficial activities involved in the periodical re-valuation of the land 
and collection of the rent, would not differ essentially from those 
now required to assess for and collect taxes. 

The benefits of this system would be great and manifest. Per- 
sons who are unable to own a home because of their inability to buy 
land, could yet secure possession of the necessary land through a 
lease from the city. Instead of spending all their lives in rented 
houses, thousands upon thousands of families could become occu- 
pants of abodes that they could call homes, and that they could 
hand on to their children. The greater the amount of land thus 
owned and leased by the city, the less would be the power of pri- 
vate owners to hold land for exorbitant prices. Competition with 
the city would compel them to sell land at its revenue-producing 
instead of its speculative value. In the second place, the city itself 
would obtain the benefit of every increase in the value of its land, by 
means of periodical re- valuation of land, and periodical readjust- 
ment of rent. To be sure, the city would lose through a fall in land 
values, but this is more in accordance with general welfare than 
that the loss should rest upon individuals. 

Very few, however, of our American cities are now in pos- 
session of land that could be leased to prospective builders. Would 
it not be well for them to buy land for this purpose? In the case 
of the largest cities, where the housing problem has become acute, 
and the value of land is constantly rising, the question would seem 
to call for an affirmative answer. This policy has been adopted 
with happy results by many of the municipalities of France and 
Germany.* In Savannah, Georgia, no extension of the municipal 
limits is made unless the land to be embraced has already passed 
into the ownership of the city. Another method which has been 

*Cf. Marsh, Land Value Taxation in American Cities, p. 96. 



1912.] METHODS OF REFORMING OUR LAND SYSTEM 7 

suggested is that no new street be opened in any suburban district 
until the city has become the owner of the abutting land and lots. 

Whatever be the particular means adopted, the objects of munic- 
ipal purchase and ownership of land are definite and obvious : to se- 
cure for the city, for the whole community, the municipally and so- 
cially occasioned increases in land values ; and to facilitate the reduc- 
tion of congestion, and the housing of the homeless. Indeed, it is 
probable that no adequate and comprehensive scheme of housing re- 
form can be successfully operated without a considerable amount of 
land purchase and ownership. The city must be in a position to pro- 
vide sites for those who wish to borrow money from it to build 
houses, but who cannot obtain land on fair conditions from private 
owners. 

Municipal purchase and ownership of land have been advocated 
by such a conservative writer as the Rev. Heinrich Pesch, S.J.* 

Turning now from the direct method of public ownership to 
the indirect method of reform through taxation, we observe at the 
outset that the radical proposals of the Single Taxers must be re- 
jected. To tax all economic rent into the public treasury would be 
to transfer all the value of land without compensation from the 
private owner to the state. For example, a piece of land which 
yielded to the owner an annual revenue or rent of one hundred 
dollars would be taxed exactly that amount. On the assumption 
that the prevailing rate of interest is five per cent, the owner 
would thus be deprived of wealth of the value of two thousand 
dollars. If he wanted to sell the land he could not find a purchaser, 
since no one would be willing to pay anything for land the rent 
of which would have to be handed over to the state. Inasmuch as 
\ve deny that the so-called creation of land values by the community 
gives the latter a moral right to these values,f we reject absolutely 
the Single Taxers' attempted ethical defense of the confiscation of 
rent and land values through taxation. 

Let us examine, then, the milder suggestion of John Stuart 
Mill, that the state should impose a tax upon land sufficient to 
absorb all future increases in its value. $ This scheme is com- 
monly known as the appropriation of future unearned increment. 
Either in whole or in part it is at least plausible, and is to-day 
within the range of practical discussion. It is expected to obtain 

*Lehrbuch der Nationaloekonomie, I., 203. 

tC/. THE CATHOLIC WORLD, June and July, 1911, Henry George and Private 
Property. 

^Principles of Political Economy, book v., ch. ii., sect. v. 



8 METHODS OF REFORMING OUR LAND SYSTEM [Oct., 

for the whole community all future increases in land values, and to 
wipe out the speculative, as distinguished from the revenue-pro- 
ducing value of land. Consequently it would make land cheaper 
and more accessible than would be the case if the present system 
of land taxation were continued. Before discussing its moral 
character, let us see briefly whether the ends that it seeks may 
properly be sought by the method of taxation. For these ends are 
mainly social rather than fiscal. 

To use the taxing power for a social purpose is neither 
unusual nor unreasonable. " All governments," says Professor 
Seligman, " have allowed social considerations in the wider sense 
to influence their revenue policy. The whole system of protective 
duties has been framed not merely with reference to revenue con- 
siderations, but in order to produce results which should directly 
affect social and national prosperity. Taxes on luxuries have often 
been mere sumptuary laws designed as much to check consumption 
as to yield revenue. Excise taxes have frequently been levied from 
a wide social, as from a narrow fiscal, standpoint. From the very 
beginning of all tax systems these social reasons have often been 
present."* Our Federal taxes on imports, on intoxicating liquors, 
on oleomargarine, and on white phosphorous matches, and many of 
the license taxes in our muncipalities, as on peddlers, saloon keepers, 
and dog owners, are in large part intended to meet social as well as 
fiscal ends. They are in the interest of domestic production, pub- 
lic health, and public safety. The reasonableness of effecting so- 
cial reforms through taxation cannot be seriously questioned. 
While the maintenance of government is the primary object of taxa- 
tion, its ultimate end, the ultimate end of government itself, is the 
welfare of the people. Now if the public welfare can be promoted 
by certain social changes, and if these in turn can be effected 
through taxation, this use of the taxing power will be quite as 
normal and legitimate as though it were employed for the upkeep 
of government. Hence the morality of taxing land for purposes of 
social reform will depend entirely upon the nature of the particular 
tax that is imposed. 

The tax that we are now considering can be condemned as 
unjust on only two possible grounds: first, that it would be in- 
jurious to society; and, second, that it would wrong the private 
landowner. If it were fairly adjusted and efficiently administered 
it could not prove harmful to the community. In the first place, 

^Progressive Taxation in Theory and Practice, 1908, p. 130. 



1912.] METHODS OF REFORMING OUR LAND SYSTEM g 

landowners could not shift the tax to the consumer. All the au- 
thorities on the subject admit that taxes on land stay where they 
are put, and are paid by those upon whom they are levied in the first 
instance.* The only way in which the owners of a commodity can 
shift a tax to the users or consumers of it, is by limiting the supply 
until the price rises sufficiently to cover the tax. By the simple 
device of refusing to erect more buildings until those in existence 
have become scarce enough to command an increase in rent equiva- 
lent to the new tax, the actual and prospective owners of buildings 
can pass the tax on to the tenants thereof. By refusing to put 
their money into, say, shoe factories, investors can limit the supply 
of shoes until any new tax on this commodity is shifted upon the 
wearers of shoes in the form of higher prices. Until those rises 
take place in the rent of buildings and the price of shoes, investors 
will put their money in enterprises which are not burdened with 
equivalent taxes. 

But nothing of this sort can follow the imposition of 
a new tax upon land. The supply of land is fixed, and 
cannot be affected by any action of landowners or would-be land- 
owners. The users of land and the consumers of its products 
are at present paying all that competition can compel them to 
pay. They would not pay more merely because they were re- 
quested to do so by landowners who were laboring under the burden 
of a new tax. If all landowners were to carry out an agreement to 
refrain from producing, and to withhold their land from others 
until rents and prices had gone up sufficiently to offset the tax, 
they could, indeed, shift the latter to the renters of land and the 
consumers of its products. Such a monopoly, however, is not within 
the range of practical achievements. In its absence, individual 
landowners are not likely to withhold land nor to discontinue pro- 
duction in sufficient numbers to raise rents or prices. Indeed, the 
tendency will be all the other way; for all landowners, including 
the proprietors of land now vacant, will be anxious to put their 
land to the best use in order to have the means of paying the tax. 
Owing to this increased production, and the increased willingness 
to sell and let land, rents and prices must fall. It is axiomatic that 
new taxes upon land always make it cheaper than it would have been 
otherwise, and are beneficial to the community as against the present 
owners. 

In the second place, the tax in question could not injure 

*Cf. Taussig, Principles of Economics, II., 516; Seligman, The Shifting and In- 
cidence of Taxation, p. 223. 



io METHODS OF REFORMING OUR LAND SYSTEM [Oct., 

the community from the fact that it would discourage investment in 
land. Once men could no longer hope to sell land at an advance in 
price, they would not seek it to the extent that they now do as a 
field of investment. For the same reason many of the present 
owners would sell their holdings sooner than they would have sold 
them if the tax had not been levied. From the viewpoint of the 
public the outcome of this situation would be wholly good. Land 
would be cheaper and more easy of access to all who desired to buy 
or use it for the sake of production, rather than for the sake of 
speculation. Investments in land which have as their main object a 
rise in value are an injury rather than a benefit to the community; 
for they do not increase the products of land, while they do advance 
its price, thereby keeping it out of use. Hence the state should dis- 
courage instead of encourage mere speculators in land. Whether 
it is or is not bought and sold, the supply of land remains the same. 
The supreme interest of the community is that it should be put to 
use, and made to supply the wants of the people. Consequently 
the only land investments that help the community are those that 
tend to make the land productive. Under a tax on future increases 
in value such investments would increase, for the simple reason that 
land would be cheaper than it would have been without the tax. 
Men who desired land for the sake of its rent or its product would 
continue as now to pay such prices for it as would enable them to 
obtain the prevailing rate of interest on their investment after all 
charges, including taxes, had been paid. Men who wanted to rent 
land would continue as now to get it at a rental that would give 
them the usual return for their capital and labor. 

So much for the effect of the tax upon the community. Would 
it not, however, be unjust to the landowners? Does not private 
ownership of its very nature demand that increases in the value of 
the property should go to the owners thereof? Res fructificat 
domino : a thing fructifies to its owner ; and value-increases may be 
classed as a kind of -fruit. 

In the first place, this formula was originally a dictum of 
the civil law merely, the law of the Roman Empire. It was a legal 
rather than an ethical maxim. Whatever validity it has in morals 
must be established on moral grounds, by moral arguments. It 
cannot forthwith be assumed to be morally sound on the mere au- 
thority of legal usage. In the second place, it was for a long time 
applied only to natural products, to the grain grown in a field, to 
the offspring of domestic animals. It merely enunciated the policy 
of the law to defend the owner of the land in his claim to such fruits, 



I 9 i2.] METHODS OF REFORMING OUR LAND SYSTEM 11 

as against any outsider who should attempt to set up an adverse 
title through mere appropriation or possession. So far, the maxim 
was evidently in conformity with reason and justice. Later on it 
was extended, both by lawyers and moralists, to cover such com- 
mercial " fruits " as rent from lands and houses, and interests from 
loans and investments. Whether this was a morally legitimate 
use of the formula we shall inquire in another place. At present 
we are concerned only with its application to an increase in the 
value of land. This is quite a different thing from the land's 
natural fruit, its concrete product. If increases in land value fall 
under the justifying influence of the maxim, the fact must be es- 
tablished by specific moral arguments, not assumed on grounds of 
presumption or analogy. 

Finally, we must bear in mind that in essence the formula 
is only a convenient phrase to describe summarily the attitude of 
the civil law and the conclusions of ethical teaching. It is not a 
self-evident, fundamental principle. Rather is it a summary of cer- 
tain conclusions which are drawn from the fundamental principles 
of industrial justice. Consequently its validity in any particular 
situation will depend upon the correctness of the conclusions which 
it sums up, while the soundness of these must in turn be tested by 
their reasonableness as rules of industrial distribution. All spe- 
cific conclusions, rules, and maxims concerning ownership must 
finally be judged by their fitness to promote human welfare in 
the distribution of the goods and opportunities of earth among the 
children of men. This is the supreme and fundamental test of 
property rights. 

Therefore, the question whether state appropriation of all 
future increases in land value by taxation would wrong private 
owners can be answered only when we have determined whether 
this practice hinders the welfare of private owners to an extent that 
is excessive, as compared with the benefits that it would confer upon 
other individuals, and upon society. 

In a certain community six per cent is the usual rate of return 
from money invested in agricultural enterprises. The government 
owns a tract of land whose net product is equivalent to six per 
cent on a valuation of twenty dollars per acre. Any cultivator 
of this land could out of its gross product get interest on his mov- 
able capital, remuneration for his own and his employees' labor, a 
fund to cover the depreciation of capital and the losses of bad 
years, taxes, and all other expenses, and still have $1.20 per acre 
remaining. Evidently this land is worth twenty dollars an acre 



12 METHODS OF REFORMING OUR LAND SYSTEM [Oct., 

to anyone who wants to buy it for use, for the things that it will 
produce, for the returns that will come from its cultivation. 

The government offers the land for sale at twenty dollars per 
acre, but on condition that all future increases in its value will be 
taxed into the public treasury. If, for example, its value should 
increase to twenty-five dollars, an additional tax would be imposed 
of, say, six per cent of the increase, or thirty cents per acre annually. 
Or the tax might be levied once for all, when the land was trans- 
ferred to a new owner, in which case it would be five dollars. Now, 
if we assume that the land is certain not to diminish in value, we 
are safe in concluding that it will find purchasers at the price speci- 
fied. Under our present system land that has a productive value 
of twenty dollars an acre, and which is certain to rise in value, 
brings more than twenty dollars because the purchasers know that 
they will profit by the advance. Land of the same productive 
power, but which is likely to fall in value, is not worth twenty 
dollars in the market. Finally, if it appears certain that the value 
of the land will remain stationary, its selling price is determined 
solely by its present productive power. In these circumstances 
land yielding a net product equivalent to the interest on twenty 
dollars per acre sells for that price at present. There is no reason 
to suppose that it would not bring the same amount in the eco- 
nomically similar hypothetical case that we are considering; for, 
after paying the increase-of-value tax, the purchasing cultivators 
would still obtain about the same return that is got from the 
average land investment under the present system. 

In the case of such a sale it is clear that the purchaser would 
suffer no injustice because they were deprived of future increases 
in the value of their land. They would not be compelled to forego 
any gain that they had a right to expect. They would, indeed, 
be shut out from the hope of profiting by possible or probable 
advances in the value of their land, but they would have bought 
it at a correspondingly lower price. 

The hypothetical situation just described would be actual for 
all those persons who should have purchased land after a future in- 
crement-tax law had gone into effect. Upon none of them would 
the law work any injustice. 

Different, however, is the case of many of those who own land 
when the law is enacted. Some of these have paid more for their 
land than it is worth when the law becomes effective, and when 
all subsequent increases are to be absorbed by the state. Let us 
suppose that the law comes into force at the beginning of the year 



1912.] METHODS OF REFORMING OUR LAND SYSTEM 13 

1920, and that the value of the land at that date becomes the basis 
from which all state-appropriated increases are to be reckoned. 
Brown owns a piece of land which is worth one thousand dollars, 
and which in consequence of the new legislation can never be worth 
more than that amount to him. Its value will certainly rise, but 
the state will take the increase through taxation. Now the dis- 
turbing fact is that the land cost Brown twelve hundred dollars. 
He suffers, therefore, a loss of two hundred dollars as a direct 
result of the law. 

A second class threatened with loss comprises all owners of 
unused or vacant land. When they bought their land they did 
so with the expectation of selling it later at a price sufficiently 
high to bring them in addition to the principal the prevailing 
rate of interest on their purchase price during all the time inter- 
vening. If a man paid five hundred dollars for a vacant lot 
in 1915, and if the lot was still worth only five hundred dollars 
at the beginning of 1920, he would be deprived of all hope of 
obtaining interest on his investment during that five year period. 
With interest at the rate of six per cent, his loss is one hundred 
and fifty dollars. If his land is worth less at the latter than it 
was at the former date, he loses an additional amount. 

Now, all those owners who, in the absence of the increment- 
tax law, would have held their land until its increase in value had 
made good their losses, whether of interest or principal, have a 
valid moral claim against the state for equivalent compensation. 
This claim rests upon a tacit contract made with them by the state 
when they bought the land. By the very fact that it sanctioned 
their title to the land, the state virtually promised that it would 
permit them to profit by all the increases in value that might accrue 
while the land remained in their possession. It made this promise 
by virtue of its silence on the subject of increment-tax legislation. 
Had it given any intimation that it would enact such a law at any 
future time, these owners would not have paid as much for their 
land as they actually did pay. Consequently, when the state passes 
the law, it violates its implicit contract with these owners, and is 
morally bound to make good any resulting loss. So much seems 
certain. 

However, many of those owners who have suffered losses 
either of principal or interest w r ould, even if the law had not been 
enacted, have sold their holdings or died before the land had risen 
in value sufficiently to offset the decline, and to cover the foregone 
interest. Only that part of such losses which corresponds to the 



i 4 METHODS OF REFORMING OUR LAND SYSTEM [Oct., 

decline in value due to the enactment of the law itself, can be 
fairly charged against the state. 

Nevertheless, it would seem that the state is bound to give 
compensation in these cases also. Except in rare instances, it 
cannot determine which owners would and which would not, in 
the absence of the law, have held their lands until they had recouped 
their losses. Hence the state is under the physical necessity of 
compensating all or none. Since the latter alternative would vio- 
late all the received standards of public honor and honesty, and 
since it would eventually injure both individual and social welfare, 
it may be dismissed as a flagrant and inconceivable act of civic 
immorality. 

There is, indeed, another method of adjustment that, theo- 
retically at least, might be justifiable. Instead of compensating 
owners for the full amount of their losses, the state might buy 
their land at the value that it had just before the increment-tax 
law went into effect, plus the ordinary bonus that is given when 
land is taken for public uses. For example, a vacant lot is worth 
four hundred and fifty dollars the day after the passing of the law, 
which is fifty dollars less than its value before the law became 
probable. For, as already noted, the very enactment of the law, 
and therefore the probability of its enactment, causes the value of 
land to decline. Men will no longer pay anything for the chances 
of a rise in value, when the advance is all to be taken by the state. 
In other words, the speculative element in land value would dis- 
appear, and its price would be regulated entirely by its producing 
power. In the case before us we are assuming that the speculative 
element is worth fifty dollars. Now, if we assume that the state is 
accustomed to add a bonus of fifteen per cent to the purchase price 
of all land that it takes for public purposes, say, for parks, streets, 
buildings, etc., it would pay for the price of land in question 
$45o.oo+$50.oo+i5 per cent of $500.00, or $565.00. This might 
or might not fully cover the losses sustained by the private owner. 

Without actually purchasing the land, the state might give 
compensation on the same principle by paying to the losers a sum 
equal to the decline in value caused by the law, plus the usual 
bonus that accompanies a compulsory sale. In the case that we 
are considering this would mean $5o.oo-|-$65.oo, or $115.00. 

The justification of this method, like the justification of all 
other rules of distribution and all other practices affecting property 
rights, must be sought in its consequence to social and individual 
welfare. It cannot be too often repeated that no rule or principle 



1912.] METHODS OF REFORMING OUR LAND SYSTEM 15 

of ownership has intrinsic or metaphysical value. They all de- 
rive their moral validity from their effects, from their conducive- 
ness to human welfare in the complete sense of that phrase. This 
means that any rule or method of distribution is morally lawful 
which, while promoting the interests of the whole community, 
causes no undue hardship to any individual or to any class of in- 
dividuals. For the community is made up of individuals, and all 
the individuals therein are of equal moral value and importance, 
and have equal claims to consideration in the matter of property 
and ownership. Whether any given rule or practice of distribu- 
tion which seems conducive to public welfare is unduly severe on 
certain individuals, is a question that is not always easily answered. 
Some of the methods that have been employed are clearly fair and 
just, others are clearly unfair and unjust, and still others are of 
doubtful morality. In every country the state compels private 
owners to, part with land at prices that sometimes are lower than 
the cost to them; in more than one country of Europe freebooters 
and kingly favorites robbed the people of their land, yet their 
descendants, and heirs, and successors are recognized by both 
statesmen and moralists as having a just title to that same land; 
in Ireland stubborn landlords are to-day compelled by the British 
Government to sell their holdings to the tenants at the present 
value of the land, plus a slight bonus; in many countries men 
may become owners of their neighbors' land by the title of pre- 
scription, without paying a cent of compensation to the latter. 
All these practices cause great harm to individuals, but they are all 
held to be justified on grounds of social welfare. 

The particular method of compensation that we are now con- 
sidering must probably be placed in the class of doubtfully just prac- 
tices. For those communities in which a future increment-tax 
is urgent or necessary could well afford to pay all losses of principal 
and interest in full. The cost to the community would be insig- 
nificant as compared with its gains from the new legislation. If 
the cost were very great it would mean that the upward trend of 
land values was not yet sufficiently marked to render an increment- 
tax law necessary or expedient. Social peace, tke security of 
property, and the prevailing conception of the sacredness of private 
ownership, are of sufficient importance to demand in most cases the 
policy of complete compensation. The more generous course to 
the individuals concerned would likewise be the more expedient one 
from the viewpoint of public welfare. 

Should not the policy of compensation be given a wider ex- 



1 6 METHODS OF REFORMING OUR LAND SYSTEM [Oct., 

tension? Since an increment-tax would cause a decline in the 
value of all land, is not the state morally bound to reimburse even 
those owners who have undergone no positive loss on their actual 
investment? Take the case of a man who has paid five thousand 
dollars for a piece of improved land which just before the incre- 
ment-tax law became imminent was valued at six thousand. In 
consequence of the law, its value falls to five thousand. Is 
the state obliged to make good this loss of one thousand dollars? 
An affirmative answer is impossible of demonstration. Provided 
that the law inflicts no positive loss upon individual owners, that 
is, no loss that corresponds to any actual outlay on their part, it 
may quite as justly appropriate past as future increases in value. 
As soon as such legislation becomes feasible and urgent, human 
welfare demands that both these kinds of value increments should 
go to the whole community rather than to the minority who happen 
at the time to be private owners. Since the land and its benefits 
are intended for the whole human race, the institution of private 
property is justified only to the extent that it promotes the welfare 
of all, non-owners as well as owners. Now the welfare of land- 
owners is sufficiently safeguarded when they are protected against 
the loss of either interest or principal. There is no need that they 
should profit by changes in value which have cost them neither 
money nor labor. In fact, it is better for them that they should 
not derive gain from any such source, and that all their income 
should be due either to their own efforts or to a reasonable return 
from their own capital. What is true of landowners in this respect 
is true of all other persons. Under the head of reasonable return 
on capital, we include, of course, compensation for the risks of 
productive enterprises, which is an entirely different thing from 
the speculative gains derived from socially occasioned rises in 
the value of land. 

In order that the morality of increment-tax legislation may 
receive the fullest possible discussion, let us notice briefly a few 
objections in addition to those already considered. We are some- 
times told that the proposal is new and, in fact, revolutionary. 
In some degree the charge is true, but the conditions which the law 
is intended to meet are likewise new, if not revolutionary. The 
whole case for the proposed legislation rests upon the fact, that 
for the first time in the world's history land values everywhere 
show an unmistakable tendency to advance indefinitely. This 
means that the minority who own land are in the way of reaping 
unbought and indefinite benefits at the expense of the majority who 



1912.] METHODS OF REFORMING OUR LAND SYSTEM 17 

are landless. This new fact, with its tremendous significance 
for human welfare, may well demand a new limitation of property 
rights in land. 

Again, it has been objected that to deprive landowners of 
the opportunity of profiting by changes in the value of their hold- 
ings, would be an unfair discrimination against one class of in- 
vestors. Nevertheless, there are good reasons for the discrimina- 
tion. Barring the case of monopoly, advances in the value of other 
goods than land are intermittent, uncertain, and temporary. In- 
creases in land values are on the whole constant, certain, and per- 
manent. In the second place, the important advances in the value 
of other kinds of goods, that is, monopolistic concerns, can and 
should be appropriated by the community. They could be taken 
through special taxation, or prevented through state regulation of 
the prices and charges which make them possible. Both methods 
are now employed by the public authority in relation to public 
service corporations, such as street railway, gas, and railroad 
companies. The same policy should be extended to all permanent 
monopolies. Save as the reward and encouragement of excep- 
tionally efficient business management, no owner of any sort of 
productive property has a valid claim to more than the prevailing 
rates of interest and profits. Where gains are restricted within 
these limits, property will not increase in value, except through 
those general influences which bring about a general rise in prices. 

A final objection is that this legislation would violate the 
canons of just taxation. It would impose a specially heavy burden 
upon one form of property. Now the general doctrine of taxation 
held by substantially all economists to-day, and by Catholic moral- 
ists for centuries, is known as the "faculty " theory.* According 
to this theory, men ought to be taxed in proportion to their ability 
to pay, rather than in accordance with the benefits that they are as- 
sumed to receive from the state. And it is universally recognized 
that the proper measure of " ability " is not a man's total pos- 
sessions, productive and unproductive, but his income, the annual 
revenues out of which the tax payments must come. Now the 
proposal to take for the state the whole of the future increases in 
the value of land does seem to violate this rule of taxation according 

*Cf. Seligman, Progressive Taxation in Theory and Practice, part ii., chs. ii. 
and iii. ; also the classical refutation of the " benefit theory " by John Stuart Mill 
in Principles of Political Economy, book v., ch. ii., sec. 2. The traditional Catholic 
teaching on the subject is succinctly stated by Cardinal de Lugo in his de Justitia 
et Jure, disp. 36 ; cf. Devas, Political Economy, 2d ed., p. 594. 
VOL. XCVi. 2. 



i8 METHODS OF REFORMING OUR LAND SYSTEM [Oct., 

to ability; for it would appropriate not merely a percentage, as in 
the case of other revenues, but the whole of this particular portion 
of the landowner's income. 

However, all the adherents of the " faculty " theory maintain 
that it is subject to certain modifications. In the first place, funded 
incomes, such as interest on an actual investment, and " unearned 
incomes," such as interest on the socially occasioned increments of 
value, should be taxed at a higher rate than incomes which represent 
the expenditure of labor. All tax paying involves sacrifice, and 
the sacrifice required to give up a certain per cent of the two former 
kinds of incomes is not so great as the sacrifice that is undergone 
when the same proportion is deducted from salaries or wages. 
Hence the landowner may be really more " able " to turn over to 
the state the whole of the socially occasioned increases in the value 
of his land than the salary receiver is to pay ten per cent of his 
salary; for the landowner gives up something that has cost him 
no sacrifice either of labor or saving, but is of the nature of a 
" windfall." In the second place, while excluding the general 
benefit theory, the " faculty " principle allows a place for benefits 
that are special. In American cities the landowner is compelled to 
pay in full for the benefits that accrue to his land from public im- 
provements, such as the opening of a street or the installment of a 
sewer. Since these benefits can be clearly determined, and since 
they are all enjoyed by the owner of the land, he is quite properly 
required to pay for them. On the same principle it is fair that he 
should return to the community the equivalent of those land value 
increases which are due to general social causes, instead of to 
specific public improvements. In both cases he pays for benefits 
which are received by him alone, and which represent no previous 
outlay on his part, either of labor or money. Since they have a 
different origin from other portions of his income, they may be 
taxed according to a different principle. 

So much for the canons of taxation involved. The general 
and fundamental justification of taxing land value increases into 
the public treasury is, as already noted, to be sought in human 
welfare. It is not to be found in the theory of the Single Taxers, 
that these values are " produced " by the community. The in- 
creases in value are a kind of no-man's property, which, provided 
that they have not been sold to any person, may rightfully be ap- 
propriated for the common good. 




THE LEAST OF THE LITTLE ONES. 

BY E. M. DINNIS. 

HEY stood on the outskirts of the little Downside 
village which has given an English saint to the cal- 
endar more or less in a line first the Convent 
of the Order of the Holy Infancy; next to it 
the commodious cottage where " the Brown Lady " 
entertained little visitors from the slums of London; and then the 
hermitage in which the mightiest brain in England (according to 
the coterie of discerning persons who treat of scientific matters 
in the press) was resting itself in preparation for fresh labors in 
the field of scientific research known as Eugenics. Beyond their 
respective gardens lay the " Holy Wood," associated with the saint 
already mentioned, and with many strange and beautiful legends 
" some of the prettiest things in mythology," the Young Professor, 
who was poetical by nature, called them. 

Every new morning the nuns and the Brown Lady looked out 
on the wood, and on the hills, and blessed the faithful Creator; and 
every new morning the Young Professor of Anthropology and Eu- 
genics looked on the green earth and joyous river, and opined that 
the world would indeed be a fine place if only Man had not been 
warped by the decrees of priest-made religions, and. so become a less 
perfect thing than Nature's other handiwork. Who had ever heard 
of " abortive " hills or " deficient " valleys? 

The Brown Lady's hobby was a special source of aggravation 
to the Young Professor, for, to use the Coming Man's own ex- 
pression, this lady of the bright brown eyes, and unvaried brown 
attire, was " a fancier of the unfit! " A worker in the city slums 
during the Winter months, in the Summer time she loved to collect 
little children the least of the Little Ones deaf, dumb, and 
crippled, and to tend them with her own hands in this little restful 
paradise, in the saint's country, near the Holy Wood. The young 
man of science was a philanthropist in his way. Much of the 
Brown Lady's work he approved of she sat on Care Committees 
in addition to pauperizing the community " in her own pernicious 
and pious way;" and her labors for the housing of the poor had 
been applauded by sane secularists and a non-sectarian press but 



20 THE LEAST OF THE LITTLE ONES [Oct., 

her incurable preference for the unfit was a thing abominable to the 
foremost exponent of the doctrine of Eugenics. 

The Brown Lady's youngest charge was especially on the pro- 
fessor's nerves. John Ignatius of the Higgins' was indeed a deplor- 
able specimen of humanity. Sickly in body, without being exactly 
imbecile, he was certainly to be reckoned among the mentally de- 
ficient. At six years of age he had nothing to say beyond a few 
jumbled phrases, nor was it easy to interest him in things in process 
around him. Enthralling contretemps, such as the discovery of a 
missing shoe in the bedroom ewer, left him unmoved, while the 
joys of a raspberry pie a thing unguessed in his native Whitechapel 
failed to produce practical signs of appreciation from the queer, 
phlegmatic child with the white, impassive face. 

" That brat ought never to have been kept ! " the professor said, 
pointing, as he leaned over the low garden wall, at the least of the 
Little Ones domiciled with the Brown Lady. A chilling com- 
ment enough, coming as it did from the greatest mind in Europe 
(to quote the cheaper and more effusive press), but John Ignatius 
apparently lacked even that discrimination possessed by dogs and 
cats for those who dislike them, for he simply looked up at the 
speaker and gave one of the rare and always irrevelant smiles that 
occasionally lighted up his dull face. 

" I suppose if I gave him a cherry," the other went on, severely, 
stretching his hand up to the boughs of an adjacent tree, " he'd 
only swallow the stone ? " 

The Brown Lady, who was being addressed, laughed gayly. 

" Try him," she said, " he's not so bad as all that ! " 

The professor tried him. John Ignatius received the gift with 
no outward signs of appreciation. His face remained stolid and 
unsmiling. " He never ought to have been allowed to occur ! " the 
Young Professor reiterated. " He can't even enjoy a cherry. The 
little beggar hasn't got any senses ! " 

" When you get your system to perfection," the Brown Lady 
retorted, " they'll say that you never ought to have been kept. Didn't 
you once tell me that you had lost your sense of smell through some 
chemical experiment ? " 

The young man smiled in disinterested admiration of the re- 
partee. The Brown Lady, though religious, was very charming, 
with her soft brown eyes and hair, and demure cambric collar and 
cuffs. 

" Now, John Ignatius," she went on brutally, " has a really 



1912.] THE LEAST OF THE LITTLE ONES 21 

remarkable sense of smell. You should see him when he gets hold 
of a rose." She plucked a rose growing on the wall and gave it to 
the child, who grabbed at it and sniffed at the petals with a certain 
show of pleasure. 

" I suppose you selected him for this beano out of a family of 
healthy and normal boys and girls," the professor went on, censor- 
iously, " simply because he possessed the least capacity for en- 
joying it? " 

The Brown Lady certainly did look rather guilty. 

" Well," she said, " the Holiday Fund would take the others, 
but this poor little man was disqualified. Besides, I don't deny it, 
I do love the weakest best. John Ignatius is my favorite baby." 

The Young Professor groaned, and swore under his breath. 
" And you'll encourage him to grow up and marry and have a brood 
like himself ! " he said, " and you call that being kind to suffering 
humanity to bring more of it into existence ! " 

" What do you mean by existence? " the Brown Lady inquired, 
" so much depends on that," but the professor interrupted her. 

" Look at it now," he ejaculated, pointing at the object of their 
discussion; it doesn't know the difference between a rose and a 
rosary ! And as for its sense of smell, may I ask if your beads are 
scented ? " 

John Ignatius, thus called attention to, had relinquished the 
rose, and was engaged in apparently inhaling some fragrance from 
a string of rosary beads which had been lying on the seat near 
him. So enchanted was he by the result that he made one of his 
rare speeches. " Goody, goody, goo ! " he cried, and shouted in 
discordant joy a sound particularly distressing to the professor's 
sensitive soul. 

" Now, that's funny," the Brown Lady said, sturdily. " You 
may scoff, but someone else once declared that my beads possessed 
a scent. I believe that child has detected it, too ! It was a friend 
of mine who was describing that mysterious perfume that some 
people notice in the Glastonbury ruins, and he explained to me that 
the aroma was 'just like the scent of my rosary beads.' ' 

" Hem," the Young Professor said, dryly, " the odor of sanc- 
tity," and the Brown Lady was fain to acknowledge that he had 
revenged her allusion to his physical disability. The professor 
followed up his advantage, for they were excellent friends. 

"How did he come to know that your beads had a scent?" 
he inquired, demurely. " Was he odd like this child and given to 



22 THE LEAST OF THE LITTLE ONES [Oct., 

mistaking rosaries for roses? " He indicated John Ignatius. The 
boy was fondling the rosary with his lips and murmuring to him- 
self, " Good God ! Good God ! " words caught from the professor. 

" Go in and have your tea," the Brown Lady said, " you are 
very impertinent. And don't send the children any more goose- 
berries, or they will all be ill, and 'deteriorate/ and possibly con- 
taminate the third generation from now !" 

She disappeared into the house with the least of the Little 
Ones. The Young Professor remained where he was, gazing after 
them. His housekeeper appeared at the door. " Your tea is get- 
ting cold, sir," she called, and added to herself, " always a-dream- 
ing of his books ! " 

On the following Sunday afternoon the Young Professor 
strolled down his garden in the hope of finding the Brown Lady 
resting in her pleasance. He had been out on the hills that morn- 
ing. It was his custom to pay his devotions- assiduously to Nature 
on Sunday mornings as a protest against stuffy churches and anti- 
hygienic superstitions. The day was matchless, but he would have 
pursued such devotions in the snow or pouring rain, and run the 
risk of pneumonia, or lesser ills, in the furtherance of his cult, so 
quaint are the ways of the apostles of Reason. 

It was the festival of the local saint an unwholesome person 
who had encouraged lepers near his hermitage in the Holy Wood 
and there were to be great doings at the convent. An emi- 
nent preacher was coming down from town; a man of learning 
almost as profound as that of the Coming Man of Science himself, 
though the enlightened press was loathe to admit it. The Young 
Professor rather hoped that he might find him in the Brown Lady's 
garden, and draw him into a discussion. He could not leave 
Theism alone this young man ! An antagonism which the Brown 
Lady found a very healthy sign. He would listen with admirable 
fairness to arguments. He simply discarded this philosophy of the 
Catholic Church because it failed to appeal to his intelligence, and 
the Young Professor, though pledged in fealty to the tangible 
alone, took pride in the possession of a " conscience " which would 
not allow him to insult truth. Intelligence was the god of this 
young man with the abnormal thinking apparatus, whose brain, 
no doubt, weighed considerably more than that of, say, a Breton 
peasant's wife ! The idea of encountering this Benedictine Father, 
whose writings on certain scientific subjects were regarded as 



1912.] THE LEAST OF THE LITTLE ONES 23 

standard works, attracted him. The absurd philosophy of the 
Brown Lady might be clothed in some semblance of plausibility 
by this man of intellect. It might even assume a new aspect 
for the discoverer of the latest " truth " in anthropology Theism 
might insinuate itself into the favor of the Professor of Eugenics 
by thus approaching and knocking at the gate of his reason. He 
would certainly like to hear what the eminent ecclesiastic had to 
say for himself. 

He was doomed to be disappointed, however. The bower of 
repose contained nobody save the least of the Little Ones with a 
patient Abagail in attendance. From the latter the professor 
learned (he was friendly alike with all sorts and conditions of 
people) that her mistress had gone to Benediction at the convent, 
where the Reverend Father was preaching a sermon to the children 
who had that day made their first Communion. The other Little 
Ones had gone, but John Ignatius could not be trusted in church 
on great occasions on account of the sudden outbursts of uncanny 
approbation to which he was liable to give vent, so it had been 
necessary to leave him at home. 

" Wouldn't you have liked to have gone ?" the Young Professor 
asked. (He disapproved of this damsel, who came from an orphan- 
age, and was, beyond doubt, contaminated.) " It sounds very gay." 

" It's going to be beautiful," the orphan sighed, wistfully. 
" There's to be a procession, and all white veils and candles." 

" Good Lord ! " the professor interjected. " There ought to 
be a law against it! Why don't we hear of them all being burnt 
alive?" 

" Good Lord ! Good Lord ! " John Ignatius repeated, with one 
of his fortuitous smiles. 

" Suppose," he went on, " I looked after the little chap for 
you, you could go then, could'nt you? Come along, it will be all 
right. I'll tell your mistress that I borrowed the child for pur- 
poses of scientific experiment, and you couldn't refuse me." 

The orphan closed with the offer with all alacrity. To her the 
apostle of the elimination of the unfit was just the kindest and 
most considerate gentleman in the world, and she entrusted the 
most precious of her charges to him without demur. 

John Ignatius was passed over the wall into the professor's 
keeping. 

" You wasn't going yourself to hear the sermon, sir, was you ?" 
she asked, seized with compunction. 



24 THE LEAST OF THE LITTLE ONES [Oct., 

The Young Professor smiled. He shook his head. " It 
would be too difficult for me to understand, wouldn't it? " he said. 

The little maid looked at him sympathetically. " But there' d 
be Benediction," she said. " Oh, I hopes as you won't find him too 
much, he's a bit fretful this afternoon." 

She hesitated, and conscientious scruples seemed likely to 
.arise in the mind of the contaminated orphan. 

" Run along and get ready," the professor said. 
'\'* ILeft alone with his charge, the Man of Science surveyed John 
Ignatius with some trepidation. First he took due care to remind 
himself of what perhaps he might have overlooked, viz., that he 
had borrowed the child for purposes of scientific investigation, 
and that he was about to have a very instructive afternoon. He 
sat John Ignatius down on the garden seat with a peach, and so 
proceeded to place him " under observation." Observation with 
John Ignatius, however, proved to be of a peculiarly harassing and 
unremitting nature. He fell off the seat and lamented the circum- 
stance. He essayed a tour of the garden, and sat down dismally 
on one crumpled leg, and again made lamentation. The professor 
took himself in hand and laid a firm grip on the fact that he was 
studying the characteristics of mental defection. He regarded the 
attenuated form of the child, both physically and mentally unfit 
incapable of getting anything worth having out of existence. Why, 
even if the beautiful fairy tales of Christianity, and they were 
beautiful, were true, here the mental power wherewith to grasp 
their beauty was lacking. Who was to console this little unfor- 
tunate for his " hard luck " with the idea of a heavenly Father, 
or of supernatural recompense. Who, in short, was to convey the 
conception of the supernatural to this enfeebled mind ? The Brown 
Lady's thesis was impossible ! Its cruelty and tyranny towards the 
race intolerable ! Others like John Ignatius must not be allowed to 
occur. 

At this moment the object of his meditation gave vent to 
renewed signs of dissatisfaction with his present surroundings. 
His custodian took him by the hand and walked him up and down 
the garden, but the least of the Little Ones was not easily amused. 
It then occurred to the professor that his charge might be suffer- 
ing from thirst. He procured a cup of water which John Ignatius 
of the Higgins' consumed in a sloppy and offensive manner, without 
however giving any sign of assuaged discontent. 

The professor took counsel of himself. Perhaps if he could 



1912.] THE LEAST OF THE LITTLE ONES 25 

take the child and show him something new it might soothe him? 
An inspiration came to him. He would take him across the meadow 
to the wood, and see what effect completely new surroundings had 
on the child's intelligence. John Ignatius had not yet been taken 
to the Holy Wood, although it was a favorite place of resort for 
the Brown Lady and her Little Ones. 

" Come for a ride, old chap," the professor said, jauntily, 
hoisting the small person of John Ignatius upon his shoulder. 
He strode across the meadow, to which the owners of the gardens 
had access, and entered the Holy Wood. Strange tales were told 
of the Holy Wood. The saint had lived there in a cell ; and there, 
it was said, he had gathered the little children whom he loved, and 
preached to them of Almighty God, and the Holy Child Jesus. 
That, no doubt, was why the Brown Lady loved the Holy Wood. 
It was further said that his remains lay buried \vhere the cell stood, 
but the site of the same had long since ceased to be identified. 

The Brown Lady went constantly to the Holy Wood. The 
children used to say that when she took them through it, on their 
walks, she would make them go quietly, as though they were in 
church, and she had been nearly cross with Tom of Hoxton when 
he had done to death a beetle that crossed their path in the centre 
of the wood. 

The Man of Science entered the Holy Wood carrying John 
Ignatius on his shoulder, the latter breathing hard in the unpleasant 
way he had, and grunting ever and anon. He made for the middle 
of the glade from whence a narrow green path traversed the wood. 
Along that path one obtained a vistaed outlook on to the green pas- 
ture land and the gently sloping hills beyond, with the delicately 
interlacing trees roofing the woodland avenue and distilling the sun- 
light as it poured down from a cloudless sky. 

" They call this the Holy Wood," the Young Professor com- 
mented to his charge. " It's rather jolly, isn't it, John Ignatius? " 

" Holy Wood, holy, holy ! " John Ignatius snorted, and kicked 
his steed hard on the chest, causing pain. 

" You young imp ! " the professor said, laughing, and setting 
him down. A rabbit appeared on the scene and regarded the pair 
with interest, and an amazing lack of fear. 

" Why, little beast," the man of lethal chambers asked, " how 
do you know that I'm not going to kill you ? " 

" Holy, holy, holy ! " John Ignatius chanted. 

It was an intensely hot afternoon. The professor sat himself 



26 THE LEAST OF THE LITTLE ONES [Oct., 

down under a big beech tree, with John Ignatius on the grass near 
at hand. The rabbit watched the proceedings, sitting upright in 
the attitude of the domestic cat on the hearth. 

The boy sat staring stolidly in front of him he was no longer 
fidgety, that was something with a blank look of complete stu- 
pidity on his wizen face. The Man of Science surveyed the unin- 
telligent features, the dull, lack-lustre eyes of the boy before him. 
" What's the use of him ? " he muttered, almost as though the 
Brown Lady were there to answer for the delinquencies of the 
creed which permitted John Ignatius of the Higgins' to occur. 
" What was the use of him to himself if, granted the existence 
of a supreme Spirit, that supreme Spirit could not convey the con- 
ception of Himself to this so-called intelligence. How, indeed, 
could a Spirit be supreme which depended for a comprehension 
of Itself on the formation of the brain cells in a material 
body?" 

It was an ideal afternoon for meditating. As he lay there the 
Young Professor did indeed wish that a supreme Spirit were pos- 
sible. The Brown Lady's philosophy had its beautiful side as well 
as the mischievous one that disapproved of Eugenics. And she 
was such a practical worker, with so much sound sense in her 
methods in spite of the pernicious superstition. Moreover, she pos- 
sessed a delicious sense of humor. Her stories of quaint things 
seen and heard among the poor were quite delectable hearing then, 
an impenitent sentimentalist withal, she would interpolate some 
story of human wreckage which insulted his principles, and drew 
the tears to his eyes, and smile that wonderful smile of hers, but 
magnanimously " let it go at that." He remembered how she 
had silenced him by recalling his own physical deficiency; and then 
he realized for the first time that he was missing all the sweet fra- 
grancy of the woods. He glanced at his charge. The child was 
sitting in his queer, aloof way, looking at nothing in particular. 
A field mouse had perched itself on a fallen tree trunk near the 
boy, but John Ignatius, as we have hinted, was not ap observant 
child. The professor was vastly interested in the mouse. Like 
the rabbit, it seemed totally insensible to fear of the terrible human 
race. He wondered how much of the world around them was 
accessible to the comprehension of the defective child. He wished 
that, for purposes of research, he could get within the limits of 
that straitened intelligence learn exactly how much of existing 
things existed for this poor, pitiful specimen of humanity. Per- 



1912.] THE LEAST OF THE LITTLE ONES 27 

haps if he concentrated his will he might " get inside " the so-called 
mind of the least of the Little Ones and gain some knowledge of 
its disabilities. He leaned back against the trunk of the beech tree, 
and bent his mighty intelligence on this end. At first he was dis- 
turbed by the sight of a large, hairy caterpillar which was crawling 
across the child's knees. He squirmed in anticipation, knowing 
the ways of even normal children where insects are concerned. 
John Ignatius regarded the creature soberly, showing neither re- 
pugnance nor the delight which a distorted mind sometimes takes 
in the gruesome. He put out a finger and very gently, with an 
exquisitely tender touch, stroked the fearsome beastie. The pro- 
fessor was egregiously relieved. He marveled at himself. There 
was something uncannily benign about the atmosphere of this 
woodland spot this afternoon. His ethical position in regard to 
the encouragement of John Ignatius as a species even seemed 
likely to be undermined. He was getting away from his normal 
self. A heavy, lethargic feeling was overtaking him. Was he 
indeed " getting inside " the little incomplete mind and sharing its 
non-sensibility? He fixed his eyes on the child whom he had 
" under observation " at one side of him, and a little in front so 
that he could watch him as he sat. 

The child who never should have been was sitting impassive. 
The hairy caterpillar was making its way, whole and unsundered, 
over the grass. Suddenly the least of the Little Ones began to 
sniff the air, and at the same moment the professor became con- 
scious of a strong, deliciously fragrant, yet wholly subtle aromatic 
perfume. It was more like incense than anything else. " What 
on earth could it be ? " the young man asked himself. " What was 
this pungency that was strong enough to penetrate his obliterated 
sense of smell? " He hadn't been able to smell anything for years! 

The child threw his head back in obvious enjoyment. 
" Nantie Clare," he said, which was more or less the name by which 
the Brown Lady was known by the Little Ones, and looked round 
him. It was evident that he associated the strange perfume with 
the Brown Lady. The Young Professor wondered where the 
connection came in; and then he thought of the rosary beads that 
possessed the same strange scent that psychic people said clung 
to the ruins of the holy abbey. The scent was sweet and pungent, 
suggesting the odors of the East a fragrancy entirely alien to an 
English woodland. He inhaled a long breath. The earthly scent 
of the wood was not perceptible. Was this uncanny perfume so 



28 THE LEAST OF THE LITTLE ONES [Oct., 

strong as to swamp all others, or had his sense of smell only be- 
come available for this special purpose? 

As the fragrance began to grow fainter John Ignatius showed 
signs of restlessness. He started a peculiar kind of crooning that 
got on his guardian's nerves to quite a remarkable degree. In an 
ordinary way he would have taken the child home there and then, 
but the spot held him prisoner. So long as that eerie, altogether 
delicious, scent remained he could not tear himself from the place. 
He thrust his fingers in his ears tightly to keep out the exasperating 
drone, and peered out at the defective child from the artificial si- 
lence thus produced. 

Then a second strange thing happened. With his fingers still 
thrust in his ears he became aware that the woodland was giving 
vent to sounds that in some way resembled the most wondrous of 
imaginable music. The boy, who was rocking himself to and fro 
presumably still droning and crooning sat up motionless in the 
attitude of listening. With something akin to fear in his heart, 
the professor removed the fingers from his ears. The music con- 
tinued, neither louder nor softer, but now intermingled with the 
twitter of the birds and the crackling of dead wood under his 
feet as he sprang up and shook himself. The strains were unmis- 
takable, yet almost undefinable almost as though the very bracken 
had become sensitized to the touch of some invisible maker of 
melody. The sounds rose and fell immeasurably more beautiful 
than the strains of the most perfect earthly music, which could only 
be used as a simile in describing the nature of the phenomenon. He 
pressed his fingers back into his ears. The sound continued. Grad- 
ually it was borne in upon the professor that these sounds, so un- 
mistakably real, were being conveyed to him by other channels than 
his own sense of hearing; and this had, obviously, been the same 
with the unearthly scent which still lingered in his nostrils. The 
boy, who was listening with wrapt attention, suddenly, at that mo- 
ment, cried out : 

" Look! " he said; and the Young Professor looked. 

But there was nothing to be seen. 

"Oh, look, look!" the boy repeated; but the Professor of 
Anthropology saw nothing. This time the least of the Little Ones 
had failed to penetrate the density of the other's perceptions. 

He was gazing with eager, observant eyes along the green 
pathway. The little foolish face shone with intelligence, nay, 
something more! The Young Professor recalled at that moment 



1912.] THE LEAST OF THE LITTLE ONES 29 

how the Brown Lady had once remarked, defending her pet Little 
One from his onslaughts : " But he can look intelligent. You 
should have seen him last night when he butted his little head 
into my chest and said, 'Does love 'oo, Nantie Clare !' " No longer 
vague, his gaze was fixed on a given point. But the Professor 
of Anthropology and Eugenics saw nothing. A wild desire to see 
what the child was seeing seized the professor. He hurled himself, 
as it were, into the little feeble mind. 

" Show me ! " he murmured, hardly knowing what he was say- 
ing. He had knelt down by the child, and was holding one of his 
little soiled hands. It was the attitude of prayer. 

And then he looked out on the vistaed scene the tall waving 
trees, the dim hills, the green sward, with the strange, refined light 
shining on it; and there came into his mind a perception of the 
secret of Nature. 

She was no longer self-sufficient, not even introspective, as she 
had appeared to him in her more mystical moods, but ( for so he en- 
deavored to express it) she had become relative as the word is 
to the speaker her existence depended on the existence of Some- 
thing of Someone to whom she appeared to be perpetually singing 
in the primal language of Being. 

Benedicite, monies et colles, Domino: 

Benedicite, universa germinantia in terra, Domino. 

Then the Man of Science understood that he had " become 
as a little child," and that he had entered into the Kingdom of 
Heaven. 

Slowly the mystery passed. The sun came out in full radiance, 
and the more subtle light faded away in its rays. The woodland 
ceased to give a message or to grant a vision. 

John Ignatius turned to the professor with one of his rare, 
misapplied smiles. " God's gone home," he said. 

The Brown Lady and the Young Professor varied in their 
theories as to the experience of that afternoon. Both were agreed 
that it was through the instrumentality of the child that the profes- 
sor had perceived the strange phenomena of the perfume and the 
music that his own senses had been inadequate. The Brown 
Lady was inclined to believe that owing to its having been the 
Saint's Feast Day certain favors were in waiting on those who 
sought the spot where he had lived and prayed, and made a pleas- 



30 ON ANCIENT WHARVES [Oct., 

ance fitting for Him Who walked in Eden. But the Young Pro- 
fessor remembered that it was also on that spot that the Brown 
Lady found repose after the harassing duties of her day, and 
where she, doubtless, prayed for fools and wayfaring men, and 
he cherished a private theory of his own on the subject. 

They never learned what little John Ignatius had looked on in 
the wood that day with loving and intelligent eyes. As for the 
latter, having accomplished his task, he went home to God a few 
months later, on the very day that the newspapers were agog with 
the extraordinary news that the Coming Man of Science had been 
received into the Catholic Church. 



ON ANCIENT WHARVES. 

BY CAROLINE D. SWAN. 

AROUND us lap the quiet harbor waves, 

Now, in the sun's descension, grown to be 
A miracle of color. Greenest sea 

Beneath us shines, while silvered azure laves 

Low violet shores and distant island caves. 
Anear, a huge red building hurls in glee 
Its cold, barbaric scarlet wondrously 

Adown the tide. Supreme, the sway it craves ! 

In hues of amethyst and misty gold 
Across the water looms a city fair ; 

A distant bell flings angel-melody 

Into our color-music. Life, grown old, 
May totter like this wharfing, and yet wear 

The visioned beauty of high thrones to be. 




THE SPIRITUAL FACTOR IN ECONOMIC REFORM. 

BY THOMAS J. GERHARD. 

AVING examined* the nature of the true principle of 
selection the Will of God acting upon the will 
of man and having seen its operation in. main- 
taining the existence of the race, our next step is 
to observe its operation in promoting the well-being 
of the race. It is better to be than not to be. A state of desti- 
tution is better than no state at all. But a state of destitution is 
not a becoming state for any human being. When Christ said 
" Blessed are the poor," He did not mean " Blessed are the paupers." 
He had regard to His Apostles, tent-makers, tax-gatherers, fish- 
erman who owned their own boats and nets. A pauper can save 
his soul certainly, but he may often have a better chance of sav- 
ing it if he is raised out of the depths of destitution. Faith is a 
habit of the intellect. A healthy intellect, therefore, is normally 
the most apt instrument for a vigorous faith, and a healthy intellect 
implies a sufficiently healthy body. Moreover, nothing is willed 
unless it be first understood. Hence the principle of selection 
cannot work efficiently unless mind and body are in a certain 
minimum state of health. Here, then, is the next great problem in 
racial progress, the prevention and cure of destitution. 

The question is so far-reaching that I think we cannot do 
better than follow the chief points of the Report of the Royal 
Commission, which some time ago was appointed to inquire into 
the Poor Laws of the United Kingdom. Some phases of the evil 
may be more acute in America, others more acute in England. 
America, for instance, is worse than England with regard to sweat- 
ing and housing, but far better with regard to the treatment of the 
feeble-minded. Human nature, however, is much the same all 
the world over, and the Supreme Power which selects the good and 
rejects the evil is absolutely the same: there is one God and 
Father of us all. The Commissioners, moreover, had abundant 
information from experts in the United States, in Canada, in 
New Zealand, in Australia, and on the continent of Europe. The 
report is divided into two sections, the Majority and the Minority. 

*See Sanctity and Racial Betterment, in the September, 1912, CATHOLIC WORLD. 



32 SPIRITUAL FACTOR IN ECONOMIC REFORM [Oct., 

It occupies forty volumes, and contains one hundred thousand an- 
swers of the four hundred and fifty-two witnesses who were 
examined. Then there are fourteen reports of special investigators. 

The Commissioners begin by declaring the cause of pauperism 
to be three- fold: physical, moral, and economic. But if we look 
carefully into the causes described as physical and economic, we 
shall find that they too have a moral cause. There are causes of 
causes. Nearly all the critics of the report have noticed this. 
Sir Oliver Lodge, for instance, writes : " But it is not to be sup- 
posed that legislation alone, however enlightened, nor administra- 
tion alone, however efficient, can do everything. Human beings 
are the object of attention, and they can only be dealt with by 
human beings."* 

This is one of the first principles which the Church has ever 
been proclaiming, and which was held up to the world some twenty 
years ago by Pope Leo XIII. The Pope, however, goes further 
than the Commissioners in so far as he indicates the whole prin- 
ciple of selection, and not merely its proximate and less important 
factor. " First of all," he says, " there is no intermediary more 
powerful than religion (whereof the Church is the interpreter 
and guardian) in drawing the rich and poor bread-winners to- 
gether, by reminding each class of its duties to the other, and es- 
pecially of the obligations of justice. Religion teaches the wealthy 
owner and employer that their workpeople are not to be accounted 
their bondmen ; that in every man they must respect his dignity and 
worth as a man and as a Christian ; that it is shameful and inhuman 
to treat men like chattels to make money by, or to look upon them 
merely as so much muscle and physical power."f 

The first cause of pauperism set down by the Commissioners 
is that of old age. This would at first seem to be something non- 
moral, something strictly physical. No one can help growing old. 
Hence there would appear to be at least one unavoidable cause of 
pauperism. This statement of the point is too bald. The ques- 
tion is not one merely of growing old, but of growing old without 
having provided for one's maintenance in old age. If we probe 
the question a little deeper we shall find that a further question 
needs answering, namely, as to what shortens or prolongs the wage- 
earning period of life. Has the man, either through his own 
or another's sin, grown old before his time? What opportunity 

introduction to Prof. Muirhead's Analysis of Report. 
J \Rerum Novarum. 



I 9 i2.] SPIRITUAL FACTOR IN ECONOMIC REFORM 33 

has he had during his wage-earning days of providing for his old 
age? Then, again, what are the obligations of the community 
when he has been unable or unwilling to provide for himself ? 

At once the question is shifted from the sphere of physiology 
to the sphere of morality. Certain it is that if the conditions of 
work are humane the wage-earning period will be prolonged; that 
if the man's wages are just, and if he is sober and thrifty, he will be 
able to provide for himself; that if through unforeseen accident he 
has been unable to help himself, it is the duty of the community to 
look after him; that if he has been unwilling to provide for himself, 
the community has a right to enact compulsory legislation accord- 
ingly. The principle of selection, acting through the cardinal virtue 
of fortitude, in securing for the workman a living wage, meets the 
greater part of the problem. Acting through the cardinal virtue 
of prudence, it ensures the worker shall do his full share in prac- 
ticing thrift and laying by a store for the future. Acting through 
the cardinal virtue of temperance, it protects the worker from 
the ever-present temptation of alcohol. Then, again, acting through 
the virtue of justice in the legislator, it keeps the shirkers from 
preying unduly upon the workers. 

In dealing with the aged, the Church urges that legislation shall 
do all that it can. But even when legislation has done its best, 
and when the worker has done his best, there is always a residue of 
aged destitute to be provided for. This ultimate residue the 
principle of selection lays hold on through the virtue of Christian 
charity. It is all very well for the Socialist to say that he has no 
more need for Christian charity. But the hard fact remains that 
Christian charitable organizations have far greater calls upon them 
than they can cope with. The Church indeed has expended her 
charity on multitudes of cases which ought to have been relieved 
by the justice of the community. The Church is only too anxious 
that the state shall do all it can, for she knows quite well that when 
the state has done its best, she, the Church, will always have her 
hands full. 

The second cause of destitution named by the Commissioners 
is that of sickness and disease. Much time was spent in trying to 
find out how far disease was a cause and how far an effect of 
destitution. In the case of consumption one expert declared that 
after a careful examination of four thousand consumptives, nearly 
sixty per cent were paupers because they were consumptives, not 
consumptives because they were paupers. The limit of sixty per 

VOL. XCVI. 3. 



34 SPIRITUAL FACTOR IN ECONOMIC REFORM [Oct., 

cent leaves a wide margin for the other alternative. Alcohol and 
immorality are well known to be predisposing factors to this 
disease. Bad housing and bad cooking and over-work are all 
important elements tending to foster the evil. The disease, there- 
fore, is almost entirely due to the neglect of duty on the part of the 
employers. But, again, the prevention and cure are to be sought 
in the principle of selection, the Divine Will working on the human 
wills, both of employer and employed. On the part of the em- 
ployer it will act as justice, moving him to pay the living wage and 
provide healthy workshops and sanitary dwellings. On the part 
of the employed it will act as temperance and chastity, moving 
them to a state of improved sobriety and higher morality. 

After consumption, the sickness which tends most directly and 
most degradingly to produce destitution is that of venereal disease. 
Very much of the physical incapacity in the larger towns is attrib- 
uted to this cause. That the remedy must first and foremost be 
a religious one is obvious. 

How far drunkenness is due to moral, physical, or economic 
influences cannot be determined. Nor is it necessary that it should. 
It is enough that we know that all three kinds of causes are at 
work, and that the physical and economic causes can be controlled 
by free will. Legislative enactments cannot make people sober, but 
they can help considerably to that end. But even when an en- 
lightened legislation has done its best to restrain the sale of liquor, 
there is still ample need for the selective principle to act directly 
on the individual workers. It is said that the Catholic Church has 
more than her share amongst the inmates of workhouses and jails. 
That is a sign that the selective principle is acting in and through 
her. She has a peculiar aptitude for picking up those who are 
fallen. Faith is the root of all reform. Therefore she sees to it 
that her children cling to the Faith even though they are in the 
workhouse and in jail. 

The Commissioners next call attention to the housing question. 
The common lodging houses and the " furnished rooms," which 
abound in the poor centres of population, are the proximate occasion 
of every kind of filth and vice. The so-called " furnished rooms " 
are the worse. They are occupied by one tenant after another 
without any cleansing. The sexes mingle together promiscuously. 
At the end of the year 1909 the English Parliament passed a Hous- 
ing and Town-planning Act. Its aim was to amend the law relating 
to the housing of the working classes; to simplify and cheapen 
the existing procedure for acquiring land for housing purposes; 



I9i2.] SPIRITUAL FACTOR IN ECONOMIC REFORM 35 

to deal with unsanitary areas and unhealthy dwellings; to extend 
and amplify previous Acts requiring landlords to keep houses let 
to working classes in repair; to give to the Local Government 
Board power to enforce the execution of the Acts. But that aim, 
after two years effort, is a very long way from being realized. In 
fact, its comparative failure is a standing witness to the useless- 
ness of legislative machinery when there is no spiritual force to 
drive it The selective principle works on the mind of the legislator 
and results in a beneficial act such as we have mentioned. But 
then its fruitfulness is hindered because the local administrators 
happen to be local property owners, and in them the appetite for 
gold obscures the heart and mind against the working of the selec- 
tive principle. 

The cause from which arises the greatest amount of pauperism 
is set down as economic. It is that of casual labor. To anyone, 
however, acquainted with the conditions of life of the casual laborer, 
the moral element in the problem stands out with distinct clearness. 
The dock laborer, for instance, feels more keenly the brutal driving 
of his foreman than the waiting about or tramping in search of 
work. Thus one of them writes : " It was misery to be out of 
work : it was murder to be 'on.' ' Another writes : " The tyranny 
of the docks of Liverpool is such that human life is thought nothing 
of, and men are bullied and driven to such an extent that at times 
they do not know what they are doing, so that instead of avoiding 
danger they rush into it and are either maimed or killed. In many 
cases foremen are appointed not through any good quality of char- 
acter, but rather for their ability as slave-drivers, where ruffianism 
is at a premium and brute strength is the standard of fitness." 

The Poor Law Commissioners declare that the pools of stag- 
nant labor can to a large extent be drained by the establishment of 
labor exchanges, by a little more good will on the part of the 
employers to regularize their work, and by an organization among 
the men to dove-tail their work. Different trades have different 
seasons. Each industry is at its highest in a particular month. 
By means of the labor exchanges the men can be moved about from 
the slack places to the busy ones. Already the labor exchanges 
have justified their existence. But the " little more good will on 
the part of the employers " which the Commissioners ask for is 
something which the Government cannot create. It can start a 
labor bureau, but it cannot start a human will. That is the privilege 
of the Divine Will. It is well known how a chairman of a public 
company will agree to certain conditions before the world, and 



36 SPIRITUAL FACTOR IN ECONOMIC REFORM [Oct., 

before the representatives of the men, and before the Board of 
Trade, and then secretly tell his foreman that he is not getting 
half enough out of the men. Hence both the Majority and the 
Minority Reports have confessed that legislation without human- 
ization can do little to solve the problem. Thus is the state con- 
strained by the exigencies of its own needs to come round to the 
doctrine of the Church that " it is shameful and inhuman to treat 
men like chattels to make money by, or to look upon them merely 
as so much muscle or physical power."* Or is it perhaps the 
selective principle operating there ? 

The question of casual labor leads to that of boy and girl 
labor. Boys leave school at the age of fourteen, and are imme- 
diately offered work at wages which seem high. They become 
messengers and van-boys, spending four or five years doing that 
kind of work when they ought to be learning a trade. The work 
involves little or no mental discipline, but on the other hand involves 
long hours of uninteresting routine. At the age of nineteen or 
twenty the boy drifts away to become a casual laborer. 

The problem of the girls is not quite so acute. They obtain 
work at packing, labelling, and bottling. They begin at one 
dollar per week, but never rise higher than $2.25. Worst 
of all, they never, as the future wives and mothers, learn cooking 
and household management. Continuation schools are suggested 
as a remedy. That, however, does not touch the root of the matter. 
The foundation of the family must be the starting point. The 
selective principle, acting through the virtue of justice, must be 
allowed scope nearer to the fountain head of life. The father must 
have sufficient wages to keep himself, his wife, and family in reason- 
able and frugal comfort. This all-important Catholic principle 
humanizes the whole situation. It implies, on the one hand, that 
employers must not use children to do men's work at children's 
wages. It implies, on the other hand, that parents must not sacri- 
fice the future of their children merely for the sake of a few 
dollars during the first years after the children have left school. 

The same answer must be given also to the question of unem- 
ployment amongst women. On this point the Commissioners de- 
clare themselves nonplussed. " The problems," they say, " arising 
in the course of our inquiry from a consideration of the employ- 
ment of women are too complex for us to attempt to offer any solu- 
tion of them." Once again the state is forced to look to the Church 
for guidance. The solution is to be found in a recognition of the 

*Leo XIII., Rerum Novarum. 



I 9 i2.] SPIRITUAL FACTOR IN ECONOMIC REFORM 37 

Christian ideal of marriage. " They [women]," writes Leo XIII., 
" are not suited to certain trades : for a woman is by nature fitted 
for home work, and it is that which is best adapted at once to 
preserve her modesty, and to promote the good bringing up of chil- 
dren and the well-being of the family." It is very hard to drive 
this doctrine home even to well-meaning Catholics. They are so 
infected with the spirit of the age that they think the preacher 
is impertinent who would tell them of the obligations of home life 
when they want to see the world. But listen to Cardinal Manning's 
interpretation of the Papal Encyclical : " As we read these words," 
he writes, " the chainmakers of Cradley Heath, the pit-brow women 
of the mines, and the mothers in our factories rise before us. Here 
is a moral case to be solved. A woman enters for life into a 
sacred contract with a man before God at the altar, to fulfill to him 
the duties of wife, mother, and head of his home. Is it lawful 
for her, even with his consent, to make afterwards a second contract 
for so many shillings a week with a mill-owner, whereby she be- 
comes unable to provide her husband's food, train up her children, 
or do the duties of her home? It is no question of the lawfulness 
of gaining a few more shillings for the expenses of the family, 
but of the lawfulness of breaking a prior contract, the most solemn 
between man and woman. No arguments of expediency can be ad- 
mitted. It is an obligation of conscience to which all things must 
give way. The duties of home must first be done, then other 
questions may be entertained. Till then, nothing." 

Here, then, we must say how heartily we agree with Dr. 
Saleeby, that the true economics and true politics is true domestics. 
This principle of the home life of the mother is equal in importance 
to the living wage of the father. It accounts for one-third of 
the destitution problem. Infant mortality is still a scandal to our 
civilization. One-third of all blindness is due to neglected 
infancy during the first three days of life. Some people seem 
to think that our statute law is of high perfection because 
it forbids mothers to return to work for three weeks or a month 
after child-birth. By a higher law, the law of nature, the whole 
care and time of the mother are due to the child for its mental 
and bodily nurture. And by a still higher law, the law of grace, 
the mother's care is wanted for the spiritual nurture of the child. 
God's will acting on the mother's will chooses to subordinate pleas- 
ure to duty, material culture to psychic culture, and psychic culture 
to spiritual. 

In the department of relief the Commissioners make a dis- 



38 SPIRITUAL FACTOR IN ECONOMIC REFORM [Oct., 

covery which has ever been a commonplace in Catholic teaching 
and practice. It is that indiscriminate and unorganized relief 
tends to increase rather than to diminish destitution. The case 
is related of a lady who, after hearing a sermon on the conditions 
of life among the poor, drove down in a carriage to a very poor 
street in the neighborhood, and there distributed a dozen half- 
bottles of champagne and a dozen half-pound bunches of grapes. 

Now if there is one characteristic of Catholic charities it is 
their happy combination of personal service and economic efficiency. 
They have a special aptitude for seeking out the really needful cases 
and of making a little go a long way. Mr. Rockefeller bears wit- 
ness that of all the charitable institutions which he has observed, 
it is the Roman Catholic ones that get the most for their money. 
And why is it? It is because they are human. It is because they 
are inspired by some saint, say like St. Vincent de Paul, in whom 
the Will which organizes the whole universe has had unhindered 
sway. When Frederic Ozanam formed the first conference of that 
world-wide society which bears St. Vincent's name, he made it a 
first condition that they were not to be content with doling out 
alms. That was a cheap and unwise charity. They were to go 
and make friends amongst the poor. They were to give personal 
help such as their better education enabled them. In no case was 
a visitor to give money directly from his own pocket, but he might 
recommend a case to the local Conference. The one thing to be 
guarded against in the distribution of help was lest it should destroy 
rather than promote self-help. 

In the last item Ozanam seems to have anticipated the chief 
difference of the Minority from the Majority Report. Through- 
out all the Minority recommendations there is the fundamental 
conception that what is necessary is to prevent destitution by 
grappling with its causes. 

Next comes the scheme for converting the shirkers into work- 
ers. The most humane remedy to apply to laziness is starvation. 
Let us not blink the word. There is good authority for saying that 
if a man will not work neither shall he eat. Again the root of 
the evil lies in the will. The will power has dwindled so low that 
only a low motive will quicken it. Acting under higher motives 
the legislator applies to the shirker the lower motive of appetite 
for food. The Commissioners propose the Detention Colony. A 
voluntary colony must be provided first for those whose wills are 
not so completely atrophied. Then the voluntary colony must 
be supplemented by a compulsory one. The function of this depart- 



1912.] SPIRITUAL FACTOR IN ECONOMIC REFORM 39 

ment is to reform those who wilfully refuse or neglect to maintain 
themselves or their families; or, after receiving public assistance, 
wilfully refuse to perform the work or observe the regulations 
prescribed in regard to such assistance; or who give way to gamb- 
ling, drink or idleness, with the result that a person, or his or her 
family, becomes chargeable to the community. 

The Church would go further. She teaches that parents are 
not only bound to educate and clothe their children, but are also 
bound to see that they learn a trade or profession suitable to their 
state in life. She condemns as grave sin the offences of gambling, 
drink and idleness leading to neglect of family. She is very explicit 
in forbidding the state to interfere with the family when unneces- 
sary, but equally explicit in urging the state to interfere when 
necessary. Once more has the Pope anticipated the Poor Law 
Commission. " True," he says, " if a family finds itself in ex- 
ceeding distress, utterly deprived of the counsel of friends, and 
without any prospect of extricating itself, it is right that extreme 
necessity be met by public aid, since each party is a part of the 
Commonwealth. In like manner, if within the precincts of the 
household there occur grave disturbance of mutual rights, public 
authority should intervene to force each party to yield to the 
other its proper due; for this is not to deprive citizens of their 
rights, but justly and properly to safeguard and defend them."* 

We are now able to make a true transvaluation of all bodily 
necessities. The body must be an apt instrument of the spirit, and 
therefore must not be hampered by starvation and disease. The 
things needful to keep men from destitution, since they are destined 
to minister to an eternal end and purpose, acquire a correspondingly 
high value. So also must there be a transvaluation of all those 
things which are designed to improve the mind of the race. Whether 
we have to deal with legislatures, or county councils, or universities, 
or colleges, or schools, or factories, or workshops, or dockyards, 
or hospitals, or jails, or houses, or gardens, or drainpipes, they are 
all vastly more important when viewed as the means of attaining 
everlasting life than when viewed merely as the means of attaining 
natural happiness upon earth. Therefore no obstacle must be put 
in the way when the Holy Spirit, acting on the mind of man, chooses 
this or that natural or industrial process for its eternal purpose. 
When we hear a bookish theologian, for instance, lamenting that so 
many priests waste their time at municipal meetings discussing 
water-works and drainage, we may bid him put his hand over his 

*Rerum Novarum. 



40 SPIRITUAL FACTOR IN ECONOMIC REFORM [Oct., 

mouth and reflect that the Heavenly Father knoweth we have 
need of these things. 

Mere existence, however, in a state of bodily health is not 
enough for man's well being. He must cultivate his mind aright. 
And this he cannot do if all his energy is absorbed in seeking and 
caring for the bare necessities of life. The constant fear of hunger 
paralyzes the mind against the higher interests of life. The first 
economic reform, then, which is needed for man's psychic well- 
being is the establishment of an all-round minimum living wage. 
The mental freedom which could be thus secured is necessary, too, 
for man's religious life. It is true that we find deeply religious 
souls amongst the very poor. But, normally speaking, paupers 
tend to adopt a bread-and-butter religion. 

The time, however, is gone by for arguing the necessity of a 
living wage. The present coal-strike in Great Britain has proved 
that the men mean to have it, that the majority of owners wish to 
give it, and that the Government intends to legislate against those 
employers who refuse it. Naturally it must be met with a minimum 
output of work. But what is not yet clear is the reason why a 
living wage should be paid. These men who are now clutching 
so tenaciously at their natural right would never have thought of 
asking for it if more enlightened minds had not put it into their 
heads. What remains now is to set the right on a permanent basis. 
The living wage is a means of enabling the collier, for example, 
to have sufficient food, clothing, shelter, and medical attendance. 
It is also a means to provide him with opportunity to improve 
his talent as a workman and his worth as a citizen: he 
must be free to attend mining schools and political meetings. 
It is also a means to provide him with leisure for necessary 
amusements. Certain means of recreation are demanded by 
all; and, when they are kept subordinate as means to their proper 
end, are admirably adapted for preparing the mind for the Gospel 
and the sacraments. The sport and the religion must not be di- 
vorced, else both will suffer. 

By putting the industrial machine under the influence of the 
Holy Spirit a higher sanction is given to the natural moral laws 
governing the industrial process. Industry itself is thereby ren- 
dered more productive. Sound economics cannot clash with sound 
ascetics. Slowly but surely the truth is crystallizing out that Catho- 
lic principles are economically successful. The latest admission is 
that the living wage has an economic basis. The industrial or- 
ganism is a living whole. It does not come into existence and die 



1912.] SPIRITUAL FACTOR IN ECONOMIC REFORM 41 

out with each generation of men. If it is to be kept efficient, there- 
fore, it must be renewed by a constant supply of energy. As the 
older workmen die off, so must younger workmen be trained to 
take their place. But before there can be young workmen there 
must also be children and babies ; and mothers. And these are a 
primary charge upon any individual process which is to be perma- 
nently successful. The very efficiency, therefore, of industry as such 
postulates a living wage. The danger is that the passion for per- 
sonal indulgence will interfere with industrial efficiency. The selec- 
tive principle, if not deliberately hindered, counteracts that passion. 

The industrial system, thus properly treated, produces more 
than its keep. Here we are brought to the inmost recess of the 
social problem. How is the surplus product of industry, where it 
can be proved to exist, to be equitably distributed? It is at once 
the most complex and most difficult question in economics. We 
cannot attempt its solution here, but we can discuss it intelligently 
and observe which way the selective principle is moving. 

In the first place, any solution whatever which does not allow 
for the working of the selective principle, is hopeless. Before any 
suggestion can be made as to a proportionate distribution of sur- 
plus, there is wanted a correct declaration of balance sheets. Noth- 
ing short of the direct action of the Holy Spirit upon the minds 
of owners and legislators can assure this. Nature alone is quite 
unequal to such a miracle of sincerity. The British railways, for 
instance, are at the present moment on the horns of a dilemma. 
By an Act of Parliament of 1844 the state has a right to take over 
the railways on payment of a sum equal to twenty-five years' pur- 
chase of the annual divisible profits estimated on the average of 
the three preceding years. On this count the temptation is to 
declare as large divisible profits as possible. But, on the other 
hand, if the directors do this, they will attract the attention of the 
tax-gatherer and the employee. Hence there is discovered a num- 
ber of ingenious ways of evasion. The chief is the way of over- 
capitalization. The Times calculates that railway stock has been 
watered by at least eighteen and one-half per cent. Then there is 
the distribution of bonuses, the writing off of capital, the sinking 
of reserve funds, and the like. 

Again, supposing that an approximately correct statement of 
the value of surplus product has been arrived at, there comes the 
question as to what proportion should be distributed by the govern- 
ment and what by individuals. All external things were made 
by God to supply the needs of all mankind. Whoever owns wealth 



42 SPIRITUAL FACTOR IN ECONOMIC REFORM [Oct., 

carries with it also the duty of seeing that it does its appointed 
work of supplying the needs of men. In designing a method of dis- 
tribution, two besetting evils have to be avoided. On the one 
hand both master and workman have to be protected each against 
his strongest appetite, the appetite for gold. On the other 
hand the state has to be protected against its tendency to substitute 
mechanical contrivances for personal effort and ingenuity. In 
order then to leave as much scope as possible for the develop- 
ment of each man's individual personality, the aim of the state will 
be to absorb as little as possible of the wealth of the nation. If 
it confines itself to the correction of abuses, even then it will have 
more than it can accomplish. And not only must the individual 
mind and will be allowed a full healthy development, but the very 
appetite for gold, inherent in every man, must be allowed its due 
proportion of development. That, too, must be utilized for the 
common weal. It is not something bad in itself, but only some- 
thing which becomes bad when it rebels against the law of reason 
and the law of God. It is indeed a normal and legitimate motive 
power, having its own proper function to perform in the working 
out both of the industrial and spiritual process. It is raw material 
for the natural virtue of thrift and the supernatural virtue of pru- 
dence, and is utilized by the selective principle when directed to these 
ends. A man is not an isolated intellect nor yet an isolated will. He 
is a human being with intellect, will, tastes, appetites, feelings ; and 
all these faculties and functions must be ordained to his ultimate 
salvation. Moreover, this plain psychological fact must be taken 
into consideration in any scheme for the apportionment of the sur- 
plus product of industry. The scheme that will succeed best 
will be the one which appeals to a man's faith, reason, love, and 
lower appetites, particularly the appetite for gold, but to all, of 
course, each in its own order. 

Now it would seem that there is a scheme already taking shape 
which fulfills these conditions. It is not Socialism, for that ap- 
peals only to man's lower appetites, and must eventually result in 
the reign of brute force in the form of a servile state. Nor is it 
that already existing in which the surplus product is kept by the 
comparatively few. That ministers too readily to the indulgence of 
appetite amongst those who are in possession. It is an incitement, 
moreover, to the passion of those who are not in possession. It is 
the strong weapon of the Socialist agitator. At present it is at 
grips with the organized forces of labor. The desperate struggle 
is a menace to the whole community. The straitness of the situa- 



I 9 i2.] SPIRITUAL FACTOR IN ECONOMIC REFORM 43 

tion, however, is obliging our statesmen to use their wits if haply 
they can find out what is the right scheme in itself, rather than 
what is the opportune scheme for political purposes. 

Earl Grey, for six years Governor-General of Canada, has 
just returned to England, and there expressed his surprise 
at finding his fellow-countrymen so distrustful of each other. 
Everyone, he says, seems to think that it is the chief end 
of man to do as little for anybody else as he possibly can. 
But there is a ray of hope visible in the very intensity of the 
gloom. Co-partnership, says Lord Grey, in an interview with the 
doyen of English journalists, is the only key which will unlock the 
doors of our Doubting Castle. Co-partnership implies common 
sense and the Ten Commandments. The present social unrest is 
a symptom of the divine discontent with the existing social order, 
which is becoming intolerable. There will undoubtedly be diffi- 
culties in its application. The gas companies have tried it and 
found it successful. At present over thirty gas companies, repre- 
senting nearly 50,000,000, or one-half of all the gas stock owned 
by companies, are working on co-partnership lines. The laborer 
receives every year a share in the profits, which he invests in the 
business. Thus he has not only an interest in the concern, but also 
a share in the responsibilities of management. 

Moreover, the arrangement is a success from the merely com- 
mercial standpoint. Sir George Livesey, the man who first started 
the experiment with the South Metropolitan Gas Company, says 
that there never was a prouder moment in his life than when he 
was able to stand up before his shareholders and tell them as a 
result of co-partnership, and the spirit of brotherhood which it 
engendered, the company had been able ( I ) to pay their employees 
higher wages than were paid to any other gas workers in the 
kingdom; (2) to pay the shareholders a higher dividend; and (3) 
to sell gas at a lower price. 

Surely all this is a symptom of the divine principle of selection 
working in the political and industrial world. True, we do not 
hear the name of God mentioned explicitly; but we do hear the 
echo of the voice of the Vicar of Christ. " We have seen," writes 
Leo XIII., " that this labor question cannot be solved save by 
assuming as a principle that private ownership must be held sacred 
and inviolable. The law, therefore, should favor ownership, and 
its policy should be to induce as many as possible of the humbler 
class to become owners." 

Listen to the business man again. Sir Benjamin Browne once 



44 SPIRITUAL FACTOR IN ECONOMIC REFORM [Oct., 

objected to Sir George Livesey that profit-sharing made no pro- 
vision for the sharing of losses. Sir George asked Sir Benjamin 
whether he thought the difference between a shop full of contented 
men and one full of discontented men would make a difference 
of five per cent. " Not five per cent," said Sir Benjamin, " but 
twenty-five per cent." " That," replied Sir George, " is the work- 
man's contribution to the reduction of the master's losses: in bad 
times they are giving twenty-five per cent better work and receiving 
no addition to trade union rates of wages." Here again is the 
echo of the voice of the Vicar of Christ. " Men always work 
harder and' more readily when they work on that which belongs 
to them ; nay, they learn to love the very soil that yields, in response 
to the labor of their hands, not only food to eat, but an abundance 
of good things for themselves and those that are dear to them. 
That such a spirit of willing labor would add to the produce of the 
earth and to the wealth of the community is self-evident."* 

Whether it is owing to the stress of the laws of nature, or 
whether it is owing to the leaven of papal teaching, certain it is 
that a reaction has set in towards the papal ideals. " I don't think 
this," says Earl Grey, " a question of percentages so much as it is 
of mutual confidence. It is as true in business as in religion. 
By faith are ye saved. Faith in each other is essential if the best 
results are to be achieved. It is the old doctrine which our friend 
Mr. Stanley Lee expressed with such force when he said, 'The men 
who can be believed in most will get the most business, and, what is 
more important, the men who can make men believe in them most 
will be able to hire employees who can be believed in most, and will 
get a monopoly of the efficiency of the world.' ' And what is 
most promising in this reaction is that those who are taking part 
in it, statesmen, employers, journalists, are keenly alive to the 
principle that although profit-sharing means increased dividends, 
yet it is unprofitable to adopt it merely for the sake of increasing 
dividends. The gospel paradox strikes home, that he who would 
save his life shall lose it. " It is the spirit of mutual confidence," 
continues Lord Grey, " what Mr. Stanley Lee calls 'the evolution 
of the genius of being believed in,' which is the secret of co-partner- 
ship. It is a practical and tangible sign that you do care for the 
welfare of the worker. Without that you may try what dodges 
you like, you will not succeed." 

So once again the gospel is justified in its spying. We must 
absolutely seek first the kingdom of God and His justice, and then 

*Rerum Novarum. 



1912.] SPIRITUAL FACTOR IN ECONOMIC REFORM 45 

the dividends in due and proper proportion will be added unto 
us. This is a hard saying, because dividends are so very tempting. 
" After all these things do the heathen seek." But the Holy 
Spirit seeks for the Kingdom of the Spirit. Acting through the 
spirit of man He seeks to adjust the industrial process to the 
spiritual process. The sole function of dividends is to enable man 
to improve his mind and enlarge his heart in order to his fuller 
salvation. For this reason then must the wealth of the world be 
more widely distributed and more equitably divided. 

On the one side we have seen a small party holding power 
because it held wealth, grasping the whole of labor and trade, 
manipulating for its own benefit and its own purposes all the sources 
of supply, working even through the councils of the state. On the 
other side we have seen a needy and powerless multitude, broken 
down, and suffering, and ever ready for disturbance. Now we see 
the Spirit of God moving over the face of the deeps. Through 
its mouthpiece, the Sovereign Pontiff, it bids the working people 
to look for a share in the land, so that the gulf between vast wealth 
and sheer poverty may be bridged over, and the respective classes 
brought nearer to one another. 

History, too, has recorded in favor of the Holy Spirit. See 
where the Socialistic theory flourishes most. It is in the industrial 
societies of North Germany, of the Northern United States, of 
England, of the lowlands of Scotland, precisely those countries 
where Protestant individualism has had most sway. The exag- 
gerated individualism, the theory of man's self-perfectibility, which 
derived a religious sanction from the sixteenth century revolt, 
could have no other logical issue. Compare this industrial spirit 
with that of the Catholic societies. Their whole tendency, derived 
from or fostered by the Holy Father, is towards a state in which 
capital and land is owned by the greater part of the citizens. The 
instinct of the Irish race, for instance, is for the people to 
own the land. The French, the Belgians, and the Italians are 
moved by the same appetite. Its intellectual equation is the un- 
answered challenge flung down to Individualist and Socialist alike : 
Prove that a society in which the wealth is divided amongst the 
majority of the citizens is not a stable society. Dynamic stability 
is the sign of industrial, social, and religious happiness. The spirit- 
ual factor fuses all other factors into one white glow, the organic 
life of one magnificent eugenic society of supermen, the Kingdom of 
heaven on earth. 




THE VOLTAIRE OF PORTUGAL. 

SEBASTIAN JOSEPH DE CARVALHO, MARQUIS OF POMBAL 

(1699-1782). 

BY MARY H. ALLIES. 

HE announcement by some of the radicals that the 
new Portuguese Republic would follow the policy 
of Pombal was pregnant to the few, but meaning- 
less to the majority in America and elsewhere to 
whom Pombal is not even a name. Was he, as 
the present writer was informed, " the greatest general who ever 
lived ? " In gathering together a few facts connected with Pombal, 
I am merely writing a memoire pour servir, first to produce a gleam 
of recognition, and then a further knowledge of the man. The 
prime minister of a pleasure-loving king in an unconstitutional age, 
he worked out his own will to the destruction of the four cardinal 
virtues in Church and state. 

Portugal was made and then unmade by her colonies. Her 
sun rose when the " Great Captain," as Vasco da Gama was called, 
revealed India to his mother country, and founded those Portu- 
guese possessions of which Goa alone now remains. Brazil poured 
gold into the country, and in so doing impoverished it by weaken- 
ing home initiative, trade, and agriculture. 

" Home staying youths have ever homely wits." Gold mines 
abroad were at once an inducement to the homely wits to remain 
homely, and to the active minds to wander away from Portugal. 
Gold poured into the country to its undoing, and Philip II. was 
able to humble the national sentiment to the dust. In 1580 he 
annexed Portugal to Spain, strengthening the antagonism which 
has always existed between the two countries. Sixty years later 
the Duke of Braganza became King under the title of John IV., 
and gave us our only Portuguese Queen, Catherine of Braganza, 
who brought her heart, as well as Tangiers, to Charles II. 

Sebastian Joseph de Carvalho e Mello was born in 1699 
during the reign of Dom John IV. According to Portuguese 
custom, he added the name of Mello, a maternal ancestor, to 
his own. His second brother was named Francisco Xavier de 



I9i2.] THE VOLTAIRE OF PORTUGAL 47 

Mendonga, his mother's name, and the youngest, Paul de Carvalho 
e Mendonga.* Sebastian Joseph was created first Conde d'Oeyras, 
and in 1770 Marquis de Pombal, the title by which he is commonly 
known. He adopted the career of diplomacy, and whilst at Vienna 
lost his first wife, Donna Theresa de Noronha, to whom he was 
much attached. In 1739 he was sent as Portuguese minister to 
England, at a time when the court language was French rather 
than English, during the reign of the second Hanoverian King, 
George II. The country was no bed of roses for Catholics, even 
for Catholic ambassadors. A proclamation had been issued in 
1 744 " to put the laws in execution against all Papists and non- 
jurors, and for commanding all Papists to depart from the cities 
of London and Westminster, and from within ten miles of the 
same, by the 2d of March."f 

Carvalho was recalled to Lisbon in 1745, and shortly after- 
wards went to Vienna, where he eventually married, as his second 
wife, Countess Leonora Daun of a distinguished Austrian family. 
Carvalho enjoyed the favor of Maria Theresa, both on his own 
account and on that of his wife. Whether he used the said favor 
in the interest of religion is difficult to determine. It seems cer- 
tain, however, that Carvalho did not greatly distinguish himself 
either in London or in Vienna. 

Dom Joseph succeeded his father, John V., in 1750. and 
through the favor of John's Austrian Queen, Maria Anna of 
Austria, Carvalho was called to the ministry. At first he took 
the portfolio of foreign and military affairs, but by degrees he came 
to represent the whole cabinet, so that historians have asked the 
question whether it was the reign of Joseph or of Carvalho, Mar- 
quis of Pombal. The King began, as he continued, by making 
only a show of transacting business. The Queen was Anna of 
Spain, a daughter of Philip V., and consequently a great-grand- 
daughter of Louis XIV. Queen Anna was a sportswoman, and 
spent her days in the saddle by preference! Her one thought out 
of it was to keep the King's affection and to pander to his love 
of pleasure. The Queen Dowager looked on in disapproval. If 
she had wished to strengthen the ministry by the introduction of 
Carvalho, she had overreached herself. The King gave up all 
cares of state, Queen Anna lived in her saddle, whilst Carvalho 
drew into his own hands the reins of government. The cabinet, 

*Marquis of Pombal. Conde da Carnota, p. 19. 
t/rf., 24- 



48 THE VOLTAIRE OF PORTUGAL [Oct., 

which had been composed of Diego de Mendozza and Pedro da 
Motta, soon represented one man alone Carvalho. 

Gold fields had drawn off husbandmen and laborers from home 
vineyards, so that Portugal's rich soil and fine climate had never 
been turned to good account. The commercial spirit was at a low 
ebb, and Carvalho wished to revive it by strengthening the ancient 
alliance between England and Portugal. Carvalho organized wine 
companies as a spur to trade. Unfortunately, as monopolies, they 
paralyzed individual effort. A few profited and grew rich to 
the detriment, it would seem, of the wine trade itself. The best 
known of these companies was the Port Wine Company. A con- 
temporary describes the disaffection produced at Oporto by the 
measure, in 1757, as nothing short of an insurrection. " For- 
merly," says the Austrian Ambassador Khevenhiiller, " every man 
sold his wine to the highest bidder, consequently chiefly to the 
English. The price of wine rose or fell according to the vintage. 
Now, however, only one company is authorized to accept customers. 
The wine is priced every year by the company itself, and the 
proceeding being beyond dispute, the cultivators are obliged to 
sell at a loss." 

The companies placed trading with foreign nations in the 
hands of a few, thus offering no recourse against destitution 
in the case of the individual cultivator. Resistance to these 
monopolies was punished by imprisonment, which often meant 
confinement in dungeons at Carvalho's pleasure. In 1757 Oporto 
was under martial law, every house with its contingent of soldiers, 
who were to stamp out discontent and grievances. Sixteen ring- 
leaders of the public disaffection were condemned to death, as 
death was then inflicted, by torture.* A few years later, in 1761, 
the wine company of Oporto petitioned the King to allow a tax on 
every pipe of wine to be levied for Carvalho's benefit. The favor 
of the few was in proportion to the disfavor of the many. Under 
Dom Joseph's successor, Donna Maria, the abolition of Carvalho's 
companies was followed by a Te Deum of thanksgiving. 

Carvalho feigned to patronize home manufactures. That he 
did not forward them in reality is proved by his methods, which 
were expensive and vexatious to the country by excessive taxa- 
tion. The resources which he commanded over and above taxa- 
tion were the fortunes of great nobles executed on the unproved 

*This practice was in accordance with the Criminal Law in European countries 
generally, as carried out until modern times. 



1912.] THE VOLTAIRE OF PORTUGAL 49 

charge of high treason; the capital and possessions of the Jesuits 
in Portugal as also in their provinces for the missions of Goa, 
Japan, China, Malabar, Brazil, and Maranhao, and further, the 
property of the numerous clergy whom he consigned to perpetual 
imprisonment. He succeeded in confiscating to the state the reve- 
nues of many religious houses. The Tavora episode illustrating, 
as it does, his dislike of an ancient house, was, however, preceded 
by the catastrophe of the earthquake. 

The 2d of November, 1755, broke over Lisbon without a warn- 
ing of coming disaster. It was a perfect Summer day, sky and 
water of that deep blue which seems to hold a promise of eternal 
beauty. In a few hours all was changed: the fair city was in 
ruins, the Tagus swollen to a torrent, which helped on the work of 
destruction. Fires, too, broke out, and consumed those who might 
have escaped the yawning chasm or the falling masonry. The 
royal family were at the palace of Belem in the suburbs of Lisbon. 
Carvalho found them in tears and consternation. 

" What is to be done to meet this infliction of Divine justice? " 
exclaimed the King. 

" Your Majesty," was Carvalho's reply, " let us bury the dead 
and help the living."* 

Sixty thousand perished in the destruction of Lisbon. Crim- 
inals no longer held by prison bonds walked abroad, seeking booty 
amongst the dying and the dead. Burying the dead was no small 
enterprise, owing to the fear of plague. These are the grim 
accompaniments of the earth's upheaval ; from the scourge of earth- 
quakes, O Lord, deliver us is a petition, not fifty years old, in our 
liturgy. Carvalho displayed great courage and presence of mind in 
the emergency. On him devolved the labor of rebuilding that por- 
tion of Lisbon which had suffered most from the catastrophe. It 
is the quarter on which the Rocio Square now stands. 

Dom Joseph's blind trust in his prime minister was consider- 
ably strengthened by Carvalho's energy over the smoking ruins of 
Lisbon. The King lived for pleasure and the self-indulgence to 
which pleasure leads. Carvalho pandered to it by holding the 
reins of government in his own hands. The one reigned in name, 
the other governed in deed. But in the moral order the powerful 
prime minister had more capacity for pulling down than for build- 
ing up. A few years after the earthquake, in 1758, an incident 
occurred, which has always been enveloped in lugubrious mystery. 

*Carnota, 46. 
VOL. XCVI. 4. 



50 THE VOLTAIRE OF PORTUGAL [Oct., 

The King was paying very marked attentions to the young 
Marquise Tavora. He was returning one evening in September, 
1758, from a visit to her, accompanied by a chamberlain named 
Texeira, of doubtful character and evil reputation.* A shot was 
fired at the royal carriage by the Duke of Aveiro, and the King 
was wounded. It was really aimed at Texeira, not at the King at 
all, for Texeira had grossly insulted the duke, and made the King's 
downward course as easy as possible. For three months nothing 
was done: then retaliation fell heavily on some of the noblest in 
Portugal, notably on the Tavora family. The young marquis 
bitterly resented Dom Joseph's visits to his wife, and it may be 
that his attitude explains the fearful fate which overtook his family. 
His father, the old marquis, came home from a ball in the early 
morning of December 13, 1758, to find his house surrounded by 
soldiers. In his bewilderment he went straight to the King, who 
was closeted with Carvalho. He was arrested then and there in the 
royal palace. A month later, after a summary trial, the victims 
were brought to execution. The number of persons implicated 
in the so-called attempt on the King's life ran into a hundred, the 
Tavoras heading the poll. This ancient family was stamped out 
in shame and ignominy. 

Early in the morning of January 13, 1759, the condemned were 
led out to suffer a horrible death. The old Marquise Tavora was 
the first, and in consequence of her sex she was merely beheaded. 
In some countries the criminal law sentenced murderers to be 
broken on the wheel. It would seem not to have been current in 
Portugal before Dom Joseph's, that is, Pombal's, reign. The second 
Tavora son, Jose Maria, was stretched on a block in the form of 
a cross, his arms and legs smashed by twenty-two blows dealt 
by an iron weight. The third victim was the Conde de Atonguia. 
The fourth the young Marquis de Tavora, who loudly asserted 
his innocence, but was not allowed to speak. Next followed two 
servants of the Duke of Aveiro, and a corporal in the service of 
the old marquis, who suffered the same hacking as his young 
master, Jose Maria. The old Marquis Tavora and the Duke of 
Aveiro received nine deadly blows. The tenth, a servant of the 
Duke of Aveiro, was compelled to look at the ghastly remains 
of those who had been already executed, and was then cast into 

*A contemporary Jesuit, Eckart, who was in Portugal from 1758, gives an 
account of this in his Historia Persecutions Societatis Jesu in Lusitania, XIII., p. 361. 
Quoted by Duhr, p. 82. 



I 9 i2.] THE VOLTAIRE OF PORTUGAL 51 

the flames, together with the bleeding limbs and bones, to be burnt 
alive. His agony lasted a quarter of an hour. The Austrian Am- 
bassador, Khevenhiiller, thus described this terrible miscarriage 
of justice to Kaunitz, the Pombal of Austria. Twenty years later 
the memory of the Tavoras was not cleared. Restitution was not 
made during the lifetime of Queen Anna, who justly feared the 
aspersion it would cast on Dom Joseph's own character. 

An unfortunate man of Italian birth, Pele, by name, had 
planned an attack on Pombal. He was betrayed and punished 
in the same appalling fashion as the Tavoras. His hands were 
cut off, and he was torn in quarters by four wild horses, and then 
burnt (I775)-* 

Ten Jesuits, as confessors to the parties concerned, had been 
implicated in the Tavora trial, although no just cause of complaint 
had been found against them. The year 1758 marks the beginning 
in Carvalho of a more active dislike and distrust of the Church, 
which he sought to uproot and to replace by a national establish- 
ment, as if he could legislate for Portuguese souls. He determined 
on the suppression of the Jesuits. No one of the Catholic powers, 
not even Maria Theresa, put out an arm to prevent him. On the 
contrary, the atmosphere was charged with disaffection, and it is 
perhaps owing to this circumstance that Carvalho, Marquis of 
Pombal, was able to carry out his design against the Church, and 
against the Jesuits. The Tavora episode was a tragedy of state 
absolutism. Pombal also marked in a dramatic manner his atti- 
tude to the Inquisition. He secured the management of this tri- 
bunal by putting it into subservient hands, and eliminating the 
ecclesiastical element. 

The appalling Tavora sentence had its parallel in the 
trial and conviction of Fr. Malagrida, an aged Jesuit mis- 
sionary, who had spent himself in the forests of Brazil, and nearly 
fallen a victim to heathen savages. Still more cruel hands awaited 
him. A Jesuit contemporary describes him as a man of the great- 
est unselfishness and simplicity. Long suffering in the prison of 
Junguiera was his portion for his supposed implication in the 
Tavora attempt, itself a misnomer. Thus weakened and enfeebled 
he was given up to the Inquisition in September, 1761, and burnt 
to death in his habit at the age of seventy-four. The spirit, which 
had braved the toils and dangers of missionary life, had become 
weakened in Pombal's dungeon, and this was in fact the only 

*Duhr, Pombal, Sein Charakter u. Seine Politik, 86, 96. 



52 THE VOLTAIRE OF PORTUGAL [Oct., 

reproach which could be made against the aged religious. It was 
not customary to deliver the religious habit, with the criminal, 
to the Inquisition. The act in Malagrida's case was typical of 
special degradation and dishonor. 

A bitter hatred characterized Pombal's dealings with the 
Jesuits because they thwarted his plans in two particulars. He 
wished to depreciate the priesthood as well as the religious life, and 
to break with Rome. To this end he dealt summarily with the 
Jesuits, and thought to suppress them in Portugal and Portuguese 
colonies before Clement XIV. had formally issued his Bull. 
In a dispatch to his government, in July, 1760, Kail remarks: 
" No disaster, nothing unpleasant of any kind, can happen here 
nowadays, which is not at once put down to the hated Jesuits."* 

Pombal sent them either into banishment or into prison. He 
destroyed all activity in the Jesuit missions, whether in Asia, 
Africa, or America, damaging his own country no less than the 
colonies in the process. From 1760 onwards he was striving to 
draw the Church in Portugal from the Holy See, and to give to 
the Portuguese sovereign what the Parliament of 1535 gave to 
Henry VIII. A decree of expulsion against the Jesuits was issued 
in 1767, after their existence had been recognized as legal. The 
proceedings bear a strong resemblance to the state authorization 
of the French government, which has scarcely saved one teaching 
body of religious in France from banishment and confiscation. 
With the Jesuits, and even before them, suffered those bishops and 
priests who would not submit to state interference in matters of 
conscience. In 1760 the Archbishop of Bahia refused to accept 
the suspension of Jesuit faculties without the consent of the Holy 
See, and he had in consequence to leave Portugal. A man of 
much learning and holiness, he retired into solitude in Portuguese 
America. Not only were priests and religious of independent 
minds removed, but whole convents were dispersed for having 
incurred Pombal's displeasure. 

The Bishop of Coimbra had condemned certain books in a 
pastoral, for which crime of laesae mafestatis he was seized and 
imprisoned in an underground dungeon. The Augustinian Order, 
to which he belonged, was punished in the same degree with military 
visits and seizure of papers. The bishop had been guilty of de- 
nouncing Voltaire's works, and others, in the pastoral, which was 
burnt by the public executioner. Dom Jose, taking his orders 

*Duhr, p. 107. 



1912.] THE VOLTAIRE OF PORTUGAL 53 

from Pombal, wrote to the chapter of Coimbra, recommending a 
new nomination in consequence of the bishop's proceedings. The 
tribunal which sat upon the pastoral (1768) gave its opinion in no 
equivocal terms : " To tell a man, 'You must not read this book 
without the Pope's leave' means 'you must believe in matters of 
government only what the Pope chooses, an absurdity which 
shatters the foundation of all government.' "* 

A certain book, which was drawn up by Pombal's orders, the 
Tentative, Theologica, sets forth his conception of making bishops 
independent of the Holy See and dependent on the Crown. First 
of all admission to the priesthood was much restricted, and not 
left to the bishops' discretion. Candidates for Holy Orders had 
to obtain the King's permission for their ordination, and in the same 
way monasteries were forbidden to receive novices. Marriage 
dispensations of whatever kind are properly referred to the Holy 
See, yet there were Portuguese bishops who acted against their 
conscience and usurped the power which belongs to the Pope 
alone. The Archbishops of Evora and Braga issued dispensations 
in the third and fourth degree. A certain Dom Jose da Camara, 
wishing to marry his deceased wife's sister, was dispensed by the 
Bishop of Elva, who constituted himself and his canons command- 
ing officers as reservists in case of a war with Spain. Kail's secret 
dispatches to his government note these particulars as a conse- 
quence of the breach with Rome, which was consummated at last 
by the treatment inflicted on the Papal Nuncio. 

In June, 1760, the Princess of Brazil, heiress to the throne, 
married the Infante. Dom Pedro, in the midst of great rejoicings. 
The Papal Nuncio, Philip Acciogoli, was a man of moderation, and 
had shown himself compliant on many occasions. As a conse- 
quence of receiving no invitation to the wedding festivities, he did 
not illuminate his house. The omission was seized as a pretext 
for his abrupt dismissal. On June I7th, his house was surrounded 
by detachments of military, and he himself was required to quit 
the kingdom within four days. Cardinal Acciogoli did not tarry, 
but left at once with a few intimate friends, taking nothing with 
him. Thus the Papal Nuncio was hurried from Portugal, and 
Pombal effected a breach with Rome, which was most displeasing 
to King, royal family, and people. 

If the Jesuits upheld the Holy See. the Holy See upheld the 
Jesuits, but in 1760 the Society of Jesus was approaching the fatal 

*Duhr, 113, 114. 



54 THE VOLTAIRE OF PORTUGAL [Oct., 

hour when Clement XIV. would order it to disband. This hour, 
it seems, was prepared and made possible by Pombal. He had 
outlawed, banished, and imprisoned those who thwarted his de- 
signs. In 1769 Clement XIV. became Pope, and in 1773 he con- 
sented to suppress the Society. Those Jesuits, therefore, who 
escaped alive from Pombal's dungeons, came back to find themselves 
no longer a body corporate when their prison doors were unlocked 
after Dom Joseph's death. 

In the meantime, in 1770, Portugal resumed diplomatic rela- 
tions with Rome. Pombal, who had made the breach, repaired 
it in his own fashion. The Archbishop of Evora, da Cunha, and 
Paul Carvalho received the Cardinal's hat, whilst the Bishop of 
Coimbra, who had fought a good fight, was suffered to remain in 
solitary confinement. Lemos de Farina was consecrated as Bishop 
in partibus with the right of succession to the See of Coimbra, and 
confirmed by Clement, who was misled by Pombal's representa- 
tions. The Pope's act is said to be unique in the annals of the 
Church!* Other nominations were equally disastrous; in fact, 
Pombal seized the opportunity for filling vacant sees with his 
nominees. Cardinal da Cunha, as Archbishop of Evora, had taken 
upon himself to give marriage dispensations, which are properly 
reserved to the Holy See. Pope Clement did not remember this 
against him, but allowed him to live out of his diocese, provided 
he occasionally visited it. He was an absentee for six years, one 
of his avocations being the presidency of a Jansenist Club, dis- 
tinguished for irreligious opinions. Pope Clement, again misin- 
formed, nominated da Cunha to the post of Grand Inquisitor in 
the interest of the general peace of the Church (1770). These 
were some of the proceedings which marked the return of the 
Papal Nuncio and the years of power still reserved to Pombal. 
These lasted as long as Dom Jose lived. The King expired on 
February 24, 1777, expressing great contrition for having trusted 
Pombal over much, and thus caused the miscarriage of justice 
throughout the kingdom. 

Donna Maria, who ascended the throne, received her father's 
inheritance from Pombal's hands. Dom Jose spoke from the full- 
ness of his heart on his death-bed, and charged his daughter to re- 
lease prisoners, to pay his court, and to keep peace with the Church. 
The imprisoned Bishop of Coimbra was released shortly before 
the King's end at the request of his confessor. He had suffered 

*Duhr, 135. 



1912.] THE VOLTAIRE OF PORTUGAL 55 

nine years imprisonment for doing his duty. The number of per- 
sons imprisoned on a false charge of high treason was no fewer 
than eight hundred and fourteen. Lebzeltern describes the opening 
of prison doors a few days after the King's death : " Through 
the release of an endless number of prisoners, people reappear 
whose memory has been forgotten. These people have endured 
the horrors of a terrible captivity from eighteen to twenty years 
long: it is an image of the rising from the dead. This minister 
[Pombal] is not only forsaken, but there is no class in the state 
who does not bring bitter reproaches against him to the feet of 
the throne, and load him with the most grievous charges." In 
a dispatch in cypher, the ambassador gives an account of what 
priests, religious and Jesuits, had been called upon to endure. 
" It is stated," he says, " that the Queen has made up her mind 
to free the Jesuits also. Amongst them there is a certain Fr. 
Timothy, her former confessor, whom she has always greatly 
missed, also there are subjects of our gracious Sovereigns." 

According to Lebzeltern their greatest crime was the fact 
that they were Jesuits, and knew too much about Brazil. He 
reminded his correspondent that they would leave prison in rags, 
and would require decent clothes and traveling expenses. A month 
later, Lebzeltern reported that all prisoners belonging to the nobility 
had been set at liberty. Wishing to test the nature of the cap- 
tivity inflicted on the Jesuits, he visited in disguise the Fortress 
of St. Julian, built at the mouth of a river, and saw dungeons 
which froze the blood in his veins with horror. Underground 
holes, four feet long, almost impervious to the light, occasionally 
flooded by two feet of water, constituted the dungeon in which 
these Fathers had managed to exist for eighteen years. Their 
food consisted of half a pound of bread, two ounces of meat, and 
a little salad daily. A shirt each, yearly, was contributed to their 
clothing. Lebzeltern found nine German Jesuits amongst the num- 
ber, one P. Kaulen, whose sufferings filled him with compassion, 
and another, P. Szenmartone, a brilliant mathematician. 

After much correspondence and many negotiations, Lebzeltern 
finally succeeded in helping the German Jesuits out of their prison, 
and sending them back to their own country. P. Kaulen remained 
at St. Julian, together with thirty Portuguese Jesuits, whose desti- 
nation could not be determined. One and all were ex- Jesuits : their 
religious family no longer existed. Fr. Carelen had labored in the 
Portuguese missions, with other German Jesuits, at the solicitation 



56 THE VOLTAIRE OF PORTUGAL [Oct., 

of the Crown. He had converted a whole tribe on the banks of 
the Amazon, toiled during seven years to make some provision 
for his people. The material fruits of his labors were swept away 
by Francis de Mendonc.a, Pombal's brother, and he himself was 
shipped off to Lisbon, where imprisonment was the reward of his 
devotedness. Dungeon rigor lost him the nails of his hands and 
feet, and reduced his body to a mass of sores. When by force 
of patient endurance he had somewhat recovered, he was trans- 
ferred to the underground hole, which Lebzeltern had seen and 
shuddered at. Many succumbed to their inhuman imprisonment, 
and amongst them Fr. Butger Hundt. After twenty years of 
missionary labors, he spent fourteen in captivity, and died of its 
horrors. 

Donna Maria's inheritance cost her one million. The court 
officials had received no salary for fourteen years, but money griev- 
ances were the lightest part of the woes with which she had to 
contend. The Queen could not unmake what had " been made " 
any more than the gods of old. Now at least Pombal's iron grip 
on public affairs was loosened. It is said that the Bishop of Beha 
remained his friend; not so Cardinal da Cunha, who broke with 
him in his fallen fortunes. The Marquise Pombal became seriously 
ill through much weeping. In 1781 a royal decree banished her 
husband to Pombal, where he died on May 14, 1782. 

And now to show how faithfully Pombal's spirit has been 
evoked, I may quote recent events and the protest against them 
uttered by the Jesuit provincial in Portugal. " It is passing 
strange," says the provincial, " that to this moment not a single 
offence has been alleged against us. The law of October 8th ( 1910) 
assigns none, but appeals to the ancient obsolete legislation of 
Pombal (1758) and Aguiar (1834)." 

It is true that imprisonment in 1910 cannot vie with the under- 
ground dungeons of 1760. Still the provincial has something to 
say about " treatment in prison." " As to the sufferings of my 
beloved brethren, I will only say that in the artillery barrack which 
was under the control not of the military, but of the dregs of the 
populace, not even a spoon was given to the prisoners wherewith 
to eat their mess of food; that they were allowed to withdraw 
privately but once in eight hours, and poor invalids to whom such 
tyranny might prove fatal were told that they only sought a pre- 
text for retirement. At night, the guards threatened to shoot 
any one who attempted to get up. Finally, these warders had the 



1912.] THE VOLTAIRE OF PORTUGAL 57 

brutality to bring in abandoned women, but these were compelled 
to retreat before the calm and dignified bearing of my worthy 
brethren. As to their furniture, I will only say that afterwards 
when, being transferred to Caxias, they were there provided with 
a mattress laid on the ground, a hard bolster and a single blanket, 
they thought themselves in comfort by comparison. 

" In a dungeon of the Town Hall, before their removal to 
the central prison of Limoiro, some of the captives were still worse 
treated, being crammed together to the number of twenty-three, 
where there was scarce room for three or four, and they had for 
five days to breathe foul air, not being suffered to leave the 
chamber, and there being no ventilation save through one small 
aperture."* 

Again, to turn to even more recent events of the drama, which 
is history repeating itself : " Dom Antonio Barroso, the Bishop 
of Oporto, has been arrested on the charge of ordering the Joint 
Pastoral of the Portuguese Bishops to be read in the churches 
of his diocese. On his arrival in Lisbon on March 6th, he was 
greeted by an expectant crowd, who had been thoroughly demoral- 
ized. The misrepresentations and calumnies of the republican 
government have done their work, and the people in their ignorance 
have turned against their best friends. At the cries of 'Down 
with the Jesuits!' 'Death to the Bishop!' Dom Antonio, perhaps 
remembering his long years of missionary work in South Africa 
and his struggle in Oporto for the reform of abuses and for the 
good of his people, turned to Dr. G. Martins and said quietly : 
'And is all this for me?'"f 

" All this " is for the followers of Malagrida, the Bishop of 
Coimbra and their companions, who may lose the fruit of their 
labors in this world, and reach the higher plane of suffering perse- 
cution for justice' sake. 

Since the Bishop of Oporto's arrest, we have witnessed the 
joint protest of the Portuguese Bishops against the Decree of 
April 20, 1911, separating the Church from the State. We have 
read the Encyclical Letter in which Pope Pius X. enumerates 
the evils of the present legislation, a too faithful reproduction of 
Pombal's procedure. The one remedy lies in obedience to the 
Holy Father, and the obedient man will yet speak victory. 

*London Tablet, December 24, 1910. 
t/d., March 25, 1911. 



IS SATAN THE HERO OF PARADISE LOST? 

BY EMILY HICKEY. 




[ROM the time of Dryden, who, in the Dedication 
of his translation of the Mneid, proclaimed Satan 
the hero of Paradise Lost, the assertion, or at least 
the opinion, that such is the part that he takes in 
Milton's great epic has been by no means unusual. 
In the Saturday Papers on Paradise Lost, published in the 
Spectator just two hundred years ago, Addison considered the 
question of Satan's title to be the hero of the epic, and dismissed 
it on the ground that it was impossible for the hero to be degraded ; 
that is, degraded in character, aim and end. " The hero need 
not be faultless, but should be noble." 

It is strange that Dr. Garnett, who, in his Life of John Milton, 
maintains that Satan is the hero of Paradise Lost, appears to have 
forgotten the essential ignobleness and meanness of Milton's Evil 
One: for the same writer rejects the claim of Adam to be the 
hero on the ground that when "he begins to wrangle with Eve 
about their respective shares of blame, he forfeits his estate of 
heroism more irretrievably than his estate of holiness." Is " wrang- 
ling " for the moment (if we consent to call what passes between 
the first guilty ones at that sorrowful time by that name) more 
greatly ignoble than the determination to ruin the beautiful inno- 
cent Eden dwellers for the sake of " spiting " the Creator whose 
punishment Satan is under, and endeavoring to make out that 
the ultimate blame rests with that Creator Himself? 

Dryden saw, as many others later than he have seen, the 
magnificence of Milton's conception of the Great Apostate; he, 
like them, was so obsessed by the faded splendor of the " archangel 
ruined " that he must have lost sight of his intense selfishness 
developed from his intense egotism, his evil meanness and false- 
hood, so well symbolized by the " black mist low creeping " whose 
likeness he at one time assumes, his cruelty and his degradation. 
He has been seen as a hero because of qualities which are so 
specially interesting that their presence seems to throw into ob- 
Jivion, or at least non-consideration, the side that is low and mean. 
The lowest among God's servants shines with a fadeless splendor 



1912.] IS SATAN THE HERO OF PARADISE LOST? 59 

before which the " archangel ruined " shows but dark with the 
deepest depth of darkness. Should this be forgotten, or ignored, 
even in the face of " the unconquerable will," the strength of lead- 
ership, the greatness of his language, the lingering beauty of his 
form? All these things have fascinated men, inspiring them with 
admiration, and even more; and to their effect in themselves has 
been added their having been set for us in the magnificent poetry 
of him whose style has given to the language of English speakers 
a synonym for " sublime " in the word " Miltonic." We must 
remember, however, how few know their Paradise Lost as a whole. 
Most of those who have any acquaintance with the poem, knowing 
only a few of those passages which are " selected " and among 
which those dealing with Satan, especially that most splendid one 
beginning with the Address to the Sun, must form a very prominent 
part. 

Can any character be called the hero of an epic which sees him 
beaten and repulsed, not through those outward circumstances 
among which defeat may be the highest success, but from the 
necessity of God's good triumphing over the evil which that char- 
acter has taken for his good? Can a hero of an epic be shown 
to us degraded at the first, and going down into degradation deeper 
and yet deeper, until at last the bestial change that overtakes him 
as a part of his punishment is the outward sign that he has reached 
the extreme of the deep still lower than the deepest? 

Let us try to trace the character of Satan, as shown us in the 
poet's description, in his own words and actions, and in the words 
spoken of him and addressed to him by those of whom he had once 
stood the peer. 

High on a throne of royal state, which far 
Outshone the wealth of Ormuz and of Ind, 
* * * 

Satan exalted sat, by merit raised 
To that bad eminence. 

This is the description given at the beginning of the Second 
Book of Paradise Lost, which tells of the holding of the infernal 
council in Pandemonium. We cannot but place Milton's Satan on 
an eminence; there is nothing insignificant about him; the poet's 
conception is so vast, so mighty, that we feel how these lines set 
before us, in few words, the power of evil. It is indeed on an 
eminence that the Adversary sits; and it is indeed a bad eminence. 



60 IS SATAN THE HERO OF PARADISE LOST? [Oct., 

Pride, with its offspring, ambition, and its result, disloyalty, with 
the corruption of others, and the audacity of disobedience, dyed 
deeply with the dye of ingratitude, we know to have been the cause 
of Satan's fall. His own lips tell us of his pride, and with pride 
in that pride. He could not bear the rule of a superior; he hated 
even to imagine that he could have a superior. It is in the Arch- 
angel Raphael's story of the Fall of the Angels, related to Adam 
for his aid and warning, that we find the fullest account of the 
beginning of that fall. 

On such a day as Heaven's great year brings forth, 

the Imperial summons called the host of angels before the Al- 
mighty's throne. Splendid was the great army with its standards 
and gonfalons ; the great army with its distinction 

Of hierarchies, of orders and degrees. 

Thus when in orbs 

Of circuit inexpressible they stood, 

Orb within orb, the Father infinite, 

By whom in bliss embosom'd sat the Son, 

Amidst, as from a flaming mount, whose top 

Brightness had made invisible, thus spake. 

The Father declares His Son, His Anointed One, that day be- 
gotten, appointed as the Head of all. The infinite Father has 
sworn that to Him all knees shall bow : whosoever disobeys Him 
disobeys the Eternal Father, 

breaks union ; and that day, 

Cast out from God and blessed vision, falls 
Into utter darkness, deep ingulf'd, his place 
Ordain'd without redemption, without end. 

All seemed well pleased : all seemed, but all were not. Satan 
the hypocrite, the seemer content, wakes in the ambrosial night, 
full of angry envy against Him Who that day had been proclaimed 
Messiah : his pride cannot bear this, and he thinks himself impaired 
by the exaltation of the Son. He resolves 

With all his legions to dislodge, and leave 
Unworship'd, unobey'd, the throne supreme. 
Contemptuous. 

Satan wakens his next subordinate (Beelzebub), and tells 
him that he is sure he will be at one with his leader. Thus he 
plays on his " loyalty," he whose own loyalty is flung away. New 
laws, he says, have been imposed. 



1912.] IS SATAN THE HERO OF PARADISE LOST? 61 

New laws from Him Who reigns, new minds may raise 
In us who serve, new counsels, to debate 
What doubtful may ensue. 

Beelzebub is directed to assemble the chief of the legions 
of which he is leader, and for this assembling a lying reason is 
assigned. They are to haste, by the Most High's command, with 
their leader to " the quarters of the north " 

there to prepare 

Fit entertainment to receive our King 
The great Messiah, and His new commands, 
Who speedily through all the hierarchies 
Intends to pass triumphant, and give laws. 

Bad influence is infused into the breast of Satan's associate: 
the Regent Powers under him Regent are called, as by the sum- 
mons of God Himself : and the suggested cause for the assembling 
having been given out, the ready false tongue of the Adversary 

casts between 

Ambiguous words and jealousies, to sound 
Or taint integrity. 

The legions obey their Potentate. 

for great indeed 

His name, and high was his degree in Heaven: 
His countenance, as the morning star that guides 
The starry flock, allured them, and with lies 
Drew after him the third part of Heaven's host. 

In Satan's attitude to service we may find much of warning 
for ourselves. 

Better to reign in Hell than serve in Heaven 

is his conclusion. He despises service, which by him is described 
as servitude and slavery, to which his pride will not bow; and in 
this, as all through, we see the contrast to the Divine Master Who 
took on Himself the form of a servant; Who served in all ways; 
Who commanded service as the lesson and meaning of social life; 
and Who left to His Vicegerent to bear through many a century 
the title of Servant of servants. So too, the flawless Lady whom 
next to Him we honor; she who proclaimed herself the handmaid, 
or even the bondmaid, of the Lord. 

A characteristic of him who is considered to be the one and 



62 IS SATAN THE HERO OF PARADISE LOST? [Oct., 

only man whom Shakespeare has given to us as unredeemed by 
a touch of goodness, lago, is hatred of service. And here is 
Satan's blindness transmitted to his followers : he cannot see that 
to serve is to be exalted ; that to be the servant of God is to possess 
the highest freedom. 

The apostate taunts Abdiel, the one found true among the 
myriads under his Regency whom Satan had made false, who 
comes against him in the war which is waged between high Heaven 
and those who are to inhabit Hell; taunts him as a slothful being, 
one who knows no liberty. 

At first I thought that Liberty and Heaven 
To heavenly souls had been all one; but now 
I see that most through sloth had rather serve, 
Minist'ring spirits, train'd up in feast and song; 

it is just the poor " ministering spirits " who are against him, 
he says ; servility contending with freedom. And in Abdiel's reply 
we come to the kernel of Satan's sin; 

Thyself not free, but to thyself enthrall'd. 

There it is, the egotism, the being centred in self, with all the 
blindness, the cruelty, the weakness which springs therefrom, es- 
saying to assume the form of strength. We notice how he who 
rages against service is accused by the Angel Zephon of base ser- 
vility. 

And thou sly hypocrite, who now wouldst seem 

Patron of liberty, who more than thou 

Once fawned, and cringed, and servilely adored 

Heaven's awful Monarch? 

Even in Heaven the false one had given to service that note 
whose dishonesty had turned its outward manifestation into despic- 
able servility. We may be quite sure that the other side of pride is 
meanness; meanness perforce instead of humility by will. 

The first speech of Satan, to his followers, delivered in Pande- 
monium, from his throne of royal state, reveals this intense ego- 
tism of his. His claim to the first place he puts forward as a 
two-fold one. Just right and the fixed laws of Heaven have, he 
says, created him their leader, along with their own free choice ; 
and the loss of Heaven has further 

Established in a safe unenvied throne, 
Yielded with full consent. 



1912.] IS SATAN THE HERO OF PARADISE LOST? 63 

Let us note carefully what follows. In Heaven dignity com- 
mands a happier state, which might indeed " draw envy from each 
inferior;'' but from this envy he is now safe; for being 

Foremost to stand against the Thunderer's aim 

as their bulwark, and being condemned to the " greatest share of 
endless pain," he thinks that envy cannot touch him. There is 
an uneasy consciousness in his mind that he who has envied may 
be the mark of envy; and he therefore puts it to his companions 
that " none sure will claim in Hell Precedence ;" there is none that 
will covet a larger share of pain. This, he proclaims, is the ad- 
vantage 

To union, and firm faith, and firm accord, 
More than can be in Heaven. 

Thus an infinite loss is to be part of the basis of his power. 
We shall again see his egotism in his taking the part of pioneer 
and his reasons for so doing. Here, too, his meanness comes out. 
When he undertakes the terrible journey to seek out the means 
to injure the Almighty by injuring His creation, he imposes on 
his followers the belief that in so doing he despises his own safety 
for the general safety, and he receives the homage which their ad- 
miration for this offers him, as they bend towards him " with 
awful reverence prone." 

It is true that he excels the other fallen spirits in courage, 
for none of them had dared to undertake "the dreadful voyage;" 
it is also true that the fear comes upon him that, after he had 
announced his resolution, 

Others among the chief might offer now 
(Certain to be refused) what erst they fear'd; 
And, so refused, might in opinion stand 
His rivals; winning cheap the high repute, 
Which he through hazard huge must earn. 

This is his " prudence ! " 

Take Satan as a reasoner. We have to think of him either 
as illogical, which would not fall in with the height of his intel- 
lectual being, or else as blindingly sophistical, which indeed he is, 
being the father of lies. In his speeches to his followers, to the 
angels, and to Eve, Satan sets things in a wrong light. It is when 
he is alone that we find from what he says how truly he can see, 



64 IS SATAN THE HERO OF PARADISE LOST? [Oct., 

although to others he has spoken falsehood in the guise of truth. 
As an instance of this, we may compare what he says to Beelzebub 
concerning God, with what he says in the speech which begins with 
what is known as his Address to the Sun. In the former speech 
he appears not to understand why God must be supreme ; he builds 
His claim to supremacy on force. 

He 

Who now is Sovereign can dispose and bid 
What shall be right : furthest from His is best, 
Whom reason hath equal'ed, force hath made supreme 
Above His equals. 

How different from this assertion is what Satan says in the 
later instance : 

pride and worse ambition threw me down, 

Warring in Heaven against Heaven's matchless King : 
Ah, wherefore? He deserved no such return 
From me, whom He created what I was 
In that bright eminence, and with His good 
Upbraided none; nor was His service hard. 
* * * 

all His good proved ill in me, 

And wrought but malice; lifted up so high 

I 'sdain'd subjection, and thought one step higher 

Would set me highest, and in a moment quit. 

The debt immense of endless gratitude, 

So burdensome; still paying, still to owe: 
Forgetful what from Him I still received, 
And understood not that a grateful mind 
By owing owes not, but still pays, at once 
Indebted and discharged ; what burden then ? 

The whole of the address to the sun is most important in any 
study of the character of Milton's Satan. We see how vividly 
awake he is to the truth, and how determined to reject it. If, he 
says, he had been some inferior angel, he would have stood 
happy, for his could have been no " unbounded hope " to 
raise ambition. Yet, even then with none of that greatness, which, 
as he argues, has been his temptation, he knows well that he might 
have sinned as a subordinate angel as well as a leader. 



I9i2.] IS SATAN THE HERO OF PARADISE LOST? 65 

some other Power 

As great might have aspired, and me, though mean, 
Drawn to his part; but other powers as great 
Fell not, but stand unshaken, from within 
Or from without, to all temptations arm'd. 

Curiously, in this one passage, he acknowledges " other Powers 
as great " as he. 

Hadst thou the same free will and power to stand? 
Thou hadst : whom hast thou then or what to accuse, 
But Heaven's free love dealt equally to all? 

That " free love " Satan acknowledges, and holds accursed, 

since love or hate, 

To me alike, it deals eternal woe. 

He sees clearly; there is now no sophistry, for he has none 
to blind by it, and he goes on to say, 

Nay, cursed be thou ; since against His thy will 
Chose freely what it now so justly rues. 

* * * 

Oh, then at last relent: is there no place 
Left for repentance, none for pardon left? 
None left but by submission. 

And this submission never will be his. 

Many of the sayings of Satan, taken from their context, and 
quoted not as from the lips of the Arch-liar, who knew so well 
that a truth misapplied becomes a lie, are household words; and 
words they are in which the ultimate expression is reached of what 
must ever in the right sense be true. Such are : 

The unconquerable will. 

to be weak is miserable, 

Doing or suffering. 

The mind is its own place, and in itself 

Can make a Heaven of Hell, a Hell of Heaven. 

Awake, arise, or be for ever fallen. 

who overcomes 

By force, hath overcome but half his foe. 
Unspeakable desire to see, and know. 
All these His wondrous works, but chiefly Man, 
His chief delight and favour. 

at whose sight all the stars 

Hide their diminish'd heads. 

TOL. XCVI. 5. 



66 IS SATAN THE HERO OF PARADISE LOST? [Oct., 

These utterances, and the like, apart, as I have said, from 
their context, and outside of the personality of their utterer, give 
some clue to the admiration lavished on Milton's Satan, who aims 
at making Hell of Heaven. But the words that he speaks, of 
treason, of defiance, of encouragement to treason and defiance, 
are indeed what are spoken of as 

high words that bore 

Semblance of worth, not substance. 

This " semblance of worth, not substance," describes the posi- 
tion of Satan in Paradise Lost. 

Wordsworth says, " We live by admiration, hope and 
love:" and a French writer, Theophile Gualtier, has said, 
" The distinguishing characteristic mark of Satan is that he 
could neither love nor admire." This is true; he cannot 
love; he cannot admire; Hope he has none. He stands alone 
in his desperate pride, knowing nothing of love. He is 
his own object: how should he have admiration for any other? 
In his eyes there is none like himself for might and glory and 
beauty. There is evidence of this all through the poem. In his 
madness of pride he declares that force alone has made God 
Sovereign above His equals. Mark " His equals." Over and over 
again the assertion is made of power, leadership, greatness, mag- 
nificence. What does he say to the accusing angels, who have 
found this glory of angelhood " squat like a toad " at the ear of 
Eve? Yes, "squat like a toad!" Oh, meanness! Oh, degrada- 
tion! What does he say when the touch of Ithuriel's spear has 
made him return " of force to his own likeness," but that the an- 
gels had once known him no mate for them ; " there sitting where 
ye durst not soar." Then, abashed, awed before the power of 
good, feeling how lovely in her shape is virtue, Satan sees and 
pines his loss; and his chief regret is the hearing from Zephon's 
lips how his shape is no longer the same as it was in heaven; how 
his brightness is diminished ; how the glory has departed from him, 
with his goodness, and how now he resembles his " sin and place 
of doom obscure and foul." For all Satan's claims are lies : power 
is not his; true leadership is not his. The greatness he had has 
dwindled to a shadow; and the excellency of his beauty had fled 
from him. 

To find here observed 

His lustre visibly impair'd 



1912.] IS SATAN THE HERO OF PARADISE LOST? 67 

grieves him most : the external sign of its loss is far more to him 
than the loss itself. 

It is in comparison with what he once was that he is without 
beauty; the obscurity and foulness of his sin have not yet ruined 
entirely that which distinguished him of old; for Gabriel says 
when he announces the return to Heaven of Ithuriel and Zephon 
from their mission to Eden, 

And with them comes a third of regal port, 
But faded splendour wan. 

The bearing is still regal, and the splendor has not quite de- 
parted, faded as it is, and wan. But we have always to bear in mind 
the remembrance that the beauty remaining to Satan is but a mere 
shadow compared with the unspeakable, unthinkable beauty of high 
angelhood, itself as a shadow of the eternal beauty of God Himself. 
It is Gabriel who exposes Satan as a liar in his excuses for 
having entered Eden: he has therein said and straight unsaid; 
he has pretended 

first 

Wise to fly pain, professing next the spy. 
And this 

Argues no leader, but a liar traced. 

He has lost his high name for that of Adversary; he who was 
of the first, if riot himself the first, Archangel; and so surely as God 
is Truth, His Adversary is Falsehood, His Enemy is the great Lie. 
In Satan's hatred of gratitude, though indeed he knows that 
this hatred is ignoble, may we not be reminded in some faint way 
of what is in those among us who do for others what their pride 
will not suffer them to allow to be done for themselves? those who 
are desirous to give what they would not willingly take ? This, too, 
is a lighter shade of that painful dislike " to be under an obligation " 
which we know of; but it is a shade of it, and it marks an ignoble 
tendency, which its possessor often mistakes for a noble one. 

We must not forget the touch of nobility which is seen in 
Satan in the sorrow that comes to him for a little space when his 
cruel eye is softened, and remorse and passion are his as he beholds 
his followers 

condemn'd 

For ever now to have their lot in pain ; 

Millions of spirits for his fault amerced 

Of Heaven, and from eternal splendours flung 

For his revolt. 



68 IS SATAN THE HERO OF PARADISE LOST? [Oct., 

He sees them yet faithful to him, standing their, " their glory 
withered." His speech is stayed by his emotion. 

He now prepared 

To speak ; 

Thrice he assay'd, and thrice, in spite of scorn. 
Tears, such as angels weep, burst forth: 

but his pity is of no avail, for he wills to be followed; he wills 
to be obeyed; he wills that his followers should be lost in his loss 
and damned in his damnation; and this struggle against the pity 
that for a little space took hold of him becomes by his resistance 
to it only the means of plunging him deeper in his selfishness 
supreme. In the exquisiteness of Eden he sees " undelighted all 
delight." There is no room in him for sympathy with beauty 
and joy; and as he looks on the lovely ones whom he has come 
with intent to destroy, he can say, as he sees in them divine re- 
semblance and the grace that 

The hand that formed them on their shape hath poured, 

that his thoughts pursue them with wonder, and could love. What 
love! What wonder! 

He can appreciate grace poured out upon them, and the like- 
ness to God which is shining in them : but he is unmoved from his 
purpose, and in bitterest irony he speaks of the league which he 
seeks to make with them, and the " mutual amity, so strait, so close," 
that henceforth he and they must dwell together ! 

Mark too his falseness here. They must, he says, accept Hell 
for their dwelling as the work of their Maker. Satan is, he says, 
no purposed foe to them; he, himself unpitied, could pity them in 
the forlornness that is to come; but the revenge on God through 
these His creatures is for " public reason just." 

So spake the Fiend, and with necessity, 

The tyrant's plea, excused his devilish deeds. 

Let God have the blame. It is He Who has brought things 
to this pass! It is He Who has ruined His Archangels! It is 
He Who has wrought the ruin of this His new preation! 

" Evil, be thou my good," Satan has said. As good is to the 
unfallen, so shall evil be to him, the fallen one. He has no hope 
to be less miserable himself, but only desires to make others such 
as he, even though worse things come upon him thereby. 



1912.] IS SATAN THE HERO OF PARADISE LOST? 69 

For only in destroying I find ease 

To my relentless thoughts ; and him destroyed, 

Or won to what may work his utter loss, 

For whom all this was made, all this will soon 

Follow, as to think in weal or woe, 

In woe then; that destruction wide may range: 

To me shall be the glory sole among 

The infernal Powers, in one day to have marred 

What He, Almighty styled, six nights and days 

Continued making, and who knows how long 

Before had been contriving. 

Here is the contrast; the Creator; the Destroyer; He Who 
makes; he who mars. Ever and ever to make will be higher than 
to mar ; the Creator sits above ; the Destroyer lies below. 

The various shapes and disguises which Milton's Satan as- 
sumes afford much study in themselves. Doubtless Milton had 
in his mind St. Paul's word of Satan transforming himself into 
an angel of light (2 Cor. xi. 14), when he shows him as the strip- 
ling cherub, graceful of limb, in whose face youth smiled celestial, 
who deceives even Uriel 

held 

The sharpest-sighted spirit of all in Heaven, 

and learns from the abode of Man and the way thereto. It is 
when anger, envy and despair marring his borrowed visage be- 
tray him counterfeit, that he is recognized as " one of the banished 
crew." 

When he enters Eden, he sits in the likeness of a cormorant 
upon the highest tree in the midst of the garden; using the very 
Tree of Life itself as a lookout while he devises death to the 
loving. Here he sees " undelighted all delight." In the likeness 
of a toad he squats close to the ear of Eve, trying to injure her 
by ill dreams; those ill dreams against which the Church lifts 
her prayer in her Compline hymn. 

Let dreams depart and phantoms fly, 
The offspring of the night. 

Next, to elude the vigilance of God's angel guardians of Man, 
he glides obscure, wrapped in mist of midnight vapor, to find the ser- 
pent, and hide himself in its mazy folds. This disguise is indeed 
a horror to him. 



70 IS SATAN THE HERO OF PARADISE LOST? [Oct., 

O foul descent! that I, who erst contended 
With gods to sit the highest, am now constraint 
Into a beast; and mix'd with bestial slime, 
This essence to incarnate and imbrute, 
That to the height if Deity aspired! 
But what will not ambition and revenge 
Descend to? Who aspires, must down as low 
As high he soar'd, obnoxious, first or last, 
To basest things. 

In this shape he wins a seeming victory; in this shape he 
shrinks back to the thickest of the serpent's lair. 

But he deems himself Victor; 
Victor over God as over Man. 

The terrible offspring of Satan, Sin and Death, those insep- 
arable comrades, hasten to take possession of the new world to 
be inhabited by them; making a great way for the passage of foul 
spirits, those ill beings who wander through the world for the 
ruin of souls, those spirits against whom we pray. 

They meet Satan " in likeness of an angel bright," the likeness 
he had before assumed to deceive Uriel, the Regent of the sun. 
They know him through his disguise; they well know it to be but 
a disguise, that of "an angel of light," and he is congratulated on 
his " magnific deeds." Satan commissions Sin and Death to go to 
Paradise and thence exercise their dominion, 

Chiefly on Man, sole lord of all declared, 
Him first make sure your thrall, and lastly kill. 

Vain command, whose vanity was one day to be proved, 
when the bruising of the head, of which Satan makes so light, 
should come. Then soon comes the last scene in which Satan 
makes his appearance. Through the midst of his hell-doomed 
followers he passes 

unmarkt 

In shew plebeian angel militant, 
Of lowest order; 

invisibly he ascends his high throne and sits there for a while, 

unseen 

At last, as from a cloud, his fulgent head 

And shape star-bright, appear'd or brighter, clad 

With what permissive glory since his fall 



1912.] IS SATAN THE HERO OF PARADISE LOST? 71 

Was left him, or false glitter: all amazed 
At that so sudden blaze, the Stygian throng 
Bent their aspect, and whom they wish'd beheld, 
Their mighty chief return'd : loud was the acclaim : 
Forth rush'd in haste the great consulting peers, 
Raised from their dark divan, and with like joy 
Congratulant approach'd him, who with hand 
Silence, and with these words attention won. 

Drunk with pride in what he believes to be his great and 
ultimate success, mad with wrath and malice and all that is unholy, 
he tells of this success. In the shape of a brute serpent he has 
seduced Man from his Creator has seduced him by fraud, 

and, the more to increase 



your wonder, with an apple. God, he says, offended at this his 
offence, worth your laughter (ay, worth the laughter of fools and 
devils), has caused him to surrender. 

Both His beloved Man and all this World, 
To Sin and Death a prey. 

So can his followers now possess that World given over to 
them by its Creator ! 

Their universal shout, and high applause, 

which he expects does not go up to fill his ear. Instead, there 
comes 

A dismal universal hiss, the sound 

Of public scorn. 

It is the hiss from his innumerable followers, now mysteriously 
transformed into the shape their Leader had once assumed. He 
himself is changed in shape into the serpent whose likeness he had 
borrowed. Still he is predominant in shape and size above the 
others, as he has been predominant all through. 

Thus Milton symbolizes that lowest degradation which Satan 
has reached: thus does the outward at last attain to the full mani- 
festation of the inward, not yet, indeed, forever, but as a fore- 
taste of the period wherein the Power of Evil shall be deprived 
of every vestige of attraction, being broken, and broken for ever- 
more. 




THE WOUND. 

BY THOMAS B. REILLY. 

IGNORINA had a narrow escape. An inch lower and 
the wound would have been a serious matter. She 
had best not try that cliff path again. It is fraught 

with dangers A scar ? Yes, the reminder will 

be life-long That is true; there are worse mis- 
fortunes than such a wound. Yesterday I was down at the Santo 
Spirito Hospital: the sufferings, the tortures there 

Oh, that was the Signorina's meaning! But, my poor skill 
is of no avail in that province. Only the great Physician himself 
can cure the wound in the heart one more turn of the bandage, 

Signorina there Yes, indeed, God's surgery is a deal 

more painful. Still we have the consolations of but a thou- 
sand pardons! Signorina, perhaps, is not of the Faith? 

Ah ! A convert a fortnight ago and in Rome ! 

That was an enviable experience No, indeed, life is a great 

puzzle without such a Faith Its greatest gifts? But, I am 

not versed in such things. Our parish priest, Don Vincenzo, he 

would be able to get at the heart of a question like that The 

spirit of self-sacrifice? That is certainly a great gift. What 
has it not accomplished ! 

But Signorina would come into the garden to rest awhile? 
Good. She is at the Albergo Briganti? A very modern house. 
They tell me it is "quite up to date." Time was when it would have 
been a foolish luxury. But we have been discovered, and are now 
a part of the great route. This way, Signorina ; here on this bench 
under the peach trees. Look what a magnificent sweep! The 
color ; the lights ; and there to the left that tiny fishing fleet wear- 
ing out upon the blue waters. Over there to the right see how the 
roofs and the towers flash and fade under the drifting shadows. 
And here, between these two mulberry trees, behold how the dome 
hangs above the City that for all the world Signorina, per- 
haps, recalls the lines? 

Rome, in the ages, dimmed with all her towers, 
Floats in the midst, a little cloud at tether. 



1912.] THE WOUND 73 

Signorina marvels that I should speak her language? Well, 
I am indebted to one of her own countrymen for the blessing. 
It has more than once served me a good turn. It has given me the 
thoughts and feelings of a great people. It was difficult, naturally; 
and one at three and sixty is slow to learn. Yes, my tongue was very 
stubborn in its allegiance to the mother speech. Still, I persisted 
and your countryman was patient. I finally succeeded. I found 
myself sitting here one Spring morning thinking in English. Be- 
lieve me, that was a sensation. In a few days I was no longer 
merely reading, I was tasting the real flavors of your prose and 
verse. 

Now, I follow with increasing wonder and interest the life of 
America. It is grossly material? Well, all youth is that. It 
must have its dolls and mud pies. Signorina smiles ; but it is true. 

Your great American people ? Oh, they are arriving Very 

slowly? That is a hopeful sign. Besides, there can be no hurry 
and. . . .and " hurrah " is it not? in things of the spirit. We all 
of us come to them the long way about. They follow the dolls and 
the playthings the sawdust and the chagrins. 

Eh, Signorina, patience, patience! The philosophy of leisure 
is not to be taken on the jump. Your people will eventually pause 
in their labors and mad processions. They have yet to see the 
marvels of daybreak on the hills ; the star of a flower in the ditch ; 
heavens afire in the west; the awful beauty of His white worlds 
trailing across a soundless night. And when they are spiritually 
aroused, to what heights may they not attain, what emotions, what 
happiness ! 

Signorina surely doesn't doubt that! Secret? There is 

none. The gateway stands wide open. Beyond living according 

to the conscience, there is no secret Signorina says true. The 

step forward is very difficult. The life of your countryman was an 
instance at point. He, too, was a convert. 

If it were yesterday, Signorina would have the pleasure of 

getting his point of view No, early this morning he was up 

and off to Monte Cavo. Always on " on the go." His restless- 
ness is very marked of late. It disturbs me. Only last evening, 
as we sat here in the cool airs, I said to him half-jokingly : " Why 
not try the contemplative life?" He looked at me, and then 
I regretted my words. I understood. He was trying not to think. 
He had not yet forgotten. I, too, for all the six and forty years 



74 THE WOUND [Oct., 

that lie between, sometimes find myself remembering. But he is 
in the very noontide of life. And I can understand what it must 
be for him my poor David. 

'Signorina is pale as death. She is not hiding some secret 

injury? One moment, then. A glass of water No, no, I 

insist. It is only a step There Signorina feels better?. . . . 

Yes, indeed, the heat is very oppressive at this hour of the day. 
She will not think of returning to the hotel just yet? She is to 
stop over night with the Signora Carlucci! Now that is strange. 
That was where my David lived till the signora fell ill, and I per- 
suaded him to come and stay with me. It was a happy thought. 

He has great gifts. Signorina should hear what he can draw 
from Don Vincenzo's old violin the depths, the feelings, the 
spirituality! And always, at the end, the sudden flash, a stir, as 
of some old familiar hope. It is very suggestive. Time and again 
I have wondered at it. Sometimes I think I have caught its mean- 
ing and presto it is gone! At first I used to think that it 
was a mere trick of expression; but it goes much deeper than that. 
Only once did it fail, and that on the day he was received into the 
Faith up in our little church of San Silvestro. 

Never had he given us such music as that night here in the 
garden under the starlight. We were charmed. I was back in the 
springtime of life. I was listening to voices that had been hushed 
for years that of my lost Elizabeth among them. It seemed that 
I had only to reach out my hand to feel the touch of hers when 
pian piano with a sudden catch and sob the music fell in ruin. 

I jumped up, startled at the touch of my hands against each 
other. For the moment, I was dazed. Then I heard Don Vin- 
cenzo's voice saying : " That was a sweet song." And, when I 
looked around, David had left us. Don Vincenzo held out his 
snuff box, and when he bade me " Good-night," I saw that his eyes 
were wet. The sudden ending moved me profoundly. I could not 
understand. It was so very unusual. I sat thinking for a long 
time, but could make nothing of it. And as I went up to the 
house, I recalled Don Vincenzo's emotion and wondered. For he 
is not at all easily moved. 

Well, Signorina knows that dawn comes to us early up here 
on the hills. The shock of the fresh morning air is a tonic that 
I never like to miss. The next day I was up before sunrise. I 
was standing on the walk over there behind the shrubbery when, 



1912.] THE WOUND 75 

suddenly, I felt that I was not alone. I could not master the feel- 
ing. So I retraced my steps and came down this path. And there, 
true enough, sat David right where the Signorina is now. 

I turned aside, meaning to withdraw, but he called my name. 
I came, and, wondering, sat down beside him. I tried to say some- 
thing and could not. Some minutes passed. Then, without look- 
ing at me, he asked : 

" Did you ever love a woman ? " 

Believe me, Signorina, I was dumbfounded. It was the last 
thought I should have guessed was in his mind. I was just on 
the point of passing off the question with a laugh, when I chanced 
to look at him. The laughter on my lips died away and I said: 

" You are going to leave us ? " 

It seemed hours before he answered. And I have often since 
found myself repeating the word he uttered. We have nothing 
in our language that says quite so much. 

" Home ? " he said. But the way he said it ! It touched me 
closer than tears. Suddenly I thought that I knew. Laying my 
hand on his knee, I whispered: 

" She is dead." 

He looked at me strangely for a second, shook his head from 
side to side, and then: 

" Conscience is a costly possession, is it not ? " 

In a flash, Signorina, I realized the truth. 

" Your conversion ? " 

He simply nodded his head. I had not the heart to say 
another word. I could not even look at him. I sat beside him, 
waiting. When he spoke again it was to say : 

" Strange, is it not, she was the first to turn my thought 
to such a matter. We studied the subject very carefully. In time 
we had arrived at a point where it was either one thing or the 
other. I accepted the inevitable. When, suddenly, she told me 
the whole thing was impossible. We argued. We went over the 
ground again. We quarreled. And I went abroad. You know 
the rest. I had not heard of her in almost a year and a half until 
one day. . . " 

For a long time David sat staring across the valley silent. 
I realized then what it was he had been telling us in his music the 
night before. Not for worlds would I have pursued the subject 
further, had I known the truth. As it was, I said softly: 



76 THE WOUND [Oct., 

" God is good, my child, patience." 

He hesitated a moment and then : " This day two weeks she 
is to be married." 

What could I say? I could only sit staring out into the 
white dawn silent. 

Well, that was eight or nine months ago. We have never 
spoken of the subject since. And yet I know it is uppermost in 
his mind, very vivid, very real. One can't forget such things in 
a day. After a few years, perhaps, my David will look back with 
less bitterness. It is possible that he may even forget this hour in 

the presence of another and a deeper What? You must 

return to the hotel at once ! But I thought that don't, Sig- 

norina! See, you have started the wound; it is bleeding afresh. 

You are crying! There there What ! You .... 

you! But the marriage announcement? False! Then you 

never ah, the pity, the great pity Yes, yes, I do under- 
stand. I understand all. And if but quick, Signorina, look! 

No, no, this way: coming down the mountain path. See he is 

turning aside at the spur. In three minutes he will be here 

Nonsense ! Signorina will stay right where she is. She will pardon 
me? I have an imperative engagement with Don Vincenzo. A 
thousand regrets, my dear, and and felicitations ! 




OUR PAST. 

BY M. PHILIP. 

I come from where night falls clearer 

Than your morning sun can rise, 
From an earth that to heaven was nearer 

Than your visions of Paradise. 

* * * 

From the heart of an ancient garden 

Girt fast with four walls of peace, 
Where he who is set for warden, 

From his vigil shall never cease, 
Nor quench the flame of his sword, 

Till the trumpet shall sound release. 

OT the least token of Shakespeare's genius is his care 
to put you in touch with the past of the principal 
characters in his plays, and to give you by subtle and 
artistic means the sense of continuity in their re- 
gard. You meet them at some violent crisis of their 
lives, but it seems partly to arise out of their character and or- 
dinary circumstances, and is not a meaningless bolt from the blue. 
Macbeth and Richard II. have a past that leads up to the catas- 
trophe of their present; and the failure of Brutus, for instance, 
was to be expected in the man of theories, living in an ideal of the 
past, and realizing nothing of the changed conditions of the Rome 
of his day. 

In the case of the good men cut off quickly, we feel their end 
to have been a sudden tragedy in one sense, but never a mean- 
ingless one to them. The " sainted Duncan " had, in Shakespeare's 
mind, the best of it. It is part of his tragedy that Macbeth real- 
izes this. We do not find it out of place that one who " died 
daily " should have gone swiftly from a world above which he 
lived. And so with the other victims of men's passions we know 
that the end of their lives will be fulfilled beyond. 

" What is past is Prologue." It is three hundred years since 
he wrote that! We are now more conscious of the fact that we 
are the " heirs of all the ages," and that in a sense " each of us 
has all the centuries in him " than Shakespeare was. Individually 
we often realize that a man's heritage from his own and his an- 



78 OUR PAST [Oct., 

cestors' past isolates and differentiates him. It is this background 
that makes the difference this stream of influences and tenden- 
cies that finds his soul, fresh from the hand of God, and which 
started long ago to claim him. It meets him out of the background 
that had its beginnings with the thousand years behind yesterday, 
even outside the gates of old Eden. 

It is this mysterious background that accounts for so much 
of the difference between people of seemingly similar characters 
and tastes. Apart from the eternal distinction of soul from soul, 
there is the widely separating difference of the tradition, the asso- 
ciation, moral and social, that have come down to us with a spiritual 
atmosphere we have lived in and carry with us. 

" The earliest and the longest have still the mastery over us," 
says George Eliot. Still, from the hills that surround our homes, 
or the streets of the cities our forefathers knew, invisible tentacles 
reach us, touching nerve and fibre of spirit to a melody that is 
only ours. 

Again, the strong aesthetic bias, which may be brought out by 
education, and which tends to govern a man's choices, his rejections, 
his appreciations in the work of others, as well as in his own, has 
its beginning in " the dark background and abysm of time." Why 
he chose this and not that, we feel to be justified by some ten- 
dency of his character we can neither analyze nor define unless 
we call it the law of truth to his own temperament, or the result 
of the subtle currents that stream on his will from the heritage 
into which he was born, and out of which he must save his soul. 

To each his own background, as well as his own vision of 
life! Out of this come, too, the charming differences in style, 
which are the personal aura in art, in literature. Elusive style! 
who can define it? As the author of Dreamthorp says, " It is never 
a separate quality, but rather the amalgam and issue of all the 
mental and moral qualities in a man's possession, and bears the 
same relation to these that light bears to the mingled elements 
that make up the orb of the sun." This is perhaps as near to a 
definition as anyone can go. It but says, what Bnffon said before, 
" Le style, c'est 1'homme." It is surely generated by the beating, 
living wings of the past that touch the spirit of the writer to fine 
issues, whose essence distils through his pen to our soul's stirring. 
In a subtle way it reveals a man, and we know people we have 
never met through the delicate communications of their style alone. 
I think one acquainted with the writings of Newman, or Browning, 



1912.] OUR PAST 79 

has a picture of each in his heart that no " Life " can take from. 
It is not what they have said, so much as the impress of their 
style, that causes me to be glad at heart that I have known the one 
or revered the other. What they never told has come to be the 
truth of them to my judging soul the moral, traditional, and 
educational background. 

This is what makes the difference. This it is that every 
teacher, more or less, consciously contends with, which de- 
mands his attention and reckoning. The mind and soul of 
the pupil! who knows the alchemy that is ever at work there? 
making strange new combinations with old ideas that the teacher 
knows nothing of. The boy or girl who sits to-day on our school 
benches brings each his or her background with him, and into that 
scene and into the atmosphere blown in, so to say, from their past, 
you, and every fact you teach them, is viewed and fitted with, 
if you could but see it, very different results from what your 
mind would naturally tell you to be the expected ones. In the 
intellect, even, the proposition of Euclid you place before them 
is apprehended in as many different tones of light and shade as 
there are individuals in the class. I do not speak of mere com- 
prehension but of its setting against the background of the mind. 
Much more, as Euclid says, the passages of history they learn, 
or the literature you expound to them, for these evoke more than 
mere intellect. They call in from the lanes and alleys of the 
past a thousand tones and touches of light and shade: a thousand 
spirit hands paint in the new picture on the quivering background 
they have prepared. Could some cinematograph reveal to us the 
living pictures thus formed as they move across the spirit's land- 
scape, what fascinating hours would be afforded us ! 

To each his own vision of life, his own temperament! This 
territory no one can rob us of. Others may enter, but they can- 
not explore. Influence may modify the tone and atmosphere, in 
part, personal magnetism may disturb or overlay, but the ego 
emerges enlarged, or blighted it may be, but conditioned still by 
temperament, which is always our own heritage. You may wish 
to change, to influence, to educate in your sense of the word. You 
may do much but you will never do what you think you are 
doing. The mental or moral handicaps that may seem to you 
so easily dropped have their cords from the past, and if you ruth- 
lessly cut across them, you may injure the life and not lessen the 
burden. You may, of course, come to gauge the intellectual capac- 



8o OUR PAST [Oct., 

ity, the proximate amount of will power, but all the subtle forces 
that make up the temperament and condition the natural vision are 
only fully known to the Giver of the daily grace. 

We have all known various types of people whose past has 
not been prologue to their present, but is always with them. It 
remains the drama, the rest is but epilogue! They lived once 
vividly but not since ; they only exist now. They blossomed once, 
and everything is measured by the height to which they then grew. 
Their mental backgrounds are, as far as their will is concerned, as 
fixed in tone and atmosphere as the scenes in some old theatre. 
They would keep at all costs the " unities," if not of time and action, 
at least of scene. The chorus neither grows old nor changes, but 
eternally chants a commentary of unvarying motif. They remind 
us of a passage in one of Galsworthy's novels. " A new idea in- 
vading the territory of the Squire's mind was met by a rising of the 
whole population, and either prevented from landing, or, if already 
on shore, taken prisoner! " 

To understand, even in small measure another, is to pardon 
much. Even a slight realization of the, to us, foreign tone and 
atmosphere around each differing soul should contribute to sym- 
pathetic tolerance of our neighbor. To each his own background 
and who but God can know the strange inner drama into which each 
soul has entered, and to which his Past was Prologue. 




THE LITERATURE OF RELIEF. 

BY WILLIAM J. KERBY, PH.D. 

INCE the days of Christ, the genuine Christian has 
no need of research in order to discover the spiritual 
nature of service of the poor, the supernatural mo- 
tive which inspires it or the reward which follows it. 
Our Lord used plain words and homely illustrations. 
They took on majesty and force from His personality. Centuries 
have not dimmed the clearness with which He stated His law, nor 
have the vicissitudes of history changed the inspiration which re- 
enforces it. Christ taught the infinite value of the individual 
soul, and the deeper brotherhood which ignores differences of 
culture, talent, station, and charm in the blessed democracy of 
service. When He identified the poor with Himself, He astounded 
the world. Preachers may arouse us anew ; scholars may elaborate 
their commentaries on Gospel texts; accidental experiences may 
aYouse our dormant sympathies to splendid action; but no result 
of preaching or writing or explaining can excel in simple direct- 
ness and compelling clearness the original teaching of Christ con- 
cerning the poor. He stated the law, the motive, the inspiration 
and the reward of charity for all time for those who believe in Him. 
Now just because the organic spiritual character of charity is 
so clear in the Gospel; just because it has been fundamental in the 
Church's consciousness throughout the ages and it remains 
so to-day, it is not always easy to keep this great truth in mind. 
Prevailing tones of thought and expression tyrannize over us. 
We catch the atmosphere of current discussion, and we find at- 
tractive what is new and conspicuous and popular. The sociological 
features of poverty command attention to-day. The world at- 
tempts to set aside, by either neglect or denial, the spiritual character 
of the problem of poverty and the spiritual law of its relief. New 
views, new terms, novel explanations, many of them of a very 
high order of merit no doubt, appeal to many among us, and when 
we are under the influence of their presence, we incline to be silent 
about the original inspiration and law of charity as Christ delivered 
them. 

Of course, inspiration alone is not enough. When the young 
VOL. xcvi. 6. 



82 THE LITERATURE OF RELIEF [Oct., 

man answered Christ correctly and stated the law of service, Christ 
approved of the reply. Then when the questioner asked for knowl- 
edge of conditions and for interpretations, saying " Who is my 
neighbor ? " Our Lord answered him by describing a condition, an 
understanding of it, a service and a spirit. The situation to-day is 
analogous. The Christian comes to the work of relief to-day 
well informed as to its law, its principles, its spirit and motives, 
all of which he has from the Gospel, but he needs knowledge, under- 
standing and direction. In a simple civilization, one's neighbor 
is easily known and served. In a complex civilization, one's neigh- 
bor is known with difficulty and served with tedious effort and 
much sacrifice. When social relations are few, simple and personal, 
relief is not complicated. But when poverty is massive and com- 
plex, and relations are impersonal, we have need of knowledge 
and of interpretation in seeking out our neighbor, just as we have 
need of careful direction in serving him well. 

The modern emphasis lies along these sociological lines. There 
is demand for knowledge of conditions, for understanding of them, 
for wise direction in dealing with them. Hence, there is, generally 
speaking, relatively less insistence on motive and relatively more 
on method in charity. There is less reliance on religion, and more 
on science and statesmanship. There is more attention to reliev- 
ing the poor, and less inclination to pray for them as spiritual 
brothers. The zealous Christian will endeavor to obtain the greatest 
possible advantage out of everything good and helpful in the 
modern temper, but he will, at the same time, seek to protect the 
precious inheritance of the teaching and law of Christ concerning 
the poor. He will seek knowledge and understanding and direction, 
but he will not lay aside his spiritual inspiration. To the end 
that he may profit by what is strong and helpful in the modern 
movement, a hurried sketch is here offered of the lines along which 
the literature of relief has developed. 

Poverty presents to modern society some of the most serious 
problems which confront it. It is a travesty on our civilization, an 
acid test of our religion, a challenge to our culture, a commentary 
on our statesmanship and institutions, and a radical menace to our 
moral integrity, our spiritual peace and our social progress. If 
we ignore it and its thousand implications, we abandon shamelessly 
the standards by which our institutions are defended. If we deal 
ignorantly with it, we impeach the wisdom of our social leadership, 
and void its claims to recognition, while, at the same time, we 



1912.] THE LITERATURE OF RELIEF 83 

justify the terrible indictment that radicalism draws against the 
established order. If we face modern poverty with honesty, in- 
telligence and courage, we must be prepared for far-reaching 
changes in our views of rights and obligations, and for tedious 
modifications of institutions and of laws, all of which, looked at 
in the aggregate, are little short of revolutionary. 

Everything has contributed to cause poverty; everything must 
serve to combat it. Poverty which implies only lack of food, of 
clothing and shelter presents rather simple questions of relief, which 
may be dealt with simply. But the atmosphere in poverty, the 
state of mind without incentive or hope, the absence of the congre- 
gation of social forces on which culture depends, the lack of out- 
look for ambition and of motive for discipline, the crushing ex- 
clusion of the poor from all that is gentle, secure and inspiring in 
life these and similar implications of poverty will not be remedied 
in a day, nor may we expect to allay them through the generous 
giving of food and clothing where these are needed. Poverty 
is an organic disease of the social body, and it must be dealt with 
as such. 

It is a definite result of the conjunction of principles, phil- 
osophy, social organization, and social conditions which charac- 
terize our civilization. It is the outcome of a social process, and 
it itself exhibits a hundred other social processes. Every orphan, 
every working mother, every ignorant, illiterate child, broken- 
down drunkard, deserting husband, cheerless hovel, is a cross sec- 
tion cut out of the social process telling social history and fore- 
telling conditions as definitely as the cross section of a muscle or 
of a nerve tells its story to the scientific mind. This is now gener- 
ally recognized by those who deal with poverty in the light and 
in the strength of modern knowledge. Municipalities, states, in- 
dustries, social classes, trade organizations, schools, religious 
societies, individual thinkers, commercial and civic bodies under- 
stand this fundamental truth, and obey with varying degrees 
of intelligent fidelity the precepts which flow from it directly. Each 
has its own angle of vision. One differs from another in emphasis, 
in interpretation and in method, but all are practically agreed in 
accepting the fundamental view referred to and in accepting di- 
rection from it. But poverty is more than the outcome of a social 
process. To neglect the element of sin in it; to reduce sin itself 
to mere sociological terms, is to abandon the only philosophy which 
includes God within its circle. 



84 THE LITERATURE OF RELIEF [Oct., 

Many observers miss certain factors in modern life which bear 
very directly on our conflict with poverty. The social classes which 
are ignorant of the actual facts of poverty greatly hamper the 
work. Their ignorance insulates them from the currents of sym- 
pathy which sweep through the world. These classes lack social 
imagination and knowledge. They enjoy life, foster ambitions, 
achieve distinction, and live as though there were no poor, or at 
least none to whom they are beholden. The literal ignorance and 
lack of sympathy in this relatively large class hinder progress in 
dealing with poverty by robbing the- work of its support, and by 
furnishing a medium in which misunderstanding, false assump- 
tions and misleading views flourish with unhappy vigor. These 
are not asking Christ, " Who is my neighbor ? " 

There are other classes which know sufficiently well the facts 
in modern poverty, but feel no responsibility for them, and are 
conscious of no obligation to cooperate in remedying the situation. 
These are individualists who are misled by their narrow, unin- 
formed views, and blame the poor entirely for their poverty. 
These classes remind us frequently of the orphan who became a 
governor, of the bootblack who became a bank president, of the 
newsboy who became a great churchman, and of the section hand 
who became division superintendent. The fallacy in this appeal is 
too obvious to merit refutation. Unfortunately, the view is effec- 
tive in hindering sympathy for the poor in many representative 
circles. False philosophy and misleading experience hinder this 
class from understanding neighbor as Christ understood the 
term. 

There are other classes in modern society who know the facts 
of poverty, and who correctly understand them; who feel called 
on to work bravely and honestly for the poor, but who do not know 
how to begin or what to do. These feel helpless, but would seek 
guidance and follow it were they to find it. One meets many of 
this type who are inactive merely because they are confused, and 
not because they are unenlightened. Our organization and our 
leaders have not found them. No one has called them, and they 
have remained idle. They share the yearning of him who asked 
Christ, " Who is my neighbor? " 

Finally, there are those who are active in working among 
the poor, but who work among them unwisely. They do harm by 
narrow views, isolated service, and misdirected sympathies. It 
is nothing short of distressing to the last degree to find " unwise 



igi2.] THE LITERATURE OF RELIEF 85 

philanthropy " enumerated among the more important causes of 
poverty and pauperization.* 

Thus we find ignorance in one social class, lack of sense of 
responsibility and of spiritual understanding in another, lack of 
leadership and organization in a third, and blundering methods in 
a fourth, standing in our way when we attempt to wage our war- 
fare against poverty. Fortunately, however, the movement toward 
the relief and prevention of poverty has taken on such proportions 
and such momentum as to promise a conquest of these obstacles, 
at least in a qualified way, in a reasonably near future. The char- 
acter of leadership and the quality of thought and power now devel- 
oped in this tremendous struggle will often compare favorably with 
those found throughout the entire range of movements serving the 
cause of human progress. Were it always inspired by the law and 
spirit of Christ, we could dismiss the reservations under which we 
praise it. 

So-called organizations of charity or relief associations have 
not been alone in this work, nor has its force been derived from their 
isolated efforts. Christ, first of all, gave the world its correct 
understanding of the poor. The modern judgment of poverty 
and of the poor, the modern estimate of society's obligations toward 
these and the principles upon which this whole movement rests, 
cannot deny their debt to Christianity. In addition to religion, 
however, economics, political science, ethics, medicine and sani- 
tation, psychology, history, sociology, anthropology, commercial 
and industrial sciences, biology, not to mention others, have con- 
tributed their compelling principles to this movement, and they will 
not be denied. The typical leader dealing with poverty is not a 
sentimental visionary; not an impulsive and impractical philan- 
thropist. Keen vision and wide horizon, subtle interpretation and 
fine analysis, scholarship and personal force, have always been 
found among the champions of the poor. Principles, definitions 
of duty and right, and details of service of them, are as conspicuous 
in the Summa of St. Thomas as they are in modern sociology. 

It was inevitable that this movement should create a literature. 
Charity has had a literature since the Gospel was written, and 
it has had a commanding inspiration and a law supremely sanc- 
tioned since the days of Christ, but the modern literature of 
relief is on its sociological side unique in its aims and quality, in 
its origin and uses. No wise friend of the poor in these days will 

*See THE CATHOLIC WORLD, September, 1910, Problems in Charity. 






86 THE LITERATURE OF RELIEF [Oct., 

wish to remain in ignorance of it. No tempered view or clear 
understanding will be had of the complicated problems, that con- 
front relief work without comparison, observation and appeal to 
the experience of others. These may be had on a small and un- 
certain scale by personal observation, but they will be found most 
reliable, most representative and helpful when drawn from the 
whole range of the literature which the movement has created. 
This literature may be reviewed briefly as it appeals to the 
individual worker from a four-fold standpoint: that of investiga- 
tion, interpretation, direction, and inspiration. The review is made 
rather to bring out the way in which problems may be approached, 
than to describe in any detail the range of contents of the literature 
to which reference is made. 

I. 

There is widespread demand for accurate knowledge of the 
facts in modern poverty. The cold-blooded individualist and the 
indifferent classes who have constantly denied that serious condi- 
tions exist, or that when found they are typical, have conferred a 
great favor on the movement to conquer poverty through the atti- 
tude of opposition which they have taken. As a result of it, we 
have a relatively exact literature of investigation. Vague and 
general statements are no longer desired. Sentiment and emotion, 
splendid in appeal, are useless in drawing an indictment. The 
statistician replaces the orator. Understatement and overstatement 
lose their standing. Men and women have investigated the con- 
ditions thoroughly and honestly, and have proclaimed them with 
tempered zeal. Facts and not guesses are demanded, and they are 
at hand concerning hungry children going to school ; the death rate 
of the babies of the poor; income and expenditure; hunger and 
nakedness; wages and "conditions of unskilled labor; about work 
of women and of children, homeless men and involuntary idleness, 
housing and sanitation; about occupational diseases, normal death 
rate in trades, accident and death in hazardous trades ; about wife- 
desertion, non-support and the disintegration of the family; about 
drunkenness and crime, education and ignorance, fraud and debt. 
These and a hundred similar features in the life and lot of the poor 
are studied with exact care, and are presented in this literature 
of investigation with such charm as high-grade scholarship and 
serious study can impart. 

City, state and federal governments; universities and schools 



1912.] THE LITERATURE OF RELIEF 87 

of philanthropy; privately endowed bodies and individual investi- 
gators, are working everywhere in this line of research. Their 
results are presented through this literature, and in turn they filter 
through the newspapers and magazines, through sermons and ap- 
peals, through books and lectures, into the mind of the public, and 
exert a tremendous, .silent pressure which is awakening society 
to a realization of the injustice and inhumanity of it all. Public 
and academic libraries make collections of this literature, and place 
it at the service of the thoughtful public as well as that of the 
professed worker in the field of relief. Thus, the public comes 
to know of these investigations, then to know them, then to respect 
and to use them, then to be aroused and guided by them. Ignor- 
ance of the facts of poverty is melting away in the face of com- 
pelling knowledge. The individual worker in the field accustoms 
himself to judge his individual problems in their larger relations, 
and he is thus led to breadth of view and correctness of under- 
standing which promise well. Many of the publications of the 
Federal Bureau of Labor, notably the recent investigation of work 
of women and children; the reports of the Russell Sage Founda- 
tion; notably the Pittsburgh Survey; in some respects the Chicago 
Vice Commission Report, and similar investigations as to 
lodging, sanitation, unemployment in many cities, suggest the na- 
ture of this literature clearly. 

II. 

Facts as facts carry us but a short distance in this world. 
The passion to understand follows closely on the passion to know. 
The active mind seeks to organize its knowledge, to correlate and 
interpret facts and relations. Statistics cannot satisfy the soul. 
Investigation has revealed to us the masses of facts in poverty, and 
it has led us to see individual problems in their place in these masses. 
But we must explain, classify and interpret. The effort to do this 
has given rise to a most impressive literature of interpretation. 

We seek to learn the condition in which facts occur, to find the 
relations of cause and effect among them. When we find one class 
of facts accompanying another, we do not rest until the relation 
of concommitance or sequence is discovered. Thus, for example, 
it is the literature of interpretation that leads to the discovery of 
the relation between drunkenness, bad cooking and exhausting 
labor ; between infant mortality among the poor and filthy dairies ; 
between sweatshop clothing and outbreaks of disease; between 



88 THE LITERATURE OF RELIEF [Oct., 

sickness among the poor and sloppy backyards, indifferent collection 
of garbage and defective plumbing; between faulty administration 
of city government, retarded legislation and out of date laws on 
the one hand, and the persistent exploitation of the poor on the 
other. Thus, we are taught to judge the single case of distress, 
disease, dependency, or neglect and shame in the whole mass of 
facts of the same kind. We then take the whole mass and view 
it in its place in the whole social process; we seek for its rela- 
tions to conditions and to other facts, and we are led thereby to 
discover heretofore hidden meanings in the complex field of pov- 
erty. That one metal polisher dies of tuberculosis may not startle 
us. If we realize that a thousand metal polishers die of it, we are 
aroused. We then study conditions and endeavor to find out the 
relation between that kind of occupation and that kind of disease. 
This is interpretation. This is the work of the literature of which 
we speak. One orphan raised in an asylum may turn out badly, 
or one dependent child placed in a home may do so, but not until 
we examine the career of a hundred or of a thousand orphans 
similarly placed can we understand the merit or the demerit of either 
the institution or the home, and only then can we deal intelligently 
with the particular problems that present themselves in our care 
of dependent children. 

Much of this is now so commonplace that even reference to it 
appears superfluous, and yet the interpretation of the mass of the 
facts of poverty is far from final, far from complete. The point 
in mind, however, is that they who would understand poverty and 
serve intelligently in the warfare against it, must cultivate the 
habit of seeing problems in their relations, of acquiring informa- 
tion concerning related facts, and of being guided by the interpreta- 
tions which this literature offers. 

It is through this literature of interpretation that prevention 
has attained to its prominence in modern work among the poor. 
It is through this literature that the organic relations of poverty 
to political philosophy, to industrial conditions and jurisprudence, 
have been made clear, and it is this literature which is the chief aid 
of religion, forbidding the conscience of society ever again to for- 
get the claims of the poor for social justice. It is this literature 
which has explained to us the social causes of poverty, and has 
eased the bruised shoulders of the poor from the cruel blame which 
we have falsely placed upon them. In doing this, it has swept 
away many gross illusions and false assumptions. It has intro- 



1912.] THE LITERATURE OF RELIEF 89 

duced a few of its own, but these are by no means so threatening 
as to cause us any worry, if we except the mistake of eliminating 
sin in explaining poverty. It is a source of infinite consolation to 
the friends of the poor to realize that nowadays many a political 
chief and legislator, many a landlord, statesman and executive, 
many a loan shark and lord of the sweatshop, many a heartless 
employer and soulless corporation, stand burdened with the guilt 
for poverty which heretofore we have generously imputed to the 
poor. The literature of interpretation has brought truth, justice, 
wisdom, and intelligence where they have been sadly needed. It 
has placed in their right relation many institutions of individualism 
which we have uncritically and blindly worshipped. It has brought 
odium on many material aims which were once our pride, but 
are now our shame, as the torrent of literature loudly proclaims. 

It may be well not to overstate the achievements of this litera- 
ture of interpretation. Analysis and interpretation of social con- 
ditions are extremely difficult. Forces interact at so many points 
that it is not easy to trace conditions back to causes, and to under- 
stand the relations unerringly. There may be in this literature 
much that is fantastic in form, inaccurate in detail, and misleading 
in construction. Allowing for all of this, we must admit that its 
contributions to the understanding of poverty and the mastery of 
it are fundamentally sound and helpful. It is largely in its inter- 
pretation that literature shows its departure from Christian tra- 
ditions. We look in vain through its pages for recognition of 
sin as a factor in poverty: for causes in the human will deeper 
than institutions, and reached by grace alone. The Christian in- 
terpretation of poverty will not eliminate human passion in its 
interpretations, nor divine grace in its plans of reform. 



III. 

New and complex social conditions have naturally occasioned 
new and complex interpretations of them. Our manner of dealing 
with any social problem is governed largely by the way that we 
view it, and our understanding of the elements in it. It was to be 
expected, therefore, that this newer literature of interpretation 
would be followed by an equally impressive literature of direction. 
By means of it we are guided in our aims and methods in relief, 
and by the aims and methods which we follow in endeavoring to 
hinder the processes which cause poverty constantly to recur. We 



90 THE LITERATURE OF RELIEF [Oct., 

are taught now that there is a technique in dealing with poverty, as 
there is in dealing with commerce, diplomacy or lawmaking; that 
there are wise and unwise methods, safe and unsafe impulses, 
mistaken and approved views of the work between which we must 
always distinguish. We are assisted in this duty by the literature 
of direction. On the theoretical side, we are taught the obligations 
of state, of city, of church, and of the public; we are taught the 
reciprocal relations of these in the field of relief, and we are in- 
formed as to the limitations under which each may operate. On 
the practical side, this literature sets aside the unfounded pre- 
sumptions against the poor, which so often mislead us and places 
before us, instead of them, the well-founded presumptions through 
the influence of which we may work efficiently in the field. Here 
we find proclaimed the wisdom of organization as against isolated 
individual service of the poor, the advantages of systematic as 
against haphazard work, the fundamental need of specialized train- 
ing as against the impression that anyone without training or 
insight can serve the poor efficiently; the necessity of observ- 
ing the results of our work as against the habit of working, indif- 
ferent to results. 

We are taught in this literature to charge ourselves with the 
logical consequences of our methods, and to surrender them when 
we find them wrong. Here we are taught how best to deal with 
orphans, when and how to place them in homes or in institutions; 
how to observe and treat the juvenile delinquent, and to adjust 
the system of courts in a way to serve him best. Through this 
literature, in a word, the finest and highest results of research in 
sanitation, in medicine, in economics, in education, in technical 
training, in housing, and in a hundred other lines, are placed at our 
disposal in working in the interests of the poor. Thus, too, we 
are led to realize that every present-day case of distress with which 
we deal is best understood through its own history, and that our 
practical aims in dealing with it must be directed in the light of 
that knowledge, and in view of the approved aims which this litera- 
ture sets forth for all such work. It is unnecessary to insist more 
on the character of the service of this literature of direction. It 
summarizes the best results of our current experience and wisdom. 
It organizes our activities toward approved ends. It disciplines the 
strong, good impulses to service which so often hinder results, be- 
cause the heart which loves the poor and would serve them is more 
impressed by the goodness of its impulses than by their wisdom. 



1912.] THE LITERATURE OF RELIEF 91 

If we wish to distinguish between the unworthy and the worthy 
poor, and to treat each class intelligently, and in a way suitable 
to its needs, method is necessary, and method implies direction. 
If we wish to restore normal social and domestic relations among 
the poor who have any resources; if we would be tender, thought- 
ful, just and wise in caring for the helpless poor; if we would do 
all of this work with economy, promptness and efficiency, method 
is necessary, and method implies direction. 

Differences occur in this field as in others. Varieties of 
temper, ability, imagination, philosophy, prejudice, religion, and 
politics will lead the friends of the poor to disagree in immediate 
aims, in interpreting particular conditions and in emphasis on 
elements in them, and these differences will reveal themselves in 
the methods employed or directions given in concrete cases. We 
have abundant evidence of this in practically all fields of relief. 
Even where agreement on principle is frank and unqualified, dif- 
ferences in the judgment of conditions will at times disrupt har- 
mony and lead to criticisms which do not lack bitterness. This, 
however, is the common lot. In all of the history of statesman- 
ship, religion, science, art, and education, equal differences have 
appeared with similar results. The net agreements, however, found 
in the literature of direction are of highest importance and of 
fairly wide range. A tendency is everywhere to be seen these 
days, to look for and emphasize the points of agreement in all 
questions of method and direction, and to give diminished impor- 
tance in a certain sense to the permanent disagreements which we 
may not hope to extirpate. Within limits this is praiseworthy. 
But we may not at any time forget Christ's law and spirit, nor the 
spiritual nature of the work which we perform. The tendency 
nowadays to federate city, state, and national organizations of 
charity into corresponding conferences, and the generally peaceful 
and satisfactory issue of their meetings, encourage us to hope for 
even greater harmony in spirit and endorsement of principle and 
method than we now boast. The numerous publications of these 
organizations constitute a conspicuous portion of the literature of 
direction. 

IV. 

All great movements in human history are directed by ideals. 
Standards are derived from them. Inspiration is due to them. All 
of the high motives which lift man above himself and organize his 



92 THE LITERATURE OF RELIEF [Oct., 

life toward the seeking of great and exalted aims are derived in 
one way or in another from ideals. Charity has not lacked its 
ideals. They are proclaimed in its literature of inspiration. 

The faithful Christian who serves the poor in any capacity 
takes Christ as the ideal, and he recognizes this service as an or- 
ganic part of his spiritual experience. The Gospel is the first 
volume in his literature of inspiration. Not only as an inspired 
narrative is it such, but as well in the service which it gives him in 
organizing his motives and controlling the spirit of his relation to 
the poor. The fundamental law which the Christian draws from 
the Gospel is that strength must be sanctified by serving weakness, 
and his first principle is that the service of the poor is service of 
God. The Christian's earliest heroes in this work are the saints, 
and the leaders through whose providential action the Church has 
been directed and inspired in her monumental charities. The re- 
ligious communities which have honored the history of the Church 
were led and inspired by our traditional understanding of the law 
and the ideal which Christ gave to us. Wealth is sanctified by 
serving poverty ; learning is sanctified by serving ignorance ; virtue 
is still more sanctified by serving sin; health is sanctified by min- 
istering to the sick. This law and inspiration is the key to the 
understanding of the great religious communities in the history of 
the Church which gave themseves entirely to the service of the 
poor under the warrant of the Gospel itself. And so the faithful 
Christian does not depart, and wishes not to depart, from Christ as 
his ideal, nor from Christ's law as the guide to his action. Even 
in the face of the spiritual disintegration through which the world 
is going, the faithful Christian holds still more sternly to his spirit- 
ual understanding of the service of the poor. And it is well for 
the world and for religion that he does so. 

Other ideals present themselves, and they do not lack dis- 
tinguished following. Some friends of the poor are inspired by the 
ideal of human progress. Others are stimulated by the compelling 
nature of human sympathy as the lot of the poor calls it forth. 
Others follow as their ideal a self -sufficient standard of social 
justice. Others, perhaps, find their ideal and inspiration in the 
name of philanthropy divorced from the supernatural in principle, 
and dealing with it merely as an assumed natural social force like 
any other. 

As ideals differ, standards, motives, methods, and aims will 
vary. Differences of ideals go back in last analysis to differences 



I 9 i2.] THE LITERATURE OF RELIEF 93 

of religion, of philosophy, of psychology, and of science. But 
while we differ in these respects we are all human, and consequently 
identical in nature and in our way of dealing with motives and 
ends in everyday life. All have need of ideals and inspiration. 
All require standards of judgment and principles by which decisions 
are guided. It is the function of this literature of inspiration to 
meet that need, but it is the duty of the Christian to hold with 
undiminished loyalty to his own spiritual ideal and law at all times. 



V. 

The literature of relief may in the light of the foregoing be 
looked at from a four-fold standpoint, that of investigation, inter- 
pretation, direction, and inspiration. The works which make up 
the body of this literature are not labelled thus, nor are they .written 
expressly to verify such a classification. However, the individual 
who undertakes to enter actively into the field of relief will prepare 
himself most wisely, and will develop efficiency most easily by ap- 
proaching his problems through these standpoints, and by reading 
on them in the same way. The recorded experience of others in 
our times, in other times, and in other fields, are of the highest 
value to all of us. Knowledge of like conditions, and under- 
standing of them, cannot fail to be the greatest service when one 
offers one's talent in any field of relief. Hence, some knowledge 
and understanding of the literature of relief is an elementary 
necessity in preparing for this work. 

One may object that all of this is academic; that one can feed 
the hungry and minister to the sick poor without a library of sta- 
tistics and philosophy, and without surveying the universe before 
yielding to the impulse of sympathy. This is, no doubt, true, and 
it would be a sufficient refutation of our point were that all that 
relief involves. It is one thing to obtain a milk and egg diet for 
a tubercular dependent, but that is the least of the problems in 
dealing with tuberculosis as the curse of the poor. Only by in- 
vestigation, interpretation, and direction carried on in a hundred 
directions by an army of learned and careful observers have we 
obtained the knowledge that we require in dealing with every 
particular case of tuberculosis, and only through the achievements 
of these high-grade scholars and friends of humanity has the prom- 
ise of the conquest of tuberculosis been given to man. When \\e 



94 THE LITERATURE OF RELIEF [Oct., 

shall have conquered it, we shall have removed one of the great 
accompanying curses of poverty. 

Again, it is only by investigation, interpretation, and direction 
that we have been able to discover the conditions in which it is wise 
to place the orphan in a home instead of in an institution, or in an 
institution instead of a home, and the kind of watchfulness that 
must hedge in the child even in the home that has welcomed it. 
It is not a difficult matter to break up a family, scatter the children, 
send the mother to work and care for her when she falls ill, but 
investigation and interpretation have taught us that this may be but 
a last resort, and that every effort must be made to preserve the 
family in its integrity, and to maintain the normal family relations 
among its members at almost any cost. It is an easy matter for 
us to sit by our firesides and utter pharasaical comment on the 
daughters of the poor who lead lives of shame, but investigation 
and interpretation have opened our eyes to the pitiable truth that 
not they but environment and industrial conditions are often to 
blame. And most of the wisdom of direction that we now accept 
in dealing with this distressing problem has come to us because 
we have investigated, and we have interpreted, and we have faced 
the truth with courage and honesty, and we have not been unwilling 
to surrender the lazy presumptions under the influence of which we 
have seen so many go down to shame without stretching forth a 
hand to save them. 

One might take up a hundred such situations in anticipation of 
the objection that an exposition such as this represents the service 
of the poor as too learned, too pedantic, and too theoretical. It 
requires, however, little good will and easy analysis to discover that 
very many of the axioms which are found in the service of the poor 
have been discovered simply because many have investigated with 
painstaking care, and they have interpreted with honesty and cour- 
age, and they have proposed methods and views in the 
light of these interpretations. Experience teaches. Memory after 
all is but the accumulation of experiences of one. Literature at 
heart is but the record of the experiences of many, whether these 
experiences be subjective merely or objective. Organization has 
made it possible to draw together the experiences of many. Meet- 
ings of organizations have carried the process still farther. When 
papers are read and discussions are encouraged; when men and 
women of wide experience and approved judgment are asked to 
address gatherings, they are doing nothing but transmitting their 



1912.] THE LITERATURE OF RELIEF 95 

own experience, presenting to wider circles the results of their 
investigations, of their interpretations, and of their experiences 
in dealing with large situations. 

Investigation and interpretation of the facts of poverty have 
done much to modify our legislation and our institutions. It is 
through their influence that the prevention of poverty has come into 
a commanding place in the imagination and the thought of modern 
life. The very foundations of the social order have been stirred 
because the conscience of humanity now insists on the prevention 
of poverty as far as prevention is possible, and after that on the 
humane and tender care of poor who cannot of themselves escape 
their lot. 

It would be a mistake to imagine that investigation, interpreta- 
tion, and direction are purely modern discoveries. We have had 
them throughout the centuries, but they have varied as conditions 
have varied, and as sociological knowledge has increased in quan- 
tity and improved in accuracy. Of course, when the world was 
treating the poor and the helpless without mercy, inspiration and 
ideal were needed in order that they should obtain their destined 
place in social and in individual imagination. Hence when Christ 
came to us, He fittingly offered inspiration and direction. It re- 
quired many centuries for the world to realize the ideal and law. 
In simple civilization, interpretations are simple and relations are 
local and unchanging. Where conditions remain identical decade 
after decade, and where the world assumes that existing institutions 
are permanent and stable, the primary work to be done for poverty 
is to relieve it. There is practically little place for interpretation, 
little need of it. Direction is relatively simple, and one is patient 
of results without far-reaching judgment of their bearing on the 
wider life of society. 

But when poverty becomes massive, dynamic and subtle ; when 
far-reaching and complex social relations stretch back until they 
touch every point of the social circumference; when the organized 
exploitation of the weakness, ignorance, and diffidence of the poor 
becomes known and violates conscience and the standards of jus- 
tice and decency; when converging streams of knowledge flow 
from every point in the world of thought, bringing to us new knowl- 
edge of social relations and new interpretations of them, new views 
on the changing nature of institutions and the contingent quality of 
all social conditions, then it is natural to find supreme emphasis 
placed on investigation, interpretation, and direction. Hence it is 






96 THE LITERATURE OF RELIEF [Oct., 

that to-day these phases of the work stand out in a position of com- 
manding eminence. Charity is scientific. It must be so. The 
suspicion with which the phrases " scientific charity," " organized 
relief," are met is in principle but little justified, although often 
enough justified in practice. 

The poor as a class will not have social justice until the pro- 
cesses which overwhelm them shall have been mastered by the ac- 
credited leadership of society. In as far as they are the victims 
of blameless ignorance, the conditions that control it must be 
mastered. In as far as they are the victims of wretched and cor- 
rupt and inefficient city administration, city government must be 
improved before we may hope for progress. In as far as they are 
the victims of industrial accidents and diseases, these, in as far as 
preventable, must be prevented, else little may be hoped for. In as 
far as the poor are victims of false social philosophy which controls 
the relations of the social classes, such false philosophy must be up- 
rooted from the mind and heart of society if we would gain the vic- 
tory that we seek. One might mention a dozen other factors in the 
lot of the poor, many, if not all, of which enter in one way or in 
another as causes or as conditions in the misery of practically every 
dependent family or individual that we meet in the work of relief. 
Surely this a world-embracing task. The habit of investigation 
and of interpretation; the practice of basing direction of our work 
for the poor on interpretations established by careful thought, and 
based on wide knowledge, cannot lack sanction in the mind of an 
intelligent public. We owe our best equipment in sympathy, in 
knowledge, and in method to our work for the poor. That alone 
will enable us to obey the inspiration which we proudly take from 
the law and the example of Christ. 



SOCIALISM AND CHARACTER. By Vida D. Scudder. Boston: 

Houghton Mifflin Co. $1.50. 

Wide reading, good power of analysis, and social sympathies 
deep and sincere, make Miss Scudder a capable guide in the prov- 
ince to which she introduces the readers of her latest volume. 
She is keen to detect and untrammeled in interpreting each point 
of contact between literature and the developing conscience of the 
modern world. The gradual growth of that new sense of social 
solidity, which has been one of the most hopeful phenomena of our 
time, is shown in a series of convincing estimates of men who have 
echoed or formed the spirit of their contemporaries. Out of the 
ever-deepening discontent with the existing order there has finally 
come the recognition of certain principles whi'ch, as the author 
affirms, must necessarily control any successful process of recon- 
struction. The burden of her message we take to be, that the com- 
ing order will require and will enforce the prevalence of a spirit 
of service, so unselfish and so fine, that the common type of noisy 
agitator will be disciplined out of sight, if not altogether utterly 
out of existence. 

For the larger portion of the volume that portion, namely, 
where the writer is in her proper domain we feel and we take 
pleasure in expressing admiration. There is a deeper love of truth 
and a nobler devotion to the common good, a nearer approach to the 
Christian spirit of consecration, and a far more persuasive appeal 
to the upright conscience than we find in many written and spoken 
assaults upon Socialism. Her indictment of what we fear is still 
the state of mind of a certain comfortable class of professing 
Christians, and her convincing plea for a new conscience and a 
new policy of social justice, contain pages which the serious student 
of society cannot disregard. 

In accomplishing what we understand to have been her chief 
purpose, the author has succeeded so splendidly thaf no one with 
an intelligent interest in the common life and the common welfare 
can fail to receive from the reading of these pages some helpful 
direction, and to be touched with some sentiment of holy enthusiasm. 
But she goes beyond this, apparently because bent upon being out- 
spoken, and upon setting forth the whole contents of her mind. 
VOL. xcvi. 7. 



98 NEW BOOKS [Oct., 

She is not content with analyzing present conditions, nor even with 
giving us a searching retrospect and illuminating forecast although 
this surely would have constituted a wide enough field of activity, 
and have sufficiently taxed her powers. Unfortunately perhaps 
inevitably, since her love of whole truth is so characteristic 
unfortunately, we say, the volume ranges the heights and depths of 
philosophy and theology, insisting much on those largely personal 
conclusions to which private study and experience and meditation 
have inclined the author's mind. For this reason it happens that 
one is unable to express entire satisfaction with the book, unless, with 
regard to the great principles of philosophy and the truths of reve- 
lation, one has arrived at the same convictions as the author. 

In spite of our thorough agreement with what seems to us 
most pertinent and most important in her book, we must regret 
that she has rushed us into fields of discussion where we 
cannot but feel and express dissatisfaction. The readers best 
adapted to appreciate the good points of Miss Scudder's unquestion- 
ably fine work will probably close the book with a sigh that she 
has not had that advantage of position which the Catholic possesses. 
Her book, revised by the standards of a sounder philosophy, would 
be no less objective, no less inspiring, and for practical purposes 
af social regeneration which after all is the aim of the book 
of immeasurably greater value. 

MISSIONS AND MISSIONARIES OF CALIFORNIA. By Rev. 

Zephyrin Engelhardt, O.F.M. Vol. II. San Francisco: 

James H. Barry Co. $2.75. 

The utter unselfishness of the Franciscans in California, their 
infinite patience, their unwavering gentleness towards the Indians, 
and their unflinching hostility towards the white robbers of the red- 
skins, the deep affection of the Indians for their true friends, and 
the faith and virtue which that affection and example inspired, form 
a history which reads like a romance. But every line of Father 
Engelhardt's history is founded on documentary evidence, the 
burden of which, however, is saved the casual reader, and the veri- 
fication of which is assured the student by the use of copious and 
exact references, foot-notes, and appendices. 

The first volume of this most important work appeared in 
1908. It dealt with the missions of Lower California. The 
present volume is the first of three on the general history of the 
Upper or American California missions. It comprises the history 



1912.] NEW BOOKS 99 

of the three first presidents of California missions, Juniper Serra, 
1768-1784; Francis Lasuen, 1785-1803; and Stephen Tapis, 1803- 
1812. These names should be as familiar to well-informed Ameri- 
cans as are the names of Jogues, Marquette, and de Smet. 

Few men are so well equipped as is Father Englehardt for 
the work of writing the history of Indian missions. He has him- 
self labored for thirty years as a successful Indian missionary in 
Michigan and Wisconsin, Arizona and California. He has published 
works for Indian readers in Chippewa and Menominee, Spanish 
and English. He has established schools, built chapels, tilled the 
soil, laboring with the Indians to teach them after the manner of 
the ancient missionaries. He has lived their life, spoken their 
tongue, sat about their camp fires, presided at their councils, en- 
tered into their homes and hearts. 

He has had at his command not only the knowledge of 
the Indian tongue and character, but he has had constant 
access to the best historical documents, thanks to the well-earned 
leisure which has been granted him for several years by his religious 
superiors, and which he has improved with a marvelous literary 
activity. One instance will suffice to show the value of the service 
performed by Father Engelhardt. He copied out most of the mat- 
ter of value contained in the original Bancroft library, which served 
as the source of Bancroft's work, of which no other considerable 
copy besides Father Engelhardt's exists. The Bancroft library was 
destroyed in the San Francisco fire. Henceforth the extracts of 
Father Engelhardt, which he has utilized for his published history, 
must become the court of last appeal for many points of California 
history. 

The style of the book is exact and clear rather than elegant; 
the mechanical work is neatly and substantially done; the illustra- 
tions are unusually good and numerous; the price is moderate. 
This work should be in the library of every Catholic, and in every 
public library in the United States. 

DAVIDEE BIROT. By Rene Bazin. New York : Charles Scrib- 

ner's Sons. $1.25 net. 

Davidee Birot, the young heroine of M. Bazin's new novel 
of the same name, is the product of a materialistic home and edu- 
cation. She becomes a teacher in one of the national schools. 
Very young, and full of pathetically young ideals, Davidee has a 
heart that includes all her small pupils, and after them all the 



ioo NEW BOOKS [Oct., 

world outside. But she soon begins to feel herself handicapped 
at every turn. Her own instincts are good and pure, and she can 
pray dimly to a dim Father in heaven, but how is she to teach these 
children right and wrong when she possesses no fixed code of 
morality? How is she to decide the problems of her own life 
without such a code ? She approaches slowly to Christianity : not 
so slowly, however, as to escape the notice and the reproof of the 
supervisors, whose aim it is to keep religion carefully out of the 
schools. Davidee Birot is a calm, logical study of the inevitable 
results of godless education. That it is also a novel finely con- 
structed and charmingly written, goes without saying. 

ONE HUNDRED MASTERPIECES OF PAINTING. By John 

La Farge. New York: Doubleday, Page & Co. $5.00 net. 

Works upon art and matters relating thereto written by persons 
more or less capable are quite common. But a volume dealing with 
the masterpieces of painting, and written by one who was himself a 
great painter, has its own unique, exceptional value. Such a man 
can never be dull or commonplace. To visit an art gallery wherein 
hang the world's masterpieces, in the company of a capable teacher, 
is both instructive and pleasant ; but to view such paintings under the 
guidance of such a writer as John La Farge is a blessing to be 
seized upon and enjoyed. One Hundred Masterpieces gives us not 
only the paintings themselves in beautiful reproduction, but the 
learned, penetrating and very personal estimates on them of John 
La Farge. 

" The contemplation of art," he says in his preface, " is a form 
of study of the history of man, and a very certain one. Its records 
are absolutely disinterested from any attempt at proving anything. 

It is all the more accurate that it is confused like life itself. 

He (the artist) hands to us a multitude of impressions with 

a greater unconsciousness than is given to us by the forms of writ- 
ing. He is not suspected of intentions ; perhaps he has none. The 
tyrant, who is the subject of the congratulations and praises of the 
poet and the clergyman and historian, is handed down to us in the 
bare fact of his nature by the portrait painter of whom he has no 
suspicion." 

With these words of general introduction we begin our journey 
through this art record, " confused like life itself," companioned by 
this critic of rare charm and subtle insight. It is hardly possible 
to quote with justice from these chapters with titles such as " For- 



I 9 i2.] NEW BOOKS 101 

traits of Civic Life," " Dreams of Happiness," " Sacred Conver- 
sations," "The Sadness of Certain Portraits," "The Borgia 
Rooms," etc., etc. We should be looking at the pictures in the 
book to enjoy La Farge's talk about them. At the end of the chapter, 
entitled " Portraits of Civic Life," he says, " The little museum in 
quiet Haarlem where the Hals' are strung along the wall, has more 
energy, more testimony to struggle and success, than the living town 

itself They tell us of the solid reasons of a little country 

holding its own against its gigantic enemies England, Spain, 
Austria, and France. The solidity of character represented carries 
us to our own day, and explains for us the strenuous resistance of 
Dutch descendants in South Africa, and the value of the blood 
which stiffened the courage of the Boers against gigantic odds." 

THE LIFE AND THE RELIGION OF MOHAMMED. By Rev. 

J. L. Menezes. London : Sands & Co. 60 cents. 

Father Menezes, a priest of the diocese of Mangalore, India, 
has written a life of Mohammed which he has compiled from the 
works of Sale, Bettany, and Stobbart. He treats in detail the life 
of the founder of Islam, the history and analysis of the Koran, and 
gives a brief account of the various Mohammedan sects. The 
author realizes well the imperfection of his work, for he says in 
the preface : " Since my chief aim has been a popular exposition 
of the subject, I have not aimed at 'style or at literary perfection. 
I am conscious of many .repetitions of the same ideas, and of many 
defects both in language and mode of expression." 

The book is poorly written, uncritical, badly punctuated, full 
of typographical errors, and Mohammed is pictured throughout 
as half impostor and half saint. We do not think its tone at all 
calculated to win over the Mohammedans of India, for whom 
it was written. 

RETREATS FOR THE PEOPLE. By Charles Plater, SJ. St. 
Louis: B. Herder. $1.50. 

" Consider the significance of Silence," says Carlyle, " it is 
boundless, never by meditating to be exhausted; unspeakably pro- 
fitable to thee! Cease thy chaotic hubbub, wherein thy own soul 
runs to waste, to confused suicidal dislocation and stupor; out of 
Silence comes thy strength." 

Carlyle preached silence with a capital, observe, and wrote 



102 NEW BOOKS [Oct., 

more than any man of the nineteenth century. He did not take 
his own advice. And probably if the retreat houses now scattered 
over England had been in existence in his day, he would not have 
availed himself of the opportunity of taking a " dose of calm," 
as Father Plater calls it. 

Yet we feel that the crabbed, cross old Scot would have ap- 
proved the idea of people leaving the noise and excitement and 
hurly-burly of our modern civilization to spend a few quiet days 
in silent communion with God and their own souls. Never before, 
perhaps, were such retreats so necessary. " We see restlessness 
everywhere among the idle rich, in the professional classes, among 
workingmen. The mania for freakishness, increasingly prevalent 
among the wealthy, the shifty ingenuity with which expensive new 
sensations are discovered, and the rapidity with which they pall, 
take us back to decadent Rome, with its mad quest for luxuries, its 
instability of character, its childish whims." 

The remedy that is being offered and applied to this restlessness 
in France, England, Germany, Spain, Belgium, Holland, and to an 
increasing extent in our own country, is the plan of lay-retreats. 
Convents already built for school purposes are used during the 
Summer, and in some cases special buildings are erected simply for 
this object. A schedule of retreats to be given by priests making 
a specialty of this work is published, and persons engage accommo- 
dations at the retreat house. 

In our own country, with the exception of the " Laymen's 
League for Retreats and Social Studies" oh Staten Island, these re- 
treats have been made principally by women. In Belgium, however, 
during the last ten years 97,868 men have made retreats, and 
the numbers in Spain, Holland, England, and elsewhere are very 
encouraging. 

As Father Plater points out, these retreats have been made, and 
can be made to a greater extent still, a powerful weapon of social 
reform. To bring capitalists and laborers together for a week 
end of identical spiritual exercises under the same roof, to have 
them mix together freely during the recreations when speaking is 
allowed, will do more to foster a good understanding between all 
classes than the most convincing expose of Socialism. 

Father Plater deserves our thanks for bringing together a 
history of this movement throughout the Catholic world, and we 
venture to think that everyone who reads this book will resolve to 
make such a retreat himself at the first opportunity. 



I9i2.] NEW BOOKS 103 

CHRONICLES OF AVONLEA. By L. M. Montgomery. Boston: 

L. C. Page & Co. $1.25 net. 

Miss Montgomery has written a series of short stories full 
of pathos and humor. Old Lady Lloyd and Old Man Shaw's Girl 
are quaint and original stories of foolish pride and perfect human 
love. We can see before us Old Man Shaw sitting on the old bench 
in the garden, wondering whether the little girl he sent away to be 
educated will return to him spoiled, as Mrs. Blewett informed him, 
" after three years of fashionable life among rich stylish folks at 
a swell school ;" but we are glad when Baby Blossom returns " a 
little taller, a little more womanly, but his own dear Blossom and 
no stranger." " The world out there is a good place," she said 
thoughtfully. " There are wonderful things to see and learn, fine 
noble people to meet, beautiful deeds to admire," but she wound 
her arms about his neck, and laid her cheek against his ; " there was 
no Daddy." 

For quaint, clean sparkling humor, The Winning of Lucinda, 
'Aunt Olivia's Beau, The Courting of Prissy Strong, and The Quar- 
antine are remarkable. The author is very fond of one particular 
theme, namely, the marrying of old spinsters to their lovers of 
twenty or thirty years ago. She succeeds in disposing of at least 
five such hopeless cases. 

Frequently in these stories we are reminded of J. M. Barrie; 
the author has not his finished style, but she does share his sym- 
pathetic and kindly understanding of human nature. 

CHRISTIAN SOCIAL REFORM. Program Outlined by its 
Pioneer, William Emmanuel Baron Von Ketteler, Bishop of 
Mainz. By George Metlake. Philadelphia: The Dolphin 
Press. $1.50. 

" The most difficult question, which no legislation, no form 
of Government has been able to solve, is the social question. The 
difficulty, the vastness, the urgency of this question fills me with 
the greatest joy. It is not indeed the distress, the wretchedness of 
my brothers with whose condition I sympathize, God knows, from 
the bottom of my heart that affords me this joy, but the fact 
that it must now become evident which Church bears within it the 
power of divine truth. The world will see that to the Catholic 
Church is reserved the definitive solution of the social question; 
for the State with all its legislative machinery has not the power 
to solve it." 



NEW BOOKS [Oct., 

These are bold words, and they were bolder still in 1848. It 
took a brave, confident, powerful nature, especially in the deplor- 
able condition of the Church in Germany at that time, to welcome 
the social question as giving an opportunity for religion to prove 
itself. In looking back with the experience of sixty years, 
with almost the same problems confronting us, with poverty more 
widespread, with discontent growing, the whole system apparently 
more hopelessly at variance with the dictates of Christian justice, 
we cannot, to the same extent, rejoice at the opportunity afforded 
the Church, but we must, nevertheless, look with pride upon what 
Bishop Ketteler has done to justify these words. 

Bishop Ketteler did not solve the social problem, and to our 
mind his chief work lay in the example he set of working for a 
solution. Hundreds, thousands, probably millions, have been in- 
spired by his heroic figure to assume " the white man's burden," and 
labor zealously, bravely, hopefully for the betterment of men. The 
truly great live for all time, they have the gift of prophecy that 
makes their words ring down the ages, and the great Bishop of 
Mainz was one of these. May we not in this twentieth century 
find food for thought in some suggestive direction of the " fighting 
bishop?" 

" It would be great folly on our part if we kept aloof from this 
movement merely because it happens to be at the present time to be 
promoted chiefly by men who are hostile to Christianity. The air 
remains God's air though breathed by an atheist, and the bread we 
eat is no less the nourishment provided for us by God, though 
kneaded by an unbeliever. It is the same with unionism; it is an 
idea that rests on the divine order of things and is essentially 
Christian, though the men who favor it most do not recognize 
the finger of God in it, and often even turn it to a wicked use." 

The present work is the best English treatment of Bishop 
Ketteler. It will serve to correct the prejudiced and distorted view 
of Nitti's Catholic Socialism. But it is not entirely satisfactory. 
There are no thorough studies of the European and local conditions 
that surrounded and limited Ketteler 's work, no study of the be- 
ginnings of scientific Socialism and the communistic movements of 
1848. An index would add to the volume's usefulness. 

THE STORY OF THE BRIDGETTINES. By Francesca M. 
Steele. New York: Benziger Brothers. $1.80 net. 
Miss Steele has made a complete study of conventual life 



1912.] NEW BOOKS 105 

before the Reformation, as her works on the subject attest. The 
present volume evinces wide and patient research. 

The Bridgettines, or " The Order of St. Saviour," founded 
at Wadstena on the shores of Lake Wetter, Sweden, in 1346, by 
St. Bridget, a Swedish Princess, enjoyed for more than two hun- 
dred years the favor of royalty and the nobility, and was an ever- 
present aid to the poor and needy. Candid Protestant historians 
bear witness to its influence as a centre of light, learning, and 
holiness a well-spring of Catholicity for the whole of Scandinavia. 

The Order spread rapidly, and at the time of the Reformation 
possessed over seventy houses scattered over the countries of 
Europe. Worthy of all admiration is the constancy of these re- 
ligious in the days of persecution which followed the apostacy of 
nations. Pathetic indeed are the tales of sorrow, which beginning 
at Wadstena about 1524 extend to our own times; for the last 
victim of -Russian persecution died in 1908. The suppression of 
Wadstena was preceded by many years of cruel suffering and 
temptation, in which the Abbess and her nuns manifested the cour- 
age of martyrs. Finally they were forced to leave their beloved 
monastery and go into exile. To English-speaking Catholics the 
most interesting chapters are those connected with the famous 
Syon Abbey of Isleworth. The tyrant's hand fell heavily on Syon, 
and in 1539 what remained of the community sought refuge 
abroad. The tale of their wanderings on the continent and their 
happy return reads like a romance. An unbroken continuity links 
the present Syon Abbey near Chudleigh, Devonshire, with the 
ancient foundation. Of all the glories of the past only four 
houses remain : one in England, one in Bavaria, and two in Holland. 

SALESWOMEN IN MERCANTILE STORES. By Elizabeth 
Beardsley Butler. New York: Charities Publication Com- 
mittee Russell Sage Foundation. $1.08 (cloth) ; 75 cents 
(paper), postpaid. 

In 1908 the Consumers' League of Maryland, desiring to 
prepare a " white-list " of stores, asked the Russell Sage Founda- 
tion to send Miss Butler, who had recently investigated for the 
Pittsburgh Survey the conditions under which Pittsburgh women 
worked, to make a similar study in mercantile stores in Baltimore. 
The investigation was begun in January, 1909, and continued 
during several months. The present volume embodies the results. 
Thirty-four establishments were investigated. The material ob- 



106 NEW BOOKS [Oct., 

tained is clearly presented. It covers such points as store con- 
struction, comfort of employees, hours, wages, training, beneficiary 
societies. The data will prove useful to employers as well as to 
students of social conditions. 

MY UNKNOWN CHUM. New York: The Devin Adair Co. 

$1.50 net. 

By all the laws of bookdom, " Aquecheek's " volume should 
have died long ago. In the first place it is a book of travel, and such 
books are usually almost as ephemeral as guide books ; and, secondly, 
it was published anonymously, or rather with the unattractive pseu- 
donym of " Aquecheek." When a work lives in spite of such 
handicaps, and rises under a new and equally anonymous title, 
My Unknown Chum, it argues an unusual vitality for a book of this 
class. And, indeed, the book is too well-known to the discrimina- 
ting public to need more than a word of introduction to call atten- 
tion to this new edition. Those who are familiar with the delight- 
ful " Aquecheek," will be glad of the opportunity of purchasing 
a copy of the handsomest edition that we have seen, one really that 
shows as much improvement in the art of bookmaking as in the 
means of transportation since the day when " Aquecheek " crossed 
the Atlantic in a sailing boat. 

The qualities that have kept it alive in the affections of many 
who welcomed it years ago, and have made one enthusiastic admirer 
reissue it now, may be found in a certain piquancy of style, a knack 
of apt illustration, some delightful gossip of old persons and 
places that are now only memories, a philosophical outlook upon 
travel, the value of which persists after the information is out of 
date. 

And yet the mere fact that the scenes pictured here have passed 
away adds to its charm. To those who knew the Boston and New 
York, the London and Paris and Rome of fifty years ago, it will 
bring back many a tender recollection Old Theatre Alley lives 
again, and the words of praise for old Bishop Chevereuses of 
Boston will be warmly seconded by many. It is said that this good, 
simple old soul left Boston to assume the red hat and live abroad 
with all his belongings packed in two dilapidated trunks. Dignities 
sat lightly upon him, and he was as approachable and simple as a 
prince of the Church as he had been as bishop and priest. 

The reputed author of the book is Charles B. Fairbanks, a 
New England convert, and we think that bis authorship has been 



1912.] NEW BOOKS 107 

too easily set aside in the preface. Though this robs the many 
tributes to Catholicity of much of their apologetic value, it still 
remains true, that a book of this kind, where the references to re- 
ligion arise naturally out of other subjects and are never over-done, 
will reach many who will not read a professedly Catholic work. 

THE DELINQUENT CHILD AND THE HOME. By Sophonisba 
Breckinridge and Edith Abbott. New York : Charities Pub- 
lication Committee. $2.00. 

Probation officers, social workers, and students generally, will 
find the present careful study suggestive. Though concerned 
almost altogether with the experience of the Chicago juvenile court, 
it has a wider significance than its immediate topic. For other 
juvenile courts will largely tell the same tale regarding the causes 
and occasions of the children's downfall. The philosophy under- 
lying the book, however, is little in accord with Catholic principles. 
It is an indictment of many homes, and seems to infer that the 
State must be a sort of over-parent. To answer this we need a 
careful and ample exposition of the rights and duties of parents. 
There is a helpful abstract of juvenile court laws. 

INCIDENTS OF MY LIFE. By Thomas Addis Emmett. New 
York: G. P. Putnam's Sons. $6.00. 

Dr. Emmett will always be remembered as one of the most 
eminent gynecologists of the past century; he will always be 
honored by patriotic Irishmen for his work in connection with the 
Irish National Federation, and his book on Ireland Under English 
Rule; he will never be forgotten by New Yorkers for his forty- 
five years of untiring service in the Woman's Hospital; for the 
Catholic youth of the future he will ever remain an example of 
indefatigable energy, of spotless integrity, and of boundless charity 
to the sick and suffering. He has written a most interesting auto- 
biography. He was born in Virginia, May 29, 1828. He is a 
grandson of Thomas Addis Emmett, a brother of the illustrious 
Irish patriot, Robert Emmett. He chats in a most entertaining 
manner of conditions in the South before the war, tells us about 
old New York and its citizens in the forties and fifties, describes 
his experiences as surgeon in the Woman's Hospital, and gives 
a full account of his great work furthering Home Rule for Ireland. 

We are introduced in these pages to many eminent Americans 



io8 NEW BOOKS [Oct., 

and many distinguished Irishmen; we are told many a good story; 
we listen to long discussions on the authenticity of the portrait 
of Robert Fulton; the burial place of Robert Emmett; the original 
copy of the Declaration of Independence, and the place of Nathan 
Hale's execution; we listen to the author's views on such varied 
subjects as education, Home Rule, England's treatment of Ireland, 
Civil War, the tariff, the high cost of living, Tammany Hall, and 
the management of hospitals. Many an old New Yorker will read 
this book merely for its mention of the old Bowery Theatre, the 
visits of MacCready and Jenny Lind, Barnum's Museum, the old 
Broadway stage, etc., etc. 

Some pages of uninteresting details might well have been 
omitted, and more attention have been paid to literary finish, but we 
are too much in the author's debt to be hypercritical. 

WHY SHOULD WE CHANGE OUR FORM OF GOVERNMENT. 

Studies in Practical Politics. By Nicholas Murray Butler. 
New York : Charles Scribner's Sons. 75 cents. 

The Author of these six brief and readable essays, by keen 
analysis and clear expression, has done much to help the intelligent 
citizen towards forming a definite opinion upon certain momentous 
questions now engaging the attention of our electorate. Further 
than that, these essays, based upon patient study of history and 
developed with careful logic, should instruct many a reader in the 
constructing of political philosophy. Initiative, referendum, re- 
call, trusts, railways, collective ownership are among the points 
which the author illuminates not indeed by means of exhaustive 
discussion, but by pertinent and sage comment. The volume comes 
as a reminder of the need of adding sane and careful thinking 
to our political activity, lest we make progress towards disaster. 

t 

THE UNBELIEVER; A ROMANCE OF LOURDES. By a Non- 
Catholic. New York: Benziger Brothers. $1.25 net. 

This story gives us a perfect picture of Lourdes, with its train 
blanc, its dames hospitalises, its brancardiers, its bureau des consta- 
tations, its malades, and its miracles. 

Angelique is cured miraculously of consumption after a bath 
in the Grotto. Her friend, Andree, to obtain this cure, and to bring 
about the conversion of her unbelieving lover, Dr. Felix, had made 
a vow to God to become a nun, or even to give up her own life, if 



1912.] NEW BOOKS 109 

it were God's will. She dies rather dramatically; her lover is con- 
verted, and becomes a Franciscan. 

No one will read this book for the story. But everyone who 
has been to Lourdes will appreciate the accuracy of the author's 
description of the shrine, the marvelous faith of the invalids, and 
the careful investigation of Dr. Boissarie. Zola and his book on 
Lourdes are stigmatized as they deserve, " Zola was a man of one 
idea, everything to him was unclean. It never struck him that the 
uncleanness was in himself that he defiled everything he touched." 

" Zola lied from start to finish, no one could have witnessed 

what he witnessed and remained unconvinced." The story of 
Bernadette is told in brjef, and the whole book bespeaks a most 
sympathetic attitude towards the miracles of the wonderful Grotto. 

THE SON OF MAN HIS PREPARATION, HIS LIFE, HIS 
WORK. By Rev. Placid Huault, S.M. New York : Benziger 
Brothers. $1.10. 

This volume from the pen of Father Huault treats with 
theological accuracy of the Fall of Man, the Expectation of 
the Redeemer, the Blessed Virgin, the Divinity of Christ, Miracles 
and Prophecy, the effects of Christianity, the Unity and Universal- 
ity of the Church, etc. It shows a sound knowledge of 
these fundamental questions, and gives in popular form the 
teachings of the Church with regard to them. But we fear that the 
tone of the book, unnecessarily harsh at times, will not readily 
effect the worthy purpose of the author, which is to influence and 
win the souls of unbelievers. 

FURTHER NOTES ON ST. PAUL EPHESIANS, PHILIP- 
PIANS, COLOSSIANS, PHILEMON. By Joseph Rickaby, 
SJ. New York: Benziger Brothers. $1.35. 

In Father Rickaby's former volume, Notes on St. Paul 
Corinthians, Galatians, Romans, published in 1898, he used the 
text of Challoner's 1752 edition of the Rheims New Testament. 
In the present work, he sets aside as unsatisfactory all our English 
translations, and makes a new and, we must add, a most excellent 
paraphrase of St. Paul's words. Even those who may not know 
enough Greek to appreciate a successful attempt to get at the mean- 
ing of difficult passages, will welcome this part of his work. 

These notes are disappointingly brief, but they are always 



no NEW BOOKS [Oct., 

clear, interesting, and scholarly. Realizing that some of our trans- 
lations of the Apostle are enough " to drive the Christian to 
despair of ever understanding St. Paul," he does his best to suggest 
in a most modest way the needed corrections. 

He points out corruptions in the Vulgate; suggests readings 
in doubtful passages; quotes the classics and the Fathers to bring 
out the meaning of a word ; corrects mistakes in the interpretations 
of Clement of Alexandria, and St. John Chrysostom; calls atten- 
tion to faulty translations; discusses various readings, etc. 

His commentary on Col. ii. 16-23, which, as he rightly asserts, 
is " the crux of the whole epistle, and one of the most difficult 
passages in St. Paul," is a fair sample of the scholarly character 
of these notes. He frequently acknowledges his indebtedness to 
St. John Chrysostom among the Fathers, and to Bishop Lightfoot 
among the modern interpreters of St. Paul. A few misprints (pp. 
140, 145, 146, 164, 193) should be corrected in a new edition. 

DOGMATIC CANONS AND DECREES. New York: The Devin 
Adair Co. $1.25 net. 

This volume contains English translations of the important 
doctrinal definitions issued by the Church from the Council of 
Trent down to the present time. Catholic truth is here set forth in 
the authoritative words of Popes and Councils. And as Trent 
was forced to restate and clarify much of Catholic teaching, the 
volume forms an excellent epitome of doctrine. 

The basis of the work is largely Cardinal Manning's transla- 
tion of the decrees of the Vatican Council, and Canon Waterworth's 
translation of those of Trent. The latter work has long been out of 
print. An index facilitates reference to this useful volume. 

THE HOLY MASS ACCORDING TO THE GREEK RITE. By 

Andrew J. Shipman. New York : P. J. Kenedy & Sons. 25 
cents. 

The increasing number of Slavic peoples of the Greek Catholic 
Rite now making their home among us, have brought to our doors 
the more elaborate and very beautiful oriental liturgy of the 
Church, and given it for us a personal as well as a Catholic interest. 
This English translation is, therefore, most opportune. Mr. Ship- 
man prefaces the text of the Mass with a scholarly account of the 
Greek Rite, its followers, and appurtenances. This little pamphlet 



I 9 i2.] NEW BOOKS in 

of forty-four pages is within the reach of all, and cannot fail to 
appeal to every student and lover of the Universal Church and her 
liturgy. It contains, however, the translation of only one of the 
three forms of the Mass in use in the Greek Church that of St. 
John Chrysostom. Upon its favorable reception depends the ful- 
fillment of Mr. Shipman's promise to follow it with an English 
rendering of the Mass of St. Basil and the Mass of the Presanc- 
tified. 

GOD, THE AUTHOR OF NATURE AND THE SUPERNA- 
TURAL. By Dr. Joseph Pohle. Authorized English Ver- 
sion by Arthur Preuss. St. Louis: B. Herder. $1-75- 
Those who wish to go deep in their study of Catholic Theology, 
but are handicapped by an inadequate knowledge of Latin, owe a 
great debt of gratitude to Mr. Preuss, who has translated into Eng- 
lish from the original German Dr. Pohle's three volumes on God. 
The most recently published of these volumes considers God as 
the Creator of all things, natural and supernatural. The second, 
and considerably larger portion of the book, deals with the created 
universe the earth; man; angels; and takes up of necessity such 
questions as the Biblical account of Creation; the unity of the 
human race; the immortality of the human soul; the nature, trans- 
mission, and penalties of original sin; the fall of some of the 
angels and their relations with men, etc. 

The work of translation is very well done. It is but rarely 
that one happens on a phrase that could be set aside for a simpler 
or more idiomatic expression. Technical terms abound, it is true, 
but that is practically unavoidable in a work of this kind. 

CHAPTERS ON CHRISTIAN DOCTRINE: Reason, the Witness 
of Faith. New York: Fr. Pustet & Co. 75 cents. 
As is stated in the preface, this book "aims to instruct American 
and English Catholics who are constantly confronted by both 
press and pulpit, and by daily intercourse with the ever-ready 
ridicule of their destructive views of life." As chapters of par- 
ticular importance for our age and country, that on " Truth and 
Essentials " and that " On Purity " may be noted. As an aid 
in the task of instructing an intelligent and earnest convert, it 
will also be found useful. But it is doubtful whether the catechetical 
form, or the morning and evening prayers in rhyme, will appeal to 
adults. There is a lack of smoothness in the English which makes 



ii2 NEW BOOKS [Oct., 

it sound like a translation; constructions are sometimes foreign. 
Should it reach a second edition, an index would add to its use- 
fulness, as the grouping of subjects is somewhat novel, making it 
difficult to find information. There is a good analytical table of 
contents, but an alphabetical index would be a help. 

SANS LUMIfeRE. Par Jules Pravieux. Paris: P. Lethielleux. 

Sans Lumiere is a short tale of a French country village, 
robbed of its church and Cure by the bitter anti-clerical hatred of 
its Masonic mayor. Everything possible is done by the mayor and 
his pagan schoolmaster to teach the people that : " Science has 
vanquished superstition. Nature is the only true religion. The one 
god we know is reason." 

They succeed beyond their expectations. While a few faithful 
souls go to a neighboring parish to Mass and the Sacraments, the 
vast body of the townsfolk totally abandon the faith of their 
ancestors. As a result, superstition takes the place of religion, 
thievery becomes common, the cabarets do a most flourishing busi- 
ness, discontent rules in place of the old-time peace and happiness, 
and the workingmen join the party of revolutionary socialism. 
One of the Mayor's sons becomes the leader in the revolt against 
his capitalist father, and, when jilted by his unbelieving financee, 
commits suicide. Another son goes to Paris, and becomes wealthy 
by stealing millions from the sequestered property of the religious 
congregations, only to be thrown in prison finally as a sacrifice to 
an aroused public sentiment. 

A most pathetic scene is the meeting of the Abbe Brivet, the 
Cure of Larochebilly, with the Mayor after the burial of his son. 
The disconsolate official, angry at the logical outcome of his 
theories, is cursing the strikers as " savages and brutes," when the 
old Cure approaches him and says : " Pardon them, I beseech you ; 
they deserve your pity rather than your hate. They are simply 
what irreligion has made them. It has taken from their hearts 
all resignation, all faith, all hope, all goodness it has robbed them 
of their God. It has extinguished every light that used to brighten 
their path, and yet you expect them to walk uprightly as of old. 
They have nothing but hatred to guide them, and hatred in its 
implacable logic does nothing but destroy, pillage, and kill. Pity 
these men, for they know not what they do. Pity these men, for 
they know not what they desire. They are children of the night, 
walking in darkness. They are men sans lutniere." 



1912.] NEW BOOKS 113 

Such a book gives us a very good insight into present-day 
conditions in France, and, if its lesson is learned, will teach the 
modern French unbeliever that, without religion, man is little better 
than the brute. " In Jesus Christ alone," says the Abbe, " there is 
hope. He is the light, He is goodness, He is love, He is God." 

LE MODERNISME SOCIAL-DECADENCE OU REGENERA- 
TION. Par Abbe J. Fontaine. Paris : P. Lethielleux. 

Social Modernism is a continuation of the thesis defended in 
the Abbe Fontaine's last book, Sociological Modernism, published 
a year ago. This volume is both a strong indictment of Socialism 
to-day in France, which, as the Abbe clearly shows, means the de- 
struction of the State with all true liberty, and an able defence 
of the Catholic social principles set forth by Popes Leo XIII. and 
Pius X. 

While fully admitting the Abbe's honest endeavor to express 
accurately the Church's teachings, we find him often disappointing 
in his unfairness to opponents, who cannot see eye to eye with him 
on many open questions. In the Revue du Clerge Frangais, a few 
months ago, the Abbe Dubois pointed out clearly the injustice 
of his attack on M. Lorin of the Semaine Sociale of Marseilles. 

Again his writings are always dominated by a bitterness 
against Protestant and Jew which is hardly Christian, and by an 
utter lack of sympathy with the aspirations and claims of modern 
democracy. He has a perfect right to be alarmed at the false 
social theories advocated by some of the over-enthusiastic Catholic 
Sillonists in France, but it is always in bad taste to question the 
sincerity of a man who has made his public submission to the well- 
deserved condemnation of Rome. He is, moreover, frequently as 
severe in condemning things debatable, e. g., the income tax, as in 
denouncing things positively uncatholic, which is rather confusing 
to the average reader. A better use of the distingno of the theo- 
logical schools would have given us a more accurate and a more 
scholarly volume. 

EDGAR ALLEN POE. Par Emile Lauvriere. Paris: Bloud et 
Cie. 

This volume is an abridgment of a much larger work of the 
same author Edgar Poe, Sa vie et son Oeuvre published by 
Alcan of Paris in 1904. It is both a psychological study and a 

VOL. XCVI. 8. 



ii4 NEW BOOKS [Oct., 

literary appreciation, and from both viewpoints has been highly 
recommended by the Academic Frangaise and the Academic de 
Medecine. 

The life of Poe was cursed from beginning to end by his 
excessive fondness for drink and drugs. He came of bad stock 
originally, and the taint in his blood developed finally in a degener- 
acy of the most debased type. He seemed totally devoid of the 
religious sense. Drink cost him devoted friends like Burton, White, 
Briggs, and Lowell ; it broke his engagement with Mrs. Whitman ; 
it made him write and speak in so caustic a way as to engender the 
most bitter enmities; it worried a loving wife to death, and made 
a veritable slave of the devoted Mrs. Clemm; it caused him to 
become a proud, ungrateful, unreliable, erotic madman, who wasted 
not merely natural talents but genius of a very high order. As a 
man he is the most repellent figure in the history of American 
letters. 

The best chapters of the book however deal with Poe's literary 
output. A careful analysis is given of his weird, imaginative tales, 
and an appreciative estimate of his melodious, fantastic poems. 
The author holds that most of Poe's morbid creations, whether in 
prose or verse, were due to the fumes of alcohol or the dreams of 
opium. L 'Amour desespere pour une beaute morte seems to have 
been " his habitual theme, the favorite formula of his morbid art, 
combining under the symbolic appearances of Beauty and Death 
both ecstasy and melancholy." 

'THE PLEASURING OF SUSAN SMITH, by Helen M. Wins- 
*- low (Boston: L. C. Page & Co. $1.00 net), is the story of a 
Miss Susan Smith, who in her fortieth year inherits a large fortune. 
She determines to go to a metropolis and enjoy herself. Her city 
cousins in Boston, who never give any money themselves, take 
her to all the charitable institutions in the hope that she will dis- 
tribute her money freely. Cousin Jack introduces her to society 
and to many pleasures, etc. Of course she acts as fairy godmother 
to young Jack, whom she reconciles to his fiancee after a mis- 
understanding, and everything ends most happily. 

BLUE BONNET'S RANCH PARTY, by Caroline E. Jacobs and 
Edyth E. Read (Boston: L. C. Page & Co. $1.50) tells the 
story of a girl's life on a Texan ranch. A party of boys and 
girls from Massachusetts are introduced by their friend, Blue 



I 9 i2.] NEW BOOKS 115 

Bonnet, to all the wonders of outdoor life; swimming, horseback 
riding, driving, lassoing cattle, camping out, etc. The heroine 
is not too exact in her deportment, and at times shows evidences 
of selfishness, bad temper, and lack of courtesy, which she always 
redeems by her quick repentance. The book is rather long drawn 
out, and disfigured by many poor attempts at wit, but still will 
be interesting to the average schoolgirl. 

PNGLISH SONGS OF ITALIAN FREEDOM, chosen and ar- 

9** ranged with an introduction by George Macaulay Trevelyan. 
(New York: Longmans, Green & Co. $1.25 net.) By bringing 
together these songs, Mr. Trevelyan has done a service for those 
who love liberty and poetry and Italy, even if they cannot worship 
Mazzini and the Carbonari. Political verses are unusually ephe- 
meral. The work of Byron, Shelley, the Brownings, and Swin- 
burne in this field undoubtedly deserves re-reading. 

A PRISONER OF WAR IN VIRGINIA, 1864-5, by George 
** Haven Putnam. (New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons. 75 
cents net.) Under an appearance of calm, judicial fairness, we 
think that Major Putnam has been decidedly unfair to the South in 
several places. " It was impossible for [the Confederates] to make 
appropriate provision for the care of prisoners," says Dr. Putnam; 
but he adds, without the least proof to support his assertion, there 
was no honest desire to do so. Again, he tells us that when 
walking through Richmond on parole in a Federal uniform, he 
" met hardly any instances of discourtesy." Why should he im- 
mediately theorize that a year or two earlier he would have met 
" abuse of some kind or other? " 

ECONOMIC AND MORAL ASPECTS OF THE LIQUOR 
C BUSINESS, by Robert Bagnell, Ph.D., D.D. (New York: 
Funk & Wagnalls Co. 75 cents net.) This is a fairly handy 
presentation of interesting facts regarding the liquor business. 
The part dealing with the economic side is much more satisfactory 
than the seventy-five pages devoted to establishing the moral basis 
of state regulation. 

A N excellent book for school use is The Story of Christopher 
*> Columbus, by Charles W. Moores. (Boston: Houghton 
Mififlin Co. 75 cents net.) It comprises short but careful accounts 



ii6 NEW BOOKS [Oct., 

of his four voyages, is written in a simple, interesting style, and 
has well-chosen illustrations. That Columbus was a mystic, that 
a divine impulse urged him, and that America was discovered by 
the Will of God these facts have not been presented to the children 
in our public schools. This volume makes them clear, and for that 
reason, as much as for its general excellence, is strongly to be 
recommended as a textbook. 

T ORETTO : ANNALS OF THE CENTURY, by Anna C. 
^ Minogue, with an introduction by Archbishop Glennon of St. 
Louis. (New York: The America Press. $1.50.) The volume 
is an elaborate and carefully compiled history of the Lorettine Con- 
gregation, which was founded in Kentucky one hundred years ago 
by the pioneer missionary, Father Nerinckx, and which was the 
first community of native American women. It traces with a 
wealth of detail the .growth and achievements of the Congregation 
through its century of existence, and is supplemented by an un- 
usually large number of illustrations. 

TREASONABLE SERVICE OR WHY I BELIEVE, by D. I. 
^ Lanslots, O.S.B. ; adapted from the Italian of Dr. Mioni. 
(St. Louis: B. Herder. $1.00). "The purpose of these pages 
[less than two hundred] is to show conclusively that faith 

is entirely consistent with sound reason and that true science 

is not in contradiction with divine revelation." While heartily 
agreeing with the author's conclusions, we do not feel that this 
would be the most attractive book to put into the hands of an 
inquirer after Catholic truth. Its manner is too confident; its 
method too severely logical; its contempt for opposing views too 
evident. 

TTE IS CALLING ME; Helps in Visiting the Blessed Sacrament, 
-"-* by the Rev. Matthew Russell, SJ. (London: Burns & 
Oates, 2s. 6d.) Years ago in a little book, The Irish Messenger 
of the Sacred Heart, we came across a poem entitled Omnia pro 
Te Cor Jesu, and signed " M. R." It was such a whole-hearted 
offering of self to the Sacred Heart that it captured the youthful 
imagination, and was quickly committed to memory. Since then it 
has often proved a stand-by in short visits to the Blessed Sacrament, 
and this present book sounded like an appeal from the past. For 
many aids in the love of our Eucharistic Lord are we indebted 



I 9 i2.] NEW BOOKS 117 

to the Reverend author; and not least for this latest reminder that 
Jesus is waiting for each one of us. The little prayers of other 
holy souls of our own generation must prove a spur not to be 
behind in our loving homage to Christ our King. 

CEARCHING THE SCRIPTURES, by Rev. T. P. Gallagher, 
P S.T.L., B.C.L. (Dublin: M. H. Gill & Son, Ltd. 6j.net.) 
In this volume Father Gallagher examines the principal passages 
of the Old Testament relating to the Jewish hope of a Redeemer. 
He shows that his hope of a Messiah existed through all the ages 
of Jewish history. We hope that in the next edition Father Gal- 
lagher will give us more explicit references to the authors and 
volumes quoted. 

1UANUAL OF CHRISTIAN PEDAGOGY, published by The 
''-' Brothers of Mary, Dayton, O., is a modest little volume of 
about one hundred pages, confining itself to general principles of 
Catholic education, for it says, " books containing suggestions for 
the teaching of the various branches of study can be readily found." 
It consists of chapters on the objects of education, physical, moral, 
etc., and will be found helpful, especially by the young teacher. 
The article on surveillance seems somewhat stringent and over- 
drawn, especially in one particular. We note likewise that while 
the teacher is advised to encourage frequent Confession, no word 
is said of frequent Communion. The book concludes with the 
beautiful prayer of Gerson, the great Chancellor of the University 
of Paris, who devoted himself in his latter days to the souls of little 
children. The paper is not good, and that tends to obscure the type. 

'THE VITAL TOUCH, by Frances M. Schnebly. (Chicago: Laird 
& Lee. $1.00.) This is a story of the conventional perfect 

hero falling in love at first sight with the conventional perfect 

heroine. She, however, rejects him once she discovers through her 

brother, a priest, that he was studying for the priesthood to follow 

out his mother's vow. 

He in despair travels abroad, but is recalled to America by a 

cablegram informing him that the dear girl is sick unto death. 

Of course she recovers, the vow of long ago is set aside, and rightly 

so, and they live happily ever after. 

None of the characters in the book are well drawn; there is 

a total absence of local color, Paris being undistinguishable from 



ii8 NEW BOOKS [Oct., 

Chicago; there is no grasp whatever of the spirit of Catholicity, 
or the moral or mental makeup of a Catholic priest. The old- 
maid cousin with a slanderous tongue leaves a bad taste with the 
reader, and adds nothing to the interest of the story. Altogether 
it is an uninteresting and insipid tale. 

T^HE BOY AND HIS GANG, by J. Adams Puffer. (Boston: 
-*- Houghton Mifflin Co. $1.00 net.) This is an objective and 
sympathetic study of some of those traits of boyhood which are 
to the average adult more irritating than interesting. That " sociol- 
ogical " phrases and theories are so frequently mixed with com- 
monplaces, or intruded into keen observations, will scarcely lessen 
the usefulness of this really very practical contribution to the 
enlightenment of teachers and parents. The reader will learn to 
look with new patience on certain inevitable if trying manifesta- 
tions of boy-life, and will get an insight into the possible ways of 
controlling and utilizing them. 

COCIALISM AND THE WORKINGMAN, by R. Fullerton. 
^ (New York: Benziger Brothers. $1.20 net.) In fourteen essays 
the writer touches upon the points of the Socialist position which 
seem most unbearable, and adduces counter arguments and illus- 
trations that his own thought or the publications of Catholic writers 
have suggested to him. 



price of the Interior Castle by St. Teresa, published by 
-*- Thomas Baker, London, England, is 6s. net, not 4$. as stated 
in our July issue. The volume is sold in this country by Messrs. 
Benziger Brothers at $1.90 per copy. 



Jordan jperiobicais, 

The Future of Religion in England. By John Straight. The 
Church of England has lost twenty per cent in membership, and 
shows an annual falling away of 350,000; Nonconformity is declin- 
ing; only Catholicism holds its ground. But its nine thousand con- 
verts a year are not in proportion to the increase in population, and 
are offset by an equal leakage. Even leaving leakage out of ac- 
count, it would take at this rate four thousand years to convert 
England. The toleration the Catholic Church now enjoys in Eng- 
land must not encourage her to think the nation is ready for a 
wholesale entrance within her fold. She must arouse herself to 
vast missionary efforts against new foes Christian Science, Theos- 
ophy, Esoteric Buddhism, indifferentism of every shade. Who can 
say that this awakening will not come, and Catholicism once more 
regenerate the world ? Oxford and Cambridge Review, September, 

The Fourth Gospel. By Maurice Donin, What is the funda- 
mental thought, whence arises the unity and the specific character of 
the Fourth Gospel? It is not the effort to convert the Jews by 
showing the blindness and the injustice of their fathers; to prove 
the superiority of Jesus over John the Baptist; to conquer the 
Gnostics and the Docetae; to complete the synoptic account of Our 
Lord's life, though all these are part of St. John's plan. He is 
not striving to produce a Christology different from that of the 
synoptics, to prove that Jesus is God while they sought to prove 
Him man. Such a view rests on an over-emphasis of a few 
verses of the prologue to this Gospel. The author's aim is to 
portray a psychological drama, to expose the growth of faith in 
the disciples in opposition to the growth of unbelief among the 
Jews. Revue Pratique d'Apologetique, August. 

Frederick Ozanam. By De Lauzac de Laborie. It was 
around Frederick Ozanam that the Society of St. Vincent de Paul 
grew, and to his guidance and encouragement was due, in greatest 
measure, the success of its beginnings. The Society was established 
in May, 1833. At Lyons, Ozanam met bitter opposition, but he 
was persistent in outlining the spirit and distinctive features which 
he wished to mark his Society loyalty to the Church, humility, 
Christian solidarity.' Revue Pratique d'Apologetique, August. 



120 FOREIGN PERIODICALS [Oct., 

Socialism in the Public Schools of the United States. By N. 
Noguer. The results of education where only science is taught, and 
no religion, is the cause of the increase of crimes among the young, 
as declared by a New York jurist, who states that forty per cent 
of the crimes in that city are committed by young men under 
twenty years of age. This increase of criminal ideas among the 
young people is the result of the socialistic training received in 
their schools eventually where the religious and moral education 
is neglected, the generations will become corrupt. Razon y Fe, 
August. 

Eating Places for Women. By Abbe J. de Maistre. Young 
working women of small salary are confronted by dangers both 
moral and physical in the great city of Paris. Morally, because of 
the unscrupulous people they meet in their lunch hours at the 
various restaurants which they have need to frequent; physically, 
because many of the young women receive such meager salaries 
they are often forced to go without food or else to eat very little. 
These dangers were well studied out by Pere Stanislas du Lac, and 
he strove to overcome them by establishing restaurants exclusively 
for women. Now the city of Paris has a net-work of restaurants 
for women, the idea of this thoughtful priest. At some gas, water, 
and cooking utensils are loaned to the women workers for the 
slight sum of ten centimes; the utensils are washed by the users 
at the completion of their meal. At other restaurants lunches are 
provided at a very low cost. Such an innovation has been greatly 
welcomed by the working women of Paris, as i evidenced by the 
attendance. Le Correspondant, August 10. 

Eugenics. By Mrs. Huth Jackson. It is a nobler thing to 
bear and rear five healthy children than to allow a dozen out of 
fifteen to die. Priests should preach self-control rather than the 
implications of the text, " it is better to marry than to burn." 
To leave births to " the designs of Providence " is as foolish as to 
refuse the use of disinfectants, " because if God wills us to catch 
a disease we ought to accept it." " Every child has a right to be 
born under the best conditions. And we, we who know, are 
shirking, if, for reason of the trouble entailed, we do not bring our 
fair share of children . into the world." There should be no un- 
necessary suffering, it is true. " See to it that life is made a 
sweeter, better, nobler thing as each year goes by; but where pain 



1912.] FOREIGN PERIODICALS 121 

is inevitable accept it bravely, and even joyously, realizing that 
certain truths can be learnt in that way, and that way alone." 
Women must not " refuse that necessary suffering which is part 
of the inscrutable law of the universe, and which, bravely accepted, 
will bring us to the feet of Him Who, being God Almighty, yet 
when He took upon Him to deliver man, did not abhor the Virgin's 
womb." The National Review, September. 

Labor Problems. By G. de Lamarzelle. This article reviews 
the troubles of labor unions from their earliest days in England, 
with a complete study of the recent miners' strike. Le Corre- 
spondant, August 10. 

Conservation of Natural Forces. By Paul Girardin. A new 
chair has been founded at the College of France for the study of 
how best to conserve the natural forces, which are so important 
to the welfare of the numberless inhabitants of the earth. This 
article contains a complete account of this new study. Le Corre- 
spondant, August 10. 

Property Reform. By Hilaire Belloc. Has the process of 
confining property to a few (and consequently turning the many 
into a proletariat) (a) proceeded so far, or (b) resulted from such 
economic causes, that it is impossible for society to retrace its 
steps and to achieve a better distribution of property in the future? 
The author answers both questions negatively. In a future paper 
he proposes to discuss the means of reform. Oxford and Cam- 
bridge Review, September. 

Lessons of the War in Tripoli. By Earl Percy. The Italians 
have shown themselves a united nation with splendid military 
capacities. Their quickness in mobilizing and landing troops, their 
cheerfulness in bearing the cost, the remarkable cooperation between 
army and navy, have " revealed a remarkable national efficiency 
and discipline." All this means that Italy is no longer the child 
of the Triple Alliance. She is a Great Power, and her friendship 
or enmity must be reckoned with in case of war with Germany. 
The National Review, September. 

England's German-Phobia. By Navalis. Mr. Churchill's 
policy is " condemned as absolute treachery to the navy and the 



122 FOREIGN PERIODICALS [Oct., 

nation." He has refused to keep pace with German increases; 
he has scattered the fleets so that it would take four days to mobilize 
in home waters; he has demoralized the whole force. The history 
of his administration can be written, " organization, re-organiza- 
tion, disorganization." The National Review, September. 

More German-Phobia. By E. Capel Cure. England was once 
almost adored by Italy. She was looked upon as the friend who 
had made Cavour's government possible. But the attitude of the 
British Press towards the war in Tripoli has nettled the Italian 
people. If England and France were at war with Germany, Italy 
might side with the Kaiser. England must strengthen her fleet in 
the Mediterranean, and strive by every possible means to lessen 
German influence in the Italian peninsula. The National Review, 
September. 

The Portuguese Revolution. By Homen Christo Filho. This 
article deals with the lamentable state of affairs in Portugal to-day, 
and gives an account of the monarchy, with a study of the Repub- 
lican Party. In Portugal, as in France, secret societies have 
worked havoc. The activities of the Freemasons dates back to the 
eighteenth century. The explosive bombs of six different models 
are the work of one of the members of the Carbonaria Jose Maria 
Nunes. Explosions killing dozens of people are reported daily. 
Le Correspondant, August 25. 

The Land of the Rising Sun. Unsigned. This article deals 
rather with the work accomplished by Mutsuhito, the late Mikado, 
than with his biography. In the sixteenth century Japan carried 
on extensive commercial relations with Portugal and England for 
eighty-seven years, after which its port was closed to all outside 
trade. It was only during the middle part of the past century that 
it was opened again. Mutsuhito worked wonders for his Empire. 
He introduced the most progressive reforms, and placed most 
capable men at the head of all departments of the government, 
allowing them to work unhampered. This he could do with safety, 
for the Japanese give the greatest homage to their Emperor. The 
article reviews the Russo-Japanese War, and shows the growth 
of the Japanese army and navy since that war. Japan strives 
to become the great naval power in the Pacific. The talk of a 
national religion is now stirring the country. The Emperor and 



FOREIGN PERIODICALS 123 

his counsellors have for years been striving to fuse the two religions 
Shintoism and Buddhism. The writer of this article has re- 
sided in Japan for many years. Le Correspondant, August 25. 

George Meredith. By Alfred Austin. The author pleads 
guilty to not understanding much of Meredith's verse. He is 
consoled by the fact that Meredith himself did not understand it, 
and is reminded of how Jean Paul Richter, being called upon to 
explain some of his writings, said : " That once upon a time two 
persons had known what an arraigned passage signified, himself and 
Le Bon Dieu. But now only God knew." " That George Mere- 
dith's novels must have as novels very high qualities, I do not 
question nor doubt for one moment. But I believe it on the testi- 
mony of others, themselves of high literary repute, for to be truth- 
ful I cannot myself read them." The wine at Meredith's table is 
said, on the whole, to have been better than the conversation. Ox- 
ford and Cambridge Review, September. 

Cromwell and the Literature of the " Protectorate." By J. B. 
Williams. There was very little real literature produced during 
this period. Much of what was then written does not owe its 
inspiration to the " protectorate." Cromwell censored the press 
with a strong hand, and imprisoned the printers right and left. 
Through his licenser, Cromwell authorized one news-book that was 
" stuffed with profane and obscene matter." It was promptly sup- 
pressed under Charles II. Oxford and Cambridge Review, Sep- 
tember. 

Parliamentary Oratory. By F. E. Smith, M.P. Persons com- 
plain nowadays that there is no oratory in the House of Commons. 
The trouble is that they are looking for something that is out of 
date. Parliament has become more business-like. We do not 
deliver long, florid perorations because we don't wish to. " In 
cultivation, in natural eloquence, in the subtlety of dialectics, there 
are probably at least as large a number of members entitled to a 
high place as have ever debated in the House of Commons at any 
period of its history." Balfour, Asquith, Lloyd George, Bonar Law, 
and others are discussed. Oxford and Cambridge Review, Sep- 
tember. 

Coppee's Letters. By Jean Monval. The final installment of 



124 FOREIGN PERIODICALS [Oct., 

the letters of Francois Coppee to his sister Annette end with this 
number of the Le Correspondant. They breathe of the tenderest 
sympathy between brother and sister, also describing the points of 
interest in his travels. Le Correspondant, August 10. 

Teaching Run Mad. By Isabel Henvey. We are too self- 
conscious in our theories of education, too much pre-occupied with 
the subject, too wedded to infallible " systems." Another fallacy 
is to think the child is indefinitely malleable, that it is simply clay 
to be moulded by the teacher in any shape wanted. As a matter 
of fact the teacher is probably producing entirely different results 
from those aimed at. A third mistake is to waste time teaching 
what a child has no talent for. This is especially noticeable in 
music. Oxford and Cambridge Review, September. 

'A Valiant Woman. By Marc de Germiny. This article 
describes the heroism of a child of fourteen years of age Marie 
Magdeleine de Vercheres of Canada, who commanded a fort during 
the French and Indian Wars against a band of Iroquois Indians. 
She died in 1752 as Mme. de la Perade, having seen the government 
of Canada fall into the hands of the English. Le Correspondant, 
August 10. 

The Tablet (August 31) : Editorially The Tablet takes the posi- 
tion that the United States has violated the Hay-Pauncefote treaty 
by discriminating between American and British vessels as regards 

Canal tolls. The French Government finds that it has nourished 

a serpent in fostering the state schools. Six thousand teachers 
assembled at Chambery solemnly passed radical anti-patriotic reso- 
lutions. Lady Edmund Talbot urges the necessity of Catholic 

women taking an active part in Social Reform and Social Settle- 
ments. 

(September 7) : Claude Harrison replies to Hilaire Bel- 
loc's anti- Jewish articles in the Eye-Witness. Mr. Harrison 
denies that the Jews form a distinct Semitic race in Europe. He 
attempts to prove from head-measurements, complexion, etc., that 
Jews intermarry with Europeans and conform to the racial type 

around them. Miss Bregy's Poet's Chantry, a collection of 

papers that originally appeared in THE CATHOLIC WORLD, is re- 
viewed at length. Text of Fr. McNabb's Norwich Congress 

paper on the Mental Deficiency Bill. He claims the Bill is based on 



1912.] FOREIGN PERIODICALS 125 

false data, faulty in logic, unscientific, and a menace to liberty. 

The Roman Correspondent writes that plura scripta of Fr. 
Lagrange, O.P., have been declared by the Consistorial College to 
be unfit for reading or consultation in Catholic seminaries. 

Le Correspondant (August 25) : A biographical and character 
study of Raymond Poincare, through every stage of his life to his 
present position as President of the Council of the French Govern- 
ment, is presented in this number. Count De Ballore contributes 

a scientific study of the before and after effects of earthquakes. 

An Heir to a Throne, by De Lauzac de Laborie, is a review and 
synopsis of a life of the son of Napoleon III. and Empress Eugenie. 

Revue du Clerge Frangais (August) : L. Cl. Fillion presents 
a study of the person and the redemptive work of Christ. Herein 
he shows the perfect harmony which exists between the teachings 
of our Savior and St. Paul. Paul has systematized and developed 
His Master's precepts. Even more than a theologian, Paul is a 

witness, a confessor, an apostle of Jesas. L. Venard reviews the 

commentaries of Montefiore and Goguel on St. Mark ; Buzy on the 
parables of Our Lord; Lilievre on His teachings. Abbe Pasquier 
had thought to arrange the Synoptic Gospels as follows: the 
Hebrew version of St. Matthew, A. D. 41, identical with the Logia 
of Papias; St. Luke between 50 and 54; St. Mark, a combination 
of the two former, after 55. L. Venard shows the weak points 
of this theory, which is untenable since the decisions of the Biblical 
Commission. 



IRecent Events, 

The visit of M. Poincare, the Premier, to 
France. Russia, and the conclusion of a Naval Con- 

vention with that Empire, are the chief 

events which call for mention. By the fact that M. Poincare went 
by water, and in this way avoided passing through German territory, 
the feelings of many in Germany were deeply wounded. Its gov- 
ernment, however, would not permit itself to be deprived of an 
opportunity of showing honor to the representative of France. The 
German Fleet waylaid the vessel in which the Premier was em- 
barked, and gave to him the salute which is as a rule only given 
to Royal persons. In Russia M. Poincare was received with special 
marks of honor not only by the Court, but also by the people. 
Frequent and long-protracted conferences were held with the chief 
ministers of state. The result has been to remove any anxiety that 
may have been felt by the recent meeting of the Tsar and the 
Kaiser. The terms of the Naval Convention were settled; but 
what precisely they were will not be disclosed before the meeting of 
the Assembly. The conversations which were held, according to 
the official statement communicated to the Press, enabled the govern- 
ments of France and Russia not only to exchange views, but to 
arrange concerted action in a practical manner. Complete agree- 
ment, it is affirmed, exists between them: the ties uniting the 
two nations have never been stronger. The usual assurance is 
given that all that has been said and done is to furnish a guarantee 
for the maintenance of peace and of the equilibrium of Europe. 
In France the utmost gratification is felt, both on account of the 
visit and its attendant circumstances, and of its results. 

Hopes had been entertained that the negotiations with Spain 
for the settlement of the relations of the two countries in Morocco 
would by this time have been brought to a conclusion. These 
hopes have not been realized, but there is reason to think that 
a settlement has been made of the chief points under discussion. 
The boundary of the region over which Spain is to have the control 
has been fixed. In this matter France has acted in a more liberal 
way that was at first expected. For the elimination, by means 



I 9 i2.] RECENT EVENTS 127 

of the grant of territory in the French Congo, of the German 
claims upon Morocco, there were those in France who were ready 
to demand an amount of compensation which Spain was unwilling 
to give. The difficult question as to the division of the Customs 
has still, however, to be settled, as well as the internationalization 
of the city of Tangier. In regard to the former of these questions, 
it is rumored that there has been another intervention on the part 
of Germany. But the good feeling that now characterizes the 
relations of the two countries prevents apprehension being felt 
that any serious complication will arise. 

Mulai Hafid has carried out his purpose of abdicating the 
throne, and has followed his brother into private life. A third 
brother, Mulai Yusef, has been proclaimed Sultan under the aus- 
pices of the French. He has not, however, been accepted by the 
whole of the tribes that dwell in Morocco. There are, in fact, 
two Pretenders in the field anxious to rule their fellow-countrymen. 
It is wonderful how many are found to be willing to accept so 
ungrateful a task. The Pretender, in the South, El Hiba, has se- 
cured a large following, and claims to be a prophet. He has met 
with considerable success. The French are finding that the pacifi- 
cation of their recent acquisition is a work not of easy accomplish- 
ment. The whole country is in a ferment from Fez to Marakesh. 

The conduct of the teachers of the secular schools to whom the 
Republic has entrusted the upbringing of the rising generation, 
must have deeply hurt the feelings of those by whom they were 
appointed; it may, perhaps, even have enlightened their minds. 
At the Congress of the National Federation of Teachers' Unions, 
recently held at Chambery, the teachers unanimously threw in 
their lot with the semi-revolutionary Confederation Generale du 
Travail, and passed a resolution of lively sympathy with its efforts 
for liberty and education. With passionate attention the teachers 
watched, they declared, the daily struggle waged by the working 
class for the improvement of its lot and the defence of its dignity. 
" Sharing its anguish and its hopes, they are proud to fight in its 
ranks, and once more declare their solidarity with all the wage- 
earners united under the G. C. T." To the Syndicalist movement 
they gave their support, and to all victims interned in capitalist 
gaols they sent fraternal greetings. They went so far as to give 
the adhesion of the Federation to the anti-militarist organization 
known as the " Sou du Soldat," which seeks to spread disaffection 



128 RECENT EVENTS [Oct., 

within the ranks of the army. So horrified was the government 
with these proceedings and resolutions that it issued a decree 
ordering the Teachers' Unions to be dissolved. In doing this it 
is not exceeding its power, for the Unions have no legal existence. 
It is thought that public opinion will support the government in the 
action which it has taken, and that the support of the less militant 
among the teachers will not be wanting. 

Secret societies consisting of officers in the army is another 
evil with which the government has been dealing. The Minister 
of War has issued a circular informing officers of the Reserve 
who belong to certain so-called Military Leagues, that they must 
decide between giving up the league and ceasing to be officers. 
These leagues, one of which is Masonic, and the other hostile to 
Freemasonry, have acquired an aggressive and political character 
which is considered to be altogether incompatible with discipline. 

The increase of crime which has of late been so strikingly 
characteristic of France has led the Minister of Justice to direct 
the magistrates to inflict severe sentences on rioters, drunkards, 
and all old offenders arrested with arms in their possession. Ex- 
tenuating circumstances are not to be admitted so easily as here- 
tofore, for by so doing the essential security of the community has 
been menaced. Great stringency is to be exercised in enforcing the 
laws already in existence as to carrying weapons until the stricter 
laws under discussion have been passed. 

The serious decline in the birth-rate has led the Minister of 
Finance to appoint a Commission for the purpose of investigating 
the causes of what amounts to a national calamity, and to suggest 
remedies. M. Jacques Bertillon, brother of the inventor of the 
finger-print system, and himself a distinguished statistician, points 
out that whereas a century ago twenty-seven per cent of the popu- 
lation of the Great European Powers were French, to-day the 
proportion is only eleven per cent. Formerly French was the most 
widely-spoken language; to-day it is the mother language of only 
forty-five millions, as compared with one hundred millions who 
speak German, and one hundred and thirty millions who speak 
English. Prussia, Saxony, Norway, Sweden, and parts of Swit- 
zerland, M. Bertillon says, have passed laws for reducing the 
taxation upon fathers of three or more children in proportion to 
their number. For France he advocates the adoption of a similar 
plan. 



1912.] RECENT EVENTS 129 

For Germany festivities have been the chief 
Germany. feature of which mention need be made. 

The Krupp Centenary gave an opportunity 

to the Emperor to make a speech in praise of a firm which has done 
so much to make the Empire what it is. " Krupp guns," he said, 
" have been with the Prussian lines, and have thundered on the 
battlefields which have made ready the way to Germany's unity, 
and won it at last. Krupp guns are still to-day carried in the 
German Army and the German Navy. Krupp docks build ships 
which fly the German flag. Krupp steel guards ships and forts. 
Krupp war material is used by numerous foreign armies." Wider 
sympathies for the Krupps will be felt for another characteristic 
of the firm of which the Emperor spoke, that is, the ideal relation- 
ship which he said existed between the firm and its workmen. 
If the donation given by the firm in celebration of the Centenary 
is typical of its every-day conduct, the Emperor was justified in de- 
claring the relationship ideal. No less a sum than three millions and 
a half was presented by it to be applied in part as jubilee presents 
to the officials and workmen, and part to benevolent institutions 
in the town of Essen, and to soldiers' and sailors' institutions. 
The firm began in 1812. Fourteen years afterwards its founder 
died, leaving the carrying on of the work to Alfred Krupp, to whom 
its subsequent success was due. He was then a boy of fourteen 
years of age, with a little workshop, and five or six workmen, the 
secret process invented by his father, a load of debt, and his mother 
and three younger children to keep. When he died in 1887 he was 
employing twenty thousand workmen. At the present time the 
firm is employing seventy thousand men, and is the owner not 
merely of steel works at Essen, but also of coal and iron mines, blast 
furnaces, and shipbuilding and engineering works in various places. 
Upon the present head of the firm the Emperor has conferred the 
somewhat singular honor of Envoy Extraordinary and Minister 
Plenipotentiary, and upon his wife the Order of Louise. 

His Imperial Majesty's indisposition prevented his making 
the visit which was contemplated to the King of Saxony. So 
quickly, however, did he recover that he was able to go to Swit- 
zerland in order to be present at the military manoeuvres. His 
visit is not considered to have any greater political significance 
than the desire to show to the Republic the friendly feelings en- 
tertained by him. The only event of any political importance that 
can be mentioned is the visit of the German Chancellor to the 

VOL. XCVI. 9. 



130 RECENT EVENTS [Oct., 

Austro-Hungarian Foreign Minister, but of what then took place 
we have so far no account. 

Count Berchtold, the new Foreign Minister 
Austria-Hungary. of the Dual Monarchy, has signalized his 

accession to the administration of his office 

by a reversal, in an important point, of the policy of his predecessor, 
Count Aehrenthal. It may be remembered that, when the latter 
commenced his career, the first step he took was to dissociate him- 
self from the Power in cooperation with which Austria-Hungary 
had been working for a long time. Russia and Austria had had 
a common plan for the protection of their respective interests in 
the Balkans. They both expected that the Turkish dominion over 
the races inhabitating that district was not far from coming to 
an end. Little did they care for the interests of those races. Its 
own aggrandizement was what each Power had in view. How 
precisely each was to benefit had been settled between them. With- 
out warning, however, Count Aehrenthal entered into a private 
agreement with Turkey, by which he obtained for Austria a dis- 
tinct and special privilege. From that day to this Russia and 
Austria-Hungary have been more or less at variance, at one time 
to such a degree as to be on the verge of war. 

Of late, however, something like a reconciliation has been 
brought about. Count Berchtold's recent action may result in 
the removal of all difficulties, and may put an end to that distrust of 
Austrian policy which has lately been felt by the Powers in general. 
In view of the accession to office of the recently- formed Cabinet 
of Ghazi Muhktar, and of its more conciliatory attitude to the 
subject races, Count Berchtold suggested to the various Powers 
that each of them should, not collectively, but severally, and in the 
way which each should judge best, make to the Porte representa- 
tions of good will, and of their desire to support the new policy. 
At the same time, the various States in the Balkans, Bulgaria, 
Servia, Montenegro, as well as Greece, were to be exhorted to 
have patience, and to give to the Turkish government a time for 
repentance, for the carrying out of the newly-promised reforms. 
While fault was found with the proposal as too vague and ill- 
defined, satisfaction was expressed at the return of Austria to 
agreement with the other Powers, and to its re-entry into a common 
line of action. This may indeed be the most important result, 
for like other countries, however weak and impotent they may be, 



1912.] RECENT EVENTS 131 

Turkey has resented the action of Austria's Foreign Minister 
as an uncalled-for interference with the internal affairs of the 
Ottoman Empire. In fact, Count Berchtold has put a weapon 
in the hands of the Young Turks, who are the opponents of the 
existing government. The advent to power of the Young Turks 
in 1908 saved Turkey, so they maintain, from the carrying out by 
Europe of a programme which had in view the breaking up of the 
Empire. During the four years of the Committee regime, no 
Power ventured to suggest intervention in any shape or form. 
Now that the reins of government have fallen into the hands of 
the opponents of the Committee, this menace from Austria has 
arisen, and the loss of Macedonia may ensue. 

The chief criticism which was made of the proposal of Count 
Berchtold by the Powers, to whom it was addressed, was its ex- 
tremely indefinite character. Hence a more concrete and better 
defined plan was asked for. Such a plan was promised, but at 
this writing these further proposals have not reached us. Little 
hope, however, is felt of any great success being attained. The 
problem is so complicated, the interests so many and so divergent, 
that it seems to be beyond the power of man to find a solution 
other than that of the expulsion from Europe of the brutal invader 
who has so long a time held in subjection Christian races. Even 
if this were brought about, the conflicting ambitions of the three 
kingdoms who aim at becoming Empires Greece, Bulgaria, and 
Servia do not promise a peaceful division of the spoils, even if 
Austria and Russia were to renounce every desire of their own 
aggrandizement. Hence the prospects for the future, although 
it may be interesting for outside observers, promise little of peace 
for the inhabitants of this long-suffering portion of the globe. 

In internal affairs, not only Austria but Hungary are passing 
their existence in the enjoyment of peace and quiet. Even the 
arbitrary action of Count Tisza in his dealings with parliamentary 
obstructors has so far produced no reaction, and has not yet 
received the just punishment which such conduct deserved. The 
reason doubtless is that the parliament is having a recess. In 
Croatia the suspension of the Constitution is still maintained, and 
the Hungarian government is proving itself to be as despotic in 
its treatment of the Slavs as ever the Austrian was in its treatment 
of the Magyars. The would-be assassin of M. de Cuvaj, the Royal 
Commissioner for Croatia, has been condemned to death, although 
the reasons are strong for the belief that he is insane. The result 



132 RECENT EVENTS [Oct., 

has made Croatians indignant, and has made Austrians ashamed of 
this exhibition of what is called justice. The government fears 
that there is a widespread conspiracy of Serbs and other Slavs 
to secure, if not independence, at least autonomy, and is determined 
by any and every means to suppress every such attempt. To prove 
the need of the dictatorship recently established, crimes and con- 
spiracies are needed, and these the judiciary are ready to supply. 

The Emperor, King Francis Joseph, has been celebrating his 
eighty-second birthday, and is said to be in perfect health, and as 
well able as ever to attend to his duties. On the fourth of last 
July his reign equalled that of Queen Victoria, and now, of course, 
it has exceeded that record. Francis Joseph has now reigned longer 
than any monarch ever reigned in Europe. Two rulers, indeed, 
the Elector Charles Theodore of the Palatinate, and Louis XIV. 
of France, were on the throne for a longer period, the. former 
for sixty-six years, and the latter for seventy-two years. They 
were both, however, minors when they succeeded. The Emperor 
Francis Joseph has both reigned and governed from the day of his 
accession on December 2, 1848. 

The increase of armaments has had its natural sequence in 
a deficit of some twenty-five millions, and there is a prospect of 
still further expenditure. During the last decade the public debt 
has increased by nearly four hundred millions. It is, therefore, not 
to be wondered at that misgivings are felt at the expense involved 
in the recent programme for the expansion of the Navy, and that 
hopes have been expressed that such an expansion might be ren- 
dered unnecessary by an agreement with Great Britain, that in the 
event of a war with Germany the Austro-Hungarian coast should 
not be attacked by a British Fleet. Doubt must be felt as to the 
realization of this proposal. It has been widely believed that the 
Navy of Austria was destined to cooperate with that of Germany in 
the event of such hostilities, nor is that belief yet proved to be 
without foundation, although it is possible that the Treaty of 
Germany with Austria does not commit the latter country to the 
naval support of the former. As great uncertainty exists at pres- 
ent as to the real relations between Austria and Italy, and between 
the latter country and Great Britain and France ; it is not clear who, 
in the event of war, would be allies and who would be enemies. 
Outside of the alliance between Germany and Austria-Hungary and 
of its counterpoise the alliance between France and Russia with 
Great Britain as a mutual friend, room is left for a variety of 



I 9 i2.] RECENT EVENTS 133 

conjectures. The Naval Convention recently made between France 
and Russia, the precise terms of which have not yet been disclosed, 
has raised suspicions in the minds of some in Austria that 
Russia wishes, with the support of France, to secure for her Fleet 
an open passage through the Dardanelles, and afterwards a Naval 
base in the yEgean. France and Russia might then cooperate with 
Italy and secure the control of the Mediterranean to the disad- 
vantage of Austria. With anxious thoughts of this kind the 
old world is never allowed to be at rest. 

The new world has been giving to the old a fresh mani- 
festation of its influence, not, indeed, this time in the sphere of high 
politics, but by enabling Austrians to get better acquainted with their 
own country. The most delightful districts of the Austrian Alps 
have recently been opened by the construction of several new lines of 
railroad; but, so bad has been the management, travelers have not 
had the opportunity of enjoying the mountain and valley scenery. 
It has been left to the agents of the Canadian Pacific Railway 
to suggest a plan to put an end to this. Arrangements have been 
made for the construction and running of observation cars by the 
Canadian Pacific similar to those which have so long been used on 
their own road. The first of these trains made the opening trip 
in the middle of August. Before the train started a short religious 
ceremony was held on the platform of the Western Station at 
Vienna, when Father Burke of Toronto blessed the new cars. The 
inhabitants at every stopping place turned out in large numbers, 
and offered to the representatives of the railroad, who were travel- 
ing on the train, bouquets of flowers and baskets of fruit. 

A few weeks ago Macedonia and Albania 
Turkey. were described as having sunk into a chronic 

state of anarchy. But even then there had 

been an improvement. The outrages indeed continued to be nu- 
merous, but were isolated and partial : whereas in previous weeks 
something like a general revolt of the Albanians had taken place. 
The leaders of both the Northern and Southern Albanians, at the 
head of large forces, demanded the redress of their grievances ; that 
an Inspector-General should be appointed for the Albanian prov- 
inces; that recruits for the army should in the time of peace 
perform their military service in their own districts; that the 
taxes levied in Albania for educational purposes should be spent 
locally; that a general amnesty for political offenders should be 



134 RECENT EVENTS [Oct., 

granted; that the Albanian language should be the medium of 
instruction in all government schools, and that the houses destroyed 
in the recent fighting should be rebuilt at the expense of the govern- 
ment. Further demands included the increase of schools, the con- 
struction of roads, an improvement in the administration of justice, 
the restitution of arms, and the impeachment before the High Court 
of the Cabinets of Hakki Pasha and Said Pasha. All of these 
demands, with the exception of the last two, were conceded by the 
government, and even the restitution of arms was not completely 
rejected. After some hesitation, the government favors were ac- 
cepted, and the Albanians returned to their homes. But this did 
not bring a restoration of peace. On the borders of Montenegro 
there has been carried on, without any formal declaration, a savage 
warfare. On the other side of the Balkans a more formidable 
enemy is, with difficulty, being kept back from an attack upon 
Turkey. A massacre which took place at Katchina has greatly 
excited the Bulgarians. In this case Turkish soldiers, in conse- 
quence of the explosion of bombs in the market-place, made a 
fierce attack upon an unarmed, unoffending crowd. They then 
proceeded, on a house-to-house visitation, to arrest every Bulgarian 
in the place. 

It is hard to believe the degree of demoralization to which 
have sunk districts situated within a few miles of the 
chief centres of civilization. Utterly inexcusable as are the pro- 
ceedings of the Turks, those of certain Bulgarians seem to be even 
worse. A revolutionary organization has been formed with the 
deliberate purpose of provoking these outrages, in order to inflame 
the minds of their fellow-countrymen, and if possible of Europe, 
and thereby to secure the liberation from the Turkish yoke of the 
Bulgars living in Macedonia. Nothing is, of course, more desirable 
than the end which they have in view : nothing more deserving of 
reprobation than the means they have chosen. A measure of success 
has, however, followed their efforts. Throughout Bulgaria meetings 
have been held, calling upon the government to declare war upon 
Turkey. The whole country was in a state of excitement, and 
King Ferdinand, who had just been celebrating the twenty-fifth 
anniversary of his accession, had all he could do to restrain the 
people. A defensive alliance has been entered into between Bul- 
garia and Servia; the two States, however, declare that they do 
not entertain any hostile designs towards the Ottoman Empire ; and 
that they have no intention to profit by the existing disturbances. 



I 9 i2.] RECENT EVENTS 135 

It cannot be doubted that all of these small Balkan States are being 
held in check by the counsels and influence of the greater Powers. 

The existing Cabinet represents the victory which after long 
efforts has been achieved over the Committee of Union and Pro- 
gress. This Committee violated every promise of equality and 
fair treatment which had been made to the Christian races when 
the revolution of 1908 took place. The recent change is so great 
that it has been called a new revolution. It has been brought 
about, however, by similar means the revolt of army officers 
dissatisfied with existing conditions. These officers formed what 
is called the Military League to oppose the Committee, secured 
followers among the troops, took to the mountains, and became 
strong enough to enforce their demands. They have now been 
amnestied for any military offense of which they were guilty, and 
have re-entered the ranks. Such proceedings, of course, are very 
irregular from the point of view of the soldier, and a new military 
oath has been imposed upon cadets entering the army, by which 
they are required to swear that they will not join or follow any 
political party or association, and to abstain from all interference 
with the internal or foreign policy of the Ottoman government. 

The new government's first act was to put an end to the 
martial law under which the capital had been placed ever since 
1908. They were, however, obliged by the unsettled state of things 
to re-impose it for six weeks. In order to put a check upon recal- 
citrant members of the Committee of Union and Progress, Salonika 
had to be placed under martial law. Some members of the Com- 
mittee were so dissatisfied with their loss of power that they threat- 
ened open rebellion, but they failed to meet with support, and 
have been driven into a sullen acquiescence. The second Parlia- 
ment, which had been elected not more than two or three months 
before, was dissolved, it having been packed with supporters of the 
Committee. New elections are impending; the government has 
pledged itself to secure their perfect freedom. It will maintain 
a strictly neutral and conciliatory attitude towards the two parties. 
They are exhorted to cease regarding each other as deadly enemies, 
and to treat each other with the respect due to honest adversaries, 
and to devote all their energies to the service of the Empire. " The 
Revolution," so the Cabinet declares, " has ceased." Several 
resignations and rumored discussions have, however, cast a doubt 
upon the ability of the Cabinet to maintain itself in power. 
Its fall would be a matter of regret, for it seems to hold out the 



136 RECENT EVENTS [Oct., 

only promise that Turkey will not revert to the loathsome state from 
which it has been making an effort to rise. 

The political troubles of Turkey have so much engrossed 
the attention of the public as to divert its attention from an earth- 
quake on the southern shores of the Sea of Marmora, in the region 
of the Dardanelles, which is said to have been as bad as that 
which took place at Messina three years ago. Forty thousand 
people were made homeless, and there was a vast destruction of 
life and property. The number of the killed and injured amounted 
to six thousand. 

Little need be said about the progress of the war in Tripoli. 
The Italians remain in possession of the coast, but have not begun 
that advance into the interior which will be necessary for success. 
In fact, there is good reason to think that they are getting tired 
of the war, and apprehensions are beginning to be felt that what 
will have to be paid for it will not be compensated by any possible 
advantage. The informal negotiations which have been going on 
in Switzerland are said to have been initiated by the Italians. They 
have so far produced no result. Within the past few days, however, 
rumors are being circulated of a successful issue. It is thought that 
the meeting which has just been held between the German Chancellor 
and the Austrian Foreign Minister may lead to some step being 
taken to bring that end to the war which both parties so much desire. 
A dozen or so of the ^Egean Islands remain in the possession of 
the Italians, but no recent attempts have been made in this region. 
An officer in the service of Italy has made the public declaration 
that none of the islands could ever again be subject to Turkey, but 
it is not known that he was authorized by his government. Other 
Powers will have something to say in this matter. 



With Our Readers. 

CANCTA simplicitas, has been long the favorite expression of 
O saints. The man without guile was pleasing to Our Lord, and 
holy simplicity remains still a rare and beautiful virtue. When one 
possessing it can, in his writings, give his soul to others, he confers 
upon them a blessing beyond words. With such a one it is always 
direct and simple speech about the things that are worth while, and 
that all of us can understand. Though he have literary taste and rare 
ability ; though he be widely read ; though he be a poet of rare power 
it is not for these things we are attached to him it is because he 
has revealed to us the thoughts of his own simple heart to which our 
own heart responds. He has lightened our burden, he has refreshed 
our spirits, he has elevated our tastes but above all he has revealed 
himself as a humble, saintly soul and for this we love him. Such 
a one was Father Matthew Russell, S.J., who, after long years of 
labor, died in Dublin on September I3th. 

His personality had gained for the Irish Monthly a unique and 
enviable place in Catholic literature. A new book from his pen was 
like a long letter written by his own hand, revealing to us the sanctuary 
of his soul. The childlike simplicity of his appeal was irresistible. 
His books became companions ; their charm was contagious, and many 
are the souls who through them were led to converse familiarly with 
Our Lord. Father Russell is a light that has gone out of the literary 
firmament. The stilling of his voice means less of the song of heaven 
upon earth. The prayers and blessings of the many who have loved 
, him and his books will follow him, and his works hold blessings 
for many yet unborn. May his soul rest in peace ! 



T TNDOUBTEDLY, the question of when, how, and by whom child- 
vJ dren shall be instructed in sexual matters is an important and 
complicated one. In our days there is not a choice between ignorance 
and knowledge, but as to how the child is to be enlightened. If those 
having the immediate care of the child, particularly parents or the 
guardians who take their place, remain silent, in nine cases out of 
ten there will be others who will speak. 

The agents of evil are everywhere and ever active, and a policy 
of silence often simply plays into their hands. Whatever else might 
be said, the omnipresent newspaper, the cheap story-paper and maga- 
zine, the easily-accessible book, have scattered and are scattering the 



138 WITH OUR READERS [Oct., 

things of sex all over the world. We can no more get away from it 
than we can get away from the atmosphere in which we live. 

Such being the case, it is essential that the proper person should 
wisely guide the innocence of childhood, teach the child himself 
how to preserve that innocence, warn him of pitfalls into which he too 
often unknowingly falls. In our judgment, the proper person to 
teach the child in these matters is the parent. 

It is the parent who knows the child best, who is closest to 
it, who has its trust. To the parent the child looks to know the 
things it ought to know in order to safeguard it from evil. Other 
agencies we do not refer now to the confessional may give some 
help, but they are, as a rule, too irresponsible, too non-religious, too 
prone to rely simply on natural powers to give effective help. In- 
struction does not necessarily promote virtue. The love of parent 
for child will in itself tend to convey both instruction and holiness. 
Because the burden falls principally upon the parent, there is need 
that our fathers and mothers should be prepared to instruct their 
children at an early age in those matters of sex of which the children 
should not be ignorant. It is not necessary that parents should be 
skilled in physiology, nor do we mean by instruction in these matters 
anything like a detailed course in physiology. As some would rob 
this world of the supernatural, so would others strip it of that mystery 
and that privacy which make up romance. And the world without 
romance would be as unattractive as a museum of natural history. 

We wish, indeed, that our children, while their souls are still 
strong with the grace of Baptism, of Holy Communion, and Confirma- 
tion, might know the things they ought to know from the lips of a 
worthy parent, and before they have been led by sinful companions into 
dangerous ways. We risk too much when we risk their entrance, 
in ignorance, upon a warfare in which we must all engage. Nor can 
we shirk before God the responsibility that rests upon us as the guard- 
ians .of their souls and bodies. Each one of us, whether parent, priest or 
nun, will be held accountable for the little children intrusted to our 
care, and a policy of silence will not answer. 

The parents, then, and those who stand in their place, must be 
prepared to undertake the duty of such instruction. But how are 
they themselves to learn how to perform a task that all admit to be 
peculiarly delicate? What we would like to see is a small volume, 
cheap in price, which would include not only the necessary physio- 
logical and hygienic information, but would show, together with this, 
the dignity of the human body in all its members from the first act 
of creation by God to that abiding fruit of the Redemption the trans- 
cendant glory of the body as the temple here of the Holy Ghost a 
book that would instruct parents how and what to teach their children. 



1912.] WITH OUR READERS 139 

No one book, as far as we know, does this. But a volume that 
in some measure answers such a demand has just come to us. It is the 
work of two Jesuit professors at Innsbruck.* Their treatment is sane 
and courteous, yet frank enough to meet the desire of any save the most 
radical. The authors pass lightly over the physiological side, and 
dwell especially upon the religious safeguards to be thrown around the 
child. They point out the usefulness of lives of the saints, of ideals 
of chastity and virginity, and especially the powerful influence of the 
Blessed Virgin. We regret, however, that in its present translation, 
a long, rambling, ill-digested appendix of notes and quotations has 
been added. A simple translation of the original would have been 
much more satisfactory. 

Another book recently sent us is by Dr. Philip Zenner,f and 
consists of three talks to school children and to college boys, with 
added chapters on the mode of teaching and the teacher. Dr. Zenner's 
exposition is simple, clean, and healthy. The spirit of the book is good. 
He recognizes the benefits and also the dangers of instruction. On 
the physical side he covers the ground well ; yet is becomingly reticent. 
His intention was to expose only the physiology and hygiene, but he is 
inevitably led into the moral, and here, of course, a Catholic may well 
take exception not to anything actually present in the book but to 
vital matters that are absent. Though with regard to one thing that is 
present, we feel that it is emptying religion of all positive value to put 
it on a basis with " beauty, truth, friendship, honor, heroism." 

In all discussion of this matter we must never forget that if ig- 
norance is not virtue, neither is knowledge in itself salvation. We 
must avoid the dangerous error of many modern writers that mere 
exposition of the evil and man's unaided natural power are sufficient 
to keep him pure and undefiled. History, past and present, universal 
and personal, tells emphatically a different story. Man has cried 
from the beginning for a Redeemer to help him and to save him in that 
warfare of which each one is fully conscious wherein the flesh 
lusteth against the spirit. Only in the light of those great truths 
which man could never know and which Christ has revealed to us; 
only by the power of those Sacraments whereby a greater strength than 
we possess is given to us, can man attain the victory. In the dignity 
of the sacrament of matrimony, made indissoluble by heaven; in the 
worth and saintly examples of virginity and chastity, can man find the 
answer which lifts him out of shame and despair; which enables us 
to honor and love one another, and which proves to him the immeas- 
urable worth of the body when glorified by the dominion of the spirit. 

^Educating to Purity. By Dr. Michael Gatterer, S.J., and Dr. Francis Krus, S.J. 
New York: Fr. Pustet & Co. Price, $1.25. 

^Education in Sexual Physiology and Hygiene. By Philip Zenner. Cincinnati : 
Robert Clarke Co. Price, $1.00. 



140 WITH OUR READERS [Oct., 

To understand fully the height and depth of these truths, we must 
know the laws of physical life. Unless we know them, we can never 
comprehend the sublime purposes of God. Fortified by faith in them, 
and armed with the knowledge of the make-up and the care of our 
bodies, our sons and daughters will be strong indeed in their fight 
against the world, the flesh, and the devil. 



KEGAN PAUL AND HIS ESSAYS.* 
(WRITTEN BY LIONEL JOHNSON, MAY 2, 1891.) 

ASERVITE father lately gave from his pulpit the following ex- 
hortation : " My children, if the devil ever tempts you to think 
yourselves very superior persons, and to give good advice to poor 
sinners, who would be much better without it, say an Ave Mary, that 
you may have the grace to keep quiet." 

This excellent warning might well be applied to men of letters, 
in their critical capacity. The present age swarms with superior per- 
sons, enamored of their own virtues, and ever set upon preaching 
the way of salvation in literature to poor simple folk, who are merely 
worried by fine theories and subtle expositions. And sometimes, 
wearied and confounded by the hubbub of voices, all confident and 
clamorous, the simple reader longs to forswear the reading of all 
books but the great classics of the world. Yet we cannot always live 
at that great height ; the immortals cannot be our constant companions, 
because we are unequal to them. Who would read Milton at odd mo- 
ments? Milton, before reading whom, said Lamb, there should be 
" a solemn service of music." And so, to take Congreve's phrase, we 
" refine upon our pleasures :" and, instead of reading the great classics, 
we sometimes like to read wise and pleasant things about them. 

It is because criticism in this age has become arrogant and 
tedious that we welcome the more heartily such a book as this collec- 
tion of essays by Mr. Kegan Paul. It is sane, and it is simple; and 
how ill-used many an essayist would consider himself upon receiving 
that praise ! For, whereas sanity and simplicity were once counted for 
good gifts, in these days an obscure and unwholesome manner is pre- 
ferred: to be sensible is to be inartistic, and to cultivate sobriety is 
to hinder beauty. Could but an Horace or a Pope, a Quintilian or a 
Dr. Johnson, come among us, and visit our affectations with the scourge 
of his wit ! Failing that, the best thing is to cherish those books which 
quietly and pleasantly put before us the forgotten virtues of sound 
reason and of common sense. Mr. Kegan Paul has here gathered 

*Faith and Unfaith, and other Essays. By C. Kegan Paul. London : Kegan 
Paul & Co. 



I9i2.] WITH OUR READERS 141 

together seven essays from among his contributions to various maga- 
zines. Four of them, Faith and Unfaith, Thomas a Kempis, Pascal's 
Pensees, and The Story of Jean Calas, deal with matters of religious 
sentiment; the rest, upon What We Know of Shakespeare, The Produc- 
tion and Life of Books, and On English Prose Style, deal with literary 
things. These are somewhat varied topics ; but the careful reader will 
assent to the writer's claim when he says : 

"To myself there appears a spiritual affinity in most of them, in that 
they were the outcome of doubts and difficulties now at rest. It has seemed 
right, however few the matter may concern, that since the record of inward 
strife was given to the world, the same essays should be published with trifling 
necessary changes, showing that the strife is over, and with the intimation that 
if I have been in error in what I have said concerning any of the Church's 
doctrines, I submit in this, as in all things, to Her teaching." 

The book has, therefore, this especial interest : that it is the work 
of one who has handled the great records of spiritual life and history 
in the spirit of inquiring liberalism; and who has found an answer 
in the august doctrines of Catholic Christianity. 

Plurima quaesim: per singula quaeque cucurri: 
Nee quidquam inveni melius quam credere Christ o. 

Now the signal merit of the first essay, Faith and Unfaith, lies 
in its clear (p. 412), broad statement of the facts ; it has no patience with 
elaborate compromise, and nice calculation, and precarious balance. 
There are certain things in which the mean must be wrong, and one of 
two extremes must be right. In the question of Faith and Unfaith, the 
mean is tentative Christianity in all its forms; the extremes are the 
Catholic and Roman Church, and Positive Science. Probability is, 
indeed, as Butler and as Newman insist, the guide of life; but prob- 
ability has its degrees, and a probability which is merely the expression 
of cowardice, prejudice, or fear, is worth little. The countless sects 
and heresies of Christendom have just this sort of probability on their 
side ; religious truth, they say, is uncertain, and Rome must be wrong, 
because to think so is a first principle of common sense; let us scrape 
together what beliefs we can, and trust in Providence. So, in the 
hope that what they hold will prove enough for safety, the severed 
churches and congregations abide in their narrow borders. Mr. Kegan 
Paul appeals primarily to such believers, showing that from the first 
premises of faith follow in logical order and in grand procession the 
whole array of Catholic doctrines. " The first step, I am master not 
to take;" but, that step taken, the whole journey is undertaken. You 
may halt here and there, and imagine that you have found a home in 
some half-way house ; none the less, between the complete suspension 



142 WITH OUR READERS [Oct., 

of judgment and the complete venture of faith, there is no tenable 
position. This is worked out by Mr. Kegan Paul in detail ; and, while 
there is no question of his strong assurance that truth lies only upon 
the Catholic side, he shows a generous appreciation of whatever is 
estimable in the doubts and difficulties of other men. Those who know 
his earlier volume of Biographical Sketches must have admired the 
cordial sympathy which, with no sacrifice of logic, could discern and 
respect the various excellencies of Catholics, Anglicans, Protestants, 
Latitudinarians, and Agnostics. In the two essays upon Thomas a 
Kempis and upon Pascal, there is presented to us a fine contrast be- 
tween two spiritual characters : the profound peace of cloistral medi- 
tation, and the profound faith of a soul long troubled by philosophy 
and by the world. Quietist and enthusiast ! both Thomas and Pascal 
have something of either spirit ; but the one gives us a calm consolation, 
and the other a consuming ecstasy; and those in modern days, whose 
minds are restless and ill at ease, can find much to help them in these 
two teachers de contemptu Mundi. In contrast with such unhappy 
and querulous thinkers as Amiel and his fellow-mystics of science, 
Thomas and Pascal are healthy and practical, for all their withdrawal 
from the noisy world ; for, as St. Bernard said, " Si de fatuis virginibus 
es, congregatio tibi necessaria est: si de prudentibus, tu congregationi" 
Wherever the Imitatio and the Pensees are read, Thomas a Kempis 
and Pascal have their congregations. 

The essay upon The Story of Jean Colas naturally induces the 
reader to compare it with Pattison's essay, written, we imagine, at the 
same time, and certainly suggested by the same book: Coquerel's 
tude Historique. Mr. Kegan Paul's essay is not that which suffers 
in the comparison; it shows admirably the artistic superiority of 
moderation to rhetoric. Pattison, for all his learned taste and his 
severe ideal, never wrote anything perfectly sober in tone; his pre- 
judices, and a strange intellectual irritability, got the better of him. 
The concluding paragraphs of either essay will illustrate the difference 
of manner. Pattison writes : 

" M. Coquerel ought to know his countrymen better than to think that 
even demonstrative evidence will procure from Catholic opinion justice for a 
Protestant. Reasonable and well-informed men of course will see the truth. 
But the mass of Catholics are carefully protected from reason and information. 
We have little doubt that as long as the Catholic religion shall last, their little 
manuals of falsified history will continue to repeat that Jean Calas murdered 
his son because he had become a convert to the Catholic faith." 

Mr. Kegan Paul, who no less strongly condemns the cruel bigotry 
of the outrage, concludes thus: 

"I have endeavored to make more audible, perhaps, to some, the cry, 



I 9 i2.] WITH OUR READERS 143 

which rises louder and louder from men of all parties and creeds, for toleration 
and forbearance, greater belief in the virtues of our adversaries, and greater 
trust in man." 

There can be no doubt which of these passages has the greater 
sweetness and light. 

Of the other essays directly concerned with literature, that upon 
English Prose is the most profitable for the present day. It insists 
upon the necessity of good workmanship in an age tolerant of sloven- 
liness. To take once more a writer so scholarly as Pattison, we find 
him writing thus in his Memoirs: " Even at this day a country squire 
or rector on landing with his cub under his wing in Oxford, finds him- 
self much at sea, etc." And of late Mr. Symonds and Mr. Arthur 
Galton have exposed many similar faults in his style. When so 
laborious and judicious a writer can so fail, what can be expected of 
the canaille ecrivante, of the scribbling herd ? Mr. Kegan Paul has no 
mercy upon technical blunders; good writing must be correct, before 
all else. He gives excellent advice and useful warning; he points 
to approved patterns of good work ; he dwells upon the patience, care, 
and simplicity indispensable to success. This account of Shakespeare 
is itself a fine example of an enthusiasm which is ardent yet perfectly 
restrained; no German heaviness, no fashionable English rhetoric. 
Mr. Kegan Paul can read without self-reproach the last words of his 
own book: 

"A great responsibility is laid on those who write, and also on those who 
read. If we leave the circulating library on one side, and study the acknowledged 
great writers, in them devoutly read by day, on them meditate by night, so 
shall the great treasure of speech committed to our charge suffer no diminishing 
nor loss." 



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THE 



CATHOLIC WORLD. 



VOL. XCVL 



NOVEMBER, 1912. 



No. 572. 



FATHER SERRA AND THE INDIANS. 




BY REDFERN MASON. 

OLUMBtJS was mocked by pedants, and he enriched 
mankind with a new world. The order of Friars 
Minor was scoffed at, and the humility and holiness 
of its members changed men's attitude to one of 
worship. Every great undertaking has had a similar 
history. While the edifice of the ideal is still incomplete, and its 
form and proportions are still obscured by scaffolding, men smile 
incredulously. Because the conception transcends their imagina- 
tion, and the narrow circle of their experience furnishes them with 
no parallel by which they may judge it, they jump to the conclu- 
sion that the projector must be mentally unbalanced. Once, how- 
ever, the ground is cleared, the network of ropes and poles removed, 
and people can contemplate the fabric in all its glorious beauty, 
they acclaim the achievement of the great man with an enthusiasm 
in which exultation and shame are strangely mingled. 

Every great project for the good of mankind has to be tried 
in the fire of contempt and opposition. It was so in the beginning, 
and so it will be to the end. Nor need we flatter ourselves that 
men and women of the twentieth century are different from those 
who went before. If, in our own day, some dreamer of dreams 
were to propose to make good citizens of the Indians of the West, 
most men would look upon him as a madman. Has not the attempt 
been made before and ended in failure? Are not the Indians in- 
vincibly hostile to civilization? Is it not their manifest destiny 



Copyright. 1912. 



VOL. XCVI. 10. 



THE MISSIONARY SOCIETY OF ST. PAUL THE APOSTLE 
IN THE STATE OF NEW YORK. 



146 FATHER SERRA AND THE INDIANS [Nov., 

to perish from the face of the earth? Who then is this upstart to 
think he may succeed where so many excellent men have tried 
in vain? Thus men reason, forgetful of the fact that the work of 
making Christian citizens of the Indians has already been accom- 
plished in notable measure, though wrong-doing and tragic misfor- 
tune brought the enterprise relatively but not absolutely to 
nought. But we have still an unfulfilled duty towards these un- 
taught children of the human family, and past failure is no justi- 
fication of present supineness. For that reason and because, next 
year, the world will celebrate the two hundredth anniversary of 
his birth, it will pay us to consider the achievements of a poor friar 
who, nearly a century and a half ago, made the attempt to do what 
men now deem impossible, and, in the doing of it, showed so noble 
a humanity that Father Junipero Serra is to-day the most exalted 
figure in the history of California. 

Everything about Brother Junipero is remarkable, even his 
name, which he took from that companion of St. Francis whose 
joyous spirits made the Seraphic Doctor wish he had " a forest of 
such Junipers." When he came into the world the eighteenth cen- 
tury had only reached its thirteenth year, and, in his native Majorca, 
tales of Pizarro and Cortez, of Peru and the Indies, must still have 
kept their glamor. Perhaps the impressionable youth was fired by 
talk of St. Francis Xavier, and how he covered half the globe in 
his missionary labors, to die, at last, a castaway for Christ, on the 
shores of Japan. Some deep vision must have printed itself on 
his youthful imagination; for we find him, at the age of sixteen, a 
Franciscan novice, full of longing to go and preach the Gospel 
of his Savior to die. savages of America. Ultima Thule must have 
seemed no more remote to the ancient Romans than the New World 
seemed to the Spaniards in those days. The ship which bore 
Father Serra from Cadiz to Vera Cruz was ninety-nine days on the 
way, and in a letter which he wrote from Monterey to Mexico 
City, years later, when he had begun his work in California, he asks 
the name of the Pope that he may pray for him in the Mass. 

The padre was a man of one idea ; but that idea was the greatest 
in the world to bring, souls to Christ. The thought was ever 
present with him, and it made him shed bitter tears when, just as 
he had raised his hand to baptize an Indian child, the parents, 
carried away by superstitious fear, snatched the little one from him. 
The same hunger for souls made him tramp the whole way from 
Vera Cruz to Mexico City. He hoped that in so doing he might 



igi2.] FATHER SERRA AND THE INDIANS 147 

learn something of the country in which it would be his lot to labor. 
On this journey he met with an accident to his foot. Timely treat- 
ment would probably have removed all cause of trouble; but, pre- 
occupied with many cares, Father Serra neglected the wound, and, 
from a comparatively slight mischief, it grew into a chronic evil. 
But the friar did not grumble. He seemed rather to welcome the 
sore as a salutary reminder of mortality. He would not even allow 
himself to be carried in a litter on the long journey to San Diego. 
It seemed to him unfitting for one vowed to poverty to ride. But 
the sore pained him, and, as there was no physician with the ex- 
pedition, he called to one of the muleteers : 

" Son, do you not know of some remedy for this sore on my 
foot?" 

" What remedy can I know," the man answered ; " I have only 
cured beasts." 

"Then consider me a beast," said the padre; "consider this 
sore on my leg a sore back, and give me the same treatment you 
would apply to a beast." 

So the man made an unguent of herbs and hot tallow, and with 
it allayed the inflammation. But, of course, more radical treatment 
was needed in order to effect a cure. 

The same strong simplicity characterized the friar in all his 
dealings, and gave him an empire over the Indians which no diplo- 
macy would have enabled him to acquire. There was something 
childlike about him; he had that noble ingenuousness which we 
sometimes find in the great poets and painters the ingenuousness 
which speaks in the prayer which Villon wrote for his old mother, 
the divine artlessness of Fra Angelico's angels. A portrait of Fra 
Junipero, painted, in all likelihood, when he made his visit to the cap- 
ital to beg aid for his starving missions, is preserved by the brethren 
of the college of San Fernando. It is the face of a man absorbed 
in a great ideal. The expression is of a noble candor. The eyes 
glow with an inward illumination; the lips quiver with sympathy. 
Looking at this portrait, it is easy to believe what we are told of the 
original, that, when the time came for him to bid good-bye to the 
Fathers, he kissed their feet and took leave as one who knew that 
never in this world would he see them more. 

Father Serra gained his insight into the Indian character 
among the aborigines of the Sierra Gorda, and it is a melancholy 
commentary on civilization that the greatest obstacle in his path 
was the unbridled passions of the white men. While he was telling 



148 FATHER SERRA AND THE INDIANS [Nov., 

the Indians to love one another, professed Christians of the domi- 
nant race did not scruple to murder their enemies and to lust after 
women. But he overcame even these difficulties at last, and the 
confidence of the Indians, once won, he never lost. In appealing 
to their spiritual nature, he followed the wisdom of the Church in 
all ages to tell the story of Redemption through the medium of 
art. To present the scheme of salvation before these primitive 
people in the form of pure reasoning would only have bewildered 
them. But a painted banner they could understand; and they fol- 
lowed the action of a play with an earnestness of which we colder 
Caucasians can with difficulty form an idea. When the Indian 
women saw the picture of the Infant Jesus, they would stretch out 
their arms to embrace Him. At Christmas the young people gave 
a Nativity play. In Lent the whole community made the Stations 
of the Cross outside the town, as if they were verily in Jerusalem, 
Father Serra carrying a heavy cross. On Good Friday the image 
of the Crucified was taken down from the cross and borne to the 
sepulchre, and, in the evening, there was a procession in honor of 
the Mother of Sorrows. Nor was the padre less wise in secular 
matters. To encourage them in habits of thrift and industry, he 
gave each Indian a piece of land and a yoke of oxen, and showed 
him how to till it. These same methods, amplified and developed, 
were the means by which he exercised such a marvelous civilizing 
influence on the Indians of California. 

When the word came for him to undertake the task which was 
to be the crown of his life's work, Father Junipero was in his 
fifty-seventh year. The Jesuits had been exiled, and part of their 
work was entrusted to the Franciscans. But whereas the members 
of the Society of Jesus had confined their labors in California to 
the Old or Southern part, the Friars Minor were to go farther 
afield. Spain had long cast eyes of desire on that upper region 
which is now the Golden State. The Franciscans were chosen 
to be the pioneers. Theirs was the task to bring the Indians into 
such a state of civilization as would make the eventual transition 
from the patriarchal rule of the priests to ordinary civil government 
an easy and natural one. A few soldiers accompanied them for 
protection; but they were so very few that, if the padres had not 
won the affection of the Indians, they must inevitably have been 
massacred. Even after several years work, when five missions had 
been established, and the Indian converts numbered between four 
and five hundred, there were only sixty soldiers in the whole of 



igi2.] FATHER SERRA AND THE INDIANS 149 

California, and when, a couple of years after Father Serra's death, 
the French navigator, La Perouse, visited the country, he found 
a handful of fewer than three hundred soldiers amply sufficient 
defence for the five thousand converts and missions scattered over 
four hundred miles of territory. This small proportion which the 
military bore to the friars and their converts negatives the possible 
suggestion that, because they did their work under government 
sanction, the padres were mere tools of statecraft, and could be dis- 
missed whenever there was no further need for their services. How 
far that was from being the case may be gathered from the fact 
that the very expenses of the establishment of the missions were 
largely defrayed out of private treasure. The revenue upon which 
the Spanish authorities drew for the carrying out of the religious 
side of their project of territorial expansion was known as the 
Pious Fund. This fund was started in 1698 by Don Juan Cabal- 
lero, who gave $10,000 for the founding of a mission. Others 
followed his example, and, in 1747, the missions received $67,000 
as heirs to the estate of the Duchess of Gandia. Without this 
fund, or some similar private endowment, the missions would in 
all probability never have been founded. 

Arriving at San Diego in 1769, Father Serra set about the 
establishment of the first mission. Meanwhile a party had set out 
overland to find the harbor of Monterey, described by the explorer 
Vizcaino, who discovered it in 1603. With nothing but a compass 
to guide them, they went astray, and, penetrating far to the north- 
wards, were the first white men to set eyes, from the landward side, 
on the Bay of San Francisco. Worn and dispirited, they made 
their way back to tell the story of their failure to their comrades 
at San Diego. Here too hardships had to be faced. Provisions 
ran low, and Portala, the military commander, declared that, unless, 
at an early date a ship came with supplies, the undertaking would 
have to be abandoned. By earnest entreaty Father Serra succeeded 
in persuading Portala to remain until March nineteenth, the feast 
day of St. Joseph, under whose protection the expedition had been 
placed. Night and day the friar spent his hours in prayer, and 
at last, on the very day set for the return to Mexico, a sail hove 
in sight. But for Serra's importunity, the missions of California 
might never have been founded. 

A second time the attempt was made to find Monterey. This 
time it was rewarded with success, and on June third of the year 
1770, Father Serra said Mass in the shadow of an old oak that 



150 FATHER SERRA AND THE INDIANS [Nov., 

had seen Vizcaino's men bow their heads before the same Mysteries 
a century and a half before. Portala unfurled the royal standard ; 
the Te Deum was sung, and formal possession was taken of the 
country. The history of civilization in California had begun. A 
little more than an hour's walk from Monterey the padre built 
the mission of San Carlos. He chose a site near the River Carmel 
so called by some monks from the Holy Land who accompanied 
Vizcaino on his historic voyage. Indians and Spaniards worked 
together to build the mission, cutting down timber and squaring it, 
making houses of adobe, the good priest working side by side with 
his neophytes, ever and anon pausing to say the Rosary or to 
venerate a great wooden cross which he had caused to be set up 
in the middle of the busy scene. He won the hearts of the Indians 
by a hundred gentle acts. When they came to visit him he would 
give them presents of beads and ornaments. He taught them to 
salute one another with the words " To love God," and when they 
took their leave, he marked their brows with the sign of the Cross. 

Carmel was Father Serra's home; here he would return after 
his visits to the other missions. Half a dozen times he made the 
toilsome journey to San Diego, covering the whole seven 
hundred miles on foot. He walked to San Francisco to be present 
at the consecration of the Mission Dolores, remarking, after he 
had gazed upon the great bay, that if St. Francis wished to go 
farther north, he must go by boat. His earnestness must sometimes 
have seemed quixotic to his more phlegmatic associates. On one 
occasion, searching for some fertile valley which would afford a 
good site for a mission, he came within half a dozen miles of where 
King City now stands. Here he decided to build the mission San 
Antonio. Tying bells to the limb of an oak, he began to ring, re- 
gardless of the fact that there was not a soul in sight, calling out 
as he did so : 

" Hear ! O ye Gentiles, come to the Holy Church ; come to the 
faith of Jesus Christ." To the friar's companion it seemed that 
the padre was wasting his time and strength in this ringing for the 
birds and trees. 

" Let me unburden my heart," cried Serra ; " it could wish that 
these bells might be heard by all the world." 

So he went on ringing, and, by and by, an Indian appeared, 
followed by an old woman, who begged to be baptized. When 
there was trouble with the Indians at San Diego and Father Jaime 
lost his life, the padre only rejoiced. 



I9i2.] FATHER SERRA AND THE INDIANS 151 

" Now is the soil watered," he exclaimed; "now will the sub- 
jugation of the Dieguinos be complete." 

When he preached, the padre's seriousness was that of a man for 
whom the unseen was the one great reality. He was one for whom 
the invisible world really exists. To give his hearers an idea of the 
terrible consequences of sin, he would smite his breast with a stone 
and burn the flesh with a torch. Yet, as Carlyle notes of Dante, his 
intensity was linked with a tenderness as compassionate as that 
of a mother for her child. It was only the sin that he hated; 
the sinner he loved. The Indians regarded him with measureless 
affection, and, as he went by, they would scatter their choicest seeds 
before him. When they knew his last hour was at hand, they 
were like children soon to be bereft of a beloved parent. The 
account of his death reads like the passing of some great-hearted 
saint. On the evening before he breathed his last, he walked over 
to the church to receive the last Sacraments. Father Palou would 
have come to him ; but the dying man shook his head. " As long 
as I can walk to the Church there is no reason why Our Lord 
should be brought to me," he said. The church was full of people, 
and in their presence the aged priest knelt before the altar. In a 
voice broken by tears, his colleague read the prayers for the dying; 
then he gave him absolution and administered the Holy Viaticum. 
The Tantum ergo was sung, and people caught their breath to 
hear " loud and strong as ever " the voice of Father Serra. He 
spent the night listening to penitential psalms and litanies. In the 
morning he was visited by the captain of a vessel that lay in port. 

" You are come just in time to throw the earth on my body," 
said the father. For a moment a feeling of terror overcame him 
the terror of the soul about to look upon the awful innocence 
of God. 

" A great fear has come over me," he said ; " I am much afraid. 
Read the commendation of the dying; read it aloud, so that I may 
hear." 

When it had been read, he exclaimed : " Thank God ! Thank 
God ! the alarm has left me ; there is nothing more to fear." He 
rose from his bed; went to the kitchen and drank a cup of broth. 
" I feel better now," he said, " I will rest." Those were his last 
words. A little later the booming of the cannon of the presidio 
and the answering thunder of the ships in harbor announced to 
the sorrow-stricken people that the founder of the missions of 
California was no more. 



152 FATHER SERRA AND THE INDIANS [Nov., 

We have seen how the dead Franciscan taught his people to 
lead practical Christian lives. He also made them master of those 
useful arts in the exercise of which the great races have progressed 
from pastoral simplicity to the highest civilization. Every man 
followed some occupation, according to the measure of his ability; 
every woman learned the arts of the home. The Indians' first 
schooling was the building of the missions. Timbers had to be 
shaped and joined, adobe made, and mortar compounded of lime 
made by grinding up sea-shells. In doing these things the Indians 
learned some of the essential features of the crafts of builder and 
carpenter, and we may be sure that Father Junipero did not fail 
to remind them how He Who is the Lord of All worked in a car- 
penter's shop in Nazareth. Each mission started on its career 
with a small number of cattle, sheep, and goats, and so fast did 
the stock increase and multiply that it became one of the chief 
forms of mission property. To take care of these cattle there was 
need of herdsmen, shepherds, and drivers. Then the horses had to 
be shod, and metal work became an immediate necessity. A black- 
smith from Mexico taught the Indians of San Francisco his trade, 
and, within a few years, we find the Indians at several of the 
missions working in iron and copper. They made anvils, horse- 
shoes, locks, and hinges; scissors were fabricated for the women; 
bells cast to summon the faithful to worship. In 1852, when the 
missions had ceased to be, the Hon. B. D. Wilson, of Los Angeles, 
in a report to Congress, stated that the Indians furnished " the 
majority of the laborers, mechanics, and servants in San Diego 
and Los Angeles counties." 

Eulalia de Guillen, the first owner of the San Pasqual ranch, on 
which the city of Pasadena now stands, taught the Indian women 
how to make their own and their husbands' clothes. Fifteen hundred 
Indians in the San Gabriel mission were clothed in the handiwork of 
their women folk. At first blankets were imported from Mexico. 
Once, however, the Indians had learned to weave, all the blankets 
used in the missions were made in California. 

The young people who wished it, youths and maidens alike, 
were taught to read, write, and cipher. They were also instructed 
in singing, and the more musical learned to play instruments. The 
bass voices of the men intoned the liturgical plain song, and it is a 
pathetic proof of their proficiency that when, in 1879, Robert Louis 
Stevenson attended the Mass, then said annually in the ruined 
church of Carmel, the Indians came down from the mountains, 



1912.] FATHER SERRA AND THE INDIANS 153 

bringing with them their old chant books, and sang the Gregorian 
music. Even the frescoing on the walls of the churches was in 
some cases the work of the Indians. Crude it may be, but not more 
so than the early work of the great peoples of Europe and Asia. 

The French navigator, La Perouse, was at Carmel within two 
years of Father Junipero's death; Vancouver was twice a guest 
at the same mission. Both left glowing accounts of the pastoral 
well-being which they found there. In 1806 Count von Langs- 
dorff, aulic councilor to the Emperor of Russia, inspected the 
missions of Santa Clara and San Francisco. He praises the pru- 
dence and paternal care of the friars, and testifies concerning the 
Indian converts that " peace, happiness, and obedience universally 
obtain among them." De Maufras, an attache of the French lega- 
tion to Mexico, who visited San Luis Rey in 1842, when the forces 
which ruined the missions were in fierce activity, found an atmos- 
phere of practical beneficence. Yet within three-quarters of a 
century of Father Serra's death, the great undertaking to which he 
devoted his life had crumbled into utter failure. The friars were 
scattered, their property sold, the Indians driven out. 

This misfortune for mankind was primarily brought about by 
the cupidity of statesmen. Spain set the example by enforced 
loans from the padres, and Mexican adventurers bettered the 
lesson. They called it borrowing; but the right word is theft. 
The Mexican dictator, Santa Anna, placed the Pious Fund under 
government control, promising to pay interest at the rate of six 
per cent. On this income the friars were to exist and do their 
work. But the interest was not paid ; the missions were secularized, 
the property sold, and the padres literally reduced to beggary. Pico, 
the last Mexican governor, disposed of mission lands with such 
unscrupulousness that the Departmental Assembly, by one of its 
last acts, declared his sales null and void. They were too late. 
It was trying to save the harvest after the passing of the tempest. 
The missions fell into disrepair; strangers preyed on their stone 
and timber. Here and there, for years afterwards, would be found 
an aged friar, in abject poverty, the helpless friend of more helpless 
Indians. In the year of De Maufras' visit one of the padres was 
discovered living in a hut, sleeping on a rawhide on the bare ground. 
Asylum was offered him elsewhere; but he refused to abandon his 
people. The priest at Soledad shared what little food he had with 
the Indians, and one day, when he was saying Mass, he tottered 
and fell, dying of starvation. 



154 FATHER SERRA AND THE INDIANS [Nov., 

But the priests had at least the satisfaction of dying in the 
discharge of their duty. The Indians lost all. When California 
ceased to be Mexican, hundreds of ranches and farms passed, by fair 
means or foul, into the hands of the newcomers. The lands on 
which the padres had established the Indians were taken away from 
them. The old patriarchal law of the Indies, by virtue of which all 
grants and transfers of land were made " without prejudice to the 
Indians," was disregarded. Under the old regime, so long as they 
were law-abiding, the Indians were left in undisturbed possession 
of their holdings. But the American cared nothing for the law of 
the Indies. He looked upon the Indians as vermin. The only good 
Indian was a dead Indian. When a man coveted land on which 
Indians were settled, he made an official declaration to the govern- 
ment that it was " unoccupied," and, under this iniquitous fiction, 
hundreds of families were driven into the wilderness. The evic- 
tions from the San Pasqual and Tecumela valleys were carried out 
with a thoroughness that left not so much as an Indian to tell of 
the happiness that once was there. In each of these cases the land 
had been given to the Indians by the padres, and was as legally theirs 
as though the transfer had been ratified by a court of the United 
States. But there was a conspiracy to rob the Indians of their 
lands, and American justice closed its eyes. Begun by the Mexi- 
cans, this infernal work was consummated with tragic com- 
pleteness by Americans. In 1834 there were in the missions 
from fifteen thousand to twenty thousand Indians; within six 
years time they had dwindled to six thousand. They retreated 
to desert spots where the white men would not go ; they sought hid- 
ing places in the fastnesses of the hills. Mrs. Helen Hunt Jack- 
son, authoress of Glimpses of California and the Missions, visited 
such a retreat of the Indians of Carmel Mission, and the priest at 
Monterey sadly told her that even there they could only remain 
" by the patience of the thief." Those who shrank from the wild- 
erness met a worse fate. The white men knew their weakness, 
and cynically profited by it. Every other house in Los Angeles was 
a drinking shop for Indians. Even their work was paid for in 
spirits, and, after a night of drunkenness, they would be fined 
for breach of the peace, and handed over to their employer to 
slave out the amount of the fine. " Had they been left in the hands 
of the mission fathers," says Mrs. Jackson, " they would slowly but 
surely have progressed to racial manhood ; given over to our tender 
mercies, they have hurried down an incline smeared with every 



1912.] FATHER SERRA AND THE INDIANS 155 

known form of slippery evil, in order that their destruction might 
be more rapid and complete." Even the government seemed to 
connive at their destruction. Congress refused to build homes for 
them on the ground that they were American citizens; the election 
officials of California would not let them vote because they were 
Indians. 

What form then shall the celebration of the bi-centenary of 
Father Serra's birth assume? Is it to end with pageants and 
speech-making and the restoration of the few missions that are 
still in ruins ? Or shall Catholics unite in an effort to take up once 
more the work which was dearest to the padre's heart, and set up, 
on an enduring basis, the one monument to his name which he would 
wish perpetual? If Christian civilization is to be spread among the 
Indians, it must be by our own efforts. The government will do 
nothing, and, as for Mexico, in spite of the award of the Hague 
Tribunal, it is idle to expect of Maderist anarchy what the des- 
potism of Diaz failed to restore. Cannot tracts of land be bought 
in California and the Indians be settled on them under a regime 
approximating to that of the old days? The good tradition still 
lingers. The Indians welcome the ministrations of such priests 
as can reach them in their isolation; the mission chant book is 
treasured in many a miserable hut; the women still make lace as 
their grandmothers and great-grandmothers were taught to make it 
by the ladies of Mexico and old Spain. If we are to honor Father 
Serra's name in a way that would be grateful to him, it must be 
by taking up his work anew and caring for his children, in so far 
as in us lies, as he himself would have cared for them. 




METHODS OF REFORMING OUR LAND SYSTEM. 

BY JOHN A. RYAN, S.T.D. 

N the last article the attempt was made to determine as 
fully as possible the morality of a law which would 
at one stroke appropriate the whole of the future or 
unbought increases in land values. At present there 
is no likelihood that such a measure will be enacted 
anywhere, least of all in the United States. What we shall prob- 
ably see is legislation which will aim at taking a part, and a grad- 
ually increasing part, of those values. In all probability this will 
come about through one or both of two distinct methods. The 
first may be called the German, the second the Canadian plan. 
By the former a special tax is laid directly upon value increases; 
by the latter the general land tax is raised relatively to the taxes on 
other kinds of property. 

The unearned increment tax, or increase-of -value tax (Werth- 
zuwachssteuer), originated in the year 1898 in the German colony 
of Kiautschou. In 1904 it was imported into the city of Frankfort- 
am-Main, and in 1905 into Cologne. By the month of April, 1910, 
it had been adopted by 457 cities and towns of Germany, some 
twenty of which had a population of more than one hundred thou- 
sand. In 1911 it was inserted in the national fiscal system, and 
thus was extended over the whole German Empire. It was em- 
bodied in the famous Lloyd-George British budget of 1909. While 
the German laws on the subject are all alike in certain essentials, 
they vary greatly in details. They agree in taking only a per cent 
of the value increases, and in taxing rapid increases at a higher 
rate than slow increases. The imperial law imposes a rate of ten 
per cent on increases of ten per cent or less, and thirty per cent 
on increases of two hundred and ninety per cent or over. In Dort- 
mund the scale progresses from one to twelve and one-half per 
cent. Inasmuch as the highest rate in the imperial law is thirty 
per cent, and in any municipal law (Cologne and Frankfort) twenty- 
five per cent; inasmuch as all the laws allow deductions from the 
tax equal to the interest that was not obtained while the land was 
unproductive; and inasmuch as only those increases are taxed 
which took place while the land was in possession of the present 



1912.] METHODS OF REFORMING OUR LAND SYSTEM 157 

owner, it is clear that landowners are not compelled to undergo any 
positive loss, and that they are permitted to retain the lion's share 
of the " unearned increment"* 

It is to be noted that most of the German laws are retroactire, 
inasmuch as they apply not merely to future value increases, but to 
some of those that occurred before the legislation was enacted. 
Thus, the Hamburg ordinance measures the increases from the last 
sale, no matter how long ago it took place. The imperial law uses 
the same starting point, except where the last sale occurred before 
1885. Accordingly, a man who had in 1880 paid twenty-five hun- 
dred marks for a piece of land which in 1885 was worth only two 
thousand marks, and who sold it for three thousand marks in 1912, 
would pay the increment tax on one thousand marks, unless he 
could prove that his purchase price was twenty-five hundred marks. 
In all such cases the burden of proof is on the owner to show that 
the value of the land in 1885 was lower than the amount he had 
paid for it at the earlier date. Speaking generally, we say that no 
wrong is done to the owner by this retroactive feature of the 
German legislation, since it does not touch value increases that 
have been paid for by the present owners. 

The British law taxes only those increases that occur after its 
enactment in 1909. These are subject to a tax of twenty per cent 
on the occasion of the next transfer of the land, by sale, bequest, 
or otherwise.! In some cases this arrangement undoubtedly will 
cause hardship. If land which was bought for one thousand 
pounds in 1900 had fallen in value to eight hundred in 1909, and 
was sold for one thousand pounds in 1920, the tax of twenty per cent 
on two hundred pounds would mean a net loss to the owner of forty 
pounds, to say nothing of the loss of interest in case the land was 
unproductive. It would seem that some sort of compensation might 
be in order here; yet the rarity of such instances, the administra- 
tive difficulties of compensation, and other circumstances might 
well condone such individual losses in the interest of the general 
welfare. 

Whether it operates according to the German or the British 
plan, the practice of taking a part of the increases in land values is 

*Cf. Marsh, Taxation of Land Values in American Cities, pp. 90-92 ; The Single 
Tax Review, March-April, 1912; Quarterly Journal of Economics, vol. 22, pp. 83, 
et seq.; vol. 24, pp. 194, et seq.; vol. 25, pp. 682, et seq.; Stimmen Aus Maria-Laach, 
October, 1907. 

tC/. Marsh, op. cit., pp. 92, 93 ; Quarterly Journal of Economics, vol. 24, pp. 243, 
et seq. ; 279, et seq. 



158 METHODS OF REFORMING OUR LAND SYSTEM [Nov., 

not likely to offend against justice. The interests of the private 
owner are on the -whole very well safeguarded in both schemes. 

The Canadian method consists essentially in the imposition of a 
specially heavy tax on the entire value of the land, not merely its 
value increments. It implies a corresponding reduction in the taxes 
on improvements and other kinds of property. Thus, in New 
Zealand improvements and personal property are exempted in part 
from national, and entirely from local taxation.* The general 
principle of the system has been adopted in Vancouver, B. C, 
Edmonton, and some other cities and communities of Alberta. In 
all probability it will be extended within the next few years over 
the whole of Western Canada. Beginning with the year 1896, 
the city of Vancouver reduced the rate of taxation on land im- 
provements at intervals, and finally abolished it entirely. f As a 
result of the investigation made by the New York City Commission 
on the Congestion of Population, a bill was introduced in the New 
York state legislature, in 1912, providing for a gradual reduction in 
the rate of taxation on buildings in New York City until it should 
be only one-half the rate on land. In Missouri a movement has 
been organized to secure legislation exempting from taxation all 
personal property after 1913, and all land improvements after 1920. 
An exception is made against public service corporations, which 
provides that their land improvements and personal property would 
continue to be taxed until their charges for service were reduced 
to a level that would yield only a reasonable return on their actual 
investment.! 

None of these measures or proposals seems to involve any un- 
due hardship or any injustice to landowners. The important 
considerations are, of course, the rate of the tax, and the rapidity 
with which the taxes on other property are transferred 'to land. 
If the tax were so high as to absorb for a long period of years all 
the increases in the value of land which had fallen in value while in 
the possession of the present owners, and all the increases in the 
value of unproductive land, it might work considerable hardship 
to these two classes of persons. An adequate treatment of this 
question will require a comprehensive review of the various forms 
and methods of taxation now in existence. 

In the United States we have three principal taxing jurisdic- 

*Cf. Bliss, New Encyclopedia of Social Reform, article, " New Zealand." 
tC/. Marsh, op. cit., pp. 33, et seq. ; Single Tax Review, May-June, 1911. 
tC/. Marsh, op. cit., pp. i, 2, 100. 



1912.] METHODS OF REFORMING OUR LAND SYSTEM 159 

tions, corresponding to the three divisions of our governmental 
authority. The bulk of our national revenues are raised through 
tariffs on imports, duties on tobacco and intoxicating liquors, and 
a tax on the earnings of corporations. The tariff taxes ought to 
be abolished entirely, for they are no longer needed for the pro- 
tection of any home industry that is economically worth protecting, 
and they are a heavy burden on consumers. As a rule, taxes that 
fall ultimately upon consumers are inequitable, because they bear 
heaviest on the classes that are least able to pay. Inasmuch as the 
poor and those in moderate circumstances expend a much larger 
proportion of their incomes upon the taxed articles than do the 
rich, they yield up a much greater proportion of their income to the 
state. They are not taxed in accordance with their ability. While 
the tax on intoxicating liquors is likewise subject to this defect, .it 
should be retained for social reasons connected with public order and 
sobriety. The revenues now obtained from taxes on imports, and 
on the manufacture and sale of tobacco, ought to be raised through 
a progressive tax on incomes. With the exception of the tax on 
land values, the income tax is the fairest of all, since it stays where 
it is put, and compels men to pay according to ability. 

Most of the forms of state and municipal taxation now in exist- 
ence should in the interest of justice be abolished. Chief among 
them are : taxes on goods in the possession of the consumer, such 
as household furniture, clothing, libraries, carriages, etc.; taxes 
on the products of agriculture and manufacturing which have not 
yet reached the consumer; taxes on all forms of concrete capital, 
such as machinery, railroads, factories, stores, and agricultural tools 
and chattels; and taxes on paper certificates of wealth, such as 
money, credits, mortgages, stocks, and bonds. With the exception 
of buildings, all these goods fall under what is known as the per- 
sonal property tax. Now economists and fiscal authorities gener- 
ally are practically unanimous in asserting that the personal prop- 
erty tax is antiquated, inequitable, and for the most part uncol- 
lectable.* It is antiquated because the kinds of property upon 
which it is levied have long since ceased to be few, tangible, and 
simple, which was the case when the tax was first adopted. It 
is inequitable because a considerable part of it is levied in the first 
instance upon goods in the hands of the consumer, while that part 
of it which is placed upon capital of all kinds, and upon merchants' 

*Cf. Seligman, Essays in Taxation, ch. ii., N. Y., 1911; Taussig, Principles of 
Economics, ch. Ixvi. 



160 METHODS OF REFORMING OUR LAND SYSTEM [Nov., 

and manufacturers' stocks of goods, is in most cases ultimately 
shifted to the consumer. As we have seen above, a tax on general 
consumption is unfair because it takes a larger proportion of small 
incomes than of large ones. But the personal property tax is in-- 
equitable for an additional reason. Persons in poor and in mod- 
erate circumstances cannot easily conceal their personal property 
from the tax collector, since it consists for the most part of simple 
and obvious household goods. On the other hand, diamonds, costly 
furniture, and luxurious wardrobes can be either hidden or repre- 
sented to the assessor at a ridiculously low valuation. Sufficient 
evidence that the personal property tax is largely uncollectable is 
seen in the fact that while the value of personal property in the 
United States greatly exceeds the value of real estate (land plus 
buildings and other structures affixed to the land), the former was 
assessed in 1904 at only seven and one-half billion dollars as against 
an assessment of twenty-six and one-half billions on real estate.* 
Even if no changes were to be made in the taxation of land, the 
personal property tax, at least in its present general form, ought to 
disappear. 

There is one variety of the personal property tax which should 
be retained temporarily in certain circumstances. That is the tax 
on public service corporations, such as railroads, street railways, 
telephones, and lighting concerns. It is sometimes levied on the 
basis of earnings, sometimes on the basis of the securities, and some- 
times on the physical property. In all cases it aims to reach all 
the wealth or property of the company, and is consequently in part 
a real estate tax, and partly a personal property tax. Under what- 
ever form it is imposed, it is all ultimately paid by the consumer, 
the user of railway services, telephone services, gas, electricity, etc. ; 
for the corporation always makes its charges sufficiently high to 
cover the tax, and still yield at least the prevailing rate of return 
on the investment. In this course the corporation is quite prop- 
erly protected by our public rate-making bodies. Nevertheless, 
a truly scientific and just system of public control would free these 
concerns from taxation entirely, and compel them to reduce their 
charges accordingly. There is no more reason why people should 
pay taxes in their capacity as patrons of railroads or consumers of 
gas than in their capacity as users of household furniture or con- 
sumers of potatoes. In both situations the tax reaches a larger 
proportion of the small than of the great personal incomes. The 

*United States Census, Wealth, Debt, and Taxation, p. 891, Washington, 1907. 



1912.] METHODS OF REFORMING OUR LAND SYSTEM 161 

rkh man does not pay as large a percentage of his income for car 
fares as does the unskilled laborer. But wherever the public au- 
thorities are unable or unwilling to reduce the charges of public 
service corporations to a point that will allow them only a reas- 
onable return on their actual investment, the tax ought to be re- 
tained. In such cases it amounts to an appropriation, partial or 
entire, of excessive profits, monopoly profits. While this practice 
is just whenever a better arrangement is not feasible, the normal 
method and the goal to be kept in view is the wiping out of these 
excessive profits through a reduction of charges to the consumer. 

An ideal system of taxation would exclude not only the per- 
sonal property tax, but that part of the real estate tax which falls 
upon improvements, such as buildings, fences, trees, ditches, and 
other artificial things affixed to the land. In so far as they are of 
the nature of capital, for example, factories and stores, the tax 
can frequently be passed on to the consumer in the form of higher 
prices. In so far as they are consumers' goods, such as dwellings, 
the tax is either paid by the occupying owner or passed on in the 
form of higher rent to the tenant. To the extent that this shifting 
takes place, which is probably in the majority of instances, the tax 
on improvements is as inequitable as any other tax on con- 
sumption. 

It does not follow, however, that all the foregoing forms of 
taxation should be converted into higher taxes on land. Unless 
the process of conversion were very gradual, extending over a very 
long period of time, it would in all probability reduce or keep down 
the value of land to such an extent as to work injustice upon a large 
proportion of existing landowners. Moreover, there is great 
danger that a tax on land alone would not be sufficiently elastic 
to provide all needed revenues in bad years and in good years, nor 
sufficiently high to meet the rapidly increasing demand for public 
improvements and works of social betterment.* Consequently the 
tax on land should be supplemented by state taxes on incomes and 
inheritances. These are entirely just, inasmuch as they cannot 
be shifted, and can be so adjusted, in the matter of exempting 
small incomes and applying at a higher rate to large incomes, as to 
fall upon the persons who are fairly able to bear them. They would 
have the additional merit of reaching a great part of past increases 
in land values, those increases, namely, which had been sold or 

*Cf. Seligman's fiscal objections to the Single Tax in Essays on Taxation, pp. 

73-75- 

VOL. XCVI. II. 



1 62 METHODS OF REFORMING OUR LAND SYSTEM [Nov., 

capitalized. In fact, they would go a long way toward making 
value-increment taxation more nearly universal, and therefore more 
equitable. 

Whatever be the proportion of personal property and improve- 
ment taxes that is transferred to land, the process ought to be 
gradual, covering a period of, say, ten or fifteen years. Even then 
it will increase the losses undergone by those persons who part with 
their land at a lower price than they paid for it, or at a price which 
is not sufficiently high to provide interest on the investment in the 
case of unoccupied land. For if the additional taxes had not been 
imposed the value of all land would have been higher. Only to 
such owners, however, would the scheme cause even apparent in- 
justice. Productive land which, despite the tax, remained at or 
above the price paid by the present owners would presumably have 
continued to yield the ordinary rate of return on the original in- 
vestment. Hence the owners would suffer no loss either of interest 
or principal. 

Theoretically it would be possible to exempt from the operation 
of the tax all owners who could prove that the value of their land 
was not yet sufficiently high to cover their losses of interest or 
principal. Practically this plan would scarcely be administratively 
possible. Nor is it demanded by practical justice. The process 
of transferring other taxes to land could be spread over such a long 
period that the individual hardships need not be unusually numerous 
nor unusually great. Even under our present system increases 
sometimes occur in the tax rate on all kinds of property, including 
land. Again, the inconveniences, the inequities, if that term be 
preferred, inflicted .upon individual landowners through the changes 
in taxation that we are now considering, could scarcely be as numer- 
ous or as grievous as those that are inherent in our existing fiscal 
system, or lack of system. No one who is even moderately ac- 
quainted with our present forms of taxation and their effects will 
deny that they are unfair in the extreme, and that their hardship 
falls not merely upon a small minority, but upon the great majority, 
including the whole of those who are poor and of those who are 
in moderate circumstances. If the change brought no compensa- 
tory advantages . to those landowners upon whom it bore most 
heavily, and if it possessed no special merits of its own, it would 
still, from the viewpoint of the majority and of the community as 
a whole, be an improvement on things as they are. While chang- 
ing the personnel, it would considerably reduce the number of 



1912.] METHODS OF REFORMING OUR LAND SYSTEM 163 

owners who were taxed excessively. Though inequities are in- 
separable from any fiscal scheme, it is still important that their 
volume should be made as small as possible. 

But this is only a negative argument. The great and positive 
justification of the proposed plan lies in its beneficial effects upon 
the general welfare. In the article* on the abuses of the present 
land system we saw that a great deal of land is held out of use, 
and that in general land is becoming more and more difficult of 
acquisition by the landless. These evils would be squarely met, 
and to a great degree leseened, by heavier land taxation. If the 
tax were increased with sufficient rapidity to prevent land from 
rising above its present value, owners would no longer have any in- 
ducement to hold it for an advance in price. Its selling price and 
its rent would be little if any above its value for actual use, its 
productive value. Men would be anxious to sell, or lease, or im- 
prove their holdings. Consequently every user of land, and every 
person who desired land for use, would be able to get it at a lower 
rent or price than he would have to pay in the absence of the tax. 
If the advance in the tax were less rapid its influence would be 
correspondingly less, but would be the same in kind. It would 
still keep land relatively cheaper and more easy of access. 

In all our cities a great deal of the best land is either kept 
out of use entirely or used uneconomically. Vacant lots and lots 
cumbered by tumble-down shanties exist side by side with " sky- 
scrapers." As a consequence, this grade of land is artificially 
scarce, and its rent and price are correspondingly higher than would 
be the case if all portions of the land were put to the best use of 
which they are capable. To force such land into its best use 
through a tax making speculative holding of it unprofitable, would 
be virtually to increase the supply of business sites. For all eco- 
nomic purposes the supply would be increased quite as effectively 
as through the draining of a swamp or the filling of a lake. Now 
the value of land, of its uses, and of its products are, like the value 
of any other commodity, determined by the relation between supply 
and demand. When, therefore, the supply of land is increased 
relatively to the demand because owners become more active in 
offering it for use, and in putting it to more productive uses, a fall 
must occur not only in its rent and price, but in the prices of the 
things produced on it, whether these be manufactured commodities, 

*Cf. THE CATHOLIC WORLD, September, 1912, The Abuses of Private Landowner- 
ship. 



i<H METHODS OF REFORMING OUR LAND SYSTEM [Nov., 

distributive activities, or the personal services of the physician and 
the lawyer. 

To be sure, if all the business sites were already put to their 
best uses, the heavier taxes would not bring about a reduction in the 
price of the things produced thereon. The supply of products 
would continue to bear the same relation to demand as before. 
Since all land is not thus employed, the occupation for business 
purposes of the unused portions at the existing or lower rents and 
prices, would mean an increase in the supply of products which 
could be sold at existing or even lower prices. 

Owing, therefore, to the virtual increase and comparative 
cheapening of land through heavier taxation, men would find it 
easier to get homes, and would be able to buy more cheaply all 
sorts of products and commodities. These beneficial effects would 
be reinforced and added to by the other element in the proposed re- 
form, namely, the removal of taxes from residences, all forms of 
capital, and all articles of consumption. The man desirous of 
building a home would find, on the one hand, that the site and the 
material were cheaper, and, on the other hand, that his residence 
was free from taxation. The man who wanted to rent a house 
and lot would get both at a lower rent than would be possible 
in the absence of the tax. Obviously these statements would be 
equally true of business buildings and sites. The eagerness of 
landowners to improve their holdings in order to get an annual 
income with which to pay the increased tax, would be stimulated 
and encouraged by the knowledge that raw materials were cheaper, 
and that the improvements would no longer be subject to a tax. 
Hence it is conceivable, and not at all unlikely, that the process of 
multiplying improvements would continue until the rent of a build- 
ing and site combined became only slightly in excess of the annual 
return that could be got by investing the cost of the building in 
some other enterprise. 

Through the untaxing of capital the farmer would be freed 
from annual payments to the state on buildings and other improve- 
ments, on animals, implements, and agricultural products; the 
merchant and the manufacturer would be relieved of taxes on build- 
ings, machinery, and stocks ; and the owner of representative capital, 
stach as corporation securities, promissory notes, money and mort- 
gages, would likewise go tax-free. This would happen in so far as 
these taxes are at present finally paid by these persons, and not 
shifted to the consumer or to somebody else. To this extent, then, 



1912.] METHODS OF REFORMING OUR LAND SYSTEM 165 

the tax reforms here advocated would encourage capital, promote 
production, and further the general welfare. 

As a matter of fact, the greater part, perhaps by far the greater 
part, of the taxes on the different forms of capital, concrete and 
representative, is shifted to the consumer of capital's products, .or 
to the borrowing user of the capital itself. The consumer pays the 
tax in the form of higher prices for articles of food, clothing, shelter, 
and the other necessaries and comforts of life; the borrowing user 
pays the tax in the form of higher rent for his dwelling, and a higher 
rate of interest on, for example, the loan for which he has given a 
mortgage.* The owner of any form of capital which happens 
to be taxed is able to pass on the burden whenever other investments 
are available upon which no tax is collected. " Commonly enough, 
in the actual working of our American system, alternative invest- 
ments are in fact available."! Hence the apparently plausible as- 
sertion that it would be unfair to let the owners of " skyscrapers," 
wholesale stores, great tenement houses, and factory structures go 
untaxed, overlooks the fact that the owners of such property >go 
virtually tax-free now. While they do hand the tax over to the 
fiscal authority, they have already added its equivalent to the rents 
and prices that must be paid, respectively, by the users of the build- 
ings, and the consumers of the products therein stored or manu- 
factured. Owners of other forms of capital can shift the tax in 
the same way. What enables them to do it is the fact that they 
can put their money into " alternative investments " which are not 
effectively taxed, as, many kinds of corporate securities, or into land, 
which is always bought at a price sufficiently low to provide the tax 
in addition to the prevailing rate of interest. Obviously, therefore, 
men will not invest in buildings until the demand for them and their 
products is great enough to furnish both interest and taxes. In 
other words, the tax is shifted for the simple reason that owners and 
investors are in a position to limit the supply of the things taxed. 

To be sure, if all forms of capital were actually compelled to 
pay taxes at the same rate, this process of shifting would not be pos- 
sible. Any attempt to limit supply, say, in the matter of office 
buildings, with a view to forcing up rents and prices, would soon 
make the profits on this form of investment so high as to attract 
a large amount of new capital. As a consequence, the supply of 

*Cf. Seligman, Shifting and Incidence of Taxation, pp. 187, 245, 272, and all of 
Part II., N. Y., Macmillan Co., 1899; Taussig, Principles of Economics, II., pp. 518- 
549, and chaps. Ixvii.-lxix. 

tTaussig, Idem., II., 547. 



166 METHODS OF REFORMING OUR LAND SYSTEM [Nov., 

buildings would before long reach a point that would bring rents 
and prices down to a level that would give only the ordinary returns 
of interest and profits. 

The foregoing paragraphs describe the economic theory of the 
situation. But it is notorious that economic laws do not work with- 
out friction, nor produce the results that would follow from per- 
fectly free competition. Hence the most definite statement war- 
ranted by the facts is that the greater part, perhaps by far the 
greater part, of taxes on the various forms of capital is shifted 
under the guise of higher rents and prices to the consumer. The 
lifting of this burden would not be the least of the beneficial effects 
resulting from the proposed tax changes. 

Finally, all direct tax on articles of consumption would like- 
wise be abolished. This would affect chiefly those goods of a 
relatively durable character which remain in the possession of the 
consumer for a sufficiently long time to fall under the attention 
and action of the taxing authority; for example, articles of personal 
apparel and adornment, household furniture, furnishings, and con- 
tents of every description, and the instrumentalities of comfort and 
recreation, as, horses, carriages, automobiles, boats, bicycles, etc. 

The general reduction in the cost of living which would follow 
reduced rents and the untaxing of capital and of consumers' goods, 
would necessarily increase the amount of money available by the 
masses for the purchase of the products of industry. Whence would 
follow some increase in employment, wages, and industrial prosper- 
ity generally. The principal features of and changes in the economic 
situation may be thus summarized: Increased use of land would 
mean a greater volume of products; reduced cost of living would 
mean enhanced purchasing power for the new products; out of the 
enlarged product would come more capital ; out of the increased pur- 
chasing power would come the increased demand necessary to keep 
the new capital employed ; on the one hand, there would be a greater 
volume of products ; on the other hand, a better distribution of in- 
comes and purchasing power. The reasoning underlying these state- 
ments is identical with that which supports the economic theory that 
high wages and large purchasing power in the hands of the masses, 
who have the desire to consume, is more conducive to general pros- 
perity than low wages, and high consuming power in the hands of 
those whose desire to consume cannot keep pace with their power. To 
reject this reasoning is essentially to adopt the discarded wages- 
fund theory. 



1912.] METHODS OF REFORMING OUR LAND SYSTEM 167 

Such, then, are the ways in which the community would be 
benefited through higher taxes on land. Evidently these advantages 
would be shared by landowners as well as by other classes of per- 
sons. For this reason the hardships suffered by the former on 
account of the new taxes would be to a great extent counteracted, 
and in a large proportion of cases completely neutralized. The 
smaller the holding, the greater would be the degree to which the 
heavier land taxes would be offset through the untaxing of build- 
ings, capital, and consumption. It is probable that the average 
owner of the ordinary house and lot would gain rather than lose 
by the proposed changes in taxation. We repeat, then, that if the 
changes were made gradually, and if a goodly part of the trans- 
ferred taxes were put upon incomes, the hardships to landowners 
would be so small in number and so insignificant in volume, speak- 
ing relatively, that the whole process of reform would easily be 
justified on the ground of social improvement and general welfare. 

The objection might be raised that, when the tax reforms here 
advocated had been fully accomplished, all persons who owned no 
land, and whose incomes from other sources were not sufficiently 
high to fall under the income tax, would escape taxation entirely. 
But this is in reality a commendable feature of the scheme, for it is 
in the fullest harmony with fiscal and social justice. On the one 
hand, such persons have no land, and consequently receive no profit 
or income from that source ; on the other hand, their incomes are so 
low that they are not able in the true sense of ability to contribute 
anything toward the support of government. Every citizen, every 
human being, has a moral right to at least the means of living 
decently, of developing his mental, moral, and physical faculties 
to a reasonable degree. Hence personal and family incomes which 
are only sufficient to meet these requirements ought to be entirely 
available for that purpose. To deduct anything' from them for 
taxes would be to treat this section of the community unjustly, 
and to violate the principle of taxation according to ability. 

Two other tax reforms, which are more or less implicitly con- 
tained in the measures that we have been discussing, deserve brief 
special mention. 

Whatever may be the rate of any land tax, it ought always and 
in all places to be applied as rigorously to vacant as to occupied 
land. In some countries of Europe, the law deliberately taxes the 
former at a lower per cent of its value than the latter. According 
to the theory of the general property tax, which underlies a!'. 



i68 METHODS Of REFORMING OUR LAND SYSTEM [Nov., 

American legislation on the subject, no such discrimination is per- 
mitted, but assessors very commonly appraise vacant land at a much 
lower valuation than land which is occupied and productive. Ap- 
parently they act on the principle that, since the former yields no 
present income, its owner is less able to pay the tax than the owner 
of revenue-producing iand. This is a perversion of the " faculty " 
theory, for the social need of cheap and accessible land is a more 
urgent requisite of justice than the individual's claim to a low 
tax on land that he is holding for speculation. The discontinuance 
of this illegal practice in our American cities is immediately feasible, 
and would be a considerable contribution toward the desirable re- 
sults outlined in die foregoing pages.* 

In the second place, a super tax might be placed upon very 
large individual or corporate holdings. Every estate which con- 
tained more than a maximum number of acres, say, ten thousand, 
whether composed of a single tract or of several tracts, could be 
compelled to pay a .special tax in addition to the usual tax levied 
upon land of the same value. And the rate of the super tax should 
increase the size of the estate above the maximum. The obvious 
purpose of the tax would be to compel the breaking up of large 
holdings, and their division among many owners and occupiers. 
For several years it has been successfully applied in New Zealand 
and Australia, t Inasmuch as it exemplifies the principle of pro- 
gression in taxation, it accords with the requirements of justice. 
As we have already seen, relative ability in the matter of tax 
paying is closely connected with relative sacrifice. The less the 
sacrifice involved, due greater, other things being equal, is the ability 
of the individual to pay. Now the man with an income of ten 
thousand dollars per year makes a smaller sacrifice in giving up ten 
per cent of it than die man whose income is only one thousand; for 
in the latter case die one hundred dollars surrendered represent a 
privation of the necessaries or the elementary comforts of life, 
while the one thousand dollars taken from the richer man would 
have been expended for luxuries or converted into capital. Both 
men do, indeed, use all their incomes to satisfy their wants or 
desires ; but to reduce both incomes by a given proportion will not 
diminish their satisfactions in the same proportion. The wants that 
are thus deprived of satisfaction are much less important in the case 

*Cf. Ely, Taxation m American States and Cities, pp. 248, 249 ; Seligman, Essays 
on Taxation, p. 92. 

tC/. Bliss, New Encyclopedia of Social Reform, articles, "New Zealand," and 
" Australia." 



1912.] METHODS OF REFORMING OUR LAND SYSTEM 169 

of the richer than in the case of the poorer man. Hence the only 
way in which anything like equality of sacrifice can be brought about 
is by increasing the proportion taken from the former. This means 
that the rate should be progressive.* 

It might be objected, indeed, that the principle of progression 
should not be applied to large landed estates, since a considerable 
portion of these is unproductive, and consequently does not favor- 
ably affect sacrifice. But the same objection can be urged against 
any taxation of unoccupied land. The same social reasons that 
justify the equal taxation of unproductive with productive land, 
apply to the levying of an exceptionally high tax on very large 
estates, even though at present they may not be revenue producing. 

While the tax is sound in principle, it is probably not needed 
to any great extent in America. In the great majority of cases, 
the ordinary tax levied on smaller holdings of the same value 
would probably be effective to compel the sale of the larger tracts 
on reasonable terms. Perhaps the only exceptions to this statement 
would occur in connection with a few immense holdings of mineral 
and timber lands which are important adjuncts to the maintenance 
of monopolies. " There are many great combinations in other in- 
dustries whose formation is complete. In the lumber industry, <m 
the other hand, the Bureau finds now in the making a combination 
caused, fundamentally, by a long standing public policy. The con- 
centration already existing is sufficiently impressive. Still more 
impressive are the possibilities for the future. In the last forty 
years concentration has so proceeded that one hundred and ninety- 
five holders, many interrelated, now have practically one-half of the 
privately-owned timber in the investigation area (which contains 
eighty per cent of the whole). This formidable process of concen- 
tration, in timber and in land, clearly involves grave future possi- 
bilities of impregnable monopolistic conditions, whose far-reaching 
consequences to society it is now difficult to anticipate fully or to 
overestimate. "f Evidently an effective remedy for this condition 
would be a super tax on large holdings of timber land, whether the 
holder were an individual, a corporation, or a group of interrelated 
concerns pursuing a policy of " community of interest." 

*Cf. Vermeersch, Quaestiones de Justitia, pp. 94-126; Seligman, Progressive 
Taxation in Theory and Practice, pp. 119, in, N. Y., 1908; Mill, Principles of Politi- 
cal Economy, book v., ch. ii., sec. 3. 

^Summary of Report of the Commissioner of Corporations on the Lumber 
Industry in the United States, p. 8. 

[THE END.] 



THE POSTBOY. 



BY JEANIE DRAKE. 




NYTHING for me? " called the little schoolmistress. 
She stood below the schoolhouse, high on the hill, 
her slim figure, in clinging white, outlined against 
the darkly-verdant mountain side the wind blowing 
the light tresses about her brow and neck into a 
shimmering halo. 

The postmaster, who also kept the village store, would, doubt- 
less, have answered after a deliberate five minutes or so; but one 
of a later, more pushing, generation, playing marbles in the road- 
way mud, called back, slowly and nasally : " He ain't got the 
bags open yit." 

Once more her urban training made her chafe against sluggish 
tardiness ; once more her cheery nature triumphed in the little laugh 
which tinkled down the hillside. 

" Who's thet thar? " suddenly asked the lolling postboy, com- 
ing half-way out of what seemed slumber or trance on the top of 
a flour barrel. 

" New school teacher," drawled the urchin in patches. Then 
resigning, once for all, the honorable but exacting office of chief 
of information, he gave himself single-mindedly to pitching of 
marbles. 

However, the group which sat about the store, and spat from 
its doors, and munched an occasional apple taken, as of custom, 
from its boxes, would just as soon discuss Miss Anniston, at the 
rate of a word a minute, as anything else. And the postboy could 
listen. 

" Mighty good-lookin' gal," said one. 

" Ain't too flippety, neither," approved another. 

" My Ben says she's way up in algebry," remarked the black- 
smith. " An' she kin pound the life outen' thet new pianner Pick 
Brattle's got for his boarders. I wouldn't give shucks myself 
for them thar pianners. They's nothin' but crash an' bang an' 
squiddle an' bumble the endurin' time. You'uns hed orter hear 



I 9 i2.] THE POSTBOY 171 

my Ben play the cordial. He jes' makes goose-flesh all over ye. 
Thet's music ! " 

" Well," said the postmaster, evading this issue, " my kids is 
powerful stuck on the school teacher, too. But it's my idee she won't 
be so mighty long with us in these yere parts. It's her beau up to 
Vineland thet's a-writin' her every day; an' she's a-sewin' an' 
a-hemmin' an' a-frillin' everlastin'; an' thet thar's a sure sign. 
Here, you Balsam " to the postboy on the barrel " stretch them 
long legs o' yourn an' climb up to Pick Brattle's with teacher's mail." 

The postboy, hearkening with his mouth open, as was his 
habit, stretched out a horny hand, galvanically. He had to wait 
while each, passing Miss Anniston's mail from one to the other, 
inspected it as a matter of course. 

And the blacksmith, after slow scrutiny, said to the postmaster, 
with such significance as their slow monotony of speech permitted : 
" Dientical handwritin', an' dientical man, you kin swar." 

When Balsam Driggs at last received it, he also read the post- 
card, fingered and weighed the package, and inspected at length 
the address on the envelope. But with such customary practices went 
a novel elation in the thought of carrying these, and so having 
word and sight of the apparition on the schoolhouse hill. He 
scrambled, ungracefully, up a short cut, swinging himself higher 
here and there by aid of tough rhododendron root, or a branch 
of low hanging kalmia. Awkward consciousness of the waiting 
eyes above, and the lazily watchful eyes below in the postoffice door, 
interfered with ordinary sure climbing, and near the top he slipped, 
and landed at sprawling full length before the teacher. 

Instantly unrestrained shouts of rough, bucolic laughter, mag- 
nified a thousandfold by echo in his crimson ears, went up to the 
mountain top. " Did she laugh, too ? Did she laugh, too ? " The 
harsh stammering of his own voice was unfamiliar when he 
muttered, miserably : " I reckon I done got a heap o' mud on this 
yere mail." 

" It doesn't matter at all. I hope you didn't hurt yourself. 
You couldn't help it," she assured him promptly, and with seeming 
undisturbed gravity: in spite of which she was amusedly aware 
of his ungainly lankiness; his faded, shrunk, and patched home- 
spuns; his shock of uncombed hair; his freckles decorated with 
a splash of mud; his grotesquely outstanding ears; his wide, half- 
open mouth. " He looks like a cod-fish," she reflected, with re- 
morseful inward mirth, and wished him immediately away that she 



172 THE POSTBOY [Nov., 

might open her dear, daily letter. But it was, to her conscience, 
clearly a case calling for encouraging reassurance. " Are you our 
mail-carrier ? " she asked him sweetly. 

" Yessum." 

" Then your name, I hear, is Balsam Zero Driggs." A little 
smile twitched the corners of her lips, but was firmly subdued. 
" Ought you not to be at school? You're surely under age." 

" The contractor at Vineland, he ain't noways particular as 
to thet. But my maw she's my stepmaw up an' swore I was 
twenty-one. I guess she'd orter know; but thar's others thet used 
to know my real maw allows I'm sixteen." 

It was clear that the second Mrs. Driggs' passion for truth was 
weaker than her desire to provide for a growing, and, probably, 
voracious boy. 

" She's a hard-working woman, I'm told," said the school- 
mistress tentatively. 

" Mebbe she is," said Balsam, with vagueness. " She's power- 
ful hard-handed," he supplemented, rubbing his cheek, reminiscently. 

The schoolmistress let loose again her rippling laugh, which, 
in his thoughts, he compared to " a plumb, sweet, cowbell." 

" Why! " she interrupted her mirth, " your wrist is bleeding! 
You poor boy! You cut it when you fell." She touched it with 
merely one smooth finger, for it was also very muddy ; yet that was 
enough to crimson afresh the great ears. 

" 'Taint nothin'," he protested, gruff stolidity masking shame- 
faced emotion. " I kin stand right smart o' hurt. I ain't no 
gal-baby," and he hid his hand behind him. 

But from that moment he was her slave. However hungry 
he might be when he threw his pouch into Tumbling River post- 
office one end of his route he hurried no more to cold potatoes 
and greasy cabbage, sauced with a stepmother's scoldings, until he 
had first mounted the hill with Miss Anniston's mail. 

Generally there was some small offering besides, as a branch 
of flowering rhododendron, or a specially ripe and rosy apple, 
sweet raspberries laid on a leaf ; or it might be a many-celled wasp's 
nest, or a silvery mole skin. Her face and voice and smile came 
to represent all brightness to a starved, ill-used, ignorant, and 
squalid existence. Her soft : " Thank you, Balsam," was com- 
pensation for everything, even the increasing reluctance he felt 
to deliver a certain daily letter addressed in script that was bold 
and firm, and evidently brought her comfort in exile. 



1912.] THE POSTBOY 173 

" Thet thar galoot's e'en a most teacher's dog," commented 
the village loafers ; adding tolerantly that she was " powerful good 
to larn him o' nights an' Sundays," and that she was " thet kind 
thet sorter filled in mos' anywhars, bein' nice an' common." 

Tribute came from even the redoubtable Mrs. Driggs, who, 
after cuffing Balsam for *' foolin' his time up at Brattle's, admitted, 
in grudging undertone, that while he was " a good-for-nothin' gad- 
around, mostly, he hed a leetle excuse this time, teacher bein' thet 
brightsome she chirked folks up same's a sunflower." 

This same cheery adaptability of Miss Anniston's, partly 
natural, partly induced in uncongenial surroundings by sustaining 
visions of a happier future, was proved in ways useful to others 
as well as pleasant. 

" Thar ain't a grain o' cornmeal in the house/' declared Pick 
Brattle's wife one afternoon. " Our Billy horse is ploughing an' 
the mar gits too gaily fer me. I was a-thinkin', Miss Mary, sence 
you're so powerful fond o' ridin', you'd mebbe not mind takin' the 
corn to mill with you." 

Miss Anniston smiled. Cantering the little mare through the 
crisp air and inspiring mountain scenery was one thing; jog-trotting 
to mill quite another. But " Bring forth the bag, Mrs. Brattle! " 
she cheerfully agreed. 

She sat " squar' on the poke," as directed, and heeded the 
warning " to hold the mar in, or spill the corn." Down the hill 
and through the village, with its appreciative, grinning onlookers, 
went she, safely if slowly, until a braying mule at large startled the 
mare, which reared and plunged for some moments. 

" 'Taint so blame easy to stick on the critter when you've 
got a chunky poke on your saddle," suggested admiringly the 
ungainly knight who lurched to the rescue and quieted the snorting 
mare. 

" It's the poke I'm anxious about, Balsam," she laughed. " No 
cornmeal, no bread for supper. It's well I was so close to the mill, 
and not crossing a ford." She knocked with her whip handle on 
the door of the picturesque, ramshackle old mill. A thin and 
sallow woman opened it. " Where is the miller ? " asked the 
young lady. 

" I'm the miller." 

"You? Well, I believe the women do everything in this 
cotmtry except loaf. Half an hour, you say? Hitch my horse, 
Balsam, and we'll wait outside." 



174 THE POSTBOY [Nov., 

When the great wheel began to revolve and send its glittering 
creamy showers below, she strolled a little way along the Tumbling 
River and sat down upon a log, while Balsam stood and stared 
devoutly at her, a thing to which she had long grown accustomed, 
and heeded not at all. She mused in contented reverie, which the 
glowing, autumnal mountain side, the murmuring water, and the 
spicy smell of burning brushwood harmoniously accompanied. The 
two were so still that, presently, the hum of voices from the nearby 
forge resolved itself into distinguishable words. 

" Oh, yes, thet's the same old song. We been agoin' to git 
a railroad thet'll kerry our crops to market for the las' twenty year, 
an' it ain't come yet! An' what we'uns kin make here, a-workin' 
an' a-haulin', a-workin' an' a-haulin', fifteen mile to market ain't 
enough to keep soul an' body together ! " 

" No, an' we ain't allowed to use our corn other ways by 
them revnoo chaps up to Washington. Dod rat 'em! Sittin' 
thar an' swillin' champagne outen the people's money; an' ef a 
poor man makes a drop outen his own stuff what he's ploughed an' 
planted an' raised penitentiary for him." 

" Thar's some's a-talkin' about thet thar young dude Commis- 
sioner up to Vineland," said the first speaker, very slowly. " Thet 
ef he don't let up on the poor folk a bit, he'll git, mebbe, a load o' 
birdshot to spile his fine clothes. Mebbe somethin' heavier." 

" Thet ain't no way to talk," interposed the blacksmith for 
the first time. " What you'uns want is to keep your eyes on thet 
thar sneakin' cur, Sim Gasway. Why's he a-gettin' letters in same 
hand as comes to school-teacher ! " 

The girl, pale now, had risen to her feet. " Who told them 
my letters were from Commissioner Torrance ? " she asked, in a 
whisper. 

" They axed me," Balsam muttered miserably. " I seed him 
post one to you, an' another to Sim Gasway." 

"Who are these men?" she asked again, when he had re- 
placed her and the bag of meal upon the mare, and walked beside 
her, his head hanging. 

" Fellers from Dark Corners. Lot's o' stills up thar. Some 
o' their kin folk been up for trial last month." 

"And they would kill a judge for punishing lawbreakers?" 

" I ain't a-sayin' thet. But," he added, his vacuous expression 
changing not at all, " I'd jes' as soon, myself, shoot a low-down 
spy an' informer thet was a-takin' money for jailin' his own 



I 9 i2.] THE POSTBOY 175 

neighbors as I would a mean hound-dog thet was pullin' down 
a dumb critter." 

" You don't know if this suspicion against Gasway has proof," 
she said, severely, " and you would better attend strictly to your 
mail and your lessons, Balsam." 

Consternation at this revelation of unsuspected deeps in her 
uncouth subject filled her mind for a while. But, as he made no 
answer, she lapsed into thought, anxious now and quite unob- 
servant of the gorgeous mountain tops or the swiftly-flowing river. 

Only last week she had written her Commissioner, " I beg 
you to use all possible patience and indulgence in dealing with 
these poor misguided offenders. For seeing near at hand their 
hard and pitifully meager lives must inspire compassion for even 
their errors." 

The answer to this had been : " Sweetheart, I accepted, for 
the time, an uncongenial post only to hasten a certain happy day. 
I have good hope of being soon transferred to another, different and 
permanent. Meanwhile, you would not have me, as an honest man, 
do less than my whole duty, even if this involves a seeming severity 
to lawbreakers, distressingly poor and ignorant." Following this, 
to-day's letter told her he was coming to visit her. 

" Would the road you ride be safe for the gentleman they 
spoke of ? " she added, suddenly. 

He shuffled uncomfortably, busying himself with the bags of 
meal on her saddle, and was dumb. 

She was still standing on the brow of the hill when he re- 
turned from stabling her mare, and she gave him a hastily-written 
note to mail. With this in her mind, she murmured : " If any- 
thing happens to him, I shall surely die I shall surely die ! " not 
knowing that she was speaking aloud, nor that the shambling 
carrier was aware, as well as she, that her note held reasons 
though not the real one against her lover's coming. 

While she yet lay in dream-haunted sleep, the postboy set forth 
in the grey of the next dawning. It was still dark and cold. 
Since midnight the rain had fallen in heavy sheets, blown hither and 
thither by wind gusts. But to be wet, or shiveringly cold, or hungry, 
were mere details in the boy's life; and beyond a shrunken and 
dripping forlornness, he gave no sign that this day's work differed 
from that of others less dreary. Mile after mile he and the bony 
sorrel jogged, heads down, along the rugged, muddy route, crossing 
a swollen brook here and there on their way. Not until he reached 



176 THE POSTBOY [Nov., 

the South Fork of Tumbling River did he need to hesitate. Here 
fragments of the bridge swept past him, whirling and dashing down 
stream, and at the ford the risen water spread and foamed across 
the road. 

A woman who had known his dead parents shrilled from 
her doorway, across the rain : " You, Balsam Driggs, you ain't 
fool to try the ford in thet thar freshet! Come right along in 
here with me, an' let me git ye some hot coffee." 

Unheeding her, he put the sorrel at the ford, and the animal, 
quickly loosing its footing, tried to swim across the rushing current. 
But it was glad to quickly scramble out again. 

" It's all plumb foolishness," said the woman in the log cabin, 
raking up the embers and throwing on wood that the boy might 
dry his clothes. " You ain't paid for drownin' yerself, nor your 
horse neither. Ez for letters, they're not thet partickler, bein' 
mostly writ by folks with nothin' much to say." She fed and 
warmed and would have kept him longer, but, after some hours, 
the rain ceasing and the waters abating, he sought his horse, in 
stolid disregard of her protests. " With night a-comin' on ! " she 
said, her hands uplifted, in useless dissuasion. 

She was unaware how the lad was urged on by the unforgettable 
words in someone's soft voice : " If anything happens to him, 
I shall surely die! " He was driven by the dull instinct of danger 
lurking in delay. The ford was yet unsafe, but he and the sorrel 
managed it ; swimming and resisting sturdily. A mile beyond there 
was a worse and deeper passage to make ; and now dusk was near, 
with cloud drifts scurrying on high, and a single star trying to peep 
from the troubled ether beyond. Close to this ford, a trail ended 
which led from far-away Dark Corners; and while the sorrel still 
splashed, ankle deep, resisting the rushing torrent, there closed in 
from the farther side three men, and one laid hands on his bridle. 

" Keep right still, sonny," said he, " an' you won't git hurt. 
Otherways, there might be a accident see ? " 

Through his surprise, Balsam did see quite clearly that he was 
one defenceless boy to three armed men; and he sat stiff and mute. 
The three wore soft hats pulled over their brows, and handker- 
chiefs tied beneath their eyes. 

" We'uns been a-waitin' for you a right smart while," re- 
sumed the first speaker, grimly. " Hand over thet thar bag." 

One man, with gun shouldered, kept guard on the lonely road, 
while the others pulled the mail bag down. The postboy wondered 



1912.] THE POSTBOY 177 

to see them then produce a duplicate key, by which they 
soon had the bag opened and its contents scattered on the wet 
ground. 

" Here's what we're a-lookin' for," muttered the leader, in 
triumph, and, under the single, peeping star, he scratched, with diffi- 
culty, his damp matches to light a tiny lantern. " Mr. James 
Torrance, Vineland," he read, more quietly and inexorably than 
the judge who sentences. 

" Thet thar ain't Gasaway's fist." 

" It's his wife's. She's made out my bills offen." 

Such information as the letter contained regarding themselves 
and the illicit stills in their mountain eyries ; such offers of personal 
but secret guidance to constables ; such acknowledgment of reward 
already received by the informer, passed from hand to hand in a 
deadly silence. It gave to their half-savage minds full justifica- 
tion for this first crime which, affording evidence against the spy 
in their midst, should lead to a second, revengeful, greater one. 
It now set flame to their passions, and oaths to their lips. 

" Here's another to Commissioner," said one. " Lady's 
writin'." 

"Open thet, too," said the leader. "It'll tell, mebbe, when 
we kin git a chanst at him as well." 

But first they piled the other mail back, locked and re-slung 
the bag upon the sorrel, and bade the boy, " Be off ! " 

" S-t-t ! " warned the guard, who had heard across the rushing 
water a faint sound of hoofs. So had the country boy's ears 
caught this, and it waked his dormant faculties to a reckless action. 
The letter which held all the mail's sacredness for him was in the 
nearer man's hand. He snatched it suddenly, and was deep in the 
swirling flood before they recovered. 

" Cussed varmint ! " breathed the leader, hissing, and levelled 
a shot which lifted a spray of water. 

" Thet ain't no use," dissuaded the other, less furious. " He's 
not our game, an' he'll drown, anyway." 

This was, indeed, likely, as the poor sorrel labored and 
struggled midway, and neighed in terror while the powerful waters 
dragged at him. The guard meanwhile, with another " P-st-st," 
had prudently disappeared, for the hoof -beats were quickening and 
nearing, and to the other bank rode a horseman alert and keen-eyed. 

" It's Torrance," said the leader, savagely, and sent a bullet 
through the rider's hat. 

VOL. XCVI. 12. 



178 THE POSTBOY [Nov., 

The Commissioner whipped out a revolver, but the moun- 
taineers were already in covert behind bush and rock, from which 
a ball grazed his knee. 

Then to Balsam, plunging down stream, and gripping desper- 
ately at his horse's mane, came for once in his sodden life a divine 
inspiration. " If anything happens to him " he remembered, and, 
at the clicking of a flint lock behind a tree, he shouted : " Why 
don't you shoot at me, you cowards, 'stid o' him ? He ain't a-knowin' 
who ye are; but I know everyone of you'uns, an' I'll swar to ye 
in court ! " 

Thus the mail robbers' final shot before retreat was aimed at 
him. Their silent, instantaneous disappearance was scarcely 
heeded by the Commissioner, who spurred his horse through sub- 
merged elders and willows along stream until, in shallower spot, 
he could ride in and catch and lead the sorrel out. It was full time, 
for the half-drowned and bleeding lad sank at once to earth. 
When he opened his eyes many stars twinkled down at him through 
the leaves, and the Commissioner watched anxiously over him. 

" Whar's the bag?" asked Balsam weakly. 

" I'm afraid it dropped in the river when your horse lost 
footing and rolled," said the Commissioner. 

" 'Taint no matter," said the boy, " long's this yere's safe," and 
gave him the precious letter with a ruddy stain upon it. 

How the Commissioner bound his wound, and placed him on 
his horse, and led it over the stream where fordable, and paid the 
woman who had known his parents to nurse him back to life and 
health, need not be written. It could not remove the deep and 
rankling hurt which the young official's straight, slender figure, well- 
fitting clothes and easy manner held for Balsam. These mountain 
folk are not excitable, and the blacksmith voiced the community's 
opinion when he remarked without enthusiasm : " The boy only 
done his duty, I guess." 

They held this less doubtfully when Sim Gasway's body was 
found stark on a far trail, and Balsam was summoned to identify 
three held on suspicion. 

" I ain't see anybody's face thet thar evenin', an' they talked 
husky-like," he maintained, stolidly. 

" But you said at the ford you knew them," expostulated the 
Commissioner. 

" I spoke thet away jes' to skeer 'em, so's they'd stop shootin' 
at you," repeated the boy, and persisted immovably in this. His 



1912.] THE POSTBOY 179 

lacklustre countenance made the magistrate dismiss him, with an 
impatient aside : 

"He's evidently half-witted." 

But the little schoolmistress knew otherwise. " You will learn 
farming and lots of useful things at the Industrial School, Balsam," 
she told him, gently " And, when you're through there, Mr. 
Torrance and and I will be living in Washington ; and we remem- 
ber what you did, and mean that you shall have a small place of 
your own. Then, 'who knows' " with a smile to brighten his 
dumb defection " you will be over twenty-one, and will be want- 
ing a nice little wife among the girls here. But you must not 
make her work too hard, as mountain men do." 

" She shan't do a thing," said Balsam, cheering up a little, " but 
cook and wash and scrub, and feed the chickens an' milk the cows, 
an', an'" 

" So, so, that's enough," declared the young lady, laughing. 
" Let her do all inside the pretty, little log cabin, and you take 
care of the farm outside." 

A touch of what would be called wistfulness on less irregular 
and freckled features came upon Balsam's : " Ef she could look, 
an' laugh, an' speak like you," he said, " she needn't to do nothin' 
at all but what she'd a mind to." 




CHRISTIAN SCIENCE. 

BY ADRIAN FEVEREL. 
I. 

THE CULT OF THE IMMORAL. 

F the making of sects, there seems, like the making of 
books, to be no end. Yet the making of sects has 
been, until recent years, conducted along the lines in- 
augurated by Luther in the sixteenth century; the 
numerous divisions and sub-divisions among the 
Protestant churches have been rigidly Protestant in doctrine and 
organization; but in the latter part of the nineteenth century a 
new religious movement began which has in a large measure in- 
fluenced the latest innovations in religious thought, and has, more- 
over, from obscure beginnings, developed into an organization of 
world-wide magnitude. This movement was begun by Mrs. Mary 
Baker Eddy, " the discoverer and founder of Christian Science." 
At its inception it numbered Mrs. Eddy and another student; at 
her death it was organized and on a substantial footing in the five 
continents; it numbered over one hundred thousand adherents, 
and it had enabled its " founder " to rise from obscurity to promi- 
nence, from poverty to wealth. 

The modern therapeutical ideas that are embodied in so many 
new religious movements may all be traced largely to the 
basic ideas of Eddyism, misnamed Christian Science. And of these 
innovations, the source of them is infinitely more formidable and 
dangerous than any of the rivulets which have sprung from it. It is 
dangerous spiritually and materially; spiritually, because it 
strikes at the very fundamentals of Christianity; materially, be- 
cause it strikes at the fundamentals of health and morality. Let 
us, in order that we may see whether this is so, examine Eddyism 
in four of its aspects: first, as immoral; second, as un-Christian ; 
third, as unscientific, and, fourth, as ridiculous. Before we proceed 
to a detailed examination let us first glance briefly at its history 
and the history of its " discoverer and founder." 

Mrs. Mary Baker Glover Eddy was born at Bow, New Hamp- 
shire, in 1821. Her childhood was uneventful according to her 
unauthorized biographers, though Mrs. Eddy endeavors to make 
herself a child like the young Samuel, and asserts that she frequently 



I 9 i2.] CHRISTIAN SCIENCE 181 

heard " voices not our own " calling her. She had no exceptional 
educational advantages ; though she avers that her brother taught 
her Latin, Greek, and Hebrew during his vacations. This, how- 
ever, must be taken cum grano salis, as indeed must all of Mrs. 
Eddy's assertions regarding herself. Certainly her writings give 
no evidence of such classic learning as she claims was hers. In 
1842 she married George Washington Glover, who died six months 
later; a child was born of this marriage, George Glover, Jr., who has 
lately figured in litigation regarding his mother's estate. After some 
years of widowhood she married a Dr. Patterson, from whom she 
later secured a divorce. During her widowhood, and after her 
second marriage, she suffered greatly from nervous disorders, and 
was constantly under the care of physicians, from whom, however, 
she obtained little relief. She seems to have been of an experi- 
mental disposition, for she tried allopathic and homeopathic doc- 
tors, and even indulged in the water cure at Dr. Vail's sanitarium 
in New Hampshire. 

It was while she was at this institution that she first heard of 
Dr. Quimby. A patient at Dr. Vail's had gone to him and had 
been much benefited. Mrs. Eddy and some other inmates of the 
institution also wished to go, and accordingly, after some delay, 
due to meager finances, they set out. It was from Dr. Quimby 
that Mrs. Eddy got her first idea of the system " she afterward 
denominated Christian Science."* Dr. Quimby was not at this 
time a mesmerist, as Mrs. Eddy afterward endeavored to make 
him out. He taught that all physical effects may be traced to a 
mental cause ; that with this idea Jesus of Nazareth had healed the 
sick; he denied the hypostatic union, believing that in Christ were 
two natures, the divine or Christly, the human or visible, expressed 
in Jesus. Mrs. Eddy seems to have been much benefited by his 
treatment, and became an enthusiastic disciple, as well as a patient. 
She wrote " poems " and articles for newspapers and periodicals 
praising her teacher, and likening him to Christ. When Dr. 
Quimby died in January, 1866, Mrs. Eddy wrote a " poem " entitled, 
" Lines upon the death of Dr. P. P. Quimby who healed with the 
truth that Christ taught in contradistinction to all isms."f 

After his death Mrs. Eddy continued to teach his doctrines, 
and received money frequently for the " great truth " she imparted 
to her students. She began to achieve a deal of success in this 
manner, and among her students was her future husband, Asa 

^Science and Health, p. 107. Retrospection and Introspection, p. 32. 
^History of Christian Science. By Georgine Milmine. 



i82 CHRISTIAN SCIENCE [Nov., 

G. Eddy. Her students soon began to speak of her with a show 
of reverence, an attitude which Mrs. Eddy encouraged. Gradu- 
ally Dr. Quimby receded as the originator of her system. When 
her book, " the precious volume,"* Science and Health, appeared 
in 1875, Dr. Quimby had ceased to have any share in his own 
doctrines. Mrs. Eddy had arrogated them to herself, and had 
transformed his almost harmless ideas into a direct revelation from 
God. 

Her students increased, also her finances and ambitions. She 
saw a vista of a great religious movement that bore her name, 
and that encircled the world. She saw, too, quite clearly that organi- 
zation was necessary. Accordingly she organized " The Church of 
Christ, Scientist," in 1879; later she became its first pastor and took 
without any real right the title Reverend. To quote her own 
words. "I accepted the call, and was ordained in i88i."f Her 
propaganda was augmented in 1883 by the establishment of a 
monthly magazine, The Christian Science Journal, and later by 
a weekly, The Christian Science Sentinel; shortly before her death 
a daily newspaper made its appearance. The story of her gradual 
rise and the rise of her cult is too well known to merit repetition. 

In December, 1910, Mrs. Eddy died, full of years, her am- 
bitions fulfilled, her church organization wonderfully developed, 
and herself adored and accepted by at least one hundred thousand 
people as one to whom God had revealed a new dispensation. One 
can estimate her own opinion of her character from many quaint 
remarks about herself contained in her writings. Answering a 
query on this point she gives, as a " concise, yet complete summary " 
of her character, the words of her last husband, " Her works are 
the outcome of her life ; I never knew so unselfish an individual."! 
But Miss Milmine paints a very different portrait. She presents, 
moreover, substantial documents to show that she does not exagger- 
ate. She pictures Mrs. Eddy a woman, ambitious, unscrupulous, 
fond of adulation, gifted with a certain charm of manner, a wonder- 
ful power of organization, thoroughly selfish, domineering and 
with an eagle eye for " the dollar." 

Let us examine very briefly Mrs. Eddy's book, Science and 
Health. The first edition was published in 1875. ^ nas since 
been revised and re-revised until the present volume is very unlike 
the first edition. The philosophy it contains, if one may dig- 
nify such nonsense with so dignified a title, is a mixture of ignorant 

^Retrospection and Introspection. 

^Miscellaneous Writings, p. 35. 



I 9 i2.] CHRISTIAN SCIENCE 183 

Gnosticism, Hypnotism, Pantheism, and very bad logic. Starting 
with the proposition that all is Mind, that every physical effect 
may be traced to a mental cause, the domain of the physical is 
at once swept out of existence.* In short the physical is mortal 
mind as opposed to Divine Mind. Sin, sickness, death, are errors. 
Become conscious that these do not exist, and they vanish. f God 
ceases to be God in Science, He becomes Divine Mind or Divine 
Principle. t Christ becomes Truth, Jesus the " highest material 
concept of man." The two natures of Jesus Christ are declared 
separate. " The corporeal Jesus was human." || The Holy Ghost 
becomes Divine Science, or Christian Science.^ The Trinity is 
" suggestive of Polytheism."** God is no longer Our Father, but 
rather " Our Father-Mother God." ft The Atonement and Cruci- 
fixion are efficacious only in so far as they demonstrate God's love 
for man.|$ Sin, sickness, and death are to be overcome in Science, 
through the knowledge that they are mere beliefs, hence non-ex- 
istent. Yet all this is declared to be " corroborative of the Bible." 

In following these leadings of scientific revelation the Bible 
was my only text-book. The Scriptures were illumined. 

The Bible and Science and Health are our only teachers .... 
the Canonical Writings, together with our text-book, corrobor- 
ating and explaining the Bible texts constitute a sermon 

undivorced from Truth, uncontaminated and unfettered by hu- 
man hypotheses, and divinely authorized. |||| 

By the Bible Mrs. Eddy means the Protestant version. A fact 
not difficult to understand when one remembers that in the book of 
Ecclesiasticus we may read, " Honor the physician for the "Lord 
hath created him." 

Let us examine this system more intimately as the cult of the 
immoral, and see whether or not in its teachings of sin and mar- 
riage it merits this adjective. Of course the Bible is full of in- 
stances which might be cited to show that the inspired writers re- 
garded sin as a terrible reality. But Mrs. Eddy avers that the 
Scriptures are not properly interpreted. Scientifically interpreted, 
sin becomes an unreality. It is like all else that is inharmonious 
with God, (good) error or illusion. 

*Science and Health, pp. 113-468. llbid., p. 14. 

Hbid., pp. 330, 112, 115, 587. Vbid., p. 589. R/frui., pp. 332-473- 

Ubid. p. 55. **Ibid., p. 256. tflbid., pp. 16-592. 

ttlbid., p. 24. /&/., p. no. 

I! II Explanatory Note, read each Sunday before the Lesson Sermon, see Christian 
Science Quarterly. 



184 CHRISTIAN SCIENCE [Nov., 

The only reality of sin is the awful fact that unrealities 

seem real to human belief until God strips off their disguises.* 

In Christian Science the fact is made obvious, that the sin- 
ner and the sin are alike nothingness ; and this view is supported 
by the Scripture where the Psalmist saith, " He shall go to the 
generation of his fathers; they shall never see light; man that 
is in honor and understandeth not, is like to the beasts that 
perish."f 

God never made man capable of sin $ 

Man is incapable of sin For he derives his essence from 

God, and does not possess a single or underived power. 

These extracts from Mrs. Eddy's writings indicate quite plainly 
her ideas upon this subject. She clearly says that sin is impossible. 
Man cannot sin since there is no sin. It is the most dangerous 
of her many dangerous doctrines. It is no answer to show that 
Christian Scientists are, as a whole, decently behaved people. They 
are so, not because they disbelieve in sin, but because they, uncon- 
sciously perhaps, really do believe in it. Their old training, for 
most of the converts to Eddyism were formerly Protestants of the 
New England type, had taught them to regard sin as other sane 
people do, and " Science " has not yet destroyed their faculty of 
discerning right and wrong. It will be interesting to see how a 
third generation, supposing the sect can continue its life that long, 
and there is nothing to indicate at present that it cannot, will deport 
themselves. 

In the teachings outlined above, free will has obviously no 
place. God guides man's every action. Such theories are the 
servants and allies of temptation. Even Mrs. Eddy realized that 
" a belief in sin " could be held even by the elect of her own fold, 
as the different scandals of Christian Science indicate. Let us sup- 
pose a " scientist " suffering from a " belief in sin." In other 
words, let us imagine a man grievously tempted. What effect 
would a declaration a mental declaration, merely that there 
is no sin have upon the temptation? It is possible that it might 
prevent him from yielding to it; possible, but not by any means 
probable. On the contrary, given a person of average weakness, 
and " scientists " are not above the average human being in this 
respect, such a declaration would have rather the result of driving 
one headlong into sin, where a reasonable struggle might deter one 
from falling. The average " scientist " cannot, as yet, demonstrate 

^Science and Health, p. 472. t Retrospection and Introspection, p. 87. 

^Science and Health, p. 480. Ibid., p. 475. 



I 9 i2.] CHRISTIAN SCIENCE 185 

perfectly over his " beliefs in sickness." He has frequently to 
call upon his practitioner. Why should it be at all easier for him 
to demonstrate over " beliefs in sin ? " And supposing he has 
recourse to a practitioner in sin as in sickness, how does the healer 
treat the case ? By declaring, as he does in sickness, " There is 
nothing the matter." Obviously, then, the last state of that man is 
worse than the first. 

Let us go to Mrs. Eddy's " sole teacher,"* the Bible. A mul- 
titude of texts at once occur to us in which our Savior and His 
Apostles admit the reality of sin. We think, for example, imme- 
diately of St. John's words, " If we say that we have no sin, we 
deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us." But the strongest 
text in refutation of Mrs. Eddy's doctrine are the words of Our 
Lord in St. John's Gospel. " Whosesoever sins ye remit, they are 
remitted unto them; and whosesoever sins ye retain, they are re- 
tained." Mrs. Eddy could perhaps take refuge in her charge that 
commonsense interpretations of the Bible are " unscientific ;" she 
could point out that St. John may have meant " a belief in sin," not 
sin itself. But even Mrs. Eddy cannot give a " scientific interpreta- 
tion " to our Savior's charge to His Apostles. It refutes her 
theory completely, for it is inconceivable that Christ would give 
His Apostles power to retain that which was non-existent. And 
here, too, let us note another inconsistency which this theory of sin 
implies in relation to the Scriptures. It is this: It makes of 
absolutely no effect the crucifixion of our Lord Jesus Christ. If 
there was no sin, there was obviously no need for our Redeemer to 
become " the propitiation for our sins." Mrs. Eddy evidently saw 
this contradiction, and endeavors to dodge the issue with such 
cloudy phrases as " the efficacy of the Crucifixion lay in the 
practical affection and goodness it demonstrated for mankind."! 

We can see quite clearly that this theory of sin is in direct 
conflict with the teachings of Christianity. As such, in a sense it is 
immoral; but it is also immoral in the wider and more commonly 
accepted meaning of the word. Its teachings practically applied 
to the temptations of life would not only make but a poor bul- 
wark, but would actually encourage one to sin. If there be no sin, 
that which I commit, whatsoever it be, is not sin. Webster defines 
the word immoral as " Not moral, dishonest, vicious." Surely it is 
plain that a doctrine cannot be moral which teaches that there is no 
such thing as immorality. Morals are usually considered the duties 
human beings have toward one another and to God. Denying that 

*Science and Health, preface, p. viii. llbid., p. 24. 



i86 CHRISTIAN SCIENCE [Nov., 

human beings can sin absolves them entirely from all duties, moral 
or social. It makes them not responsible for their actions, denying 
them the exercise of free will. So, too, denying that there can be 
dishonesty is essentially dishonest. And in this connection it is 
interesting to consider that Mrs. Eddy's " revelation " has been 
dishonestly appropriated from Dr. Quimby, who was its real " dis- 
coverer and founder." Miss Milmine makes this fact quite evident 
in her History of Christian Science. Are we, perhaps, not justified 
in thinking that this very doctrine was responsible for the dishonest 
foundation of Mrs. Eddy's divine " revelation? " And what more 
vicious idea could be implanted in the human mind than this, that 
viciousness is an unreality ? There are several scandals in Christian 
Science that make most unsavory reading. And here, again, may 
we not be justified in tracing this " error " to this immoral dogma 
of Eddyism? 

Let us examine Christian Science as The Cult of the Immoral in 
another of its phases. What does Mrs. Eddy teach regarding mar- 
riage? And before entering upon this subject let us remember 
that our Savior never condemned marriage. He Who said: 
" What God hath joined together let not man put asunder," and 
" they being twain are one flesh," was surely one Who rather com- 
mended marriage to those whose vocation it was. What does Mrs. 
Eddy say? We can find little directly immoral in the chapter on 
" Marriage " in Science and Health. In the volume entitled Mis- 
cellaneous Writings, however, she expresses herself quite openly. 
Answering a question upon this subject, " it is not well for Christian 
Scientists to marry," she avers. And the following quotations 
from articles in this volume show quite clearly her view, a rather 
inconsistent one, considering her life, on " Wedlock." 

Until Time matures human growth, marriage and progeny will 
continue unprohibited in Christian Science. We look to future 
generations for ability to comply with absolute Science, when 
marriage shall be found to be man's oneness with God.* 

To abolish marriage at this period and maintain morality and 
generation would put ingenuity to ludicrous shifts, yet this is 
possible in Science, though to-day it is problematic.! 

Is marriage nearer right than celibacy? Human knowledge 
inculcates that it is, while Science indicates that it is not.$ 

Human nature has bestowed upon a wife the right to become a 
mother; but if the wife esteems not this piivilege, by mutual 
consent, exalted and increased affections, she may win a higher. 

^Miscellaneous Writings, p. 286. ^Ibid,, p. 286. 

$Ibid., p. 288. SIbid., p. 289. 



I 9 i2.] CHRISTIAN SCIENCE 187 

A man or a woman having entered into wedlock and accepted 
the claims of the marriage covenant is held in Science as mor- 
ally bound to fulfill all the claims growing out of this contract ; 
unless such claims are relinquished by mutual consent of both 
parties, or this contract is legally dissolved.* 

It is worth while also to call attention to two peculiar state- 
ments in Science and Health. 

In Science man is the offspring of Spirit. The beautiful, 
good and pure constitute his ancestry. His origin is not like 
that of mortals in brute instinct, nor does he pass through 
material conditions prior to reaching intelligence.! 

Proportionally as human generation ceases, the unbroken links 
of eternal harmonious being will be discerned, and man not of 
the earth earthly, but co-existent with God, will appear.^ 

Just what do these citations from Mrs. Eddy's writings mean ? 
Briefly this: Marriage, like sin, sickness, birth, and death, is but 
an illusion, a " belief of mortal mind." Take the first quotation : 
" Until time matures human growth, marriage and progeny will 
continue unprohibited in Christian Science." When " time does 
mature human growth," will marriage and progeny be prohibited 
in Science? The inference is Yes. Especially, as Mrs. Eddy 
implies, that in those days marriage will be " found to be man's 
oneness with God." In fine, then, marriage is a mild form of error 
which Mrs. Eddy permits at present. " Suffer it to be so now." 
In the second extract, however, she goes a step further : " To abolish 
marriage at this period and still maintain morality and progeny 
would put ingenuity to ludicrous shifts, yet this is possible in 
Science." Her meaning here is a trifle ambiguous. Does she 
mean that it is possible to put ingenuity to ludicrous shifts in 
Science? This indeed is quite possible, and has frequently been 
done, but it is not at all her meaning. Put in other words, or 
rather expressed more clearly in the same words, her meaning is: 
" It is possible to maintain morality and progeny in Science and yet 
abolish marriage." She does not tell us how. These doctrines are, 
of course, immoral. For " mental generation " caused one of the 
greatest scandals in the history of Eddyism. Practically applied 
to the affairs of family life, these teachings yield one of two results 
either childless homes or homes built upon dishonest and sinful 

^Miscellaneous Writings, p. 298. ^Science and Health, p. 63. 

tlbid., p. 69. ^Science and Health, p. 56. 



i88 CHRISTIAN SCIENCE [Nov., 

foundations. Mrs. Woodbury, a disciple of Mrs. Eddy's, endeav- 
ored to put this teaching into practice. She asserted that her son, 
Prince, as she named him, was " an immaculately conceived child." 
Did Mrs. Eddy accept this practical demonstration of her teaching? 
By no means. She saw at once that her teaching put into practice 
would greatly discredit her church. Mrs. Woodbury was promptly 
excommunicated. Again, may we not be justified in attributing 
her downfall to the immoral doctrines of Eddy ism regarding sin 
and marriage? 

Take the third citation. Mrs. Eddy teaches that celibacy is 
nearer right than marriage. The Church teaches that while celi- 
bacy is a higher state of life than matrimony, yet it is possible to 
attain a state of sanctity in the world as in the cloister, 
although a different degree of sanctity. The Church recognizes 
that celibacy is a state of life possible only to the few. Mrs. Eddy 
teaches that it is the state of life we should all endeavor to follow. 
This, however, is a mild form of dishonesty and immorality com- 
pared to the teaching of the fourth quotation : " Human nature has 
bestowed upon a wife the right to become a mother; but if the wife 

esteem not this privilege she may win a higher." Again 

she does not say how. It is universally held that the most beautiful 
ideal of womanhood is the mother. Our Blessed Lady, God's 
perfect masterpiece, was a mother. How then can a wife win a 
higher privilege? Does Mrs. Eddy mean that it is nobler for a 
husband and wife to live as brother and sister? Or does she mean 
that a wife is justified if, desiring no children, she frustrates the 
true end of marriage by artificial means? It matters not which 
horn of the dilemma she chooses. The former would be practically 
meaningless, and, preached as a general teaching, decidedly immoral. 
It would make marriage a ridiculous sham and farce, be an express 
disobedience on the part of mankind of God's command, a contempt 
of Christ's teachings, and inevitably lead to free love. Of the 
other horn what need we say save that it is a cowardly manner of 
committing an atrocious crime a crime that is, in essence at least, 
infanticide. Doctrines such as these are immoral, and no subtle 
analysis is needed to prove it. 

Then there is the fourth extract : " A man or woman having 

entered into wedlock is held in Science as morally bound to 

fulfill all the claims of this contract. Unless such claims are re- 
linquished by mutual consent of both parties, or this contract is 
legally dissolved." Here Mrs. Eddy goes a step further and 
sanctions divorce, though with na'ive inconsistency she says in 



1912.] CHRISTIAN SCIENCE 189 

Science and Health, " Husbands and wives should never separate 
if there is no Christian demand for it"* Strange that Mrs. Eddy's 
" sole teacher " should contradict this teaching of hers. " Whom 
God hath joined together, let not man put asunder." 

But what are we to make of those two citations from Science 
and Health, " the precious volume " as Mrs. Eddy lovingly terms 

it ? " In Science man is the offspring of Spirit nor does he 

pass through material conditions prior to reaching intelligence." 
Does she mean here that man is not born in the flesh ? That man is 
co-existent with God ? The other quotation seems to indicate this : 
" And man not of the earth earthly, but co-existent with God, will 
appear." Take, too, the words : " Proportionally as human genera- 
tion ceases, the unbroken links of eternal harmonious being will be 
discerned." In other words, when " absolute Science " is under- 
stood we will no longer have fathers and mothers, we will exist in 
life without " birth, death, or decay."f 

We have seen in the extract from Miscellaneous Writings 
that Mrs. Eddy teaches that it is possible to abolish marriage, and 
yet maintain morality and progeny. We have seen, too, how this 
doctrine is essentially immoral, and how closely it borders upon 
free love. Mrs. Eddy disclaims this likeness, of course ; indeed, she 
says in the volume just mentioned, " it was in 1875 that Christian 
Science first crossed swords with free love, and the latter fell 
hors de combat."% None the less her teachings on marriage open 
the door to gross immorality. Taking human nature as it is, and 
guided by such ideas and doctrines, how long would it be able to 
resist the temptations to which it is inevitably subjected? 

Consider, too, in this connection Mrs. Eddy's teachings regard- 
ing sin. Place her doctrines of sin and marriage together and 
train two generations in them, and what does commonsense tell 
us would be the result? Obviously disaster. In this regard it is 
interesting to note Mrs. Eddy's definitions of children : 

(a) The spiritual thoughts and representations of life, truth, 
and love. 

(b) Sensual and mortal beliefs; counterfeits of creation, 
whose better originals are God's thoughts, not in embryo, but in 
maturity; material suppositions of life, substance, and intelli- 
gence, opposed to the Science of being. 

How Mrs. Eddy explains the inconsistency of these two defin- 
itions, it would be interesting to know, though it does not really 

*Science and Health, p. 66. ^Miscellaneous Writings, p. 286. 

p. 285. ^Science and Health, p. 582 



190 CHRISTIAN SCIENCE [Nov., 

concern the issue we are considering. It is the latter part of the 
definition which defines children as we understand them. Children 
of whom our Savior said, " Of such is the Kingdom of Heaven." 

Children, then, are " sensual and mortal beliefs, opposed to 

the Science of Being." In other words, children are errors. This 
shows clearly the horribly immoral tendency of Eddy ism. For a 
moment we will consider how these doctrines have already worked 
in practice. Mrs. Woodbury who, as we have seen, cited them in 
her own defense, was excommunicated. Mrs. Woodbury was not 
to be silenced, however, without a protest; she wrote an expose of 
Mrs. Eddy, which was published in The Arena, and Mrs. Eddy in 
her turn retorted in her message to the Mother Church, referring to 
her as " The Babylonian Woman." Mrs. Woodbury sued for libel. 
She lost her case, because the Christian Scientists called to the stand 
denied that they understood that Mrs. Woodbury was the " Baby- 
lonian woman," though it was commonly so understood when the 
message was read. Here, again, may we not be justified in tracing 
this " wholesome perjury," as some extravagant critics of Eddyism 
term it, to Mrs. Eddy's teaching regarding the nothingness of sin? 
To sum up, then, our indictment of Eddyism as The Cult of the 
Immoral. It is immoral because, denying sin, it places no obstacle 
in the way of one tempted to sin; denying that man is a creature 
endowed with free will, it limits his actions, and denies that he is 
capable of sin. In thus denying the reality of sin and man's pos- 
session of free will, it opens the way to immorality, and affords 
no support in time of temptation. Further, it is immoral because 
claiming to be founded upon truths contained in the Bible, it is in 
reality directly opposed to the fundamental teachings contained in 
the Scriptures; and claiming to be Christian, it is in reality un- 
Christian, since it makes of no effect our Lord's Crucifixion. It is 
immoral because it teaches that marriage is unnecessary for the con- 
tinuation of progeny; because it teaches that a wife can attain a 
higher ideal of womanhood by " esteeming not the privilege of 
becoming a mother." Lastly, it is immoral because it teaches that 
children are " errors," thus denying the Scriptural and Christian 
teaching concerning them. We have shown that these doctrines, 
though perhaps only latently dangerous when held in theory, 
become positively immoral when put into practice. We have shown 
that Eddyism in holding these doctrines and in teaching them is dis- 
honest and vicious ; hence our indictment is none too severe. 

[TO BE CONTINUED.] 



BALLADE OF UNKNOWN SAINTS. 

BY T. LAWRASON RIGGS. 

NEAR the rose-leaves flecked with red 

Thousands kneel at Francis' fane; 
Beaupre's blessed Anne has led 

Throngs to seek her help in pain ; 

Asian Goa's dusky train 
Swarm round Xavier's coffin-throne; 

Ye who shrineless still remain, 
Pray for us, ye saints unknown! 

Ye who, though your sorrows bled 
Life-long, could your trust maintain ; 

Ye whose h amble solace sped 
Trodden souls, anew to strain 
By your lives, that scribes disdain, 

By your graves, which God alone 
Watches, by your dearth of gain, 

Pray for us, ye saints unknown! 

Perfect crowns adorn each head, 
Gold without an earthly grain; 

Seeking you, we fear to tread 
Holy ground with feet profane. 
Yet, oh help us, 'gainst our bane, 

Pride, our pampered god of stone ! 

Knew ye not applause is vain? 

Pray for us, ye saints unknown! 

Envoi : 

Saints we love yet name not, 

To receive our homage prone ; 
That to know you we attain, 

Pray for us, ye saints unknown ! 




SIR THOMAS MORE AND HIS TIME. 

ERASMUS. 

BY W. E. CAMPBELL. 
IV. 

E have seen* how considerable an influence the writ- 
ings of Pico della Mirandola exercised on More's 
spiritual life, and it was pointed out how this in- 
fluence differed from that of Erasmus, which was of 
a more exclusively intellectual kind. In this paper 
we shall deal with Erasmus and his relations with Sir Thomas 
More. 

Erasmus was born late in 1466, More early in 1478, so that 
Erasmus was More's senior by eleven years. He first came to Eng- 
land in 1499, when he was thirty-three, and he came for the last time 
in 1517, when he was fifty-one. Of the eighteen years that passed 
between these dates, he spent seven years and a few months in the 
country, though not of course continuously. His first visit lasted 
eight months; his second, in 1505-6, fourteen months. From 1509 to 
I 5 I 5 his stay was almost unbroken, and in 1517, as we said, he 
returned for a last brief month. In addition to their personal con- 
tact, there was a mutual correspondence between the two men, of 
which about two dozen letters remain to us. 

What manner of man, then, was this Erasmus who, first com- 
ing to England at the age of thirty-three, then began and long 
continued to exercise so quickening a mental influence upon the 
best Englishmen of the time, and upon More, perhaps, the most 
quickening of all ? 

Before we can place Erasmus either in relation to More or in 
relation to the whole European life of his time, we must recognize 
that he was the prototype of a new race of critical thinkers who 
were prepared to challenge much that was generally accepted, and to 
despise much that was generally revered. Previous to the invention 
of printing such men as he had very few chances of attracting 
universal attention; but after it they found themselves armed with 
a new and easy method of distributing their opinions, which soon 
enabled them to become the intellectual tribunes of their age. Eras- 
mus was the first of these intellectual tribunes, and he had so much 

*THE CATHOLIC WORLD, April, 1912, p. 76. 



I9I2.J SIR THOMAS MORE AND HIS TIME 193 

to say about those who were established in the high places of civil 
and religious authority that we are entitled to ask what personal 
equipment he brought to the exercise of so responsible an office. 

The story of his parentage is well-known, and has been told with 
substantial fidelity, but with strong anti-Catholic bias, in Charles 
Reade's The Cloister and the Hearth, certainly one of the greatest 
novels in our language. His mother and father both died when he 
was about twelve, and he was left to the care of three guardians, 
whose management of his early life is open to some suspicion of self- 
interest. One of them, Peter Winckel, at first undertook his school- 
ing ; then he passed to the choir school at Utrecht, and after that to 
the famous school at Deventer, which numbered at its height some 
two thousand boys. Finally, he was sent to an Augustinian mon- 
astery at Steyn, where he made his monastic profession and remained 
for ten years, from 1482, when he was sixteen, until 1492, when 
he was twenty-six and just recently raised to the priesthood. He 
seems to have made great progress with his intellectual studies while 
at Steyn. It was here that he became familiar with patristic 
writers, especially with St. Augustine and St. Jerome. To a friend 
who at a later date recommended him to read St. Jerome's Letters 
he replies : " I have not only read them long ago, but have written 
every one of them out with my own fingers." To the same friend 
he also mentions his favorite Latin authors, " My authorities in 
poetry are Maro, Horace, Naso, Juvenal, Statius, Martial, Claudian, 
Persius, Lucan, Tibullus, and Propertius; in prose, Tully, Ouin- 
tilian, Sallust, Terence (sic)." 

But it must be admitted that Erasmus, though making full use 
of the intellectual opportunities afforded by an Augustinian monas- 
tery, made little use of the religious opportunities there offered him. 
In fact it seems quite evident that as soon as he felt himself grow- 
ing out of the mental possibilities of the place, he became discon- 
tented with the religious life altogether, and his superiors, under- 
standing the nature of his discontent, thought it wise to release 
him from immediate discipline. 

Between 1492, when he left his monastery at Steyn, and 1499, 
when he first visited England, Erasmus led a varied and interesting 
life, as those letters of his, in which he has caught for ever the 
living spirit and picture of his time, so plainly show. At first he 
secured the patronage of the bishop of Cambrai, but finding court 
life at Brussels unfavorable to study, he moved on to Paris, where 
he stayed with some intermissions until 1498. He first of all 

VOL. xcvi. 13. 



194 SIR THOMAS MORE AND HIS TIME [Nov., 

took up his residence at the College of Montaigu, where his studies 
were principally of a theological nature. " He was (now) a man 
of mature age, in priest's orders, and already the most accomplished 
scholar of his time." While there he preached some sermons, 
probably at the great Augustinian Abbey Church of St. Genevieve, 
which was not far off. But Montaigu was a hard-faring ecclesias- 
tical seminary, ill-suited to Erasmus' delicate nature and fastidious 
temperament. Each Lent his health broke, and he had to return 
to Holland for recovery. It was ruled by John Standonk, a prelate 
of established character and reputation, who at one time rather 
ruffled Erasmus' vanity, but at a later period the latter was glad to 
stand with him and John Mauburn in their attempt to reform the 
French Augustinian monasteries. Standonk determined to make his 
seminary an exemplary place, and to keep it, by its severe discipline 
and meager diet, for that poorer class of students for whom it had 
been founded. He certainly succeeded, but his very success brought 
upon his institution the very unjust criticisms of Erasmus and of 
Rabelais, who merely repeated Erasmus in his Gargantua* 

Erasmus left Montaigu before the end of 1495, g m g to Hol- 
land, and returning to Paris again in 1496. His life now took a 
more sociable turn, " vixit verius quam. studuit" he writes of him- 
self at this time. He resided at a rather sumptuous boarding-house 
in the Latin Quarter, much frequented by young Englishmen of 
rich or noble parentage. Here he made the acquaintance of Lord 
Mount joy, who was to introduce him to More, William Blount, 
Thomas Grey, and Robert Fisher, a cousin to Blessed John Fisher. 
Living under such conditions was a more expensive affair than at 
Montaigu, and so he was obliged to take pupils, and to make the 
most of, if not out of, his wealthy patrons. He appears to have 
been treated with marked respect at his boarding-house, and even 
dates a letter written to his prior at Steyn, E mea bibliotheca, 
speaking as if the whole household were his own. In the same 
letter he dilates with a rather unusual fervor upon his devotion to 
purely theological studies, and one cannot help surmising that all 
this was written rather with a wish to edify his religious superior 
than to inform him quite correctly of his actual manner of life. 

The conditions of his life at this time were evidently congenial 
to Erasmus ; but there were people about him who were scandalized 
by his indifference to certain religious observances, and busied 
themselves in carrying tales to his friends in Holland. But it 

*See Colloquies, trans. Bailey, pp. 38-98; Rabelais, Works, tr. vol. i. ; c. xxvii. 



1912.] SIR THOMAS MORE AND HIS TIME 195 

may be said that Erasmus was a man both by nature and habit 
little inclined to excesses of any kind, and the solid regard in which 
he was held by such people as More and Colet* confirms us in this 
opinion. On the other hand he had already acquired too prominent 
a European fame to be free from criticism and attack; and, un- 
fortunately for himself, he was too thin-skinned to receive such 
with the indifference or even with the silence that they often 
deserved. 

We come now to the time of Erasmus' first visit to England 
in the June of 1499. He stayed at the beginning with his young 
patron, Lord Mountjoy, at the London house of Sir William Say, 
Mount joy's father-in-law, and here it seems almost certain that 
he first met More. Soon after another meeting took place, of which 
he himself speaks. " I was staying at Lord Mountjoy's country 
house (at Greenwich) when Thomas More came to see me, and 
took me out for a walk as far as the next village (of Eltham), 
where all the king's children except Prince Arthur, who was then 
the eldest son, were being educated." It was on this occasion that 
Erasmus first saw the young Duke of York, afterwards King Henry 
VIII., and from that time he had a free entry into the best English 
society social and intellectual. He seems to have thoroughly en- 
joyed himself, and his praises of English life are too well known 
to be repeated. More could not have seen a great deal of him on 
this visit, for he soon went off to Oxford, where he stayed with 
Prior Charnock; but they corresponded several times, as his only 
surviving letter shows, and he returned to stay with Lord Mountjoy 
in London or at Greenwich for a month before his departure for 
Paris in January, 1500. During the interval of five and a half 
years which passed between his first and second visit to England, 
Erasmus devoted himself to the study of Greek. 

My Greek studies are almost too much for my courage [he 
writes to his friend Batt at the end of 1500]. A little money 
must be scraped together from somewhere with which I may get 
clothes, buy the whole works of Jerome (upon which I am 
preparing commentaries), as well as Plato, procure Greek books 
and hire the services of a Greek teacher. . . .It is incredible how 
my heart burns to bring all my poor lucubrations to completion, 
and at the same time to attain some moderate capacity in Greek. 
I shall then devote myself entirely to the study of Sacred 
Literature, as for some time I have longed to do. 

*See Epistle 99. 



196 'SIR THOMAS MORE AND HIS TIME [Nov., 

About the same time he writes again: 

I have long ardently wished to illustrate with a commentary 
the Epistles of St. Jerome, and in daring to conceive so great a 
design, which no one has hitherto attempted, my heart is in- 
flamed and directed by some divine power I am not unaware 

of the audacity of my project what a task it will be, in the 
first place, to clear away the errors which during so many ages 
have become established in the text. . . .For my own part, I may 
be led astray by my partiality for that holy man, but when 
I compare the speech of Jerome with that of Cicero, I seem 
to miss something in the prince of eloquence himself. 

Poverty was never far off in these days. 

You think perhaps that I am sufficiently provided for, if I 
am not reduced to beggary [he writes to Batt] . I on the other 
hand am disposed to throw up my studies altogether, if I cannot 
obtain that which literature requires; and that is a life not al- 
together sordid and miserable. 

And then once more, with reference to the great end he had 
in view, he writes to the Abbot of St. Bertin : 

I see it is the merest madness to touch with the little finger 
that principal part of Theology, which treats of the divine 
mysteries, without being furnished with the apparatus of Greek 
.... I have on my side all the sacred authority of the Pontifical 
Council .... I wish to follow the path which St. Jerome, with 
the noble hand of so many ancient Fathers, invites us. , 

In those early days on the eve of the Reformation, and before 
its consequences were dreamt of, much less discerned, Erasmus was 
undoubtedly regarded by many Englishmen of eminent orthodoxy 
as an apostle of sound Catholic learning. Whether, as time went 
on, these men were confirmed or shaken in their good opinion of 
him one cannot venture to say. But many who live now, after the 
fact of the Reformation and amid its disastrous social and moral 
consequences, must feel bound to hesitate before they pronounce 
an opinion upon the spirit and quality of his work. One cannot 
help asking oneself again and again, as one reads his letters, and 
the other records of his life, whether he was the kind of man 
fitted to revive the best Catholic traditions of textual criticism and 
commentary. Had he the preliminary moral qualities for such a 
delicate and difficult task ? Was his spirit the spirit of faith ? Did 
he fulfill the ideal of the Catholic scholar and man of learning in 



1912.] SIR THOMAS MORE AND HIS TIME 197 

such a complete manner, for instance, as that great Benedictine, 
John Mabillon fulfilled it ? " Anyone," writes Abbot Butler, " who 
thinks of Mabillon as a mere erudit altogether fails to understand 
the man or the source of his greatness. His works and his method 
are what they are because he was a devoted monk, ever true to the 
inward spirit and the outward practices of his monastic life. Had 
we to enumerate the most salient features of his life and character 
we should give the following : Love of prayer, zeal for the monastic 
life, devotion to ecclesiastical studies, unswerving fidelity to truth, 
a singular sweetness of disposition, and a modesty and humility 
that were as proverbial as his learning."* Tried by such a standard 
as this, Erasmus, who was a monk and a priest as well as a scholar, 
falls very far short; and just in so much must his work and its effect 
have fallen short of perfection. It must not be forgotten, however, 
in justice to Erasmus, that in all probability he was forced into 
the religious life against his will, and consequently that he had no 
true monastic vocation. But this does not affect the question as to 
whether in his life and in his work he remained " ever true to the 
inward spirit and the outward practices " of the Catholic Faith. 
More himself had no monastic vocation, but he was " ever true to 
the inward spirit and the outward practices "of the Church. It 
is necessary, then, to be careful in our judgment of Erasmus, and 
while giving him all the credit possible on the score of intellectual 
acuteness and industry, not to exaggerate his services to the Church 
beyond their value, nor forget to record, on the other hand, where 
he positively failed in this respect. 

No one will dispute Erasmus' zeal for the revival of Scriptural 
and patristic studies; no one can doubt that such a revival was 
necessary. But what we also desire to know is the spirit in which 
that revival was initiated, and the results which can be traced to it. 
Was it properly related to the authority of the Church and to the 
depositum fidei with which the Church is entrusted ? This question 
should be answered by objective evidence, and not by the subjective 
opinions of writers however well-informed. All that in fairness 
can be done in a paper like this is to put the readers in actual touch 
with certain of Erasmus' more characteristic and popular writings 
they will then be able to formulate their own answers to this 
important question. Two easily accessible works of his may be 
taken as samples, the Enchiridion Militis Christiani, a manual of 
piety which attained great popularity, and was translated into many 

*See The Downside Review, vol. xii., pp. 116-132. 



198 SIR THOMAS MORE AND HIS TIME [Nov., 

languages, and the famous Encomium Moriae or Praise of Folly. 
Both these books were written during the time of Erasmus' ac- 
quaintance with More, the latter actually in his house if not indeed 
at his suggestion. They show Erasmus in two entirely different 
styles, but nevertheless they show the same man choosing now one 
and now another means towards the same end. 

The Enchiridion Militis Christiani was written between 1501 
and 1503, and was published in the latter year. Writing in 1523, 
Erasmus himself describes its inception. 

A common friend of mine and of Batt was in the Castle 
(of Tournehem), whose wife was a lady of singular piety. The 
husband was no one's enemy so much as his own, a man of gay 
life, but in other respects an agreeable companion. He had 
no regard for any divines except me; and his wife, who was 
much concerned about her husband's salvation, applied to me 
through Batt to set down some notes in writing, for the purpose 
of calling him to some sense of religion, without his perceiving 
that it was done at the instance of his wife 

The military gentleman, for whose benefit it was compiled, is 
reported to have said that there was more holiness in the book than 
in the writer. As compared with the traditional manuals of Catho- 
lic piety the Enchiridion lays great stress upon the intellectual side 
of religion. Prayer and almsdeeds have ever been the staple 
weapons of the layman's spiritual warfare, but Erasmus places 
beside these a third, knowledge, which at times he appears to think 
of even equal importance. 

Whosoever [he says] will take upon him to fight against 
the whole host of vices, of the which seven be counted as chief 
captains, must provide him two special weapons, prayer and 
knowledge, otherwise called learning. Prayer verily is the more 
excellent, as she that cometh and talketh familiarly with 
Almighty God. Yet for all this doctrine is no less necessary. 

In another place he compares prayer and knowledge to Aaron 
and Moses who led the Israelites out of Egypt. 

I cannot tell whether that thou, fled from Egypt, mightest 
without great jeopardy commit thyself to so long a journey, 
so hard and so full of difficulty, without the captains Aaron and 
Moses. Aaron, which was charged with things dedicate to 
the service of God's temple, betokeneth prayer. By Moses 
is figured the knowledge of the law of God. 



1912.] SIR THOMAS MORE AND HIS TIME 199 

And again he writes: 

The surest thing of all is to be occupied in deeds of piety 

Yet lest thou shouldst despise the help of knowledge, consider 
one thing. The Israelites were never so bold as to provoke 
the Amalachytes until they had been refreshed with manna from 
heaven and water running out of the hard rock .... And what 
thing, I pray thee, could more properly have signified the knowl- 
edge of the secret law of God than did manna? For first in 
that it sprang not out of the earth, but rained down from heaven. 
By this property thou perceivest the difference between the doc- 
trine of God and the doctrine of man. For all holy Scripture 
came by divine inspiration and from God the author. In that 
it is small or little in quantity is signified the humility, lowliness 
or homeliness of the style, under rude words including great 
mystery. That it is white, by this property is signified the 
purity and cleanness of God's law. For there is no doctrine 
of man which is not defiled with some black spot of error, only 
the doctrine of Christ everywhere bright, everywhere pure and 
clean. 

In the same way the water running out of the hard rock is used 

to signify the knowledge of the law of God, (for) what 
signifieth water hid in the veins of the earth but mystery covered 
or hid in the literal sense? What meaneth the same conveyed 
abroad but mystery opened and expounded ? Wherefore if thou 
dedicate thyself wholly to the study of Scripture, and exercise 
thy mind day and night in the law of God, no fear shall trouble 
thee, but thou shalt against all assaults of thine enemies be 
armed and exercised also. 

Erasmus also defends the study of profane authors as being 
helpful to that study of Sacred Scripture itself. " It shall be no 
rebuke to thee," he quaintly argues, " if after the example of 
Solomon thou nourish up at home in thy house sixty queens, eighty 
sovereign ladies, and damsels innumerable of secular wisdom : so that 
the wisdom of God be above all other, thy best beloved, thy dove, 
thy sweetheart, which only seemeth beautiful." With regard to 
those who have interpreted Scripture, he advises his penitent " to 
choose them above all that go farthest from the letter, which chiefly 
next after Paul be Origene, Ambrose, Jerom, and Augustyne," 
and he considers that the lack of fervor so much to be observed 



200 SIR THOMAS MORE AND HIS TIME [Nov., 

among many professedly religious men is due to a mistaken pref- 
erence for a literal rather than a spiritual knowledge of Scripture. 
Again, we find in another place: 

Bread is not so natural meat to the body as the word of God 
is meat for thy soul. If that seem bitter, if thy mind rise against 
it, why doubtest thou yet but that the mouth of thy soul is out 
of taste and infected with some disease ? 

But the Word of God must be approached with proper dis- 
positions. 

Thou must ever remember that Sacred Scripture may not be 
touched but with clean and washen hands, that is with high 
pureness of mind, lest that which of itself is a preservative or 
treacle, by thine own fault, turn into poison. ... (Thou wilt 
remember) that Oza, which feared not to set his profane and 
unclean hands to the ark of God (inclining on one side), was 
punished with sudden death for his lewd service. 

Erasmus, while trying to redress what he thought deficient in 
the piety of his day, was not altogether one-sided in his advocacy. 
He knew that there was another and a deeper side to it than that 
which was merely intellectual, but his own temperament, training, 
and mentality urged him to insist especially on the intellectual side. 

Know thyself and pass not thy bounds, keep thee within thy 
lists. It is better to have less knowledge and more love, than 
to have more knowledge and not to love. Knowledge, therefore, 
hath the mastery or chief room amongst mean things .... So only 
shall the soul (as Socrates saw full well) depart happily from 
her body at the last end, if af orehand she have diligently through 
true knowledge recorded and practiced death, and have also long 
time before by the despising of things corporal, and by the con- 
templation and loving of things spiritual, used herself to be as 
it were in a manner absent from the body. 

After speaking of human frailty, he finally urges valiant per- 
severance. 

When thou hast grounded thyself upon a sure purpose, set 
upon it and go to it lustily : man's mind never proposed anything 
fervently that he was not able to bring to pass .... Thou hast 
sworn a great while agone and hast holily promised in the time 



1912.] SIR THOMAS MORE AND HIS TIME 201 

of baptism to die as touching sin; to die as touching carnal 
desires ; to die as touching the world .... and this is the common 
or general profession of all Christian men. Either we must 
perish, or else without exception go this way to health, whether 
we be knights or ploughmen. Notwithstanding though it for- 
tune not to all men to attain the perfect following of the Head, 
yet all must enforce with hands and feet to come thereto. He 
hath a great part of a Christian man's living, which with all his 
heart, with a sure and steadfast purpose, hath determined to 
be a Christian man. 

I have been at pains to give with some exactness Erasmus' 
teaching on the necessity of Scriptural study : first, because of the 
importance he himself attached to it; secondly, because of the novel 
way in which it is there presented; and, thirdly, because of its 
appropriateness to the times in which he wrote. We should remem- 
ber when reading this little manual that the substantial forms of 
popular piety had been laid down by the Church, and practiced by 
her children, centuries before the invention of printing. It would 
have been little use in those earlier days to have made spiritual read- 
ing a sine qua non of popular piety. Our Lord came upon earth 
to set the pattern and practice of human life, which all could 
imitate and adopt should they so choose. And the Church has 
always followed Him in His heavenly condescension to the ways 
of common humanity. 

Until after the invention of printing, book-knowledge was 
too rare and difficult an attainment to be named as a general 
means of sanctification, but after the invention of printing the 
case stood differently. There is no suggestion, of course, that 
mere book-knowledge ought ever to rank in importance with prayer 
and almsdeeds, but this much should be allowed, that since reading 
has come to fill so tremendous a place in the ordinary life of men, 
reading itself should be hallowed by the Church's blessing, and 
used as a powerful means to holiness of life. It must be acknowl- 
edged, however, that every new discovery vouchsafed to the human 
mind has great possibilities of initial abuse. We may say indeed 
that the Protestant Reformation was the great initial abuse of the 
invention of printing. But the mission of Holy Church is to 
restore all things in Christ, even the Printed Word. I think it may 
be claimed for Erasmus that he saw the necessity of this great 
restoration, and did something to hasten its approach. 



202 SIR THOMAS MORE AND HIS TIME [Nov., 

V. 

Erasmus left England in the January of 1500, and did not 
return again until 1505, devoting himself during the interval to the 
study of Greek with his characteristic ardor and thoroughness. 
When he did return he stayed at first with Lord Mount joy at the 
latter's London house, which stood opposite what is now the 
Herald's College. More was just married, and Erasmus was only 
too delighted to stay with him when Mount joy and his courtly 
friends were out of town. At this time, during 1506, More, it 
will be remembered, was none too engrossed by his professional 
duties owing to royal disfavor; there was all the more opportunity 
on that account for very considerable intercourse between the two 
friends. They must have devoted a good deal of time to the dis- 
cussion of the New Learning and its beneficial effects on sound 
piety. What Erasmus thought of it I have tried to show above, 
and More's view, though expressed in his own way, was in sub- 
stantial agreement with that of Erasmus. They spent some time 
in making Latin versions of Lucian's dialogues. 

At about the same time they also engaged in a sort of literary 
tournament, each making a Latin translation of Lucian's Tyranni- 
cida, and, each, again, composing a reply to Lucian's argument. 
Erasmus speaks of this in a letter to Richard Whitford, " the 
Wretch of Syon," which also contains a reference to More as 
charming as it is sincere. " I do not think," he says, " unless the 
vehemence of my love leads me astray, that Nature ever formed 
a mind more present, ready, sharp-sighted, and subtle, or, in a 
word, more absolutely furnished with every kind of faculty, than his. 
Add to this the power of expression equal to his intellect, a singular 
cheerfulness of character and an abundance of wit, but only of the 
candid sort; and you miss nothing that should be found in a perfect 
advocate." 

Erasmus left England about the middle of 1506, and paid a 
visit to Italy, which need not concern us here. In 1 509, Henry VII. 
died and was succeeded by Henry VIII. The new accession was 
hailed with delight by all lovers of sound learning, and Erasmus was 
induced to come once more to England, and hoped to sun himself 
in this new splendor at once so royal and so learned. He found 
More, too, in his house at Bucklersbury, rejoicing in similar hopes 
of royal favor. To begin with, Erasmus was unwell and suffering 
from one of his painful attacks. He could not devote himself at 



1 9i 2.] SIR THOMAS MORE AND HIS TIME 203 

once to serious study; so he amused himself by jotting down in 
satirical vein a sort of haphazard criticism of men and things which 
he had thought out on his journey from Italy. One day, a company 
of friends being gathered at More's house, he brought out the 
results of this desultory effort, and so thoroughly delighted them 
all that they insisted upon his making a book of it. A week later 
the Encomium Moriae or Praise of Folly was finished.* 

In this work, Folly, attended by her retainers, Self-Love, For- 
getfulness, Laziness, Pleasure, Sensuality, Sound Sleep, Intemper- 
ance, and Madness, introduces herself. She points out that she alone 
is the universal, source of mirth and jollity, to whom all, even kings 
and potentates, owe their allegiance. The Stoics held that man wise 
who was led by reason and that one foolish who was driven by 
passion. But, Erasmus claims, since human nature contains a pound 
of passion to every ounce of reason, surely all men are bounden 
subjects of Folly, no matter what their style, state, calling, or 
profession. Erasmus then sets out to touch the weak spot of 
Folly in everything and everybody. He spares neither high nor 
low, and what oftentimes makes his sallies so piquant is the wicked 
joy he takes in touching most sharply upon the follies of those 
most highly placed. In our own time and state, so far removed 
from the plain speaking of our pre-re formation forefathers, the 
very law of the land penalizes candor exercised at the expense of 
the great and rich. The fool, who could say what he liked about 
kings, nobles, and bishops, has been banished as an irreverent im- 
propriety. 

But in More's time a healthy, humble, and spiritual common- 
sense granted the privilege to the fool a privilege often abused 
it is true of criticizing the great. Nay that same sense encour- 
aged it as a help to make that vocation the more certain which is 
so precarious with us all. The spirit that grants such a privilege 
was honest and without hypocrisy. It was frankly recognized that 
pride a deadly sin might dwell in the highest place, and it was 
well at any and all cost to root out pride. Let the fool do for us, 
then, what we oftentimes have not courage to do for ourselves. 
Pride was not then made a virtue as it is now; pride was not 
allowed to strut in arrogance uncondemned as it is now by a 
generation too exclusively devoted to the service of Mammon. At 
that time both wit and humor were used as spiritual weapons in 
the warfare against it, and under such a banner the critic might 
enjoy the widest liberty. 

*EpistIe 212. 



204 SIR THOMAS MORE AND HIS TIME [Nov., 

In his Encomium Moriae Erasmus made Folly find votaries in 
every walk of life. The gentleman of leisure; the grammarians 
and teachers ; aspiring authors ; courtiers, kings, priests, bishops, and 
Popes none escape the shafts of Erasmus' criticism. We also 
may allow him the liberty that goes with cap and bells, and learn in 
humility what we may from the fool, but we cannot refrain from 
saying that the part of the Encomium which shows Erasmus weak- 
est is that in which he deals with the monks. 

Here he is nothing if not prejudiced and malicious. There 
are two ways in which just criticism may be undertaken. There 
is the heavier way of direct reproof, and there is the lighter, but 
no less effective, way of humor. There can be little question as to 
which is the more difficult. Humorous criticism requires in the 
critic a very high and special temper of heart and mind; for it 
draws heavily upon all the resources of a properly developed and 
finely balanced character. The highest kind of humorous criticism 
can only be expected from a truly compassionate man, and can 
almost be defined in the words of that well-known maxim : " To 
understand is to forgive all." Erasmus sadly lacked this great 
spiritual quality of compassion, and hence it is that his criticism 
should rather be described as witty than humorous, for it only 
embraced these weaker and more negative qualities, such as irony, 
satire, and sarcasm, which are always at the command of a thin and 
biting intellectuality. 

In dealing with the ecclesiastical abuses of his day, Eras- 
mus made the profound and un-Catholic mistake of judging 
according to his own private judgment a very partial and 
superficial judgment at best. He judged the monks, for in- 
stance, not according to their own traditional and objective 
ideals, but according to his own subjective ones. The first in- 
tention of monasticism is not an intellectual one at all, it is a relig- 
ious one; and Erasmus (who appears to have entered into religion 
without or even against his consent) seems never to have solidly 
grasped this simple truth. He did the monks the great injustice 
of judging them by a standard they had never professed to follow 
by a standard, indeed, which Our Lord Himself had never pro- 
fessed or followed. The end of monastic life is communion with 
God. A " religious " who would arrive at that needs a discipline 
both long and severe a process of self -limitation and self-refusal 
which must be carried into every detail and department of his being. 
The good things of body, mind, and will must be held at a dis- 
tance before their true use and value can be properly estimated; 



191 2.] SIR THOMAS MORE AND HIS TIME 205 

and even after that it is better that some of them should be re- 
nounced forever. A soul is best fitted for communion with God 
by becoming simple and at one with itself; and in order to arrive 
at that happy state it must be in resolute and difficult retreat from 
multiplicity in all its forms. Just as there is an indulgence in the 
pleasures of sense which destroys the unity of human character, so 
too, there are mental indulgences which lead a man from great to 
little issues, " the little foxes that destroy the vines." And, fin- 
ally, the will must be simplified. Not until these three have be- 
come one in a constant and largely unconscious habit, working 
throughout the whole man, can the soul be said to have embraced 
the life which leads simply and solely to God. 

Erasmus was unfitted by habit, sympathy, knowledge, and ex- 
perience for the work of moral criticism. He had great mental 
talents of a certain order, and had he limited himself to the field of 
textual as distinguished from that of moral criticism, he would have 
left behind him a more unassailable reputation. 

The Encomium Moriae cannot be called an edifying composi- 
tion, for it was never intended to be such. After all, at so great a 
distance from the time and circumstances under which it was written, 
it may be wiser to accept More's verdict upon it than to venture 
upon one of our own. A young English monk had written to 
remonstrate with him on his continued friendship with the author 
of the Encomium. His reply is sufficiently direct. 

The Encomium Moriae contains more wisdom and less folly 
than many books that I know. I shall not defend it. It needs 

no defence He sneers, you exclaim, at the religious orders. 

Why be so sensitive? When he ridicules your ceremonies he 

ridicules only the superstitious use of them Erasmus is 

the dearest friend I have. 

More makes further favorable references to the Moriae in his 
well-known letter to Dorpius (1516). Again, he writes to Erasmus 
in 1517 : "I am not surprised to hear of that black Carmelite being 
opposed to you, unlike you, as he is, both in learning and character ; 
but that he inveighs against the Praise of Folly is scarcely credible 
a man of folly all compact ! " Finally, in his Confutation of 
Tindale (1532), he replies to Tyndall's sneer at Erasmus. 

He asketh me why I have not contended with Erasmus whom 
he calleth my darling, of all this long while for translating of this 
word ecclesia into this word congregatio. And then he cometh 
forth with his set proper taunt that I favor him of likelihood 
for making of his book of Moria in my house. 



206 SIR THOMAS MORE AND HIS TIME [Nov., 

There had he hit me low, save for lack of a little fault, 
1 have not contended with Erasmus, my darling, because I found 
no such malicious intent with Erasmus, my darling, as I find 
with Tyndall. For had I found with Erasmus, my darling, 
the shrewd intent and purpose that I find in Tyndall, Erasmus, 
my darling, should be no more my darling. But I find in 
Erasmus, my darling, that he detesteth and abhorreth the errors 
and heresies that Tyndall plainly teacheth and abideth by, and 
therefore Erasmus, my darling, shall be my darling still 

As touching the Moria in which Erasmus doth merely 

touch and reprove such faults and follies as he found in any 
kind of people, perusing every state and condition spiritual 

and temporal, leaving almost none untouched Howbeit 

that book of Moria doth in deed but jest upon the abuses of 
such things (that is reverence to saints and holy relics) after 
the manner of the divers parts in a play, and yet not so far, 
neither by a great deal, as the messenger doth in my dialogue.* 

Of the further intercourse between More and Erasmus, while 
the latter remained in England, we know very little ; but after they 
had separated, their correspondence shows them as intimate as ever, 
at any rate down to the year 1517. Erasmus took great interest in 
More's Utopia, and undertook to see it through the press. But 
after that More became so involved in business that he had little 
time for writing, or at least for writing those lengthy letters so dear 
to his friend. There can be no doubt that More owed a very great 
deal to Erasmus' intellectual influence, and he seems to have suc- 
ceeded in drawing from him all that was good, and leaving behind 
all that was of a doubtful quality. We must remember in justice 
to them both that what they thought and said and wrote together 
was thought and said and written before the Reformation had 
come to a head, and before its consequences were at all clearly fore- 
seen. That there were very great ecclesiastical abuses is certain, 
and that both Erasmus and More were most anxious to remove them 
is evident. It is difficult to imagine what means they could have 
taken towards the checking of these abuses other than those which 
they availed themselves of. More had as much wit and humor as 
Erasmus, and he had far more prudence and charity ; he was an im- 
measurably greater man. Erasmus was out for the intellectual 
heights, but he had no such passion for the moral ones. More had 
both these passions blended at a white heat in a splendid and fruitful 
amity. 

*E. W., pp. 421, 422. 




PERSONAL REMINISCENCES OF FATHER 
MATTHEW RUSSELL. 

BY KATHARINE TYNAN. 

.THER RUSSELL, who died on the I2th of Sep- 
tember, 1912 a day of mourning henceforth to 
many of us till we are past all mourning was in 
a sense, I believe, the most beloved priest in Dublin. 
Everyone, high and low, called him " Father Matt ;" 
and that, I think, was eloquent in itself, for humanity, from the 
schoolboy upward, has a way of familiarizing the name of the one 
to whom it gives its special affection. 

All sorts and conditions of men, women and children, were 
at the funeral. At the graveside we were surrounded by Dublin's 
shabby and Dublin's poor, women with crying children clinging 
to their skirts, poor broken-down old men, everyone his pensioners 
for spiritual or material gifts. 

I was reminded of a day he and I walked along a mountain 
road. I was revisiting my old home, and he had come to pay 
me a visit; I met him at the junction of the roads where the light 
railway had deposited him. As we came along the road we met 
a tramp, who looked about as bad and dangerous a specimen of 
his class as one could imagine. He begged, in a ruffianly way, and 
Father Russell gave him an alms, calling him " my poor child." 
The contrast between the little, rosy, dear, benign priest, the " Little 
Robin of God," and his terrible " child " was almost humorous. 
" I wonder what the poor fellow's history was," he said, as we 
walked along; "how he came to look like that." Which showed 
that he was not unaware of his " child's " unpleasantness. 

He was my dear, tender, and faithful friend and father for 
some thirty years. He had two missions, one to the literature 
of Ireland and its young and old writers; the other to the poor. 
His mission to the poor is only known to the poor, and they are inar- 
ticulate. Everyone is talking about his mission to Irish literature, 
and how much he did to help it always; but just at the cross-roads 
where an Anglo-Irish literature was struggling to emerge from 
all sorts of weak and poor traditions, his fostering was something 
not to be over-estimated. 



208 FATHER MATTHEW RUSSELL [Nov., 

It is quite thirty years ago since by special invitation I knocked 
at the door of 87 St. Stephen's Green, Dublin, and asked for 
Father Russell. I had at that time practically no literary friends : 
I" had just written a long legend in verse of Blessed James of Ulm, 
a memory of the Dominican Convent where I went to school, 
and by happy thought had sent it to Father Russell. By return 
came the kindest letter possible. 

When that door was opened to me, a wilderness of doors 
opened with it. It was really the beginning of my literary life. I 
had not then any books of my own, though the house was full 
of all manner of books. The very first book given me by its writer, 
the predecessor of many a one, was Emmanuel, which Father 
Russell gave me that day. I was very young and correspondingly 
foolish. I talked in a pietistic strain about the effect his religious 
poetry had had on me. The brisk, matter-of-fact way he received 
these remarks has always remained with me. He had a very brisk, 
bright way with him. He had a gift of always being at home 
when you called. For many years I visited him, perhaps once 
or twice a month. He must have gone to Gardiner Street soon 
after that first meeting, for I never remember him at St. Stephen's 
Green again. Gardiner Street, up among the dreary northern 
streets of Dublin, was the goal of my pilgrimage for many a day. 

There used to be a very friendly porter at Gardiner Street 
in those days named Pat. I mention him because he was a pro- 
tege of Father Russell's, who helped him afterwards, and found 
employment for him when he had fallen on evil days. Pat used 
to welcome me nearly as warmly as Father Russell. Having 
set a chair, and opened or shut a window with affectionate solicitude, 
he would go off to hunt for Father Russell, while the visitor was 
left to contemplate a table which might be adorned by a blotting 
book, a bare floor, horsehair chairs placed at intervals around the 
wall, a bookcase which showed only curtains inside its panes, and 
some religious pictures on the walls. 

Sometimes you might have to wait awhile, for Father Russell 
might be in the confessional or otherwise engaged, but you always 
waited with a happy expectancy, although the room was bare, 
and the view through or over a wire blind of Upper Gardiner 
Street very depressing. Many feet passed along the corridor. 
You might deceive yourself into hoping that one pair of coming feet 
belonged to Father Russell, but when he came you knew it. He 
used to come with a brisk trotting sound. The door would open, 



1912.] FATHER MATTHEW RUSSELL 209 

and in would come the sunshine. " Good morning, my dear child. 
Upon my word this is very good of you." Then you might 
talk of everything under the sun. I am sure I stayed inordinately 
long many a time. He never dismissed me, and I can never 
remember by the smallest sign that he wearied of me. 

Yet he was very careful about the convenances for other 
people! He had the most unexpected little vein of worldly wis- 
dom, at which we laughed with a tender laughter. When I went 
to see my very first literary person a literary person at that time 
was very great to me he used to warn me : " Now, just twenty 
minutes, dear, is quite long enough for a first visit." In the same 
way he was a stickler for dress. He never quite forgave a visitor 
from overseas who had accompanied him to a garden party wearing 
a grey flannel shirt. Almost to the last you could stir him up to 
indignation about it. He would always make the same reference 
to a relative of his own, who had gone through all sorts of diffi- 
culties in order to reach his dress clothes, which he needed unex- 
pectedly when far away from his base. 

He was the most tender comforter imaginable. Many a one 
stripped by death of their joy found comfort and help with him. 
Yet he used to speak of himself as " a hard-hearted little fellow," 
always illustrating it with the same anecdote. When he was a boy 
at Newry he had gone into some public reading-room, and had 
read in a newspaper of the sudden death of a cousin. On carrying 
home the intelligence some considerable time later, his mother had 
thought that he was too overcome to carry the bad news at once. 
" But, not a bit of it," he would say. " I had just waited to read 
all the papers I wanted to read. I was always a hard-hearted 
little fellow." He would even lug in his being a hard-hearted 
little fellow to explain why he could comfort people. " Upon my 
word," he would say, " I don't feel those things at all. Not a 
bit of it. We must be Christians, and look at death as Our Lord 
meant us to. Other people feel things too much to give comfort. 
I'm such a hard-hearted little fellow that I can go through with it." 

From my own knowledge I may say that he had the most 
extraordinary efficacy in comforting mourning mothers. He wrote 
a very holy, beautiful, and comfortable little book for them espe- 
cially. He had the healing touch; he could pluck the poison from 
the wound, lift up the despair and the rebellion to an amazing, 
unexpected comfort. Like most priests he had a great tenderness 
for children. For women he had that lovely feeling which seems 

VOL. XCVI. 14. 



210 FATHER MATTHEW RUSSELL [Nov., 

to belong to the highest type of priests a tenderness as for a child, 
mingled with something of the love for the mother, which is the 
one perfect human tie the priest need not cast away from him, and 
the love for the Mother of God. 

He opened many doors to me. One of the first friends he 
gave me was Mrs. Atkinson, who wrote the Life of Mary Aiken- 
head, the Foundress of the First Sisters of Charity, now among 
the candidates for beatification. Through Mrs. Atkinson I came 
to know Rosa Mulholland, or at least our first meeting took place 
at Mrs. Atkinson's house. That and the friendship which followed 
were lovely things in their time. 

In those days Father Russell had been some ten years editor 
of the Irish Monthly. From the first his contributors were notable. 
If he had a mission to young writers, he had a great piety towards 
his contemporaries and those writers who had influenced his youth. 
Another conspicuous loyalty was to his friends and the members 
of his own family. They were worth being loyal to. His uncle, 
Dr. Russell, President of Maynooth College, of whom his nephew 
wrote as " a nineteenth-century gentlemanly saint," had his part 
in the greatest event in the life of the Catholic Church in England 
during the last century. Newman wrote after his conversion: 
" Dr. Russell had perhaps more to do with my conversion than any- 
one else. He came to see me in the summer of 1845. I do not remem- 
ber that he said a single word to me about religion. He let me alone." 
The Russell family was indeed a distinguished one. Of course, the 
one most in the public eye was Lord Russell of Killowen, Father 
Russell's elder brother, who died Lord Chief Justice of England. 

Father Russell was oddly like his great brother. Indeed 
knowing one you must recognize the other. Only all that was rapid 
and dominating in Lord Russell's glance was changed to something 
winning, kind, and gentle in Father Russell's. Lady Russell was 
literary as well as her two sisters. I think an early Irish Monthly 
contains a story by her. Father Russell used to say she would have 
gone far if she had been able to devote herself to literature. 

The work of Rosa Mulholland, now Lady Gilbert, needs no 
praise from me. I have only to say that when Father Russell took 
charge of the Irish Monthly, he brought with him in Rosa Mulhol- 
land the most precious asset the magazine had or was likely to have 
except himself. Her exquisite stories and poems, more than any- 
thing else, have made the little magazine memorable. 

Father Russell had just the friendships one would expect him 
to have. Judge O'Hagan, himself a writer of ringing patriotic 



1912.] FATHER MATTHEW RUSSELL 211 

poetry, one of the choice little band of high-minded Irish gentle- 
men who were influenced by the lofty ideals and teachings of 
Thomas Davis, was one of his dearest friends of those days. 
Another friend w^vs Aubrey de Vere; and a more beautiful 
and benign spirit than his never inhabited mortal frame, I do 
truly believe. He devoted his life to poetry and religion. He 
wrote a great deal too much poetry: but a selection from him 
would be among the immortal things of poetry. Some day, please 
God, I am going to make the selection, so that the beloved old 
poet whom I keep in my mind like a light may reach those who 
would never search through his many volumes for the truly inspired 
things. Still another friend and poet, whose work was of the un- 
exacting rhetorical kind which was accepted as poetry in the Ireland 
of that day, was Denis Florence MacCarthy. 

Those three friends were by Father Russell's side when he 
started the Irish Monthly. The little new magazine had distin- 
guished recruits from England, Lady Georgiana Fullerton, Canon 
Oakeley, and Cecilia Mary Caddell though she was Irish by birth 
came to help the very first volumes. The contents are signed 
by initials oftener than is usual in a magazine perhaps from 
some old-fashioned idea of modesty. There was something 
more than modesty in Father Russell's several initials and pseu- 
donyms. He did a lot of work himself for the Irish Monthly 
in those early days: and he did not want to appear too often. 
Indeed it was Father Russell's personality that made the Irish 
Monthly possible. I don't suppose that there was really " a felt 
want " for it when it made its appearance. Dublin is strewn with 
the wreckage of periodicals. The inception of the Irish Monthly 
was before my day, but I dare say there were plently of Cassandra 
predictions about it. 

He never allowed his contributors to be subscribers : he must 
have had an enormous free list. To be sure the contributions 
were mainly gratuitous : yet if a contributor was in need of money, 
the modest fee would be forthcoming. He paid us in loving kind- 
ness; but he paid us in coin of the realm, too, if the need arose. 

At one time I wrote a good deal in the Irish Monthly, and 
induced others to write. I may say, now that Father Russell 
is here no longer, that he helped me with an occasional charity. 
He would send money to someone I was interested in, and I would 
repay him with a story or an article. One special form his bene- 
factions took was the helping young poets to produce their books. 
I have always understood that there was a little fund of profit 



212 FATHER MATTHEW RUSSELL [Nov., 

derived from the magazine, which he used in this way. When my 
first book of poems, Louise de la V oilier e, was published my father 
found the 20 fee. When my second book, Shamrocks, was in the 
air, Father Russell sent me unexpectedly another twenty pounds. 
I was able to return it to him, as the publisher did not require a fee, 
but he bought ten pounds' worth of copies of the book when it 
appeared. 

He used to knock at all manner of doors, slow to open, for his 
Irish Monthly. He used to say that the Convents ought to support 
Irish literature, and he dunned them for subscriptions. In Ireland, 
where everyone expects to be placed on the free list, and it is a 
delicate form of flattery to ask an author for a free copy of his 
or her book or books, I imagine that Father Russell's exertions may 
have given him a slight unpopularity : or perhaps being what he was 
he was immune. His little dunning notices in the Irish Monthly to 
the many who loved the magazine, but could by no manner of means 
be induced to pay for it, were among the things we used to smile over. 

He was oddly practical in ways for his friends, not himself. 
He used to scold us for being over-hospitable. " Now don't ask 
people to lunch or dinner, my child. Tea is quite as much as can 
be expected." He was very careful of one's time if it happened to 
be at all valuable, though he apparently never thought of his own. 
He was altogether against a professional writer being asked to 
work gratuitously, even in a good cause. A very different matter, 
he would have termed it, to accept gratuitous work from 
leisured amateurs who did not depend on their pen for bread. 
He was very sensitive in this way; and after I was married, if I sent 
him a poem, he would return me the smallest gold coin of the 
realm, apologizing for its smallness, but saying that he always liked 
to pay for poetry in gold. 

Another quality of his I remember was his tolerance. He 
was ever loving, warm, comforting. He had a great charity. I 
think he would always give credit for purity of motives, even if he 
did not approve. There were no hesitations, no chills, no wearying 
in his friendships. 

I brought a good many oddly assorted people to him and 
the Irish Monthly. Some of the friends of my youth, Dora Siger- 
son, Rose Kavanagh, Ellen O'Leary, " Ethna Carbery," would have 
come to him in the natural order of things. 

Of the unexpected visitors whom I brought to Father Russell 
there was a Norfolk minister and his entire family. The father 
was a brilliant eccentric scholar, of Irish blood and Irish sympathies. 



1912.] FATHER MATTHEW RUSSELL 213 

All the children were nurtured on poetry and art. It came as easy 
to the young people to write as to draw and paint. Their mother 
used to say that a pencil and paper were their first toys. One of the 
young daughters showed me her poems. The most natural thing 
in the world was to send them to Father Russell. One of the poems 
appeared in due course in the Irish Monthly. Presently there came 
a letter to the poet's mother from a sister-in-law, which read : "What 
is this I hear of Mary's poems appearing in an Irish magazine con- 
ducted by a Romish priest? Dear lamb! She ought to be saved 
from such things. I hope you will put a stop to it." Afterwards 
every member of that family visited Ireland and made a pilgrimage 
to see Father Russell. The number of such writers included Willie 
Yeats, Richard Hodgson, Douglas Hyde, Jane Barlow, and Richard 
Ashe King. 

It is a long time now since he announced that he had given up 
visiting, except the poor. Perhaps we who loved him were of 
his poor, for he visited us when the occasion arose. A few years 
ago we visited him at Gardiner Street for the first time for many 
years. It was one of the sweetest glimpses I ever had of him. 
Father Russell was even then not in very good health. He lunched 
with us a few days later at our hotel, and was interested, like 
a child, in everything. He even sipped a minute quantity of 
white wine in his glass " to see what it tasted like." 

But he was never happy out of Gardiner Street. So many 
needed and depended on him there, that it was like the busy mother 
who cannot take a rest or a change because she feels that everything 
will go wrong in her absence. He was sent to Tullabeg for change 
of air when his health first showed signs of failing, now a good 
many years ago. He had to be sent back to Gardiner Street to live. 

He was always waiting, up to the very last, when one wanted 
him. He was always ready to do research work in Irish matters 
when one was away in England and wanted help : to be sure the 
Irish Monthly is a treasury of information about Irish matters in 
general. His little books came constantly to me and the children. 
He often duplicated them, especially of late years, so that there were 
many of them about the house. Now one gathers them together 
tenderly as precious things, with their dear, loving inscriptions, 
full of hope and faith. 

I saw him for the second last time in my own home on the 
3d of July. We had newly returned to Ireland and settled : and 
I think he wanted a picture of us there to take with him. We had 
intended to send for him to the station, which is about half a 



214 FATHER MATTHEW RUSSELL [Nov., 

mile away, but he came by an earlier train, walking in in the old 
brisk way, while the children were playing a game of croquet. 
For the last two or three years the shining of the inward light 
through the thin veil of the body had become more and more 
beautiful, and terrible to those who loved him. But of late he did 
not suffer. His letter announcing that visit mentioned that he was 
quite well, had not felt so well for years. When he left, he said 
that he was not coming to see us any more, and when we said 
that he would come often he replied : " Oh, no, indeed, my dear 
good children, I am not coming any more : it is my very last visit." 
We left him reading his office on the station platform while he 
waited for the train. He would not let us wait with him because 
" our time was valuable." 

When next we saw him he was dying. We were allowed only 
a few minutes with him. He wanted us to stay awhile, and was 
anxious about a chair for me, but he had so many things to say, and 
it tried him so much to say them, that we felt we dared not stay 
beyond the few minutes. He talked of the kindness of the whole 
world to him, and of the nurses' kindness especially, and of how 
he was so comfortable. He asked me to forgive someone who had 
injured me and hurt him in those last days. He gave us a blessing, 
trailing off into Latin oh, such a blessing, so full of love and 
kindness ! " may the Sacred Heart help you through all your 
difficulties, my dear, good child," and " the poor little boys and 
poor little Pamela," as though he, with heaven opening, pitied 
those little ones who had the journey to make. My husband said, 
" We will come again." " Ah, no, my dear good boy, you must 
not come again. This is the last time: this is good-bye." 

I have a feeling about that blessing that it will be with me 
when I need it most. He said to my sister, when she was with 
him, that he hoped he would not rally: " Do not tell me," he said, 
" that I shall be disappointed as I was two years ago." 

He was concerned with his friends and with literature to the 
last. Before he lay down to die he had partly arranged the con- 
tents of the next number of the Irish Monthly, and he was talking 
about a new edition of Rose Kavanagh and Her Verses, one of his 
many tender pieties. He was of earth almost to the last, remaining 
with his loving and toiling children as long as he might, looking 
back to them when his foot was already on the threshold of heaven. 
As I think of the last glimpse of him I say to myself : " Lovely 
in the eyes of the Lord is the death of His saints." 




THE POOR. 

BY WILLIAM J. KERBY, PH.D. 
I. 

UR impressions about the poor are confused. We 
represent them as a certain social class whose mem- 
bers are in identical discouraging social conditions, 
and are alike in their feelings, views, and outlook. 
Some are born into this class, live and die in it. 
Others are driven into it by accidents of industrial organization, 
wrong doing or illness. Some enter it and remain pure of heart, 
gentle in feeling, and worthy. Others add to their poverty the 
stain of sin and the stigma of vile association. Many who are 
guilty, draw into poverty the innocent ones of their kindred. Some 
escape from its circle. Wise assistance and friendly advice recall 
some to freedom from its yoke. Others rise by native sense and 
industry. Accidents of good fortune will redeem many. But 
allowing for the coming and the going into the circle of the poor 
and out of it, there is a stable remnant, possibly of millions in our 
own country, who are poor and must be so classed. 

The poor are unlike the rest of us, and yet like us. They are 
unlike us in as far as radically different experiences of life go a long 
way toward shaping differently, temperament, feeling, aims, and 
standards. The whole range of an army officer's interests, stand- 
ards, and valuations is quite unlike that of a country grocer. The 
two are unlike, yet alike. We are like the poor in original endow- 
ment, destiny, capacity to know, feel, and strive. We know that, 
were places exchanged, we would be like them, and they like us. 
Hence in attempting to describe the poor, we really endeavor merely 
to understand the average life experiences through which they go, 
and to take account of the atmosphere in which they are compelled 
to live. As the climate of a country will, on the whole, account 
for a people's health, and fail to explain that of any given individual, 
so the atmosphere of poverty will explain the class as a whole, 
while failing to explain many individuals in it. Under the obvious 
restrictions which present themselves then, we may use the term 
poor and think of it, for the time being, as indicating a class. 



216 THE POOR [Nov., 

The poor as a social class are unable to protect themselves in 
modern society. Ordinarily, our social classes are well prepared 
by instinct and resources to do so. They know their rights and 
assert them. They set up ideals and cherish them. They under- 
stand their wrongs, and anticipate them with both keenness and 
vigor. Self-confidence permeates them, and they are quick to 
organize for self-defense. Leadership is at hand when needed, and 
means rarely fail when some great class purpose calls for thought 
and action. If a proposed change in laws invade the heretofore 
recognized rights of physicians, merchants, scholars, and authors, 
or foreign born citizens, concerted movement occurs at once. Com- 
mittees are formed, meetings are held, statements are issued, the 
aid of a press is secured, and through all of these the mind of the 
class comes to vigorous expression. Even the laboring class, living 
as it does in presence of acknowledged wrongs and political neglect, 
never lacks organization, press, leadership, and plans. The value 
of platforms, picturesque complaint, timely speeches and the power 
of public opinion to compel justice from a reluctant social order, are 
thoroughly understood in all of these circles. 

Of the unhappy poor alone is this not true. They are, to a very 
great extent, an inert, unorganized mass. Generally speaking, no 
sense of social justice inspires them, and no acute sense of social 
wrong stings them into concerted action. Their faculty of col- 
lective moral indignation is practically atrophied by their experience 
of life. They are, as a class, inarticulate, passionless, and unre- 
sponsive. They are conscious of no class ideals, of no latent re- 
sources, of no instinct for organization. We find among them 
few mass meetings which by size and feeling may symbolize the 
anguish of their " defrauded hearts," no literature voicing the as- 
pirations of irrepressible human souls, no accredited leadership to 
whip them into sullen and determined battle for justice. 

The poor feel their wrongs individually more as bitter exper- 
iences than as wrongs. They live near to reality and suffer from it. 
We live our lives in walled cities. Knowledge, ideals, culture, asso- 
ciation, property, resources, credit surround and protect us. We have 
not known hunger, nakedness, hovels, the shame of dependence, the 
anguish of lost hope, and the melting away of every motive for try- 
ing to rise. Our walled city has protected us against these enemies 
of peace and joy and comfort. But the poor live in no walled city. 
Hunger, nakedness, dependence, ignorance, despair stand day and 
night, within striking distance to harass when they do not attack, 



1912.] THE POOR 217 

to paralyze when they do not kill. The poor know their lack of 
defense. They realize that when help comes, it must come from 
classes alien to them in experience, however friendly they may be, 
distant from them in social standing, unacquainted largely with 
their thoughts and feelings. These friendly strangers offer to the 
poor aims to which they are largely indifferent, methods which they 
find more or less distasteful, motives and ambitions in presence of 
which they remain often unresponsive. This alien, though thought- 
ful, class must think for the poor, offer leadership, feel for them, 
decide for them, and lead them by the hand. Who can understand 
who has not lived this life? 

The normal inner resources available in other social classes are, 
as a rule, lacking among the poor. It is self-evident that they lack 
wealth, power, credit, education, and opportunity. But in addition, 
the appeals on which humanity professes to depend for progress 
are unheeded by the poor. We are told, in the argument against 
Socialism, that the prospect of owning property is absolutely neces- 
sary to stir human nature to systematic action, far-sighted plans, 
enterprise, and self-discipline. In working with the poor, we deal 
with a class to which the prospect of owning property is denied. 
It is true that here and there with encouraging frequency, individ- 
uals among them rise superior to an environment, and accomplish 
wonderful things. We do find among the poor splendid efforts 
to prove true to duty as it is conceived, or to fight against menaces 
understood and feared. But we ought never forget that we attrib- 
ute to the prospect of owning property many of the great virtues 
of this life, and that this incentive is practically denied to the poor. 
Motives of accumulation are lacking to them. When motive is 
felt, opportunity is denied. When opportunity is presented, in- 
telligence is wanting. Goldsmith remarks, with some shrewdness, 
that the way to cure poverty is to make the poor avaricious. The 
improvidence of the poor is due not to wickedness, but to inability 
to understand the thinking that leads to saving. There is no sense 
of guilt in the poor woman's heart who regularly passes by the 
United States Postal Savings Bank to attend a moving picture show. 

We are told by psychologists that the passion for power and dis- 
tinction is universal, and that self-confidence, self-respect, jealous 
regard for reputation are nearly related to it. The typical poor are 
largely untouched by these forces. Their dull surrender to environ- 
ment hinders such passions from acting in any noble way. The 
inertia which baffles and discourages their friends is the most natural 



218 THE POOR [Nov., 

trait which poverty causes. We need but recall the tedious labor 
that is necessary to awaken ambition and foster it in children 
who have every advantage, and the effort required to lead these 
natural strivings for distinction and power toward high and holy 
objects, in order to realize how the poor are weakened in inner re- 
sources, because these forces for good have not been rightly trained 
in them. 

Physicians tell us that immunity from disease is largely a 
matter of capacity for resistance to it. That is to say that while 
a dozen who live in the same environment may be exposed to the 
same risk of health, they will show different results, depending on 
vitality and general condition of health and blood. Those who 
resist well, escape. Those whose resistance is low, succumb. An 
analogous condition is found among the poor. Their capacity 
for resistance is reduced to the lowest possible terms. If mis- 
fortune or temptation, illness or embarrassment, strike the well- 
to-do, they are usually well qualified to resist. If their own powers 
are not sufficient, family, associates, friends, organizations, law, 
quick social sanctions, and many similar forms of resource are at 
command to carry one past danger. It is one of the appalling 
features of poverty that this " backing up " is lacking. When the 
poor are struck, they stand dumb, without resource or thought of it, 
and they suffer from the full force of the blow. No strong family 
stands by to aid; no vigorous fraternal or professional society 
undertakes defense; the law is too remote, too fearful, too uncer- 
tain to offer aid. Only accident or charity will come to rescue 
them from shame, hunger or injustice. 

Remote from law, remote from culture, remote from religion 
in many instances, the poor suffer all that such separation implies 
and are blamed for it. Even the Church, admittedly the friend of 
the poor, finds it immeasurably more difficult to reach them than to 
reach the well-to-do. It is infinitely harder to teach the undis- 
ciplined, unformed, careless, disorganized poor children than the 
disciplined, schooled, and trained children of the well-to-do. It is 
easier to teach religion to children who live in refined home at- 
mosphere than to those who play, sleep, live, and move in degrading 
neighborhoods. Those who go to church present themselves before 
the altar to worship and to hear the Gospel preached. But the 
minister of religion must go out and seek the poor ; must be infinitely 
patient, tender, persevering in inducing them to remain near, and 
faithful in their hearts. It is not easy to preach ideals to those 



IQI2.] THE POOR 219 

who cannot know them, or insist, with the poor, on the exalted sanc- 
tions of a moral law which has failed to force many of the strong 
classes to secure justice to the weak. Three papers presented to 
the First National Conference of Catholic Charities on Loss of 
Faith Among the Poor furnish sad illustration of the point in mind. 

As with the Church, so often with the school. Ambition, 
nursed in parents' hearts, holds the children of the well-to-do at 
school. Compulsory education laws are necessary to hold the 
children of the poor. The ignorance, short-sightedness and sel- 
fishness of parents rob children of childhood and send them to 
factory and mine, driving them away from what might uplift 
and strengthen them, incapacitating them for all their days, to get 
into sympathy with the hopes and ideals by which we live. 

By some trick of the atmosphere in which we see things, we 
give to the poor less credit for their virtues, and more blame for 
their failings than to the well-to-do. We are governed more by our 
expectations than by our observations in judging others, and we 
expect either too much or too little from them. And in a general 
way we are more or less infected by unfavorable presumptions about 
the poor. Furthermore we lack imagination. We do not see the 
perspective in poverty. Poverty is to many of us merely a flat con- 
dition. Processes, origins, tendencies, atmosphere are unknown 
and unguessed by us. Because we lack imagination and knowledge, 
we are unjust to the character of the poor and indifferent to their 
interests. The presumption that the poor are to blame for their 
poverty ; the impression that they are " no good anyway ;" and the 
feeling that they are ingrates and full of deceit, laziness and vic- 
iousness, penetrate into least expected quarters, and arrest many 
a holy impulse to befriend them. The fraud that we detect in our 
iceman, coal dealer, grocer, statesman, does not appear to awaken 
one-half the moral indignation that is aroused when a dependent 
woman lies to us to get aid, or a street beggar spends our alms in the 
nearest saloon, or a baby is baptized in three different churches in 
order that abundant clothing may be given to it. The virtues that 
we must admit among the poor are credited to the individuals 
who show them, but the faults that we find are attributed to " the 
poor " as a class. And thus we condemn where we do not know ; 
we rob the poor of the little reputation that many might have, and 
cheat ourselves into mistaken peace about them. Of the cultured 
we ask, " How can they do wrong," but of the poor we ask, " Why 
can't they do right." 



220 THE POOR [Nov., 



II. 

We are told by social philosophers that confidence in the social 
order is back of all stable government, and that we are compensated 
for the discipline of law by the security given to our rights, the 
opportunity offered for our progress, and the definiteness furnished 
to the conditions of our civilization. It is the business of govern- 
ment to protect us in life, liberty, property, and to promote the 
conditions of our happiness. We clothe the state with the majesty 
of supreme human authority, with the awful sovereignty of human 
society, because in return it clears the path for us and surrounds us 
by inspiration, opportunity, and social order. And hence patriot- 
ism is a stimulus to noble action and exalted aim. Love of country 
and of its institutions has been placed by our philosophers among 
the virtues sanctioned in heaven. But the poor are robbed of this 
inspiration, cheated of this motive, and, hence, are cynically un- 
interested in all that patriotism means. Not that they are political 
agitators. The soil where charity is found offers no hope for the 
seeds of revolution. 

Much of the state's activity is taken up with protection of a 
property system which has hindered the poor from all ownership. 
They really, from their standpoint, lack all motive to respect it. 
Much of the state's activity is given over to the punishment of 
wrong doing, in which, unfortunately, many among the poor have 
experience. " The law," as the poor know and see and feel it, 
is the law which punishes, not the law which protects. They need 
protection in health against unsanitary occupations; in life against 
unnecessary risks in industry; against fraud of merchants and 
extortion of loan sharks : against their own ignorance fastened 
on their reluctant souls during their darkened childhood; against 
the breaking up of the home by labor of mothers and children; 
against greed of landlords and indifference of employers. They 
have need of protection in their right to labor and a living wage; 
to decent comfort and reasonable security against want. They 
need protection for the virtue of their daughters and the health 
of their babies, but they seem not to have it. These are the great 
overwhelming menaces which terrify them. However, the majestic 
state of which they are a part seems not to know it, or knowing, not 
to care, or caring, not to be able to give the protection which is re- 
quired. Technicalities of legal procedure, sanctity of worn-out 



1912.] THE POOR 221 

phrases like " freedom of contract," " class legislation," constitu- 
tionality of laws in defense of elementary justice, are questions of 
no direct concern to the poor, when involuntary idleness, preventable 
disease, and needless deaths are prostrating them. 

Not even the hopeful beginnings of protection which we now 
see seem to revive zest of life, or to call back hope as the bright star 
in the firmament which covers them. German economists apply 
the term " conjunctur " to the sum of institutions, laws, customs, 
arrangements, and standards which surround us, and make ,each 
man's economic activity stable, fruitful, and orderly. The poor 
know only a " conjunctur " of neglect, oversight, uncertainty, 
defenselessness which make it improbable, if not impossible, that they 
rise. Even the rudimentary relief which government has attempted 
to provide for the poor in hospitals, almshouses, asylums, reforma- 
tories, has rarely won their confidence or awakened any sense of 
dignity in them or of gratitude. Unfortunate administration of 
such institutions has made them a source of horror to the gentle 
types among the poor, and they have often preferred starvation. 
Dickens wrote for other lands and times in telling us of England's 
care of her poor in such institutions. 

Of course every political constitution fails at some point. 
Government is compelled to deal with the entire range of human 
temperament, skill, character, and sense. The fool, the idler, the 
criminal, the mentally and physically defective, the scholar, the 
social and the anti-social, those whom liberty blesses and those 
whom it curses, are found under every government, and they must 
be dealt with. The conflicting needs of these classes must be served, 
though it seem impossible. Institutions which favor the strong may 
harm the weak. Those which protect the ignorant may hamper the 
cultured. Those which encourage genius may crush the dull and list- 
less. Now the institutions upon which our civilization rests have 
favored the strong and harmed the weak. Our modern state has 
failed to develop a supplementary constitution to take care of its 
failures, among whom we count the poor. The endeavor of the 
historical Church to develop a supplementary moral constitution to 
protect the weaker classes, to define their rights and sanctions, and 
to teach the strong classes natural and supernatural duties which are 
above and beyond constitutions, gives to the Church a role of infinite 
nobility in the history of the world. 

The action of the state is guided not so much by principles 
as by definition. States have no ordinary power beyond what is 



222 THE POOR [Nov., 

defined and implied. They exist to protect our rights to life, 
liberty, property, and happiness. But government protects these 
rights only as it defines them, and not beyond. Much of the 
supreme effort now made to bring justice to the weaker classes, 
centres in the attempt to expand definitions of human rights in a 
way to protect these classes against the distinctive menaces to their 
rights. The state has fallen lamentably short in its mission because 
of the narrow definitions under which it operates. Morality is 
after all as much a question of definition as of principle. No man 
is cowardly if he may define cowardice. No man is dishonest if 
he may define honesty. No employer is unjust if he may define 
justice. No man is cruel if he may define cruelty. High morality 
depends on noble definitions. Social justice depends on such defi- 
nitions of rights and of justice as secure a broad, humane, sufficient 
protection to men and women and children in the peculiar con- 
ditions in which their rights to life, liberty, opportunity, property 
are threatened. 

The state does not, will not, possibly can not, change its 
legal definitions of rights of man as rapidly as complex modern 
social conditions change the menaces to those rights. What can the 
poor think of the opinion of Justice Brewer, who claimed that it is 
a lesson which cannot be learned too soon or too thoroughly, that 
under this government of and by the people the means of redress 
of all wrongs are through the courts and ballot box. What can 
such words mean to the poor? 

There are however grounds for hope. Determined forces 
are at work which promise relief. Great ideals of humanity and 
justice are operating throughout our civilization. Society is at 
work preventing industrial menaces to life and health where pre- 
ventable, and forcing property interests to automatic compensation 
to sufferers for risks that must be faced. Knowledge of the horrible 
facts of massive poverty is forced daily into our higher and stronger 
social classes, and of itself is bringing about hopeful changes. 
Sciences are pointing out wiser ways and surer aims in voluntary 
work for prevention and relief. Lawmakers are more kindly dis- 
posed toward claims of weaker classes, which their predecessors 
once dismissed 'with impatient gesture. Charity itself, both as 
humane service and as the organic expression of organized super- 
natural faith, finds its resources multiplied, its hand strengthened, 
its field more clearly defined, and its efforts more heartily seconded. 

The task before all of these agencies is gigantic. In some 



1912.] THE POOR 223 

way which our collective wisdom must work out, the poor must be 
brought to believe in themselves, and in the benevolent mission of 
civilization toward them. They must be brought, through the way 
of definite opportunity, to the prospect of owning property neces- 
sary to decent comfort, and of securing it not at the price of health, 
home, education or youth, but in a way which will favor, not 
threaten, these blessings. Hunger, nakedness, hovels, hopelessness 
must be made speculative to the industrious and worthy among them 
as such things are to us. They must be touched, refined, strength- 
ened by culture, and they must be brought by happy experience to 
believe in those ideals on which civilization rests, and to respond to 
those appeals which strengthen hand and heart for the work of life. 

Although many have departed from the way that Christ points 
out to accomplish this, we must hope that the benevolent Providence 
of God may yet bring the world to this ideal of justice and peace 
through the accepted guidance of Him Who is the Way, the Truth 
and the Life. The imagination of the world is beginning to take 
hold of poverty as a world problem. The thousand activities now 
witnessed, such as insurance, pensions, legal intervention in indus- 
trial relations, improved methods in charitable institutions, scientific 
research into processes and tendencies of poverty, minimum wage 
agitation and compensation acts, pensioning of widows, and placing 
of orphans are organically related in a blundering and fragmentary 
and unsympathetic endeavor of humanity to obey its ideals. Eu- 
genics, Criminology, Surgery, Sciences notably Biology Single 
Tax, Socialism, and related sections of human thought and action 
aim in varying ways at the conquest of poverty, the elimination of 
inferior types, the strengthening of the race, the improvement of 
institutions, and the establishment of justice. In all cases, these 
agencies ask of us faith, trust, and cooperation. There is more to 
be hoped for if we go back to Christ, His Law, His Ideal, and to 
His Philosophy to get our bearing on the problem of poverty. 
If we but recognize the social sin that causes it, the massive sin 
that grows out of it, the change of life and purification of heart 
that the strong classes must experience before we may hope for 
much, we will gradually recover the view in which alone God and 
grace, repentance and surrender, brotherhood and service, are seen 
in right relation to institutions, social reform, industrial organiza- 
tion, and laws. 

When this view shall have been recovered, we will work in 
the lines of Christian perspective. We will first work with the 



224 THE HAGUE COURT [Nov., 

zeal of apostles and vision of prophets to purge poverty of its sin, 
whether in cause or in effect. We will next labor to prevent and 
anticipate it, and bring to the weaker classes, which Christ loved, the 
heritage of hope, joy, comfort, and peace to which they have a right. 
The poverty that can not be headed off will then be purified and 
freed from all of its nameless terror. When this shall have been 
accomplished, we may understand the thought of Ruskin, furious 
lover of his kind (if memory may be trusted to quote him), that 
our banks be built of brick and our houses for the poor of marble. 
And if there will always be poor among us, their poverty need not 
be the harvest of sin, the ugly outcome of ignorant selfishness, the 
hideous price of civilization. Freed from these horrible implications, 
it may yet be seen in the light of Christian Brotherhood, and once 
we see the poor as our brothers, we and they will forget that there 
are any poor among us. 



THE HAGUE COURT. 

BY CAROLINE D. SWAN. 

O SPOKEN word ! How strange a breath of air 

Should have such power! For thou hast wings to fly 
From soul to soul, soft as a trembling sigh ; 

Now passion-fired, now lost in dull despair. 

Yet, be thy burden love or light or prayer, 
Thou hast electric thrill to bind and tie 
Assenting hearts. A foreknown Victory 

Of Peace is thine, a clasp divinely fair. 

The word shall arbitrate; the deed of wrong 
Wait for its sanction, which will never come. 

Behind it dwells the high controlling thought, 
Both throned, seraphic as archangel's song! 
The Word Divine is evermore the sum 

Of clear-cut Justice and pure Grace, blood-bought. 




THE SOCIAL APOSTOLATE IN FRANCE. 

BY MAX TURMANN, LL.D. 
IV. 

THE PROGRESS OF RELIGIOUS EDUCATION. 

F one who had been absent from France for several 
years, returned and looked into the Catholic life 
of the country, he would be struck by the growth 
and extension of popular and religious education. 
We mean by this the foundation and organization of 
institutions, societies, etc., that supplement and complete the work 
of the schools. 

The perils and difficulties of the present time seem to have 
opened the eyes of Catholics to the need for institutions that would 
give both moral and intellectual training. For some time past 
there has not been a single diocesan congress which has failed to 
call the attention of the clergy and laity to the service rendered 
the school by these complementary works. In several dioceses some 
of the sessions are devoted to the exclusive study of these questions 
a notable instance of this was given lately by the diocese of La 
Rochelle. Of course, in certain sections great deficiencies may still 
be found, but almost universally, in the country as well as in the 
city, we see the beginnings and, pretty generally, the development 
of associations for young people. 

The young apprentices and farmers, leaving school at the 
primary classes, are but poorly instructed. This lack of education 
accounts for the fact that in many ways, and in many movements, 
popular opinion has been blinded and led away by false shepherds. 
So long as the young neglect their education in matters Catholic, 
as has frequently been the case, the existing state of affairs cannot 
change. It is easy to understand, therefore, why there should be 
a sharp fight between Catholics and their adversaries over the sub- 
ject of popular education. Peace lovers, temperate spirits, possibly 
may deprecate the spirit of sharp hostility with which the war is 
waged, instead of remaining what such weak souls wish it to be 
a pleasure contest between people working each on his own side, 
according to his own convictions and methods for the general good. 
But to work aright for the general good, one must work for 
VOL. xcvi. 15. 



226 THE SOCIAL APOSTOLATE IN FRANCE [Nov., 

that on which the general good is founded the primary school. 
Around the primary school, then, the battle wages. The law, which 
ten years ago proscribed religious instruction, undoubtedly struck 
a heavy blow against the " free " schools, mostly Catholic. But, 
notwithstanding, private instruction has little by little been regain- 
ing popular favor. Not only have the " free " schools been re- 
opened under the direction of secularized religious or of Christian 
laymen, but the number of pupils in these schools is steadily in- 
creasing. For confirmation of these assertions we will go to the 
Lanterne, .a publication that cannot be suspected of clerical sym- 
pathies, and which has recently collated comparative statistics of the 
changes in the school population of both primary and public schools. 
Here is what this paper, which has bitterly fought against religious 
education, says on the subject : 

Comparing the figures for the last school year with those 
of the previous year : In a year the number of public schools in 
France and Algiers has grown from 71,269 to 71,491, an 
increase of 222. The number of pupils instructed in these 
schools has increased from 4,064,559 to 4,135,886, a gain of 
71,327. On the other hand, in the same period of time, the 
number of private schools in France and Algiers has grown from 
14,298 to 14,428, an increase of 130. The number of pupils 
taught in these schools has increased from 933,749 to 960,712, 
a gain of 26,933. 

Compare the results: In a year the public schools have in- 
creased 3.10 per 1,000; the private schools 9 per 1,000. The 
pupils in the public schools have increased 17.26 per 1,000, and 
the pupils in the private schools 28 per 1,000. These are the 
general results. They prove primary private education to be 
advancing more rapidly than primary public education. Some 
may perhaps object to this conclusion, and say the danger is 
more apparent than real since the disproportion between the 
two in numbers of schools and pupils is still very considerable. 
But this objection may be easily silenced by the statistics from 
some of the departments of the west.* 

We have quoted the Lanterne' s testimony in favor of " free " 
education to show that, far from being exterminated, it lives and 
prospers because it answers to the preferences of parents. 

Still there are numbers of Catholic children in the lay or 
public schools whom their parents have been obliged to place there 

*The Lanterne gives figures showing that public primary schools are being 
gradually deserted for the " free " or private school, especially in the departments 
of the west. 



I9i2.] THE SOCIAL APOSTOLATE IN FRANCE . 227 

for various reasons. The teachers are required to give them 
strictly neutral teaching : such is the law. " Associations of 
Fathers of Families " have been formed in recent years to see to it 
that this law is obeyed, and that since it is the law, nothing be 
taught detrimental to the Catholic faith. This association, under 
the presidency of M. Guiraud, professor at the University of 
Besangon, founded last year a " Union of Diocesan or Departmental 
Federations of the Associations of Fathers of Families." At the 
time of its first national congress, last May, the Union was com- 
posed of sixteen diocesan federations, including three hundred 
and fourteen allied bands. The committee started a magazine 
Ecole et Famille which already issues several thousand copies. 

These groups assigned to their members the following objects 
of endeavor: to incite Catholics to place the school question fore- 
most among their demands; to inculcate in parents a sense of 
their rights and duties in the education of their children; to oblige 
the public schools to respect the faith of parents and children; 
to develop in the schools the spirit of patriotism ; to oppose legisla- 
tion which attacks freedom of education; to demand for the " free " 
schools a proportionate allowance of the municipal grants and the 
state subsidies. These associations exert a most salutary influence, 
which, exercised with tact, in no wise hampers the teacher who is 
respectful to the faith of his pupils and of their parents. Never- 
theless, the politicians who openly, or otherwise, wish the teacher 
to overstep the bounds of strict neutrality, consider these asso- 
ciations a menace to public instruction, although the courts have 
declared them perfectly legal : hence all the projects for the " de- 
fense of the teacher." Formerly in the Cote d'Or a teacher 
dared proclaim, in open class, that " all who believe in God are 
fools. The father of one of the children who heard this 
abominable speech denounced the man to the courts. And from 
this originated (it is impossible to call too much attention to the 
fact) that movement which, by the curiously tortuous path of 
a violation of neutrality, has led to-day to a project for control 
of the " free " schools ! 

But the battle no longer rages solely around the primary school ; 
it is fought equally and not less obstinately, although perhaps 
less noisily, over the field of works and organizations intended to 
supplement and to continue the office of the school. In the follow- 
ing pages we will see just what point it has reached. 

These works, complementary to the school, and organized by 



228 THE SOCIAL APOSTOLATE IN FRANCE [Nov., 

Catholics, are gaining in numbers and strength. I am positive that 
if we had general statistics taken annually and kept up to date, we 
would recognize a great development in the last four or five years. 
Later I will give in detail figures to substantiate this statement. 

But it must be admitted that in many such lines of endeavor, 
particularly in Mutual Benefit Societies for scholars and in classes 
for adults, there is a noticeable inferiority in the works of Catholics. 
In some cases this inferiority, especially in the case of Mutual 
Benefit Societies, may, perhaps, be owing to the fact that Catholics, 
as a rule, desire to build up societies that will benefit the whole 
family, and not the children only. An example of noteworthy suc- 
cess in this regard is the Jeunesse Prevoyante of Paris. 

With regard to the classes for adults, we cannot but note 
a lamentable indifference on the part of Catholics. The numbers 
reached by the adult classes of the public schools, that is by the 
secular and anti-Catholic government, are grossly exaggerated. 
Yet it is true that large numbers of adults, who desire further edu- 
cation and who form a superior class intellectually, could be reached, 
and French Catholics should make every possible effort to reach 
them. Federations and Catholic reunions are on the increase, 
and in some way supply this lack of organizations that would 
provide for these classes for adults. The Bonne Presse has instituted 
a notable series of conferences; it has placed at the service of 
lecturers all necessary material, texts, illustrations, etc. In this it 
is rivaling the secular institutions of the Musee Pedagogique and 
the Ligue de I'Enseignement. Associations have been organized 
in over thirty dioceses for the purpose of giving lectures to adults, 
and they have done good service. In 1911 the total number of 
lectures given by Catholics in the Department of Eure-et-Loir 
amounted to over six hundred. This is a splendid showing when 
we remember that this association is only in its beginnings. 

Elsewhere the number of such popular lectures given by Catho- 
lics decreased considerably from 935 to 211. All departments, 
therefore, do not show the energetic zeal of Eure-et-Loir; yet on 
the whole the reports presented at the Congress of Conferences 
and Illustrated Lectures show that Catholics have made notable 
progress during the last five or six years. 

And in this work of wider, popular education should be in- 
cluded the work of the " Social Days " held in Paris, or in the 
provincial capitals, whereon the young people gather to hear the 
discussion by experienced leaders of some vocational or economic 



1912.] THE SOCIAL APOSTOLATE IN FRANCE 229 

problem. Both men and women attend these " Days," and in fact 
some of them are devoted solely to questions of women's welfare. 
The spread of such excellent formative and educational works 
cannot be too ardently desired. The Catholic speakers do not 
confine themselves to strictly doctrinal questions. They attend 
meetings of the opposition, and if the opportunity is given them 
they there defend Catholic truth. The clergy, the members of 
the " Catholic Youth," or of any of the various bodies of young 
people allied to the committee on Popular Lectures, vie with one 
another in their zeal to uphold the truth in the face of anti-Catholic 
attacks. It is safe to say, therefore, that our fellow Catholics 
have made consoling progress in this work. However, we must 
not shut our eyes to the fact that what has been done does not begin 
to compare with what we would wish to see done. 

A noticeable advance is being made by Catholics in the ex- 
tension and development of Catholic Clubs, Vacation Farm Schools, 
Athletic Societies, and Study Circles. The inspiration and leader- 
ship come from the hierarchy. Almost without exception the 
numerous diocesan congresses held in recent years have taken 
up the study of such works, with the aim of spreading and strength- 
ening them in the cities and the rural districts. The report of one 
diocese, that of Belley, to take an example, will enable the reader 
to estimate the zealous work done by Catholics. Belley includes 
a section of France wherein anti-clerical radicalism is very strong. 

Religious Works. 

1905. 1912. 

Voluntary catechists 500 750 

Children instructed annually 2,000 3,ooo 

Closed Retreats 5 for young men. 

Closed Retreats 2 for women & girls. 

Parochial committees 40 

Educational Works. 

Since 1905, twenty new free (*. e., Catholic) schools were 
opened; there are now 125 free schools in the diocese, with a 
marked increase in the attendance. 

Since 1911, a diocesan director of free education has been 
appointed and a diocesan fund established. 

A " Friendly Society of Women Teachers of Free Schools " 
has also been formed, with monthly classes in pedagogy, and 
an annual Closed Retreat during the vacation. In 1905 there 
was no established means for maintaining neutrality towards 



230 THE SOCIAL APOSTOLATE IN FRANCE [Nov., 

religion in the public primary school; in 1912 every one of the 
36 parishes of the diocese has a " Society of Father of Families." 

Works for Young People. ^^ ^ 

Clubs for young girls about 35 1 10 

Study Circles for young girls 12 

Post-school Domestic Economy classes 15 

Classes for young girls: in 1905 there were only singing 
classes; in 1912 recitation classes have been organized in about 
50 parishes. The diocesan Board is now inaugurating a dio- 
cesan federation of women's clubs and classes. 

Works -for Young Men and Boys. IQQ - IQI2 

Boys' Clubs about 15 50 

Classes for young men about 40 140* 

In 1911, 130 young men attended Closed Retreats; 23 par- 
ticipated in the Catholic " Rural Week " at Lyons. Thanks 
to the Retreats and Study Circles, popular leaders are gradually 
being formed. Many of the Study Circles are federated ac- 
cording to districts, and hold district or inter-parochial meet- 
ings three or four times a year. 

The Catholic Athletic Societies now number 14. In 1905 
there were none. The meet of these Catholic Societies in 
July, at Bourg, the capital of the department, brought together 
3,500 athletes from the Departments of Ain and Rhone. 

Press Work. 

Since 1905 : ist. At Bourg the institution of an important 
library, the Jeanne d'Arc Library, for religious and social 
propaganda. 

2d. Organization of a circulating library of books and maga- 
zines, with a small subscription price. 

3d. Establishment of the work of the Sou de la Presse in 
75 parishes, with a membership of 5,000. 

4th. Publication of the Parish Almanac (circulation 20,000) 
and the Parish Echo (circulation 30,000). 

5th. Increased activity of the Christian press. Each year 
shows decided gains. The Cross of Ain has increased its 
circulation from 10,000 to 14,000. The Liberty of Ain has 
been started, and issues 7,500 copies. 

In addition many congresses have been held since 1905, 
two for priests, three diocesan congresses, and a score of dis- 
trict congresses. All were most successful. In the district 
congresses at least one thousand men were assembled. 

*Nearly 70 of these are Study Circles. 



1912.] THE SOCIAL APOSTOLATE IN FRANCE 231 

Broadly sketched, such has been the apostolic activity exercised 
in the diocese of Belley during the past seven years. The figures 
speak eloquently of the progress made, and of the intensity of 
religious life following upon the separation, in spite of difficulties 
and uncertainties. This report illustrates, in a way most grati- 
fying to Catholic hearts, the topics which we have already treated 
in THE CATHOLIC WORLD in our endeavor to make clear to our 
brethren in America the religious situation in France at the time 
when the government brutally severed relations with the Holy See. 
I hasten to add that the diocese of Belley is not exceptional. 
Many others give evidence of equal activity, and an awakening of 
religious energy is universally noticeable in France. 

In clubs and other Catholic works for the young present 
effort tends towards directing them into Christian Vocational Feder- 
ations ; this is an imperative necessity to which last year M. 1'Abbe 
Boyreau, Cure of Notre Dame du Rosaire, Paris, called attention 
during the " Social Week " of Saint fitienne. Besides our Belgian 
neighbors have put these ideas into practice, and find themselves 
none the worse off, as the recent aldermanic and parliamentary 
elections have proved. In his report to the second Congress of 
" Popular Works " in Paris, April, 1911, M. Heyman, the assistant 
general secretary of the Christian Vocational Unions of Belgium, 
gave the following interesting information on this subject : 

The clubs have changed very much in recent years. They 
are no longer solely works for Christian preservation, but 
centres for social preparation as well. In my native town, for 
instance, they began by instituting a winged federation, i. e., 
of all trades for young workingmen between the ages of twelve 
and sixteen, drawn from the clubs, and who, according to the 
law regulating trades unions, cannot be admitted to the federa- 
tions as effective members until they have attained the age of 
sixteen. The young workmen pay a trifling weekly tax of 
ten centimes. In case of sickness or enforced idleness they 
draw fifty centimes a day. Between times, social courses are 
given at the clubs. In simple, concise language, by a pre-ar- 
ranged and uniform plan, five professors give the same lesson, 
in the same way, in the five clubs of our city. The audience 
has before it a printed summary of the lesson. Every lesson 
is followed by a friendly talk. After thirty lessons all the big 
practical questions have been impressed upon the minds of 
these young workmen, and so the club becomes the vestibule 
of the federation, the exit of the one being the entrance to the 



232 THE SOCIAL APOSTOLATE IN FRANCE [Nov., 

other. At sixteen the greater number of the young men leaving 
our clubs are well up in their respective trades. Their ability 
soon attracts the attention of their comrades, and they are soon 
promoted to hold offices, through which generally they exert 
a salutary influence. 

The example of the Belgians is most suggestive. We trust it 
may be universally followed. This method of social and vocational 
education resolutely pursued will make the young workingmen 
vigorous, generous, and loyal Catholics. Nothing is equal to 
Study Circles for the formation of Christian Catholic char- 
acter. There is probably not a single city club, nor a single 
work for the young, worthy of the name which is without a Study 
Circle. And, as a rule, such Circles show vitality and vigor. To 
maintain a taste for intellectual and social work among the youthful 
members of these associations requires " counsellors " or directors 
of study with alert minds, ready adaptation to circumstances, 
and a range of information not readily to be found. At times 
these Circles have vegetated through the fault of their directors, 
who have not known how to formulate a suitable plan of work. 
To-day the number of " sleeping " Circles is rapidly diminishing, as 
the directors have at their disposition a quantity of magazines 
and other publications which provide documents, plans of work, 
indexes, bibliographies, etc., etc. 

Then, too, judging by the congresses and the " Days " in 
which the young men participate, we see that these Study groups 
are valuable centres of formation. We cite as proof of this the 
words of His Eminence Cardinal Amette. The first Sunday of 
October, 1911, the "Union of Study Circles of the Parisian 
Suburbs " held in the popular faubourg of Clichy its fifth Congress. 
The Archbishop of Paris presided, and urged the members of the 
Study Circles to pursue their work unrelentingly. 

Study in order to preserve your faith and defend it. For this 
purpose unite your efforts. Alone, you would be powerless; 
banded together and united, you will be powerful, and will 
command respect. For this reason I recommend throughout 
my diocese organizations like this, which must be fruitful of 
good results. 




OUR CATHOLIC POETS. 

BY AGNES BRADY. 

MAZING as is the fecundity of Nature which sets 
an orchid beckoning to us from the dry bark of a 
fallen tree, or the delicate edelweiss amid the silent 
Alpine summits History has equal phenomena. For 
History, too, has blossomed 'in purple and red' down 
many a stony highway, up many a forgotten and thorn-choked by- 
path. One of these gracious miracles has been the persistence of 
the Catholic note in English poetry, with all the powers of this 
world uniting to drown and silence it." So Katherine Bregy points 
out very gracefully in her volume that devotes itself to the 
several manifestations of that " gracious miracle." Its title is 
The Poets' Chantry* and its contents the nine papers that have 
appeared in THE CATHOLIC WORLD, giving the sequence of Catholic 
poets from Southwell down to Francis Thompson and Mrs. Meynell. 
A sequence of jewels opals, are they not? For Francis Thomp- 
son a ruby perhaps, but for the others surely it is opals, now too 
pallid in their purity, now glowing to a soft, rosy fire of emotion, 
and each in a circle of tiny diamonds, for truth and clarity. How 
heartrending if they should be strung on a massive gold chain of the 
labored and ponderous criticism so easily imaginable! And how 
disgraceful if they should be held together loosely by an absurd little 
pink ribbon of undiscriminating and sentimental enthusiasm ! But 
Miss Bregy has given them to us threaded on a silver chain that is 
slender and flexible, but strong in every link. She has that strangely 
rarest of rare possessions a clear, accurate mind. She does not 
call Habington's Castara a " truly great poem," and she refrains 
from suggesting Crashaw's superiority to Milton. Instead of re- 
volving the entire poetical universe around the one particular star 
whose bright rays she happens to be observing, after the fashion 
set by a lamentably large number of critics, Miss Bregy never loses 
her true perspective. The clearness with which she sees, and makes 
us see, the power, the trend, the limitations of each one of her 
poets, as well as the positive and the relative value of his work, 
is itself, in these days of abstractions and superlatives, a " gracious 

*The Poets' Chantry. By Katherine Bregy. St. Louis: B. Herder. Price, $1.50. 



234 OUR CATHOLIC POETS [Nov., 

miracle." Combining exactness and love of finality with large 
vision, she assigns to each poet his place in the scheme of things 
with relative justice, and with a definite correctness that can very 
seldom be found at all questionable. So much for the sterling 
strength of her silver chain. For assurance of its grace and 
delicacy we need take only a random paragraph this one, 
for instance, in which the poetry of Father Gerard Hop- 
kins is quite summed up for us in the two phrases 
" its subtle and complex fancifulness and its white heat of spirit- 
uality." Or this other, which describes in a phrase of quick, deli- 
cate picturesqueness " that purple cloud of chaotic magnificence 
which so often wrapped, and sometimes obscured, Francis Thomp- 
son's thought." The critic handles the frail beauty of the poems 
studied with a touch correspondingly delicate, and her comments 
by their lightness and calm grace are admirably adapted to her 
subject-matter. 

Crashaw receives from Miss Bregy an admiration less restricted 
and stinted than is his usual portion. Francis Thompson, despite 
his debt to the older mystic, does not hesitate to point out " his 
deficiency in the human element, and the ethereal insubstantialities 
of his genius," and berates him pretty severely for the many of 
his conceits that are hard and ingenious rather than graceful or 
poetical. Such elaborate images, for example, as the well-known 
couplet that describes the weeping eyes of St. Mary Magdalen as 

Two walking baths, two weepings motions, 
Portable and compendious oceans. 

That is certainly the poet's very worst offence; but hundreds of 
conceits almost as absurd mar the beauty of his work. Miss Bregy, 
though perhaps a bit too indulgent, is not blind to this fault, but 
she graciously suggests the poet's present repentance in heaven. 
" 'Mea culpa, mea maxima culpa/ one seems to see him smiling 
down to us, from his high eternal place." And of the rapturous 
and tender beauty of the best of Crashaw's poetry our critic is a 
sympathetic exponent. By far the greater part is, of course, relig- 
ious, and through it she is happy in tracing the potent influence of 
Saint Teresa, to whom, it will be remembered, the poet was strangely 
and beautifully devoted, and in whose honor he wrote perhaps 
the most exquisite of his poems. To the few secular lyrics Miss 
Bregy gives but little space; we are tempted to regret that she 
does not dwell longer upon the Wishes to a Supposed Mistress. 



igi2.] OUR CATHOLIC POETS 235 

Instead of Shelley, to whom the poet is more often, and Coleridge, 
to whom he is surely more appropriately, compared, this lyric in 
many of its lines bears a marked resemblance to Browning. Note 
these two especially of the Wishes: 

Days that in spite 

Of darkness, by the light 

Of a clear mind are day all night. 

Life that dares send 

A challenge to his end, 

And when it comes, say, " Welcome friend ! " 

Both in thought and in manner do these not suggest the yet 
unwritten Prospice and Rabbi Ben Ezra? 

The paper on Aubrey de Vere, after recalling the too frequently 
forgotten fact that it was not Fiona MacLeod or W. B. Yeats or 
any other of this new school, but Aubrey.de Vere to whom we owed 
the poetic revival of the old Gaelic legends and hero-cycles, insists 
for the most part on de Vere's two " closet dramas." Francis 
Thompson is emphatically of the opinion that it is by his lyrical 
rather than by his narrative and dramatic poems that de Vere 
should be judged a discouraging sentence, surely, since it is ob- 
vious that the emotional and the musical \vere the two big deficien- 
cies in de Vere's makeups. His lyrics may easily be called graceful, 
but with the exception of the Autumnal Ode and the Ode to a 
Daffodil, they deserve no warmer adjective. No, rather is it the 
nobility, the deep truth, and the grandeur of de Vere's thought 
that we find most impressive, and since sue a elements appear to 
greater advantage in the narrative poems and in the dramas, Miss 
Bregy has chosen wisely, we believe. She studies particularly the 
tragedies, Alexander the Great, and St. Thomas of Canterbury, 
which, she thinks, " contain much of the noblest poetry de Vere 
ever produced." In her final estimate of the poet she is more 
generous in praise than Francis Thompson (who, we can guess, 
would have liked more de Vere and less the Words worthian), 
and, on the other hand, she is not nearly so admiring as Maurice 
Francis Egan. Though according him his full meed of praise 
running over, indeed she yet (if we may be permitted a bit of 
guess-work) remains personally untouched. His poetry, with its 
lofty, cold gravity, its holy serenity, very naturally makes no per- 
sonal appeal. He does not win the same warm devotion that she 
gives to Crashaw, to Mrs. Meynell, and most especially to Lionel 
Johnson. And by instance of that fact we see the comparative 



236 OUR CATHOLIC POETS [Nov., 

failure of de Vere's work. Noble and profound and deeply, truly 
poetical though it always is, it yet is not widely loved; because of 
its remoteness, its unrelapsing dignity. De Vere is the Addison of 
poetry. 

The longest and probably the finest, as well as the most difficult, 
of the papers is the one devoted to Coventry Patmore. The biog- 
raphy is unusually vivid and detailed, and of the poetic philosophy 
formulated in the essays there is an illuminating exposition. That 
wonderful poem, the Unknown Eros, is treated with rare insight, 
and with a sympathy by no means always granted to it. The 
Angel in the House is studied too briefly. We had hoped for some- 
thing finer than Edmund Gosse's very satisfactory but not at all 
inspiring study, and we are cheated of it. There are a thousand 
thoughts explanatory of or derivative from the poem, and we can- 
not be content that our critic has not given us pages upon pages 
of the subject, instead of the few paragraphs to which we are 
limited. Of Patmore's value and position in literature, the estimate 
is exceptionally good. 

Of Francis Thompson most of us must say humbly that " we 
cannot praise, we love so much." But Miss Bregy can say rather 
" There is delight in praising." The delight is also ours who 
read; at first we tremble lest the tender, sweet notes be suddenly 
snapped by some harsh or even some coldly formal word ! " Heard 
melodies are sweet, but those unheard are sweeter," we whisper. 
What of our love for the poet, our secret, unphrased thoughts? 
Would it not be better to leave such fragile, beloved beauty un- 
discussed? But reading we find relief, and soon pleasure, for our 
critic touches poet and poems with tender hands; we even find our 
own thoughts, our own , affections, phrased charmingly for us. We 
breathe a sigh of content when she says simply of Her Portrait and 
Manus Animam Pinxlt that they are " ethereally yet poignantly 
beautiful;" we note gladly her phrase of the poet's " unified vision " 
of nature; and we like the reticent grace of the comment on 
The Hound of Heaven. Best of all, we applaud when we 
discover the refutation of the title so often bestowed 
upon Thompson " the greater Crashaw." Both were Catho- 
lics, yes, and both wrote religious poetry. But here is a critic at 
last who points out (finally, let us hope!) that Crashaw's was a 
lyric, and Francis Thompson's a dramatic genius. Again, that the 
beauties of Crashaw were high and soaring, those of Thompson 
deep and passionate. " The one," adds Miss Bregy, " might well 



I 9 i2.] OUR CATHOLIC POETS 237 

be called the poet of Bethlehem the other of Gethsemane ! " In 
remarking in the nature poems " the mingling of the dainty and the 
profound," our critic has somewhat the same thought expressed 
by G. K. Chesterton in his essay on Thompson. Making a com- 
parison with Browning, Chesterton observes : 

But his real energy, and the real energy of Francis Thompson, 
was best expressed in the fact that both poets were at once fond 
of immensity and also fond of detail. Any common imperialist 
can have large ideas so long as he is not called upon to have 
small ideas also. Any common scientific philosopher can have 
small ideas so long as he is not called upon to have large ideas 
as well. But great poets use the telescope and also the micro- 
scope. Great poets are obscure for two opposite reasons ; now, 
because they are talking about something too large for anyone 
to understand, and now again because they are talking about 
something too small for anyone to see. Francis Thompson 
possessed both these infinities. He escaped by being too small, 
as the microbe escapes ; or he escaped by being too large, as the 
universe escapes. Anyone who knows Francis Thompson's 
poetry knows quite well the truth to which I refer. For the 
benefit of any person who does not know it, I may mention two 
cases taken from memory. I have not the book by me, so I can 
only render the poetical passages in a clumsy paraphrase. But 
there was one poem of which the image was so vast that it 
was literally difficult for a time to take it in ; he was describing 
the evening earth with its mist and fume and fragrance, and 
represented the whole as rolling upwards like a smoke; then 
suddenly he called the whole ball of the earth a thurible, and said 
that some gigantic spirit swung it slowly before God. That 
is the case of the image too large for comprehension. Another 
instance sticks in my mind of the image which is too small. 
In one of his poems he says that abyss between the known and 
the unknown is bridged by " pontifical death." There are 
about ten historical and theological puns in that one word. 
That a priest means a pontiff, that a pontiff means a bridge- 
maker, that death is certainly a bridge, that death may turn 
out after all to be a reconciling priest, that at least priests and 
bridges both attest to the fact that one thing can get separated 
from another thing these ideas, and twenty more, are all 
actually concentrated in the word " pontifical." 

In Francis Thompson's poetry, as in the poetry of the uni- 
verse, you can work infinitely out and out, but yet infinitely 
in and in. These two infinities are the mark of greatness ; and 
he was a great poet. 



238 FATHER DOYLE [Nov., 

It is a temptation to linger over the others of the papers, 
especially that treating of Lionel Johnson, which is perhaps the 
most eminently artistic, and certainly the most exquisite in sym- 
pathy. And it is almost impossible to pass over the very last paper, 
which devotes itself to Mrs. Meynell, the poet of renunciation, the 
lover of the Lady Poverty. But space fails for anything beyond 
the quotation of a memorable paragraph : 

Mrs. Meynell's poetry, 'like a certain school of modern 
music, suggests and betrays rather than expresses emo- 
tion. It is definite but intangible. It creates an atmosphere 
of angelically clear thought, of rare delicacies of feeling, and 
speaks with a perfect reticence. Mistakenly, perhaps, the hasty 
might dub it a poetry of promise: on the contrary, it is a 
poetry of uncommonly fine achievement. But it does not 
achieve the expected thing. We are conscious of a light, a 
flash, a voice, a perfume the soul of the muse has passed by. 
And we were looking for the body, flower-crowned ! 



FATHER DOYLE. 

BY MAURICE FRANCIS EGAN. 

WHO was this man, whose memory in our hearts 
Is touched by flame as frankincense by fire, 
And like prayer's symbol, floats above the mire 

Of sordid worldliness in earthly marts? 

How well he knew the sad and various parts 
We creatures play, each heart a lyre 
From which he drew some music ; his desire 

To raise each soul above the stinging smarts 

Of vulgar lust and pride! Not of this world, 
But in the world, he, living, understood 

The proud Athenian and the simple mind. 
He was unmoved, while o'er him evil hurled 
Deceptive threats ; with the ensanguined wood 

Of Christ's blest cross his heart was deeply signed. 



IRew Boohs. 

THE MASS: A STUDY OF ROMAN LITURGY. By Adrian 

Fortescue. New York: Longmans, Green & Co. $1.80 net. 

" This book," as the author says, " is intended to supply in- 
formation about the history of the Roman Liturgy. The title 
shows that it is a study of the Roman rite. It is only in the 
Roman (or Gallican) rite that the Eucharistic service can correctly 
be called Mass. The chapter about other liturgies, and the frequent 
references to them throughout, are meant only to put our Roman 
Mass in its proper perspective, and to illustrate its elements by 
comparison. In spite of the risk of repetition, the clearest plan 
seemed to be to first discuss the origin and development of the Mass 
in general; and then to go through the service as it stands now, 
adding notes to each prayer and ceremony." 

Dr. Fortescue in discussing the difficult problem of the develop- 
ment of the Canon, does not give us any new theory of his own. 
On the contrary he sums up clearly and accurately the views of 
the chief liturgical specialists, such as Bunsen, Probst, Bickell, 
Cagin, Bishop, Baumstark, Buchwald, Drews, and Cabrol. He 
favors indeed the main ideas of Drews and Baumstark, but while 
giving his reasons, he is never arbitrary and dogmatic like some 
of the scholars he quotes. 

I have occasionally met Protestants who labored under the 
delusion that all Catholics believed that our present liturgical books 
and ceremonies were all existent in the first and second centuries. 
We recommend them Dr. Fortescue's introductory chapter on " The 
Eucharist in the First Three Centuries." Answering this very 
question, he says : " In the earlier period there was certainly no 
absolute uniformity in every prayer, in every detail of ceremonial 
as in our Missal now. The prayers were neither read from a book 
nor learned by heart. Liturgical books do not appear till later. 
The lessons were, of course, read from a Bible; psalms and the 
Lord's Prayer were known by heart ; otherwise the prayers were all 
extempore. As for ceremonial, there was none or practically none. 
Things were done, as they had to be done for some practical pur- 
pose, in the simplest way A ritual grew naturally out of 

these purely practical actions, just as vestments evolved out of 
ordinary dress " (p. 53). 

The table of liturgies at the end of Chapter II. gives us at 



240 NEW BOOKS [Nov., 

a glance the parent rites of Antioch, Alexandria, Rome, and Gaul 
with their descendants. We see at once how mistaken those are 
who imagine that the uses of Sarum and Salisbury are really sep- 
arate rites, essentially different from that of Rome, whereas in 
reality they are only local varieties of the Roman rite (p. 201). 

Chapter IV. tells us of the Mass Since Gregory I. We no 
longer have the obscurity that marks the origin of the Roman rite. 
" There was first an infiltration of Gallican elements, then the 
evolution of prolific mediaeval derived rites. But neither affected 
the fundamental essence of the Mass. All later modifications 
were fitted into the old arrangement, and the most important 
parts were not touched. From the time of St. Gregory, roughly 
speaking, we have the text of the Mass, its order and arrangement, 
as a sacred tradition that no one ventured to touch except in unim- 
portant details " (p . 173). 

Part II. gives us the Order of the Mass in detail. For many 
this will prove the most interesting part of the book. We learn, 
v. g., that the Introit was originally the processional psalm; that 
the prayers at the foot of the altar were for a long time simply 
the celebrant's own private preparation; that the Kyrie was a 
fragment of a litany introduced at Rome from the East about 
500 A. D. ; that the Gloria is a translation of a very old Greek hymn ; 
that the short ancient Collects are characteristically Roman ; that the 
Homily after the Lessons is one of the oldest elements, etc., etc. 

There are two scholarly appendices on the Names of the Mass 
and the Epiklesis. A small but good bibliography concludes the 
volume. 

It is without question the best book on the subject in the 
English tongue. It is clear, concise, and scholarly. It will be 
studied by many who otherwise might have been content with vague 
and inaccurate ideas about the great Christian act of Sacrifice. 
English-speaking Catholics owe a very great debt of gratitude 
to those who first conceived the idea of the Westminster Library. 

THE GOLDEN ROSE. By Mrs. Hugh Fraser and J. I. Stahl- 

mann. New York: Dodd, Mead & Co. $1-35 net. 

Mrs. Hugh Fraser, who is known as Marion Crawford's sister, 

and as the author of A Diplomatist's Wife in Many Lands, has 

written, in collaboration with J. I. Stahlmann, a novel of unusual 

strength and brillance, called The Golden Rose. It bases itself 

upon the doctrine of the beauty and the discipline of suffering. 



NEW BOOKS 241 

Countess Pauline Karolai, of a noble and Catholic Polish family, 
has been struck into agony by the horrible, shameful death of the 
young husband whom she had blindly revered and loved, and upon 
the birth of her child, Rose Aurore, the Golden Rose, she has taken 
a terrible vow. In her bitter resentment against God, she has 
sworn to obey and serve Him outwardly, to be a loyal member of 
His Church, so long as He shall keep her child from pain, and 
no longer. Believing herself to have purchased all happiness for 
Rose at the price of her own past suffering, she educates the child 
in religion, it is true, but only in a formal religion, without any real 
love of God or submission to His will. And Rose Aurore, while 
an innocent, wilful child, is led into a secret and legally incomplete 
marriage with the second son of the king of a German principality. 
This, of course, spells tragedy; the Prince's gradual inconstancy, 
and finally, upon his accession to the throne, his repudiation of 
Rose and his remarriage, mean for her an agony that bitterly 
punishes poor Pauline's sacrilegious presumption. In the end, how- 
ever, it leads both mother and child safely back to the feet of God. 
Such is the theme of the story, and it is overlaid by brilliant de- 
pictions of court life that are doubtless expert, and by character 
drawings that are exceptionally fine. 

CATHOLICISM AND SOCIALISM. London: Catholic Truth 

Society. 

We recommend very highly these brief but excellent essays on 
Socialism by Father M'Laughlin, Father Rickaby, Father Garrold, 
and Hilaire Belloc. Some among Catholics may have been led to join 
the ranks of unbelieving Socialism, because appreciating the intoler- 
able evils of our present industrial system, and anxious for their bet- 
terment, they were convinced by lying witnesses that the Catholic 
Church and her priesthood were on the side of capital against the 
workers. Such men read the writings of the Socialist enthusiast day 
after day. Pamphlets of the above type are a good antidote for the 
poison. Let us quote a few extracts: "Your (the Socialist) 
program is impossible to us because you want to suppress not only 

the evils of private ownership, but private ownership itself." 

" The Socialist argument on surplus value does evince this much, 
that the said surplus ought not to be turned merely to the private 
emolument and gratification of the capitalist. But it should be 
administered by the capitalist for the common good of himself and 
of his working people. To some extent already working people do 

VOL. xcvi. 16. 



242 NEW BOOKS [Nov., 

share in the benefits that spring from surplus value. It cannot be 
contended that the people's share in these benefits is so full as 

it ought to be." " But this disproportion is not to be all put 

down to industry, and thrift, and public services rendered by the 
wealthy, and to idleness, wastefulness, and crime on the part of 
the poor." " State interference to rectify this wrongful inequality 
is of the nature of a surgical operation, to be dispensed with where 
not necessary. There is no heroic remedy to ensure the right 
application of riches." . . . . " Socialism is a political theory, according 
to which people would be happier and better if the means of pro- 
duction that is, the land of a country and its buildings, ships, ma- 
chines, rails, etc. belonged to the government instead of belong- 
ing, as they mainly do, to private citizens and corporations. 
This is the only exclusive meaning of Socialism. All the other 
wobbly ideas that have been tacked on to it by its enemies or 
its friends that it is 'atheistic,' or that it involves 'sexual im- 
morality,' that it is 'progressive,' that it is 'Christian,' have nothing 
to do with the one proposition which alone distinguishes it from all 
other policies." " No man in a Socialistic state would be what we 
now call free." " Socialism would destroy what we call the 
satisfaction of the desire of property." " The Catholic Church 
does not admit that the possession of the means of production differs 
morally from the possession of objects which cannot be used or are 
not used as means of production." 

THE BOOK OF SAINTS AND HEROES. By Mrs. Lang. Edited 

by Andrew Lang. New York: Longmans, Green & Co. 

$ i. 60 net. 

A noted non-Catholic writer on pedagogical subjects stated 
some time ago that if his own religious body had the wealth 
of story contained in the lives of the saints of the Catholic Church, 
it would be abundantly supplied with religious literature for chil- 
dren. It is true that the lives of the saints are an inexhaustible 
treasure-house for all that will interest and stimulate children ; and 
that the same treasure-house is too seldom drawn upon. Its riches 
are, comparatively speaking, little known to our children or, indeed, 
to our older folks. 

A book that taps this vein of Catholic inheritance is : The 
Book of Saints and Heroes, by Mrs. Lang, and edited by the late 
Andrew Lang. Needless to say the work is admirably well written, 
and no child, even though tired, would think of sleep while the 



1912.] NEW BOOKS 243 

story of Jerome and the Lion, or Francis and the Wolf of Agobio, 
was being read. Here is all that will arouse the imagination, fas- 
cinate the mind, and instill that romantic love of heroic deeds which, 
in turn, is so powerful a stimulus to virtue. The book is most richly 
and tastefully illustrated with page drawings, many of them beau- 
tifully colored. The author has combined legend and history, and 
has sought to give us an interesting story book. She has suc- 
ceeded well, and the only criticism that we have to make is that in 
the preface Mr. Lang permits his playful humor to descend almost 
to frivolity. 

THE HISTORY OF RELIGIONS. By Joseph Huby. Paris: 

Gabriel Beauchesne et Cie. 

The great battle to-day between faith and infidelity centres 
in great part on the battlefield of Comparative Religions. German 
rationalist scholars like Bunsen and Seydel, and their French pop- 
ularizers like Reinach and his confreres of the anticlerical camp, 
are continually lauding to the skies the merits of Buddhism, Mith- 
raism, Mohammedanism, and the pagan cults of Greece and Rome, 
the better to prove the inferiority and borrowings of Christianity. 

Ten years ago when the Catholic university student demanded 
of us a good history of religions, we had nothing to offer him. 
Now Catholic scholars are beginning to supply the demand. In 
England, Father Martindale has given us the five excellent volumes 
of the History of Religions published in this country by B. Herder 
of St. Louis; in France, the Abbe Bricout, editor of the Revue du 
Clerge Frangais, has edited two scholarly volumes, entitled Ou En 
Est I'Histoire des Religions, and now the Abbe Huby offers us a 
third manual of Comparative Religions. 

Eleven of the Catholic specialists who have contributed to 
the present volume have already written for the series published in 
England by the Catholic Truth Society. The only new writers are 
Albert Carnoy on the Religion of the Persians, Ernest Bominghaus 
on the Religion of the Ancient Germans, John Nikel on the Religion 
of Israel, and Pierre Rousselot and Alexandre Brou on Christianity. 

The lengthiest and most important contribution to the present 
series is the History of Christianity (pp. 671 to 1,012). This 
chapter is even more complete than the treatise of the Abbe Vac- 
andard in the series published in the Revue du Clerge Frangais. 
As Father Huby says in his preface, " In our days the adversaries 
of our Faith are most dishonest in the arguments they deduce from 



244 NEW BOOKS [Nov., 

the comparison of Christianity with other religions. In ignorance 
or in bad faith they say nothing of the differences that exist, while 
they exaggerate every analogy with the secret or avowed design 
of robbing Christianity of its divine aureola. Such a method 
is false and sophistical; it originates in their concept of the super- 
natural. Some deny a priori its existence; others, like some of our 
apologists who are more zealous than learned, seem to think that 
the world of nature and the world of grace are total strangers to 
each other. Because they happen to discover some points of contact 
between Christianity and other religions, they at once flatter them- 
selves that they have utterly destroyed all transcendental religion. 
They are utterly ignorant of the fact that the supernatural and 
natural orders are not separate nor contradictory, but that the 
supernatural builds on the natural, and supposes in us natural 

powers, which it develops and perfects Honesty demands 

that the comparison should refer not merely to isolated details, but 
to Christianity as a whole to Christian dogma, Christian morality, 
and Christian worship. Instead of merely discussing gestures and 
words, the scholar must try to grasp the principle of life and the 
spirit which animates them." 

This volume, the work of some of the best Catholic specialists 
in the world to-day, argues conclusively against the evolutionary 
theory of religion. " It shows the absolute superiority of Chris- 
tianity; and makes us appreciate more and more the unfathomable 
riches of Christ." It will be a good corrective to the superficial 
manuals of the French lycees, which are doing so much to-day to 
undermine the faith of the rising generation. It is a most worthy 
contribution to Catholic scholarship. 

HENRIK IBSEN: PLAYS AND PROBLEMS. By Otto Heller. 

Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co. $2.00 net. 

Of writing books on Ibsen there is apparently no end, since 
Bernard Shaw first set the fashion with his Quintessence of Ibsen- 
ism which, by the way, was, of course, about one-fourth Ibsenism 
to three-fourths Shavianism, that critic's trouble being, as usual, too 
much Shaw. But much can be said in praise of this newest arrival 
Henrik Ibsen: Plays and Problems, by Otto Heller, Professor 
of German Language and Literature in Washington University. It 
is a careful and scholarly study, devoting special attention to the 
social plays, the so-called problem plays, rather than to the roman- 
tic and historical. It is Ibsen the social thinker that this present 



I 9 i2.] NEW BOOKS 245 

critic shows us. Ibsen the artist interests him not so much; be- 
yond stating a general admiration, and pointing out an occasional 
fault of technique or a needless ambiguity of construction, he is 
silent. Which is a bit disappointing, because Ibsen has not yet 
been summed up with any finality from the artistic standpoint; 
between those who exalt absurdly and those who drag down un- 
duly, he remains suspended, like the prophet's coffin, between heaven 
and earth. 

It is Ibsen's philosophy that is Professor Heller's chief con- 
cern, and although he evidently believes in it to an irrational extent, 
yet he presents it very sanely and fairly, and in as clear outlines 
as its shifting vagueness will permit. He defends his Ibsen with 
justice from the charge of indecency and immorality a charge 
which we should really put by as cheap : anyone can fling stones 
at Goliath's feet, but an intelligent David will aim at his head. He 
even makes a half-way reasonable defense against the charge of 
morbidity. But he quite misses the point that Ibsen was a de- 
structive, never a constructive, thinker. He was only half a phil- 
osopher. That he was an intelligent demonstrator of sins and of 
their result, is perfectly true. But he suggested no cure of sins, 
no scheme of morality that should combat sins. A man has no 
right to pull down a house until he knows how to rebuild it in 
better shape. Socialists and anarchists are alike in this, that they 
are all complete thinkers. They know what they want. They 
have a definite social ideal. Accordingly they are at least logical 
when they lay society upon the Procrustean bed of their ideal, 
and stretch it to fit. But Ibsen has no such bed, and it is really 
unfair of him to stretch society on the rack of his revolving theories. 

Perhaps the biggest satisfaction that Professor Heller gives 
us is his study of that much and variously misunderstood heroine, 
Hedda Gabler. Every Ibsen critic sees Hedda through his own 
spectacles. To one she is insane; to another, her physical con- 
dition is responsible for her actions (an obviously untenable 
theory, since we are explicitly told that her traits were the same 
in childhood) to a third, she seems to have the full sympathy and 
approval of the dramatist. 

In fact, to one critic (Mr. Grant Allen) Hedda is "nothing 
more nor less than the girl we take down to dinner in London, 
nineteen times out of twenty." Professor Heller offers, we believe, 
the true interpretation of Hedda as a heartless egoist, a " demi- 
vierge," a type of the over-emancipated woman. Her emancipa- 



246 NEW BOOKS [Nov., 

tion, he observes, " has led her clearly out of the path of duty into a 
moral wilderness. No profitable order of society can exist di- 
vorced from domestic obligations. Ibsen, his thoroughgoing cham- 
pionship of female independence notwithstanding, abhorred the 
type of woman whose 'social' interests lie wholly outside her family. 
And he simply loathed the Hedda Gablers of 'society,' surface 
idlers whose existence is equally barren at home and abroad." But 
what he fails to note is that this egoism, this theory of " living 
one's own life," is exactly what Ibsen himself preached in the 
Doll's House. Hedda Gabler is simply Nora ten years later. 

Another frequent misunderstanding of Ibsen is corrected by 
this critic in his chapter on " Little Eyolf." The high burst of 
rather stagy philanthropy at its close has recommended the play 
for much mistaken applause, as Professor Heller notes, and he 
continues : 

The conventionalist may even be seen pointing with satis- 
faction to " Little Eyolf " as a proof of Ibsen's abandonment 
of ultra-radicalism, and his return to the standing moral notions 

of "general humanity." The plain fact of the matter is 

that in " Little Eyolf " a theory of marriage is preached which, 
to my knowledge, has only one other open advocate among the 
great social thinkers of modern times ; the same theory, namely, 

that is advanced in Toltsoy's Kreutzer Sonata Since by 

the outcome of the play the maintenance of platonic relations 
between husband and wife would seem to be commended, 
Ibsen is apprehended in the preposterous tenet that happy 
marriages must be childless. 

In this Professor Heller is undoubtedly right. This immorally 
ascetic theory of marriage, though not elsewhere in Ibsen recom- 
mended, is, of course, the main idea in " Little Eyolf," and the 
play should be judged by it, not by a bit of philanthropy that is 
only a side-issue. 

Of A Doll's House there is a lengthy and very able study, 
aiming to present a clear notion of Ibsen's ideas on the woman 
question. In the process of so doing our critic draws a rather 
doleful picture of woman's position here in America. 

The national sentiment [he remarks], despite all appearances 
to the contrary, is still distinctly unfriendly to higher feminine 
aspirations, and refuses stubbornly to apportion between the 
sexes the responsibility for the nation's important concerns 



1912.] NEW BOOKS 247 

At all events, the woman cult of the American man is limited 
and qualified. His sheltering gallantry is capable of nearly 
every sacrifice, but stops absolutely short of the concession of 
equality. It is really not such a fearfully far cry from the 
average relation of the sexes in wedlock to the domestic order 
pictured in A Doll's House, against which Americans more than 
any other people protest so loudly. 

How discouraging! How really too bad of the professor! 
But he does not mean all that. Overstudy of his subject has left 
him temporarily minus his sense of humor, and in the mood which 
caused a lady to observe to her companion after a " Doll's House " 
matinee : 

" Really, my dear, isn't Ibsen too perfectly lovely, and doesn't 
he just take all the joy out of life? " 

THE LOST ART OF CONVERSATION. Selected Essays. Edited 
with an Introduction by Horatio S. Kraus. New York: 
Sturgis & Walton. $1.50 net. 

If the art of conversation be indeed lost (as universal com- 
plaint and individual experience would seem, for the most part, 
to imply), then modern society may well leave tea drinking and 
bridge playing and motoring and esthetic dancing and the rest 
of her ninety-nine polite accomplishments in the wilderness, and 
rest not until the fugitive is won back to her tents! The present 
well-chosen array of critiques on the subject may serve not only 
as incentive for the search, but perhaps even for guide-post on 
the way. For here we find Lord Bacon's terse sentences Of Dis- 
course, a serious essay by De Quincy, and Hazlitt's ever-charming 
edict upon the Conversation of Lords and the Conversation of 
Authors. That the latter is "not so good as might be imagined," 
the author himself readily admits, with the afterword that " such as 
it is (and with rare exceptions) it is better than any other! " He 
metes out sincere admiration, also, to the originality and naivete of 
artists' conversation; while his judgment upon the conversation of 
women is witty enough in itself to justify a perusal of the book. 

Dean Swift contributes to this really classic collection certain 
" hints " toward an essay, and J. P. Mahaffy a rather formal 
analysis of the Principles of the Art of Conversation; while all 
lovers of Robert Louis Stevenson will be glad to find his Truth 
of Intercourse and his sympathetic pages upon Talk and Talkers 
included. The book as a whole is worth while and interesting. 



248 NEW BOOKS [Nov., 

BOOKS BY CATHOLIC AUTHORS IN THE CLEVELAND PUB- 
LIC LIBRARY. Compiled and annotated by Emilie Louise 
Haley. Published by the Cleveland Public Library. 
This careful catalogue does credit both to the intelligent and 
painstaking compiler and the library which can make so good a 
showing of valuable Catholic works. Too often the Catholic books 
in our public libraries are lost on the shelves, with no guide to 
point them out to the willing Catholic reader. Special catalogues 
have been attempted before, but few have reached the high point 
of excellence of the present effort. The catalogue is arranged 
according to subjects. Books in which Catholics have collaborated 
with non-Catholics are included, also Catholic works translated or 
edited by non-Catholics, but none but Catholic names are found on 
the carefully verified list of Catholic authors at the end of the 
volume. Annotations, comprising telling passages from the book 
itself, a brief summary of its purport, or notices from standard 
Catholic reviews, add unique value to this work as a guide to 
readers. We note, however, among these a serious misprint which 
the Errata has failed to correct. On page twenty-six in the quota- 
tion from Questions of the Soul, by Rev. I. T. Hecker, " supple- 
ment " should read complement. The catalogue is prefaced by a 
note of cordial congratulation to the compiler from the Rt. Rev. 
Bishop of Cleveland. It is to be hoped the appreciation of Miss 
Haley's work may lead others to render a like service to Catholic 
readers in other public libraries. 

EARLY CHRISTIAN HYMNS. Series II. By Daniel Joseph 

Donahue. Middletown, Conn. : Donahue Publishing Co. 

$2.00 net. 

This second volume of Judge Donahue's Early Christian 
Hymns is designed to augment the first series by a " more general 
survey of the work of the most notable Latin writers of the early 
and Middle Ages," outside of the limits of the Breviary. Begin- 
ning with hymns of St. Hilary and St. Ambrose, it traces the golden 
thread of sacred song from Augustine and Prudentius to St. Peter 
Damien ; so to the German Strabo and Benno ; to Thomas a Kempis 
and Bernard of Clairvaux; closing with two sacred poems of 
Pope Urban VIII., and a pathetic fragment written by the hapless 
Queen of Scots in her own prayer-book. 

Many of the most famous hymns of Christendom the Adeste 
Fidelis, for instance, the Veni, Veni Emanuel, and the Maris Stella 



I 9 i2.] NEW BOOKS 249 

songs are, of course, of unknown authorship; and in this same 
category Judge Donahue places the popular Anima Christi, so long 
attributed to St. Ignatius Loyola. The merit of his collection lies 
less in the poetic excellence of any particular translation than in 
the fidelity and comprehensiveness with which he has revealed to 
modern Christians this ancient treasure trove of the Church. Any 
library is the richer for including Judge Donahue's two volumes of 
these noble hymns. 

SOUTH AMERICAN PROBLEMS. By Robert E. Speer. New 

York: Student Volunteer Movement for Foreign Missions. 

If any Catholic has ever wondered why Protestant missions 
are universally so unsuccessful, despite the many millions squan- 
dered by unthinking and prejudiced multitudes at home, let him 
read this book. It is hardly worthy of a review in any serious 
monthly, unless perhaps to call the attention of fair-minded Prot- 
estants in the United States to the mental and moral calibre of those 
whom they pay to make converts abroad. The book is unscholarly, 
inaccurate, prejudiced, dishonest, and hypocritical. 

Like a character Dickens would have loved to paint, Mr. 
Speer makes his bow to the American Protestant public with a most 
eloquent and unctuous appeal for a great many American dollars 
to win over " an unbelieving, superstitious, and immoral " conti- 
nent from the grasp of an " intolerant, impure, and avaricious 
priesthood." The authorities he loves to cite are infidel apostates 
like McCabe, drunken renegades like O'Connor, professional anti- 
Catholics like Lea, and a host of South American priests whose 
names are wisely withheld. 

We are solemnly informed, without the quiver of an eyelid, 
that the Catholic religion in South America is a horrible mass 
of corruption, superstition, externalism, Bible-hating, Mariolatry. 
and ignorance. " Is not celibacy," asks this modern defender 
of truth and righteousness, " a wrong and evil principle ? Does 
not the Church through the confessional take over all past sins, 
allow the penitent to do what he likes, and be sure of salvation? 
Is not the Catholic Church radically hostile to free institutions, 
the advocate of a mere external conformity, the determined foe 
of all independent inquiry and intellectual progress, the bitter 
enemy of the Word of God, the foster of illiteracy," etc., etc. ? 

We are certain that Mr. Speer has mistaken his vocation. 
He ought to pose as an " ex-priest " in some of the small, illiterate 



250 NEW BOOKS [Nov., 

towns of the South land; he would then be certain of an audience 
prepared by tradition and lack of mental culture fully to appreciate 
his mouthings. 

Only among the absolutely ignorant will his presentation of 
Catholic doctrine pass unquestioned, his so-called facts be swallowed 
whole, and his protestations of sincerity be accepted at face value. 
We beg to remember the commandment, " Thou shalt not bear false 
witness." 

CHANGING AMERICA. By Edward Alsworth Ross. New 

York: The Century Co. $1.20 net. 

Professor Ross writes no page that is not entertaining, and few 
that do not suggest matter for thought. In this present group of es- 
says he touches upon several topics that lie near the heart of all con- 
cerned with current American history. In what are, perhaps, his 
best two chapters, he describes the rampant commercialism which 
has made business the supreme interest of life. 

Very pertinent are the instances given of the way in which the 
daily newspaper constantly suppresses important news not agree- 
able to the interests of the big advertisers. But they would have 
been so much more impressive as arguments if the professor had 
been able to furnish us w r ith specific data as to the newspapers and 
firms that figure in his illustrations. 

The chapter on the falling birth-rate is as might be antici- 
pated frankly pagan. Professor Ross affirms infant mortality to 
be so high among the French Canadians that they " show the cen- 
sus-taker no larger families than other Canadians." 

We think that any candid reader of Commissioner Beale's 
monumental work on Racial Decay will begin to wonder whether 
Dr. Ross has not been led into this declaration by 

The instinctive theorizing, whence a fact 
Looks to the eye as the eye likes the look. 

UNSEEN FRIENDS. By Mrs. William O'Brien. New York: 

Longmans, Green & Co. $2.25 net. 

If the " Unseen Friends " of whom Mrs. William O'Brien 
writes are unknown to any of our readers, we strongly advise them 
to secure the book and experience the joy of introduction. To 
those of us who already know the friends, there will be an equal, if 
not greater, pleasure in reading these pages. The author has se- 



I 9 i2.] NEW BOOKS 251 

lected fifteen of her favorites, and in pleasant, easy style, with 
evidence of much careful reading, has told the history of lives that 
for literary charm, personal worth, and spiritual inspiration will 
never grow old. Of the fifteen, ten are great Catholic heroines; 
the remaining five are women, who, beyond mere literary ability, 
have possessed the charm of a personally worthy Christian char- 
acter. 

Mrs. O'Brien is partial towards women not a man is allowed 
into this famous company. But we will not object. The book is 
too fascinating to admit of any such criticism. Mrs. Oliphant, 
Charlotte Bronte, Felicia Skene, Jean Ingelow, Christina Rossetti 
are all sketched attractively. The lives of religious founders and 
heroines who have become famous throughout the world, and whose 
story here will be of special interest to the members and special 
friends of the different communities, are interestingly reviewed: 
Mother Margaret Mary Hallahan of the Irish Dominicans, and 
Mother Francis Drane, her biographer; Nano Nagle of the Presenta- 
tion Order; Mary Aikenhead of the Irish Sisters of Charity; Emilie 
d'Oultremont or Marie Reparatrice, and Marie Antoinette Fage of 
the Little Sisters of the Assumption. 

A very valuable asset of the book is the intelligent suggestion 
and guidance it offers, particularly to Catholics, of further ex- 
cellent Catholic reading. One who would read this volume, and 
then read the other works which it mentions, would be well-versed 
in Catholic life and activity of the last century and better still 
have a treasury of inspiration for his own daily betterment. It 
was a delight to us to see that Mrs. O'Brien included Eugenie de 
Guerin and Pauline de la Ferronnays. The Letters and Journal 
of the former both may be purchased at small cost ought to be 
household books among Catholics. In Eugenie de Guerin, as all the 
world admits, and has long since admitted, the grace of unsel- 
fishness and the pure love of God, and in Him of her dear Maurice, 
gave birth to a literary art unexcelled. The man, who knows not 
A Sister's Story, by Mrs. Craven (Pauline de la Ferronnays), has 
missed much. Years ago it was named by the Edinburgh Review 
as one of the one hundred classics of the world. 

THE POETS' CHANTRY. By Katherine Bregy. St. Louis : B. 

Herder. $1.50. 

A review of this work appears in an article in this issue of 
THE CATHOLIC WORLD under the title : Our Catholic Poets. We 



252 NEW BOOKS [Nov., 

wish to call direct attention to the work here in our review pages, 
because it is one of exceptional value, not only to all who are inter- 
ested in our great poets, but also to Catholic schools and colleges. 
It is a lamentable fact that courses in English poetry are given in 
our Catholic schools year in and year out, and yet the pupil is gradu- 
ated from them without any idea not only of the Catholic inheritance 
in English literature, but of the still greater fact that Catholic 
teaching has been the prolific and faithful mother of all that is en- 
during in that poetry. It is a large claim to make, but it might 
easily be defended, that the soul of English poetry is Christian, and 
when that soul goes out poetry will die. The supreme value of Miss 
Bregy's work is that she has given a valuable contribution to the 
defense of that thesis. Her volume is happily illustrated by photo- 
graphs of the different authors, and is well presented. We bespeak 
for it the wide circulation which it merits. 

PRISONERS' YEARS. By I. Clarke. New York: Benziger 
Brothers. $1.35 net. 

This is a novel of remarkable excellence. The title is taken 
from the lines in Ben Jonson's Sad Shepherd: 

How long are lovers' weeks, 
Do you think, Robin, when they are asunder? 
Are they not prisoners' years? 

and the lovers are a young English couple, Felix Scaife and 
Evodia Essex, who part in anger a week before their arranged 
marriage. It is Felix's announcement of his sudden conversion 
to Catholicity that loses for him his inheritance and his fiancee, 
but in the face of the double trial he remains loyal to his newly- 
found faith. 

The second half of the story carries us to Italy and to the 
north of Africa, and we follow the slow evolution of Evodia's 
mind to the point where she, too, discovers religious truth and a 
simultaneous understanding of her lover's sacrifice. The story is 
told lightly, and with much skill and humor. 

GOD MADE MAN. By Rev. P. M. Northcote. New York: Ben- 
ziger Brothers. 90 cents net. 

" In this work," as the author correctly states in his Preface, 
" there is no pretense at scholarship as the term is generally under- 
stood It is simply the record of the thoughts of one who 

desires above all things to be loyal, true, and loving toward the 



1912.] NEW BOOKS 253 

Divine Person, Who, whether as Creator or Redeemer, did so 
much for man." 

A busy priest will find this volume helpful in the preparation 
of his Sunday sermons, although we would advise him not to harp 
so much on the coming of Antichrist, which " dread event " Father 
Northcote feels " is at hand." That prophecy has been made too 
often by those outside the Church for us to imitate their false fore- 
bodings. Again we were tempted to get angry with him for his 
absurd " mistrust of government by democracy," which he thinks 
" so easily merges into Socialism," and his view that " the modern 
democratic spirit is a transient phase in human affairs " due to the 
stupidity of the masses. But our kindly oracle rather disarms us 
when he declares later on that we are at perfect liberty to disagree 
with him. He is fairer than some lovers of the old regime in 
France who would fain commit the Church to their own private 
political opinions. 

Some of his expressions (v. g., " the Patriot God ") rather 
jar upon our hypersensitive ear, and as a rule he is absolutely 
devoid of that aristocratic " distinction " of style which we look for 
in a man so distrustful of the vulgar mob. Some kindly critic 
should have told him to omit the useless appendix on the Coming 
of Antichrist. 

THE SPIRITUAL LIFE OR THE JOURNEY OF THE SOUL 

TO GOD. By Father Malige. Paris : P. Lethielleux. 

This beautiful treatise on the spiritual life is in three volumes, 
which deal respectively with the purgative, the illuminative, and 
the unitive ways of perfection. The style is clear, graceful, and 
interesting; the theology sound, and the pious practices recom- 
mended are most attractive. 

The learned author had a prolonged and varied experience 
in the direction of souls. He was for years professor of theology; 
he prepared generations of ecclesiastical students for the sacred 
duties of the ministry. The numerous retreats which he gave to 
seminarists and to religious communities, both of men and women, 
endowed him with a profound knowledge of the human heart, and 
a far-reaching sympathy with the difficulties and temptations of the 
spiritual life. 

As has been said, the book is in three parts. The greater 
bulk of the work, however, deals with the purgative and illumi- 
native ways. The unitive way is touched upon, but not elaborated. 



254 NEW BOOKS [Nov., 

This is probably because for the majority of those leading a 
spiritual life, those books are more necessary which treat of the 
means of practicing virtue, and of avoiding faults and hindrances 
which impede the progress of the soul in its flight towards perfect 
union with God. 

The author has made a loving and profound study of the 
works of the masters of the spiritual life, and is fond of quoting 
Saint Thomas, Saint Augustine, and St. Francis de Sales. Indeed, 
the charm and sweetness of his style remind one, at times, of the 
gentle Bishop of Geneva. For Pope Pius X. he has the filial affec- 
tion and reverence of a devoted son. 

Some of the chapters are exceedingly beautiful, notably those 
dealing with: Spiritual Direction; Frequent Communion (Vol. 
I.); The Vows of Religion and Prayer, (Vol. II.); and the ex- 
quisite chapters treating of Charity both with regard to God and 
to our neighbors; Devotion towards the Suffering Souls; and, 
finally, the concluding chapters on the Adoration of the Sacred 
Heart in Vol. III. 

In conclusion, we heartily recommend this work to priests 
and to religious communities both of men and women, to whom it 
will prove a sure guide in the ways of the spiritual life. We wish 
it a wide circulation, and hope it may be the means of drawing souls 
ever nearer to God until the day of their complete and intimate 
union with Him. 

LESSONS IN LOGIC. By Rev. William Turner, S.T.D. Wash- 
ington, D. C. : Catholic Education Press. $1.25. 
The present volume admirably fulfills the purpose for which 
it is intended as a textbook for high schools and colleges. The 
reader must not regard it as a treatise meant to satisfy all the 
needs of advanced students, though these will find in it much in- 
formation. The lucid thinking displayed in this work is charac- 
teristic of all Dr. Turner's writings. In his exposition the crooked 
ways of logic are made straight and the rough ways plain. A 
special example of his clear thinking, as well as a model of powerful 
refutaton, is the defense of syllogistic reasoning against Mill's 
charge that the conclusion adds nothing to the premises. Dr. 
Turner shows that one may know the premises before attaining to 
the knowledge of the conclusion, and that the conclusion, conse- 
quently, adds to our knowledge, while it makes no addition to ob- 
jective truth. 



I9i2.] NEW BOOKS 255 

The definition of logic given in this volume is the best we have 
seen. It is clear and complete. Logic is defined to be " the science 
and art which so directs the mind in the process of reasoning and 
subsidiary processes as to enable it to attain clearness, consistency, 
and validity in these processes." 

Dr. Turner emphasizes the point that work is meant to have 
a pedagogical value. His own example, too, as an unmistakable 
practicer of the logical arts, will have its influence upon students 
with their imitative instincts. For orderly arrangement, however, 
the chapter on " Method " is not in the best place, coming after a 
discussion of the methods of induction. 

The author's treatment of the various moods of the syllogism 
might have been omitted. The practical utility of knowing all 
about Baroco, Bocardo, Bramantip cannot be discovered. In actual 
life we forget them. Nobody, consciously or unconsciously, makes 
use of his knowledge of this dialectic legacy from highly speculative 
times. The received method of discussing them at length might 
be substituted by a full treatment of some of the important, subtle, 
and complex logical processes of practical life which logic does not 
yet consider. Newman was a pioneer in explaining them by his 
theory of the " illative sense," but he has few followers. This 
omission, however, is not Dr. Turner's peculiar fault; it is a fault 
of the times. His work deserves the best success in the field for 
which it is intended. 

THE MESSIAH'S MESSAGE. By John Joseph Robinson. St. 

Louis: B. Herder. $1.00. 

A refutation of the preposterous claims of modern scientists 
first engages the attention of the author of this apologetic work. 
He then proceeds to treat the fundamental questions of man's 
destiny; the necessity of religion, and Christ and His Church. 
The chapters on religion are particularly cogent. They display 
an immense amount of research, and give copious, useful quotations 
from the world's great writers, ancient and modern. The author 
writes in a strong, impressive style, and his zealous labor has pro- 
duced a valuable book. 

THE HOME RULE BILL. By John Redmond, M.P. New York : 

Cassell & Co. 

The Home Rule Bill, written by John Redmond, leader of the 
Irish parliamentary party, though not so entertaining as a good 



256 NEW BOOKS [Nov., 

novel, is instructive and interesting. It contains the text 
of the bill itself, which were Greek to the common run of readers 
without commentary or explanation. Mr. Redmond is severely 
precise and impartial in his analysis of the great document, writing 
more like a lawyer than a partisan. Several of his own speeches, 
bearing on the subject of the book, are given in that earnest, 
solid, convincing style so characteristic of Mr. Parnell's disciple and 
successor. The mass of English voters are now definitely con- 
verted and committed to Home Rule, according to him; so that 
even though an accident were to befall the present bill and prevent 
its final passage, or the Liberals underwent untimely and unex- 
pected defeat, Home Rule for Ireland is now inevitable. 

THE LIVING FLAME OF LOVE. By Saint John of the Cross, 
with his Letters, Poems, and Minor Writings. Translated by 
David Lewis, with an Essay by Cardinal Wiseman, and addi- 
tions and an Introduction by V. Rev. Benedict Zimmerman, 
O.C.D. London: Thomas Baker. $1.75. 
The Saints show forth the glory of God in two ways : by their 
doings and by their writings. The life of a Saint is an epic poem 
in which the training, the combat, and the victory of his heroic soul 
are set out for our example, in order that we may be stimulated to 
imitate the harmony and discipline of his life, the generosity of 
his sacrifices, and the ardor of his onslaught against the enemy. 
Through him, too, we can catch a tempered ray of the unapproach- 
able light of God's sanctity, even as we may safely look on the sun 
reflected in water. The exterior works of a Saint are but the 
material expression of an intense spiritual fire ever burning within 
his soul, which sends up flames to illuminate the heart, the will and 
the intelligence; heating, purifying, and stimulating into life first 
the thought, then the act. The Saint rarely reveals the secrets 
of his mind, but when driven by the mysterious promptings of 
the Holy Spirit, and seized by the burning ardor of divine love, 
he takes the pen and transcribes in a style that savors more of the 
celestial than the human, some of those inner experiences out of 
which grew his sanctity, and which he will tell you himself baffle 
the powers of language to relate. 

Saint John of the Cross glorified God both in his life and in 
his writings in an admirable degree. His whole earthly pilgrim- 
age was given up to the practice of the most sublime and heroic 
virtue, and his four volumes of poems and prose are there to reveal 



I 9 i2.] NEW BOOKS 257 

to us something of the marvels of God in the Saint's inner life. In 
them he describes with the genius of a seraph the steps which the 
soul must take on its upward journey from the low life of sense to 
the high hills of the infinite. No other Saint has surpassed him 
in describing the trials and desolations of the way, but he is also 
unequalled in his power of showing the peace, the sweetness, the 
happiness awaiting the soul if she will only persevere along the path 
of heavenly love. 

The Saint draws for us a survey of the country through 
which he himself traveled. We may think the route beyond 
our powers of endurance, and his standard of sanctity un- 
approachable to souls of more earthly calibre, yet this is not so. 
" To be commonly good, the easiest, indeed the only way, is to 
be heroically so.'' True, we shall not suffer so acutely or feel so 
intensely; we shall not see so clearly or realize the joys (or pangs) 
so deeply; our capacities for suffering, for love and for sanctity, 
will be greatly inferior to his, and unless God has a special vocation 
for us, He will not require us to pass through either the profound 
obscurity of the " Dark Night " or to taste to the full the ecstatic 
rapture of the " Living Flame of Love." 

God asks goodwill and absolute fidelity on our part these 
are the conditions He puts for the ordinary graces. If we seek to be 
exalted with Him, to be united " to Himself in His wisdom," then 
His will is that we should be tempted, afflicted, tormented, and 
chastened to the utmost limit of our strength. " For the joy of 
knowledge of God cannot be established in the soul if the flesh 
and spirit are not perfectly purified and spiritualized, and as trials 
and penances purify and refine the senses, as tribulations, tempta- 
tions, darkness, and distress spiritualize and prepare the spirit, so 
they must undergo them who would be transformed in God as the 
souls in purgatory, who, through that trial, attain to the beatific 
vision some more intensely than others, some for a longer, others 
for a shorter, time, according to those degrees of union to which 
God intends to raise them, and according to their need of purifica- 
tion." 

If so few attain to spiritual bliss, it is because so many are im- 
patient and restless under suffering, that they refuse to take up the 
cross with the vinegar and the gall, and are unwilling to endure the 
least discomfort or mortification, or to labor with constant patience. 
Finding such souls negligent in the use of His graces in the earlier 
stages of their purification, God proceeds no further in the work, 

VOL. xcvi. 17. 



258 NEW BOOKS [Nov., 

because He demands a greater courage and determination than they 
have brought to Him. Yet the need of this purification 
comes from their own imperfection; God would cleanse the 
vessel in order to fill it with divine gifts, and does not 
oppress the soul or exact suffering as a tribute to His inexor- 
able justice. Let it not be thought that the natural faculties die in 
this transformation from the material to the spiritual. The de- 
scription of the state of the soul in this new life is among the most 
beautiful things found in all mystic (or any) literature. " When 
the soul shall have attained to perfect union with God, all its affec- 
tions, powers, and acts, in themselves imperfect and vile, become as 
it were divine." The understanding is broadened under the in- 
fluence " of a higher illumination of God;" the will is strengthened 
and " moved by the Holy Ghost in Whom it now lives ;" the memory 
is changed and keeps in mind " the eternal years ;" the desire tastes 
and relishes the food that is divine the sweetness of God; the soul 
is keeping a perpetual feast " with the praises of God in its mouth, 
with a new song of joy and love, full of the knowledge of its 
high dignity." 

How true is all this of Saint John of the Cross himself. En- 
dowed by God with the most splendid natural faculties, with an un- 
usually keen and brilliant intellect, imaginative and poetic, philoso- 
pher and psychologist, learned in all that goes to make an ecclesiasti- 
cal scholar, he yet submitted his mind to the mental discipline of the 
schools, and his soul to the keenest sufferings, trials, and ignominy 
through which it is possible for a sensitive and refined nature to 
pass. He emerged from these ordeals with an intellectual vigor and 
energy of soul which not only taught him how to couch his burning 
thoughts into such logical order and shape that his writings are 
excluded for all time from any reproach of looseness of construction 
or illogical thinking, but makes him also the master-guide to the 
spiritual mountain. He leads us over perilous paths where 
we can scarcely breathe, so unaccustomed are we to the rare, fine air 
at such an altitude, or descends with us into the awful darkness 
of some deep cavern, holding us securely in his grip, and, if we 
will but trust him, lands us safely at last in the arms of God. 

The Living Flame of Love is a piece of poetry consisting of 
four stanzas composed by St. John of the Cross during his nine 
months imprisonment at Toledo. A few years later he wrote an 
explanation of the poem in the same way that he had done for the 
Ascent of Mount Carmel (which includes the Dark Night) and the 



1912.] NEW BOOKS 259 

Spiritual Canticle. He did this at the request of one of his peni- 
tents, a lady living in the world, which should do away once for all 
with the prejudice that this book was solely intended for contem- 
platives living in the cloister. 

This is not, strictly speaking, a critical edition of the work, 
although Father Zimmerman has enriched David Lewis' admirable 
translation with a long and important passage which had been 
omitted in all former editions, Spanish and foreign, and supplied 
it with an Introduction, in which he tells us that " there is every 
prospect that a thoroughly reliable edition [in Spanish] will shortly 
appear." This volume contains also the Instructions and Precau- 
tions, eighteen Letters, the Spiritual Maxims, and a number of 
poems, six of which have been discovered since the appearance of 
the last edition, and are published here in an elegant version pre- 
pared by the Benedictine nuns of Stanbrook. 

The book contains also an essay on St. John of the Cross, which 
was written as a preface to the first English edition by Cardinal 
Wiseman. In it the Cardinal defends all contemplatives from the 
charge so frequently made against them, by a material and ignorant 
world, of being " the drones of the human hive." He roots up, too, 
some other prejudices " firmly fixed in many non-Catholic minds," 
and traces succinctly the various steps which lead up to the highest 
contemplation. He shows us the Saint not only in his highest and 
distinctive character as a mystical theologian and a contemplative 
of the purest order, but as a man " of active life and practical 
abilities, industrious, conversant with business, where prudence, 
shrewdness, and calculation, as well as boldness, were required." 

Eighteen letters are, indeed, few compared to the number we 
have of his twin-saint, St. Teresa, but we should consider our- 
selves rich if we only possessed the single letter to the religious of 
Veas (No. III.), in which he gives them "some spiritual advice, 
full of heavenly instruction, and worthy of perpetual remembrance." 
This letter alone proves to us the eminent practicalness of the Saint 
in his direction of souls. " What is wanting," he says, " if, indeed, 
anything be wanting, is not writing or speaking whereof ordinarily 

there is more than enough but silence and work As soon, 

therefore, as a person understands what has been said to him for 
his good, he has no further need to hear or discuss; but to set 
himself in earnest to practice what he has learnt with silence and 
attention, in humility, charity, and contempt of self; not turning 
aside incessantly to seek after novelties which serve only to satisfy 



260 NEW BOOKS [Nov., 

the desire in outward things failing, however, to satisfy it really 
and to leave it weak and empty, devoid of interior virtue. The 
result is unprofitable in every way; for a man who, before he has 
digested his last meal, takes another the natural heat being wasted 
on both cannot convert all this food into the substance of his body, 
and sickness follows." 

In the maxims the Saint becomes epigrammatic, and con- 
denses into short aphorisms his profound science of the spiritual 
life. A more beautiful book than The Living Flame of Love 
could hardly be found, containing, as it does, such an inexhaustible 
mine of spiritual wisdom. Perhaps the key-note of the teaching of 
St. John of the Cross is struck in the following lines : " An instant 
of pure love is more precious to God and the soul, and more profit- 
able to the Church, than all other good works together, though it 
may .seem as if nothing were done." The book is published in the 
United States by Benziger Brothers, and the price is $1.95. 

THE CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA. Volumes XIII. and XIV. 

New York : Robert Appleton Co. 

The Catholic Encyclopedia is now almost completed, and the 
one volume remaining will have to fall far below the standard 
hitherto maintained to keep the work from a high place in the 
general estimation. The task of selecting contributors continues 
to be judiciously performed. Thus the religious and ecclesiastical 
aspects of the French Revolution are treated by M. Georges Goyau 
in an able and exhaustive article ; Dom Chapman writes on " the 
Semi-Arians " and " Tertullian ;" Dom Hunter-Blair on "Scot- 
land " and kindred subjects; Dr. Kennedy on " Sacraments " and 
"Thomism ;" Dr. Salembier on "The Western Schism ;" Father Pol- 
len on " The Society of Jesus ;" Dr. Ryan on " Socialistic Commu- 
nities;" Dr. Gigot on "The Book of Ruth" and other spiritual 
topics, etc. But while the Encyclopedia is thus in every sense 
" catholic," the faithful of America may be pardoned an especial 
gratification in that it was planned in, and is being directed from, 
this country. The manifold difficulties attendant on the production 
of a work of scholarship for general reference have been almost 
entirely overcome, and now that they are near the completion of 
their labors, the editors are entitled to an added word of con- 
gratulation and thanks. 



1912.] NEW BOOKS 261 

17 ATHLEEN NORRIS, author of Mother, publishes a new story 
** called The Rich Mrs. Burgoyne (New York: The Macmillan 
Co. $1.25 net), in which she again preaches the old-fashioned 
virtues of simplicity and womanliness to a fashion-crazed genera- 
tion. She attacks again the extravagance and the selfishness of 
American women, and points out the beauty of " plain living and 
high thinking." And she manages to give us, into the bargain, a 
very pretty little love story. 

ly/TARY, MARY is the title given to his first novel by the Irish 
^*- poet, James Stephens. (Boston: Small, Maynard & Co. 
$1.20 net.) It really can scarcely claim to be a novel at all, but is 
merely an exquisite sketch of a poor young girl on the Dublin 
streets, done with the mixture of humor and tenderness that sug- 
gests J. M. Barrie. 

D EV. R. P. GARROLD, S.J., has written another of his school- 
er boy stories; this one is called The Black Brotherhood (New 
York: Benziger Brothers. $1.35 net), and relates the adventures 
of Tommy, Billy, and Aleck, banded together by solemn vows as 
" Black Brothers." Their story is screamingly funny, the kind 
of farce that will be enjoyed even more by grown-ups than 
by boy readers, but there are many touches of pathos, and there 
is throughout a quiet, tender sympathy with boy nature. 

A MARYLAND village is the setting of a little story called 
*** Zebedee V ., by Edith Barnard Delano a truly rural farce. 
(Boston: Small, Maynard & Co. $1.20 net.) It tells of the 
shrewd or pompous or childish absurdities of the village " char- 
acter," and is really very amusing. 

/CATHERINE SIDNEY, by Francis Deming Hoyt (New York: 
V Longmans, Green & Co. $1.35 net), is a very well-meaning 
novel, based on sound Catholic principles, but deplorably stiff and 
stilted in style. 

T) EADERS of Bulwer Lytton's Richelieu will remember the char- 
ffV acter of the Friar Joseph who appears in that drama. He is 
presented as a foil to Richelieu himself; servile, obsequious, and 
crafty, he offsets to dramatic advantage the great-minded Cardinal. 
That the historical Friar Joseph did not at all correspond to Bulwer 



262 NEW BOOKS [Nov., 

Lytton's portrait we learn very fully in a short biography now 
published under the title of His Grey Eminence, a Historical Study 
of the Capuchin Pere Joseph Frangois Le Clerc Du Tremblay, by R. 
F. O'Connor. (Philadelphia: The Dolphin Press. $1.00.) In 
this little volume we see Pere Joseph as he really was religious 
reformer, statesman, theologian, and poet, and in the account of 
his various activities we get a valuable summary of the religious 
and civil history of France at the time. 

TT is a little weakness with many of us always to be sure that 
* the most expensive thing is the best. We prefer ermine to fox 
because it costs more. We prefer an imported automobile because 
our own are cheaper. The hero of a very clever little book called 
Whippen, by Frederick Orin Bartlett (Boston: Small, Maynard 
& Co. 50 cents), takes advantage of this human weakness. He 
places a new candy upon the market, advertises it at " A Dollar and 
a Half the Pound : Never cheaper," and it sells like wildfire, simply 
because of the price. His enterprise makes an amusing story 
but isn't there a moral ? 

''THE ROMANCE OF A JESUIT, from the French of G. de 
-*- Bugny d'Hagerue, translated by Francesca Glazier (New 
York : Benziger Brothers. $1.10 net), is the story of a young man 
who entered a Jesuit novitiate as a spy, in the employ of the French 
government, of his slow conversion, of his confession, and of his 
final acceptance as a legitimate novice. The story is very well told, 
but the title, we think, is ill-chosen. 

A RELIGIOUS of the Visitation Order has written a very fine 
** biography of Mother Peronne Marie de Chatel, one of the 
first Mothers of the Visitation. It is published by Burns and 
Oates, London, and in the United States by Benziger Brothers, 
under the title Peronne Marie: A Spiritual Daughter of Saint 
Francis of Sales. $1.25 net. 



T^HE old, old question: Is it ever right to take a human life to 
-*- relieve pain? is the theme of a newly translated French novel 
by Leon de Tinseau. The Decision (New York: G. W. Dilling- 
ham Co. $1.25) is the story of a French officer a man without 
faith who kills a comrade to free him from horrible torture, and 
whose conscience later punishes him, despite the sincere approval 



I 9 i2.] NEW BOOKS 263 

of his reason. The fact that he unknowingly falls in love with the 
man's widow almost leads the story into the cheaply melodramatic, 
but it is redeemed by dignity and real strength. The trans- 
lator is Frank Alvah Dearborn. 

A BOOK unusual in scope and treatment is The Idea of Mary's 
* Meadow, in which Mrs. Armel O'Connor (Violet Bullock- 
Webster), (London: Alston Rivers, Ltd. 5^. net), describes the 
cottage and garden of " Mary's Meadow," in Ludlow, England, 
and outlines the life there, which she planned for the purpose of 
" making a saint of Betty," her adopted daughter. Although the 
spiritual note is predominant, Mrs. O'Connor has known how to 
harmonize with it the practical, the humorous, and the charmingly 
sentimental. 

A N unusually charming book about Naples is just now published 
^ under the title City of Sweet Do-Nothing. (New York: 
The Alice Harriman Co. $1.35 net.) The anonymous author, 
who signs herself simply " An American Girl," and who dedicates 
her book to Cardinal Farley, writes cleverly and very gracefully. 
Evidently a Catholic, she delights in retelling pretty legends of the 
saints, and in depicting the holy and memorable corners of Naples. 
Otherwise, she uses a piquant style that is distinctly up-to-date, 
and quite delightful. 

AfARGARET'S TRAVELS, by Anthony Yorke (New York: 
-" P. J. Kenedy & Sons. $1.25 net), is a letter-diary describ- 
ing a trip through Ireland, England, France, and Italy. It is 
written in an English that would bring the blush of shame to the 
cheek of Macaulay's schoolboy, but its subject is one that always 
interests. 



selection and arrangement shown in the little volume en- 
titled Christ's Christianity of the precepts and teachings of 
Our Lord as given in the Four Gospels are worthy of much praise. 
The author, Albert H. Walker, makes no attempt at interpretation, 
and as he is not a Catholic, the selections are made from the Revised 
Protestant version. The volume is well printed, and is published 
by the Equity Press, New York. 



Jperiobfcals* 



The Tablet (September 17) : The New Spirit in France. A 
change is gradually creeping over France. Catholics, clergy and 
laity, are organizing themselves for the maintenance of religious wor- 
ship and for the defense and spread of religion. The progress of this 
great movement is assisted in no small measure by the congresses 
which are being held in increasing numbers. - The Eucharistic 
Congress Happenings at Vienna. - "The ownership of the prop- 
erty of Woodford, together with all its appurtenances, and of the 
house and garden known as 'The Oaks,' belongs exclusively to the 
Order of Friars Minor of St. Francis," was the decision of the 
Rota regarding the claims of the Franciscans to the property at 
Woodford. - Mr. Lilly and Modernism. 

(September 21): Shall the Democracy be Christian? A 
further step towards answering this question in the affirmative was 
taken when the Newport Trades Unions' Congress resolved to 
eliminate from any future congress the discussion of the question 
of secular education. - Some Memories of Father Matthew 
Russell. A last interview. - In their reply to the address of the 
American Cardinal and Bishops, the Portuguese Hierarchy gives a 
deplorable picture of the religious crisis in their country, where, 
day after day, the violent and harassing persecution of the Church 
and her ministers assumes new and fatal aspects. 

(September 28) : The Eucharistic Congress A Wonderful 
Display of Loyalty to Catholicism. Nations and peoples are di- 
vided, but the Catholic Church is one, governed and guided by 
Christ, its Eucharistic King. - The Position of Home Rule. In- 
adequate time for discussion may mean death of the bill. Lord 
Dunraven suggests that proposals for separate post offices and 
separate custom houses be dropped. The opposition attempting 
to make affair a struggle of religion. Charges against Catholic 
party of intolerance and unfairness answered by the tolerant spirit 
and fair play it has manifested in the past. - Revocation by the 
Syrian Bishop Raphael of allowing, in extreme cases, ministrations 
of Anglican clergy. Differences in the two churches in doctrine, 
ceremony, and practice. - A. F. in Definitions shows that the ac- 
cepted sense is the proper sense of words; therefore they should 
be used as they are understood by present-day society. They should 



igi2.] FOREIGN PERIODICALS 265 

not be abused. An example of abuse is the way some use the term 

" Catholic." Pius X. admonishes the Tertiaries of St. Francis 

against too strenuous activity in social problems. This essentially 
religious organization is chiefly a means of promoting evangelical 
perfection, and of giving to the world examples of ideal Christian 

lives. Congress Papers. Father Cuthbert, O.S.F.C., gives in 

brief the story of the Franciscan friary in Norwich ; also the work of 
its members. 

The Month (October) : Under the caption An Anglican Critic 
on Probabilism, the Rev. Sidney T. Smith reviews a recent article by 
the Rev. C. J. Shebbeare, an Anglican clergyman, on Theological 
Probabilism. Father Smith takes each section of the article and 
points out where the Anglican divine has grasped or has missed the 
Catholic teaching on the various phases of this question. In 
conclusion he shows how impracticable would be the system of 

Tutiorism advocated by the Rev. C. J. Shebbeare. Vitalism, by 

James Scoles, discusses Professor Schafer's recent paper on The 
Nature, Origin, and Maintenance of Life. The article first gives the 
new evidence for Vitalism on which the professor's paper is based. 
Throughout the article he gives many excerpts, all of which he re- 
futes. In conclusion he maintains that the only lesson taught by 
Professor Schafer's paper was the utter bankruptcy of the system he 

advocates. The Study of an African Mission, by J. F., gives 

an interesting account of the sufferings, persecutions, and successes 
of a Catholic mission established in 1885 at Onitsha in the British 
Colony of Southern Nigeria, Africa. 

Studies (September) : A. J. Rahilly, discussing the recent 
address of Professor Schafer at Dundee, states that it followed the 
well-known lines of Huxley and Tyndall. It was rich in state- 
ment and poor in argument. The speaker disclaimed all attempt 
at philosophy, and yet at once began to put forth a materialistic 

philosophy. The Penal Laws and Irish Land is discussed by 

T. Arkins. The need of courses in social work in Ireland is 

dwelt upon by T. Corcoran, S.J., in an article entitled Social 

Work and Irish Universities. W. H. Grattan Flood in Ormonde 

and the Irish Catholics of the Seventeenth Century, tells of the 
hatred in which James, the first duke of Ormonde and Viceroy of 
Ireland for over forty years, held the Irish Catholics. The paper 
is of value because it shows how unreliable is the portrait of this 



266 FOREIGN PERIODICALS [Nov., 

same James given in Lady Burghclere's recent biography. H. 

Browne, S.J., maintains, in The Future of Classical Education 
in Ireland, that modern education must include the classics, and yet 
that it must employ modern methods making Homer and Demos- 
thenes facts rather than phrases if it is to play its right part in 
preparing students for modern social life. 

The Oxford and Cambridge Review (October) : Under Cur- 
rent Topics it is stated that in England education has gone to the 
dogs, and, in spite of the recent unparalleled advance in positive 
knowledge, the present generation of Englishmen cares less for, and 
knows less about, the things of the mind than any generation of 

their predecessors since the " Wars of the Roses." Francis Mey- 

nell contributes a poem entitled Greater Love Hath No Man Than 

This, That a Man Lay Down His Life For His Friend. The 

third paper of Hilaire Belloc's study of Reform is entitled The 

Restoration of Property. In view of the beginning of hostilities 

in the near East, the article Constantinople and the Holy Cities of 

Islam is of special interest. E. Cecil Roberts contributes a 

lengthy and able poem called The Strike. 

The International Journal of Ethics (October) : The Decline 
of Culture. E. Benjamin Andrews, after drawing a comprehensive 
definition of the word, uses it as a criterion in showing that " our 
times, as compared with the not very remote past, display a lack." 
That which is termed individuality is no longer in the foreground 
of men's actions. In the world of art, industry, in thought, cus- 
tom, and fashion all has become stereotyped and imitative. Growth 
in wealth, the spread of communistic socialism, bad theory and prac- 
tice in education, and depressing views of the world, life, and man 

are diagnosed as the causes of this condition. The Value of 

Social Psychology. In this lecture, delivered to the Leeds Sum- 
mer School of the Workers' Educational Association, 1911, Helen 
Wodehouse disagrees with those authors on " social psychology " 
" crowd psychology " whose endeavors seem to be to empha- 
size the doctrine founded on observations of what moves the crowd, 
in opposition to the rule that " every man seeks what after delibera- 
tion he proposes as his greatest good." The writer would 

make both elements complimentary. Originality and Culture. 

J. W. Scott treats of " the progress of mechanical invention, and 
the growing ease with which the material needs of man have 



I 9 i2.j FOREIGN PERIODICALS 267 

come to be supplied." This condition has changed standards, given 
rise to a new and more complex problem of life, and spurred on mul- 
titudinous wants, which before slept in unconsciousness, to clamor 
for satisfaction. 

The National Review (October) : A. Maurice Low discusses 
the Hay-Pauncefote treaty and the new Panama Canal Bill. Mr. 
Low writes : " His Majesty's Government must either vigorously 
combat what is clearly a violation of treaty rights, or else tacitly 
admit that any treaty between Great Britain and the United States 
is to be observed only so long as it suits the convenience of the 

latter." The Treatment of Cancer is discussed by Dr. Lovell 

Drage ; and Liberalism and the Empire by E. Bruce Mitf ord. 

Revue des Deux Mondes (August 15) : The interesting article 
Feminine Questions in Ancient Rome traces the development of 
women's rights during the Republic and the Empire. It is impor- 
tant to note the contrast between the rigidity of the laws regard- 
ing women of ancient Rome and the laxity with which the gradual 
abolition of these rules was regarded in later times. Intellectually, 
woman was always recognized by the Romans as the equal of man ; 
professionally also she might have been if it had been advan- 
tageous to her ; but politically it was impossible, since tradition and 
popular sentiment were against it. M. Rene Pichon ends his article 
with the paradox that, among a people who never prided themselves 
on being feminists, women had more liberty, activity, and influence 

than in many nations that boast of having emancipated them. 

The curious disappearance of sculpture, as represented by statu- 
ary, from the beginning of the Christian era until about the 
eleventh century is discussed in The Origins of Romance Sculpture. 
M. Louis Brehier attributes this not only to the Christian reaction 
against pagan idols, but also to the Oriental influence in art, which 
favored conventional designs that could only be moulded in relief. 
The reawakening of mediaeval sculpture was owing to the custom, 
which became popular in the eleventh century, of keeping the relics 
of saints in statues. One of the most celebrated of these reliquaries 
was that of " Sainte Foy." 

(September 15) : In a very clever and well- written article, 
M. Emile Faguet reviews some of the work, principally character 
sketches, of the Vicomte de Launay (Mme. de Girardin), an un- 
usually witty, subtle, and acute observer of human nature, par- 



268 FOREIGN PERIODICALS [Nov., 

ticularly its feminine side. M. Faguet well says that if two places 
in the " Academic Franchise " had been given to women, at that 
time, George Sand should have had the first and Mme. de Girardin 
the second. The Emperor Mutsuhito and his remarkable re- 
organization and reconstruction of Japan are the subjects of an 
article by M. le Marquis de la Mazeliere. He points out a curious 
fact, that, although the late emperor was always in favor of adopt- 
ing European scientific progress, he remained uninfluenced by Occi- 
dental thought. 

Etudes (September 5) : Anglican Ordinations, by Joseph de la 
Serviere, states that the controversy on the validity of Anglican 
Orders ended in 1896 when the bull of Pope Leo XIII. , Apostolicae 
curae, appeared. But the literature on the subject since that 
date has been quite extensive, and the recent book of Lord 
Halifax is of special importance. The author accuses the 
members of the Commission, which met in Rome in 1896, 
of failing to examine all the evidence in favor of the 
Anglican claim. Dom Gasquet and Monsignor Moyes give con- 
vincing proof to the contrary. Lord Halifax further questions 
the sincerity of the consultors, the Cardinals, and even of the Pope. 

This charge also is refuted by Monsignor Moyes. Leo XIII. and 

Anglican Ordinations serves ill the cause for which it was written. 

Albania and the Turkish Empire makes it clear that the most 

pressing problem now before the Turkish government is the demand 
of the Albanians for autonomy. The Young Turks try to repre- 
sent the uprisings as the work of a few malcontents, but in reality 
many serious and important leaders are behind the movement. To 
crush it by force would be to purchase a legacy of hatred and 
future reprisals, and probably to provoke the intervention of the 
Powers. Yet it is doubtful if the Albanians are fitted for self- 
government. Paul Bernard begins a study of the late Edouard 

Rod, novelist and critic, describing the stages by which he gradually 
lost his religious faith, and leading up to those wherein he came to 
see Catholicism as the only salvation for society. 

(September 20) : Lourdes and the Eucharist, by Paul Aucler, 
reviews the report presented to the Eucharistic Congress at Vienna 
in the name of Monsignor Schoepfer, Bishop of Tarbes and Lour- 
des. That report shows the great part devotion to the Blessed 
Sacrament has in the miracles at Lourdes. An account is given 
of some of the more notable cures and conversions which have 



I9i2.] FOREIGN PERIODICALS 269 

taken place at Lourdes in the past two years. The New Spirit 

in France, by Henri Dutouquet, tells how the past generation of 
French youths adored science, scorned religion; they were pessi- 
mists, dreamers, dilettantes. The coming generation, as described 
by its members in reply to magazine investigations, is practical, 
socially active, moral even if not always religious. Renan, Ibsen, 
Tolstoy, Loti are losing ground as popular leaders to Brunetiere, 
Bourget, Husymans, Maurras. Patriotism is reviving. The change 
is due partly to the improvement in Catholic secondary and higher 
education; and still more to the growing realization of the danger 
of non-Christian theories and the weakness of non-Christian in- 
stitutions. 

Revue Pratique d'Apologetique (September 15) : Dr. R. Van 
Elst, in article entitled L'Extase, shows that Catholic mysticism is 
not the same as the elevated spiritual efforts made in the Chinese, 
Indian or Persian religions; it is not the contemplation of the 
Neo-platonists or the Jewish Kabbala ; still less is it that vague, uni- 
versal aspiration after the ideal which animated Tolstoy, Mallarme, 
and Nietzsche. The saints have carefully guarded themselves 
against all deceit and hallucination. 

Le Correspondant (September 10) : Origin de la Pensee Re- 
ligieuse is a study of Andrew Lang's work: The Origin of Re- 
ligions. Napoleon in Russia, by Edward Gachot, reviews the 

reasons that led Napoleon to turn to the conquest of Russia; his 
campaign therein, and his humiliating defeat. French and Ger- 
man Students, by Gaston Choisy, summarizes the results of investi- 
gations in the public libraries of the literature popular in each 
nationality. 

(September 25) : Alfred Michelin tells in Pour nos Eglises 
of a great meeting, held under the auspices of the Catholic Com- 
mittee for Religious Defense, to consider the government's attitude 
toward Catholic churches. The delegates included men prominent 
in every walk of life, and the convention received the hearty appro- 
bation of the hierarchy. Every member of the hierarchy sent a 
message urging the delegates to make diligent use of press and of 
platform; to dwell on the importance of municipal elections, and 
to instruct the people on the necessity and right use of the ballot. 

Supremacy in the Mediterranean is at the present time exciting 

all the nations whose shores are washed by its waters. 



270 FOREIGN PERIODICALS [Nov., 

Revue du Clerge Frangais (October) : Dr. Sivoboda's Ideas 
of the Pastoral Ministry in Paris, by Leon Desers. Dr. Henry 
Swoboda, domestic prelate to His Holiness and Professor of Pas- 
toral Theology at the University of Vienna, attacks in his Le min- 
istere des dmes dans les grandes villes the clergy of Paris, describ- 
ing the parish priests as unapproachable, and leading back to the 
time before the Revolution, in which an exterior piety, a pastoral 
activity limited to appearance, and a lack of pastoral success 
hitherto unknown in history, prevailed. 

Annales de Philosophie Chretienne (September) : The lead- 
ing article is on The Religious Attitude of T. H. Green, who exer- 
cised perhaps the most potent philosophical influence in England 
during the last quarter of the nineteenth century. The author, 
Edward Coutan, acknowledges Green's merits as a metaphysician, 
moralist, patriot, and scholar. He makes the point that Green's 
sympathies inclined to Unitarianism. He summarizes thus : " The 
philosophic error of Green lay in not discerning conditions under 
which he could and should admit the supernatural intervention of 
God in the world. His religious error consisted, despite his sym- 
pathy with the humble attitude of believers, in not appreciating 
that it was correlative with their faith in Jesus of Nazareth, and 

that by Him alone they attained their enfranchisement." The 

second and concluding installment appears of A. Favre-Gilly's ex- 
haustive treatment of the Pagan Mysticism of the Poetry of the 

Comtesse Mathieu de Noailles. There is also a contribution by 

Maurice Blondel, containing a hitherto unpublished and recently 
discovered marginal note made by de Lamennais against Natural 
Religion and " Semi-Deism " in an old copy of Volume I. of 
Brucker's History of Philosophy, on pages 66 and 67. 

Stimmen Aus Maria-Laach (September) : M. Meschler, S.J., 
gives a valuable apologetic on the subject of ecclesiastical celibacy, 

and also an historical review of the same question. W. Duch- 

mann, in view of the coming celebration of the anniversary of the 
Edict of Milan, has an interesting paper on the religious views 
of the first century of the Christian era. 

Freemasonry in Turkey. By Flavin Breuier, General Secre- 
tary of the French Anti-Masonic League. The Masonic lodges of 
Turkey were politically inactive until 1850. In that year they were 



1912.] FOREIGN PERIODICALS 271 

thronged with many discontented officials and many young am- 
bitious enthusiasts. In 1859 a conspiracy was discovered against 
the life of the Sultan, Abdul Medjid. Several Freemasons were 
convicted of complicity in it. Some twenty months later the Sultan 
died in a manner which has never yet been satisfactorily explained. 
His successor, Abdul Aziz, surrounded himself with Freemasons 
as his ministers, little suspecting their future treachery. Among 
these was Madhol Pasha, who was destined to stain his hands with 
his master's blood. The Freemasons secured control of Turkey. 
They instituted many reforms, but they drove religion out of the 
educational system of the country, and aimed at restricting the 
liberty of all creeds, including the Mohammedan. They taxed 
religious funds, promulgated a civil code, persecuted Christians, 
and put down uprisings with much bloodshed. To hold office both 
Christian and Mohammedan would first have to affiliate himself 
with the Masonic sect. The Freemasons aimed at establishing an 
atheistic republic. The document issued by the head worker in this 
movement, Canesco, shows us that its prominent men were Free- 
masons. The Oxford and Cambridge Review, October. 

Suicide in Japan. By M. Le Boulanger. Attention has been 
drawn to the Japanese view of suicide by the recent deaths of 
General Nogi and his wife. In Japan there are two classes of 
suicide, namely, the " Hara-kiri " and the " Shinju." The exact 
origin of the former is unknown, but is traced back as far as the 
tenth century at the accession of the Shoguns. It became in the 
fourteenth century the penalty for the Samurai who forfeited their 
rites. About 1500 A. D. it was a privilege reserved for the warrior 
class, and after every war there were many who employed hara- 
kiri. The hara-kiri is held in great esteem by the Japanese nation. 
The shinju is the suicide of love. On the death of one of the 
lovers, the surviving one seeks to be joined to the departed, and 
seeks it by suicide. 

In 1869, O no Seigoro, who was an ardent propagator of 
European ideas, strove to induce the Japanese Assembly to pass 
a law against the hara-kiri. They were then opposed to foreign 
ideas, and the vote stood two hundred in favor of the retention of 
the hara-kiri and three opposed to it. Intelligent leaders are ener- 
getically combating this idea of suicide in general, but they dare 
not mention the hara-kiri by name, since it is held in such reverence. 
Le Corrcspondant, September 25. 



272 FOREIGN PERIODICALS [Nov., 

France and Russia. Unsigned. This article deals with the 
financial and commercial relations between Russia and France. 
France is reputed to be the richest country in the world. Owing 
to the wretched state of government in Russia, it has become neces- 
sary for that country to borrow extensively. France seemed to 
be the only country which could supply the needs of Russia, and 
within the last fifteen years have loaned Russia seventeen millions 
of French money. Russia has always had a leaning towards 
Germany, and Russia imports more from Germany than from any 
other country. Again, Russia's largest exports are sent to Ger- 
many. England ranks second, the United States third, Holland 
fourth, and France fifth. This has greatly disturbed the French 
Government, and accounts for the visit of M. Poincare to Russia 
within the past few months. That visit means much for better 
commercial relations between the two countries. The article is of 
further interest, since it deals with conditions within Russia, for 
example, cruelty to prisoners, religious differences, and army dis- 
content. Le Correspondant, September 25. 

French and German Armies. General Maitrot compares the 
equipment of the French Army with the German Army in regard 
to guns, cannons, aeroplanes, dirigibles, etc. He also gives a 
tabulated account of the number of men in the different depart- 
ments of the army of both countries. He says that the infantries 
of both countries are on a par, but that the French mounted artil- 
lery is superior to the German; and, on the other hand, that the 
German horse artillery and cavalry are superior to the French. 
There is an equality between the two countries as regards the 
mechanism of war. In the active army Germany has an excess of 
one hundred and thirty thousand men over the French Army. 
Le Correspondant, September 25. 



IRecent Events. 

The parliamentary recess in France seems 
France. to give pause to political discussions. Politi- 

cians do not indulge, to any thing like the 

same extent as in the neighboring island, in appeals to their constit- 
uents. The consequence that for the period in question, there is little 
of which notice can be taken. The Shipping Strike, which at one 
time threatened to cause a serious hindrance to commerce, after hav- 
ing lasted for nearly three months, was brought to an end by arbitra- 
tion. The board consisted of three umpires appointed by the Prime 
Minister. The award went against the men. They have, how- 
ever, accepted the decision, but only for the time being. The dis- 
content among the working people of France, which has manifested 
itself on so many occasions and in such violent ways, seems either 
to have disappeared or it may be that they have sullenly acquiesced in 
the acceptance of existent conditions. Perhaps they are biding their 
time. Even in the Confederation Generale du Travail, the organiza- 
tion chiefly responsible for the troubles of the past, there are those 
who offer open opposition to the methods previously adopted. 
These argue that every time the revolutionaries in their ranks have 
got the upper hand, and have pursued their quarrel with capital 
by illegal means, so often had capital, with the aid of the State, 
regained the upper hand. Hence they maintained that it was wiser 
to seek reforms by legal agitation than to estrange pub- 
lic opinion and to struggle in vain against the power of 
the State by committing illegal acts. At the recent Con- 
gress of the Confederation these views were urged. They 
were, however, decisively rejected by the Congress, and the Con- 
federation is thereby pledged to measure swords once more with 
the Government. This action separates the workingmen of France, 
so far as they are represented by the Confederation, from the So- 
cialists of whom M. Jaures in the leader. The latter, in comparison, 
are men of moderate views. It is worthy of note that the policy 
of Syndicalism for such is the name given to the aims and methods 
of the Confederation du Travail has been adopted by large num- 
bers of the workingmen in England, and has been openly advo- 
cated there. In fact, it formed the basis of the strikes that have 
recently taken place. Most of the Unions of the Teachers in 
VOL. xcvi. 18. 



274 RECENT EVENTS [Nov., 

the State schools who had thrown in their lot with the Confedera- 
tion, and had been on that account ordered to dissolve by the govern- 
ment, have submitted to the order. A few, however, have refused. 
They are being prosecuted in the Courts of Law. 

The concentration of practically the whole of the French 
Fleet in the Mediterranean has excited very wide attention. 
What the new disposition means has caused much speculation in 
various quarters. Before the outbreak of war in the Balkans an 
event of such serious import that it may upset every previously 
established arrangement the European situation was briefly stated 
as follows : The outstanding fact was the Triple Alliance between 
Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy, all of them formidable 
naval Powers, and two of them, at least, bound to assist each 
other with their total armed forces, if the casus foederis arose. On 
the other side, there was a definite Alliance between Russia and 
France. Quite recently a naval convention between these two 
Powers has been made, the precise terms of this convention, how- 
ever, have not been disclosed, but they are thought to involve co- 
operation in case of war. Between Great Britain and the two 
Powers, Russia and France, there existed a cordial understanding 
of friendship and good will, but so far as is known, no definite 
alliance either offensive or defensive. In the event of war with 
Germany, the French Fleet, if divided, would be too weak in both 
the Atlantic and the Mediterranean, to cope with the former power. 
The concentration in the Mediterranean makes secure the mainte- 
nance of French power in that sea, thereby preserving her communi- 
cations with her African colonies. As for the Atlantic, if Great 
Britain were an active ally, its Fleet would guard the French ports ; 
if neutral, they would have to rely upon themselves; but the weak 
Fleet recently sent to the Mediterranean would be saved from cap- 
ture. This seems to be a reasonable explanation of the action of 
France. The German Press, however, see in it a scarcely-veiled 
menace to Italy, and take the occasion of urging upon Italy the 
policy of widening the scope of the Triple Alliance, which is to 
be renewed next year, so that it may include the interests of Italy 
in the Mediterranean. 

In Morocco the French have had to extend the sphere of their 
military operations to a district a long way from the capital, which 
they had at first proposed to make the centre of their operations. 
Complete success, indeed, has attended their efforts, and the Pre- 
tender, El Hiba, has been driven from the country. The fact, 



1912.] RECENT EVENTS 275 

however, that something like sixty thousand soldiers are now 
employed in holding Morocco, and that the resistance of the tribes 
is by no means at an end, makes it clear that, in undertaking the 
protectorate, France has a serious work before her, a work too that 
might be a source of weakness in the event of European com- 
plications. 

For the same reason as in France, there has 
Germany. been a lull in the political activity. The dear- 

ness of food has been the chief subject of 

public discussion. This rise of prices has been so great that the 
members of the Socialist Party in the Reichstag have presented a 
petition to the Imperial Chancellor calling attention to the distress 
among the population, and demanding, among other things, the 
suspension of import duties on cattle and meat. Last year trans- 
port charges on the Prussian railways were lowered, but this meas- 
ure has proved inadequate. To the petition the government did 
not turn a deaf ear. It has proposed a scheme for the relief of the 
distress, which is described as a fairly bold encroachment upon the 
Agrarian privileges, which are thought to be at the root of the 
evil. Fresh meat is, under certain conditions, allowed to be im- 
ported, and transport rates on the railways reduced. These pro- 
posals are expressly described to be of a temporary character, and 
while not completely satisfactory, will, it is hoped, lead to a re- 
duction of prices. 

The Pan-German League has been holding a Congress. 
Among the subjects under discussion was the decline of German 
feeling which has taken place among the Germans in North Amer- 
ica. With the exception of some retired military officers, no one 
of any great distinction was present, and no very great importance 
is attached to the League's deliberations a thing which indicates 
the good sense of the mass of the German people. 

The Social Democrats have been holding their annual Con- 
gress. The registered members of the party now number 970,112, 
an increase on last year of 133,550. Like every other human or- 
ganization, the Party has its Right and Left wings. Among the 
Social Democrats the line of division is between those who are 
Radicals and those who have Revisionists' tendencies. A member 
was expelled by the vote of the Congress, who, while sound on class 
warfare and on general tenets, had doubts about an entire nation- 
alization of all production without exception. 



276 RECENT EVENTS [Nov., 

The sudden death of the recently appointed Ambassador to 
London, Baron Marschall von Bieberstein, has put a premature 
end to the special effort to improve the relations between Great 
Britain and Germany which had been entrusted to him. A sub- 
stitute will doubtless continue the work of the Baron if that is 
the fact to which Mr. Andrew Carnegie has given public ex- 
pression as his reasoned conviction, namely, that the Emperor 
William is and always has been a most determined supporter and 
maintainer of peace. 

Among political events, in a certain sense, 
Austria-Hungary. must be reckoned the meeting of the Euchar- 

istic Congress at Vienna. Never has there 

been in recent years a greater manifestation of religious feeling 
among vast masses of the people. The Legate of the Pope was 
welcomed on his .arrival by tens and hundreds of thousands. The 
Emperor himself and members of the government were the enter- 
tainers of the visiting Prelates. The annual manoeuvres of the 
Army were cut short in order that the heir to the Throne might 
take part in the solemn Procession of the Blessed Sacrament through 
the streets of the capital. A Catholic organ in the Press declared 
that the celebration showed " the highest ideals of nations to be 
based on Christianity, and that our era is capable of manifestations 
which prove how little the rationalism and materialism of scientific 
and political systems are able to extinguish the yearning of humanity 
for the Eternal and the Divine." Non-Catholics, too, have been 
impressed with a demonstration of faith and piety which twenty 
years ago would not have been possible in Austria. Its success 
is attributed to the failure of what called itself the Party of Progress 
to prevail over the forces which spring from the fundamental 
needs of the soul. This Party of Progress, it is recognized, has 
lost all driving creative power, and has resulted in sinking man- 
kind even deeper into making the acquisition of material wealth 
the sole worthy object of effort, divorcing it from all idealism and 
from all sense of moral and social responsibility. 

The proceedings of the Hungarian Parliament on the occasion 
of its re-assembling, prevents one from being hopeful of the growth 
of political wisdom in that country. Hungary boasts, indeed, of 
having possessed for more than a thousand years the privilege of 
Constitutional government. Age, however, has not added to per- 
fection. It will be remembered that last June the President and 



I 9 i2.] RECENT EVENTS 277 

Government put an end to something like two years obstruction 
on the part of the Opposition by the most violent of measures. It 
was hoped that during the summer recess an agreement might have 
been arrived at. Those hopes, however, were frustrated. When 
Parliament met the proceedings were interrupted by, or perhaps it 
should be said consisted of, the singing of songs, the performance 
of solos on musical instruments, such as cymbals, penny whistles, 
tin trumpets, drums, and motor-car hooters. On the arrival of 
the police, the Opposition Deputies linked their arms in solid re- 
sistance to the efforts which were being made to remove the of- 
fenders. Sometimes six policemen were required to remove a 
struggling legislator. The language which was used was very 
strong indeed. " Filthy pigs, rogues, villains, traitors," were 
epithets freely applied to members of Parliament. After having 
for two days given in this way adequate expression to their feelings, 
the Opposition retired, and allowed the government to proceed with 
the election of the members to the Hungarian Delegation, making, 
however, a protest against the legality of the election. The Em- 
peror-King has expressed his approval of the methods adopted by 
the President of the Diet, for securing the working of parliamentary 
government. 

In Croatia parliamentary government has been openly sup- 
pressed with no pretense of observing any of its forms. To this 
has been added an effort to restrict the facilities for the education 
of the peasants. In fact, every effort seems to be made to exas- 
perate the Serbs and the Slavs just at a time when a policy of 
conciliation is of supreme importance. 

Many pages would be required to give any 

Italy, Turkey, and thing like an adequate account of recent 

the Balkans. events on these fields of action; and if an 

attempt were made to bring it up to date 

it would not be reliable, for the news as given in one day's paper 
is often contradicted in the next. Several times has it been said 
that peace had been made between Italy and Turkey. The latest 
statement, however, seems positive and definite, although the terms 
as given in one column of the paper containing the news do not 
precisely coincide with those given lower down in the same column. 
Both versions agree that Turkey relinquishes the sovereignty in secu- 
lar matters over Tripoli and Cyrenaica, while in religious matters 
the Sultan is to be left in possession of his authority. According 



278 RECENT EVENTS [Nov., 

to one version, he is to have a representative in the country to 
exercise jurisdiction. Turkish regular troops are to be recalled, and 
Italy is left free to deal with the Arabs in the interior. The pro- 
portion of debt owed by the Turkish Empire which attached to the 
lost provinces is to be paid by Italy, but no indemnity is to be paid 
by either side towards the cost of the war. Those of the /Egean 
Islands that had been occupied by Italy are to be restored to Turkey, 
but guarantees are to be given by that power that the rights of the 
inhabitants shall be respected. 

The main motive which made Turkey ready to accept these 
terms was, of course, the imminence of war in the Balkans. At first 
sight there seems reason to regret the unwillingness of the Balkan 
States to accept the concessions made by Turkey. The existing Cab- 
inet is made up of men holding far more moderate views than those 
held by any of its predecessors. It had put forward proposals which 
seemed worthy of acceptance by the Great Powers. But exper- 
ience has shown over and over again that no reliance can be placed 
on any promise made by the Turk. He holds the doctrine 
that an absolute ruler can never deprive himself of his powers, nor 
is faith to be kept with the infidel. Further demands were, there- 
fore, made by the States which Turkey looked upon as studied 
insults. It is clear that for some time the population of Bulgaria 
at least it is not so certain about Servia has made up its mind 
to bring things to a decisive issue. Montenegro has always been 
willing, but is itself alone too weak to cope with Turkey. That it 
has ventured to declare war seems to show that an agreement 
exists between the States. So far the Powers remain united in 
their opposition to the war, and in the event of its breaking out, 
in the endeavor to restrict its limits. But any day may bring forth 
a complete change in the situation. 

Senor Canalejas still retains power in Spain, 

Spain. enjoying a longer term of office than is 

customary. As very little news comes to 

hand, it is to be presumed that no change of the political situation 
has either taken place or is impending. The death of the King's 
sister, the Infanta Maria Teresa, wife of Prince Ferdinand of 
Bavaria, has plunged not merely the court but the nation into 
the most profound grief. It was the occasion of a remarkable 
expression of public sympathy towards the Queen Mother; the 
Press paid a universal tribute to the memory of the Infanta for 



1912.] RECENT EVENTS 279 

her many charities. Thousands of messages of sympathy were 
sent, many of them from the humblest classes. The Spanish Royal 
Family seems to have found out the way in which its hold upon the 
nation is to be retained. 

The attempts of Royalists to overthrow the 

Portugal form of government which has been adopted 

by Portugal seem to have met with complete 

failure. The refugees who had fled to Spain, and who at one time 
threatened to bring about a collision between the two countries, 
have taken their departure to Brazil, where a home has been 
offered them. Those who fell into the hands of the Portuguese 
have been sentenced to long periods of imprisonment and to ulti- 
mate exile. The victory of the Republicans, however, has not 
led to the realization of the spirit of true freedom of government. 
Under republican forms the methods of a despotism survive. Ar- 
bitrary arrests have been frequent, the censorship of the press is 
very strict. Political prisoners are treated far worse under the 
Republic than under the recent Monarchy. They have been sub- 
jected to a penitentiary system of the hardest character. Courts 
martial are dealing at random with hundreds of peasants. Num- 
bers have been arrested merely on suspicion of not favoring the 
Republic. In fact the regime of the present administration is one 
of terrorism and violence. Every one is cowed, and few dare to 
complain. There is no such thing as freedom of the Press. Papers 
presumptuous enough to offer advice unpalatable to the authorities 
have been attacked and wrecked, having been unable to secure 
protection from the mob. The Carbonarios continue to threaten 
and intimidate all who are not of their way of thinking. 

No mitigation has taken place of the measures which have been 
taken against the Church. The change in the form of government 
has not changed the character of the rulers. Instead of correcting 
the fatal mistakes made by the self-seeking " Rotavists," the Re- 
publicans are following the same courses, wasting time and money 
in party politics, frivolous schemes, and doles to supporters, while 
allowing the real wants of the country to be neglected. 

The only set-off to these many evils, of which mention can 
be made, is the following, which is given on the authority of the 
Portuguese Minister in London : " The prosperity of the country 
is progressive ; the commercial transactions in the movement of ex- 
portation and importation have augmented considerably during the 



2 8o RECENT EVENTS [Nov., 

last two years; the revenue of the State has increased; the traffic 
on the railways and other modes of transport has augmented; a 
great number of material improvements has taken place; the army 
has been reorganized in an evident and material manner, and all 
these without the necessity of recurring to the credit." 

The situation in Persia is very strange. 
Persia. The Sultan is a child of fourteen; the 

Regent has taken an indefinite leave of ab- 
sence. The ex-Shah has departed under a solemn engagement 
never to return. His brother, Salar-ed-Dowleh, although so far 
thwarted in his efforts to secure the throne, has not been definitely 
defeated. The Mejliss has been dissolved, and although vague 
promises have been made that a new House will be elected, no 
signs of their fulfillment are visible. Russian forces are in the 
occupation of several places in the North, while the South 
is the scene of anarchy. There is in existence a Cabinet, but its 
power is merely nominal, and it is afraid to make use of the little 
it has. Mr. Shuster has a successor in the office of Treasurer-Gen- 
eral, but there are scarcely any funds in the Treasury. Such funds 
as exist, are chiefly derived from small loans obtained from Russia 
and Great Britain on most usurious terms. It is a wonder 
that there should be even the appearance of a government. In fact, 
in some parts there is not. Large areas are overrun by banditti, 
or are the scene of chronic warfare between hostile tribesmen. 
Governors appointed to restore order prefer to remain in the 
capital. The Swedish officers appointed to form a gendarmerie 
have not been able to collect a force strong enough to cope with the 
situation. 

It is felt that such a state cannot be permanent. In Russia 
there is a party outspoken in favor of the partition of the country 
with Great Britain. The Russian government, however, is thought 
to be opposed. It looks upon itself as bound by the agreement 
made in 1908, which had for one of its objects at least so it was 
avowed the maintenance of the integrity of Persia. The general 
feeling in Great Britain is opposed to any partition. There is no 
desire to have Russia for a neighbor, even among those who are 
for other reasons supporters of the existing Entente. In fact, on 
this account, a strong opposition has been shown to the project 
of a Trans-Persian Railway, which, if made, would link India with 
Europe. It is felt that this would involve a readjustment of Indian 



1912.] RECENT EVENTS 281 

defense. For even the most sanguine in their hopes for 
the future are not quite sure that Russia and Great Britain will 
always continue to be on the friendly terms existent at present. 
At least, they will not risk the secure possession of India upon such 
a project. It is thought that the recent visit to London of the 
Russian Foreign Minister, M. Sazonoff, had for one of its chief 
objects the discussion of the situation in Persia. The inability to 
maintain order in its own dominions is the plea advanced by those in 
favor of the virtual absorption of Persia. The defenders of the 
maintenance of the integrity of the country deny that a fair or 
honest chance has been given it to recover from the grinding tyranny 
of rulers to whom she has been subjected. They allege, and with 
justice, as is proved by the treatment of Mr. Shuster, that every 
effort of the Persian reformers has been paralyzed by outside 
action. The pressure exerted by Russia preventing the regenera- 
tion of the country has been relentless, unceasing, and persistent. 
Great Britain, forced by her desire to have the support of Russia 
in Europe, has been actually, however unwillingly, compelled to 
abet the aims of Russia. The question is arising in the minds of 
many whether or not too high a price is being paid. 

What is in reality the state of the Chinese 
China. Republic, and what are its prospects, are 

questions very much in debate. On the 

one hand, there are those who find both the one and the other 
satisfactory. The mere fact that Dr. Morrison, who has for some 
fifteen years been so well known as the correspondent of the Lon- 
don Times at Peking, has accepted the office of Foreign Adviser 
of the Provisional President, indicates that confidence is reposed 
in the stability of the new government by one who is most com- 
petent to form an opinion. In his judgment the Chinese Re- 
public is an accomplished fact; an extraordinary change has taken 
place since the outbreak of the Revolution, and the inauguration 
of the Republic. There is no foundation to the pessimism which 
looks upon foreign intervention as imminent, universal anarchy as 
likely, or at least that China will be split up into warring kingdoms, 
involving bankruptcy and the ruin of the bondholders. There is 
no cleavage, he says, between the North and the South, both being 
equally Republican. The Customs returns of this year promise to 
be the highest on record. All debts have been punctually paid. 
Every railway is doing well. Inland China is the scene of im- 



282 RECENT EVENTS [Nov., 

provement and progress. As to the new rulers, although they 
may not have experience, they surpass in intelligence, training, and 
education all who have ever held rule in the country. The so-called 
dissensions in the Advisory Council are merely the differences 
which exist between political parties in all countries, and are the 
direct consequence of free institutions. 

Believers in these views have been found to be numerous 
enough to enable a loan to be raised of twenty-five millions, and to 
place this sum in the hands of the Chinese government without 
the imposition of any conditions as to the collection of the taxes 
upon which the loan is secured, or as to the expenditure of the 
funds. It was on account of these conditions that the negotiations 
with the Six Powers Group of Bankers, which began some time 
ago for a loan of no less a sum that three hundred millions, came 
to an end. This group insisted upon the appointment of a foreign 
auditor for the control of the expenditure, and upon foreign super- 
vision of the collection of the revenues pledged for the security of 
the loan. These terms the Chinese government looked upon as 
inconsistent with its dignity. So the negotiations with the Six 
Powers had no result. There is a remarkable difference between 
China and Japan in the matter of financial transactions. Japanese 
private traders are said to be untrustworthy and dishonest, but full 
faith is placed in the government of Japan. In China, on the other 
hand, the individual trader can be thoroughly relied upon, while 
it is the government that so far has been looked upon as untrust- 
worthy. The loan just made marks the opening of a new era 
in financial transactions with China. What the result will be 
remains to be seen. 

Notwithstanding the confidence of Dr. Morrison in the future 
of the Republic, very general apprehension is felt in wide circles 
as to Young China's capacity to administer the country, and serious 
doubts as to their honesty. They think that it is impossible that 
real representative government should be established, that it is con- 
trary to the racial characteristic of time immemorial the Republic 
will be merely a new name for an old despotism. Nearly a year, 
these critics assert, has passed since the beginning of the Revolution, 
and nothing has yet been done to make the definite Constitution. 
The provinces are developing a spirit of disintegration, and this can 
only be checked by enforcing the necessary unity by means of a mili- 
tary dictatorship. The growth of opium is an instance of the 
way in which the country is ceasing to act as a whole. The 



1912.] RECENT EVENTS 283 

Emperor succeeded in a most remarkable way, by the issue of an 
Imperial Edict, in suppressing this growth. Since the establish- 
ment of the Republic, however, in no fewer than eight Provinces 
has the poppy begun to be cultivated again, and this in defiance 
of the Central Government, and in violation of Treaty obligations 
entered into by that government. As to honesty, the same author- 
ities say that there are not to be found six men in high position 
to whom either Young China or Old China could entrust the hand- 
ling of public funds. 

Whatever doubt may exist as to the character of the change 
that has been made, whether a genuine Republic will result, or 
a veiled despotism, there seems to be substantial agreement that 
no change is possible in the social conditions of the vast masses 
of the people. All the changes will merely be on the surface. 
For centuries, and tens of centuries, the people have formed a 
character of their own, which has remained undisturbed by the 
overthrow of dynasties, and even of religions. The precepts of 
Confucius have retained their hold upon the population, and it is by 
the standards which he laid down that their rulers have been judged, 
accepted or rejected. The substance of the people have remained 
the same, only the dynasties have varied. The recent change is of a 
more radical character, but it has been brought about by a com- 
paratively small handful of men. The Emperor had little power 
except within a small circle; the power of those ostensibly at the 
head of affairs in the Republic, should it succeed in establishing 
itself, will not be materially larger than his. 

Recent conduct of Great Britain has excited indignation 
throughout China. Between the two countries an arrangement ex- 
isted that there should be no British interference in the affairs of Ti- 
bet, and that Chinese suzerainty should be respected. China has 
lately by armed force substituted sovereignty for suzerainty. Since 
the revolution Tibet has regained her old position. Great Britain has 
now stepped in and forbidden any effort on the part of China to 
deprive the Tibetans of the comparative freedom which they have 
been able to secure. 



With Our Readers. 

IT is gratifying and encouraging to all thinking patriotic men to hear 
such words as were uttered by Henry M. MacCracken, Chancellor 
Emeritus of New York University, at the dedication of the Saratoga 
monument on October i8th: 

" It fell to myself twelve years ago," said Dr. MacCracken, " as 
committeeman of the Hall of Fame, to choose for the bronze tablet 
of George Washington some utterance of his which represented his 
loftiest thought. I made choice of these words from his Farewell 
Address He says : 

" 'Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political pros- 
perity, religion and morality are indispensable supports. Reason and 
experience both forbid us to expect that national morality can prevail 
in exclusion of jfcligious principles.' 

" The message of Saratoga to-day, I repeat, is the message of 
Washington's farewell words: 'The safety of the Republic is the 
morality of the people. Morality cannot be expected to exist with 
religion excluded.' May Americans ever be true to God and to 
native land." 



THE COLLEGE OF ST. FRANCIS XAVIER, 
30 WEST i6TH STREET. 

NEW YORK, N. Y., September 21, 1912. 
To THE EDITOR OF THE CATHOLIC WORLD. 

DEAR REVEREND FATHER: I find in your issue of September, 1912, on page 
862, a reference to the recent affiliation of Fordham College and St. Francis 
Xavier's. 

May I call your attention to an erroneous assumption in your comments on 
this event. You say that older and better college students are expected, as in 
the former arrangement the age of the college student was lower. This assump- 
tion is altogether incorrect. In our high schools we admit only those students 
who are qualified to enter high school, by the fact that they have completed 
their grammar school course in either the parochial or public grammar school. 

The age of our high school students therefore depends entirely on the age of 
graduation in the grammar schools, and as a consequence the age at which the 
boys enter our college is altogether dependent on the same fact. The age of 
our college students cannot be affected in the slightest degree by this change 
in St. Francis Xavier's College. If you desire to see our college students older 
than they are at present, I quite disagree with you. 

The average age of students leaving grammar school is about fourteen; 
they graduate from high school at eighteen, and from college at twenty-two, 
which is entirely too old. 

The fact is the children are too old when they complete their grammar 
school course. Yours sincerely in Domino, 

JOSEPH H. ROCKWELL, SJ. 



1912.] WITH OUR READERS 285 

NEW YORK CITY, September 25, 1912. 
To THE EDITOR OF THE CATHOLIC WORLD. 

DEAR SIR: May I again remind you of the effort of this League, cordially 
furthered by the press, to urge upon the public early Christmas shopping for 
the sake of the workers in the stores and factories. If you have any oppor- 
tunity, will you use your influence to arouse a stronger public sentiment on this 
subject. The shopping rush of December means a travesty of Christmas for 
thousands of over-strained and over-time workers. 

Yours very truly, 

HANNAH ANDREWS, 

Chairman on Publicity. 



THE IMITATION OF BUDDHA. 
(WRITTEN BY LIONEL JOHNSON IN 1891.) 

TJNDER this most suggestive title, which is not really a challenge 
M. but an exhortation, Mr. Bowden put together many precepts of 
Buddhist morality: one for each day in the year. His little book is 
a true and valuable statement of much that is admirable and worthy 
of imitation in that impressive code of ethics ; and Sir Edwin Arnold, 
who provided the book with a preface, did not go too far in saying that 
one who read its pages daily " must become a better man at the 
year's end than at its beginning." And yet, in spite of the moral 
loftiness, the gentle tranquility, the resigned patience, of these calm 
precepts, we seem in reading them to stand face to face with some 
image of Gautama: there is the sad, sleepy smile, the stone-cold eyes, 
the comfortless and satisfied immobility. Austerely we repeat the 
solemn words : " He whose mind is subdued and perfectly controlled 
is happy ;" or " Let him not cause others to drink, nor even approve 
of those that drink ;" or " Happy is he that is virtuous." Austerely and 
gravely we repeat them, and the words turn to ashes in our mouths. 
These sonorous and sententious precepts come from the lips of an 
adamantine sphinx, with a cold and hollow sound. The muezzin, 
calling aloud upon the faithful, finds his way to our hearts; so does 
the hoarse street-preacher bawling outside a public-house under 
the gas lamp. But the Buddha still smiles at us with his eternal look 
of apathy: and, whether or no he were flesh of our flesh once, now 
he is as frozen as a lovely icicle. The beauty of that fabled life and 
character seems gone into thin air : the suffering devotion, the winning 
tenderness, the gentle and compelling appeal, all have vanished. And 
here we have the residue : a very table of stone, engraven by an iron 
pen with laws and rules of life. Follow them, and you will die from 
"this delightful world," and reach at last that Paradise of uncon- 
sciousness, where " the souls of just men made perfect " fade into 
a dream. Tread the appointed Path, practice the holy Virtues, repeat 
the august Forms : one day, in one of a thousand lives, you will attain 



286 WITH OUR READERS [Nov. 

the cessation of all desire, and upon your lips will abide the beatific 
smile of satisfaction, and in your eyes the beatific vision of nothingness. 

You say there is no substance here, 

One great reality above : 
Back from that void I shrink in fear, 

And child-like hide myself in love : 
Show me what angels feel. Till then, 

I cling, a mere weak man, to men. 

If " Mimnermus in Church " felt that, what would not he have felt 
before the shrine of Buddha? 

The answer to these shivering doubts is given by the one religion 
which sustains and is sustained upon personality. Let us turn to the 
weighty Bampton Lectures of Mr. Gore : " Compare Christianity with 
a system based on an opposite principle and observe the contrast. To 
the Buddhist personality is an evil, a hindrance; spiritual progress 
lies in the gradual evacuation of consciousness, of desire, in a word, 
of personality. With Christ the case is the opposite : 'I am come/ He 
said, 'that they may have life' full, personal, conscious life 'and may 
have it abundantly.' " In Christianity there is an inexhaustible depth 
of mysticism. Mystical theology, in all times and places, is no less 
illimitable in its desires and dreams than is the severest Buddhism. 
But the difference is a difference of heart and soul ; here you find the 
thought of human personality reaching after the divine. It is for the 
sake of divine personality that theologians have lavished upon Pan- 
theism such hatred and scorn. For Pantheism, perverting the truth 
of a divine immanence in nature, identifies the divinity with nature, 
and the divine personality is lost, just as the human personality in its 
Buddhist absorption. In the wildest Christian mysticism, in its least 
admirable expression, the sense of personal communion with the divine 
remains ; thus Sir Thomas Browne : " Pious spirits, who passed their 
days in raptures of futurity made little more of this world than the 
world that was before it, while they lay obscure in the chaos of pre- 
ordination and night of their forebeings. And if any have been so 
happy as truly to understand Christian annihilation, ecstasies, exolution, 
liquefaction, transformation, the kiss of the spouse, gustation of God, 
and ingression into the divine shadow, they have already had a hand- 
some anticipation of heaven : the glory of the world is surely over, and 
the earth in ashes unto them." The restless and wandering souls who 
fly to the Mahatmas of Tibet, who yearn for astral bodies, for magical 
powers, for higher knowledge, might as well stay at home in their 
commonplace parishes, and find there what those lies distort. 

There are plenty of modern doctrines which, without imitating 
Buddha in good or bad, make the same error ; in especial the schemes 



I 9 i2.] BOOKS RECEIVED 287 

of those persons who call themselves humanitarian. In effect, hu- 
manity counts for everything, men and women for nothing; classes 
and masses, interests and communities, are substituted for the indi- 
vidual. Statisticians do it, doctors do it, priests do it, trade unions 
do it. Insisting upon their general laws, their working averages, they 
turn us into cyphers, insignificant in ourselves, important only in com- 
bination. There is always some great end in view, some great theory 
to prove; and we poor men, women, and children are absorbed into 
the great theory and lost to sight in the great end, no less really than 
the devout Buddhists in their Nirvana. If only our theorists had in 
view a Paradise as noiseless! But no; on go the great movements, 
with their tremendous mechanism, which is to twist and mould us all. 
" I will not give up my personality ! " cries the badgered victim. But 
the pickets of civilization are down upon him; the universities extend 
him all in one direction ; the philosophers feed him with their fads and 
inoculate him with their ideas. Between them the man disappears. 
O swimming baths and cookery classes, Botticellis and banjos, con- 
gresses and councils, what are you worth compared to a talk and a 
smoke with a friend by the fire ? Which of us in these vexatious days 
can say with the long-suffering Buddha, " He felt compassion upon 
those who tormented him?" 



BOOKS RECEIVED. 

BENZIGER BROTHERS, New York: 

Prisoners' Years. By I. Clarke. $1.35 net. The Romance of a Jesuit. Trans- 
lated from the French of G. de Bugny d'Hagerue by Francesca Glazier. 
$1.10 net. Love, Peace, and Joy. A month of the Sacred Heart according to 
St. Gertrude. 75 cents net. The Growth and Development of the Catholic 
School System in the United States. By Rev. J. A. Burns, C.S.C., Ph.D. 
$1.75 net. The Black Brotherhood. By Rev. R. P. Garrold, SJ. $1.35 net. 
Little Mass Book. By Rt. Rev. Mgr. J. S. M. Lynch, D.D. 10 cents net. 
The Way of the Cross. Adapted by a Jesuit Father. 10 cents net. Looking 
on Jesus, the Lamb of God. By Madame Cecilia. $1.75 net. The " Summa 
Theologica" of St. Thomas Aquinas. Part I. Translated by Fathers of 
the English Dominican Province. The Story of St. Mildred of Thanet, a 
Saint of Saxon Times. By Minnie Sawyer. Notes on the New Rubrics 
and the Use of the New Psalter. By Rev. Arthur J. Heterington. 60 cents 
net. Marriage, Divorce, and Morality. By Henry C. Day, SJ. 50 cents net. 
The Greater Eve, or the Throne of the Virgin Mother. By Rev. Joseph 
H. Stewart. 90 cents. The Litany of the Sacred Heart. By Rev. Joseph 
McDonnell, SJ. 90 cents net. Catholic Home Manual. 25 cents. The 
Little Cardinal. By Katharine Parr. $1.20. Gone Before. The Story of 
the Sodality of Our Lady. By Rev. Edmund Lester, SJ. 30 cents net. 
A Practical Guide for Servers at Low Mass and Benediction. Compiled by 
Bernard F. Page, SJ. 35 cents net. The Sisters of Bon-Secours. An 
Abridged History. Translated from the French. $1.15 net. The Living 
Flame of Love. By St. John of the Cross. Translated by David Lewis. 
$1.95 net. St. Lydwine of Schiedam. Virgin. By Thomas a Kempis. Trans- 
lation and Introduction by Dom Vincent Scully, C.R.L. $1.10 net. Saint 
Joseph of Leonessa. By Fr. Anthony Brennan, O.S.F.C. 30 cents net. 

THE C. WILDERMANN Co., New York : 

The Holy Bible; Translated from the Latin Vulgate. $1.00 to $6.Sb. 

THE MACMILLAN Co., New York : 

The Golden Ladder Book. By E. H. Sneath, G. Hodges, and E. L. Stevens. 
40 cents net. The Rich Mrs. Burgoyne. By Kathleen Norris. $1.25 net. 

AMERICAN BOOK Co., New York: ,, r .i. i 

Kreuz und Quer Durch Deutsche Lande. By Robert Mezger and Wilhelm 
Mueller. 



288 BOOKS RECEIVED [Nov., 1912.] 

LONGMANS, GREEN & Co., New York : 

Catherine Sidney. By Francis Deming Hoyt. $1.35 net. The Catholic Faith. 
A compendium authorized by H. H. Pope Pius X. 40 cents net. History 
of English Literature. By Andrew Lang, M.A. $1.75 net. The Book of 
Saints and Heroes. By Mrs. Lang. Edited by Andrew Lang. $1.60 net. 
Unseen Friends. By Mrs. Wm. O'Brien. $2.25 net. The Eve of Catholic 
Emancipation. Volume III. By Rt. Rev. Mgr. Bernard Ward. $3.75 net. 
A Child's Rule of Life. By Robert Hugh Benson. Paper, 40 cents net ; 
cloth, 75 cents net. 
CHAS. SCRIBNER'S SONS, New York : 

The Enthusiasts of Port Royal. By Lillian Rea. $3.00 net. The Unknown 

Quantity. By Henry Van Dyke. $1.50 net. 
THE AMERICAN PRESS, New York : 

The Church and Social Problems. By Rev. Joseph Husslein, SJ. $1.00. 
D. APPLETON & Co., New York : 

The Inheritance. By Josephine Daskam Bacon. $1.30 net. 
THE MANHATTANVILLE PRESS, New York : 

Elements of Logic. By His Eminence Cardinal Mercier. Translated by Ewan 

Macpherson. 60 cents. 
THE SENTINEL PRESS, New York : 

Special Devotions. 15 cents. Short Treatise on Confession and Communion. 
By Joseph Frassinetti. 5 cents. The Eucharistic Way of the Cross. By 
Ven. Pierre J. Eymard. 5 cents. 
FREDERICK A. STOKES, New York : 

Between Two Thieves. By Richard Dehan. $1.40 net. 
JAMES POTT & Co., New York : 

My Irish Year. By Padraic Colum. $2.50 net. 
DODD, MEAD & Co., New York : 

The Golden Rose. By Mrs. Hugh Fraser and J. I. Stahlmann. $1.35 net. 

Race Improvement or Eugenics. By La Reine Helen Baker. $1.00 net. 
MOHONK SALESROOMS, LAKE MOHONK, New York : 

Wild Flowers of New York. By Chester A. Reed, S.B. 50 cents. 
HOUGHTON MIFFLIN & Co., Boston : 

The Holy Christian Church: From Its Remote Origins to the Present Day. 

By R. M. Johnson. $1.50 net. 
SMALL, MAYNARD & Co., Boston : 

Whippen. By F. O. Bartlett. 50 cents net. Mary, Mary. By James Stephens. 
$i..20 net. Zebedee V. By Edith B. Delano. $1.20 net. The Pope's Green 
Island. By W. P. Ryan. $1.50 net. 
LITTLE, BROWN & Co., Boston : 

Woman in the Making of America. By H. Addington Bruce. $1.50 net. 

Folk Tales of East and West. By John Harrington Cox, A.M. $1.00 net. 
THE DOLPHIN PRESS, Philadelphia : 

Eucharistica : Verse and Prose in Honour of Our Hidden God. By H. T. Henry, 

Litt.D. $1.25. 
J. B. LIPPINCOTT Co., Philadelphia : 

The Flowing Road; Adventuring on the Great Rivers of South America. By 

Caspar Whitney. $3.00 net. 
PETER REILLY, Philadelphia : 

Faith and Suggestion. By Edwin Lancelot Ash. $1.25 net. 
CARNEGIE LIBRARY, Pittsburgh : 

Classified Catalogue of the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, 1907-1911. Part I. 

50 cents. 
CATHOLIC TRUTH SOCIETY, Pittsburgh : 

The Guardians of Liberty and Roman Catholics. By Rev. Thomas F. Coakley, 

D.D. Pamphlet. 5 cents. 
THE OHIO APOSTOLATE, Cleveland : 

Thy Kingdom Come. By Wm. Stephens Kress. 10 cents. The Red Devil. 

By Wm. Stephens Kress. 10 cents. 
CLEVELAND PUBLIC LIBRARY, Cleveland : 

Books by Catholic Authors in the Cleveland Public Library. By Emilie Louis 

Haley. 
B. HERDER, St. Louis : 

The New Rubrics and Psalter. By Very Rev. Canon Welsh. 10 cents net. 
Quern Vidistis Pastores. By Richard Crashaw. 25 cents. St. Augustine, 
Bishop of Hippo, 354-430. $1.25. The Golden Prayer-Book. By a Member 
of the Ursuline Community, Thurles. 60 cents. A Pilgrim of Eternity. By 
Rev. George S. Hitchcock, D.D. 60 cents. The Poets' Chantry. By Kath- 
erine Bregy. $1.50. Cardinal Mercier' s Retreat to His Priests. Translated 
from the French by J. M. O'Kavanagh. $1.50. Progress: What It Means; 
a Study of the Evolution of Religion, Education, and Woman. By Mrs. Ran- 
dolph Mordecai. 35 cents. The Waif of Rainbow Court. By Mary F. 
Nixon. 60 cents. 

THE SOCIETY OF THE DIVINE WORD, Techny, 111. : 
St. Michael's Almanac, 1913. 25 cents. 



THE 




CATHOLIC WORLD. 



VOL. XCVI. DECEMBER, 1912. No. 573. 



ANDREW LANG. 

BY AGNES REPPLIER. 

IVE months have passed since the sudden and lament- 
able death of Mr. Andrew Lang. The echoes of 
comment and criticism, of keen appreciation and of 
patronizing praise, are silent at last. And as this 
silence deepens, we begin to feel with increasing dis- 
tinctness the nature of our loss. We are dull enough at all times, 
heaven knows, nor is it the coveted function of modern literature 
to quicken our spirits; but the blotting out from our literary hori- 
zon of this familiar figure has left us sensibly depressed. It can- 
not be that Mr. Lang, fighting single-handed, held dullness at bay; 
but now that his infectious laugh, his wise, light, raillery, are heard 
no longer, we are more than ever at the mercy of that portentous 
gravity, which, fooling heavily over trifles, acquires the name of 
knowledge. 

The two qualities which in these days of sedate specialism are 
held to be unpardonable are levity and universality. They were 
united in Mr. Lang. He could no more forbear a jest because the 
occasion did not call for jesting, than could Charles Lamb when 
he made a pun at a funeral. This was not the spirit of journalism, 
which is flippant, because it understands nothing deeper than flip- 
pancy; it was the unconcern of the scholar who can afford to be 
whimsical because of the breadth of his scholarship. Mr. Lang felt 
no need to be solemn, no desire to be staid; the foundations of his 
knowledge were firm enough to put him at his ease. That preter- 

Copyright. 1912. THE MISSIONARY SOCIETY OF ST. PAUL THE APOSTLE 

IN THE STATE OF NEW YORK. 
VOL. xcvi. 19. 



290 ANDREW LANG [Dec., 

natural stodginess with which the self-made critic deals with litera- 
ture is meaningless to a man who reads Homer and Horace. 
The Saturday Review says that Mr. Lang " wore his scholarship as 
lightly as a flower." This is both graceful and true. He hated 
pedantry, and he hated with his whole soul the pedantry which 
busies itself over matters of no moment. 

As for universality, it grows daily in disfavor, and with some 
reason. We can hardly expect a man who has worked all his 
life in one field of research to regard with pleasure the brilliant 
invasions of a free lance; and when the free lance harries the ex- 
pert with his own weapons, the provocation is very great. But it 
must be remembered that, until these days of grace, it was not 
considered amiss for a scholar to be informed on more than one 
subject. There was even an impression that he ought to know a 
number of things, in order to understand rightly any one of them. 
Mr. Matthew Arnold said that a man who knew nothing but his 
Bible, did not know his Bible. No one can accuse Mr. Lang of 
meddling ignorantly with any theme. If he did not know as much 
about it as did the expert who knew little else, his general informa- 
tion was so wide, so deep, and so accessible that it leant weight 
as well as lucidity to his views. From the days when he first 
crossed swords with Professor Max Miiller over Aryan mythology, 
until his last passage at arms with that distinguished scholar and 
translator, Mr. Gilbert Murray, over the unity of the Homeric 
poems, his thrusts were no less keen because he waged war in many 
fields. His love for the rare cante-fable of early France never 
interfered with his diligent researches into the intricacies of Scot- 
tish history. 

In the matter of bookmaking, Mr. Lang's record is unsur- 
passed and unsurpassable. Eight hundred publications books 
written, books translated, books edited, lectures, broadsides, etc. 
stand attached to his name too many by far. Sixteen pages of 
the British Museum catalogue are filled with the titles of these 
publications too much space for one author to hold. Yet a great 
portion of his work was journalistic, and never took permanent 
form. Well may the Athenaeum call Mr. Lang the most remark- 
able man of letters of his day, and well may those who love him best 
wish that he had worked on a less heroic scale. An army of 
assistants probably collected and arranged the data for his later 
books, and this may account for the superfluity of data in many 
of them. James the Sixth and the Gowrie Mystery, Sir George 



1912.] ANDREW LANG 291 

Mackenzie, John Knox and the Reformation are so crowded with 
facts, and with documentary evidence for these facts, that they 
confuse the most careful reader. Salient points in the narrative 
are blurred by detail. Even The Mystery of Mary Stuart and the 
noble defense of Jeanne d'Arc sin in this regard. We know the 
less about the central figures in these narratives because we are told 
too much. 

To follow Mr. Lang's meteor-like flight through the vast spaces 
of history, tradition, and literature is beyond the compass of a critic. 
He went too swiftly and he went too far. Nor was he often wont 
to reappear in the same orbit. Having scored a success with his 
Letters to Dead Authors, he was never tempted to repeat the ex- 
periment. Having gathered a handful of fugitive papers into 
two volumes, Lost Leaders and Essays in Little both of which 
were among his most popular books he cheerfully abandoned their 
companion papers to oblivion. For years his whole heart and soul 
were turned to Greece. He wrote Homer and the Epic; he made 
his beautiful translation of Theocritus; he published, in conjunction 
with Mr. Ernest Myers and Mr. Walter Leaf, a prose translation of 
the Iliad; and, in conjunction with Mr. S. H. Butcher, a prose 
translation of the Odyssey. It sounds like the labor of a lifetime, 
but it was only one episode in Mr. Lang's laborious career. For 
years the study of primitive religions held him in thrall; but even 
this pursuit, with its engrossing hostilities, could not long absorb 
his superabundant energy. It sought and found other outlets. In 
1892 the University of Pennsylvania, meditating a series of lectures 
on the history of religions, asked Mr. Lang to cross the sea and 
give part of the course. He declined the invitation, writing to the 
Provost of the University that the delicacy of his throat made 
public speaking impossible; but this is what he wrote to me: " If 
your good people of Philadelphia know how to read, why not give 
them my book, Myth, Ritual, and Religion, which I wrote five years 
ago. They will then know all that I knew about the subject when 
I wrote it, and far more than I know now, as, unfortunately, I 
have forgotten a great deal in the interval." 

I doubt whether many of these searchers after truth did 
read the book, which is a stout and learned volume, bristling with 
notes and references. It is one thing to hear a few lectures, and 
another to read a book; and the people who hear the lectures are 
apt to think the book a superfluity. 

There was one love to whom Mr. Lang's allegiance never 



292 ANDREW LANG [Dec., 

weakened nor wavered. The flame of romance burned steadily in 
his breast, burned with the clear white light of the North. It 
hallowed Helen of Troy as "a Saint in Heathendom;" it lit up 
every page of Aucasson and Nlcolette, made familiar to thousands 
of American readers by pirated editions of Mr. Lang's translations. 
The audacity with which this book was pilfered, the coolness with 
which the pilferers pleaded its beauty as an excuse for pilfering, Mr. 
Lang's helpless wrath, and the lofty self -commendations of the pub- 
lishers all made tip a controversy which can never be forgotten, 
and which, in these more stringent days, can, happily, never be 
repeated. 

Romance touched by reason held Mr. Lang faithful to the 
great Jacobite traditions of Scotland. Romance untroubled by 
reason held him faithful to the ghostly traditions of that beautiful 
and ghost-haunted land. " Brought up under grey skies and in 
a hostile atmosphere," says an acute modern critic, " the Scotch 
have realized that it is only against grey skies that flaming ad- 
ventures stand bravely out. Realists in material things practical 
and 'canny,' they have reacted toward a strange pursuit of the 
mysterious." In truth, Scotland and Germany have always been 
the ghost-ridden countries of the world. A French ghost seems 
as preposterous and paradoxical as an American ghost. The Latin 
mind, orderly and logical, the American mind, skeptical and indif- 
ferent, have no affiliations with the preternatural. But the Harz 
mountains are of necessity haunted mountains; even the casual 
tourist sees this much; and the Scottish fens are of necessity 
haunted fens. There is hardly a corner of Scotland (save Glasgow 
and, I presume, Thrums) where a ghost might not be reasonably 
content. When Mr. Lang dedicated his edition of Kirk's Secret 
Commonivealth to Mr. Robert Louis Stevenson, he did so in the 
spirit of sympathy, inasmuch as his exiled friend was parted forever 
from the boggarts and banshees of his youth. 

O Louis ! you that like them maist, 

Ye're far frae kelpie, wraith, and ghaist, 

And fairy dames, no unco chaste, 

And haunted cell. 
Among a heathen clan ye're placed, 

That kens na hell. 

Even in his cheerful Angling Sketches, Mr. Lang tells many a 
grisly tale the story of the Black Officer who sold himself and 



1912.] ANDREW LANG 293 

twelve soldiers to the Evil One ; the story of the witch who ran as a 
hare to lure the sheep dogs from the fold ; and the story of the three 
shepherds in a lonely sheiling by Loch Awe, to whom came at night 
their three sweethearts, with smiling eyes, and laughter on their 
lips. Two of the lads sat in the dusky corners of the hut, each with 
his arm around his girl; but the third was playing on a jew's-harp, 
and he continued to play, albeit somewhat tremulously, for fear was 
upon him. " Harping is good if no ill follows it," said the sem- 
blance of his sweetheart ; but the shepherd made no answer. From 
one dark corner he saw red blood trickle into the firelight, and from 
the other corner came a second crimson streak to meet it. Then 
he rose, still harping, backed to the door, and fled into the night, 
far from those cruel shapes of false desire. 

The noblest aspect of romanticism is the love it bears for the 
heroic, and its understanding of great emotions. Mr. Lang's son- 
net on the death of Colonel Burnaby, and the verses, beautiful and 
poignant with regret, which begin 

When Nelson's sudden signal came, 

bear witness to the strength and depth of his emotional tempera- 
ment. In the gayety of his habitual moods, with sadness ever 
underlying them, in the light laugh with its echo of a sigh, we read 
the signs and tokens of romance. Realism is wont to make the most 
of its troubles, and to parade them liberally before the world; but 
romance, with its zest for the feast of life, and its sob over the 
pathos of lost causes, sees sorrow clearly, and holds it bravely at bay. 

The one flaw in Mr. Lang's romanticism was its wilfulness. 
It was a too exclusive affection. It severed him from the great as 
well as from the petty realists, from those who deal with the vital 
things of life, as well as from those who are wedded to the in- 
significant. It inclined him kindly to any fiction which dealt with 
the unlikely or impossible. Mr. Rider Haggard makes, after all, 
an indifferent substitute for Ibsen. Mr. Lang's gay little verses 
in praise of Miss Braddon and Gaboriau are but a perverse pleas- 
antry, and his partant pour la Scribe can hardly be taken as a sober 
confession of faith; it belongs in the same category as does Mr. 
Rudyard Kipling's Three-Decker. But a serious sonnet on Mr. 
Rider Haggard's She is more than the reader can stomach. What 
place has a charlatan like She in the golden land of Romance? 

For the lost cause of the Jacobites Mr. Lang pleaded heroically, 



294 ANDREW LANG [Dec., 

nor was this wholly a matter of sentiment. He saw what other 
and more hard-headed historians have seen as clearly that if 
England lost little in losing the Stuarts, she gained less in gaining 
the Hanovarians; and that if the French alliance placed Scotland in 
a precarious position, the triumph of kirk and covenant was an in- 
tellectual blight, and a political error, involving years of bloodshed. 
An oligarchy of preachers seemed to him the worst form of govern- 
ment under which civilized men could live and suffer. " Cal- 
vinism," says Mr. Chesterton, " which, among the fickle English, 
passed like a fashion, remained with the fanatical Scotch like a 
disease." It spared neither ancient creed, nor ancient monument. 
It burned the manuscripts of St. Andrew's; it "broke down and 
wasted" the abbeys of Kelso and Melrose; it wrecked the tomb 
of the Bruce in Dunfermline. 

Contemplating these events without enthusiasm, Mr. Lang 
spoke many a bitter truth. The Spectator gently hinted that, 
although he was a leal Scot, his countrymen were " always a little 
uneasy about him " which is hardly a matter of surprise. There 
was room for uneasiness when he rooted deep into documents which 
had lain snugly hidden for centuries, dragging them ruthlessly to 
light, and hurling them with scant and bitter comment at his foes. 
There was some room for uneasiness when he let fall his little 
scalding jests, his sarcasms so gently spoken and so full of guile; 
when he said that the English Litany was regarded by Knox " as 
rather of the nature of magic than of prayer;" that " It was Mary 
Tudor's misfortune to be able to execute on a grand scale that 
faculty of persecution to the death for which her Presbyterian and 
other Protestant opponents pined in vain ;" and that " If an his- 
torical event could be discredited, like a ghost story, by discrep- 
ancies in the evidence, we might maintain that Darnley never 
was murdered at all." 

This last remark tells its own tale of earnest pursuit after 
a glimmering truth. Mr. Lang's enthusiasm for the Stuart's never 
extended to the Queen of Scots. She made no appeal to him, as 
to so many generous hearts; her sorrows, nobly borne, never out- 
weighed the passionate follies of her youth. For Jeanne d'Arc 
his devotion was the sentiment of a lifetime. He loved and hon- 
ored her above all women, and, after the fashion of lovers, he 
brooked no dissent, and no half-hearted allegiance. Even the slow 
and orderly processes by which the Church approached the beati- 
fication of the Maid puzzled and angered him. He would have 



1912.] ANDREW LANG 295 

liked to see her canonized by acclamation. But upon the meager 
claims of Mary Stuart to sanctity, he looked forever askance. 
When I was in Rome in 1895, he wrote me: "Tell your Pope 
to hurry up Jeanne d'Arc, and to let Mary Stuart alone. You don't 
want her in your hierarchy. She'd be making eyes at every male 
saint in heaven." 

Yet when, six years later, Mr. Lang came to write The Mystery 
of Mary Stuart, he did not do so in the spirit of a public prosecutor, 
but of a true historian, keen on the scent, and with a mind honorably 
open to conviction. When he sought to ravel the hideous web of 
plot and counter-plot which culminated in the murder of Darnley; 
to sift the evidence for and against the Casket letters; to throw 
his searchlight upon the men who were Mary's advisers, men with 
historic names and lying tongues, gallant bearing and treacherous 
hearts, he confessed in sorrow and scorn that the noblest figure in 
the group was that of the young queen. " Mon naturel etait bon," 
sighed poor Mary Stuart, realizing how little chance life had allowed 
her, and the words are the saddest on record. Never was an en- 
throned queen so harried, so insulted, and so deeply betrayed. 
Never was a girl of twenty so friendless in her father's land. 
Had she possessed the innocence of the dove and the wisdom of 
the serpent, she could have escaped neither calumny nor defeat. 

For John Knox and the Presbyterian divines who helped to 
drive Mary Stuart to her doom, Mr. Lang had little more liking 
than for the Bishop of Beauvais and the Burgundian clerics who 
left to Jeanne d'Arc no loop-hole of escape. The militancy of the 
Scottish preachers was of a singularly offensive character. Harlot 
and fornication were words forever on their lips, and to liken their 
young queen to Rahab and Jezebel and Athaliah were the current 
compliments of controversy. Mr. Lang quotes in John Knox and 
the Reformation a letter written by Lethington from Edinburgh 
to Cecil, with whom (being by taste and habit a traitor) he kept up 
an intimate correspondence. 

" The Queen behaves herself as reasonably as we can require : 
if anything be amiss, the fault is rather in ourselves. You know 
the vehemency of Mr. Knox's spirit, which cannot be bridled, and 
yet doth utter sometimes such sentences as cannot easily be di- 
gested by a weak stomach. I would wish he should deal with her 
more gently, being a young princess unpersuaded. Surely in her 
comporting with him, she declares a wisdom far exceeding her age." 

There is one incident in Knox's career which is calculated to 



296 ANDREW LANG [Dec., 

fill the unregenerate with joy, and that is the refusal of Elizabeth 
in 1559 to permit him to set foot on English soil. The Tudor queen 
was more than willing that he should harry Mary of Guise and 
her Catholic adherents in Scotland; but she had neither forgiven 
nor forgotten the " First Blast of the Trumpet against the Mon- 
strous Regiment of Women," and was ill prepared to brook in her 
own person any such denial of authority. In vain Knox pleaded 
his close alliance with the Protestants of England ; Elizabeth would 
have none of him; and the reformer, smarting under such an in- 
dignity, bitterly reproached Cecil, telling him he was " worthy of 
hell" (Knox was always so hospitable with hell), and affirming 
that Turks actually granted such safe conducts as were now refused 
to him. " Perhaps," comments the historian softly, " he exag- 
gerated the amenity of the Turks." 

Mr. Lang's last great battle was fought against M. Anatole 
France in defense of Jeanne d'Arc. The brilliant Frenchman's 
denial of Jeanne's mission and her genius, of her visions and her 
feats of arms, was based rather upon the law of likelihood than upon 
the testimony of historic documents. It seemed to him more prob- 
able that she was hysterical than that she was inspired; that she 
was the dupe of priests than that she was the deliverer of France; 
that she was a mere mascot than that she was a military leader. 
Therefore he made light of contemporary evidence, as being on the 
whole untrustworthy. But, as the English doctor said of night air, 
" it may be bad, but it is the only air we can procure at night." 
So Mr. Lang contended that contemporary evidence, being the only 
evidence obtainable, is better than no evidence at all. To ignore 
it is an error; to misuse it is a crime. He himself was sometimes 
inaccurate, as the result of speeding to conclusions; but neither 
prejudice nor enthusiasm could have tempted him to withhold from 
his readers any portion of a text which militated against his views. 

It was perhaps because his deepest feelings had been aroused 
by M. France's belittling history, that Mr. Lang wrote his own 
book in a spirit of guarded composure. It was not an occasion for 
rhetoric or for reproaches, and he indulged in neither. With 
patience and determination he searched every available document, 
and a series of quiet refutations is the result of his scrutiny. They 
seldom go further than, " As the authority cited for this belief is 
not to be found in the passage cited, it may be a misref erence ;" 
or " Jeanne 'passed for being rather crazy,' " says M. France, " but 
cites no evidence for the statement;" or " M. France says that the 



1912.] ANDREW LANG 297 

quarrel which led to the slaughter of the prisoners (at Jargeau) 
was a dispute between the nobles and the common people. There 
is no word to that effect in his only authority, Journal du Siege, 
as printed in the Proces." The keenness with which Mr. Lang 
piled proof upon proof in defense of Jeanne's military genius never 
betrayed him into any excess of speech. His sorrow over her 
shameful death was veiled in decent composure. At the close of 
Chapter XII., which tells of the relief of Orleans, he writes: 

" She had kept her word, she had shown her sign, Orleans was 
delivered, and the tide of English arms never again surged so far as 
the city of St. Aignan. The victory, her companions in arms attest, 
was all her own. They had despaired, they were in retreat, when 
she, bitterly wounded as she was, recalled them to the charge. 
Within less than a week of her first day under fire, the girl of seven- 
teen had done what Wolfe did on the heights of Abraham, what 
Bruce did at Bannockburn; she had gained one of the 'fifteen 
decisive battles' of the world." 

The last chapter, which tells of the tragedy of Rouen, closes 
with these stern and bitter words: 

" That the world might have no relic of her of -whom the world 
was not worthy, the English threw her ashes into the Seine." 

Mr. Lang's death robbed English letters of a rare element of 
distinction ; but it is a matter for rejoicing that he struck this brave 
blow before he died. It was in a cause dear to his heart, and 
worthy of his sword. 



THE MONKS' CHURCH. 



BY EDWARD F. GARESCHE, S.J. 

NOTE. There stands on the brow of Mt. Adams in Cincinnati, a stone church 
dedicated to the Immaculate Conception. Its position on a commanding height, 
which rises suddenly from the smoky river bank, makes it a striking feature of 
the city front, while there cluster around it some remarkable customs and traditions. 
It is said that the statesman Adams, for whom the hill is named, declared, at 
the dedication of an astronomical observatory there, that here at least the cross 
should never come to domineer over science. Two cross-tipped spires now top 
the hill. There is a devout custom among the Catholics thereabouts of ascending very 
slowly the long stairs which lead to the church, and with a prayer at every step, 
to commemorate the Passion on Good Friday. The sight is a remarkable evidence 
of simple faith and devotion. [D. C. W.] 




ERE is a shaggy hill that struggles free 
From the swart city's peopled wilderness, 
A little nearer God, a little high 
Above the stress and clamor of the world, 
And on the bold hill's brow, a temple stands, 
Serene and simple, rising from the earth, 
As though itself were earthly, yet fore'er 
Stretching to heaven. Its door is open wide, 
And lowly folk are there, who whisper prayers 
Or sob awhile, or smile at Mary's face 
Wrought tenderly in marble. All within 
Is twilight reverence, and the tender thrill 
More eloquent than tongues, that shakes the heart 
From yonder Hidden Presence. 'Tis the throb 
Of that great Heart, still leaping 'neath the veil 
That hides, not stills it. Unregarded love! 
Unthought of, yet unending lonely Christ 
Because Thy love hath distanced all our thought ! 

About, above, the wild air hath its way. 
The winter's gale, careering livelier here, 
Raves round the spire, the fingers of the rain 
Pick at its crannied stones, the summer's heat 
Makes the strong sunshine quiver on its walls 



IQI2.] THE MONKS' CHURCH 299 

But still that rest within, heart's ease, surcease! 

Beneath, the city lies, begrimed with toil. 

Seen through the rollings of its vaporous shroud, 

Filling the vale with dust and din of trade, 

Wailings, and shouts of merry lads at play, 

The harsh, quick breath of engines, and the roar 

Of laboring factories, sounds that blended rise, 

Like a hoarse litany, to where Mary stands 

Carven in stone, on the roof's topmost verge, 

And watching o'er all her world, unwearying, 

Mother of men. And oft the red-eyed morn 

Hath waked the dim hill and the slumbering town 

With unregarded splendor, gorgeous noon 

Hath touched the smoke-drifts with unvalued gold, 

And oft the thickening mantle of the night 

Shrouded the sable city, till the lights 

Brake from a thousand windows, and the gloom, 

Sparkling all diamonded with sudden stars, 

Out-stared the midnight heavens more black than they, 

More thickly sown with fiery brilliancies, 

Till the wan morn crept weary from the east 

And bid them pale their beams but still she stands, 

And still sweet Mary watches all the world, 

Uplifted, unregarded, merciful 

Most, where her mercy finds no gratefulness 

Pleading for good and evil. And above 

Gleams the sweet emblem of the Crucified 

Bright on the darkened heavens. 

Runs the tale. 

Or true or false I know not, yet I know 
That in its inner meaning it is true, 
That one, far-famed for wit and eloquence, 
Speaking one morn to festive multitudes, 
Who gathered round a new-built dome where men 
Nightly should turn their lenses to the stars, 
Gleaning the golden harvests of the sky, 
Spake boastful, " Here upon this windy height 
Is Science free! No bigot's frown shall here 
Check her sublime outwanderings never here 
Shall flame the slavish emblem of the Cross ! " 

O frantic boast! and that was long ago! 



300 THE MONKS' CHURCH [Dec., 

Where now the dome ? The churches rule that hill, 

Crowned each with Christ's meek emblem, humbly high! 

Proud Science! still God's mighty fanes must come 

To crown thy dearest summits. Time tries all, 

All works and toils he tries, for false and true. 

The false, his own, he crumbleth, truth hath naught 

From Time, nor Time can take from truth, 

And so thy truth shall stay, a mountain heaved 

To lift aloft the higher truths of God 

To higher bear the emblem of the Cross! 

So thy dross crumbleth, but thy gold remains 

To honor goodness all truth praiseth Truth 

God's Church fears but thine error, that shall die, 

Then she will love thee wholly! Lo! the fane 

Heaves its gray walls against the western sky, 

An emblem of the changeless cares of God ! 

Its walls are builded of a shelly stone, 

The hardened ooze of ages. In what blank 

Primordial night, or from the sobbing breast 

Of what primeval and forgotten wave 

Rose up its massy ridges, or how long 

Fell the soft shells in showers to make the stone, 

God knoweth only ! Then He built for now, 

Now builds for undreamed ages, ever thus 

With long prevision, through the gaps of time, 

Worketh His prescient Will, nor swift nor slow, 

Building eternal temples. Trust Him yet! 

How did the blind worms, in their limy beds 

Dream they were building high a fane to God! 

He wills the slight deeds of our petty days 

Each trifling as a shell shall fall in showers 

To the dark fathoms of forgetful pasts, 

Till Time's deep sea shall heave, and from its breast 

Cast up the treasured merits of our lives 

Grown to pure, gleaming marbles, fit to build 

The Heavens' city. Now we cannot dream 

Those bright, eternal mansions. Trust and wait ! 



Gaze toward the shaggy summit-yonder stair 
That trails its dark way down the rude hill's side 
Is that the stair of penance ? There at noon 
That sweet, sad day on which our Savior died, 
Throng the devout and simple, every one 



1912.] THE MONKS' CHURCH 301 

Intent on his own purpose, wisely bent 
On his own cure, and scorning curious eyes, 
Climbs painful up this summit, step by step, 
As Christ went up to Pilate, moving slow, 
And at each tedious moment breathes a prayer, 
Craving his sins' forgiveness touching scene! 
Is this the age of scoffers? Gentle God 
Still live Thy lowly martyrs witnesses 
Who in the proud front of the sneering world 
Bear Thy sweet shame, and lift Thy holy cross, 
One time the joy of princes. Tenderly 
Thy prescient eyes forever blessed the poor 
Thy poor shall never leave Thee! 

Slow from the city's breast upbreathes a night 

Of noxious vapors, and the smoky veil 

Ere yet the pitying skies beam forth their stars 

To cheer the dusk whelms roof and tapering spire 

And wraps the church in shadow. Fare thee well 

Dear guardian of the hill ; keep well the world 

Through the dim night, till smiles thy tower with dawn! 




THE MYSTERY OF RODIN. 

BY THOMAS J. GERRARD. 

HAT is that secret of Rodin which makes him at 
once so attractive and so repulsive? The whole 
of the younger generation of sculptors adore him as 
their hero. His influence is evident in all their work. 
Yet he is a decadent. Some of his work is su- 
premely lovely. Most of it is hideous. All of it is fascinating. 
Get away from the company of artists and move in the society of 
critics, and then, instead of adulation, you will hear criticism. 
One of the functions of the literateur is to correlate art with the 
wider interests of life; and it is in this correlation that we must 
seek for the mystery of Rodin. Rodin has plumbed some of the 
profoundest depths of experience. If, therefore, we are to under- 
stand him it will be needful to make a deep plunge of explora- 
tion into that " something more " in art, which Mr. Lewis Hind 
has accentuated so well, but which so far, I think, he has not 
explained. 

A definition must describe all and only the things defined. In 
seeking for a definition of art, then, every art must be included. 
The definition must not be confined to painting, sculpture, and the 
like. It must be extended to such occupations as nursing babies, 
sailing yachts, or directing souls. By common consent there is an 
art in all these things. In its widest acceptation, art is the trans- 
lation of thought into work. If thought is merely expressed in 
words coordinately, yet without any particular regard to literary 
form, it constitutes science. This may be seen in the ordinary 
books on arithmetic and geography. Or again, art may be de- 
scribed as the right way of doing things. There are always two 
ways of doing a thing, the right and the wrong. Thus art does 
not consist in meaning well. It is the worst compliment one can 
pay to an artist to say that his intentions are good. He must be 
able to carry his intentions into practice. Of course, he cannot 
do well unless he also means well. 

According to the predominant use of head or hand, art falls 
into two divisions, the fine arts and the useful arts, the work of 
the artist and the work of the artisan. There is no hard and fast 



1912.] THE MYSTERY OF RODIN 303 

dividing line between them, for every artisan is in some measure 
an artist, whilst every artist is in some measure an artisan. Since, 
however, art is the translation of thought into work, the artist 
must begin by using either his own thoughts or someone else's. 
In so far as he merely reproduces the thoughts of others he is 
an artisan. In so far as he puts his own thought into his w r ork 
he is a true artist. The artisan imitates. The artist creates. A 
work of art, then, considered as mere art, is good or bad accord- 
ing as it is true to the thought from which it springs. It may 
represent something ugly, or something immoral, or something 
untrue, and yet at the same time be good art in so far as it is 
a correct translation of thought into work. The work is intrin- 
sically good though extrinsically bad. The thought has been well 
expressed even though, when conceived in the mind, it was neither 
beautiful, good nor true. Thus the parrot cry of " art for art's 
sake " is a declaration that anything whatsoever may be expressed 
without any reference to external standards, whether of beauty, of 
morality, or of truth. 

Let us give full value to this opinion. To express a subjective 
experience merely for the sake of expressing it is a normal tendency 
of the human spirit. Some people never can keep secrets. Most 
people long to tell them. If I conceive a good plot for a story I 
want to write it. If I imagine a good subject for a picture I want 
to paint it. Whenever I see a great truth, or feel a strong emotion, 
I am not at rest until I have uttered it. The word of the mind 
ever tends to become the word of the flesh. The tendency is 
present whether there are others to see the result or not. It is 
enhanced when there is a chance of others admiring the effect. 
The instinct for self-expression, since it is natural and normal, is 
a good thing in itself. But then arises the question : Shall an artist 
express his higher self or his lower self? 

Before a thought can be translated into a picture or a statue 
it must first be translated into an imagination. Ruskin, indeed, 
used to say that the imagination was the greatest faculty of man. 
He was obsessed by his artistic predilections, and forgot about the 
faculties of intelligence and will. The quality of artistic work 
depends on all three faculties : intelligence, will, and imagination. 
The intelligence sees the greatness of the truth to be expressed; 
the will measures out the ardor with which it is loved ; the imagina- 
tion hints at the possibilities of external expression. Thus, although 
a rich and vivid imagination is wanted for high art, yet, since each 



3 04 THE MYSTERY OF RODIN [Dec., 

phantasm is but a particular instance of a universal idea, there is 
first wanted a fertile stock of ideas. 

Whence does the artist get his ideas ? He gets them from his 
experience of life. The deeper he has drunk of life the richer will 
be his ideas. The richest of all life is the life of love. It is even 
better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all, because 
then one has tasted what life is. Such love, however, is that sub- 
stantial energy which consists in willing good for the loved one. 
It is not mere emotion, sensation, sentiment, or sentimentality. It is 
the ultimate force of the universe, the force of will power. Then, 
after love, the richest form of life is that of intelligence. It shares 
with love the power to produce a lasting satisfaction. The third 
best of the vital activities is that of emotion. This is put third 
because of its transitory nature. It passes away with its own 
satisfaction. Thus those critics who regard art merely as a medium 
of expressing and exciting the emotions, extol music as the highest 
form of art. By the law of association certain sounds suggest 
certain ideas. But music is the least apt of all the arts for ex- 
pressing ideas. Try, for instance, to paint a picture of Beethoven's 
Eighth Symphony, or to write it out in blank verse. Literature, 
on the other hand, is the most apt. And painting and sculpture are 
but an extension of literature. 

In order, therefore, that an artist may bring thought into his 
work, he first looks at an outside object, say a landscape, a studio 
model, or an historical event. He reflects upon it, asks himself 
what is the meaning of the subject, what is its relation to life. Then 
he transfers the likeness of the landscape, the model or the historical 
event, together with the meaning he has attached to it, on to his 
canvas. The painted form must utter the invisible thought. Hence 
the finished picture has two values : a fact value and a spirit value. 
The fact value could be given by a camera. The spirit value can 
only be given by an artist. The deeper the spirit value is, so much 
the greater is the artist. Wherefore an artist must be educated in 
far more things than the technique of his art. The more liberal 
his education has been so much the better for the artist. The 
wider his experience of life, especially the life of love, also so much 
the better for the artist. And one may give an exceedingly rich 
interpretation to a very narrow experience, as did the author of 
Wuthering Heights, whilst another may depend more on experience 
and less on interpretation, as did the author of Adam Bede. In 
the case of Emily Bronte, her philosophy was unequal to her art, 



I 9 i2.] THE MYSTERY OF RODIN 305 

whilst in the case of George Eliot, her art was unequal to her philos- 
ophy. 

Now we are able to say precisely what is that " something 
more " in art which Mr. Lewis Hind speaks of so freely. It is the 
universal idea, spiritual in its nature, which is suggested by the 
material image. Further, if this idea is a very complex one, or 
if it is a leading idea connected with a series of subordinate ones, 
then the picture may be said to have mystery about it. A real 
mystery is a truth which is partly revealed and partly concealed, the 
revealed part suggesting the concealed part. If a picture has no 
clear idea about it other than the likeness of the object represented, 
then it is no better than a photograph. If it seems to have some- 
thing, but that something can neither be explained by the artist 
nor discerned by the spectator, then the picture has no mystery, but 
only mistiness. The distinction is quite clear in literature. Take 
the hymn, for instance, " Lead, kindly Light." There you at once 
see the fact value, and at least two spirit values. But then take 
William Morris' " Two red roses across the moon/'* There you 
at once see the fact value, but the spirit value is a vague nothingness. 

Yet if, on the one hand, we emphasize the inward truth, we 
must not, on the other hand, undervalue the outward expression. 
The artist must know his technique. That is the first consideration 
in dealing with art pupils. Then he must have a wide experience 
of external signs as well as of internal truths. He must both 
know and love nature. 

Nature, as an object of artistic study, may be divided into three 
parts : irrational nature, man, and the human nature of Christ. 
The reason for this division is that it is an orderly introduction to 
the deepest truths of the spirit world. Irrational nature, such as 
animals, trees, fields, rocks, sea, and sky, bears the footprints of 
God. It is as if He has passed by in the night, leaving the marks 
behind Him where He has been. There is no being in the universe 
which is not in some way an analogy of a divine attribute. In so 
far as an artist recognizes the divine attributes through the medium 
of the analogies, even so keen is his spiritual intuition. He has 
now something to express, and provided he has learnt how to 
express himself, he has something which will appeal to his spectators. 
Rational nature, man, provides a still clearer sign of God. Man 

*There was a lady lived in a hall, 
Large of her eyes, and slim and tall, 
And ever she sung from noon to noon, 
Two red roses across the moon. 
VOL. XCVI. 20. 



306 THE MYSTERY OF RODIN [Dec., 

shows an image of God, whereas animals and trees only show faint 
suggestions of Him. Man has this in common with God, that he 
can think and love. Moreover, through knowledge and love he 
can arrive at a purer conception of the spirit world than if he had 
nothing but emotion or mechanical action to help him. Lastly, 
the richest expression of God is the human nature of Christ. 
Christ is the Eternal Invisible Word made visible and incarnate. 
He is the most brilliant splendor which mortal eyes might behold. 
He is the Sum of all creatures. 

We are now able to discern some of the elements in Rodin 
which make him fascinating. First and foremost, he is a master 
craftsman. He can make bronze and stone say the things which 
he wants them to say. When he has finished with a piece of marble 
he is satisfied that his work is an expression of his thought Long 
and hard training was, of course, a necessary means of arriving 
at this perfection. But apart from this constant labor there was 
another important factor which told upon his craftsmanship. He 
discovered that if the work to be produced must be strong and 
original, the thought from which it sprang must be clear and vital. 
The thought in the mind must be replenished not only from other 
thought, but also from life and experience. Hence we find Rodin 
giving every attention to Greek thought as it appeared in Greek 
sculpture. But that was not enough for him. He must not only 
have the idea, but he must make it more vivid and active. He must 
observe those general ideas as they are particularized in the living 
individual model. He had already, in fact, grasped this principle 
before he traveled in Italy to study the Renaissance. " I went to 
the Salon," he says, " and admired the works of Perraud and other 
leading sculptors, and thought, as ever, that they were great masters, 
though in their sketches I saw that they were not strong. In 
looking at the hands they made, I thought them so fine that I 
should never be able to equal them. I was all this time working 
from nature, but could not understand why. But when I got 
my hands all right from life, I then saw that theirs were not well 
made, nor were they true. I now know that those sculptors 
worked from plaster-casts taken from nature; I thought only of 
copying my model." His visit to Italy and his study of Michel- 
angelo confirmed him in his discovery. Michelangelo and Dona- 
tello had not derived their forms from their predecessors, but from 
life. Rodin would not copy the antique, but he would learn from 
it. He would go to the same source. 



1912.] THE MYSTERY OF RODIN 307 

But unfortunately this new strength of Rodin proved also to 
be his weakness. He was caught as in a snare. The life to which 
Michelangelo and Donatello could refer was a life of religion. 
It was a life already illumined by the Christian revelation. Whereas 
the life to which Rodin referred had no other revelation but 
that of Beaudelaire. Rodin naturally wanted some thought. He 
had a philosophic mind. Hence he tried to use Dante in order 
to get some clear and noble ideas. But he spoiled them by mixing 
with the foul miasma of Beaudelaire. He had a certain half- 
truth on his side to give some justification to his procedure : " Since 
I hold all existence to be beautiful, and all beauty to be truth, I have 
the right to choose from amongst all true things." Certainly 
all being is good in so far as it is being. Omne ens est bonum. But 
the defect which may be inherent in a being is not good nor yet 
beautiful. Rodin forgot this; and hence he mingled good and bad 
together, and produced the hideous. A clear example of this is his 
Man with the Broken Nose. Here we have a head fashioned with 
supreme craftsmanship. There is clear idea expressed by it. The 
face is that of a tragic poet. All this fires the emotion of the young 
student of sculpture. But then comes that want of being in the 
place where it is due. The man has a broken nose. To the 
layman in art that incident outweighs all the artistic and intellectual 
qualities. It makes him laugh. 

Or take the bronze statue of St. John the Baptist. Rodin felt 
that it ought to be something more than a lay figure. It must 
express some idea. Yet he deliberately shut out from his mind the 
idea of the mission of the Baptist. He would have nothing from 
the inspired Word that could be associated with that mission. A 
loin-cloth of camel's hair must be discarded for a fig-leaf. More- 
over the statue was produced under the inspiration of the sting of 
wounded pride. Some of the critics had said that in his Age of 
Bronze he had made his figure with moulds cast direct from life. 
So he would show them that he could produce honest work, and 
would do so by making a figure true to Nature, yet larger than 
life. In consequence, we have a statue of supreme workmanship, 
yet which, to an onlooker who has other interests than those of 
workmanship, is nothing but ludicrous. There is idea in the work : 
the figure is in the attitude of preaching, and certainly appears 
to have a message. But through over-emphasis of nature and 
through neglect of the rich Christian tradition, the spiritual element, 
which is undoubtedly present, has been made subordinate to the 
carnal element. " I endeavored simply to imitate nature," says 



308 THE MYSTERY OF RODIN [Dec., 

Rodin ; " I interpret it as I see it, according to my tempera- 
ment and feeling, and the sentiments which it evokes within 
me." But the Baptist happened to live two thousand years 
before Rodin. Consequently the sculptor could hardly appeal di- 
rectly to nature in order to get an impression of the Baptist. A 
Parisian model would hardly produce the same effect, nor could the 
temperament or sensibility of the artist supply the deficiency. No 
study of St. John could afford to neglect either the written word 
or the living tradition. 

We are now able to formulate the truth which the modern 
artistic world, with Rodin at its head, is groping for, but which, 
through want of vision, it has not yet grasped. Man's highest 
happiness consists in the keenest activity of his thought and love. 
His emotion and feeling are but subordinate to these. Further, 
the keenest activity is obtained when the faculties are directed 
towards their highest object, namely, God. Thus, whether in paint- 
ing or singing or modelling or writing, if you are living life at its 
keenest activity, you are enjoying the greatest amount of happiness 
compatible with your present state. You are declaring the glory 
of God and showing forth His praise. Having seen a ray of divine 
goodness, truth or beauty, you love it and you want to tell it. 
Praise is the utterance of love. 

It is not enough, therefore, either for the artist or for the 
society with whom he lives, that he should choose haphazard any 
particle of truth, beauty, or goodness for expression. If he wants 
life he must choose the best. If his patrons want life they must 
demand the best. Only in a Futurist salon have I heard the doc- 
trine that happiness is not the thing to be desired. If the modern 
painter does not want happiness then by all means let unhappiness 
be provided for him. But let it be arranged in such a way that 
he shall interfere as little as possible with the happiness of those 
who do want it. Let him be detained at his country's expense. 

Happiness, in the widest acceptation of the term, is the same 
thing as well-being. It is the eudaimonia which 'Aristotle makes 
the starting-point of his ethics. We want not only well-being, but 
we also want the richest measure of well-being. We seek the 
highest good. We must have an aim which is final. The man 
who gets into a railway train with the interition of going to nowhere 
in particular is an idiot. Therefore in planning our lives we must all 
decide definitely to go somewhere. We may dispute with our 
friends as to what our highest good consists in, but we shall all 
agree that we want the highest good. We cannot be content with 



THE MYSTERY OF RODIN 309 

the intermediate stages. The highest good must be something 
final. There must be nothing beyond it 

Yet how do we know that man's highest well-being consists 
in the highest exercise of his highest faculties? All things have 
their proper function. The purpose of a bicycle is to enable the 
rider to get from one place to another more easily and more 
quickly than by walking. The function of an organ-grinder, as 
organ-grinder, is to grind organs. The function of a mole-catcher 
is to catch moles. The function of an artist, as artist, is to paint 
pictures and carve statues. But what is the function of the organ- 
grinder or the mole-catcher or the artist as man? It is the exer- 
cise of those faculties which he possesses apart from irrational 
nature. It is the exercise of intelligence and will. Just as the 
mole is a higher being than a barrel-organ because the mole .has 
imagination and feeling, and the barrel-organ has not, so man is a 
higher being than a mole because he has intelligence and will and 
the mole has not. Mere emotion is not the distinctive character of 
the human being. As regards this function, the mole can give us 
points, for every time a female mole falls into the trap of the 
mole-catcher the male mole dies of grief. 

To think and to love, then, are the characteristic faculties of 
man. His highest well-being, therefore, will consist in knowing 
and loving according to his full capacity. But the highest possible 
object of knowledge and love is that which is infinite and ultimate, 
namely, God. Man's highest happiness, therefore, will consist in 
knowing and loving God, and in knowing and loving creatures, each 
as it were being a broken arc indicating the perfect circle of God's 
beauty. If, however, anyone does not see this at present, still let 
him strive after that which, intellectually, morally, and aesthetically, 
is the best. Man, at any rate, is made for the best that man can do. 

Nor by happiness do I mean pleasure. Pleasure is the nice 
feeling which arises when the nerves are in a condition desired by 
the intelligent will. Pleasure is the less nutritive jam of sensa- 
tion, which is spread over the more nutritive bread of knowledge 
and volition in order to promote their activity. 

Obviously, then, art as such, the mere drawing, painting, 
modelling, writing of that which has been conceived in the mind, 
must be made ministrant to the higher spheres of experience. The 
artist must not forget that he is also a man, and that as man he has 
a higher destiny than the mere manipulation of paint. His tech- 
nique must be instrumental towards his higher well-being. 

Now well-being is normally promoted by what is beautiful, 



310 THE MYSTERY OF RODIN [Dec., 

good, and true, whilst it is normally retarded by the representation 
of what is ugly, wicked, or false. Rodin says that the ugly can 
be made beautiful by art. Once again there is a grain of truth in 
what he says. The skill of the craftsman gives a certain amount 
of pleasure which to some extent counteracts the disgust which 
is caused by the ugliness. The supreme example of this is Rodin's 
statue of Balzac. It took him five years to complete it. So much 
thought and so much work of such a genius could not fail to com- 
mand the admiration of those who knew anything about technique. 
In fact, every artist raves about it. Yet, after all, what is it to look 
at? Simply a clown trying to be funny. Something of the spirit 
of the author of Comedie Humaine is certainly expressed. In 
comedy there must be some presentment of absurd contrast. Rodin 
has given us a very exaggerated example in his statue of Balzac: 
a man grinning with irony, carved in marble, dressed either in his 
dressing-gown or his night-shirt. 

Perhaps La Vieille Heaulmiere is more hideous. Probably its 
very hideousness has deterred artists from praising it too much. 
It is a representation in the nude of a woman of the streets, grown 
old. Yet there are to be found critics who, in their zeal for the 
manifestation of craftsmanship, will go into ecstasy over such a 
subject. 

There is more excuse for the Ugolino. This is the naked 
figure of a starved emaciated man bending down to gnaw the corpse 
of his son. Dante has told the story in poetry. But we may well 
doubt whether the incident is fit to be perpetuated in sculpture. 
The hideousness would there seem to be too much in evidence, and 
not, as it is in Dante, subordinate to the beautiful. Indeed, the 
whole subject, of which this is a detail, namely, La Porte de 
L'Enfer, has been treated so repulsively that even Rodin's con- 
science could not include the fair form of Beatrice. There the 
literary tradition had left its mark on his mind, forbade him to 
represent Beatrice in the nude, and determined him to call his 
central figure Le Penseur instead of Dante. Nor can we admit 
that Le Penseur wholly justifies its title. Its face and attitude does 
give the impression of a person absorbed in thought, but the muscles 
and the fist suggest rather the thought of the prize-fighter plan- 
ning a method of attack against his adversary. 

For an impression of thought as a means to the higher spirit 
life we must undoubtedly choose La Pensee. And here we not only 
have the spirituality of the ancients, but we have it brought near 
to us, and made personally applicable to our own thought. We 



1912.] THE MYSTERY OF RODIN 311 

feel that we are units of that race of beings who think, participa- 
tors in that eternal process of thought, symbolized by the simple head 
in marble. Here is all the universalism of the Greeks and of 
Michelangelo, yet it is arrested and thus made particular to each 
one of us. The block of marble from which the head is carved 
is left rough and unfinished, thus accentuating the craftsmanship 
of Rodin in being able to model such a spiritual form from such 
hard material. 

First fashioned in the artist's brain, 

It stood as in the marble vein 
Revealed to him alone ; 

Nor could he from its native night 

Have led it to the living light, 
Save through the lifeless stone.- 

In La Pensee Rodin announces the true mission of impression- 
ism. It is to redeem art from an extreme of objectivism, but to 
do so without rushing to the other extreme of exaggerated sub- 
jectivism. We want the personality of the artist, but we want it 
at its best, corrected of its eccentricities, brought to its highest per- 
fection by constant reference to universal experience. Yes, Rodin 
has a few fine things which correlate art to happiness. 

None, however, is more eloquent than his " Hand of God." 
There he discloses the secret of deepest personality. Man is most 
man when he is most flexible to the Hand of God. Then it is that 
the faculties which constitute his personality, namely, his intelligence 
and will, are actuated to their fullest extent and capability, for they 
are reinforced by divine wisdom and divine volition. The spirit- 
ual idea which Rodin here wished to utter would seem to have 
dominated all his technique. The light and the shade of the 
modelling are counted as some of the finest work in all sculpture. 
Anthropomorphic analogies of the divinity are from their very 
nature crude and earthy. But here the analogy is redeemed from 
its native roughness. The artist, under the inspiration of his idea 
of the transcendent God, has formed a hand which, although it is 
flesh, is not fleshy ; a hand which is strong, yet delicate, supple, and 
clever; a hand which at once symbolizes with a natural and pro- 
portionate symbolism the infinite distinctness of God and His 
intimate closeness to us. The glorious contrast between human 
figures and the rock from which they are being hewn tells of the 
triumphant power of the Divine Hand which can together uphold, 
move, and mould all things according to the Divine Will. But 
wtoy are the human figures so unlovely? Why are the bones and 



312 THE MYSTERY OF RODIN [Dec., 

muscles of the back so unduly accentuated? We have high au- 
thority for saying that the less comely parts of the body should 
have more comeliness put upon them. Somewhat in harmony with 
this, Rodin holds that all ugly things can be made beautiful by the 
hand of the artist But the temptation is very strong to believe 
that Rodin was striving too violently to break away from past 
traditions. The pose of the " Danaid " is of course his extreme 
example of this. And there is something more than a suggestion 
of the same thing in the figures representing our first parents in 
the " Hand of God." 

Many ugly things are also strong, and perhaps by the law of 
association of ideas ugliness may frequently express strength. 
But it does not necessarily do so, as Rodin would seem to think. 
This is clearly his chief eccentricity which, by reference to the 
ancients, he ought to correct. Elsewhere* I have ventured to call 
Corot the Newman of painting. Rodin just falls short of being 
the Newman of sculpture. He is impressionist; he takes ideas from 
the world's experience; he sees God transcendent as well as im- 
manent; he makes man essentially a spiritual being; he arranges 
the flesh subordinate to the spirit. But he does not strike a fair 
equipoise between the objective and the subjective elements in his 
work. The subjective element is slightly but persistently exag- 
gerated. He expressly professes to accentuate those lines repre- 
senting the spiritual idea which he wishes to portray. And that 
is well. But then there is only a narrow margin between the 
sublime and the ridiculous. Rodin hovers about that margin. His 
fine and delicate accentuation of characteristic lines keeps his genius 
always in evidence. But the subjective element in his work, being 
overweighted, hinders him from holding the balance of artistic 
perfection constant. 

Whilst insisting that artistic craftsmanship must be subor- 
dinate to the higher activities of the spirit life, one must be on 
one's guard not to pervert it from its essentially liberal nature to 
one of mere utility. The fine arts have their proper function 
quite distinct from the useful arts. It is as much a desecration of 
art to devote a novel to the purpose of religious controversy as it 
is to devote a magnificent picture to the advertisement of somebody's 
soap. Fine art is, of its very essence, liberal. It is free. It is 
the work produced from the activity of a free mind, not from the 
activity of a determined sensation. If we remain steadfast to 
this conception of it, and resolutely refuse to favor any lower con- 

* Dublin Review, July, 1912. 



1912.] THE MYSTERY OF RODIN 313 

ception, then we shall see why the very exercise of it constitutes 
the highest joy of life. The mind is the highest faculty of man. 
Its highest exercise, therefore, must be his highest grade of well- 
being, and consequently his highest joy. When art is thus made 
subordinate to truth and love, it is raised to its highest perfection. 
When thus raised to its highest perfection, then, and then only, can 
we admit the principle of art for art's sake. There is a grain 
of truth in the modern maxim after all. The joy of craftsmanship 
becomes keen and satisfactory when the mind plays upon truth, 
goodness, and beauty, rather than when it plays upon lying, hatred, 
and hideousness. 

The symbol of the Hand of God deepens this lesson. It is the 
Hand of the Divine Artist. Only an infinitesimal part of His 
work is seen of men. He is the uncreated Truth, Goodness, and 
Beauty, substantial and personal. Although He has an infinite 
satisfaction in the production of the eternal Word, yet He also 
takes a pleasure in producing millions upon millions, upon millions, 
of finite reflections of Himself. Nor does He do this merely or 
chiefly in order that we may admire them, for, indeed, we see few of 
them. He does it chiefly for the joy of doing it, for the purpose 
of manifesting His glory. Yes, there is purpose in it all, infinite 
wisdom, infinite love, and infinite good taste, but it is not therefore 
utilitarian. It is, in the supreme sense of the word, fine art. 

So likewise does the human artist find his highest well-being, 
and consequently his highest joy, in the very work itself, and not 
in the market, or exhibition, or patron to which he may afterwards 
send it. When he is working aright and at his best, he is exer- 
cising his highest faculties of intelligence and love, and, moreover, 
he gives to these their most delightful and liberal play when he 
reproduces the best analogies of God which he knows. Nature is 
to him a veil through which he peers dimly into the features of 
Divine Beauty. In reproducing them he is telling the glory of 
God and showing forth His praise. He has seen the " Something 
More " in the picture of the Divine Artist. And having seen, he 
loves. His love is his joy, and must burst forth in outward ex- 
pression. Whether in carving, or in painting, or in writing, if he 
speaks the inner beauty which he has seen and loved, then is he 
doing that for which precisely he himself was made. He is doing 
the best of which he is capable. It is deepest life. It is highest 
well-being. It is richest wealth. And this is why the work itself 
is the artist's chief reward. 



THE KING'S CRADLE. 



A CHRISTMAS STORY. 



BY E. M. DINNIS. 




AVE you a crib for the child to sleep in? " the doctor 
at the Children's Hospital had asked, diagnosing the 
complaint from which Jimmy's mother habitually 
suffered. Their baby (Jimmy considered that he 
went shares in the proprietorship of that wizen scrap 
of humanity) had been taken to the hospital suffering from the 
direful results of neglect, and of a case of sudden and violent 
over-laying, which had caused a superficial injury, for which the 
infant was being treated. 

" Crib ? Lord love you, sir ! 'Ow is a pore widow like me 
to git a crib ? " the mother had responded, weeping. " It was the 
magistrite as said 'as 'ow I ought to 'ave 'ad a fireguard when the 
Lord took my Willie ! " 

" Well, then," the doctor said, " you must get hold of an 
orange box and make the child a bed in that. Do you understand? 
It will be brought in manslaughter if you go to bed intoxicated 
and suffocate the child. What's the matter with this one ? " He 
had turned to Jimmy, who stood open-mouthed, pitifully flushed, 
and short of breath, by his mother's side. Jimmy had been many 
times to the " 'orspital " in the course of his seven years existence. 
It was nothing new to him to hear the doctor pronounce, after a 
brief examination, that he was suffering from valvular affection 
of the heart, and that he must not hurry to school if he started late, 
or play running-about games. Above all, the mother was exhorted 
not to give the boy any exhausting work to do in the house. All 
this rather bored Jimmy. It was the baby who was being seen 
to, and the baby who mattered. Jimmy's devotion to the baby was 
a wonderful thing. It was he who made a mental note of the 
orange box; and it was he, moreover, who procured the necessary 
article from the gentleman at the corner shop. 

The crib, thus obtained, was filled flock from an old mattress, 
together with some assorted rags, and the baby escaped the vicis- 



I 9 i2.] THE KING'S CRADLE 315 

situdes of a night in the parental bed, where Jimmy lay curled up 
like a little dog at the foot. In spite of the orange box, however, 
and the substitution (more or less) of condensed milk for herrings, 
pickles, and other luxuries suitable to adult persons, the baby 
dwindled and shrank. The court where Jimmy and his mother 
lived was not salubrious, and the intemperate habits of the latter 
were not conducive to the well-being of her offspring. The orange 
box could hardly be said to have produced the desired results. 

Jimmy dragged the sorry little bag of bones about with him 
everywhere. It was nearly a year old a wizen little old-man child, 
in a dirty woollen night-cap, and unspeakable raiment and Jimmy 
grieved in his little heart over its decreasing weight. 

" Our baby used to be like yours," one of the children at school 
said to him one day, " and they took 'er to the 'orspital and put 
'er in a crib. There was beautiful toys all over it, and she got 
quite fat, she did." 

Jimmy listened to this cautiously, saying nothing. The hos- 
pital people had once proposed to take him and put him in one of 
those beautiful white beds, away from the baby, and the thought 
had filled his heart with terror. But if the baby could only be put 
in a crib somewhere somewhere where they only wanted babies, 
not boys with valvular heart complaint, there might be great virtue 
in a crib. 

" We have a Crib in our church at Christmas," another child 
broke in. "A beautiful one with an ox and sheep, and a black man, 
and little cherubs, and lots o' things." 

" Do they put babies in it ? " Jimmy asked. 

" O' course they do ! " was the answer. " You naughty boy 
not to know about Little Jesus ! " 

" Where is your church ? " Jimmy inquired, meditatively, with 
a calculating glance at the speaker. 

" I'll take you to Catechism, if you like," the other volunteered. 
" It's just acrost the old Cut." 

" Could I take baby with me ? " Jimmy queried. 

" Course yer could ! " 

" Right," Jimmy said, in business-like tones, "I'm takin' some." 

So it was that Jimmy attended Catechism, and sometimes the 
children's Mass, at St. Joseph's Mission. Nobody objected to the 
little Protestant boy's presence, and Jimmy contrived to pick up a 
certain amount of Christian doctrine during the summer and autumn 
months. It was a long way to take the baby, that was the one draw- 



316 THE KING'S CRADLE [Dec., 

back. Jimmy's breath came heavily, and his feet swelled terribly, 
after the expedition, for the baby, though so poor a specimen of 
its kind, was a good weight for a child of seven, let alone the 
valvular heart complaint. 

" You said 'as 'ow you 'ad a Crib in your church at Christmas," 
Jimmy remarked one day, with a due show of indifference, to the 
child who had introduced him to St. Joseph's. " That'll be coming 
on soon, won't it ? " 

His companion eyed him with some asperity. 

" You don't belong to our church," he said, safeguarding the 
privileges of those for whom the tea-meeting season was approach- 
ing. " You'll have to be baptized first." To this Jimmy made no 
response, but fell to considering. 

" You'll see the Crib," the other went on, in tones of patronage, 
noting Jimmy's thoughtful appearance. " We gets it ready on 
Christmas Eve, and the Little Jesus comes and gets in in the middle 
of the night just before Midnight Mass." 

Jimmy deliberated. 

That evening he sounded his mother. " May I 'ave 'Erbie 
baptized? " he asked, with some abruptness. 

" Well," the parent said, " I always did mean to 'ave you both 
done, but your pore father was dead agen it." 

" May I 'ave 'Erbie baptized now ? " he asked again, in his 
patient way. 

The fact that his own baptism had been neglected did not 
seem at first to come home to him. If the baby could be chris- 
tened and belong to the church that kept a crib, Jimmy would be 
more than satisfied. The mother made no demur she had dropped 
off into fitful slumber, peculiar to her normal condition, as a matter 
of fact and Jimmy felt that, on the whole, things were arranging 
themselves satisfactorily. 

Occasionally the recipient of coppers from the lady next door, 
for whom he ran errands, Jimmy, thanks to a careful husbanding 
of these remittances (he had a hiding-place for them unknown to his 
mother), by the time Christmas arrived had acquired what he con- 
sidered a " tidy " sum. But by that time the baby had pined away 
to a mere shadow. The orange box cradled a wailing and miser- 
able little form, and Jimmy felt that the Crib, with its medicinal 
properties, had become essential, and an orange box, as a substitute, 
grievously inadequate. 

By Christmas Eve, too, Jimmy's heart complaint had become 



I 9 i2.] THE KING'S CRADLE 317 

considerably more pronounced. It was with the utmost difficulty 
that he dragged the baby as far as the mission church. 

The church was open and dimly lighted. The priest, who had 
been hearing confessions, had just come out of his box to stretch his 
limbs, when Jimmy walked boldly up to him with the baby in his 
arms. The little lad's face was glowing and eager. He had just 
been inspecting the Crib in the south aisle, ready for the morrow. 
He had peeped behind the curtain and seen it all surrounded with 
bright lights, with little-winged cherubs suspended above it, and a 
glorious big cow, and a " moke," bigger than any toys that he had 
seen in the shop windows, for the Babe of Bethlehem to play with. 
The Crib itself was unoccupied. The figure of the Christ-Child had 
not yet been placed there. " He hasn't come yet," Jimmy had said 
to himself. " I hope He won't be cross if He finds our baby there 
instead. I dussay He won't mind." He crept across the church to 
the Lady Altar and regarded the representation of the Holy Child 
in His Mother's arms. " He looks quite healthy," Jimmy had 
opined. 'E don't need a crib as badly as our baby do, and Ts 
Mother looks a kind lady." 

The priest surveyed Jimmy with kindly interest 

" Well, little man, what can I do for you ? " he asked. 

" Please," Jimmy asked, thrusting ten very sticky coppers into 
his hand, " I want yer to baptize our baby ; and, please, is that 
enough to pay for it ? " 

The reverend Father looked at Jimmy, and at the money, and 
smiled. Then he looked at the baby and the smile died away, and 
his pleasant countenance became grave. 

" Your baby looks very ill," he said. " You should have sent 
for me. He's too ill to bring out on a night like this. But you 
don't belong to us, do you, my child ? " 

" I want the baby to belong to you," Jimmy said, " 'cos 'e's ill 
and you've got a Crib." 

The look on the Father's face grew more perplexed and con- 
cerned as he saw how desperately ill the child was. 

" Have you got a mother ? " he asked. " Does she want 
the baby christened ? " 

" She says as 'ow she don't mind," Jimmy replied, accurate in 
substance. 

" Very good," the priest answered, " I'll christen your baby 
now." 

He said it with hasty decision. " 'Erbie " lay like a wax doll in 



318 THE KING'S CRADLE [Dec., 

Jimmy's arms, drawing his breath feebly. Beckoning to Jimmy he 
led the way to the font, and, then and there, with the simple formula 
used in cases of emergency, baptized Herbert. 

Jimmy stood by gasping. His feeble little heart throbbing 
painfully, and a deep purple flush on his thin little cheeks. 

" Have you been christened ? " the priest asked of the little 
sponsor. 

" No," Jimmy said, hanging his head. Then, feeling it in- 
cumbent on him to trot out some feature of interest, he added, 
" but I suffers from valvular complaint of the 'eart." 

The priest looked closely at Jimmy, and came to another hasty 
decision. " Would you like to be baptized ? " he asked. 

" It would cost too much," Jimmy said. 

" It's given away free all God's gifts are free, little man. 
What do you know about God? " 

" 'E made me to know and love and serve 'Im, and to be 'appy 
with 'Im in 'eaven," Jimmy answered glibly. He had picked up 
odd bits at the Catechism. 

" Excellent ! " the Father said. " However came your mother 
to neglect you? Never mind Jimmy, is it? I'll baptize you now!" 

And so it happened that Jimmy was baptized too all on a 
sudden on Christmas Eve, with his heart bumping against his 
ribs. He rather grudged the time it took, but it gave him a strange 
sort of pleasure to feel that he belonged to this church where so 
much attention was paid to babies usually thought so little of. 

" And now," the priest said, after the second ceremony, " I'll 
fetch a sister from the creche. Wait here a moment." 

Jimmy watched the priest disappear. He had no idea what 
a creche might be, but his opportunity seemed to have come. The 
church was empty. He pulled the curtain back and looked at the 
Crib. He remembered that the children had been taught last Sun- 
day to say the following prayer : " Little Jesus, amiable and beau- 
tiful, make my heart Thy cradle!" Being (so far as he knew) 
neither a theologian nor a mystic, Jimmy was fairly vague as to the 
meaning of this invocation; but he gathered from it that the Little 
Jesus could be addressed, and invited to cradle Himself according 
to His choice. " Little Jesus, amiable and beautiful," Jimmy prayed, 
kneeling by the Crib and varied the petition according to an idea of 
his own after which he carefully placed " 'Erbie " in the vacant 
Crib, and let the curtain fall back into its place. 

When the priest returned with Mother Ursula, the mother of 



I 9 i2.] THE KING'S CRADLE 319 

all sorry infancy, Jimmy and the baby were nowhere to be seen. 
A feeble wail, however, reached them from the Crib, and " 'Erbie " 
was discovered in the place prepared for the divine Child. But 
Jimmy was nowhere to be seen. Due search was made for the 
absconding catechumen, but in vain. 

" I suppose he got tired of waiting, so he left the baby and 
went," the Mother said. " He knew we should be going to the 
Crib." 

So Jimmy's baby was removed to the creche and placed in a 
real crib, much grander and more comfortable than the one pre- 
pared for the Babe of Bethlehem. " We may save the poor mite 
yet," Mother Ursula said. " The boy is sure to turn up again, 
sooner or later." 

The Father shook his head. " The little lad was in a worse 
way than the baby," he said. " Advanced heart disease, and drag- 
ging that burden ! I wouldn't risk it, I baptized him as well, then 
and there." 

Jimmy was heard of duly, as the Mother had opined. The 
next morning the little companion who had introduced him to the 
mission brought a message to the priest, that the boy whom he 
had brought to church wanted to see him, being " ill abed," and 
having something " partic'lar " to tell him. A " lady " had spotted 
him and sent him along, she herself being gone for the doctor. 

The priest hastened without delay, Christmas morning though 
it was, to Jimmy's home. He found the boy in bed, and breathing 
painfully. His mother lay on the floor in a deep sleep, which was 
not that of the just. The neighbor, who had accidentally looked 
in, had not yet returned with the doctor. But what caught the 
priest's eye was an orange box next to the bed an orange box 
of which a cradle had been improvised, containing some unspeak- 
ably dirty bed clothes, protruding from under a coverlet of pink 
paper, and adorned with a number of garish Christmas-tree orna- 
ments. Bright colored paper surrounded the miserable crib. 
There were some tinsel leaves, and a small woolly donkey on a 
green stand lay on its side in the middle of the bed. Jimmy lay with 
his eyes shut he had evidently broken a blood vessel, and the 
poor untended child was a sufficiently gruesome sight. He looked 
up when he heard the Father's voice, and gasped out his question : 
"'Ow's 'Erbie?" 

The visitor told him of the baby's gorgeous surroundings 
of the lap of luxury into which he had dropped. " He's in a beau- 



320 THE KING'S CRADLE [Dec... 

tiful crib," he explained, " as cosy as you please. All nice and snug 
and beautiful, and toys all over the place! " It never occurred to 
him that Jimmy was identifying this description with the Crib 
in the church. " All the other babies will be crying out from 
envy," he went on lightly. 

A troubled look crept over the lad's face. " Your Baby was 
all right," he whispered. " I didn't mean 'xactly to take His Crib 
from Him, but He isn't ill like our baby, and I thought He wouldn't 
mind for once. Your Baby I means wot comes into the world 
every Christmas Day," he explained laboriously, for the priest was 
looking mystified. " Our baby was gettin' so queer, and they said 
as how it would cure him if he was put in a crib a real crib, not 
jist an old box." His conscience was troubling him badly. He 
glanced at the Father's face and took courage. " I thought," he 
whispered, " if I got a few bits of toys and things and put 'em in 
'Erbie's bed that it might do for your Baby, 'cos 'E comes where 
you asks 'Im. So I spent the ten pence on them things " he turned 
his head towards the cot " and that there woolly moke." He spoke, 
with some pride, and surveyed the garnished box with obvious 
satisfaction. " And," his tone was lowered to a yet fainter whis- 
per, " He came all right. I seed Him there, in the middle of the 
night. It was dark, but I seed Him a little Baby, sitting up there." 
In still fainter tones, " He was smilin' and play in' with the little 
moke. He went away after a bit, and He didn't take the moke. 
'E left it lyin' there I stooded it at the end of the bed. D'ye 
think He'll come again, Father? He was beautiful! I'd like to 
see Him again." The dying boy's eyes shone. " I know He wasn't 
cross 'cos He played with the little moke, but I'm sorry I took 
'Is own Crib for 'Erbie. It ain't as good as 'Is, ours, but it ain't 
bad I got it all for ten pence." 

The priest glanced, through misty eyes, at the little bed. 

" I've watched for Tm ever since, but He ain't come back," 
Jimmy added after a moment's silence. 

" Has anyone else been to the cot ? " the Father asked. 

" No," Jimmy said, " I wouldn't let 'em go near. I watched ! " 
The weary eyes were still fixed on the crib. 

Something gripped at the priest's heart. Did the child know 
that the angels those who brought good tidings to the shepherds 
were also guarding his crib, and others, perhaps more beautiful 
still, standing about his own bed? For who is more beautiful than 
the Angel of Death ? 



1912.] COMPENSATION 321 

The little thin voice started again : " You ain't cross about 
it, Father? " And then it gave out. 

The doctor's step sounded on the stair, but the experienced 
priest knew that human aid had come too late. 

There is a little cross set in the Catholic corner of a great 
city cemetery, erected by the children of a poor Catholic mission 
in memory of one who lies underneath. On it are the words: 
" Little Jesus, amiable and beautiful, make my heart Thy Cradle." 

As for " 'Erbie," he waxed fat and sturdy under the care of the 
Sisters, by whom he was ultimately adopted. He is now grown 
well-nigh into manhood, and occupies a position of trust at the 
presbytery as confidential odd man. He is one of the few who has 
access to the old rector's " holiest of holies," and knows that 
amongst his valuables the Father preserves a certain little woolly 
donkey on a bright green stand. 



COMPENSATION. 

BY HELEN HAINES. 

SIGHTLESS they are not, 
Who in their lucent dark, 

Have seen Thy face : 
Neither deaf are they, 
Who in their throbbing silences, 
Have heard Thee call. 

Not lame whose grace 
To walk beside Thee ; 
Not dumb whose soundless lips 

Do chaunt Thy praise. 



VOL. xcvi. 21. 



A NEW LIFE OF ST. FRANCIS. 



BY VIRGINIA M. CRAWFORD. 




HE life of Francis of Assisi,* like that of other su- 
preme geniuses, whether of sanctity or of intellect, 
suggests so many problems of absorbing interest, that 
the literature concerning him can scarcely fail. Just 
as the last word can never be said concerning the the- 
ology of the Divina Commedia, or the wisdom of Shakespeare, or 
the influence of St. Paul on the growth of the Christian Church, 
so it has still to be written concerning St. Francis and his ideal of 
poverty, or the part he played in the decline of feudalism, or the 
inspiration he gave to the literature and art of mediaeval Europe. 
Students are drawn irresistibly to these fascinating problems, and 
having studied they must perforce write also. So it comes about 
that while, on the one hand, lovers of the Saint affirm, sometimes 
insistently, that with Celano and Bonaventure and the Fioretti in 
our hands we need no gloss of modern mind, on the other hand biog- 
raphy after biography is put upon the book market, and not only St. 
Francis himself, but his writings, his spiritual sons, his very haunts, 
are made, again and again, the subjects of an eager scrutiny. 

The call for this perpetual overhauling of historic evidence is 
all the more keen in the case of a man or woman of whom it has 
become the fashion to declare that he belongs not to the Church, 
but to humanity: not to the Church that nourished him and to 
whom his life-long fealty was vowed, but to an outside world that 
judges men and things by a different standard, that is apt to ignore 
much that is indispensable to a true presentment of character, and to 
draw conclusions based upon misconceptions none the less vital, 
that they are frequently adopted in good faith. The controversies 
then become more complicated, the dangers of misinterpretation 
more acute, and the necessity for a frequent re-burnishing of the 
mirror of historic truth more urgent. 

It is no doubt to considerations such as these that we owe in 
part the new life of St. Francis to which Father Cuthbert has devoted 
many years of study. For to-day, as we know, the Franciscan cult 

*Life of St. Francis of Assisi. By Father Cuthbert, O.S.F.C. New York: 
Longmans, Green & Co. $3.50 net. 



1912.] A NEW LIFE OF ST. FRANCIS 323 

is pursued with even greater enthusiasm, and perhaps with a more 
critical acumen, outside the Church than within, and in the last 
twenty years, since the publication of Sabatier's epoch-making 
volume, the world has been enriched by a veritable harvest of Fran- 
ciscana, the outcome of much scholarly research by men filled with 
a devout enthusiasm for their subject. Yet though invaluable ma- 
terial has been brought to light and made accessible to the ordinary 
reader by their means, the ultimate presentment of the Saint in the 
fullness of his sanctity can surely only be achieved by a Catholic pen. 
This has now been accomplished for us twice over by men working 
far apart : by the Danish litterateur, J. Joergensen, whose own con- 
version was the first fruits of his Franciscan devotion, and whose 
Life has already been translated into German, French, and English, 
and, in these last weeks, by Father Cuthbert, O.S.F.C., known to 
us through many studies of Franciscan interest, which find their 
culmination in this solid, scholarly work. 

Admirably produced, and illustrated with views of Assisi and 
the surrounding country, happily chosen so as to convey to the 
reader some impression of the natural beauties amid which Francis' 
days were spent, this new Life is primarily intended for the serious 
student. Every fact is supported by references to original sources, 
and matters of more elaborate controversy are dealt with in appen- 
dices that are models of clearness and impartiality. The Capuchin 
author assumes in his reader a general knowledge of the subject, 
and the incidents in Francis' career are told, not merely as biograph- 
ical facts, but in their relation to those wider events of the day 
which confer on them their true significance. Indeed it is in this 
that the charm of Father Cuthbert's narrative lies. It is not, as so 
many biographies, a mere string of incidents stretching over a long 
period of years, but rather a vision of life in nineteenth century 
Italy, in which as in some Umbrian fresco Francis is posed 
indeed in the foreground, but in a landscape of enchanting interest. 

The book opens with a picture, drawn with a few vivid strokes, 
of the unrest in Central Italy in the closing years of the twelfth 
century, of the rival claims of Pope and Emperor, and of the feud 
between Assisi and Perugia, culminating in the fight at Ponte S. 
Giovanni, in which the twenty-year old son of Pietro Bernardone 
chanced to be made a prisoner. It sets the future Saint straightway 
in the romantic setting of war and adventure, in which his young 
and chivalrous soul found its delight before it was drawn to a higher 
allegiance. Very rightly, I think, Father Cuthbert emphasizes the 



324 A NEW LIFE OF ST. FRANCIS [Dec., 

chivalrous idealism of Francis' nature, his passion for knight- 
errantry, his familiarity with the songs and the music of the trou- 
badours who had penetrated from Provence into Italy, for these 
things were to color all his life. They exhibit the extravagancies 
of his gay youth in a more harmless aspect than some of his biog- 
raphers would have us accept. " Where others came quickly to 
moral shipwreck, his temperament allowed him to assimilate only the 
subtler and more refined sensuousness of the scenes, and not the 
coarser elements " (p. 6). Later they flung a halo of romance over 
the harsh realities of a life vowed to poverty, and they help to ex- 
plain that marvelous gayety of soul which even on his deathbed 
caused him to break out into those joyous songs, which, we are 
told, shocked the narrow soul of Elias. 

To the end of his days [writes Father Cuthbert] this dream 
of romantic chivalry will remain with. Francis, and be the chief 
secular influence in the shaping of his story. He will outgrow 
his early crude ambitions of secular achievement and change 
his ultimate purpose, and take to himself other weapons of 
combat, and extend his vision of life: but to the last he will 
always think of himself as a knight-errant, and the governing 
law of his life will be the knightly code of fearless courage, 
worshipful love, and gentle courtesy. To the end, too, he will 
be a singer of song, and carry with him a poet's sensitive feeling 
for the sunshine and shadows of life. Always he will feel a 
knightly scorn for compromise and the by-ways of diplomacy; 
he will be quick to obey the call of the quest, and will deem dis- 
loyalty the blackest of sins (p. 12). 

We are apt to think of Saints as though their conversion had 
been necessarily a sudden thing, a road to Damascus final in its 
effects, and we dwell insufficiently on the temptations and moments 
of weakness and despondency that they share with other men, 
though armed with infinitely greater powers of perseverance. It is 
this intimately human aspect of Francis' life that Father Cuthbert 
has treated in an altogether admirable manner. He shows us the 
first soul-hunger of the captive at Perugia, and the months of 
indecision and weakness that preceded the final breaking away from 
the old life of pleasure, and that yet had brought the fastidious 
young citizen to the heroic charity of kissing the leper. The 
poignancy of these years of probation lay in the fact that whereas 
many sinners and many Saints retire from the world, or at least 
break with their families and friends when they turn to the higher 



1912.] A NEW LIFE OF ST. FRANCIS 325 

life, Francis was impelled to work out his sanctification in Assisi 
itself, under the eyes of his old companions, beneath the ban of his 
father's curse, and amid the jeers of the very children as he passed, 
bare- footed and girt with a rope, begging from door to door. 
Moreover he had the genius to set aside the accepted conventional 
paths towards sanctity, and to carve out for himself an entirely new 
and unauthorized route with the Lady Poverty as his bride. Such 
a vocation, akin to that of the beggar in the street, required on its 
human side not only a buoyant and generous courage, but a soaring 
idealism, an exquisite gift of poetic imagination to save the noble 
enterprise from being crushed beneath material hardship. It is 
not every Saint in the calendar who could have intoned St. Francis' 
hymn to Holy Joy. 

One loves to read how those who make a whole-hearted sacrifice 
of everything that life holds dear, do sometimes, even in this world, 
gain rewards the hope of which can never have dimmed the per- 
fection of their offering. Such a gift, wholly unsought, came to 
Francis in the friendship of St. Clare, the strong, loyal woman 
who never faltered in her allegiance to the ideal of poverty she had 
embraced at his bidding. Francis inspired many renunciations, but 
surely none so heroic as that of the eighteen-year old daughter of 
the noble house of Scifi. For when Clare fled by night from her 
father's house, when kneeling before the altar of the Portiuncula 
she offered her hair to be shorn by Francis, and when, time after 
time, she withstood the angry entreaties of her kinsmen to renounce 
her folly and return home, it was by no means clear even to her 
well-wishers, as it is to us, that she was following at all costs 
God's appointed way. On the contrary, like Francis, she was tilting 
against every religious and domestic convention of the day, and she 
was throwing in her lot with one, beneath her in rank, whom many 
in the town still regarded as a fool and a madman. In the result 
no one understood St. Francis as St. Clare did; from her alone he 
received complete and unquestioning sympathy in his highest as- 
pirations, and when the brethren were still disputing as to the wis- 
dom of the Rule that their founder had left them, San Damiano 
remained " a constant witness to the pure Franciscan spirit." The 
life of St. Francis had not been as redolent of beautiful fragrance 
as it is, if the romance of his ideal friendship with Clare had been 
unwritten. Round these two heroic souls there grew up one of the 
great religious revivals of Christendom. 

How beautiful the early beginnings of the community life were 



326 A NEW LIFE OF ST. FRANCIS [Dec., 

that centred round the little Portiuncula chapel where Francis wel- 
comed his " first brothers in the knightly order of poverty " is known 
to every lover of the Franciscan legend. The perfume of its sim- 
plicity and its spiritual fervor has been preserved for all time in the 
pages of the Fioretti. In between the missionary journeys on which 
the Friars met with such hardships and humiliations, there were 
times of peace and prayer in the narrow huts of branches that were 
built round the chapel, when the brethren learnt their rule of life 
from Francis' own lips, and were trained in the wisdom of poverty. 
There was no idleness in this primitive friary ; the days were spent 
in prayer and manual labor and begging the daily bread ; the whole 
life was based on mutual service and brotherly love, and Francis' 
idea of authority was that of leadership in the harder paths of the 
vocation, and of ceaseless solicitude for those in his charge. As 
new members offered themselves, they were received straightway 
into the circle on condition of first selling all they had and giving 
to the poor. This was test enough of their vocation ! Never was 
the example set by Christ to His disciples followed with a more 
humble reverence. " To some it seemed as though the radiance of 
Bethlehem and Nazareth had again broken through the clouds which 
encompassed the world, and was flooding the plain below Assisi 
with a clear and joy-giving light " (p. 118). 

Unhappily this ideal state of life could not continue, and the 
success of the Order became in a sense its own undoing. With 
men of all sorts and conditions presenting themselves for admission 
by the hundred, with the Friars touching life at many points 
preaching, teaching, settling disputes, evangelizing the heathen, 
nursing the sick, wandering over half Europe the old, sweet, prim- 
itive ways had perforce to be abandoned, a more elaborate rule 
had to be imposed, and the place to be occupied by the fraternity 
within the organization of the Church had to be clearly defined. 
This " new phase " in the development of the Order, marked by 
the general Chapter of 1217, receives full and sympathetic treatment 
from Father Cuthbert. It is one of the periods in which his read- 
ing of events differs widely from that of M. Sabatier. The whole 
question of the relations between Francis and the Holy See, in 
which to a considerable extent Cardinal Ugolino was the inter- 
mediary, offers a series of intricate considerations. M. Sabatier's 
fundamental dislike and distrust of the Holy See color all his 
pages. In his view it is Rome who, for her own sinister purposes, 
cribs, cabins, and confines the pure genius of Francis within narrow 



IQI2.] A NEW LIFE OF ST. FRANCIS 327 

ecclesiastical bonds. In this perfidious task Cardinal Ugolino is 
the arch-traitor, the inspirer of the men eager to tamper with the 
Franciscan ideal. Viewed from such a standpoint the long friend- 
ship between Francis and the Cardinal is indeed as M. Sabatier 
admits inexplicable. Father Cuthbert's reading of the situation 
greatly simplifies the problem. He frankly regrets the necessity 
for the Cardinal's intervention in the affairs of the Order, but sees 
clearly that the need for such intervention was there. He draws 
a sympathetic portrait of Ugolino, the strong practical man of 
affairs, with a tender spot in his heart for the mystical Umbrian 
enthusiast, and he considers that in the difficult years that were to 
follow, Ugolino, far from fomenting dissension, genuinely did his 
best to reconcile the idealism of Francis with the practical needs of 
the Church, and the demands of the dissident Friars. His diplo- 
macy may not always have been of the straightest, but possibly 
without his moderating counsels the rupture between the two parties 
in the Order, torn asunder by the vexed question of poverty, might 
have been complete even in the lifetime of the founder. That much, 
at least, was spared to Francis. Yet when all is said the history of 
the Order, from the revolt of the Vicars during Francis' absence 
in the Holy Land, has in it an element of deep tragedy. One can 
recall no sadder home-coming than that of Francis, ill, so weak that 
he had to travel on an ass, learning on all sides of the disloyalty 
of the men he had trusted, and reaching Bologna to find the 
brethren, vow T ed to perpetual poverty, living in a spacious convent 
which they claimed as their own. To Francis it was the betrayal 
of all he held most dear. The election of Elias as Vicar, and later 
the need for composing a new Rule, with the omission, at the 
demand of the Ministers of the Order, of the Gospel admonition 
to the brethren when traveling to carry nothing by the way, that 
had been so notable a passage in the primitive Rule, were the out- 
ward signs of the purgatory of the spirit through which Francis 
passed in these years. His life's work had drifted into the hands 
of others, many of his own sons intrigued against him, and his lofty, 
chivalrous ideals were flouted as impracticable in the very Order 
he had brought into being. 

Yet we know that for himself Francis was able to preserve to 
the end that spiritual freedom, that liberty of soul, in the service of 
Christ in which he would have had his Friars find a sufficient rule 
of life. Into the closing chapters, telling of Francis' retreat at 
Greccio in the rugged Rieti valley, and of that mystical representa- 



328 A NEW LIFE OF ST. FRANCIS [Dec., 

tion of the Nativity by which he was moved to celebrate the Christ- 
mas festival, or of that still more awe-inspiring retreat on La Verna 
from which he descended with hands and feet pierced with the 
nails of the Cross, to the last moving death-scenes at Assisi and the 
Portiuncula, Father Cuthbert has allowed no note of controversy 
to penetrate. With the solemn approbation granted by Honorius 
to the Rule of 1223 Francis' active life was closed. So far as he 
could, he had secured for all who loved the vocation of poverty 
the liberty to follow it with the supreme sanction of the Church. 
For himself his remaining years were dedicated, as far as might be, 
to prayerful seclusion : 

His task was finished, and in his new freedom he turned all- 
desiringly to the life hidden with Christ his Lord. From this 
time the world of men will but little disturb the soul of Francis : 
more and more he will be drawn into the embrace of the Be- 
loved, and the voices of the earth will reach his spirit only 
through that mystic life which is the borderland of eternity 

(P- 



They were years of ever-increasing pain and blindness and 
infirmity of body, yet of undimmed joyousness of soul. Indeed 
there returned to Francis at this time much of his old spirit of a 
Jongleur de Dieu, with a conviction that the world was to be con- 
quered by love and poetry and song. To it we owe the thrilling 
Canticle of Brother Sun, composed in the convent garden of San 
Damiano, " a song of the kinship of all God's creatures and of God's 
Fatherhood of them all " (p. 355), a poem which is reckoned the 
very fountain-head of Italian verse. It supplies the motif for these 
last months, and the brethren would sing it to the Saint to soothe his 
hours of suffering until the day when, with a great happiness in 
his face, he stretched forth his hands to heaven and exclaimed, 
" Welcome, Sister Death ! " Then in the fervor of his joy he 
dictated to them yet another verse : 

Praise be to thee, my Lord, for our sister, Bodily Death, 
From whom no living man can flee; 
Woe is to them who die in mortal sin. 

But blessed they who shall find themselves in Thy most holy 
will. 

To them the second death shall do no ill. 

Yet Sister Death tarried long, and the slow dying of the Saint 
in public even " Brother " Giacoma was admitted the carting 



1912.] A NEW LIFE OF ST. FRANCIS 329 

about of his poor sick body, the alarms lest it should fall whether 
alive or dead into the hands of others save his faithful Assisians, 
shed a curious light on mediaeval ways. One traditional belief 
we are asked to relinquish. St. Francis, it would seem, did not 
die chanting the one hundred and forty-first Psalm as St. Bona- 
venture relates. This incident took place, according to Celano, 
several days before his death. It was to the Gospel according to 
St. John that he was listening, lying habitless on the bare earth, 
when the summons came. And the larks that he had loved all 
his life filled the twilight with the melody of their song. 

A chapter to which clients of St. Francis will turn with 
interest is that dealing with the institution of the Third Order. The 
author differs both from M. Sabatier and Pere Mandonnet, O.P., in 
declining to believe that at the outset these informal disciples were 
considered members of the fraternity in the same sense as the Friars 
themselves. There surely was from the first a small band of brethren 
bound by a rule, though of the simplest kind, and round them, in- 
spired by the preaching and example of their founder, was a group 
of devoted followers of Francis and of Clare, men and women living 
indeed in their own homes, but bound to the Order by a sense of 
spiritual kinship, and adopting its precepts in a greater or less 
degree. In so far as they had a rule it was that eloquent " Letter 
to all Christians " which Francis penned early in his apostolate, 
inviting all to a more perfect Christian life. The actual Rule of 
the Third Order, on the contrary, was in the main the work of 
Cardinal Ugolino, and was largely based on that of the Humiliati 
of Lombardy. It was part of the Cardinal's plan for harnessing 
the spiritual forces energized by Francis to the service of the 
Church, to form a definite organization into which the Franciscan 
laity could be enrolled, and in consultation with the Saint he drew 
up the original Rule. This document unhappily has disappeared, 
and all that we now possess is the recently-discovered and much- 
discussed Capestrano Rule of 1228, drawn up after Francis' death, 
and after Cardinal Ugolino had become Pope. In it Father Cuth- 
bert considers that the importance originally given to the distribu- 
tion of superfluous wealth has been transferred to the prohibition 
to take the feud oath. The reasons for such a change are fully 
discussed in Appendix III. Such as we have it, the Rule, as the 
author points out, is not an inspiring document; it is simply a 
Rule for external conduct, and presents none of the glowing ideal- 
ism of the early Franciscan days. The life of the Tertiaries, how- 



330 A NEW LIFE OF ST. FRANCIS [Dec., 

ever, went far beyond it in simplicity of life and generosity to the 
poor, and it was from the inspiration and example of Francis, 
far more than from the letter of the Rule, that they derived the 
spiritual vigor which for a time gave them so large a place in the 
fortunes of the Order. 

Father Cuthbert accepts the traditional account of the 
institution of the Portiuncula Indulgence, and he follows 
the learned Father Holzapfel in assuming that the silence 
concerning it in all the original authorities was due to 
the opposition it had encountered in many quarters. In Appendix 
II. he summarizes very lucidly all the pros and cons of this great 
controversy. That the Indulgence existed already in 1280 is un- 
contested; how and when it came to be instituted would seem to be 
one of those problems that can never be solved beyond dispute. 
Perhaps the fact that the Holy See never revoked this Indulgence, 
although it revoked other and similar ones, and that it survived the 
bitter enmity of the powerful Friars of the Sagro Convento, anxious 
to establish their convent as the Motherhouse of the Order in oppo- 
sition to St. Mary of the Angels, are the strongest proofs we have 
that the privilege must have rested on some unquestioned though 
now unverifiable authenticity. And in our own day it is at least 
worthy of note that two of the Saint's most distinguished biog- 
raphers, first M. Sabatier and, within the present year, J. Joergensen, 
should have publicly come round to a belief in a tradition which 
both had vigorously combated. Nevertheless, when all is said that 
ingenuity can suggest, the silence of Celano, of Bonaventure, and 
of the other primitive legendists on a matter redounding so greatly 
to Francis' honor, remains baffling in the extreme. 

This latest life of a Saint who holds, even among Saints, so 
unique a place in the affection of the modern world from the spirit 
of which his own spirit lives in such sharp contrast, is a permanent 
acquisition to our Franciscan literature. It possesses a mellowness 
and a sanity of judgment that can never be acquired by hasty or 
superficial work. Here and there a more careful revision might 
have been given to the proofs, and more dates of years the month 
is often given without it would have added to the clearness of 
the narrative. These, however, are small blemishes easily remedied 
in any future edition of a work which for the scholar possesses the 
merit of very accurate documentation, and for the general reader 
the literary charm that comes from an intimate and sympathetic 
understanding of a character of singular beauty. 




THE MAID OF SERAGHTOGA. 

BY " OLIVER." 

HEY called her Marguerite in Quebec and in France 
where she was educated ; but her father, the admiral, 
called her Priscilla after her mother and we 
called her simply daughter. For she was truly a 
daughter of the Etchemin, duly adopted, and had 
been with us, and been taught our ways, when she was a little girl. 
Nadoga knew her from her infancy, standing by when her mother 
in dying gave her over to the whimsome man in the black gown; 
and when having buried her mother there in the wilderness he 
would have carried the infant all the way on that long trail from 
Seraghtoga to the Saint Croix, Nadoga alone was suffered to share 
the tender burden with him. It was no duty of a great chief to 
carry a puling infant in the presence of his warriors ; but he had an 
over-riding way with him when he gave an order, and Nadoga 
had no daughter at home. She grew amongst us, and played with 
our children, and in her innocence helped restrain the wildness of 
her strange guardian, and no doubt saved other helpless children 
from his wolfishness when the mad fit was upon him. Nadoga and 
his wife, Nallowa, had the care of her; and, when death awaited 
him, it was our chief who met the admiral and gave him back 
his daughter; this duty done, our fearsome visitor followed death 
to the graveyard. 

" All this I have already narrated to you," said Peol, " in 
the story of our experience with the strange being part man, part 
beast whom they called the Wolf of Seraghtoga. He was of the 
royal house of France, quite close to the king it was whispered 
he was a brother. When he died as you know he left the young 
girl his estates in France, and he gave her more, for he handed 
her over to her father who had grieved for her as dead with her 
mother. How it happened that Admiral Warren afterwards con- 
sented to her being educated in France, practically brought up a 
French maid, when feeling ran so high between the two countries, 
is more than I can settle ; no doubt he hesitated at depriving her of 
the great dowry which had been left her. Perhaps, too, the young 
girl after due residence in her father's house did not find her new 



332 THE MAID OF SERAGHTOGA [Dec., 

mother to her liking. The English of that day to the south of 
us were not so kindly and gentle as the French not near so in- 
dulgent as our people to their children: long- faced, unsmiling 
race they were, and hard with their children. You cannot blame the 
girl then if after some experience in France she disliked to live 
on land with her stepmother, in the intervals of her visits to 
America, but would much rather be on the sea with her father or 
remain in her convent school back in France. Besides, her native 
tongue might now well be said to be French when you do not 
call it Etchemin; in the beginning she learned of English only the 
broken parts he could teach her, so that her Yengee relatives mocked 
her speech. But all the time, at home or abroad, she carried the 
memories of Nadoga and Nallowa and our tribe in her heart, and 
grieved that the wickedness of men kept us from seeing her for in 
those days a price was set on the scalp of an Abenaki down by 
Massachusetts Bay, so much for the scalp of a woman or child, 
and double for the scalplock of an Etchemin warrior. 

" So it came that she spent years in France in a convent at 
school in preparation for her high destiny, and the French called her 
the Etchemin Princess, and wondered after their gossipy fashion 
whom she would marry and endow with her great wealth. So that, 
were it not for the stipulation made by her father, she would have 
forgotten her English blood. Once she visited us, on the eve of her 
first departure for France; she came in her father's great warship, 
the sight of which at first alarmed our runners and made confusion 
in our settlement until Nadoga, and the chiefs who had seen the 
ship before, quieted the general fear. She had besought her father, 
before turning the prow of his ship to the great ocean, to take her 
down amongst her own people of the Abenaki, where she had lived 
so happily; to see her nurse Nallowa once more and the chiefs in 
their feathers and the girls who had been her playmates. She 
recalled him, too, who had loved her in his wild way, and ever 
treated her with old-fashioned courtesy, and made her his daughter. 
And so she came in love and in the constancy of her gratitude, and 
our tribe received her in the same spirit, as a daughter whom they 
would always welcome." 

We were out in the Maine woods, Peol and I, on one of 
the smaller and least accessible of the Sysladobsis lakes, in a hidden 
corner of the hunting grounds of the 'Quoddies, known perhaps to 
few even of the tribe. There Peol had, with much secrecy and a 
morose silence, built his winter hunting camp, and thither he now 



1912.] THE MAID OF SERAGHTOGA 333 

had carried me not without great fatigue and effort on my part 
that I might, between times of resting, witness his prowess in trap- 
ping and slaying bears. He cozened me into making the tiresome 
journey by his pictures of the beauty of the place, once we should 
get there: the basin of water between the hills, the dry ridges 
running the purest streams, and the freedom from visitors which 
is in itself no mean attraction. The place was all he pictured 
it, and more. His camp was new and freshly clean, warm likewise 
as befitted October chills ; the lake lay at the small end of the tele- 
scope down beneath the towering ridges; the flame of the maples, 
the blood-red of the dogwoods, the yellows and saffrons of the 
beeches, with ever and anon the dark green of the firs, were 
mirrored and reflected in its untroubled depths. 

The old Indian was cooking dinner now out under a great 
beech, telling his story between whiles. A dried bearskin gave 
me the luxury of a comfortable stretch on the ground while I 
peered beyond the sun to the noonday stars, invisible at an earlier 
season, and listened to his story. More than once I had speculated 
on the subsequent history of this English child, so strangely adopted, 
so closely connected by blood with the first people of the Old Bay 
Colony. Would she be English or French or Etchemin? Would 
the court of Louis of France recognize her claims when, perhaps, 
they conflicted with others nearer home? Here she was, however, 
back again in the flesh in Peol's story, and I welcomed her warmly. 

" She departed in tears, as a young girl will " you must not 
for a moment imagine that my old Indian knows or is consentient 
to this untimely interruption (even while he was dipping water 
from the spring he made effort to continue his story unbroken) 
" for the admiral was anxious lest war should set in before his 
mission to France was accomplished. Years passed, and war did 
come again it was the custom of the times and Admiral Warren 
did his duty in guarding the English shores and intercepting, when 
he could, French communications. Peace came then again for a 
wavering spell, but all knew that it was only the prelude to the 
final struggle. The Great Father Onontio sent word through Que- 
bec that he would welcome the chiefs of the Abenaki in France, 
if they would come; and so Nadoga and other chiefs, with their 
womankind, crossed the great ocean to France at the king's cost. 

" What they saw during that visit they related in after years 
at many a camp fire to the wonderment of their listeners; but two 
incidents stood forth with especial prominence in their experience 



334 THE MAID OF SERAGHTOGA [Dec., 

of that time, and these I will narrate to you as I heard them. 
Everything was a novelty to them, and they a novelty to the French. 
Little wonder then that the royal court should be crowded with 
courtiers, great ladies, and eager sightseers on the day on which 
they first stood before the king. Dressed in the finest of deer- 
skin, painted and plumed, with hatchet and scalping knife, they 
came into the royal presence, their women following them, dressed 
also in the bright colors which we Indians like. A small man, 
withered and of mean appearance, but dressed in velvet and bearing 
one great medal on his breast, sat on a throne at the end of a long 
room, the sides of which were lined with a moving throng of soldier- 
men with swords and arquebuses; while close to the throne 
women and men were banked, all standing, and the glint of women's 
jewelry and the sheen of gold sword hilts and steel scabbards lighted 
up the assembly like the shining of the sun through the leaves 
of beech trees in summer. 

" Nadoga used to tell how he had scarcely time to wonder why 
the chief of such a mighty nation should himself be such an inconse- 
quent man, when his eyes rested upon a fair- faced girl standing near 
the throne. In color and tint of face she differed from the darker 
skinned ladies around her as the blossoms of the cherry in spring- 
time differ from the earliest colorings of the flowering maple. Her 
yellow hair caught up in a crown above shone golden in the 
sunlight, and her eyes were aglow with excitement. To him he 
used to tell there was in all that vast audience no other person 
but this stripling maid. Forgotten for the moment in the joy of 
the sight of her were king and courtier, great ladies and guarding 
soldiery; he saw but the girl, and headlong he strode towards 
her. Before she herself could protest had she wanted to he had 
her in his arms, as if she were the little girl of long ago and not 
a woman grown. And then he handed her to Nallowa to fondle, 
while the chiefs grew noisy when they recognized her. 

" All this time the great company looked on in amazed silence, 
and the officer who was charged with the duty of presenting the 
chiefs to the king was at his wit's end to know how to get them 
back in line to be presented. But Marguerite, with a woman's 
presence of mind, leading Nadoga by one hand and Nallowa by 
the other, led them gently onward to the foot of the throne, and with 
a low obeisance and in a sweet voice presented them as His 
Majesty's faithful children from across the water, noted for their 
loyalty and their constant love of the French. The king gave 



1912.] THE MAID OF SERAGHTOGA 335 

gracious welcome to his guests, all the warmer and more gracious 
because the presence of the girl recalled the tragedy of him who 
was his brother, whom we had sheltered. And then Marguerite, 
with great deference to the king's wishes, begged to be allowed to 
entertain these her brothers and sisters of the Abenaki, for she 
had been their guest and the object of their solicitude when she 
was a helpless child. And the king, smiling, gave his consent, after 
Nadoga in his blunt fashion had told him that, having found this 
daughter of their tribe, they would not be separated from her. A 
wave of excitement shook the large audience, and a sigh went 
through it, for men and women had seen and heard things which 
touched their hearts. Great ladies, in jewels and powder, kissed 
the maid over and over, and shed tears after the manner of the 
French, and laughed and called her their Princess of the Etchemins. 
But our chiefs and women were rejoiced when it was all over, and 
they had Marguerite to themselves. 

" She lived in a palace, they found, within a great enclosure, 
and spread of grass and trees, with water bubbling and shooting 
in the air, and flowers such as never grew in the wild places of 
their own woods lining the paths. She had a great service of people 
about her, noisy and curious, whom Nadoga did not love. Some of 
these were deputed to wait upon the chiefs and prepare their food, 
but our people did not relish such dainty cooking, so they frightened 
away the servitors with playful brandishment of tomahawk or 
frowning glint of scalping knife. And then they did their own 
cooking in the open and ate it at their ease by the fountains. 
Nallowa, being privileged, lived in the great house with Marguerite, 
and instinctively learned every secret of the maiden; but Nadoga 
remained with the others, encamped in the open, having first as- 
sured himself that he knew every trail of the place every stairway 
and turn of the house. 

" It did not take Nallowa long to discover that the maid was 
troubled in mind, nervous and frightened at times, and distrustful 
of some of those around her. The girl, though mistress in her own 
home, was still in some indistinct way under the tutelage of certain 
ancient dames, who were charged with her guidance, and whom 
Nallowa came to dislike because of their silent whisperings. She 
could not fathom at once the heart of the maid's distress, nor was 
she in a hurry to ask, for it is a law with us to wait until secrets 
are willingly told us. 

" At length one day after an old man much belaced and with 



336 THE MAW OF SERAGHTOGA [Dec., 

crossbars of gold on his tunic, but wide-kneed and shaky in his 
walk had made a call on our young woman, kissing her hand 
and fain wishing to hold it long in his as Nallowa did not fail to 
note Marguerite after his departure, being greatly alarmed, took 
her into her confidence. The old man, she said, was one of the 
royal dukes relatives of the king and wished to marry her for 
her great wealth which he did not wish to see go outside the royal 
family; the king himself might be said to favor the match, although 
he was in some way bound in honor not to interfere too openly 
with her wishes. This was a stipulation which her father had 
made, knowing that court intrigues do not respect much the private 
wishes of young maids. With the same intent of safeguarding 
her freedom of choice when she should come of age to choose a 
husband, it was covenanted that in case she elected to marry a 
French subject, her father's consent should be first obtained; while 
if, on the other hand, she chose a husband outside of France, the 
king should be notified and his consent secured. It was absolutely 
agreed and covenanted that Marguerite should be free to leave 
France and live in America among her own people when and as 
often as she chose. The girl rejoiced now that her freedom was 
thus a matter of state agreement with her father, although she had 
her doubts whether in the trial she would find herself as free as it 
was stipulated on paper. The king was growing feeble, his end 
approaching, she feared that when he was gone the court might 
not hold itself so strictly to the bond. There were already signs 
which made her distrustful. Nallowa inferred that Marguerite 
if left to her own choice, would not marry in France; in fact, 
that the girl had already decided whom she would marry but this 
too was a secret to be learned only when the time was ripe. 

" Now, ever since the times of Guesca whom you know it 
has been the law among the Abenaki that a daughter should be free 
to choose her mate, without let or hindrance from her parents, 
except a word of advice where it is considered good for her wel- 
fare. Nallowa grew hot in her mind, therefore, when she learned 
of the constraint which was likely to be put upon the maid, and in 
view of the husband who was intended for her, a decrepit and 
worthless figure of a man. She hastened to inform Nadoga and 
the chiefs, and they all held a council together to decide what had 
best be done. It was out of reason to expect that the admiral, her 
father, could at that moment when war was again in the air, revisit 
France, nor was it possible to get word to him ; but Nadoga, as head 



1912.] THE MAID OF SERAGHTOGA 337 

of the tribe of which the girl was a daughter by adoption, had a 
certain right to interfere he would suffer no heartbreak to come 
to her. So it was decided that the demand should be made by 
himself and his companions, that the maid be allowed to return to 
America with them, and that in case of refusal the chiefs should 
bluntly announce that they would afford no help to the French in 
the forthcoming war. 

" It happened at this conjuncture that the military authorities 
in France were planning to launch an overwhelming force of sol- 
diers and Indian allies against the American colonies, and were in 
consequence eager to retain the good will of the Abenaki, knowing 
that the Micmacs and other tribes would follow our leadership. 
Nadoga's request was therefore listened to more readily, and after 
some demur granted: Marguerite could accompany her good 
friends to America her presence with the tribe would be a guar- 
antee of their loyalty and service. Preparation was at once made 
for the voyage home; the same warship was allotted for the re- 
turn trip ; and the king in a farewell audience to the girl kissed her, 
and granted her the royal privilege of hoisting the white flag of the 
lilies on her ship. Again Nallowa ventured the prediction that the 
maid dwelt more in her mind on the hope of meeting her father on 
the high seas than on the privileges of royalty. 

" The word went out broadcast, of course, that the Princess of 
the Etchemin was about to return to her tribe and people; and the 
young gallants who paid her court professed to be heartbroken 
by the news. Some wanted to accompany her, and sought enlist- 
ment in the navy; others begged to be informed where they should 
find her when the chances of war took them to Canada; others 
wrote on paper smart bits of sentiment to the effect that the goddess 
of the hair of gold should not leave them to a hopeless passion. 
Marguerite, with much lightheartedness, read these sentimental 
poesies to Nallowa and made her understand them but the old 
woman believed it all foolishness little cones of whirlwind dust on 
a windy day. 

" There was one, however, who was not willing to let the 
girl escape so easily; the royal duke of the bandy legs, and in this 
he had the countenance of many an influential dame of the king's 
household. He saw, or imagined he saw, great estates slipping 
from his grasp, not to speak of a beautiful wife. He opposed 
the project at first with all outward energy; but finding that the 
diplomacy of the state made his opposition fruitless, he adopted 

VOL. XCVI. 22. 



338 THE MAID OF SERAGHTOGA [Dec., 

other means to secure his ends. If the girl could be held until our 
people were safely out of France, it would be an easy task to recon- 
cile the government to subsequent developments. The king was 
old and verging on imbecility it would be easy to conceal the 
facts from him. 

" On the day before the time set for the departure, the chiefs 
were entertained in council by the board of war, which conducted 
the military affairs of the kingdom, and they were admitted to a 
certain knowledge of the plans for the coming campaign. The 
general who was to lead the king's forces " what you call him ? 
" Montcalm ? Yes, Montcalm was there with the others. Nadoga 
always liked him : he was a man much like the girl's father, open 
of countenance; a man who hated chicanery and deceit, except 
the laudable deceits of war. As they left the council chamber the 
general accompanied them, and when they reached the street he 
made a signal to them to gather closely around him. He spoke our 
language sufficiently well to make himself understood without an 
interpreter in fact, the official interpreter had not been admitted 
to this critical interview, the general acting as such. 

" 'The Princess of the Etchemin the English girl goes with 
you?' he inquired, although he was well aware of the fact. Still 
there was doubt in his voice, as if he wanted them to doubt with him. 
'The princess has enemies who would not see her go,' he said 
in a steady voice. 'My brother will take no sleep until the morn- 
ing comes, and the maid stands safe with them on board of 
ship. Tomahawk may be needed, but I pray my brothers not 
to use the scalping knife.' More he said not, but turned and 
left them. 

" That night if any curious passerby could have looked over 
the high enclosure which saved the grounds from the street, and if 
he had the faculty which we cultivated of seeing in the dark, he 
would have noted many forms lying in the grass or sheltered behind 
trees; and if we imagine him closer in his approach, he would have 
been able to distinguish that these were Indian warriors in their 
war paint no pleasant sight and that they were alert to every 
sound. In the huddle of shrubbery near the great gates, the young- 
est of the band kept watch, for it was very properly understood 
that from the front would the danger come, not from the rear where 
they were known to sleep. Nadoga had said nothing to the mistress 
of the house, fearing to alarm her, but to Nallowa he had given 
strict command to keep the back entries open. There was no 



1912.] THE MAID OF SERAGHTOGA 339 

doubt that some of Marguerite's servants were in the conspiracy, 
and bribed to admit the abducting party. 

" The night passed tediously on its course ; the great clocks 
clanged lazily the hours with many strokes, and had just begun 
again with one single clap, when the faint call of a tree toad rose 
on the night air. The chiefs were on their feet and then on the 
ground again, which was the signal; noiselessly they trooped be- 
hind Nadoga, who led them up the wide stairs and into the body 
of the house. Already the tramp of feet could be heard ahead, 
yells and a scuffle which they knew was Nallowa the crash of 
wood as if doors were breaking, for the marauders, sure of their 
prey, were at no pains to conceal their presence, and then to their 
intense surprise came the cry of the maid not heard by them since 
she was a child and played at war with their children, A moi, A moi, 
les Abenaques! Coming from son or daughter in distress, it was 
a cry which fired the blood of our warriors. With a whoop and a 
headlong rush they threw themselves upon the rascals, and using 
the flats of their hatchets they opened a way to where the girl 
was struggling in the arms of a gigantic ruffian. He fell to the 
lot of Nadoga, nor did the chief spare any strength in the blow he 
gave. The slant of the axe struck the fellow on the temple, and 
he went down with a sob, releasing the girl as he dropped. The 
rescue was effected in less time than it takes to tell of it; for the 
other marauders, pitched about and manhandled so unexpectedly, 
and crazed with fear of these dread specters of the night as they 
took our chiefs to be plunged headlong down the steps they had 
so lately mounted in security, and fled howling into the night. 

" Nallowa had been roughly used, but not enough to matter; 
and Marguerite at first was slow to recover from the shock, but 
smiled weakly when Nadoga assured her that they had but an- 
swered to her call. Her women, now in greater terror of our 
chiefs than they had been of the midnight invaders, put her to 
bed, with many an invocation to her to save them from the 
painted friends in the great hall. Nadoga had his men carry 
the wounded man out, and leave him on the street for the nightwatch 
to pick up. 

" Perhaps it was never given to the idle gazers of the great 
city before to behold chiefs on the warpath, in times of peace, and 
in the home of their allies, but that day they saw such a sight ; for 
Nadoga and his warriors, not yet assured against another attempt 
to abduct the girl, went down to their ship in their loin cloths, 



340 THE MAID OF SERAGHTOGA [Dec., 

the frown of battle on their brows, their hands significantly on 
their scalping knives. A detail of soldiers accompanied the car- 
riage in which Marguerite and her women were carried, but our 
warriors surrounded it all the way. The old duke was on hand 
to bid her good-bye; to the great surprise of our chiefs he showed 
no sign of disappointment; still Nadoga refused his hand, laying, 
as he did, his wife's injuries and the insult to the maid to his 
charge. The crowds cheered as the vessel swung into the stream, 
bands played, and guns were bandied back and forth. 

" These were the two incidents which distinguished the visit 
of our chiefs to the French court; they were glad to be on their way 
home, and doubly glad to have the maid with them. 

" Dinner, dinner," Peol cried with such suddenness and in- 
congruity of occasion that I came near resenting what had other- 
wise been welcome tidings. But dinner is always dinner, more es- 
pecially when one has done his eight good miles since breakfast 
to the farthest bear trap and back. Still I feared for the rest of 
the story; for my old chief, when his stomach is full, may idly 
refuse to continue, with a pretense of finishing it some other day. 
In truth, why he has deigned to start a story at all amid the various 
engrossing occupations of making a fire, slitting bacon, peeling 
onions nay he did not let up even while he was drawing water 
from the well all this is one of the small mysteries of his psy- 
chology that only time will unravel. There is a purpose in his 
madness, some undefined connection of lake or wood or trail or 
even of bear hunting no less, which connects this spot and time with 
the far-off events of the eighteenth century. My readers will have 
to wait with some of my own patience for the development of 
Peol's dramatic purpose. For the moment let them share in my 
satisfaction that he is showing promising signs of continuing. 

" Marguerite's one anxiety as the voyage lengthened was to 
pick up with her father's fleet his own warship by great prefer- 
ence," Peol resumed when we had both done justice to his cuisine. 
Sitting on the ground, one knee drawn up for his arm to rest upon 
it while his hand coddled his well-browned pipe, he smoked and 
talked with amusing facility. " She had a watch set at the mast 
head, and a money prize was offered to the first sailor who would 
bring in authentic news. It was consequently unexpected of 
Nadoga that he should be the first to sight the admiral's frigate 
on the sky-line, and still more remarkable that his contention was 
verified in the face of the French captain's denial. As the two 



1912.] THE MAID OF SERAGHTOGA 341 

ships continued to approach each other it was soon seen from the 
French deck that the other was an English frigate and carried an 
admiral's flag. At Marguerite's order the lilies of France were 
now run up, for this was the signal agreed upon with her 
father. 

" After an exchange of courtesies, which our people at first 
mistook for war, the ships rode side by side, as close as was con- 
venient. The admiral, despite his daughter's presence in the French 
frigate, sent his captain on board to represent him for it appeared 
that he might not go himself, being an admiral and the Frenchman 
only a lieutenant; and this our people found strange and amusing, 
as must all the crotchets of the white man be. But he had the 
French officers to dine with him, and when he learned that Nadoga 
was on board with his chiefs he insisted on their being of the 
company. Nadoga would have been willing to refuse for he 
did not relish being slung in a rope downwards to a boat and then 
upwards to the great ship, but Nallowa, now recovered of her 
injuries, and having certain womanly conjectures to verify, clam- 
ored to follow Marguerite. She had noted the eagerness of the 
young English captain to meet the girl, and Marguerite's evident 
pleasure in meeting him. She had seen enough to lead her to 
believe that the maid's dislike for the old duke back in France was 
not altogether due to his ill looks or stag-like gait. 

" It was decided now that the young woman should remain in 
her father's ship, which should convoy the Frenchman the rest of 
the way to the Saint Croix. The French commander was inclined 
to resent the idea, but the American discretely assured him that it 
was the safety of Nadoga and his party which he had at heart; in 
these perilous times no one could tell what danger might spring up. 
Nallowa, still eager to follow developments, and finding the English 
ship more roomy, refused to be slung back into the Frenchman, 
so that Nadoga in turn was compelled to remain in the English 
frigate. When the admiral learned the details of the midnight 
attack in France, he called the old chief Priscilla's watch dog, and 
shook a warning finger at his blushing assistant. 

" Together the two frigates pursued their voyage, now losing 
sight of each other for perhaps half a day, but always recovering 
each other in the end; and together they ran into the Saint Croix 
much to the amazement of our tribe on shore. To their astonish- 
ment, also, Nadoga, who had left in a French ship, came home in an 
English one but the puzzle was solved when they saw the maid. 



342 THE MAID OF SERAGHTOGA [Dec., 

Admiral Warren sailed, with the girl, immediately for Boston; 
while the Frenchman, having to land stores and ammunition for our 
tribe, was some days with us before he left for Quebec. 

" I have read the histories of the old French War at least 
two of them, and these the best; I guided, when I was a younger 
and better man than I am to-day, through the woods of Maine, 
the writer of one of these histories a man verging on 
blindness, but strong of purpose, and possessing strange 
knowledge of Indians such as I never met and discussed the ques- 
tion with him at our evening camp fire; yet he and the others 
agree in laying the blame of that massacre of American prisoners 
up there on Lake George to the Abenaki and their Micmac allies. 
Unrestrained by the French soldiery, and under the eye of the 
commanding general, they slaughtered unarmed and defenseless 
men when these, trusting to the honor of the French, had sur- 
rendered as prisoners of war and given up their arms. Even 
women and children were put to the tomahawk that day, while 
Montcalm made but feeble efforts to save them. Now I do not 
deny that outwardly, and so far as surface facts go, there is some 
truth in the charge, and so I admitted to Parkman sitting by the 
fire on Squawpan Lake many years ago; but I did not explain to 
him, as I am about to do to you, that the facts can wear another 
face when they are narrated, infused with the underlying truth. 
I will leave it to yourself to decide, when this story reaches its 
end, whether our Abenaki were led by bloodthristy purpose when 
they started the affray which resulted in the deaths of some pris- 
oners; at the same time, too, you will be enabled to conclude that 
Montcalm did not at the moment foresee consequences when men's 
minds were excited and in a tumult. 

" In pursuance of the plans discussed in France at that war 
council of which I spoke, our chiefs quickly sent out runners among 
the Micmacs, Malecites, and Penobscots our allies bidding them 
prepare for the fight. Abundance of arms and ammunition had 
been landed to supply the three tribes; so that expectation and 
spirit mounted high everywhere in Indian hearts, and we awaited 
only the word to concentrate on the Saint Lawrence. In fact, 
some were premature in their haste on the war path, and gathered 
at Montreal before the French general was ready for them. There 
they caused uneasiness by their impatience, and their feuds with 
the Algonquins. But in the end the expected reinforcements ar- 
rived from France, the word went out to the tribes, and a thousand 



I 9 i2.] THE MAID OF SERAGHTOGA 343 

camp fires lighted the south shore of the river. The army started 
in bateaux and canoes; first our warriors from the sea, then the 
French soldiers with their cannon and supply boats, and in the rear 
and on the flanks the Hurons and Algonquins. It was a glorious 
show of strength. 

" I will not live over again the long story of that victorious 
campaign under a great soldier as it has been told in our wigwams 
for more than a hundred years; nor will I dwell upon the first 
events of it when Oswego was taken, but rather carry you forward 
to that day when the fort on Lake George surrendered because 
cowards within would no longer hold it, and a coward without 
delayed to come to its rescue. 

" The French soldiers lay in cordons around the place, their 
great guns sending forth shot and shell into the fated enclosure 
where the English colonists and soldiery held the walls. Women 
and children were in there also ; they had gathered from every out- 
lying village and hamlet down the Mohawk to the Hudson, because 
war parties of Indian scouts had threatened them. They lived in 
holes and caverns made in the ground, where they hoped to be safe 
against the French fire. And the French were unsparing with their 
fire; day and night the guns thundered back and forth; the French 
had the advantage of big guns, but the English excelled with the 
rifle. And daily the besiegers made advance, now ploughing great 
holes in the battlements, again securing better positions for their 
guns. The end was not far off. Our warriors had been employed 
to occupy the woods between the fort and the direction from which 
succor should come if the English commanding general had thought 
of rescue, but when he hesitated and then turned his back upon 
the beleaguered fort, our people drew in closer so as not to miss 
the event when surrender should be made. 

" And thus it came about that Nadoga did, for a second time, 
meet and converse with the French general as he rode along the 
line of tents where our warriors made their homes. Again he 
seemed to court secrecy as on that day on the streets of Paris. 
Nadoga met him as one chief meets another, and listened to his 
words of commendation for the work our men had done. 

" Suddenly, however, the general changed his tone. 'Have my 
friends,' he asked, 'heard anything of late from the golden-haired 
maid? Do they know where she rests, that she is in safety?' He 
paused to await Nadoga's answer, but Nadoga was at a loss to 
know what reply to make. War and its occupations had put the 



344 THE MAID OF SERAGHTOGA [Dec., 

girl out of his mind doubtless his wife at home was thinking of 
her. Was she in danger? for he sharply conjectured that this 
great man would not lightly bring up the maid's name. 

" 'Old men who love women and money/ Montcalm went on as if 
communing only with Nadoga's ear, 'have long memories, and the 
Court of France has long arms. All America has been searched by 
hidden hands for this girl, to give her over to a royal duke ; French 
spies and emissaries have penetrated even into the cities of Boston 
and New York, and French gold has been poured out lavishly in 
the search ; but without avail. Would you who love her best know 
where fate or foolishness has driven her ? There' and he pointed 
with his sword to the fort in the distance 'beneath our guns. And 
in my camp, close to myself, are men who are paid and sworn to 
bring her back to France. Her father did me a great favor when 
the fortunes of war put me in his power at Louisbourg: I would 
repay it to his daughter, but my hands are tied, for this is a matter 
which affects the crown of France.' 

" He rode on as one of his aides approached with some hurried 
information, and left Nadoga to his thoughts. What these thoughts 
were, and in what plans for Marguerite's safety when the looked- 
for day of surrender should come they resulted, Nadoga made 
plain to his chiefs in the council. In the meantime the Abenaki 
drew together, and watched intently for the first signal of surrender. 
Orders came to them to spread out into the woods at a distance, 
and occupy their former advanced position; but Nadoga quietly 
passed the word on to the Penobscots who shared with us the 
common title of Abenaki and they went. 

" At last the day came when the white flag went up, and the 
English soldiers surrendered their position. There was delay, of 
course, when terms were being discussed, and arms afterwards 
given up; but in the end the long train of unarmed soldiers, 
officers, and civilians with the women and children, soiled, be- 
draggled, and tearful wound its way out from the fort. The 
soldiers of France lined both sides of the approaches, fearing tumult 
perhaps; and further out, where wider space was given and the 
soldiery was fewer, a band of French officers held together and 
conversed in excited whispers. These Nadoga watched with eager 
eyes, and gathered his warriors around him, suffering no inter- 
ference with their liberty to watch the pageant. The head of the 
column of prisoners was well past, and civilians bulked out with 
the women in the centre were following, with fright and uncer- 



1912.] THE MAID OF SERAGHTOGA 345 

tainty plainly showing in their faces, when at a signal which Nadoga 
could not see given, the band of Frenchmen formed in wedge 
shape and pushed roughly into the crowd. The frightened women 
gave way before them, and a lane of space was opened to the 
centre of the procession. There Nadoga caught a glimpse of a 
familiar face that golden hair he could recognize if he were 
dying and then he pushed in with his warriors at his heels. 
There was confusion ahead, and women screeched, but above their 
cries again sounded that call for help, A moi, a moi, les Abenaques! 
This time our warriors answered it with knife and tomahawk, 
determined once and for all to make those Frenchmen know that 
no man could touch with temerity a daughter of their tribe. How 
many of the French escaped that awful charge of our enraged men, 
I cannot say; not many, I ween, for the knife followed the toma- 
hawk, and French scalps hung at many a girdle after. But Nadoga 
and the chiefs closed around the maid, and saved her from injury 
and capture. Forcing their way out on the opposite side, perhaps 
not gently where men or women stood in their path, the entire 
band of Abenaki, at the word of their chiefs, closed in on their 
encampment. 

" Thus indeed was the slaughter of that day begun by our 
people, but not with the intent of injuring an English head. That 
the Micmacs, misled by our action, threw themselves on the ill- 
fated prisoners until Montcalm succeeded in overcoming them was 
a mistake which nobody foresaw. But the French themselves 
suffered most in the deaths of many officers of position, who should 
have done better than attack a helpless maid. 

" Great clamor was made by the French soldiers against our 
chiefs; but the whole affair was so blinded and obscured, so in- 
comprehensible to all who had not the key to its purpose on one 
side or the other, that it passed off as one of the inevitable mistakes 
of war. Still the girl could not remain in our camps, although 
her maid was rescued with her: Montcalm had been especially 
charged to capture her; so that no time could be lost in carrying 
her to safety. She would be secure only in one of two places, 
either in her father's warship which was out of the question or 
in the very heart of our tribe, and there only in some locality that 
French spies could not discover. All this was foreseen, and the 
evening had not drawn to night before Nadoga with a choice body 
of warriors was on his way, carrying the girl in canoe, back to 
her ancient home near the sea. The country was deserted along 



346 THE MAID OF SERAGHTOGA [Dec., 

their route, the story of the fall of the forts and of French victories 
having frightened the inhabitants away. 

" Once again, on the Mohawk, Nadoga found himself with the 
girl whom under such distress he had helped carry away. Here at 
her father's deserted mansion they tarried long enough to allow 
her to collect clothes and such other conveniences as she and her 
maid might need; they took also a pair of her father's horses, 
which they caught running at large, and used them as her mounts. 
Thus with moderate comfort she was enabled to make the journey 
eastward to the Saint Croix and the country of the Etchemins. 

" The Abenaki had lost favor in the high places amongst the 
French; the blame of the massacre of prisoners was set upon them; 
the scalping of Frenchmen also was laid at their doors ; so that for 
a period the tribe, being in disfavor, lay back in its own encamp- 
ments and kept aloof from conflict. But the girl could not be 
found amongst them when French emissaries from Quebec came 
making quest of her; chiefs had disappeared, too, with entire 
families, no one would or could tell where. A portion of the tribe 
was lost lost to their own as much as to the French: they had 
gone into a far country gone like shadows that disappear over 
night. 

" Afterwards when danger was past for Marguerite Quebec 
being fallen and French power broken the old chiefs came back, 
and with them the trains of their families; and Nallowa, growing 
feeble, brought the girl with her, vowing that now she must marry 
the American captain, and be a wife and mother. But the secret 
of their hiding place was strictly guarded; it became in the years 
a sort of mystery to the younger generation, because the command 
was laid upon them by the elders that the man who made effort 
to find it should be held accursed and untrue to his people, since 
there was no knowing when again it would be necessary to seek 
refuge in its covert, and it must not be made common ground. 

" You must have noted that from the last lake we crossed in 
coming here there was no outlet leading in the direction of this; 
unbroken and high banks closed in around on all sides but that by 
which we entered it; great masses of forest rose up and closed 
the mind to the thought of this spot or its possibility: and yet it 
lay here in its privacy awaiting us as it awaited Nadoga and his 
party when, with the girl, they were lost to French pursuit." 

And then I saw through Peol's purpose in telling me the 
story unasked. We were back in the eighteenth century with 



igi2.] THE MAID OF SERAGHTOGA 347 

Nadoga and Nallows and the others, and the girl was with us, 
the ripple of the sunlight in her hair, and the red leaf of a maple 
perhaps on her bosom: because here in its unbroken continuity 
stands the same primeval forest, doubly pictured to the eye in air 
and water, as remote from the ways and knowledge of men now as 
it was in that unchartered age of violence and rapine. 

Peol told me no more about the girl, content it would appear 
to place the drama of place rather than of persons at the close of his 
story. With this limitation I, too, must be content, and my readers 
like me. Still perhaps it is due to them to state that Marguerite 
married the man of her choice, with the consent of the government 
of France, but on condition that she renounce her heritage there, 
and in lieu of it accept a large sum of French gold. This she did; 
and Peol tells me that when the summer colonies of his tribe camp 
on the seashore " down Saco way," it is on the grounds once 
owned by this English daughter of theirs the Maid of Seraghtoga 
that they make their temporary resting place. 

But for me, who must give this tale a proper title, occurs 
the difficulty which is due to Peel's diverse dramatic point of view 
shall I emphasize the girl or the place? Shall I call it An 
Etchemin Princess? or Where The Tribe Was Lost? or simply 
entitle it A Story of Tribal Faith ? 



THE WISE MEN. 

BY E. M. D. 

THREE Wise Men, three Wise Men, 
For the stars had made them wise, 

They saw the portent of the King 
High in the winter skies 

They saw the Star of Bethlehem, 
When Christ was born, arise. 

And the Wise Men rode out eastward, 
And they questioned as they rode, 

The Wise Men, the Wise Men, 
As the Star before them glowed, 

" Can Earth," they asked, " contain this King 
Or compass His abode? 

" Has Earth a throne of glory 

That's high enough for Him 
By whom the stars are numbered, 

And the constellations dim? 
What need hath He of vassals 

Who rules the Cherubim? 

" Can all the world His palace 

And presence chamber span, 
Who sets a world as a lanthorn 

To guide the wandering man? 
With scorn, forsooth, our incense 

And gold His eye will scan ! " 

But they found Him in a stable, 

And a helpless Babe was He, 
Encompassed by a swaddling band, 

Laid on a maiden's knee ! 
And the Wise Men, the Wise Men, 

Adored the mystery. 



1912.] THE WISE MhN 349 

" For man," they said, " must ever 

Look upward to the sky, 
For, O! the deep's dimension 

Beyond His ken doth lie ; 
And the unknown Deep is deeper 

Than the heights are high. 

" And so must human knowledge 

Be bounded by the star, 
But Love, and Faith, and lowliness 

Dwell ever in a far 
Profundity, more spacious 

Than the heavens are. 

" So in the depth eternal, 

Unfathomed, He alone, 
Who lies here in humility 

Finds spaces for His throne; 
So dwells the God Incarnate 

In deeps unknown ! " 

So the Wise Men, the Wise Men, 

To the manger-crib drew nigh, 
For, O! the heavens had made them wise 

The Mystery to descry, 
For Faith and Love are deeper 

Than the stars are high ! 



THE POETRY OF CHRISTMAS. 



BY KATHERINE BREGY. 



Before I tell of Thee, God's Son, 

And all the sweet salvation 

That Thy birth brought to laboring men, 

Make me Thy little child again. 

Bid me put off the years, and be 

Once more in meek humility 

Thy little one and wondering-eyed. 

Give me their faith who stood beside 

The manger that Thy cradle was; 

Vision of oxen and of ass 

To see Thee curled on Mary's knee. 

Yea, give me their humility. 

***** 

Ere I behold Thy mysteries 

Force Thou my soul upon her knees! 

Katharine Tynan Hinkson. 

HILE all things were in quiet silence, and the night 
in the midst of her course, Thy Almighty Word, 
Lord, came down from heaven, from Thy royal 

throne And the Word was made flesh and 

dwelt amongst us. Like an epic flow the sentences 
of the Breviary ; but the brief Gospel story is the crowning poem of 
all the ages. There, out on the hillside, are the shepherds simple 
men, yet honest and watchful, and ready to take God at His word ; 
walking in their midst, one tall, golden angel bringing the tidings 
of great joy. Then all at once, the blue-black heavens roll back, 
the flood-gates are let down, and the high celestial multitude is 
revealed, chanting its psalm of glory and of peace. 

And why this piercing, dazzling vision of things hidden from 
the beginning of the world? Because over there in the rocky 
cave which served as stable the Desired of Nations is lying, a little, 
helpless Babe! There was never a more dramatic scene in the 
whole tale of humanity than that first Christmas night. Small 
wonder that the mystic turns faint with rapture, while poet and 
painter wax dizzy from sheer joy. Mary, so young and flower- 
like, presses Him to her breast; Joseph and the quiet beasts hold 
vigil; at last the shepherds are heard drawing nigh. Somewhere. 




1912.] THE POETRY OF CHRIS1MAS 351 

far across sea and desert, the faithful Magi are traveling on. 
But Bethlehem sleeps profoundly, as if nothing at all had happened : 
and all the while the angels and one star are watching overhead! 

It was Francis of Assisi who put into our churches the Christ- 
mas Manger the " Crib," as it is familiarly called : Francis 
the Little Poor Man who was poet and lover and saint all in one. 
Well, the lovers (thank God!) are always with us; and the poets 
a little band; and the saints, perhaps who knows? Even if these 
failed, there would still be the mothers and the little children. 
So the Manger stays, a concrete symbol beautiful and humble and 
oft-repeated of the poetry of Christmas. 

The Nativity, Aubrey de Vere used to say, is one of the 
few Christian mysteries which does not contain matter too stu- 
pendous for poetry. It is so tender that it ceases to confound. 
Unlike the Crucifixion or the Resurrection or even the Ascension, 
it is, at least in its externals, most comfortingly human. Hence 
was Coventry Patmore never weary of reiterating the great dictum 
of the saints, that to meditate upon the Incarnation was the su- 
preme and perfect wisdom. 

For ah ! who can express 

How full of bonds and simpleness 

Is God; 

How narrow is He, 
And how the wide, waste field of possibility 

Is only trod 
Straight to His homestead in the human heart ; 

Whose thoughts but live and move 
Round Man; Who woos his will 
To wedlock with His own, and does distil 
To that drop's span 

The attar of all rose-fields of all love ! 

It is no stranger, then, than the progress of seed and bud 
and blossom, that very early there should have grown up a Christ- 
mas poetry. In the primitive Madonna of the Catacombs, Christian 
art found one of its first expressions : and if the Madonna and 
Child have become (with one tragic exception!) the most popular 
symbol of entire Christianity, are they not still more essentially 
the symbol of Bethlehem? It was as Mysterium Ecclesiae, the 
Mystery, that the gentle Ambrose sang of Christmas; and others 
sang with him in those early and heroic centuries, turning with 



352 THE POETRY OF CHRISTMAS [Dec., 

very imaginable joy to this peaceful theme, as from the sorrows 
of Good Friday or the never-distant Dies Irae. Yet it was em- 
phatically different, this older poetry of Christmas, from those 
later lyrics which have made themselves the wonder and delight 
of the centuries. It was a didactic, a definitive poetry. The sub- 
ject was still fresh beautifully but not less perilously fresh; 
and the Fathers took nothing for granted. They were preoc- 
cupied with the eternal significance of the God-Birth among men, 
with the mystery of this Christ Who was Ever Ancient and Ever 
Young. And so there grew up a whole body of triumphal Christ- 
mas hymns, of which Prudentius' great Nativity is one of the most 
celebrated among the early examples, and Adeste Fidelis among the 
later. 

Already, one distinguishes an undernote rather of tenderness 
than of triumph. The pathos of the divine paradox was beginning 
to pierce men's hearts, albeit the glory still ruled their heads. More 
and more, they dreamed and sang of Christmas for its own 
sake; and ceasing to explain, they knelt down beside the Manger- 
Throne just to marvel, to adore. This was to be the enduring 
note of Christmas poetry, this personal and realistic note ; it struck, 
in deepest truth, the passing of the hymn and the homily into the 
poem. One of its earliest authentic expressions may be found in 
the German Strabo, who died in his Swabian monastery about 849 
A. D., and whose Lumen Indytum Refulget anticipates the flute-calls 
of Crashaw and a hundred later lyrists : 

God, the Maker of the heavens, 

God, the Shaper of the earth, 
Crown and glory of the angels 

Comes, a Babe of human birth. 

In His span the heavens are measured, 

On His palm He holds the sun, 
Yet in swathing bands enfolded, 

Here He lies, a Little One. 

Lo! the God Whose word almighty 

Formed the ages, is at rest, 
Fondled on the Virgin's bosom, 

Nurtured on the Mother's breast.* 

A century later, St. Benno, another Teuton, stood sponsor 

*Translated by the Hon. D. J. Donahue in his Early Christian Hymns. 



1912.] THE POETRY OF CHRISTMAS 353 

for an exquisite Christmas song of close kin to Strabo's. And by 
the fifteenth century we are hot upon an embarrassment of riches. 
How popular and how prolific the strain had already proved may be 
inferred from a touching little poem by John Mauburne, sometime 
abbot of Livry. It is a colloquy between the pilgrim and the Christ 
Child, very modern in all save its clinging to the Latin tongue : 

Ah ! how humble is Thy birth 

In the lowly manger, 
Thou the Lord of heaven and earth, 

Weeping as a stranger ; 
If a King indeed art Thou, 
Where is all Thy glory now ? 

Where Thy halls of splendor? 
Here is nought but poverty, 
Barren need and penury, 

Little Child so tender ! 

. . 

" Hither hath a love sublime 

Drawn me down so lowly, 
Love of man whose greed and crime 

Make the earth unholy, 
I must suffer this disgrace 
To uplift the human race 

Out of woes distressing ; 
I must suffer want and pain 
To enrich your race, and gain 

Everlasting blessing."* 

Atavism, surely, is a commoner thing than we are wont to 
admit; and the centuries jostle one another with delightful in- 
souciance up and down the paths of modern song and of modern 
life. Who can turn from the " divine familiarity " of Abbot 
Mauburne, for instance, without thinking straightway upon Francis 
Thompson's 

Little Jesus, wast Thou shy 

Once, and just so small as I? 

And what did it feel like to be 

Out of Heaven and just like me? 

As for Crashaw's chronology, one knows not how to compute 
it. Lineal descendant he truly was of the saintly Benno, with a 

"Translated by the Hon. D. J. Donahue in his Early Christian Hymns. 
VOL. XCVI. 23. 



354 THE POETRY OF CHRISTMAS [Dec., 

family resemblance to the little group of early Flemish artists 
who sang their love-songs upon canvas. There was more than a 
dash of Italy in his make-up of Masaccio and the early Floren- 
tines, passionately sensuous, passionately devout, not yet pass- 
ionately sophisticated! and more than a draught of Spain. The 
most improbable thing of all was that he should so gayly have 
" led Poetry bound back to Heaven's gates " in the teeth of Crom- 
well's army ! But such are the ironies or may one not better say, 
the immortalities? of music. How Crashaw's lyrical shepherds 
met " Love's noon in Nature's night " ought, for true appreciation, 
to be read in toto; but since their hymn is a trifle long and not 
entirely obvious, this fragment may be stolen : 

" Poor World (said I) what will thou doe 

To entertain this starry Stranger? 
Is this the best thou canst bestow, 
A cold, and not too cleanly, manger? 

******* 

" I saw the curl'd drops, soft and slow, 

Come hovering o'er the place's head ; 
Offering their whitest sheets of snow 

To furnish the fair Infant's bed : 
Forbear, said I; be not too bold, 
Your fleece is white, but 'tis too cold. 

" I saw the obsequious Seraphims 

Their rosy fleece of fire bestow, 
For well they now can spare their wing 

Since Heav'n itself lyes here below. 
Well done, said I : but are you sure 
Your down so warm will passe for pure? 

" No, no, your King's not yet to seeke 

Where to repose his royall Head. 
See, see, how soon his new-bloom'd Cheek 

'Twixt mother's breasts is gone to bed. 
Sweet choise, said we! No way but so 
Not to ly cold, yet sleep in snow ! " 

It is one of the sweetest Christmas hymns in existence, and it 
illustrates perfectly the warm and fond familiarity which (even 
in England) has been a distinguishing note of Catholic poetry. 
It is not, for the most part, reverent : it is devout. For reverence 



1912.] THE POETRY OF CHRISTMAS 355 

implies something of " the dread and fear of kings ;" it is a chilly 
and formal virtue, when all is said a virtue of the serf rather 
than the son. But love takes for granted all the bright and mani- 
fold surprises of God. It holds them close, and dreams and 
laughs and makes them quite her own. Doubtless it is through the 
much sacramentalism of Catholicity that her children in all climes 
have acquired something of this intimacy a thing which the poets 
have always loved, and the Philistines as invariably detested. 

Coleridge caught the fine infection whenever he stepped into 
the Virgin's precincts, and he has left us a little Nativity which 
should not be forgotten. His Christmas Carol, on the contrary, is 
a rather uninspired piece of writing, mainly because the carol was 
so manifestly not his proper metier. And, then, he seems never to 
have penetrated very felicitously into the heart of childhood. But 
he felt, and transmitted well, the thrill of the Divine Humanness 
when he mused of her, the Mary of Bethlehem 

Blessed, blessed, for she lay 

With such a babe in one blest bed, 

Close as babes and mothers lie! 

This self -same strain may be called the keynote of our count- 
less Christmas lullabies; most of which hark back for inspiration 
to the anonymous Latin Dormi, Fill, Dormi, and one of which is 
universally known in the brooding beauty of Barnaby's music. 
Within recent years much of the best of this " realistic " 
Christmas poetry has been written by women. Mrs. Hinkson has 
sung the strain sweetly and blithely Mrs. Browning sweetly and 
sadly. No one, indeed, could quarrel with the tenderness of the 
latter's Virgin Mary to the Child Jesus; although a Catholic 
critic might well quarrel with certain speeches which follow natur- 
ally enough from a denial of the Immaculate Conception. But 
never so triste a Madonna as she who bends over her Jesus " of 
aspect very sorrowful," her " child without the heart for play," 
whose little lips have never once curled in smiling kisses! Some- 
where in space stretches the delicate and dangerous frontier be- 
tween sentience sentiment and sentimentality. There are no 
white lights of warning, no visible and conspicuous outposts. The 
balance lies midway between head and heart. But to cross the 
barrier is for art (perhaps, also, for life?) to pass from soundness 
to morbidity. 



356 THE POETRY OF CHRISTMAS [Dec., 

A braver music then, and a better than this colloquy of Mrs. 
Browning's, rings in the Christmas carols of our own Louise 
Imogen Guiney. Here is one of the fairest of them one of the 
rarest of them, alike in its fancy and its pathos : 

Still as blowing rose, sudden as a sword, 
Maidenly the Maiden bare Jesu Christ the Lord ; 
Yet for very lowlihood, such a Guest to greet, 
Goeth in a little swoon while kissing of His feet. 

Mary, drifted snow on the earthen floor, 

Joseph, fallen wondrous weak now he would adore 

(Oh, the surging might of love! Oh, the drowning bliss!) 

Both are rapt to Heaven, and lose their human Heaven that is. 

From the Newly Born trails a lonely cry. 
With a mind to heed, the Ox turns a glowing eye; 
In the empty byre the Ass thinks her heart to blame : 
Up for comforting of God the beasts of burden came, 

Softly to inquire, thrusting as for cheer 

There between the tender hands, furry faces dear. 

Blessing on the honest coats ! tawny coat and grey 

Friended our Delight so well when warmth had strayed away. 

******* 

The Ox and the Ass, 

Be you glad for them 
Such a moment came to pass 

In Bethlehem! 

It is interesting to set over against this poetry of sentiment 
and devotion, the Merry Christmas verses the ballads, glees and 
carols for which England was one time famous. Here the ancient 
pagan strain, the praise of yule-log and boar's head and foaming 
ale, leaped to the fore, albeit duly baptized and chrismed. The 
earlier carols, indeed the Norman- English songs, the " Welcom be 
Thou, Hevene King " of Henry VI.'s reign, the " God rest you, 
merry gentlemen," are emphatically pious of intention. But, 
for the most part, these convivial songs were in high favor about 
the time men had grown to take the spiritual Christmas very much 
for granted. Everyone remembers the spirited opening of George 
Wither's famous lines, first printed some six years after Shake- 
speare's death, but likely sung before : 



1912.] THE POETRY OF CHRISTMAS 357 

So now is come our joyfulst feast, 

Let every man be jolly, 
Each room with ivy leaves is drest 

And every post with holly. 

****** 

Without the door let sorrow lye ; 
And if for cold it hap to die, 
We'll bury it in a Christmas pie 
And evermore be merry! 

After all, good cheer and good will may justly enough be 
called a human corollary of the divine Nativity ; how justly is shown 
by this gracious excerpt from Poor Robin's Almanac: 

Now that the time is come wherein 

Our Saviour Christ was born, 
The larders full of beef and pork, 

The garners fill'd with corn; 
As God hath plenty to thee sent, 

Take comfort of thy labours, 
And let it never thee repent 

To feast thy needy neighbours! 

These carols of " Merry England " might very well claim a 
paper all their own. Boisterous they were at moments, delicious at 
other moments ; with something of the forest in them and more of 
the kitchen. Poetically they were seldom to be taken au grand 
serieux, but humanly they did and irresistibly do appeal to the 
eternal boyhood of the world. And if we fancy them dead, let us 
look to our modern " Christmas cards " before ringing the bell for 
their mirthful passing. In these popular pasteboards, behold! the 
carol survives most effectually. It prevails, even, over all the 
higher poetry of Christmas ! 

Like the great feast itself, this poetry of Noel is a many-sided 
thing : and it is well that here, as elsewhere, man should " fulfill 
himself in many ways." We ourselves are witnessing a revival, 
under new conditions, of the old religious drama. Only a 
few years back the English censor banished from the London 
theatre one of the most beautiful and most reverent of modern 
Nativity plays, the Bethlehem of Laurence Housman. It was very 
Catholic in thought and feeling; it was vivid and simple and poetic. 
To be sure, the sublimity of the theme was imperfectly realized it 



358 THE POETRY OF CHRISTMAS [Dec., 

was not even attempted. The shepherds talked provincial English 
and the Magi recited Aves. This conscious naivete was the per- 
vading charm of Bethlehem. In Mr. Housman's own words, here 
was no attempt at a " naturalistic or realistic " version of the Na- 
tivity, but an effort to concentrate into symbolic drama " all the 
love and delight and wonder which have come to be associated 
with Christmas." 

This, the symbolic treatment, will be perhaps the final ex- 
pression of Christmas poetry. It is not new (nothing seems ever 
to be new!) : it is at least as old as the visions of the saints. Like 
Raphael, it laughs at chronology. It is personal, but no longer 
realistic. Father Southwell's celebrated lyric was of precisely this 
type : how much of Bethlehem was there in The Burning Babe? 

As I in hoary Winter's night stood shivering in the snow, 
Surpris'd I was with sudden heat, which made my heart to glow ; 
And lifting up a fearful eye to view what fire was near, 
A pretty Babe, all burning bright, did in the air appear 

et cetera. 

Beside this ardent Elizabethan colloquy, one likes to place 
the cool greenness of a modern Celtic Christ Child John Tod- 
hunter's : 

The Christ Child came to my bed one night, 

He came in tempest and thunder ; 
His presence woke me in sweet affright, 

I trembled for joy and wonder; 
He bore sedately His Christmas-tree, 

It shone like a silver willow, 
His grave child's eyes looked wistfully 

As He laid a branch on my pillow. 

And when He had left me alone, alone, 

And all the house lay sleeping, 
I planted it in a nook of my own, 

And watered it with my weeping. 
And there it strikes its roots in the earth. 

And opens its leaves to heaven; 
And when its blossoms have happy birth, 

I shall know my sins forgiven. 

This is the Christ Child, older than Bethlehem, younger than 
to-morrow, who lives still in His Church and His World. Father 






1912.] THE POETRY OF CHRISTMAS 359 

Tabb had sight of Him, through his blindness in the southland a 
wholly unique vision which he crystallized in verses of exquisite 
charm and paradox : 

A little Boy of heavenly birth, 
But far from home to-day, 
Comes down to find His Ball, the Earth, 
Join in to get Him back His ball! 

O comrades, let us one and all 
Join in to get Him back His ball ! 

Even so far has the little Christ Child traveled, up and down 
the songs of so many centuries. They are harmonies upon diverse 
themes, but He is their unity. And this is the eternal Christmas 
message the oft-repeated Incarnation: Love, Joy, Youth, reborn 
every time the Christmas crescent swings like a silver cradle high 
up in the December skies! 

But see t the Virgin blest 

Hath laid her Babe to rest, 

Time is our tedious song should here have ending; 

Heaifris youngest teemed star 

Hath fix'd her polish' d car, 
Her sleeping Lord with handmaid lamp attending; 

And all about the courtly stable 

Bright-harnessed Angels sit in order serviceable.* 
' i 

*John Milton : On the Morning of Christ's Nativity. 



CHRISTIAN SCIENCE. 




BY ADRIAN FEVEREL. 
II. 

THE CULT OF THE UNCHRISTIAN. 

O the future historian of religious thought in the later 
nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, Christian 
Science will doubtless stand out in greater relief 
than we at present view it. For he will see, with 
that perspective which only time can give, how 
largely it is now moulding the ideals and aspirations of " new " 
religions. Like the errors that have from the beginning assailed 
the Church, Christian Science is to-day working quietly and pa- 
tiently to undermine the foundations of true Christianity. 

The great force of Protestantism, that is to say, Protestantism 
as our forefathers understood the word, is about spent. Hitherto, 
Protestants have been, except in a few cases, believers in the Di- 
vinity of Christ. But to-day, with scarcely an exception, ration- 
alistic doctrines are expounded from the pulpits of Protestant 
churches of all denominations. In this work of destruction Eddy- 
ism has been from its inception a pioneer. Gnosticism, together 
with Pelagianism, and other heresies that have afflicted Christ's 
Church from Apostolic times, has been one of the leading tenets 
of the sect. In " science " the hypostatic union has no place. 
Jesus Christ, the God-Man ceases to be God and man, Christ 
becomes "Truth;" to use Mrs. Eddy's own words, "The divine 
manifestation of God, which comes to destroy incarnate error,"* 
while Jesus becomes " the highest human corporeal concept of the 
divine idea."f " Modern ideas of God," of which we hear and 
read so much to-day in the books that echo the religious thought of 
our own time, seem to have been latent in Mrs. Eddy's system long 
ere volumes bearing such titles began to make their appearance. 
And in this we can see how, unconsciously, perhaps, her sophistries 
have been gradually absorbed in so-called " modern " religious 
teachings. But these doctrines of Eddyism, while set forth quite 

^Science and Health, p. 583. ^Ibid., p. 589. 



I 9 i2.] CHRISTIAN SCIENCE 361 

clearly in the authorized literature of the sect, are yet presented 
in such an obscure and cloudy phraseology that those who still 
cling to " orthodox Protestant views " rarely comprehend them 
in all their fullness of disbelief. To the " advanced thinker," 
however, such doctrines make a strong appeal, since he finds in them 
a solution of his problem, a religion in which dogma and its at- 
tendant inconveniences, to the pseudo philosophic mind, have no 
place. The " scientist," therefore, by interpreting the Bible 
" scientifically," offers to the seeker of a " modern " religion, one 
in which Divine Mysteries are not known, while the less modern 
individual whom Science has " helped"" need not entirely discard 
his beliefs to be a member of Mrs. Eddy's Church. Indeed Mrs. 
Eddy goes even further than this, and shows how Jew and Gen- 
tile may be united in her fold.* It is this tendency of Christian 
Science which we propose to examine now; that is to say, the un- 
christian character manifested in it. 

In order, however, properly to examine Christian Science as 
The Cult of the Unchristian, we must first understand how this 
unchristian element enters its teachings. To ascertain this we must 
first analyze its concept of God. And in this analysis we shall 
find that Eddyism is not only unchristian, but blasphemous as well. 
For while it denies the Divinity of Jesus, and while this denial is 
certainly one of its gravest errors, still this error is built upon the 
greater error of a blasphemous concept of God. And by blas- 
phemous we mean identifying the creature and the Creator. Let 
us quote a few passages from Science and Health, and see whether 
or not Mrs. Eddy's concept of God teaches that Creator and creature 
are merged in one. 

Man in the likeness of his Maker reflects the central light 
of being, the invisible God. As there is no corporeality in 
the mirrored form, which is but a reflection, so man, like all 
things else, belongs to God, and his life is in the divine Prin- 
ciple above him, not in a mortal body.f 

Because man is the reflection of his Maker, he is not subject 
to birth, growth, maturity, decay. These mortal dreams are of 
human origin, not divine.^ 

Man cannot be separated for an instant from God, if 

man reflects God. 

Eye hath not seen God nor His image and likeness. Neither 

*Science and Health, p. 360. ilbid., p. 305. 

%Ibid., p. 305. llbid., p. 306. 



362 CHRISTIAN SCIENCE [Dec., 

God nor the perfect man can be discerned by the material 
senses.* 

Immortal man was and is God's image or idea, even the infi- 
nite expression of infinite Mind, and immortal man is coex- 
istent and coeternal with that Mind.f 

God, without the image and likeness of Himself, would be a 
nonentity, or Mind unexpressed.ij: 

It would not be at all difficult to furnish a page or two more 
of extracts similar in thought. Just what do they all mean? Su- 
perficially considered, read without careful analysis, one might per- 
haps interpret them as giving expression to a belief in the immor- 
tality of the soul, or perhaps one might read into them a strange 
manner of setting forth a belief in man as being made in God's 
image and likeness. 

Yet this is very far indeed from their true meaning. In 
"science" individual souls do not exist ! There is no individual 
soul belonging to each individual ego; soul is God. "Souls " are 
beliefs in error. If we examine these quotations properly, we find 
that Mrs. Eddy really identifies God and man. To analyze her own 
analogy, man is God's reflection. She conceives man as being with- 
out corporeal existence. The human body is nothingness, a form 
of error. What of man's soul? Her own words on this subject 
show her belief, or rather disbelief, in the soul as we understand the 
term. Answering a question in the chapter entitled " Recapitula- 
tion," " What are spirits and souls ? " she says : " To human belief 
they are personalities constituted of mind and matter, life and death, 

truth and error, good and evil The term souls or spirits is 

as improper as the term gods. Soul or Spirit signifies Deity and 
nothing else."|| 

Here she clearly identifies God and man. She denies the ex- 
istence of the individual soul, she teaches that man is the reflection 
of God, and, hence, is the same in appearance as God. Her figure, 
to illustrate her thought, is rather difficult to understand. A re- 
flection has, of course, no actual existence. And in this the " dis- 
coverer and founder " of Christian Science seems to make man 
nought but a shadow. Yet this is not really her idea, for she does 
not seem to understand that the reflection is dependent entirely 
upon the mirror and the person standing before it, she seems to see 
only that the reflection moves and acts only as the person reflected 

^Science and Health, p. 330. \Ibid., p. 336. %lbid., p. 303. 

\Ibid., p. 335. \\Ibid., p. 466. 



I 9 i2.] CHRISTIAN SCIENCE 363 

moves and acts. Continuing her figure she assumes God as the 
Person reflected, man as the reflection, Christian Science as the mir- 
ror.* God, she reasons, is all good, hence the reflection is all good. 
God is deathless, without beginning or end, hence man is deathless 
and without beginning or end. In brief the creature and the Cre- 
ator are one, precisely as the reflection and the person standing 
before a mirror are one.f 

If one should object to this, and charge Mrs. Eddy with incon- 
sistency, since she asserts that her system is built upon the teachings 
of the Bible, and show that this conception of God and man 
is in direct contradiction to the account in Genesis, the " scientist " 
would answer that " scientifically interpreted " the Mosaic account 
corroborates Mrs. Eddy's doctrine in every particular. He argues 
that in Genesis are two distinct accounts of Creation : the Elo- 
histic and the Jehovistic.J The Elohistic is " scientific," because 
God found all things to be good. The Jehovistic is the account 
of error, the Adam dream, the origin of a belief of intelligence in 
matter. 1 1 Adam was fashioned from the dust;fl the very word di- 
vided into two syllables, Mrs. Eddy says, suggests the thought of 
mortal mind in solution, something fluid, a dam or obstruction.** 
Of course, such interpretations are manifestly absurd. The two 
appellations by which God was known to the Jews are scattered 
throughout the book of Genesis. Indeed, in Genesis v. I, it is Elo- 
him who is named in connection with the generations of Adam. 
Therefore we need waste no more space in refuting such erroneous 
theories. 

But it is in the last quotation above that we see most clearly 
the absolutely blasphemous nature of Mrs. Eddy's concept of God. 
" God, without the image and likeness of Himself, would be a non- 
entity, or Mind unexpressed." This is tantamount to saying that 
unless man exists, God cannot exist. To bring in again Mrs. 
Eddy's figure of the mirror. Unless one gazes in the mirror, 
unless one reflects one's self, one has no existence. In fine, then, 
God would cease to exist without His reflection man, since 
God and man are inseparable and eternally united. How Mrs. 
Eddy can hold such a theory in the face of the Scriptural account of 
Creation, even " scientifically interpreted," it is difficult to see. 

It is almost superfluous to refute such doctrines. No one 
of the inspired writers ever held such views, and Mrs. Eddy brings 

*Science and Health, p. 300. Wbid., p. 258. %Ibid., p. 523. 

llbid., p. 520. \\Ibid., p. 524. Hlbid., p. 579. **Ibid., p. 338. 



364 CHRISTIAN SCIENCE [Dec., 

forward no texts to support her erroneous concepts. Indeed, in 
her exegesis, The Key of the Scriptures, this inconsistency is passed 
over in silence. Yet her whole system rests upon this idea of God. 
Her system of healing, her doctrines of sin and marriage, her 
teaching regarding Jesus, all derive their being from this pantheis- 
tic concept. Perhaps it might be worth our while to examine 
hastily the true teaching of the Bible regarding such a doctrine. 
We find, in Numbers xxiii. 19 Moses speaking such words as these 
to the children of Israel : " God is not a man, that He should 
lie." Clearly here the great Lawgiver teaches that man is not 
perfect, since he lies. God does not lie, hence man cannot be 
God's reflection, since God cannot lie and man can. The life and 
teachings of Our Blessed Savior also rebuke this doctrine of 
Mrs. Eddy's. The teaching of St. John the Baptist, " Be baptized 
and do penance," show clearly in what way Our Lord's forerunner 
regarded man's relations with God. If man were but God's reflec- 
tion, perfect and stainless, what need of penance? And if, in 
this connection, the " Scientist " attempts to evade the plain mean- 
ing of St. John's exhortation by explaining that, " scientifically 
interpreted," this means simply " purify yourself of the illusion 
of sin," he is shown to be at odds with the command .of Our 
Savior to His Apostles. " Loose and bind, remit and ,retain." 
Obviously, as we showed in the first paper, to retain an illusion 
is impossible if the illusion does not exist, and if one is cognizant 
of this fact. 

Looking at Mrs. Eddy's concept of God from a rational 
viewpoint, its absurdity becomes even more patent. For if the 
creature be merely a reflection of the Creator, the creature is 
manifestly deprived of free will. A reflection can in no way 
indicate that its subject has life without the full and entire consent 
of the subject. The reflection cannot move unless the subject 
moves ; and, pushing the figure yet further, we see that the reflection 
is without many of the attributes of its subject, for, assuming that 
the subject of the reflection is a human being, the subject can speak, 
see, taste, feel, and a hundred other actions are possible to it 
which the reflection cannot even seem to perform. Therefore we 
are fully justified in asserting that this doctrine of Eddyism not only 
deprives man of free will, clearly violating a demonstrable fact of 
existence, but it also denies him certain demonstrable powers, 
which accompany possession of free will. 

To what does such a definition of God and man tend? Con- 



I 9 i2.] CHRISTIAN SCIENCE 365 

sidered from a material standpoint the answer must be : to destruc- 
tion. Universally accepted such an idea would make each man iden- 
tical with God. In a very mild way, as compared with the teachings 
of Eddyism, certain Roman philosophers held these blasphemous 
concepts of God. Certain of the emperors were declared 
of divine origin. To the decadence in religious thought, many 
historians trace the corruption that so infested the empire, that it 
eventually brought about its destruction. It is not at all difficult 
to see that the logical outcome of a universal acceptance of Mrs. 
Eddy's theory of God would lead to even worse results. It does 
not answer at all to show that at present " scientists " are morally 
decent. They are so because, as we showed in the first paper, 
society, as at present constituted, compels them to be so, not to 
mention their early environment. Change the society, change the 
code of morals, teach that there is no sin, that man, being God's 
reflection and likeness, is coecernal and coexistent with God, and 
hence incapable of sin, in "short teach Christian Science as it really 
is, and not as many of its adherents believe it to be, and the result 
would be nothing short of chaos. 

Spiritually considered, to what does this teaching of Eddyism 
lead ? Briefly, God, as at present understood, would cease to exist. 
The Trinity, being " suggestive of polytheism,"* would of course 
no longer be worshipped. The Holy Ghost in " science " is Divine 
Science,! therefore worship to the Paraclete would be also a thing 
of the past. Jesus being merely " the highest human concept of 
the divine idea,"$ divine honor would no longer be due His Sacred 
Humanity. 

That Eddyism is wholly unchristian in character will be readily 
shown by examining a few quotations from the " precious volume." 
And it is interesting to realize in this regard that in the beginning 
Christian Science was known not by the deceptive name which it 
now bears, but by such peculiar titles as " The Science of Man," 
" Moral Science," " Divine Metaphysics," etc. Mrs. Eddy was an 
astute woman, and certainly she saw clearly that a system of re- 
ligion embracing mental healing such as hers would make little 
progress in a community largely inhabited by Protestants of the 
puritanical school. It is noteworthy, too, that her earliest converts 
were formerly spiritualists. Mrs. Eddy at all events grasped this 
fact fully, and accordingly she coined the name under which her 
pantheistic system now masquerades. 

^Science and Health, p. 256. ilbid., p. 331. tlbid., p. 589. 

See Christian Science and Life of Mrs. Eddy. By Georgine Milmine. 



366 CHRISTIAN SCIENCE [Dec., 

To return to our examination of Christian Science as The Cult 
of the Unchristian. Let us open the textbook a moment, and see 
what its conception of Jesus Christ actually is. A very few cita- 
tions suffice for our purpose. 

The corporeal Jesus was human.* 

Jesus : The highest human concept of the divine idea.f 

The lonely precincts of the tomb gave Jesus a refuge from 
His foes, a place in which to solve the great problem of being. 
His three days work in the sepulchre set the seal of eternity on 

time He met and mastered on the basis of Christian 

Science the power of mind over matter, all the claims of medi- 
cine, surgery, and hygiene4 

In His final demonstration, called the ascension, He rose 
above the physical knowledge of His disciples, and the material 
senses saw Him no more. 

These quotations taken quite at random show very clearly the 
teaching of " Science " regarding Our Divine Redeemer. Once 
separated from the verbal mist which hangs over all of Mrs. Eddy's 
writings, we begin to see what she is really saying. Read in the 
textbook, with a mass of hazy phrases, one sometimes fails ade- 
quately to understand their real intent. For example, consider 
the first quotation. " The corporeal Jesus was human." This 
we all know and acknowledge. But we also believe that the cor- 
poreal Jesus was Divine. This Mrs. Eddy denies entirely. She 
does not at all deny that Jesus was born of a virgin. And it is 
interesting to note in this regard that " the discoverer and founder " 
of Christian Science considers Our Lady and her virginal delivery 
precisely as she would consider any other woman who had " suf- 
ficient science " to create a child through mental generation. Mary's 
spiritual sense was illumined with divine science, or the Holy 
Ghost. In other words, Our Lady caught a gleam of Eddyism, and 
through this understanding she brought forth her child, putting 
to silence the material order of generation, and demonstrating God 
as the Father of men.|| To put it in plainer words, with a sufficient 
knowledge of " science," any woman could become a virginal 
mother. Just how Mrs. Eddy regards Jesus as human, when ac- 
cording to her theories the corporeal form of mankind is erron- 
eous,^ and at the same time a concept of the divine idea, it is 

^Science and Health, p. 332, ^Ibid., p. 589. %Ibid., p. 44. 

>id., p. 46. \\Ibid., p. 29. ^Ibid., p. 477. 



I 9 i2.] CHRISTIAN SCIENCE 367 

difficult to see. We must not, however, look for consistency in 
Eddyism, that is a gem that does not adorn our author's " laborious 
publications."* 

It is in the third quotation that Mrs. Eddy lets us see what her 
ideas upon this subject really are. For the second extract is largely 
a repetition of the first. It is interesting to see, however, that as 
the corporeal identity of man is a form of error, Jesus must, there- 
fore, be also a form, highly attenuated, perhaps, of error. To 
return to the citation we are now analyzing. Here she argues 
that Jesus did not die. Within the tomb Our Savior solves the 
great problem of being. Through this solution He later appears to 
His disciples. God is omniscient. Jesus could not have been, 
since He must seek a place of refuge from His foes to solve a prob- 
lem. Just what this collection of verbal nonsense means it would be 
almost impossible to determine. Was Jesus alive within the tomb ? 
As in science, death is a meie belief, it would appear so. "His 
three days work set the seal of eternity on time," a rather unique 
proceeding to say no more, but let us pass that, and come to the 
really interesting portion of the passage. " He met, and mastered, 
on the basis of Christian Science, all claims of medicine, surgery, 
and hygiene." In other words, Our Savior, instead of lying in the 
sepulchre in the white sleep of death, while His Soul was in that 
Limbo where He preached delivery to the captives, was busy 
within the " lonely precincts of the tomb, meeting and mastering 
claims of medicine, surgery, hygiene, life, and intelligence in 
matter." Could absurdity go to greater lengths without detection? 

To sum up, then, this passage in the only possible way of 
reading it, it must mean simply this : Jesus did not know all things, 
hence He was not God. He did not die upon the cross for our 
sins. Indeed, why should He since sin is only an illusion? In- 
stead, in the sepulchre He demonstrated to His own satisfaction that 
medicine, surgery, and hygiene are but forms of error. Let us 
remember in this connection, too, that at Mrs. Eddy's demise, Mrs. 
Stetson promptly wrote an article on her coming resurrection, f and 
when we consider that Mrs. Eddy wrote of Our Lord's work as 
incomplete, and only completed in the " definite rule " contained 
in Science and Health,% which she herself had, it is remarkable 
to say no more, that Our Savior could solve the " great problem 
of being " in three days, while Mrs. Eddy has from all accounts 

^Science and Health, p. 464. ^The Independent, January, 1911. 

^Retrospection and Introspection, p. 51. 



368 CHRISTIAN SCIENCE [Dec., 

not yet completed her solution. But, perhaps, the " great problem 
of being " is more complex than formerly. It is interesting also 
to see that Mrs. Eddy elsewhere directly contradicts this citation 
in these words, " Jesus of Nazareth was a divine and natural 
Scientist. He was so before the material world saw him. He 
Who antedated Abraham and gave the world a new date in the 
Christian era was a Christian Scientist, who needed no discovery 
of the Science of Being in order to rebuke the evidence of the 
material senses with his spiritual senses"* 

An examination of the fourth quotation shows that not only 
does Mrs. Eddy deny the Divinity and Resurrection of Jesus, but 
she also denies His Ascension, in the sense in which it is usually 
understood. He did not rise bodily, He was not " carried up 
into Heaven " as St. Luke tells us. He merely rose above the 
material senses of His disciples, as " scientists " will rise some day 
above the material senses of those poor mortal minds that cannot see 
the " truth." Such an interpretation as this is, naturally, too entirely 
unscriptural to merit refutation from the Biblical standpoint. 

It is not at all to the purpose to refute these unchristian teach- 
ings from the philosophic standpoint. That has been done too 
often already, and, moreover, we are not concerned in proving 
that Jesus was God, but rather in proving that Christian Science 
does not regard Him as God. To do this we have shown, first, how 
such a doctrine comes to be the logical outcome of the " scientist's " 
concept of God. A concept that merges the creature and the 
Creator in one. Obviously, in a system of religion whose basic 
principle identifies God and man, there could be no place for the 
God-man our Lord Jesus Christ. He had no mission, as His 
mission has always been understood. There was no sin for Him to 
expiate, for sin is nothing, and its only reality is the illusion of its 
reality.f Christ's mission, therefore, was not one of expiation, 
but of explanation. The Crucifixion merely demonstrated God's 
goodness and affection for mankind. $ Our Savior's miracles were, 
in reality, not miracles at all, but rather divinely natural occurrences 
which seemed miraculous to those " mortal minds " which were so 
steeped in error that they could not comprehend them. The Res- 
urrection was not really a Resurrection at all. For man being 
God's reflection cannot die, and therefore cannot rise again. 
Jesus solved problems in the tomb, which was not a place of sepul- 

*Science and Health, p. 33. ^Ibid., p. 472. 

., pp. 24, 497. Ibid., pp. 591, 139, 144. 



I 9 i2.] CHRISTIAN SCIENCE 369 

ture for His dead body, but rather " a place of refuge from His 
foes." He was not omniscient, therefore, and therefore He was 
not God. How can Mrs. Eddy, however, explain the inconsistency 
which enters her " scientific interpretation " here, when we object to 
this, that Our Lady and St. Mary Magdalene came to the tomb with 
spices to anoint the body? If in answer to this it be said that they 
were still befogged in materialism, then it would be interesting to 
know where the " illumination of the Holy Ghost " had vanished 
that Mrs. Eddy tells us was vouchsafed to Our Lady at the An- 
nunciation. The Ascension was merely a supersensual one, a 
rising above material senses. So much for Christian Science as 
The Cult of the Unchristian. 

A little inquiry as to the logical outcome of such doctrines 
may not be out of place in conclusion. Such religious tenets uni- 
versally accepted would mean, it is easy to see, the annihilation of 
Christianity. The Sacraments have no place in Eddyism, hence 
they would cease as the means of God's grace bestowed upon 
mankind. Baptism " in Science " is " a purification from 
all error."* Communion is not the celebration of those 
mysteries Our Redeemer ordained, but rather a " spiritual break- 
fast."! In brief, then, these doctrines of Eddyism aim at nothing 
less than the extinction of all that is truly Christian and Apostolic; 
they strike at the very roots of Christianity, and in defining them 
as unchristian we have not at all overstated their dangerous and 
malicious character. 

^Science and Health, p. 35. Mbid., p. 34. 

[TO BE CONTINUED.] 



VOL. XCVI. 24. 



A CATHOLIC DEEP-SEA MISSION. 




BY WILLIAM P. H. KITCHEN, PH.D. 

HE average person who makes a journey across the 
Atlantic, and to a still greater extent the one who 
goes on a short holiday cruise, have not the slightest 
conception of the dangers, privations, and hardships 
of " those who go down to the sea in ships." The 
ocean-going traveler is provided with a comfortable stateroom in a 
large and well-equipped steamer; he has an army of especially 
trained servants at his command; he can obtain the services of a 
doctor if he is ill, and an excellent chef makes every meal a thing 
of surprise and tempting daintiness. Now the wireless apparatus 
keeps our voyager in continual relation with his home, in constant 
touch with the news of the world. And last, but not least, at the 
end of a week or ten days he finds himself on terra firma once more, 
safely delivered from the lurking perils and unaccountable mis- 
chances of the deep. 

How different is the lot, how changed the circum- 
stances of those who must follow the sea for a livelihood, 
who must wrest or cajole from its treacherous waves the bread 
whereby they live ! No sumptuously appointed steamer waits their 
convenience, but a poor little bark of one hundred or one hundred 
and fifty tons burden. Within this frail shelter a dozen or a score 
of men have their home for months at a time, with just a few inches 
of crazy planking between them and eternity. Their food is of 
the coarsest and roughest, salt pork and salt beef not of the best 
quality alternately; while the place of bread is largely taken by 
a particularly hard biscuit, locally called " hard tack." This bis- 
cuit, if preserved from the damp, will keep indefinitely, and, like 
wine, grows mellow with age. When soaked overnight in cold 
water, and boiled or fried in the morning with several slices of 
fat pork, it makes a not unappetizing breakfast, which they call 
" bruise," greatly esteemed by fishermen and others. In one tiny 
" f o'scle " the whole crew have to live, eat, and sleep ; their ill-kept 
berths, no bigger than coffins, arranged in tiers around a small 
central space. The atmosphere of the " fo'scle " is absolutely inde- 



1912.] A CATHOLIC DEEP-SEA MISSION 371 

scribable a conglomerate of fish, oil, bilge water, and abortive 
culinary efforts. At the best of times ventilation is poor, and in 
bad weather is absolutely out of the question. When a man is 
in good health it is true these manifold discomforts are scarcely 
perceived by him, but consider the fate of an unfortunate creature 
sick in such surroundings, unable to help himself, whose comrades 
are kept too busy to give him any attentions, even supposing they 
knew how. On land the most destitute will find assistance ; there is 
no slum too vile, no hovel too abominable, for public and private 
charity to find an entrance and administer relief. But on the sea 
there are no institutions of philanthropy, and there it is every man 
for himself. 

The life itself of the deep-sea fisherman is desperately severe, 
working as he must for interminable hours at a time, when the 
fish is plentiful, with long stretches of dreary inactivity when bait 
is wanting, or weather conditions are impossible. Every day a 
little swarm of flat-bottomed boats called dories, containing each 
two fishermen, set out from the parent bark. Each boat carries 
a small keg of drinking water and some provisions, and after a long 
day's work on the fishing grounds, the men do not complain if they 
can return in the evening cold, wet, and famished to their vessel. 
That dirty, foul-smelling schooner, where the sailors are packed 
together like sardines in a can, is home to them, their only plank 
of safety on the cruel, stormy ocean, the frail bridge still join- 
ing them with their home in some Newfoundland village, or in dis- 
tant France, or Portugal. For it often happens that the ten or 
twelve dories that left the bark in the morning do not all return 
at eventide. A sudden squall swooping down from out of a cloud- 
less sky passed over the boats with bewildering rapidity, and in 
passing took its toll. One or two little dories with their occupants 
disappeared to be seen no more. A proud steamer plunging 
haughtily through the fishing fleet submerged some cockle shell of 
a boat with its occupants, and the steamer tore on unheedingly, 
leaving human beings to their fate. Or the fog settled down on the 
waters like a thick velvet pall, blotting out all horizons, deadening 
all sounds, destroying all sense of direction. Then God help the 
poor fisher folk who do not succeed in finding some ship quickly! 

Frequently they drift about aimlessly for days and days to- 
gether, until death comes as a merciful release to deliver them from 
their sufferings. Sometimes after enduring incredible hardships, 
after starving for fourteen and even twenty days, they are picked up 



372 A CATHOLIC DEEP-SEA MISSION [Dec., 

hundreds of miles from land, and survive to tell the tale. Some 
years ago two such fishermen were brought into St. John's, N. F., 
with frost-bitten and gangrened limbs, which had to be immediately 
amputated. But their dreadful experience and the consequent 
shock of the operation did not apparently shorten their lives, for 
both survived to a green, old age. 

Apart from the accidental hardships that make this 
life so wearing, the every day routine tells terribly on 
the constitution. And while there are old fishermen ro- 
bust and hardy up to eighty and even ninety years of age, it must 
be admitted that these are the rare exception nowadays, and by no 
means the rule. The long hours of exposure, the wet, the cold, the 
pitiless icy winds break down all but the strongest constitutions; 
bronchial and pulmonary affections are common, and pneumonia 
still more deadly cuts short many a youthful career. The coarse 
salt food, the absence of fresh meat and vegetables, is a fruitful 
source of eczema, scurvy, and other diseases of the skin and blood; 
while the chafing of the oil clothes on the wrists, the handling and 
hauling of wet and slimy lines, the continual irritation of the salt 
water, cause a peculiarly painful sore called popularly " water- 
whelps." And during the various operations of fishing, and work- 
ing the boats and schooner, accidents often happen, so that broken 
arms and legs are not rare. 

Such are the difficulties that have to be contended 
against by these who ply their perilous calling on the Banks 
of Newfoundland. These are vast submarine plateaux, sit- 
uated from thirty to one hundred miles from the island, and 
thought by geologists to have formed at some remote period a por- 
tion of Newfoundland. As certain as seed time and harvest time, 
as the ebb and flow of the tides or the phases of the moon, occur 
the great migrations of fish every year, when incalculable schools 
of squid, capelin, herring, salmon, and cod dash themselves on the 
coast of Newfoundland. " The Banks " are the favored haunts of 
the codfish, which are particularly large and choice in these cold 
waters, and every year thousands of fishermen, not only from New- 
foundland itself, but from nearly all parts of the world, assemble 
there from April till October to catch fish. 

Treaty rights, dating back to the days when France 
owned all North America, secure French fishers special 
privileges off this part of the Newfoundland coast (hence 
called the French Shore}, and as many as ten thousand 



1912.] A CATHOLIC DEEP-SEA MISSION 373 

Frenchmen, mostly from Brittany and Normandy, come annually 
to ply their calling in our waters. The French Republic still owns 
two tiny islets off the coast of Newfoundland, St. Pierre-Miquelon, 
and every year a French cruiser visits Newfoundland to keep a 
watchful eye on the interests of its subjects. For years and 
years, in fact for centuries, these poor creatures were laboring 
under the hard conditions I have tried to describe, with no one 
to care for them, deprived of all spiritual and material aid, left 
without news of their homes and families for six and eight months 
at a time. Almost within sight and touch of a Christian land they 
were yet as isolated, as uncared for, as " ungetatable," if I may 
coin a word, as explorers of the forest primeval. Not so does 
England treat its fishermen. There for many years various 
" Missions to Deep Sea Fishermen " have been in operation, and 
the expenses incurred by these bodies in their work amount to the 
enormous sum of 48,000 or $240,000.00 yearly. Fas est et ab 
hoste doceri. 

Fired by these examples a certain Monsieur Bernard Bailly, 
a retired naval officer, thought there ought to be in France a 
similar organization for the help and uplifting of the French 
fishermen, and in 1894 in conjunction with the Assumptionist 
Fathers of Paris, he founded his Societe des (Euvres de Mers. 
M. Bailly's idea was to station a hospital ship on the fishing 
grounds, which would stay with the fleet during the whole season. 
This ship was to carry a priest and a doctor, so that both the 
spiritual and the material needs of the sailors might receive adequate 
attention, and it was to give gratuitous assistance to all in need, 
no matter what their creed or nationality. The ardent propagan- 
dist left no stone unturned to arouse the enthusiasm and gener- 
osity of his countrymen. The late Cardinal Richard, the then 
Archbishop of Paris, took the Society under his patronage; several 
notabilities of the naval, social, literary, and artistic world en- 
rolled themselves under its banners, and by 1895 the Societe des 
(Euvres de Mers was firmly founded and ready to begin its labors. 
The keynote of the entire movement was philanthropy, and the 
Society was to be maintained entirely by voluntary subscription. 

Amongst its members five grades were established, according 
to the donation of each. Benefactors are they who make very large 
offerings, or render some particularly conspicuous service to the 
Society. Founders are those who make a donation of at least 
$100.00 (20), or who give an annual subscription of $20.00 (4). 



374 A CATHOLIC DEEP-SEA MISSION [Dec., 

Principal Subscribers are those who give $20.00 (4) once for all, 
or who give an annual subscription of $4.00 (16 s.). All whose 
yearly aid is under $4.00 are classed as subscribers. And fin- 
ally those who give but once, anything under $20.00 (4), are called 
Donors. Thus the Cadre of the Society is sufficiently elastic 
to admit all classes, and while large offerings are accepted gladly, 
the widow's mite is not despised. From humble beginnings the 
Society expanded with incredible rapidity, until to-day it has 
branches in every important town in France, and its subscription list 
runs into six figures. Amongst its most ardent champions and 
workers are the wealthy Catholic ladies of France, who have always 
been foremost in every charitable undertaking. Last year one 
lady alone gave $50,000.00 (10,000) for the purchase and equip- 
ment of a ship to attend exclusively to the fishers of Iceland, 
where five thousand Frenchmen go every year. Up to that time 
the Society had but one hospital ship, which thus had to visit both 
Newfoundland and Iceland. This ship, leaving France in March, 
used to sail first to Iceland and remain there until June. Thence 
sailing to Newfoundland, she used to remain from June till October 
in our waters. 

Providence did not seem to favor the first philanthropic essays 
of the CEuvres de Mers. After but a short time, before the pro- 
moters could give proof of their prowess, their vessel was lost, 
but they replaced it by another ; that was lost and they built another ; 
the third was lost and they replaced it by two others. Certainly 
no one can say but that the members of this Society are " sports- 
men " in the best sense of the word, and in face of adverse fortune 
they are " game " all the time. With two ships, which the gener- 
osity of one lady made possible for them, they can divide their 
forces and double their well-doing. One, the S. Frangois d'Assisi, 
works entirely off the Terra Nova coasts, the other, Notre Dame 
de la Mer, attends exclusively to Iceland. It would be impossible 
to overestimate all the good done by these ships during the few 
years of their operation. If they brought only one soul nearer 
to his Maker, if they helped but one sheep to his Shepherd, that 
alone would be worth while; but they have helped and comforted 
hundreds, and, more important still, they have been a leaven of 
virtue, of moral purity, of high ideal and endeavor placed amongst 
those, who to some extent were the outcasts and pariahs of society. 
And no matter how irreligious a man may be, no matter how 
debased, no matter how cynical or skeptical of others' virtue, 



1912.] A CATHOLIC DEEP-SEA MISSION 375 

he cannot help being touched by self-sacrifice endured, by hardship 
undergone, entirely for his personal benefit. 

Just a few years ago nobody knew anything about the deep-sea 
fishermen of Newfoundland, nobody cared; they toiled as long 
as they could; they suffered without relief; they died and were 
buried like pagans. Now they have all the helps the most up-to- 
date cities pride themselves on. When they are sick they have 
a hospital and doctor at hand; they have a priest to give them the 
Sacraments when dying, and to pray over them when dead. And 
what a consolation for their relatives to know that in case of sick- 
ness or death their dear ones will not be neglected; that friendly 
faces will be around them, and holy prayers said over" them in mo- 
ments of suffering, or when they are breathing their last? If it is 
a hard and a bitter thing to die in a foreign land at thousands 
of miles from one's home, the horror of it is greatly diminished 
when religion throws its mild radiance over the last moments, 
and those are around the departing who see in every human being 
a child of the same Father, a brother of Jesus Christ. But there 
is no need to enlarge on sentimental considerations when the facts 
speak for themselves. The following summary from 1897-1911 
will give a better idea than words can of the activity of the hospital 
ship during the few years of its existence. 

Communications with fishing boats 12,274 

Sick in hospital on board 1,163 

Days in hospital on board !7>732 

Rescued from shipwreck 342 

Consultations at sea 5 2 55 

Sailors brought to their homes 523 

Gifts of medicines 2,310 

Letters received and delivered ....363,566 

This last item tells one of the minor but not the least valuable 
services of the hospital ship, namely, to receive and transmit letters 
to and from the sailors. The Post Office Department, which is 
in charge of the Chaplain, is constantly growing, and this past 
year (1912) some fifty thousand letters were carried by the 
S. Francois d'Assise. As mentioned already, the CEuvres de Mers 
is essentially a philanthropic association, and it helps all in need 
without the slightest regard to creed or nationality. During the 
year 1911 the hospital ships of the Society visited and assisted 
over two hundred foreign ships belonging to the following nation- 
alities : 



376 A CATHOLIC DEEP-SEA MISSION [Dec., 

American 16 

English 30 

Portuguese 101 

German 14 

Dutch 42 

* Canadian 16 

Icelanders 6 

Belgian 3 

Several times the press of the United States has lavished warm 
encomiums on this Society, and testified to the benefits conferred 
by it on American citizens. The official bulletin of the CEuvres de 
Mers gives quotations in this sense from the Boston Globe, the 
Gloucester Daily Times, and the Evening Post of Worcester. In 
1907 1'abbe P. Benoit, chaplain to the hospital ship, had an inter- 
view with Mr. Roosevelt, during which the President was pleased 
to say to him, " I thank you for the good you have done to our 
American fishermen; I congratulate you upon it, and I wish you 
every success with my fellow-citizens." Deep though the hostility 
of the governing oligarchy in France is to religion, and to all things 
savoring of religion, it could not but recognize that the Societe des 
CEuvres de Mers is of the highest merit, and also of the greatest 
importance to a thankless Republic a Republic which does not 
think worth its while to take any interest in those citizens whose 
calling, with its long absences from home, prevents them from cast- 
ing their votes. So to keep the balance as it were between its own 
interest and its religious antipathy, the French Government flings 
contemptuously to the Society a pittance of $1,200.00 (240) a 
year. Over and over again the Society has obtained gold medals 
and honorable mentions at various marine and international ex- 
hibitions, and in 1908 it was awarded a Prix de Vertu of 6,000 
francs by the French Academy. However the Society lives and 
thrives practically altogether by private subscriptions ; the very large 
sum of money necessary for the upkeep of two ships and two sea- 
men's homes being provided by the generosity of private donors. 

With the growth of the Society came the desire to expand its 
field of action and increase its utility. Its promoters soon saw that 
the good effected by the hospital ship would be much increased by 
the establishment of a Seaman's Home or Maison de Famille within 
the sphere of their operations. At St. Pierre-Miquelon, they opened 
their first home. To this little islet an immense number of French 
fishermen come every year, and all the merchants (armateurs) 
of Granville, S. Malo, Brest, and even Bordeaux, maintain branch 



1912.] A CATHOLIC DEEP-SEA MISSION 377 

houses (succursales) or agents there. There is unfortunately no 
duty on spirits, little or no restriction on their sale, and, as might 
be expected, drunkenness with many consequent accidents was 
extremely rife. 

But an immense change for the better has come since the 
opening of the Maison de Famille. This sailors' club, in charge 
of a chaplain, does everything to make its visitors comfortable, 
and to guard them jealously from the insidious snare of drink. 
Books, papers, and games are provided in abundance to amuse the 
men's leisure; writing materials are given them free, and they can 
have as much cocoa (and in case of cold eucalyptus tea) as they 
desire, also gratis. The fishermen are not thankless for all that 
has been done for them, nor blind to their interest. They have 
bid an eternal good-bye to the cabaret with all its unsavory attrac- 
tions, and are now ardent habitues of the Maison de Famille. And 
many a Jacques, Pierre, Paul, and Jean-Baptiste, who were famous 
topers long ago, are now model citizens, and ardent co-workers 
with the chaplain in his crusade against intemperance and evil 
living. Some years ago, before the establishment of the Maison de 
Famille at St. Pierre, it was a common thing for drunken men to 
fall into the harbor and be drowned. Since 1907 there has not 
been a single accident of that kind, which alone is eloquent testi- 
mony to the moral amelioration accomplished. The Societe des 
(Euvres de Mers maintains another home at Fashrudsfjord (Ice- 
land) for the seamen frequenting these waters. 

A few months ago (August, 1912) the 5". Frangois d'Assise 
touched at St. John's, N. F., and the writer, in common with his 
fellow townsmen, was privileged to be shown through the ship, and 
to have her mode of operations explained to him by the captain and 
chaplain viva voce. It is a pretty vessel oi six hundred tons 
burden, of the yacht pattern, steam-driven, but schooner rigged, 
and carries three enormous masts. 

On her yellow funnel a red cross shines out prominently, and 
S. Francois d'Assise is painted in large black letters on her stern. 
Her hospital contains fourteen beds of the most scrupulous cleanli- 
ness. These beds are mounted on swinging pivots, so that they 
may remain always horizontal, and the sick may not suffer from the 
rolling and pitching of the steamer. Separated from the hospital 
by wide folding doors is a tiny chapel where the Blessed Sacrament 
is constantly kept, and the Chaplain says . Mass every morning. 
On Sunday the doors are folded back, and hospital and chapel 



378 A CATHOLIC DEEP-SEA MISSION [Dec., 

converted into one large apartment, where the crew in two divi- 
sions, and several crews from neighboring vessels, may hear Mass. 
The Chaplain says two Masses every Sunday Messe basse at 
7.30 A. M., Messe chantie at 10 A. M., except on the very rare 
occasions when the ship is in port, and then there is but one Mass 
on board. At 4 P. M., on Sunday afternoon, the Chaplain recites 
the Rosary, preaches a sermon, and gives Benediction, and he says 
prayers for his little flock every night. In fact, the discipline of 
the ship is that of a Petit Seminaire, and if the sailors are not 
quite up to the mark, and thoroughly model men, it will certainly 
not be the fault of Monsieur 1'abbe Lecrevieux the excellent Au- 
monier. In the captain's room the statue of the gentle Saint of 
Assisi occupies the place of honor, and pious pictures and edifying 
souvenirs are on every side. The tiny consulting room and surgery 
of the ship is a veritable curiosity. There the doctor writes his 
prescriptions and performs his operations, and because fisher folk 
as a general rule are not overburdened with good manners, certain 
obvious laws of hygiene and politeness are written on the walls in 
five languages, namely, French, Breton (Patois), English, German, 
and Portuguese. The ship has also a disinfecting room where 
beds and clothing are fumigated, and all noxious germs are put 
hors du combat. The captain explained the varied excellencies 
of his ship with the pride of a commander and the zeal of an en- 
thusiast. On my asking how he managed to hold his own with 
the Government, he shrugged his shoulders with inimitable Gallic 
nonchalance. " We take no interest at all in the Government, Mon- 
sieur," he replied. " We are interested only in doing good in 
benefiting the classes most neglected by the Government, because 
they are scarcely ever at home at election time. There are many 
platform socialists in France who preach the uplifting of humanity; 
'tis we are the real and true socialists mats des socialistes-chretiens, 
vous entendez who are trying to uplift and succor the most neg- 
lected " of our brethren." In his expressive eyes, sparkling and 
vivacious, the flame of the zealot shone, and in his striking naval 
uniform he looked a soldiery figure who carried his fifty odd years 
lightly. The sun shone on his medals and decorations won in the 
Far East, where in days of stress and danger he had upheld his 
country's honor at the risk of his life, and I thought him a not 
unworthy representative of that great nation, which, in spite of all 
her faults, has continually fought for chivalrous ideals, and ever 
sustained forlorn hopes. 



MISTRAL AND HIS WORK. 




BY CHARLES BAUSSAN. 

NE St. John's Day of a year long past, Francois 
Mistral stood in the midst of his fields to watch the 
harvesters reaping the wheat with their sickles. A 
crowd of gleaners followed the workers, eager to 
gather the blades that escaped the rakes. Behind 
them all, my father noticed a beautiful girl who kept in the back- 
ground as if fearing to glean with the others. He approached her 
saying : 

" 'Where are you from, my child ? What is your name ?' 
" The young girl replied : 'I am the daughter of Etienne Poul- 
inet, the Mayor of Maillane/ 

" 'Is it possible,' said my father, 'that the daughter of Poul- 
inet, the Mayor of Maillane, is a gleaner?' 

" 'Ah, we are a big family,' she answered, 'six girls and two 
boys, and although our father is comfortably off, when we ask him 
for money to buy ornaments, he tells us : " If you want finery, my 
little ones, earn it." And this is why I am come to glean.' 

" Six months after this meeting, which reminds us of the pas- 
toral romance of Ruth and Booz, the gallant farmer asked the 
Mayor of Maillane for the hand of the beautiful Delaide, and I 
am the son of this marriage." 

The life and soul of Frederic Mistral are contained in this 
charming picture of his father, passing through the ripened harvest, 
master of all before him. The poet shows him to us as he walks 
out in the warm, brilliant sunshine, making his way between the 
rakes and sickles of the reapers, his heart overflowing with the tra- 
ditions of his race, and his soul open to every influence of beauty. 

Frederic Mistral walked in his father's footprints ; he wandered 
slowly through his fields, he watched the gleaner who remained be- 
hind the others, and he won Provence for his bride. She was 
bronzed by the Midi sun, this gleaner, and she spoke a patois it is 
said. As mistress of Mistral's life, the whole world bowed before 
her, listened with enchantment to her singing voice, and proclaimed 
her what she is: a true daughter of France, beautiful with the 
charm of youth and of her ancient race. 



380 MISTRAL AND HIS WORK [Dec., 

In working for his "little country," Mistral worked for the 
whole of France. From his home in Maillane, he called into life 
the Latin blood of the whole country. The skylark of Gaul makes 
its nest in its own fields, but it is a bird of passage, and needs now 
the keen northern winds, and again the caressing zephyrs of the 
south. It is not in vain that France has a port in the East and the 
Past, 'a port on the Western seas and the New World ; it is not 
in vain that the Roman and Germanic races dug with their swords 
the fields of the Celts. It is not in vain that in the exchequer of the 
French provinces each coffer retains its own color clearly distinct 
from that of its neighbors ; that in the alliance of the three elements, 
here the Latin, there the Frankish, and elsewhere the Gallic blood 
dominates the whole. 

Two great rivers, the Latin and the Germanic, entered success- 
fully the soul of French Literature, breaking down the floodgates of 
East and South, and bringing to each, in turn, its share of alluvial 
soil. The Celtic land drinks of both waters and assimilates them, 
and of all this French thought is born. The equilibrium of this 
thought was in danger of breaking; one of the two influences found 
itself too long unbalanced. To rescue, to preserve, this equilibrium 
was the work of Mistral, and it is in this, above all, that its value 
passes beyond the boundaries of Provence and becomes of national 
importance. 

When in 1859, in one of his literary conferences, Lamartine 
called the poem of Mireio a " bunch of wild grapes offered by a 
peasant," romanticism was still in the ascendant. Victor Hugo 
was the emperor of letters. Don Quixote still tilled at his wind- 
mills and the horn still echoed in the distance, when a song rose 
suddenly from the silent valley a voice of youth and vigor which 
told simply, thrillingly, in the language of the country, the joys and 
sorrows of the laborer, of the basket-maker, and of the beauty 
of the soil and of rural life, and all France listened. It was 
the answer of the Latin land to the winds of Germany. It was 
the reaction, born of the soil itself, from an imported romanticism. 
Mistral answered Hugo. 

As opposed to the impetuous flights of imaginations, he showed 
the disciplined march of the classic form before its titanic out- 
bursts ; he displayed the victorious and enduring strength of meas- 
ure and harmony. 

Hugo had called the language into revolt. Mistral taught obe- 
dience to law and, first of all, obedience to race. He recalled the 
mother, the Latin tongue. He took in his arms the dying Provencal 



I 9 i2.] MISTRAL AND HIS WORK 381 

speech, and tenderly, patiently, and long he nursed it back to youth 
and health. 

Through long years this poet made himself Benedictine and 
folklorest, reading the old Provengal legends, listening to the 
speech of shepherds and boatmen. Bit by bit he put it together like 
an old tapestry with its birds, its flowers, its people this tongue of 
Aries and Avignon, of Bawe and of Martigues, a tongue full of 
melody and color. How admirable is his Tresor du Filibrige, 
the dictionary of a science at once profound and charming, where 
the history of a word is accompanied by a legend or a song. 

And listen to the story of Mireille. It is not long since Vincent 
and Mireille fell passionately in love with each other Vincent the 
son of Ambroise the tanner, and Mireille the daughter of Roman 
the miller. Mireille refuses to listen to anyone else, but her father 
is obdurate in rejecting Vincent. In her distress, the young girl 
starts on a pilgrimage to the saints of Provence; she will implore 
them to touch her father's heart. She crosses La Crau, La Camargue, 
on the shore of the lake of Voccares, she has a sunstroke, and on 
the threshold of the old church to which she has dragged herself, 
in the midst of the despair of Vincent and of her parents who have 
rejoined her, she dies, smiling, holding out her arms to another life. 

Mistral had the right to say : " We are all the offshoots of 
immortal Greece." His sonship declares itself in every characteris- 
tic of his mind. Mireille and Calendau are of Theocritus and 
Homer. But this Theocritus, this Homer, was born in France, 
and he has the French fervor and the French smile. The national 
spirit, indeed, the spirit of the populace, laughs deliciously in the 
songs and stories that fill his lies d'Or. 

Mistral is a peasant who has learned his humanities, but he is a 
peasant still. He feels that he is the heir of Greece, but he does 
not forget his other inheritance, nor his father; and if his poetry 
is learned at times, his heroes are peasants, or fishermen, or boat- 
men; he sings the song of the harvest, the gathering of the mulberry 
leaves, the dividing of the cocoons, the tunny fishing, the fair of 
Beaucaire, the rural life, the gesture of the laborer. 

To regain antiquity, he had no need to go to Rome or Athens ; 
it was enough for him to walk in his own fields. While he went 
to Rome, to Athens, he yet found in his lands and under the sun 
of Provence, among his harvesters and his gleaners, the light of the 
harmonies chanted by the Greeks. This light and these harmonies 
always remain. 



382 MISTRAL AND HIS WORK [Dec., 

Mistral is, therefore, a poet of the people, and this in the 
highest sense of the word. He raised the people to the level of his 
thoughts. He raised them as the grandfather lifts his grandson to 
his knees and tells him beautiful stories. The people understood 
him and loved him. No man who, like Mistral, voices the aspira- 
tions, the genius, of a race could fail to draw other intellects after 
him. In 1854, with his comrade Roumanille, Mistral reorganized 
his battalion of Filibrige. The little band increased rapidly; re- 
cruits came not only from Provence, but from the whole of the Midi, 
from the whole of France, and we even see an Irishman, Bonaparte 
Wyse, come to enroll himself under the banner of the poet of the 
sun. 

The literary influence of Mistral has been very great, and 
it will endure. More powerful than his learned critics, in spite 
of all opposition, the penetrating sweetness of Mistral's poetry 
has dethroned romanticism and reinvigorated French thought. 
But his work has been far more than literary: it has a much 
wider range and importance. It is not merely the return to classic 
culture, but the return to the land, the fireside, to all holy tra- 
ditions; it is the reaction of health against centralization, individual- 
ism, and scepticism. 

Mistral fought centralization, one of the maladies of which 
the Old World is dying, through his whole life, not only by his 
writings but by his actions. He drew the Provengal people around 
him by his poetry, and made them realize its vital truth. He taught 
them to look at the land, its plains, mountains, the work and the 
souls of the laborers, its herdsmen, its sailors, its beauty of to-day 
and its glory of yesterday. Provence lives. Provence is beautiful. 
This is the refrain of Mistral's poems. The life of a people is 
necessarily bound up with the moral life of its citizens. 

The son of Francois Mistral sang and preached the love of 
the hearthstone and the love of the land. Is he not himself the su- 
perb culmination of a family of landowners devotedly attached to 
the soil ? His ancestors were established in St. Remy of Provence 
from the sixteenth century. His father, Francois Mistral, was es- 
sentially the master, with patriarchal manners, calm and wise, 
master of himself and of others. 

The father was the will; the mother the heart. She was a 
most fervent Christian. It was from her that the little Frederic 
learned his prayers; he learned also legends and songs; and he 
forgot nothing. He always treasured with respect and love the 



I 9 i2.] MISTRAL AND HIS WORK 383 

memory of the fireside. The laborers returning home at evening 
to give an account of the day to their master Romon, are they 
not the laborers and shepherds of Maitre Frangois Mistral? 

In spite of the mirage of the Academy, Mistral never wished 
to leave his house at Maillane. He was never weary of urging 
the peasants to remain at home. He loved not only the fields and 
the woods, the labors and the fetes of the land, but its usages and 
its customs, and so that they, these pretty coiffes and ancient cus- 
toms, might endure forever Mistral created his Museon Arlateu 
where the ploughs talked to the silk aprons, and old furniture and 
old tools, and the wheels of the old mills related their histories to 
the yokes of oxen and the tridents of the drovers of Camargue. 

Mistral could not have fought with such ardor for the family 
and against individualism had he not possessed the soul of a genuine 
traditionalist. His Provence would not have been the true Prov- 
ence if he had forgotten the prayers he learned from his mother 
while his father directed the laborers as to their toil for the coming 
day. Mistral was so true and so great only because he was a 
Christian. He kept the Faith simply and proudly. He was a 
Christian in public as well as in private life. In 1870 he chanted 
the penitential psalms, humbly confessing the sins of the country 
and imploring mercy from on high. 

Even when, in his works, he does not affirm his Catholic faith 
in express terms, it revivifies his thoughts, giving them the brilliancy 
and the force of truth. His faith was the joyous faith that death 
could not appall, the especial gift of the Church of the Saints. 
Saint Madeline and Saint Martha placed in the soul and on the 
countenance of the dying Mireille, the radiance of opening Paradise, 
and Mistral also had beyond the stars another country, another 
Provence yet more glorious, with another sunlight than that of 
Aries and Avignon. And there also, were his brothers, the saints 
who never forget us, and who come to earth, at times, to talk 
with the pure in heart. Like the old church, overlooking the sea, 
like the carved doorway of Saint Trophimus, the grain and the 
fields woke an echo in the believing soul of Mistral. He would 
pause before the tiny insect, " the praying mante," who always 
holds towards heaven two of its little feet, and an old legend tells 
that to reward this attitude of continual prayer, God has given it 
the power of pointing out the right path to the children who wander 
off during harvest time. 

In his Menwires et Recits, Mistral relates the death of his 



384 MISTRAL AND HIS WORK [Dec., 

father. The master of Mas du Juge had received the last sacra- 
ments with a living faith. He was surrounded by his weeping 
family, he alone remained serene. Listen to his son : " 'Come, my 
children,' he said, 'come, I am going, and I give thanks to God 
for all that I owe Him, my long life, and my labor which He has 
blessed.' Then, calling me, he said : 

" 'Frederic, what is the weather ?' 

" It rains, my father," I replied. 

" 'Good,' returned my father, 'if it rains it will be fine 
weather for the sowing.' ' 

"La race fait la race," and when the last hour sounded for 
the poet himself in his white house at Maillane, he could also 
thank God and cast a backward look over his long life and his 
good labor. He had kept and increased the domain of his an- 
cestors. They had had fair weather, these " sowers " of Provence, 
" sowers " of France also, for if Provence is not all of France, 
France without Provence would not be wholly herself ; an essential 
melody would be missing in the national harmony the classic song 
which, thanks to Mistral, will never again be silent. It brought 
life into a dead body, this double transfusion of blood the blood 
of Faith and the blood of the people, the Christian soul and the love 
of the land. The ancients did not invent the sun, nor the cadence 
of the waves, nor the slow tread of the oxen, nor the gesture of 
the sower or the oarsman. They simply looked at them, and it is 
to be as classic as they to look upon these things as they have done, 
only more closely and from a greater height. From a greater 
height, for their gods are dead, and art has not wept for them ; our 
Heaven is infinitely above their Grecian Olympus. By the light 
of the sun, which has risen for us, we see infinitely more than they 
could, the world, life, the soul, truth, beauty. 

Mistral is of the true antiquity that endures forever. He read 
nature from the original, not merely from a Greek or Latin trans- 
lation. He gave back to France, rhythm, harmony, measure, equi- 
librium of form and the soul that spoke within him. It was not 
the dead soul of Greece but the living soul of Provence, the Prov- 
ence of the Saints and of the Popes of Avignon, of the laborer and 
the fisherman, the Christian soul and the soul of a peasant. 

The marvelous harmony of his poetry, the incomparable music 
of his song, at once sweet and powerful, and which reaches so far, 
will be heard forever, rising far above the Rhone, like the clear 
note of skylarks with the deep tone of the church bells. 




THE BALKAN WAR. 

HE expulsion from Europe of the Turks, which seems 
upon the eve of accomplishment, the certainty at 
all events of their ceasing to be any longer a military 
power, and the recovery of freedom by the Christian 
races in Macedonia, after so many centuries of the 
most degrading oppression, are events of momentous importance. 
The way in which it has been brought about is of equal significance. 
That the Serbs and Bulgars living in Macedonia still re- 
mained under Turkish rule, after the war between Russia and 
Turkey which took place in 1878, is due chiefly to the action of 
Great Britain. Russia was then her great enemy, and Great Britain 
would not permit anything in the way of the aggrandizement of 
that Power. The Treaty of San Stefano, concluded at the end 
of the war, involved such an aggrandizement. Great Britain was 
powerful enough, at the Congress of Berlin, to have that Treaty 
set aside. A great part of Macedonia was restored to Turkey, 
and in this way England became the cause, however unwittingly, 
of the miseries which have followed. 

The Treaty of Berlin, it is true, stipulated for certain reforms 
in the condition of the subject races. None of these reforms have, 
however, been carried out. Efforts, it is true, were made to alle- 
viate the situation, but in a very half-hearted manner. Austria- 
Hungary, and Russia especially, took the matter in hand; but it 
was their own interests, not those of the oppressed Christians, that 
they had chiefly in view. Austria, in particular, after she had been 
expelled from the German Bund, looked for compensation to the 
possession of Salonika, and of a road to it. In this she was en- 
couraged by Germany. Russia had hoped to be the quasi-suzerain 
of Bulgaria the State of which she had been the chief means of 
delivering from the power of the Turk. Austria and Russia were 
jealous of each other : yet they came to terms. The terms were such, 
however, that the Christians were left to groan and to suffer. Cer- 
tain steps, indeed, were taken which gave some relief : foreign officers 
had been placed over a gendarmerie, and the appointment of a for- 
eign judiciary was imminent. Then the Young Turk Revolution 
took place. The promise of reform made by the Young Turks, the 
new era of liberty which was expected, led the Powers to withdraw 
VOL. xcvi. 25. 



386 THE BALKAN WAR [Dec., 

all their officers, and to leave everything to the Turkish authorities, 
trusting in their good will and sincerity. This trust was completely 
misplaced : no reforms were made ; in fact, ancient privileges were 
taken away. The state of the Christians became worse under 
the New than under the Old Turk. 

One of the worst features of the situation was that the Balkan 
States were more at variance with one another than they were 
with their common enemy the Turk. Greeks tried to exterminate 
Bulgars, and Bulgars, Serbs and Greeks. The Miirzsteg pro- 
gramme, made between Austria and Russia, encouraged this inter- 
necine warfare, for it led the various races to anticipate, if another 
settlement should take place, that each nationality would receive the 
portion of territory of which it was at the time in actual possession. 

But within the last few years a complete change has taken 
place. The various races have become reconciled to one another. 
This reconciliation and its effects have been manifest on the sur- 
face. What was not manifest was that a Confederation had been 
formed between the four States, Bulgaria, Servia, Montenegro, and 
Greece. How and by whom this has been brought about is not 
yet known. It is surmised, however, that it is to M. Venezelos, 
who has done so much for his own country, Greece, that the chief 
credit is due. King Ferdinand of Bulgaria has been a most effec- 
tive instrument in bringing about a result which must be looked 
upon as the advent of a new Power in the field of European politics. 

When the war broke out, the attitude of the various Powers 
concerned was approximately as follows: The nearest neighbor 
is Austria-Hungary. And as near relations are sometimes the 
worst enemies, so the Dual Monarchy has been the worst enemy 
of one at least of these States. It is to her action, to a large 
extent in view of her future territorial aggrandizement, that the 
evils of Turkish misrule have lasted so long, although in this matter 
Russia also must bear part of the blame. Servia has been the special 
object of Austrian hostility. This arises from the fact that Ser- 
vian aspirations, if realized, would lead, possibly, to a disintegration 
of the Empire, inasmuch as the many Serbs now subject to the 
Austrian yoke would naturally tend to union with a strong Servia, 
if such should be formed. Moreover, as has been said, the enlarge- 
ment of Servian territory would cut off Austria-Hungary from 
that possession of Salonika which has been her ambition. The 
weakness of Austria-Hungary, and her consequent powerlessness 
for evil, arises from the fact that the greater part of the races 



I 9 i2.] THE BALKAN WAR 387 

which make up the Empire are Slavs. The Germans now con- 
stitute a minority, though a large one. The Slavs, even the North- 
ern Slavs, sympathize with the aspirations of their brethren, and 
rejoice in their successes. The leader of the Czechs of Bohemia 
has sent a message of congratulation to Servia. It would therefore 
be difficult, much as the Germans in the Empire might wish it, 
for Austria-Hungary to take active measures against Servia, al- 
though before the war began, the most formal intimation was 
given that no addition to Servian territory would be permitted. 

Germany's interest in the question is far more remote than 
that of Austria-Hungary, although her concern about Turkey has 
increased since the time when Bismarck declared that he would not 
sacrifice a single Pomeranian grenadier for the sake of a near 
Eastern settlement. The Baghdad Railway has been a cause of 
this increase of interest; in fact, during the days of Abdul Hamid, 
and more recently during the regime of the Young Turks, Ger- 
many has been the main support of Turkey. What, however, would 
lead to German action, should such action be taken, would be the 
Alliance with Austria-Hungary. If Austria were to come into the 
field, it may be said without doubt, that Russia would give active 
support to the Balkan States. Whether such action of Russia 
would, under the terms of the Triple Alliance, lead to Germany's 
actively supporting Austria, is not certainly known, but there is 
good reason to think that it would form a casus foederis. 

The people of Russia, as a matter of course, have felt the 
greatest sympathy with the efforts of their brethren in blood, and 
have, manifested that sympathy in the most unmistakable manner. 
As to the government, it has not manifested its sympathies so 
clearly. The ingratitude of Bulgaria for services rendered in 
the past, or what is looked upon as ingratitude, has rendered it 
somewhat cool. The Tzar, however, sent, as soon as possible, his 
congratulations to the King of Servia for the victories of his army. 
But should Austria intervene, there can be no manner of doubt that 
Russia would offer resistance to any efforts to deprive the States 
of the fruits of victory. 

It is hard to form an opinion about the attitude of Italy. The 
fact that just as the war was breaking out, she made peace with 
Turkey, and in this way added immense strength to that Power in 
the prosecution of the war with the States, made the latter look 
upon Italy as a traitor to the cause of liberation. The fact, too, 
that she is the ally of Austria, being a member of the Triple Al- 



THE BALKAN WAR [Dec., 

liance, but also on special terms of friendship with Russia, with a 
particular reference to the Balkan question, renders it impossible 
to form a judgment. That the Queen of Italy is a daughter of 
the King of Montenegro may count a little. 

France is supposed to be the friend of all movements for the 
extension of liberty and self-government at least this is what is 
always being said. Not infrequently, however, when it is a ques- 
tion of action, she has proved herself, to say the least, somewhat 
slack. The fact is, material interests are supreme in the France 
of the present day, and France is more concerned than any other 
country in the support of Turkish credit. But although somewhat 
divided in her counsels on this account, there is no reason to fear 
that she will act against the best interests of the Balkan States, 
although she joined with the other Powers in declaring before the 
war broke out that no increase of territory would be allowed in 
the event of their success. 

Nor of Great Britain need there be any fear. In fact the 
Premier has declared that she will not allow the battling States to 
be deprived of the fruits of victory. Some hesitation, indeed, was 
shown at the beginning: for Great Britain is by far the greatest 
Mohammedan Power in the world. Of Mohammedans there are 
more than ninety-six millions in British dominions in fact there 
are more Mohammedans than Christians. The Turkish Empire 
itself has some eighteen millions within its borders, while France has 
nearly thirteen millions. In these days rulers must follow their 
subjects and defer to them. And there were Englishmen who 
leaned to the side of Turkey. Some have gone so far as to enlist 
in her armies. But the bulk of the nation could not be so untrue 
to itself as to lend its support to so loathsome a tyranny. 

Singular to say, one of the Balkan States has stood aloof from 
the struggle of the rest for freedom, and, indeed, has given ground 
for fear that she may take active steps in the opposite direction. 
Rumania's attitude is very doubtful. A year or two ago it was 
rumored that she had formed an alliance with Turkey, in the event 
of Bulgaria making war upon that Power. This was, however, de- 
nied. Since the beginning of the war Rumania has done nothing 
either one way or the other. The chief influence in that country 
is a feeling of resentment against Russia on account of her treat- 
ment by that Power after the last Turco-Russian War. This feel- 
ing makes it probable that she would act in opposition to Russia 
in the event of a war with Austria. 



I 9 i2.] THE BALKAN WAR 389 

The series of events which led up to the war, as well as 
its progress, has formed a succession of surprises. When under 
the guidance of M. Poincare, at once the Prime Minister and 
Foreign Secretary of France, all the Great Powers, with the 
exception of Italy, which was then at war with Turkey, had been 
brought into sufficient accord to be able, through the hands of 
'Austria and Russia, to present to Servia and Bulgaria an interdict 
upon their making war, and a warning that even in the event 
of success, they would not be permitted to increase their territories, 
surprise was felt that the States in question were not in the least 
dismayed, but went on their way as if nothing had happened. 

When the Balkan States made demands upon Turkey for 
reforms in Macedonia, which went much farther than the Great 
Powers had ever even dreamed of that the nationalities in Mace- 
donia should be made autonomous, should have Christian govern- 
ors and elective assemblies, and that a council should be appointed 
to guarantee the strict execution of these demands not only Tur- 
key, but the Great Powers were filled with amazement. As the 
war progressed, nearly every day brought forth fresh surprises. 
What Russia with her vast resources and the help of Rumania 
had taken some ten months to accomplish, a few small States, which 
had long been the object of their commiseration and, at the 
most, of their patronage, brought to a successful issue within a few 
weeks. It is true that great things were expected of the Bul- 
garian army, although not by any means so great as the event 
has disclosed. But little hope, however, was entertained of the 
Servian, for in the war with Bulgaria in 1885 her army had failed 
almost ignominiously. Still less was expected of Greece. In her 
war with Turkey in 1897, her army had made itself the laughing- 
stock of the world. Yet both Servia and Greece have gone forward 
from victory to victory. After more than five centuries Servia 
has again come into possession of the former capital of the Servian 
Empire. The attitude of Europe has undergone a complete change, 
at least for the time being. " The Balkans for the Balkan States " 
is now received as an axiom, and Turkey had to sue in vain, after 
the battle of Lule Burgas, for the intervention of the Powers to 
secure even an armistice. 

That Europe was so ignorant of the real strength of these small 
States is in itself a matter of surprise. It ought to have been 
known, and, in fact, it is believed that it was known to the finan- 
ciers, who are now to a large extent the arbiters of European 



390 THE BALKAN WAR [Dec., 

destinies. It was, however, a matter of importance to them that 
the real state of things should not be revealed, and they were able 
to keep the facts out of the press by the control which they 
have over a large part of it. 

What has happened is another example of the fact that the 
real forces, even of the present world, are for the most part hidden, 
and unknown even to the best informed. A few years ago China 
was considered almost all-powerful. The whole world stood in 
dread. The German Emperor painted a picture of the Yellow 
Peril. Great Britain paid tribute in respect of Burma rather than 
incur her resentment. But within a few weeks Japan laid China 
low, and revealed to the world the utter imbecility of the dreaded 
Empire. A few years after the weakness of the Russian Empire 
was revealed in its conflict with Japan. Now the same thing has 
happened to the Turkish Empire. Are there any future revela- 
tions ? 

A noteworthy thing about the present war is that it was not 
brought about by the governments, but was the spontaneous outcome 
of the desire of the peoples. So strong was this desire that any 
government would have been overturned which offered resistance 
to this determination. In Bulgaria no one could be kept from 
enlisting: old men of seventy years and boys of fourteen insisted 
upon going to the front. Every other occupation was suspended. 
From all quarters of the earth the various nationalities flocked 
to the standard, abandoning their occupations and bringing offerings 
of money in aid of the cause. How undying is the principle of 
nationality; how impossible in the long run is the triumph of in- 
justice, and the most cruel oppression; how great is the strength 
imparted by free institutions are some of the lessons to be learned 
from these recent events. For more than five centuries these na- 
tionalities have been trodden under the feet of the Turks, and 
yet they have preserved their national characteristics untouched and 
unimpaired, and the few years of freedom which they have en- 
joyed have enabled them to lay low the power of the oppressor. 

The influence of religion has had its share both in the prepara- 
tion and in the result. Catholics, it is true, have not had much to 
do with it, for there are less than two hundred thousand in the 
whole region. It was, however, the Catholic Malissori who were 
waging war with Turkey even before Montenegro began, and so 
credit is due to them according to the measure of their power. For 
the rest, before and after every battle, religious services were held. 



I 9 i2.] THE BALKAN WAR 391 

King Ferdinand in his manifesto, at the beginning of the war, made 
the human rights of the Christian subjects of the Turks the basis 
of his appeal to arms, and for this he was chidden by the semi-pagan 
civilization of the day. The success which has attended his efforts 
has extorted the approbation for which the justice of his cause ap- 
pealed in vain. 

Even the immediate future, however, is not yet quite certain. 
It is taken for granted that Turkey has been beaten, and that she 
has ceased to be a military power in Europe. She is still, how- 
ever, when these lines are being written, making a stand in 
Tchatalja. Possibly she may be left in the possession of Con- 
stantinople with a small strip of territory on this side of the Bos- 
phorus and the Dardanelles. Another point still doubtful is what 
attitude towards Servia will be taken by Austria-Hungary. As to 
this to-day's news contradicts yesterday's. There are those who 
hold that if Austria follows time-worn precedents, the course she 
will adopt will be the one most injurious to her best interests. The 
rest of Europe, as has been said, have seen it wise to let the Balkan 
States settle with Turkey the future of the Balkans, and to postpone 
at least the settlement of their own claims. The Balkan States have, 
it is said on authority which claims to be worthy of respect, come to 
a definite agreement, not merely for present cooperation, but for the 
future arrangement of whatever conquests they will have made. 
They began, indeed, with the declaration that they contemplated no 
acquisition of territory. Events, however, have made adhesion to 
that course out of the question. An instrument to accomplish any 
purpose they may have formed has been created three victorious 
armies which will enforce respect upon all possible adversaries, 
especially such rois faineants as the Powers have proved them- 
selves to be. 

One desire, at least, is common to all that the settlement 
to be made shall be final and complete. For generation after 
generation the Balkan question has caused a state of chronic unrest 
more or less acute. Such a settlement is so clearly for the best inter- 
ests of all that it is to be hoped that Austria-Hungary and Russia 
will be ready finally to sacrifice the ambitions which they have 
cherished : the one for the possession of Salonika, the other for that 
of Constantinople. 

If it is asked what is the reason for the utter collapse of 
the Turks, we hope it may be said without presumption that it is 
because it has seemed good in the sight of the Almighty to put 



392 THE BALKAN WAR [Dec., 

a term at last to that reign of cruelty and lust which has been the 
characteristic of Turkish rule from the beginning, but never more 
so than in our own times. Sir William M. Ramsay, the distin- 
guished archaeologist, who for the last thirty years paid annual 
visits to the dominions of the Sultan, asserts that no fewer than 
a million men, women, and children were massacred or put to 
death by the orders of Abdul Hamid. Nor did things change for 
the better after his deposition. If, however, the immediate agency 
is sought of the debacle, the first thing to which it is to be attributed 
is the large number of raw troops in the ranks of the Turkish 
army. There were indeed some veterans, and these fought with 
all the old Turkish bravery, but large numbers had scarcely had 
arms in their hands before they were called upon to use them 
against the Bulgarians. Again, the Turk is always a bad manager, 
and although there was food for the troops in abundance, it was 
not where they could get at it. Moreover, recent events have under- 
mined military discipline among the officers. The revolution was 
due to their agency. This caused dissension, and lack of obe- 
dience. Lastly, over-confidence in their own strength and con- 
tempt of enemies, whom they were accustomed to look upon as 
serfs, brought about that nemesis which often overtakes the foot- 
steps of the proud and haughty. 



Boohs* 

THE GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE CATHOLIC 
SCHOOL SYSTEM IN THE UNITED STATES. By Rev. 
James A. Burns, C.S.C. New York: Benziger Brothers. 

$1-75- 

In a previous volume Dr. Burns treated the principles, origin, 
and establishment of the Catholic School System in the United 
States. In that study the history of the parish schools was brought 
down to the early forties, when Archbishop Hughes was making 
his famous fight for State support of Catholic schools. The pres- 
ent volume takes up the work at that point, and brings it down to 
the present time. 

The period between 1840 and the Civil War was one of un- 
precedented growth for the Church. This phenomenon is doubtless 
to be ascribed, in the final analysis, to the vitality of the Church 
itself, but much must be attributed to the immense tide of immi- 
gration which set in during this time, as well as to the favorable 
economic, social, and political conditions under which the majority 
of immigrants found themselves. 

This influx of Catholics threw a herculean burden on the 
Church. Churches and schools had to be built, priests and teachers 
supplied. 

Burdened as priests and people were with their tasks of hewing 
out new parishes, the work of Catholic education would have been 
sadly neglected were it not for the heroic self-sacrifices of the 
humble members of the teaching orders, men and women who gave 
their services for a pittance in order that the Faith might live. 
Almost one-half of the book is devoted to a description of the 
founding and the transplanting of religious orders, and the es- 
tablishment of schools in the various western States, yet so vast is 
the field that we get only fleeting glimpses of heroic, saintly figures 
as they hurry before us in a panoramic view. 

The schools having been established, the next thing was to 
bring order out of chaos, to organize the various parish units into a 
system, to bring some degree of uniformity out of the diversity 
which existed. To that end the various Councils of the Church, 
Diocesan, Provincial, and Plenary, directed their attention, and the 



394 NEW BOOKS [Dec., 

result is to-day a well-organized school system under competent 
supervisory officials in each diocese. The various diocesan units 
are kept in touch with each other, and with the trend of Catholic 
educational thought, by means of the Catholic Educational Asso- 
ciation, which is a national body. 

The relation of Catholic schools to the State is treated at 
length, the various attempts at settlement of the question by such 
compromise plans as that at Faribault and at Poughkeepsie are 
described, and the conflicting views of Catholic educators on the 
question are considered. 

The refusal of the State to allow the parish schools to partici- 
pate in the division of the Common School funds throws the 
burden of erecting and maintaining the parish school on the Catho- 
lic people. Father Burns estimates that for the year 1909-10 the 
amount spent for maintenance of the 1,237,251 pupils in the parish 
schools was $9,898,008.00. Under the public school system he 
estimates that the corresponding cost would be $30,511,010.00. 

The efforts of the Church to make faith and patriotism walk 
hand in hand are seen in her efforts on behalf of the immigrants of 
the present day. German, Italian, Polish, Bohemian, Lithuanian, 
and other schools are established, where the rising generation are 
confirmed as children of Mother Church while they are becoming 
citizens of the Republic. 

Finally Father Burns considers some of the current movements 
and problems of the day, such, for instance, as the Catholic High 
School movement, why Catholic children attend the public schools, 
and the Catholic Educational Association. 

The book is well written. Its tone is scholarly and impartial; 
its assertions are buttressed by facts and references to original 
sources. At times, as was said before, one has a sense of being 
hurried over the numerous details of a vast field, but the careful 
student will find in the many footnotes guides to a more detailed 
study of most of the topics. 

The book itself is rather bulky, but the type is clear, the table 
of contents well arranged, and the index excellent. 

JOHN HUNGERFORD POLLEN, 1820-1902. By Anne Pollen. 

St. Louis : B. Herder. $4.25. 

An expression of gratitude is due to the " score or so of 
friends " who, as the Introduction tells us, advised the publication 
of this biography of one whose life has the double attraction of 



I9i2.] NEW BOOKS 395 

intrinsic beauty and the extrinsic interest attaching to it from no- 
table associations. Born in London in 1820, John Hungerford 
Pollen went up to Oxford when not quite eighteen, at a time when 
Newman's influence was at its height. As might have been ex- 
pected, he " fell under the spell," but he did not become quite so 
thorough a " Newmaniac " as some of his contemporaries, and 
the " going-out of '45 " left him an Anglican. But though he can 
hardly be called a Newmanite, he was a Puseyite by intellectual 
and spiritual sympathy, and by his connection with one of the most 
striking of Anglican movements after Newman's departure. 

This portion of the book will prove to many the most inter- 
esting, in its vivid account of that wonderful St. Saviour's at 
Leeds that was at once Pusey's consolation and his cross. The 
passages depicting the work of the devoted clergy during the 
cholera epidemic of 1849 are enough to convince the most skeptical 
of the earnestness of these men and of many of their successors 
in the Anglican Church, whose religion is not the mere " playing 
at ceremonies " that Catholics seem sometimes to fancy. One re- 
calls the words of Newman : " Children of the Movement ! Others 
have scoffed at you, but I never ! Others may have made light of 
your principles or your sincerity, but never I ! " 

But the Gorham Decision opened Dr. Pollen's eyes, as it 
opened the eyes of Manning and of so many others, and when he 
learned that his friend T. W. Allies was about to enter the True 
Fold, he was himself sufficiently far advanced on the road to say, 
" I am sure my heart goes with him. Shall I ever be, like him, 
in smooth waters ? " But for him was to intervene a period of 
" deep distress and hesitation," before he was finally to see the 
light. Dr. Pollen's reception, which took place at Rouen on Octo- 
ber 20, 1852, is so graphically described by himself that we cannot 
forbear a quotation: 

At the appointed time, the good Archbishop appeared, dressed 
for me in his mitre, and richest vestments; and accompanied 
by two domestics; his metropolitan cross of gold, nine foot 
high, was borne before him by a chorister, another carrying 
a candle. I felt as if I was going to the scaffold; yet I longed 
to start; I was ready to face axe and block, and to drop the 
handkerchief myself. We started, I at the end of the short 
procession; we walked through the vast and noble old Gothic 
palace to the Chapel. There a faldstool and chair were set 
for me below the sanctuary. 



396 NEW BOOKS [Dec., 

The Archbishop, according to the Rouen ritual, asked me if 
I remained firm to my intention. " Oui, Monseigneur." I 
then, from a paper I had written for subsequent enrollment, 

read aloud in French. " Je Jean ," and so on, and 

the Creed of Pope Pius ; then I put my right hand on the Gos- 
pels, and swore true obedience to the Roman See. Then I sat, 
and he made me a short address, exceedingly good. I then was 
baptized conditionally, in the shortest form, merely the words 
and the water. I then retired to the sacristy, where I received 
absolution. Meanwhile the mitre was taken off the Archbishop, 
and the chasuble put on, and he said Mass. He took the Host 
into his hands, and in very touching words, but simple, and to 
the point, told me he was bringing me this great blessing, and 
gave me the Holy Communion. Lastly, he gave me Confirma- 
tion, a short ritual; we then left the chapel. I asked his bene- 
diction in the usual way ; and he gave me the osculum pads on 
both cheeks. Registers were then brought, my baptism and 
process of abjuration were inserted and signed, and after some 
delay we all sat down in the Salon to a dejeuner, to which the 
Vicar-General had also been invited. 

And so my great work was accomplished, and now I am 
left to simple matter of fact. Every doubt is at rest, and I 
have found that kind of calm which one needs repose and re- 
flection to enjoy to the full. 

A retreat at Rome decided in the negative the question of 
priestly vocation, and having married he took up his residence in 
Dublin as a lecturer on Art in the newly-founded Catholic Univer- 
sity. From this period dates an intimacy with Newman that lasted 
down to the Cardinal's death, and is reflected in much of their 
correspondence. Returning to England he devoted himself to his 
profession of artist, and was for a time Assistant Keeper of the 
South Kensington (now the Victoria and Albert) Museum. Visits 
to the Continent, to India, to Ireland (he was an ardent Home- 
Ruler) fill up a narrative lighted throughout by a strong tender 
faith. " He saw ever the eternal hills ; to his gayest scenes they 
formed the background, and by their height he measured all things 
else." 

The story is well told, mostly through the media of diaries, 
journals, letters, etc., and the volume contains illustrations of his 
artistic work, some portraits and appendices. The excerpt from 
the Lectures on the Basilicas is likely to arouse interest in a book 
now little read and (we fear) out of print. 



I 9 i2.] NEW BOOKS 397 

EVERYBODY'S SAINT FRANCIS. By Maurice Francis Egan. 

New York : The Century Co. $2.50 net. 

Many Saints are honored and loved by men who do not see 
that all Saints deserve reverence and affection. Some trait of 
theirs, occasionally it may be that love of God which purified and 
inspired them, but generally some quality whose real source is 
overlooked, catches the fancy of the world, wins its admiration, 
rouses its enthusiasm, and for a while makes it as sincere in praise 
as any Catholic heart. The zeal and courage of St. Paul, the 
tender love of St. John for Christ, the mysticism of St. Teresa, 
the gentleness of St. Francis de Sales, the unselfishness, the 
sacrifices, the heroism of others, have repeatedly laid hold on many 
minds and hearts outside of those circles in which every Saint is 
instinctively and warmly loved. Among them all there is none, save 
the Apostle of the Gentiles, who is as widely known and as ardently 
praised outside of the Church as the Poor Man of Assisi whom 
Dr. Egan so aptly calls " Everybody's Saint Francis." This book is 
not a formal biography of the Saint rather it is a character study 
an analysis of his feelings, his aims, his motives set forth in 
a simple way, with only those details of time and place that are 
necessary to reveal him vividly as the author sees him. The book 
is enriched with twenty illustrations by M. Boutet de Monvel. 

INTRODUCTORY PHILOSOPHY. By Charles A. Dubray, S.M., 
Ph.D. New York : Longmans, Green & Co. $2.60 net. 
A review of Dr. Dubray's Introductory Philosophy presented 
by a non-Catholic foreign journal said that the volume bears the 
imprimatur of the Cardinal Archbishop of New York, and is never- 
theless a useful work. Cheap and time-worn as such a fling at 
Catholic scholarship is, the epigram marks accurately two notice- 
able characteristics of the manual; it is thoroughly orthodox and 
equally scientific. Dr. Dubray's work presents the permanent results 
of centuries of earnest thought, the abiding contributions of scholas- 
tic speculation to the solution of the deepest problems of life. 
Assimilated by personal reflection and tested by practical class- 
room discussions, these conclusions have been enlarged by, and 
harmonized with, the conclusions of modern scientific investigation. 
Dr. Dubray begins by correlating philosophy with the student's 
previous acquirements, taking for granted as little as possible. 
His work is lucid in exposition; concise in statement; strongly 
marked and orderly in sequence; suggestive rather than exhaustive 



398 NEW BOOKS [Dec., 

in treatment. Its method is, however, not wholly traditional. 
Orthodoxy is not considered, as is usually the case, immediately 
after logic, but is parcelled out in the sections that treat of psy- 
chology and cosmology. It would have been well if the author 
had summarized at the end of the book the chief ontological ideas 
and principles insisted upon in the preceding chapters. 

Critics will disagree over the proportionate space devoted 
to empirical psychology compared with that given to ethics. Others 
may question the wisdom of not opening the course with logic. 
If the teacher prefers to begin with logic, he may still use this 
textbook, helping his students to revise their knowledge in the light 
of the later psychological studies. 

To present adequately even the fundamentals of an entire 
philosophical course in six hundred pages, including therein a 
history of philosophy and topics for papers or discussions, is no 
easy task. Yet we think that Dr. Dubray has accomplished it. 
His work is of unique importance, because it gives a synthetic view 
of philosophy, a survey of the whole field from a definite standpoint, 
and it will be immensely helpful to those whose college course, 
as happens in many non-Catholic institutions, gave them only a 
history of a portion of philosophy or a criticism of some particular 
school or author. 

To the general reader who wishes a brief but comprehensive 
statement of Catholic philosophy; to the church student who wishes 
a supplement for his Latin textbook; to the priest and graduate 
student who have leisure and inclination for a review of this most 
important mental discipline, as well as to its primary audience, 
the teachers and students of our high schools and colleges, we 
heartily recommend Dr. Dubray's volume. It is a credit both to 
him and to the Catholic University of America. 

THE SISTERS OF BON-SECOURS. Translated from the French. 

New York: Benziger Brothers. $1.15. 

The English-speaking friends and patients of the Sisters of 
Bon-Secours will find in this " Abridged History of the Paris 
Congregation " a biography and family history of much personal 
interest, but the little book has, also, a wider mission as new and 
consoling proof of the fruition of Eternal Love in the life of the 
Church. 

The Very Rev. Francis M. Wyndam, M.A., in his preface, calls 
attention to the interesting fact that the Paris Congregation of 



I 9 i2.] NEW BOOKS 399 

Bon-Secours was not only the parent society of religious nurses, 
but that it antedated by a full quarter of a century the magnifi- 
cent work of Florence Nightingale, the acknowledged founder 
of secular trained nursing. " To supernaturalize the mission of 
the nurses of the sick by taking care of bodies to save souls," was 
the noble resolve which brought together a little band of devoted 
women in Paris in 1821. It required no little courage and inde- 
pendence, at that time, to conceive and inaugurate such an innova- 
tion as a religious community of women working and living largely 
outside of convent walls. 

The Crusader's battle cry : " God wills it," steeled their hearts 
to trial and led them to victory. On January 24, 1824, they were 
clothed in the religious habit by the highest ecclesiastical authority, 
and their difficult mission began. The need of suffering bodies 
opened to them doors in France long closed to religious in any garb, 
and miracles of grace followed. 

At the urgent request of the medical profession, His Eminence 
Cardinal Gibbons invited them to Baltimore, and in the spring of 
1 88 1 they came, again as pioneers in the neglected field of nursing. 

THE PRINCIPLES OF MORAL SCIENCE. By Rev. Walter 
McDonald, D.D. Dublin: M. H. Gill & Son. js. 6d. 
The theological writings of Dr. McDonald always make agree- 
able reading. He is a critical and independent thinker. It is rare 
at the present time to find one who inquires into the foundation of 
things, who is ready to question-mark many conclusions of the 
greatest Catholic theologians, who dares even to cross swords even 
with Aquinas himself. Such a one is the learned author of the 
present volume, and, as a consequence, his work is always piquant 
and often suggestive. He is ever ready, too, to accept the latest 
conclusions of science, and to apply them to Catholic theology. 
His method is stimulating, even if one, following his own example, 
reserves the right of independent reflection with unfavorable results 
for the author. In the present work his judgment, where it differs 
from the ordinary teaching, seems to be generally unsound. 

The author's professed purpose is to state the principles of 
ethics that have been handed down by a tradition of many centuries 
in the Catholic schools. Whether he really fulfills this aim may be 
judged from a reference to some of his important statements. 
Moral actions are understood by Dr. McDonald to be those capable 
of being directed by intelligence, not, necessarily, by free-will as the 



400 NEW BOOKS [Dec., 

common tradition teaches. Thus the writer's fundamental theory 
concerning morality appears to be inaccurate. Is morality to be 
predicated of the love of happiness, the quest of the highest good, 
when known as such necessary acts of every human being? Yet 
in these every human being is led by intelligence. But nobody is ac- 
counted righteous or virtuous for doing what he cannot help doing. 

Dr. McDonald says that moral acts are not to be judged as 
complex wholes, made up of intention and external act. Yet in a 
previous chapter he rightly speaks of matter and form in human 
actions, and matter and form would seem to form a complex whole. 
The fact is that men are inclined to judge acts as complex wholes, 
or according to their constituent parts, as circumstances suggest. 

The author denies the existence of purely penal laws, and has 
to meet the argument on the other side, that in some rules in 
religious houses it is expressly stated that they do not bind under 
pain of sin. The explanation offered is that they do not bind under 
pain of the sin of disobedience, though they bind directly under 
pain of some kind of sin a too subtle interpretation which gives the 
lie to the original statement in the rules. In penal laws there is 
indeed a violation of order, but may it not be an order that is not 
obligatory, like that of the higher counsels of religion. 

Dr. McDonald criticizes unsoundly the conditions usually re- 
quired for performing an action with two effects one good, the 
other bad. He speaks of the intention as not to be considered in 
this case, as if moralists, writing partially for the director of souls, 
must not take into account the internal characteristics and re- 
quirements of a human act. The condition that the act in its sub- 
stance must be good is supposed to be a begging of the question. 
But the question is entirely different, when, that is, the complex 
human act in its motive and circumstances, not merely substance, 
is good and lawful. It is useful surely to exclude at once from 
consideration acts which in their substance alone, apart from any- 
thing else, are bad, for example, lying. It is not necessary to con- 
tinue questioning the conclusions of the author. Enough has been 
said to show that his words must be accepted with considerable 
reserve. 

A DIXIE ROSE IN BLOOM. By Augusta Kortrecht. Philadel- 
phia: J. B. Lippincott Co. $1.25 net. 
The Dixie Rose a Southern girl of eighteen goes off to 

a select school in Germany. The Rose is very impulsive much 



I 9 i2.] NEW BOOKS 401 

more so than one likes to think Southern girls are in reality. 
Before long she quarrels with a haughty Russian girl. Result 
a sprained ankle for the Russian and a bad case of pneumonia for 
the American; then a clearing of the air. The Dixie Rose returns 
to her native village, and with her return appears a love affair, that 
gave one or two hints of its existence at an early stage of the story. 
For a long time it swam along under water, with scarce a bubble 
to show its progress, until it bobbed up at the very end, all the 
stronger for its long submersion. 

THE LAST FRONTIER. By E. Alexander Powell. New York: 

Charles Scribner's Sons. $3.50 net. 

The marvelous changes that are taking place in the political 
structure of the world ought to be enough to free all of us from 
ennui. It has often been an unanswerable query with us why many 
will prefer the cheap, shallow, and fruitless novel of to-day to 
those stimulating and informing books of travel and of conquest 
that are equally accessible, and almost equally cheap. The story 
of modern Africa vies in interest with any of Anderson's fairy 
tales. Of that whole vast continent but two small portions are 
now in the possession of the Blacks, and the last frontier blocking 
modern civilization is Abyssinia. The author of The Last Frontier 
tells us in rapid, easy fashion the story of the conquest of a con- 
tinent. " Morocco, Algeria, Tripolitania, Equatoria, Rhodesia, the 

Sahara, the Sudan, the Congo, the Rand, and the Zambezi 

with your permission I will take you to them all, and you shall 
see, as though with your eyes, those strange and far-off places 
which mark the line of the last frontier where the white-hel- 
meted pioneers are fighting the battle and solving the problem of 
civilization." This is an enticing invitation, and the author is 
a good talker, a versatile artist, an engaging companion. His 
book is a useful, popular introduction to the history of modern 
Africa. He is not a deep student, and many of the great problems 
which lie beneath his story he never touches upon. Speaking of 
the Italian advance in Tripoli, the author says : " Italian 
convents and monasteries dot the Tripolitanian littoral, while 
cowled and sandaled missionaries from the innumerable Italian 
orders have carried the gospel of the propaganda of Italian annexa- 
tion to the oppressed and poverty-stricken peasantry of the far 
interior." But the long continued, important, and unselfish work 
which the missionaries have done as pioneers of civilization in 

VOL. xcvi. 26. 



402 NEW BOOKS [Dec., 

Africa does not receive anything like its full measure of treatment. 
The volume is wonderfully up-to-date, as is shown by the chapter 
on Italy's seizure of Tripoli. " The cross of the house of Savoy 
portends more good to Africa in general and to Tripolitania in par- 
ticular than will ever the star and crescent." The book is pro- 
fusely illustrated, and has a large and excellent map of Africa. 

THE SCIENCE OF LOGIC. By Rev. P. Coffey, Ph.D. In two 

volumes. New York: Longmans, Green & Co. $5.00. 

A work in Logic is usually neither very interesting nor very 
readable. We are accustomed to study such treatises as an un- 
pleasant duty. The present work, however, is readable, interesting, 
and illuminating. We are not bewildered by an excess of technical 
language. Dr. Coffey follows the example of his master, St. 
Thomas, and his style is simple and lucid. His treatment of the 
scholastic method is broadminded and critical. 

In the first volume too much space is given to the numerous 
moods of the syllogism. It is easy to excuse the author. Such 
a treatment has all the binding force of long-continued custom. 
But Dr. Coffey says somewhere that it was the purpose of St. 
Thomas to get rid of useless questions. What earthly use does it 
serve in practical thinking to have an exhaustive knowledge of 
the syllogism in its uninviting moods Baroco, Bocardo, Bramantip ? 
These deserve to be called the barren virgins of philosophy. They 
may serve at school as intellectual gymnastics, but, judging them 
from their practical results, and from the fact that nobody in actual 
life consciously or unconsciously employs his knowledge of them, 
they are to be classed among the arid disquisitions which brought 
discredit on scholastic philosophy. It is regrettable that the numer- 
ous pages devoted to them were not given to a fuller treatment 
of Newman's theory of the " illative sense." 

The chapters dealing with Method, Science, Certitude, and 
Cumulation of Probabilities are as interesting in Dr. Coffey's able 
and clear treatment as the titles would lead us to expect. A few 
illuminating criticisms, which could emanate only from a clear- 
thinking mind, expose the hollowness of the empirical theories 
underlying Mill's logic. He, also, casts another stone at that idol 
of non-Catholic philosophers, Francis Bacon, showing that nobody 
now uses his inductive methods in their original form. In oppo- 
sition to him, Dr. Coffey rightly proposes for our admiration the 
Catholic priest Roger Bacon. 



I 9 i2.] NEW BOOKS 403 

The main statement of this criticism is that Dr. Coffey has 
produced a learned, well-digested, scholarly work. Indicating 
great labor, wide reading, and a clear mind, it deserves to be a 
standard work of reference for all students of philosophy, and to 
be used as a textbook in colleges and universities. Among Catholic 
productions of similar scope it will scarcely be found to have a 
superior or even an equal. 

THE UNKNOWN QUANTITY. By Henry Van Dyke. New 

York: Chas. Scribner's Sons. $1.50. 

Dr. Van Dyke has found the title for this, his latest book, 
in " the sense of mystery and strangeness that runs through human 
life," and in the preface he thus describes the contents: 
" I am thinking of familiar and human things, quite na- 
tural and inevitable, as it seems, which makes us feel that life 
is threaded through and through by the unknown quantity. This 
is the thread that I have followed from one to another of these 
stories. They are as different as my lakes in the North Country; 
some larger and some smaller ; some brighter and some darker ; 
for that is the way life goes, and most of them end happily even 
after sorrow; for that is what I think life means." 

There are nineteen stories in this " book of romance and half- 
told tales," all with their touch of sentiment, sometimes a bit 
overdone, and all presented in the author's easy, graceful style. 
One of them, " The Sad Shepherd," in many ways the best in the 
book, is admirable in execution, big in promise, but woefully dis- 
appointing in fulfillment. Artistically it collapses. The reader 
is ready to welcome the All in All; everything earthly has been 
found ultimately disappointing, but an impoverished humanitar- 
ianism and a shallow symbolism give birth to bathos. 

THE GREATER EVE, OR THE THRONE OF THE VIRGIN 

MOTHER. By Rev. Joseph L. Stewart. New York: Ben- 

ziger Brothers. 90 cents. 

For the benefit of converts and non-Catholics the author has 
endeavored, in these essays, to define and explain the important 
part played by our Holy Mother, not alone in the great mysteries 
of the Incarnation and the Redemption, but also her place in the 
Catholic Church, and her unique power of intercession with her 
Divine Son. 

Father Stewart proves ( I ) " that a religion which does not 



404 NEW BOOKS [Dec., 

recognize Mary is not that of Christ;" (2) " that the New Testa- 
ment fulfills the old : Christ is the second Adam, Mary the second 
Eve;" (3) "that the love of Mary is but another form of the 
love of Jesus," and that, finally, " devotion to Mary is an integral 
part of the Catholic Religion." 

The essays are not controversial, but at the same time are 
clear, unequivocal expositions of the teaching of the Church. Some 
beautiful passages of Father Faber, himself a convert, are aptly 
quoted. There are also several extracts from the works of St. 
Jerome and St. Augustine, St. Bernard and St. Alphonsus, show- 
ing the esteem in which the Mother of God was held by these great 
Doctors of the Church. 

We heartily recommend this book, not only to converts but 
to those who are charged with their instruction. 

CARDINAL BOURNE: A RECORD OF THE SAYINGS AND 
DOINGS OF HIS EMINENCE FRANCIS THE ARCH- 
BISHOP OF WESTMINSTER. Arranged by the author of 
The Story of the Congress and Faith Found in London. New 
York : Benziger Brothers. 90 cents net. 
While still an Anglican, Newman declared that " a bishop's 
lightest word ex cathedra is heavy," and even when not strictly 
" ex cathedra " episcopal utterances derive from the speaker's ex- 
alted position a peculiar and distinctive authority. Hence English- 
speaking Catholics ought to welcome this little book which, in a 
compass of fewer than one hundred and fifty pages, gives the 
words, on a great variety of topics, of one not only a bishop, but a 
Prince of the Church as well. The selection goes back to 1897, 
when the present Cardinal-Archbishop succeeded to the diocese of 
South wark, and the subjects range from Modernism to paying for 
seats at the church door. The volume is neatly gotten up, and con- 
tains interesting photographs; but American readers (presumably 
not so well acquainted with the details of His Eminence's past 
career) would probably have preferred a more definitely informing 
biographical notice to the somewhat vague sketch that the com- 
piler has furnished. 

A FRENCH KINDERGARTEN OF TO-DAY. By Abbe Felix 
Klein. Paris : Librarie Armand Colin. 3 frs. 50. 
Any teacher who has labored through many a dry-as-dust 
English textbook of pedagogy will welcome the Abbe Klein's ad- 
vent into the educational field. The present essay on Kinder- 



I 9 i2.] NEW BOOKS 405 

garten work in France (Mon Filleul au Jar din D' En f ants Com- 
ment il s'Instruit), although it tells us nothing new, summar- 
izes in a book of perfect literary finish the principles that 
should guide the modern teacher, and gives us many an instance 
of effective class work. 

The words of Fenelon quoted on page 118 give the keynote 
to the volume : " The greatest mistake of the average educator 
lies in always making study laborious and uncongenial, in perfect 

contrast to the child's play We ought rather to make the 

child's study a real pleasure, so that he may learn without forcing 
or constraint." Modern pedagogy is not so modern after all if 
we realize its true principles. Did not St. Augustine in his Confes- 
sions (Book I., chap, xiv.), while speaking' of his own studies as a 
child, say in words that ought to be inscribed over every school 
to-day : " The free desire for knowledge is a greater incentive to 
learning than fear." 

The Abbe insists a great deal on Froebel's idea that " the 
function of education is to develop the faculties by arousing volun- 
tary activity. Action proceeding from inner impulse (selbstthat- 
igkeit) is the one thing needful." This requires for successful 
work special ability in the teacher. The false idea that any igno- 
ramus could effectively teach little children has long been laughed 
out of court. 

The most interesting chapters of the book are those which dis- 
cuss Reading, Froebel's Gifts and Busy- Work, and the Thought 
Centre. (Chaps, viii.-x.) The literary man has not been lost in 
the pedagogue, and altogether it is a most interesting volume. 
We look forward with pleasure to the second treatise he promises 
us on the same subject. 

SAINT FRANCIS XAVIER. By Rev. Father A. Brou, S.J. Two 
volumes. Paris: Beauchesne et Cie. 12 frs. 
A new life of St. Francis Xavier was indispensable. 
Father Brou's book is not a panegyric; as he himself tells us, 
the eloquence, poetry, and rhetoric so often found in biographies 
disfigure the heroes whose lives they attempt to sketch. The 
author has very faithfully reproduced the Asiatic surroundings in 
which the Saint toiled. He has consulted, besides the documents 
already edited, the records of the process of Beatification, until now 
unpublished, and thus the very witnesses of Xavier's extraordinary 
actions again speak for themselves to the glory of his name. 



406 NEW BOOKS [Dec., 

The book should particularly appeal to missionaries. The disap- 
pointments and deceptions with which he met on all sides never 
marred the greatness of this great Saint. He rose above all these 
things, and his heroic virtues will ever be an inspiration to those 
who labor in the Master's vineyard. 

THE NEW RUBRICS GOVERNING THE RECITATION OF 
THE DIVINE OFFICE. 

The new manner of reciting the Divine Office becomes obliga- 
tory on the first day of January of the coming year, and hence every 
priest, and at least some few of the laity, will be interested in the 
books that will explain the new use of the Psalter, the changes in the 
rubrics, the feast days, e"tc., etc. 

Of the books treating of this matter, and all written with 
the laudable endeavor to make easy a mastery of the new Office, 
we would mention, first, The New Psalter and Its Use, by Rev. Ed- 
win Burton and Rev. Edward Myers. This is published by Long- 
mans, Green & Co. of New York, and costs $1.20 net. The authors 
judged that the new rubrics relating to the Office are, as published, 
too succinct and too technical to be easily understood by busy priests. 
Fathers Burton and Myers of Saint Edmund's College, Old Hall, 
have carefully paraphrased the new laws point by point, giving a 
careful explanation in every case, and showing what changes have 
been made, why and with what effect. The volume is intelligently 
arranged, and will undoubtedly be of great interest and service 
to all who are affected by the laws in question. 

Father Hetherington has written for the same purpose Notes 
on the New Rubrics and the Use of the New Psalter (Benziger 
Brothers. 60 cents net). In his historical introduction he covers 
in brief space, and yet thoroughly, the principal points in the reform 
of the Office. He then treats of the order of the Psalms in the 
new Psalter, the changes in the Dominical Offices, the Ferial and 
Festal Offices, the Mass, and the changes with regard to the Feast 
and Office of All Souls. The little volume shows great care in the 
manner of presentation, and easily makes clear the rules that govern 
the new Office. 

In this connection we wish to make note of the fact that 
the houses of Herder of St. Louis; Benziger of New York, and 
Pustet of New York have issued new Psalters, new breviaries, 
and also the new arrangement of the Psalter in handy pages that 
may be inserted in old breviaries. 



I 9 i2.] NEW BOOKS 407 

records given in The Flowing Road, by Caspar Whitney 



J- ( Philadelphia : J. B. Lippincott Co. $3.00 net), of five different 
trips through South America are full of interest and information. 
The traveling, always arduous and occasionally dangerous, was 
chiefly by boat and canoe along the great rivers, especially the 
Orinoco with its chief tributaries, which were followed from mouth 
to source. One journey began on the Rio Negro and ended on 
the Orinoco. Mr. Whitney is an experienced and observant trav- 
eler. His book teems with information about the physical fea- 
tures of the country, and the various forms of life plant and 
animal alike that are to be met in it. Moreover, he tells his story, 
with all its wealth of detail, in an interesting way one that main- 
tains its grip to- the very end. 

A NEW and handy edition of the Catholic Bible has just been 
** issued by the C. Wilderman Company of New York. We con- 
gratulate the publishers on their zeal, for they have evidently gone to 
great expense in producing the present volume. We also recom- 
mend it to Catholics for a home book, and in every Catholic home 
the Bible ought to be a familiar and well-read book. The present 
edition has many illustrations and colored maps. It is of handy 
size; the paper is good, and the type clear and legible. The pub- 
lishers have made the price within the reach of all, for it may be 
purchased in good cloth binding for one dollar. We hope their 
labors will meet with encouraging success. 

''PHIS new series of school readers, entitled Williams' Choice 
* Literature, published by the American Book Co., provides a 
complete course of supplementary reading for the first eight school 
years. Each reader contains a variety of well-selected material 
from the best authors. Care and good taste have been exercised 
in making the selections, but we have in our own language such a 
wealth of suitable material, both in prose and verse, for readers 
of this kind, that we do not see why translations from other lan- 
guages should be included. The illustrations are excellent, and the 
make-up of the books first-class in every way. The prices range 
from 25 cents for Book One to 50 cents for Book Seven. 

WILD FLOWERS OF NEW YORK, by Chester A. Reed. 

(New York: Lake Mohonk, Mohonk Salesrooms. 50 cents.) 

In a little booklet of less than fifty pages, Mr. Reed contrives to 



408 NEW BOOKS [Dec., 

recall all the main botanical facts needed by the average student 
desirous of becoming familiar with the flora of New York State. 
No important specimen has been omitted, and in the study of each 
one, brevity and simplicity have been very happily combined with 
thoroughness. More pretentious writers of more elaborate books 
have often failed to attain the same degree of success as this 
true lover of flowers in his modest volume. We would commend 
especially the way in which the principles of plant reproduction 
have been presented. The illustrations are numerous and well 
chosen, but from an artistic point of view unfortunate. 

T^ROM the Catholic Children's Crusade, which the late Cardinal 
-*- Vaughan founded in order to interest children in the rescue 
of waifs and strays, is taken the theme of a charming child-story, 
The Little Cardinal, by Olive Katharine Parr. ( New York : Ben- 
ziger Brothers. $1.25.) Little Uriel, the childish passion with 
which he throws himself into the crusade, his pathetic ambition 
to follow in the footsteps of the great Cardinal, and his final hero- 
ism, make a story that goes straight to the heart. 

A VALUABLE contribution to the literature of the Revolution 
* is John Hancock, the Picturesque Patriot. (Boston: Little, 
Brown & Co. $1.50 net.) It is the first formal biography of 
Hancock, and is written by Professor Lorenzo Sears, the author of 
American Literature, The History of Oratory, etc. The work is 
detailed and very carefully done. It will serve excellently as a 
reference textbook for students of that period. 

AS CAESAR'S WIFE, by Margarita Spalding Gerry (New 
jfU York: Harper Brothers. $1.30 net), is yet another story 
of the eternal triangle, the man, his wife, and the tertium quid; 
there is not even any novel variation of the sides or angles. The 
author succeeded much better with her stories of a nurse's life 
in the book called Heart and Chart. 

A N EXPERIMENT IN HISTORY TEACHING, by Edward 
* Rockliff, S.J. (New York: Longmans, Green & Co. $1.00. ) 
This little book displays remarkable ingenuity for imparting a 
vivid interest to the dead bones of history. It contains specimen 
colored charts, but the pupil is taught to construct his own. The 
chart-plan can be adapted to any course of history, though as a 



1912.] NEW BOOKS 409 

matter of fact the examples of chart-making are taken from English 
history, and very fortunate are the children who, by this method, 
have, in the best sense of the term, " been educated " in the story 
of past ages. 

WE have recently received the following welcome additions 
to Schirmer's octavo edition of liturgical music in con- 
formity with the Motu Proprio: Ave Verum (15 cents), by Pietro 
A. Yon, for three-part male chorus; O Salutaris Hostia (5 cents), 
by Rheinberger, for unison chorus or solo; Tantum Ergo (10 
cents), by G. J. S. White, for four-part chorus; a melodious 
Recordare, Virgo Mater Dei, by Abel L. Gabert (10 cents), In- 
structor in Ecclesiastical Music at the Catholic University of Amer- 
ica. His Mass of the Immaculate Conception, first sung there in 
1910 by two choirs, is attractive though difficult. (50 cents net.) 
G. Schirmer, New York. 

CERMON NOTES, by F. P. Hickey, O.S.B. (New York: Ben- 
*** ziger Brothers. 90 cents net.) Busy priests, who wish to 
present to their people the whole contents of Catholic belief and 
practice in a systematic form will find help in Sermon Notes, by 
F. P. Hickey, O.S.B. The present volume, treating of God as 
Creator and Redeemer, is to be followed by two others, the whole 
course covering three years. References for fuller development 
of the topics are given. 

r PHE brief monograph, Abbot Walling ford, by Abbot Gasquet 
(St. Louis: B. Herder. 60 cents), is a scholarly and inter- 
esting examination of the charges made against that prelate. It 
is valuable as a convincing vindication of his memory, and also as a 
striking proof of how even so competent and conscientious a his- 
torian as Dr. Gairdner may disregard facts and blindly follow 
prejudice. 

''THOSE who are interested in the study of Franciscan origins 
will be delighted with Father Paschal Robinson's historical 
sketch of The Rule of Saint Clare. (Philadelphia: The Dolphin 
Press. 10 cents.) The author, as everybody knows, is a fore- 
most authority on all those questions. Moreover, he writes frankly 
and interestingly. His work has been tastefully published in 
pamphlet form. 



410 NEW BOOKS [Dec., 

HTHE CATHOLIC CHURCH FROM WITHOUT (Chicago: 
1 Catholic Church Extension Society. $5.00 per hundred) is 
a methodically arranged and fairly extensive compilation from 
Protestant authors in favor of Catholic doctrines and practices. 

A NEW edition of St. Benedict's rule for monks, Sancti Bene- 
^~*- dicti Regula Monachorum, by D. Cuthbert Buller ( St. Louis : 
B. Herder. $1.10), gives us, in addition to the text of the rule, 
a short treatise on its transmission, and a summary of St. Bene- 
dict's teaching. The work is excellently and copiously indexed. 

WILLIAM SEWELL has published through Gary & Co., Lon- 
" don, a Mass of St. Francis de Sales for unison chorus (i s. 
net). 

LIVER DITSON has issued two easy and melodious Requiem 
Masses, by J. T. Whelen and Father X. Schmid (50 cents 
each). 

T FISCHER & BROTHER offers Tozer's Catholic Church 
J Hymnal in a pocket edition, containing melody and words 
only (60 cents). 

A N excellent Organ Accompaniment to the Cantate, by J. Sin- 
" genberger, is published by Fr. Pustet & Co. ($3. 50 net.) In 
addition to preludes, interludes, and accompaniments for the hymns, 
the volume contains, in modern notation, six masses from the 
Vatican Graduale. The make-up of the volume is attractive. 



^foreign periodicals, 

What Is A Conservative? Writing of Lord Hugh Cecil's book, 
Conservatism, G. K. Chesterton says : " The work inevitably suffers 
from one of the great mistakes of modern controversy : the duty of 
writing round a word rather than round a thesis." Defining a con- 
servative, he continues : " Suppose conservatism means the belief 
that the chief parts of human doom and duty are eternal, and should 
be protected or consecrated by permanent traditions, in that case 
I am a conservative ; and so was Robespierre. But if conservatism 
means a belief that the present arrangement of wealth and power 
in England, or anything wildly resembling it, can possibly exist 
for another twenty years without producing an ignominious bank- 
ruptcy or a very righteous revolution; in that case I am not a 
conservative." Again : " All thinking people will agree with Lord 
Hugh Cecil's dictum that a moral change, that is an act of free will, 
must precede the more automatic improvements by conditions and 
laws. But when he speaks of modern industrial conditions simply 
as competition due to man's instinctive self-interest, he goes a 
great deal too fast. The capitalist system just now is not bad; 
it is very bad; it is atrociously bad. The merchant princes, who 
,are the most powerful class in our commonwealth, have knowingly 
grown rich, and intend knowingly to grow richer, by reducing an 
enormous majority of the king's subjects to economic helpless- 
ness by the torture of hunger and the horror of prostitution." He 
concludes : "It may seem strange to say of a book that its fault is 
to be reasonable and lucid, but indeed this book is reasonable 
about a situation that is now past all reason, and lucid about a 
darkness that grows blacker about us every day." The Dublin 
Review, October. 

Labour War or Peace? By T. M. Kettle. Regarding the 
Catholic Church's part in the solution of the current labor question, 
the author says : " The sanctuary and the laboratory of the Church 
is the individual conscience. Any attempt to formulate in the 
name of the Church a rigorous and exclusive social programme, 
and to insist that that alone is sound Catholic policy, must, of 
its nature, be futile and even dangerous. It is indeed part of the 
mission of the Church to safeguard the ethical truths which are 



412 FOREIGN PERIODICALS [Dec., 

at the basis of all society; but when it comes to a discussion of 
the technical processes of society, economic and political, every 
man must effect his own synthesis of principle and technique, and 
he must be free to follow the light of his own conscience and his 
experience." The Dublin Review, October. 

/,$ Darwinism Played Out? By R. E. Froude. " Darwinism 
is not now, by any means, the burning question that it was some 
fifty years ago. It seems even to be admitted in some quarters 
and that with a touch of reluctance which is in itself eloquent 
that the variations in type which arise in reproduction have in 
some ways the air of an unfolding of a preconceived plan, or 
perhaps the working out of some implanted tendency towards 
beneficial development." The author makes the point that the 
upholders of the traditional philosophic point of view and the Dar- 
winites, the physicists, are not discussing quite the same question, 
though there is a large area of common ground which they occupy. 
He asserts that the difference in their attitudes towards the ques- 
tion is a very important difference. Dublin Review, October. 

American Politics From Abroad. Unsigned. The late Presi- 
dential election interested the greater part of Europe, and France 
in particular. The high tariff has been a disadvantage to Eu- 
rope, and as this was a leading question in the late campaign, it 
was hoped that it would be settled favorably to Europe by the 
election of the Democratic candidate. The article then shows the 
change in policies and questions from the Free Silver of 1896 
to the Tariff Revision of 1912. The electoral vote is explained, like- 
wise the Presidential Succession Act. The Pension Fund and the 
frauds attached to it are dwelt upon at some length. The writer 
contends that no election seems to be free from scandals. He cites 
the charges brought by newspapers and magazines, and by the candi- 
dates themselves concerning money paid by the corporations to the 
National Committees of each political party; giving the sums 
vouched for by individuals and corporations as paid by them into 
the treasuries of the National Committees, especially of the Repub- 
lican Party. The article concludes with a brief sketch of each of 
the three candidates, a history of their political life, and a descrip- 
tion of the recent conventions. Le Correspondant, October 25. 

War. Unsigned. The situation in Turkey and Eastern Eu- 



I 9 i2.] FOREIGN PERIODICALS 413 

rope is not of recent origin. While the present affair seems to 
date from the invasion of Tripoli by the Italians, nevertheless the 
trouble dates back to 1870. The recent trouble between Italy and 
Turkey has embroiled the whole of Europe in the affair, which 
as it stands at present is rather complicated. The author explains 
how each of the Powers stands, and the grievance which has forced 
each of them to this position. Le Correspondant, October 25. 

Similarity is Relation. By A. Deneffe, SJ. Unfortunately, 
the term " Monism," which savors of Atheism, is commonly mis- 
taken for the true " Henological Principle," that is, the reduction 
of all diversity to an ultimate principle God. The principle may 
be said to be this : "If two things bear some similarity, either 
the one receives this oneness from the other or both from some 
third thing." This principle has been wrongly applied in studies 
on comparative religion, especially in the case of the claimed de- 
pendence of the Jewish religion on the mythology of Babylon and 
Assyria. Similarity is understood to mean dependence a view 
which is fundamentally erroneous. The same is true of the evo- 
lutionists, who use this principle to establish the simian origin of 
man. All through the ages do we find the endeavor to reduce 
all to one fundamental principle. Thales in ancient times; St. 
Thomas in the Middle Ages ; P. Houtheim and P. Kleutgen in our 
own day. Stimmen aus Maria-Laach, No. 4. 

Pius IX., Leo XIII. , and Pius X., Their Instruction and Direc- 
tion. By J. Bricout. The names which give the title to this study are 
three great names in the history of the world and of the Church. It 
has often been said that Leo XIII. did not continue the work of Pius 
IX., and that his work was not continued by Pius X,, but, although 
there has been a certain difference in their direction, depending 
upon changes in the world at large, the perfect harmony in their 
views, the identity of doctrine and uniformity of government, de- 
serve our close attention. The series of articles, which is to 
contain this matter, is introduced in this month's issue with an 
exposition showing the conformity of opinion in regard to the 
temporal power among the three Popes. Revue du Clerge Fran- 
c.ais, October. 

Honore Tournely. By P. Godet. Honore Tournely occu- 
pies an important position among theologians of modern times. 



4 i4 FOREIGN PERIODICALS [Dec., 

He was a man of inexhaustible energy of character in his devotion 
to the Church, a learned theologian, an eloquent teacher, a fluent 
writer, a powerful polemist. In a word, Tournely was in the 
beginning of the eighteenth century the honor of the ancient Sor- 
bonne, and the powerful defender of orthodoxy against Jansenism. 
Revue du Clerge Frangais, October. 

Moral Codes and Religion. By A. Lemonnyer, O.P. The 
problem presented in this article is whether or not the moral code 
of uncivilized peoples, if they have such a code, possesses a re- 
ligious characte^. The situation 'has been summed up in the 
thesis of Lubbock, which, in regard to inferior degrees of religious 
evolution, declares religion and morality to be distinctly different 
things; in more advanced stages of evolution they may contract 
an alliance, not founded in their essence, but this again can be 
broken. Very interesting examples from the practical experience 
of scientists, who have made a special study of the subject among 
the inhabitants of the Torres Strait Islands, go to show that the 
moral laws of these primitive peoples possess a religious character. 
The ethnologic thesis above referred to opposes these facts, and 
the philosophic theory of an essential independence of morality 
in regard to religion finds no support in these discoveries, which 
have been confirmed in the results of most recent researches. 
Revue du Clerge Frangais, November. 

The Sistine Bible and its Publication. By Xavier Le Bachelet. 
Monsignor P. M. Baumgarten a few years ago published a copy 
of the Bull of Sixtus V., /Eternus ille celestium, concerning the 
publication of a new edition of the Vulgate. At the end of the 
Bull, and relative to its promulgation, was the attestation of the 
Magister Cursorum. Testimony is now at hand which seems to 
take away all decisive value from this attestation; in 1610 it was 
pointed out that the Bull had never been registered in the apostolic 
chancery, and therefore never officially promulgated. Modern re- 
search bears out this opinion. The controversy about the promul- 
gation involves Cardinal Bellarmine; it has been insinuated that 
his attitude towards the new edition of the Vulgate was the cause 
for the failure of the process of his beatification. On the contrary, 
twenty-four out of twenty-six votes were given in his favor, and 
the cause was delayed by Pope Benedict XIV., solely on account 
of the troubled condition of the times. Etudes, October 5. 



I 9 i2.] FOREIGN PERIODICALS 415 

The Celibacy of Priests. By Henri Auffroy. In the very 
beginning of Christianity many priests lived in absolute continence, 
although there was no strict law binding them to such a life; the 
first written law dates from about 300 A. D. Down through the 
centuries since then various Popes and councils have legislated 
on the subject. Celibacy is a more perfect state than marriage, 
and the Church wishes that perfection for her priests. To justify 
her position she has the teaching of Scripture, especially of St. 
Paul, Catholic tradition, and the pronouncement of the Council of 
Trent. As to perpetual continence being in opposition to human 
nature and physically dangerous, some of the most competent 
medical professors in Europe testify to the contrary. A last ob- 
jection is that celibacy is immoral. If this were so, why would 
the Church insist upon it for her clergy? The problem of eccle- 
siastical celibacy, like all others, is solved in Christ our Savior.-* 
Etudes, October 5 and 20. 

The Eucharistic King. By Maurice Van Laer. The idea of 
the Eucharistic Congress originated with a pious French layman, 
who then suggested the idea to Monsignor Segur. The Congress 
was held for the first time at Lille, France, in 1881. It was not 
until 1908 that the event became world-wide, for in that year it 
was held in London, two years later at Montreal, and this year 
at Vienna. This article describes the beauty and grandeur of the 
ceremonies at Vienna. Fifteen sections were held for the differ- 
ent nationalities, French, English, Italian, Spanish, Belgian, Dutch, 
Hungarian, Polish, Czech, Croatian, Slovenian, Armenian, Slav, 
Ruthenian, and Roumanian, besides one for German-speaking 
peoples. The aged Emperor was everywhere in attendance. He 
arranged the date for the Congress, was its special protector, and 
drew up all the plans for the processions. Le Correspondant, 
October 10. 

Textbooks in the Public Schools of Italy. The Italian public 
schools resemble the French state schools. The textbooks are de- 
cidedly anti-Catholic and sectarian, contain errors, scorn all that 
Catholics hold sacred Christ, the Church, the Supreme Pontiff. 
It is the duty of all who have charge of souls bishops, priests, 
parents to counteract their evil influence, to introduce good text- 
books in the schools, and force the teachers to withdraw the bad 
ones. By united and decisive action truth shall prevail, and liberty 



416 FOREIGN PERIODICALS [Dec., 

of conscience shall be preserved. La Civilta Cattolica, September 

21. 

The Religious Psychology of William James. In his book, The 
Varieties of Religious Experiences, William James, quoting Our 
Lord's words, " By its fruits you shall know the tree," studies re- 
ligious phenomena as facts of conscience, and holds them as lawful 
when they meet three necessary and sufficient conditions: First, 
immediate illumination; second, conformity with reason; third, 
capability of conferring moral strength. These ideas are not 
altogether false, as they refute the medical materialism of the 
new school which rejects all mystical phenomena, and attributes 
them to degeneracy or nervous troubles. But William James is 
unable to establish the psychological nature of religious tendencies, 
and to give an adequate idea of religion and religious sentiments. 
That would be, as he says, too vast a domain. Nevertheless a good 
definition of religion and religious sentiment would throw light 
on James' theories, which seem built on sandy ground. La Civilta 
Cattolica, September 21. 

The Tablet (October 19) : Italy closes an inglorious war with 

an unhonored and a selfish peace. The European Powers lack 

concerted action. They will permit the Balkan War, and after the 

carnage will do what might have been done before. In Wales 

the Anglicans and Non-Conformists are at odds. The Archbishop 
of Canterbury urges peace, and declares Anglican continuity is 
perfect except for details. But is it materially unimportant 
whether or not the Mass is a true sacrifice or a blasphemous fable; 
whether or not one rejects the Pope's authority or accepts it as part 
of Christ's Gospel? If these are " details," what then is doctrine? 

Belgium prospers under Catholic government. The good work 

of the past has merited and received a trial for the future. Some 
reforms are necessary, but the Socialistic solution is repudiated. 

After many years of waiting the Poor Clares have obtained 

a permanent home in Lutterworth. 

(October 26) : The protest of The Tablet against those who 
say Home Rule would mean persecution for Irish Protestants has 
found many supporters. The Westminster Gazette aptly answers 
the Times' attempt to discount the importance of the protest. Lord 
Edmund rebukes those contending that any predominant Catholic 
parliament must be a parliament of persecution. What a curious 



I 9 i2.] FOREIGN PERIODICALS 417 

thing is this : two bills are being thrust by the same government 
through parliament at the same time, one to secularize ecclesiastical 
property in Wales, the other to forbid a Catholic parliament to do 

anything of the sort. Father McNabb in The Fulness of Time 

explains the rosary. A measure for the disendowment and dis- 
establishment of the Welsh Anglican Church finds a place on the 
programme of practical politics. Centuries ago Catholic endow- 
ments passed into the hands of the Anglican Establishment What 
would happen if a future Irish parliament brought about the de- 
plantation of Ulster? The writer shows clearly the attitude of 
Catholics towards the Anglican Church. 

(November 2) : Church possessions are sacred. If a state lays 
violent hands on what has been given to God and His Church, it 
is guilty of robbery. Many considerations illustrating the prin- 
ciples confirming this attitude are found in history and experience. 
However pre-Reformation historical evidence goes generally to 
show that the Pope was not supreme lord of church temporalities, 
but that the State exercised a very effective wardenship over the 
same. 

(November 9) : The Bishop of Lincoln dealing with the mar- 
riage law, just issued in a letter to his clergy, recommends that per- 
sons who, according to the teaching of the Anglican Church, are 
living in incestuous union should be placed under discipline for 
a year, and after that period be admitted to Holy Communion 

without reproach. Canon Barry contributes a lengthy review of 

Monsignor Benson's new book, Come Rack, Come Rope. 

Church Quarterly Review (October) : John Spence Johnston 
contributes an appreciation and extracts from the Civil War history 
of W. P. Du Bose, President of Sewanee University in Tennesee. 
He describes the cordial welcome given him there, where Southern 
courtesy, English culture, and the best type of Anglican devotion 

are said to reign amid idyllic surroundings. The Rev. E. F. Mor- 

ison reviews the work of St. Basil the Great in the development of 
Eastern monasticism. In statesmanlike wisdom and energy he 
was the Benedict of the Oriental Church. He left, however, no 
definite Rule. In his ideal the mystical element predominates, as- 
ceticism being only a means; life in community is advocated as a 
safeguard against selfishness. There is to be variety in the activity 
of the monks, but strict unity in administration. Women, children, 
even slaves are provided for. The monks are to teach, to care for 

VOL. xcvi. 27. 



418 FOREIGN PERIODICALS [Dec., 

the sick, and the poor. Celibacy, but not Manichaeism, is strongly 

upheld. The Rev. F. C. Burney criticizes Dr. Robert Kennett's 

arguments and conclusions as to the composition of the Book of 
Isaiah. Dr. Kennett's theory is that the greater part of this book 
in a product of the Maccabaean age (170-141 B. C.), and that the 
Servant of the Lord described in chapter fifty-three is a personifi- 
cation of the faithful worshippers of Yahwe, who resisted unto 
death the attempt of Antiochus Epiphanes to Hellenize the Jewish 
nation, and to stamp out the true religion. Special pleading and 
circular arguments are said to characterize his work, difficulties 

are passed over; large and unfounded assumptions are made. 

The Bannister-Thompson Case and the Law of the Church. 

The Dublin Review (October) : English Catholic Literature, 
by Mr. Wilfrid Ward. The Editor takes up Cardinal Newman's 
lectures on English Catholic Literature, and makes a few sugges- 
tions as to what Catholic literature ought to be, using as a basis 
the Cardinal's statements of what Catholic English Literature 

ought not to be. Recent Light on Jerusalem Topography, by 

Father Hugh Pope, O.P., treats exhaustively of some recent im- 
portant archaeological discoveries made during excavations prose- 
cuted in Jerusalem, which elucidate some vexed Scripture prob- 
lems very satisfactorily. The texts in question are 2 Sam. v. 6-8; 
i Paral. ix. 6-7; 2 Paral. xxxii. Reduced Christianity: Its Ad- 
vocates and its Critics, being a study of Mr. Neville Figgis, Mrs. 

Humphrey Ward, and Mr. Chesterton by the Editor. The 

Entry Into the Dark Ages, apropos of the first volume of The 
Cambridge Mediaeval History by Hilaire Belloc. 

The Month (November) : Gaelic Ireland, by Charlotte Dease, 
distinguishes a Gaelic Ireland from an Anglo Ireland. The author 
shows that these divisions of the same country are as distinct 
in customs, traditions, and modes of thought as either one is 

distinct from England. Under the caption The Genesis of Titus 

Dates' Plot, Mr. J. B. Williams considers the evidence upon which 
Sir Roger L'Estrange attributed the Gates' plot to the plots of the 
Protestant Dissenters. The article goes on to show, by numerous 
quotations from contemporary documents, that those who have 
ascribed the assertions of L'Estrange to pure prejudice have not 

given his findings the careful attention they deserve. Mr. James 

Britten, under the title A Recent Suggestion for Reunion, reviews 



I 9 i2.] FOREIGN PERIODICALS 419 

a recent book, The Open Sore of Christendom, by the Rev. W. J. 
Sexton. The latter attempts to show the serious hindrance which 
disunion places in the path of Christianity. After a brief con- 
sideration of the conclusions of this book, Mr. Britten maintains 
that since the Church of England possesses neither definiteness 
of teaching nor union within its own borders, it cannot even con- 
sider itself as a possible centre of reunion. 

The Oxford and Cambridge Review (November) : George 

Lowther discusses /. M. Synge and the Irish Revival. Sir Home 

Gordon treats The Popularity of H. G. Wells and Arnold Bennett. 

Hilaire Belloc gives the third of his articles on The Restoration 

of Property in Capital. Temperance and Legislation is dis- 
cussed by Arthur Page. Flavien Brenier continues his history of 

Freemasonry in Turkey, and Katharine Tynan gives a story, Per 
Istam Sanctam Unctionem. 

The National (November) : W. R. Lawson criticizes the 
Marconi contract now before the British Parliament as " a hope- 
less tangle of mystery, ambiguity and confusion." That the 

solid cooperation of the Triple Entente with Japan may do great 
things for the economic improvement of Asia and the peace of 
the world, in the next twenty years, is pointed out by William 
Morton Fullerton in his article : The Triple Entente and the Pres- 
ent Crisis. L. Cope Cornford again raises his guns against the 

Home Rule Bill. "Home Rule is but the immediate cause of war. But 
if the odds are too great; if the King sign the Home Rule Bill and 
Ulster is cast out, out she will go; and with her will go thousands 
in this country (England). The process will certainly be attended, 

in Ireland at least, with bloodshed." The Sou! of the Navy, 

by Trafalgar, dwells on the fact that " the strength of the Navy is 
only created by the spirit of every individual member belonging 
to it." Commander Curry, R. N., makes A Plea For the Mid- 
Scotland Ship Canal a canal to be cut through the " waist of 
Scotland, from the Firth of Forth to the Firth of Clyde." Such 
a canal would cost twelve million pounds sterling. 

Le Correspondant (October 10) : State Ownership Troubles, 
l)y Fernand Engerand. This article is an historical account of 

State ownership of railroads in France. A Christian Gentleman 

and Warrior, by Vte. De Noailles. This article describes the last 



420 FOREIGN PERIODICALS [Dec., 

military expedition of Marshall de Guebriant, Commander of the 
German Army, in which he met his death. Wounded, he was 
carried to Rottweil, where his leg was amputated. He called his 
confessor, and died a most exemplary death, with the names of 
Jesus and Mary upon his lips, November 24, 1643. 

(October 25) : A Statesman, by Leon Delacroix, narrates the 
political career of Auguste Burnaert, the great Belgian statesman, 
who for the past fifty years has so nobly worked for the interests 

of his country and the Catholic party. Etienne Lamy gives a 

resume of a recent book by M. Louis Arnauld, entitled Our Friends 
the Canadians. He describes the loss of Canada to France, the 
religious question in Canada to-day, the language question, and a 
comparison of the two peoples French and English. 

'Annales de Philosophie Chretienne (October) : The Person- 
ality of Maine de Biran and His Philosophic Activity, by Victor 
Delbos. The author opens with a brief biography of de Biran, 
and then discusses this eighteenth century French philosopher's 
personality. He asserts that the philosophy of de Biran was no- 
thing else than " a simple representation of his own nature," de- 
rived from much introspection. In proof thereof he draws co- 
piously from de Biran's Journal intime. He declares that the 
philosopher never in his life " obtained the mastery of his condi- 
tions or his faculties. The widely divergent objects of his activity, 
his curiosity, and his affections could neither capture him entirely 
nor even keep him for any length of time at the same level."- 
The Mystic Doctrine of St. John of the Cross, by Dom L. Pas- 
tourel, O.S.B., is intended to define the " ecstatic knowledge " of 
that Saint. The author sums up thus : " St John of the Cross op- 
poses religious immanence, which would identify the soul with 
God or make it a mere mechanical instrument in His hands. But 
St. John also shows the dangers of 'extrinsicism' whereby the 
soul would never know or experience God's immediate direction. 
To say that God cannot act directly and immediately upon the 
soul would be to limit His power. St. John teaches that the action 
of God is interior, and has as its essential condition the liberty 
of man." 

Revue Benedictine (October) : 'A Definitive Text of the Rule of 
St. Benedict. Whilst recognizing the general value and importance 
of Dom Butler's edition of the Rule of St. Benedict, the writer 



I 9 i2.] FOREIGN PERIODICALS 421 

of the article, D. G. Morin, has various suggestions to offer. He 
would have the author reserve for another publication " many 
accessories " that are pressed into the present edition. Consider- 
ing his subject, its importance, and the size of the present work, 

perhaps the writer has attempted too much. Few liturgists are 

unacquainted with the name of Jacques de Panicle, more familiarly 
Latinized as Pomelius, an antiphonary of the seventeenth century. 
Whilst some scholars do not question his honesty and integrity, 
others style him a forger, " an inventor of texts ;" hence in his 
article, D. H. Peillou confines himself to those points on which 
Pomelius seems to have been something of a puzzle to scholars. 

Revue Pratique d'Apologetique (October 15) : Delporte re- 
views briefly the method and the principles by which the religious 
evolutionary school of Wellhausen, Kuenen, and Stade represent 
the monotheism of the Israelites as a gradual development. He also 
exposes clearly some of the illogical and contradictory results of 
these principles. 

Revue des Deux Mondes (October 15) : 'Around the Revolu- 
tion of 1830. These extracts from the diary of Count Apponyi 
give a comprehensive picture of the times and the insecure govern- 
ment of Louis Philippe. The Progress of the Torpedo Boat, 

by M. Blauchon, discusses very technically the history, many uses, 
and kinds of the submarine. 



IRecent Events. 

"D EFERENCE has been made in the foregoing pages of this num- 
** ber to the War in the Balkans. Little of importance has taken 
place elsewhere in Europe. It would appear that the whole con- 
tinent is so occupied with that driving out of the Turk, which has 
been desired for many centuries, that little interest has been taken 
in anything else. A few occurrences may however be noted. 

The negotiations between France and Spain 
France. for the settlement of their respective spheres 

of action in Morocco, which have lasted so 

long a time, and which, on several occasions, seemed on the point 
of breaking down, have at last been brought to a satisfactory con- 
clusion. An agreement was signed at the end of October by which 
all differences have been adjusted, and, therefore, an end is put 
to the many anxieties of which Morocco has been the occasion. 
The details of the agreement, which are of a somewhat technical 
character, need not trouble us here. The point of importance is 
that a compromise has been reached which is satisfactory to both 
countries, and which insures the continued existence of cordial 
relations between the two Latin peoples. A great part of the credit 
is due to the moderation and good sense of the Premier Senor 
Canalejas, who has just lost his life at the hands of an assassin. 
The agreement involves concessions on the part both of Spain and 
France. A part of the zone given to Spain by the Treaty of 1904 
has been relinquished. On the other hand, the French have with- 
drawn all pretensions to interfere in the customs in the zone 
retained by Spain. The status of Tangier is the one question 
still left unsettled. 

A new Ambassador to Great Britain has 

Germany. been appointed to succeed the late Baron von 

Marschall. He belongs to an old Silesian 

family, and is looked upon as a man of moderate views, likely to 
carry on the mission, entrusted to the late Ambassador, of im- 
proving the relations between the two countries. He has written 
a good deal on the subject, and while holding that there is real 



I 9 i2.] RECENT EVENTS 423 

antagonism of interests, and that sacrifices must be made by both, 
yet thinks that a solution by force would not be in the interest 
of either, and that a modus vivendi can be found. 

A Conference has recently been held in London for the pro- 
motion of this better understanding, attended by men of distinction, 
in which the various points of difference were discussed, the rivalry 
in commerce holding a prominent place. Every effort of this 
kind has a good influence. In fact, it seems clear that there is 
now a better prospect of averting a conflict than at one time could 
have been anticipated. 

The war with Turkey for the possession of 
Italy. Tripoli has been brought to a successful 

issue. Italy has been left in possession of 

the spoils, having, however, the Arabs still to deal with. However 
great her success has been, and however desirable is the destruction 
or diminution of the power of Turkey, the war cannot be looked 
upon as in any way justified. Italians, however, almost without ex- 
ception were heart and soul in its favor, and it has brought about 
a greater degree of union among them than any other event. 
Surprise is felt in all leading monetary centres at the ease with which 
Italy has been able to bear the additional burden. An exact cal- 
culation of the cost of the war is not yet possible, but a good estimate 
places the expense at about two hundred thousand dollars a day, 
for a period of almost exactly twelve months, that is, some seventy- 
three millions in all. The available balance in the Italian Treasury 
on the eve of conclusion of peace amounted to something like 
seventy-seven millions. So the expenses were amply covered. The 
terms of the peace concluded with Turkey involve the payment 
annually to Turkey of forty thousand dollars in lieu of the loss 
to the Ottoman Treasury of the revenues of Tripoli. The right 
to capitalize this and to receive a single payment amounting to 
ten millions is reserved to Turkey. Should this right be exercised, 
the total cost of the war, including repatriation and disband- 
ment of the major part of the army now in Africa, may be put 
at about ninety millions of dollars. 

The elections for the Fourth Duma have 
Russia. at last been completed. They have re- 

sulted in an absolute majority for the Right, 
the power of the Centre having been greatly curtailed; even its 



424 RECENT EVENTS [Dec., 

leader, M. Guchkoff, having failed to secure a seat. Correspondents 
on the spot think that the transposition which has thus taken place in 
the position of the two Parties will forever discredit all hopes of re- 
action. A striking feature of the election, and one greatly deplored, 
is the part taken by the clergy. The Holy Synod did not scruple to 
exert every possible influence to use them to obtain the result. The 
Home Office shared in this attempt. The consequence is that the 
prestige of the Russian Church has been disastrously undermined. 
The Nationalists in many constituencies withdrew from the contest. 
The illness of the heir to the throne has excited a great deal 
of comment, as it was thought that it was brought about by revo- 
lutionists. There seems, however, to be no foundation for these 
suspicions. 

The assassination of Senor Canalejas has 

Spain. removed from the control of Spanish affairs 

a statesman who, whatever may have been 

his faults, has stood for some years in the way of the threatened 
revolution. He has held together the factions of the Liberal Party, 
and thus enabled it to remain in office, thereby preventing the acces- 
sion to power of the Conservatives. This accession, many think, 
would be the signal for which the revolutionaries are waiting to 
make their long-threatened attempt. The motive of the assassin is 
obscure, but some connection with the suppression of the recent 
railway strike, and with a bill introduced into the Cortes for the 
regulation of strikes, is thought to have influenced the miscreant. 



With Our Readers. 

IN the November Century Professor William Lyon Phelps, of Yale 
University, under the heading of The Hungry Sheep, discusses 
a problem that is growing more and more serious for Protestant 
churches. " Why do not more men go regularly to church ? " Of 
the Catholic Church Dr. Phelps writes : " The tremendous strength of 
the Roman Catholic Church lies in its fidelity to principle, in its 
religious vitality, and in its hatred of compromise. It should be an 
object-lesson to all Protestant ministers." 

****** 

THE sheep are hungry because, for the most part, ministers have not 
" the vital Christian faith " that alone can satisfy their hunger. 
He instances words of three clergymen in three different parts of the 
country, gives their answers to questions about the inspiration of the 
Bible, personal immortality, and the divinity of Christ; and then 
adds, " The three clergymen had nothing to offer but wind. The hun- 
gry sheep looked up and were not fed." Dr. Phelps, who is not a 
Catholic, continues : " The Protestant clergy of to-day are sadly weak- 
ened by a spirit of compromise. They are afraid to preach Chris- 
tianity, partly because they do not believe in it, and partly because they 

are afraid it won't 'draw.' No mistake is greater than the mistake 

of the minister who conceives it to be his duty to preach politics from 

the pulpit I remember the case of a prominent clergyman who, 

during a whole Presidential campaign, preached Sunday after Sun- 
day against one of the candidates, to a constantly diminishing audience. 
On the night when the returns came in, the object of his attacks was ap- 
parently successful, and he cried out in despair, 'What can be done 
now?' He was effectively answered by one of the ungodly who hap- 
pened to be present. 'I don't see that there is anything left for you 
now, Doctor, except to preach the gospel.' " 

****** 

IN this connection we wish to chronicle, without comment, some 
changes to be made in the new edition of the Bible by the Baptist 
Church. Hell is to be softened down to " underworld ;" and baptize 
is to be replaced by " immerse." And in the change in the Com- 
mandments it would seem that the sins of the fathers, according to 
the new Baptist version, are to be visited only upon sons the daughters 

will escape. 

****** 

/CHANGES that will make the text clearer and more intelligible to 
^ the modern mind are to be desired, so long as the sense remains 
accurate and true. But the prevalent idea that the Bible is to be 
brought down to the views of the champions of " Reduced Chris- 



426 WITH OUR READERS [Dec., 

tianity," reminds us of the frank explanation of a Presbyterian min- 
ister when asked how, if he believed in truth at all, he could accept 
the change of faith on the part of the Presbyterian Church on the 
matter of infant damnation. " Oh, well," he answered, " that was the 
opinion of the Presbyterians of Calvin's time. They had their right 
to their opinion, and we of this day have our right to ours." One 
recalls the motion, made immediately after the adoption of that change, 
by one who had been bitterly opposed to it. " I move," he cried out, 
" that we make this retroactive." 



INTELLIGENT leaders in the Protestant Churches are beginning 
J- to see that loyalty to Christ and to Christ's definite teachings 
are the first requisites for Christian health and progress. Compro- 
mise is a sword that cuts both ways. The world of doubt and of sin 
is not conquered by concessions to either. It was a definite dogmatic 
religion that won the world to Christ, and that alone can hold it 
faithful to Him. The two thousand Presbyterian churches, as was 
stated at the recent Presbyterian Convention, without pastors, and 
to take but one state the seventeen hundred abandoned churches in 
Illinois, tell the result of that contraction in terms undogmatic Chris- 
tianity and speak of the thousands upon thousands who are hungry 
because they have not that which will satisfy their souls ; of conditions 
that make explicable the hunger of the sheep and the bankruptcy of 
Protestantism as a religious system at the present day. 



growth and progress of the Church in this country must, 
J- we suppose, of necessity be a cause of jealousy and fear to some 
who neither understand nor like us. It is conceivable that many 
simple people who have never had the opportunity of knowing what the 
Church teaches and who, moreover, have had gross misrepresentations 
of the Church and her teachings drilled into them from early child- 
hood, should entertain and give voice to accusations absolutely false 
and misleading. This we say is conceivable. 

We had occasion only a few days ago to talk to a Protestant 
woman who, while she admired the Saints, condemned the Church that 
has given us the Saints. " I don't condemn the Church now," she added, 
" I understand how Catholics venerate them now, and I venerate them 
in just the same way. Only it required a trip abroad through Catho- 
lic countries to enlighten me." The trip abroad, of course, was not 
really necessary. The woman might easily have asked her Catholic 
neighbor or attended a non-Catholic mission in a near-by Catholic 
church. However, the foreign journey was a blessing. Because of 
it she is a more intelligent woman to-day than she was a few months 
ago. Nor must we blame her. Many, it seems, must go far abroad 



1912.] WITH OUR READERS 427 

to learn of the things that are within their arm's reach. Only lately 
a purchaser came from a few blocks away to buy a half dozen 
copies of THE CATHOLIC WORLD for November, 1912, because he 
had heard from Dublin that it contained an interesting article. 

Of the ignorance and misunderstanding of those without oppor- 
tunity to know better, we cannot judge. But of the ignorance and 
studied misrepresentation of those who have the opportunity and 
do not use it; of those who know and pretend not to know, we feel 
that no words of condemnation are too severe. 



'THE CHRISTIAN HERALD of New York City is a paper of great 
J- influence, and one that has an enviable record in many charitable 
works. To its readers, and to the public in general, it preaches a 
high ethical standard. It claims to stand for Christian principles 
undefiled. Its Editor must know many Catholics at least he must 
know something of the general history of our country with which 
Catholic life and activity and sacrifice are inextricably bound up. 
Now were he to take exception to or attack the teachings of the 
Church it would not be surprising, for he is a Protestant, and to an 
honest discussion no one will take exception. But when he deliber- 
ately, week after week, in the pages of The Christian Herald calls 
Catholics " Romanists," he is knowingly guilty of an ugly, malicious 
falsehood. That we are Romanists in the good sense is our glory. 
We recognize Pope Pius X., the Bishop of Rome, as the Vicar of 
Christ upon earth, and the nature of our obedience may be read in 
books very cheap and accessible to all. There is nothing esoteric 
or secret or hidden about it. 

To call us Romanists in the bad sense is on the part of the 
Editor of The Christian Herald a flagrant insult to millions of his 
fellow countrymen. For the sense in which he uses it is a ma- 
lign sense. It embodies all the bitter bigotry of old Protestant days 
when priests were hunted like wolves, when the faithful were an 
outcast people, and Catholic religious anathema because they were 
" traitors " to their country. 

It means that the Catholics of this country are in some way 
working for the temporal supremacy of the Papal power; that they 
proclaim themselves patriots, but are secretly, in some inexplicable 
way, trying to hand the country over to the domination of the Pope. 
The idea is inconceivable to Catholics, but the use of the word 
" Romanist " by The Christian Herald, and its talk of " Papal Plan," 
are on the same plane as that roorback that is going the round of 
some of the more guillible Protestant papers of the country to the 
effect that Father Chidwick, formerly Chaplain of the ill-fated Maine, 
said lately at a banquet (a secret one we suppose) that the day was 



428 WITH OUR READERS [Dec., 

not far distant when the Stars and Stripes would be torn from every 
masthead and the Papal ensign would be put in its place. 

The word " Romanist " is used by the Editor of The Christian 
Herald to appeal to passion, and to deepen bigotry and misunder- 
standing. Thousands of honest Christian souls who read his 
well-chosen terms of " Romanist " and " Papal Plan " will 
give faith to his words, and believe that he speaks honestly. 
They know no better. He speaks dishonestly, and he knows it. He 
smugly takes " the voice of the nation " as his voice, and heads his 
column, " The Nation's Voice on Rome " and publishes under it 
letters from misguided pastors and people who have long been 
fed on just such husks of falsehoods as the caption and heading 
contain. Is the use of such unchristian and unworthy methods 
fruitless in the long run a sign of despair? Has such a minister 
of the Gospel nothing to preach of the Gospel of the Savior of 
mankind save that which misrepresents, twists, deceives, inflames, and 
is a studied attempt to rouse brother against brother. To American 
institutions there is danger, and grave danger to-day. No one denies 
it. They are the traitors and betrayers of America and the inheritance 
of our forefathers, who in the face of a common enemy will seek 
to turn patriot against patriot and Christian against Christian. 



FfiNELON. 
(WRITTEN BY LIONEL JOHNSON IN 1895.) 

IT seems at first sight strangely improbable that the son of an 
Ayrshire Protestant baker should, early in the last century, become 
the disciple and friend of contemporary Christendom's greatest Catho- 
lic prelate ; but those were the relations between the Chevalier Andrew 
Ramsay and Fenelon, Archbishop of Cambrai. Mystic recognizes 
mystic, and the plebian man from the country of Burns found a fellow- 
spirit in the holy aristocrat of Perigord, courtliest of saints, saintliest 
of courtiers. Each lived to illustrate the saying of a later expert in 
" the science of the saints," that "it is a very easy thing for a man to go 
wrong in spiritual theology, and to stray into the shadow of con- 
demned propositions." But Ramsay, though, indeed, as Hume calls 
him, "an author of taste and imagination, who was surely no enemy 
to Christianity," would scarce have survived but for his intimacy 
with Fenelon, whose faith he embraced; whose doctrines he followed; 
whose life he wrote. At best we should know him as one of the 
innumerable obscurer Mystics, who testify to the soul's thirst in the 
dry places of the world, but whose testimony is not memorable. Be- 
coming Fenelon's convert, the captive of his sweetness and strength, 
Ramsay passed into history. As Gibbon says of himself and Bossuet, 



1912.] WITH OUR READERS 429 

" he fell," if fall it was, " by a noble hand." For Fenelon is a figure of 
irresistible charm, rich in grace and in the graces ; his presence adorns 
the courts of kings and of their King, yet there is a cordial humility 
and humanity in his carriage. He provokes distinguished writers 
to phrases of distinction. Here is Michelet : 

" Who can say by what enchantment he seized and ravished souls ? We 
encounter it in the infinite charm of his correspondence, all mutilated as that is 
no other correspondence has been more cruelly emended, expurgated, obscured 
for a purpose. Well ! in those fragments, those scanty remains, the fascination 
is still omnipotent. Apart from the nobility of style, the tone so vivid and 
refined, revealing the gentleman beneath the apostle, there is something peculiar 
to himself, a feminine delicacy, which in no way excludes strength, and, in the 
very subtlety, I know not what penetrating tenderness." 

Or take Pater: 

" A veritable grand seigneur! His refined old age, the impress of genius 
and honors even his disappointments concur with natural graces to make him 
seem too distinguished (a fitter word fails me) for this world. Omnia vanitas! 
he seems to say, yet with a profound resignation, which makes the things we 
are most of us so fondly occupied with seem petty enough. Omnia vanitas! 
Is that, indeed, the proper comment on our lives, coming, as it does in this 
case, from one who might have made his own all that life has to bestow? Yet 
he was never to be seen at court, and has lived here almost as an exile. Was our 
'Great King Lewis' jealous of a true grand seigneur or grand monarque by 
natural gift and the favor of heaven, that he could not endure his presence?" 

After speaking of Napoleon, Lord Acton proceeds: 

" In another sphere it is the vision of a higher world to be intimate with the 
character of Fenelon, the cherished model of politicians, ecclesiastics, men of 
letters, the witness against one century and precursor of another, the advocate 
of the poor against oppression, of liberty in an age of arbitrary power, of 
tolerance in an age of persecution, of the human virtues among men accustomed 
to sacrifice them to authority, the man of whom one enemy says that his clever- 
ness was enough to strike terror, and another, that genius poured in torrents 
from his eyes." 

That M. Huysmans' hero, the malleus sanctoru\n, the superior 
artist in religion, Durtal, should find in a " Job mitre " but " une petite 
Mystique, ni trap chaude, ni trap froide, un peu moins tiede que celle 
de Sainte Terese," is no poor compliment to the essential excellence 
of Monsignor de Cambrai, to his " sanctified commonsense." Into 
the tangled and thorny questions of Molinism Quietism which made 
Fenelon's later life a martyrdom and a triumph, we cannot here enter. 
It had, perhaps, been well for him had he never met with Mme. 
Guyon and her writings, never written the Maximes des Saints. It is 
personally painful, even now, to watch Bossuet, " the eagle of Meaux," 
falling foul of Fenelon, "the dove of Cambrai." It is revolting to 
think of the most delicate and mysterious things of faith exposed to 
the impure handling of such men as the Great King and Harlay, the 
infamous Archbishop of Paris, who died in the arms of his mistress. 



430 WITH OUR READERS [Dec., 

Two true and witty sayings contain the gist of the notorious con- 
troversy. " M. de Cambrai," said Mme. de Sevigne's daughter, 
" pleads well the cause of God, but M. de Meaux still better that of 
orthodoxy; he cannot fail to win the day at Rome." Said Pope 
Innocent XII. : " Cambria has sinned through excess of love for God, 
and Meaux through want of love to his neighbor." Technically, 
verbally, Fenelon was wrong; he erred in expression, not in meaning. 
We cannot agree with Dean Church, that " it was a poor quarrel and 
a sign of degeneracy." It concerned the weightiest matters of spiritual 
life. But we agree with him in condemning its accidents and circum- 
stances, its atmosphere and environment of devotee courtiers, and 
pietism a la grande dame, and social intrigues and jealousies. Mysti- 
cism and its exact theology are not for loose and general discussion 
upon the levels of society, but require retirement, solitude, patience. 
Take any approved treatise of mystical theology, such as the thousand- 
paged Institutiones Theologiae Mysticae of the Benedictine Schram; 
then imagine Paris of Fenelon's day canvassing problems and specula- 
tions, which even the most learned and experienced of theologians 
touch but at their perpetual peril. Men and women, whose first effort 
should have been to keep a few of the Ten Commandments, fell to 
disputing whether love for God must be absolutely " disinterested ;" 
whether they should " desire hell " if God desired it for them ; whether 
anything short of self-annihilation to the will of God were permitted 
to a Christian. Fine topics of talk among the frou-frou of skirts and 
the flutter of fans ! When Fenelon's book was under examination at 
Rome, Mme. de Maintenon, we are quaintly told, " did not think her- 
self entitled to enter into an affair which was laid before the Holy See." 
Mighty obliging and self-denying of the good lady! There was, per- 
haps, not a score of persons in France capable of judging the questions 
at issue, either by their scientific training in theology or by their ex- 
perience of the spiritual life in its most profound reality. Such a man 
as Jean Baptiste de Renty, who died shortly before Fenelon's birth, 
and whose Holy Life ranks among the greatest of mystical biographies, 
was the kind of man to whom these tremendous questions were matters 
of personal knowledge ; but such a man is as rare as the aloe blossom. 
It was Fenelon's lot to be cast among courtly offices, worldly affairs, 
relations with the state; c'etait Louis XIV. He was not allowed the 
pastoral seclusion of Francis de Sales; he stood prominently before 
France a public man. Yet he never lost the bloom of sincerity 
and gentleness, nor did his reserved strength ever kindle into passion; 
lie won the hearts of the most unlikely persons. " He was cast," 
said Lord Peterborough, " in a particular mould, that was never 
used for anybody else; he is a delicious creature! But I was forced 
to get away from him as soon as I possibly could, for else he would 
have made me pious." His very aspect was an enchantment. " // fallait 



1912.] BOOKS RECEIVED 431 

faire effort" said Saint-Simon, "pour ne pas le regarder." In con- 
trast with too many prelates of his day, he was a very Dupanloup in 
the discharge of diocesan duties and episcopal superintendence; and 
he discharged at the same time a vast " apostolate of letter-writing," 
as the director of countless souls. Withal, he was a master in liter- 
ature ; Telemaque is not yet a faded classic, and his dissertations upon 
oratory and the ancients are full of a rich purity in style and thought. 
He wrote the first important modern treatise upon the education of 
women : he was at all points original, fearless, fine. " Unction " in 
him was not that sickly-sweet sensibility and sentimentality which in 
French religious writers is apt to usurp the name: it was a veritable 
gift of love, eloquent and winning proprio motu, but never affectedly 
or foolishly effusive. His Spiritual Letters abound in salutary severi- 
ties in the spirit of St. Teresa, though without her inimitable humor 
and homely terseness of speech. He is not languishing and rapturous, 
but a very wise and simple Christian, who uses a gracious and graceful 
style, and conveys piety with the pleasing politeness of good French. 
He had not the magnificent Bossuet's thunder, that organ music rolling 
over the deaths of princes and chanting the procession of the ages: 
Fenelon is the Sophocles to Bossuet's ^Eschylus, the Spenser to his 
Milton. The elegance of holiness was upon him, as well as the loftier 
beauty; he was much of a George Herbert, though nobler fashioned 
upon a greater plan. An essential candor shines about his memory; 
it purifies and freshens his not very wholesome age in which single- 
hearted men were rare. His world was aware of his eminence, his 
solitary distinction ; he won to himself even such men as Marlborough. 
" If I am sorry I have not taken Cambrai, it is not for the honor of 
the conquest as to have had the pleasure of seeing so great a man." 



BOOKS RECEIVED. f 

BENZIGER BROTHERS, New York : 

The Ways of Mental Prayer. By Rt. Rev. Dom Vitalis Lehodey, O.C.R. 
From the French. $1.75 net. Hospital Society Addresses. By Henry Se- 
bastian Boroden. 70 cents net. Our Reasonable Service. By Vincent 
J. McNabb, O.P. $1.10 net. Searching the Scriptures. By Rev. T. P. F. 
Gallagher, S.T.L. $1.75 net. The Sugar Camp and After. By Rev. Henry 
S. Spalding, SJ. 85 cents. Faustula. By John Ayscough. $1.35 net. 
CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS, New York: 

The Religious Forces of the United States. By H. K. Carroll, LL.D. $2.00 net. 
The Last Frontier. By E. Alexander Powell, F.R.G.S. $3.00 net. Causes 
and Effects in American History. By Edwin W. Morse. $1.25 net. The 
Mortal Gods and Other Plays. By Olive Tilford Dargan. $1.50 net. The 
Kiss and Other Stories. By Anton Tchekhoff. $1.50 net. 
LONGMANS, GREEN & Co., New York : 

Miriam Lucas. By Canon Sheehan, D.D. $1.35 net. 
AMERICAN BOOK Co., New York: 

Essentials of French. By Victor E. Francois, Ph.D. 90 cents. Hygiene For 
the Worker. By William H. Tolman. Ph.D. 50 cents. Aus Vergangener 
Zeit. Selected and Edited by Arnold Werner-Spanhoofd. 50 cents. 
CHRISTIAN PRESS ASSOCIATION PUBLISHING Co.. New York: 

The Woman Hater. By John Alexander Hugh Cameron. $1.25. 



432 BOOKS RECEIVED [Dec., 1912. 

DODD, MEAD & Co., New York: 

This and That and the Other. By H. Belloc. $1.25 net. Reminiscences of 

A Diplomatist's Wife. By Mrs. Hugh Fraser. $3.00 net. 
HENRY HOLT & Co., New York : 

A Montessori Mother. By Dorothy Canfield Fisher. $1.25 net. Phoebe, 

Ernest, and Cupid. By Inez Haynes Gillmore. $1.35 net. 
E. P. DUTTON & Co., New York : 

The Honourable Mrs. Garry. By Mrs. Henry de la Pasture (Lady Clifford). 

$1.35 net. 
THE STATLER PUBLISHING Co., New York: 

The Americans in Panama. By Wm. R. Scott. $1.35 net. 
THE CENTURY Co., New York : 

Everybody's St. Francis. By Maurice Francis Egan. $2.50 net. 
HARPER & BROTHERS, New York : 

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THE 



CATHOLIC WORLD. 



VOL. XCVI. 



JANUARY, 1913. 



No. 574. 



BERGSON'S PHILOSOPHY OF CHANGE. 




BY THOMAS J. GERRARD. 

E have been trying to understand the activities of the 
time-spirit in various spheres of experience,* in 
literature, in eugenics, in economics, in art. They 
are seen to be summed up in the principle of man's 
self-perfectibility. The chief characteristic of the 
time-spirit is an exaggerated subjectivism and individualism. The 
law of reason is set aside to make place for the predominant feel- 
ing. Sensation becomes the norm of conduct. But even healthy 
sensation is not of sufficient variety to provide man with constant 
satisfaction. When sensation has been made the leading factor in a 
man's life, then he soon has recourse to morbid sensation, for the 
sane and healthy feelings soon become exhausted. Change becomes 
the order of the day; nor is the question asked whether the change 
be for better or for worse. Anything will do provided it be a 
new sensation. 

A new philosophy has been proposed to the world which 
seeks to explain and to justify these aspirations of the time-spirit. 
Its author is M. Henri Bergson, Professor of the College de France. 
It is a revolt against the static aspect of things. It proclaims that 
all is kinetics. Bergson himself calls it the philosophy of change. 
Indeed its great success may be set down to this consistency with 
itself, namely, that it provides a new sensation. 

*See THE CATHOLIC WORLD, April, 1911; January, June, July, September, 
October, December, 1912. 

Copyright. 1912. THE MISSIONARY SOCIETY OF ST. PAUL THE APOSTLE 

IN THE STATE OF NEW YORK. 
VOL. xcvi. 28. 



434 BERGSON'S PHILOSOPHY OF CHANGE [Jan., 

Let us not underestimate the importance of Bergson. He has 
now the whole world for his audience. The small room in which 
he lectures in Paris is always crowded, so crowded, in fact, that 
many of his hearers sit through the lecture of the professor who 
precedes Bergson in order to ensure a place. This year he gave a 
course of lectures in London, but the great hall of University 
College was unable to accommodate one-half of those who came 
to hear him. He is announced to visit America shortly. Then 
from October, 1913, to October, 1915, he will be Gifford Lecturer 
in the University of Edinburgh. 

He speaks always in French, and doubtless many of his hearers 
do not understand his language, whilst many more are hopelessly 
confused in the attempt to understand his philosophy. Neverthe- 
less, although so many of his subtleties are hard to grasp, yet some 
of his main thoughts do stand out, and are making an impression 
on the people. It is with these that we shall concern ourselves. 
The custom of Catholicism is to look at books in their objective 
sense, that is, in the sense in which they are taken by the generality 
of readers. Her interest is not in the mental dexterity of the 
newest thinker, but in the salvation of the multitude who may be 
affected by him. Bergson appeals primarily to philosophers, such 
as Arthur James Balfour in England and William James in 
America. But through a host of popular writers he is gradually 
making his way to the people. 

The chief works of Bergson are three. The first is Essai 
sur les Donnees Immediates de la Conscience. This was written 
during the years 1883 to 1887, and published in 1889. It has been 
translated into English under the title of Time and Free Will. 
In this work the author explains one of his most fundamental con- 
cepts, namely, "duration" (la duree). To those who are accus- 
tomed to think in scholastic terms, the discussion may be said to be, 
as nearly as possible, a discussion between real and imaginary time. 
Real time is the actual flowing duration; whereas imaginary time 
is but the possible flowing duration. The imaginary time can be 
spread out like a map. It can either represent the intrinsic flow 
of real time or the extrinsic measurement of the same which we 
derive from the movements of the sun, moon, and stars, or by 
simply looking at our clocks. 

In the Bergsonian method the reader is asked to put off all 
conventions of abstract time, and to throw himself into reality. 
He must feel the real concrete duration. Feeling this duration, 



1913.] BERGSON'S PHILOSOPHY OF CHANGE 435 

he looks at free-will before the act, not after it. Thus (so he is 
told), although he cannot define free-will in abstract terms, yet 
he can establish the fact of it by observation. The scholastic 
reader, however, must be warned that Bergson does not mean the 
same thing by free-will as is meant by previous philosophers and 
plain men. He does not use a common coinage. He means only 
certain great acts of choice whereby something new is created. 

The second book is Matter and Memory (Matiere et Memoir e). 
This was published in 1896. It is described as an essay on the 
relationship between the body and the spirit. Here the author 
frankly declares himself a dualist. How far he is true to his 
description of himself we shall see later. The book affirms the 
reality of spirit and the reality of matter, and by study of the 
memory seeks to define the relationship between the two. It 
professes to avoid the difficulties of realism on the one hand, and 
of idealism on the other, by taking up a position midway between 
them. " It is a mistake to reduce matter to the perception we have 
of it, a mistake also to make of it a thing able to produce in us 
perceptions, but in itself of another nature than they. Matter, 
in our vfew, is an aggregate of 'images.' And by 'image' we mean 
a certain existence which is more than that which the idealist calls 
a representation, but less than that which a realist calls a thing 
an existence placed half-way between the 'thing' and the 'repre- 
sentation.' "* 

There is indeed a close connection between a state of conscious- 
ness and the brain, but so also is there between a coat and the nail 
upon which it hangs. There is, in fact, no parallelism between the 
psychical and the physiological processes. Memory is just the 
intersection of. mind and matter, and particularly the memory 
for words. The psychical state is immensely wider than the 
cerebral state. The reader will notice in the last statement a prep- 
aration for the proposition that reason is not the only faculty by 
which knowledge is acquired. 

These two volumes contain the ground-work upon which the 
third is built up, Creative Evolution (L 'Evolution Creatrice). This, 
by far the most important of Bergson's works, was published in 
1907. Here the doctrine of man's self -perfectibility is carried to 
its utmost possible limits. Existence, in the case of a conscious 
being, means nothing less than an unending process of self-creation. 
Nay, the whole universe is made up of one evolutionary flux, 

*Matter and Memory, p. vii. 



436 BERGSON'S PHILOSOPHY OF CHANGE [Jan., 

a self -creative process whose future is undetermined and unknown 
by any outside intelligence, even though it be omniscient. 

Before attempting to criticize the various features of this 
philosophy, let us first make a general sketch of it, so that we may 
see how the parts hang together. 

The history of the evolution of life, it tells us, shows that 
man's intelligence is but a department of general consciousness. 
It is a special faculty devised by life for a particular purpose. 
It is a kind of nucleus of a large nebula. It deals only with the 
practical ordinary affairs of life. The real glimpse at reality, which 
philosophy tries to get, is obtained not by the intelligence but by 
intuition. The intelligence, since it is created by life for one 
department of life, is consequently unable to see the whole of 
life. Even scholasticism tells us that an extended body is the 
connatural object of our understanding. That is why we get 
headaches when we occupy ourselves with abstractions for a long 
time without resting. Even M. BWgson has to keep using concrete 
examples to illustrate his metaphysical subtleties, and so also shall 
we have to use objects of familiar experience in order to show the 
bearing of scholastic principles on the new method. 

In order to get a real knowledge of life, we must bring to the 
task not merely this specialized department which we call intellect, 
but the whole field of consciousness. We must look within our- 
selves, imagine ourselves in the middle of this field of consciousness, 
and thus feel the vital process. It will evade us, for it is in constant 
flux. But if we keep getting glimpse after glimpse of it intuitively, 
we shall be able to obtain the material for a theory of life and 
knowledge. 

The intelligence can only take momentary snap-shots of the 
things which are in motion. It makes an abstraction from the 
movement at a given point. Thus physical science can never 
comprehend reality, for it must of necessity be always behindhand. 
It can only touch the phenomena of life, not life itself. As far 
as physical science is concerned there is a corresponding re-action 
to every action. In her eyes there can be no free creation what- 
soever. All is mechanically balanced. But philosophy can do 
what physical science cannot do: it can comprehend life. It 
touches the all-important " now," which gathers up the whole of 
the past and pushes forward into the future. Reality, therefore, 
is not something static. It is the consciousness of living. It is 
the intuition of life. It is, therefore, something entirely kinetic. 



1913-] BERGSON'S PHILOSOPHY OF CHANGE 437 

The intelligence breaks up this living process into states, strings 
them on to an imaginary string, the string being an imaginary self. 
Thus whilst the kinetic is the stuff which is real, the static is but an 
instantaneous photograph of it. When we look upon these var- 
ious states as spread out in the memory, then we get an idea of 
imaginary Time. But when we look upon the present flux of 
things as the one kinetic reality, then we get the idea of real Time. 
Real time is the fluxus ipsius nunc, the flow of the " now " into 
the " now." Bergson declares it to be a continual becoming, and 
infers that if we try to fix it in our intelligences, we are landed 
at once into a static conception of it. If we would perceive its 
flowing nature we must feel it with our whole consciousness, for 
it is the change which we feel that is the ultimate reality. 

We gather all this from looking within ourselves and per- 
ceiving the constant change. The question now arises whether 
that vital process which we perceive within us cannot be predicated 
of existence in general. The history of evolution shows that 
forms have succeeded forms. Types and species have come into 
being and have passed away, giving place to other types and species. 
Evolution, in a word, is a record of continuous change. The whole 
of life is one continuous movement like the movement of an in- 
dividual man. It gathers up like a snowball all its past which 
it carries with it. It thrusts itself forward into the future, which 
it creates. 

This is Bergson's opportunity to criticize, on the one hand, 
the mechanical explanation of the evolutionary process, and, on 
the other hand, the finalist explanation. Both, he says, are 
weighted with the same fallacy, in that they assume that the 
present is contained and predetermined in the past. Both mistake 
imaginary time for real time. Both take intellectual symbols for 
the reality instead of the active vital flux. There is nothing crea- 
tive in either of them. 

A further study of the history of evolution shows us two 
diverse lines, one the line of intelligence which has man for its 
ultimate stage of development, the other the line of instinct which 
has its perfection in ants and bees. Where instinct flourishes 
most intelligence flourishes least The nature of instinct insin- 
uates to us the nature of that faculty of direct vision which we 
call intuition. It is by this intuition that we are able to seize on to 
reality, that flux, change, duration which is so evasive to the intel- 
ligence. 



438 BERGSON'S PHILOSOPHY OF CHANGE [Jan., 

Life is like a reservoir bursting forth into several streams. 
It is always life, but sometimes it specializes in plant forms, some- 
times in animal forms, sometimes in human forms. Circumstances 
and opportunities modify the creative effort. In this way intel- 
ligence came into existence. Life needed it for a special purpose 
and so created it. The life which was identical with conscious- 
ness underwent a kind of condensation forming a luminous centre. 
The whole of life uses a part of itself for a special purpose. Here 
is the most obscure part of Bergson's philosophy. Even his most 
ardent disciples admit that he is far from clearly explaining him- 
self. And obscure it must of necessity be, for, at least from our 
point of view, he is trying to make the intellect get behind the 
intellect. From his point of view he is trying to make intuition 
see the formation of the intellect. 

The same creative evolution is also made the criterion of 
free-will. The question now is not, as formerly, liberty of choice 
between two alternative courses, but rather whether, when we act, 
we really create. Nay, we cannot pick out of our concrete actions 
those which are free and those which are not. We are only free 
when our action is that of our whole personality. When I have 
expressed myself so thoroughly as to have created something new 
in the world, then I have acted as a free man. Moreover, if the 
will only does what the intellect declares it ought to have done, it 
is not free. The mechanical nature of physical science precludes 
indeterminism. Nor is the freedom here described confined to 
men. It is a quality of the whole universe. Indeed it was the 
whole of life (which is the whole of reality) that imparted our 
freedom to us. All things share it in some degree. 

Life as a whole, from the initial impulsion that thrust it into 
the world, will appear as a wave which rises, and which is 
opposed by the descending movement of matter. On the greater 
part of its surface, at different heights, the current is con- 
verted by matter into a vortex. At one point alone it passes 
freely, dragging with it the obstacle which will weigh on its 
progress but will not stop it. At this point is humanity; it 
is our privileged situation. On the other hand, this rising 
wave is consciousness and, like all consciousness, it includes 
potentialities without number which interpenetrate, and to which 
consequently neither the category of unity nor that of multi- 
plicity is appropriate, made as they both are for inert matter. 
The matter that it bears along with it, and in the interstices 



1913.] BERGSON'S PHILOSOPHY OF CHANGE 439 

of which it inserts itself, alone can divide it into distinct indi- 
vidualities Finally consciousness is essentially free; it is 

freedom itself; but it cannot pass through matter without 
settling on it, without adapting itself to it.* 

Lastly, the same necessity for free creation prevents even God 
from knowing the future. God Himself, indeed, is subject to 
the law of perpetual change. He is a kind of centre from which 
worlds shoot out. He is not already perfect, but rather a con- 
tinuity of shooting out. Reality consists of change, and if God 
is real He must be forever changing. 

Obviously the first concept that has to be dealt with in this 
philosophy is that which declares that reality consists in flux 
or change. If this philosophy be sound then we can say of nothing 
that it " is." Things that seem to be solid and undergo no change 
are but periods or cuts across the flowing. They are but snap- 
shot views of reality, not reality itself. They belong to that 
imaginary time which is a symbol of space, not to the real time 
which is duration. A material thing endures without changing, 
but a living thing endures by changing. Now, asks Bergson, is 
the reality which is behind all appearances like a material thing 
that does not change? Or is it a living thing which does change? 
Then he answers that it must be the living stuff, namely, the ever- 
flowing time (la duree). 

As usual we have recourse to St. Thomas for the corrective 
principle. The fallacy which Bergson makes through the whole 
of his treatment of change is that he does not recognize what St. 
Thomas calls the ratio entitatis. Even a thing which is in flux 
is a whole. There was once a baby called Woodrow Wilson. It 
grew and grew and grew until it became the President of the 
United States. But it always remained the same person, namely, 
Woodrow Wilson. The change from a gelatinous organism into 
a mighty president never destroyed its identity. 

The idea of being is one of the primary observations of human 
experience. It is so simple and so clear to the understanding 
that it is incapable of further explanation. One only explains the 
more difficult by the more easy. But we cannot explain the one 
thing " being " by something else, because every something else 
is " being." When we say that a being is that which exists, it is 
almost as if we said that a book is a book and a tree is a tree. 

*Creative Evolution, pp. 284, 285. 



440 BERGSON'S PHILOSOPHY OF CHANGE [Jan., 

What we say about " being " then is that its nature is obvious, we 
see it, and we steadfastly refuse to have our intelligences muddled 
by pretending that we do not see it. We start w r ith this first self- 
evident truth: a being is that which exists. 

But a being must be some sort of being. It must be a 
penknife or a motor-car or an elephant or something of that 
kind. It must have an essence. Now an essence is that by which 
a thing is what it is. That by which an animal, for instance, 
is an animal is sensation. Sensation, therefore, is the essence of 
an animal. A horse has sensation, therefore a horse is an animal. 
A man has sensation, therefore a man is an animal. He is a 
higher kind of animal because of his reason, but nevertheless he 
is an animal. He has the essence of an animal. A full-blown 
being, therefore, is an essence which is actually in existence. 

Now we are bound to say of an essence as such that it is un- 
changeable and indivisible. So long as a thing is what it is, it 
is what it is. A thing may change as to its integral or accidental 
parts, but not as to its essential parts. If its essential parts change, 
then the thing itself ceases to be, and something else begins to be. 
For instance, a pig is always a pig. When it is young it is small 
and thin. After twelve months of good feeding it becomes large 
and fat. A great change has taken place in it, but it has not 
changed into a baboon. In spite of all the feeding it remains a pig. 
The essence has remained the same. The reality, namely, that 
by which it is a pig, and by which it endures as a pig, is absolutely 
static. 

Further, the essence is indivisible. It is true that you can 
have half of a carcass of a pig, but you cannot have a pig which 
is half pig and half aeroplane. The essence is indivisible. 

The reason given by Bergson for casting aside realism is that it 
involves the conception of that imaginary time which is unreal. 
Reality is a flow. What does not flow is not real. 

Now, life [he says] is an evolution. We concentrate a period 
of this evolution in a stable view which we call a form, and 
when the change has become considerable enough to overcome 
the fortunate inertia of our perception, we say that the body 
has changed its form. But in reality the body is changing form 
at every moment; or, rather, there is no form, since form 
is immobile and the reality is movement. What is real is the 
continual change of form: form is only a snap-shot view of 
a transition. Therefore, here again, our perception manages 



1913-] BERGSON'S PHILOSOPHY OF CHANGE 441 

to solidify into discontinuous images the fluid continuity of the 
real. When the successive images do not differ from each 
other too much, we consider them all as the waxing and waning 
of a single mean image, or as the deformation of this image 
in different directions. And to this mean we really allude 
when we speak of the essence of a thing, or of the thing itself.* 

Incidentally, we may remark that the above description of real- 
ism is not true of the moderate realism taught by St. Thomas. The 
image, or shape, or form, or phenomenon, be it even the mean image, 
shape, form or phenomenon, is not the essence of a thing accord- 
ing to the doctrine of moderate realism. The essence is the abiding 
indivisible reality which underlies the phenomenon. It is quite true 
that we can only get at the thing in itself through its appearances. 
But the distinction is vital. It is the distinction between the id quo 
and the id quod. That which we see, taste, and handle is the thing, 
but that through which we see, taste, and handle is its appearances. 
We are not concerned to defend exaggerated realism against M. 
Bergson. But, on the other hand, we claim that our moderate 
realism provides for a permanent reality without being committed 
to the absurdities which are created by making reality consist in 
the eternal flux. 

Keeping the doctrine of moderate realism in mind, we can go 
on to show the right use of images. They show to us the reality 
of space. This brings us to the converse of Bergson's radical 
fallacy. In making reality consist in the flux of things, he thereby 
thrusts out of his philosophy the concept of space. In exaggerating 
the time element he practically annihilates the spatial element. He 
puts forward motion, that is, change in time as the whole essence 
of a material thing, ignoring its length, breadth, .and thickness, 
which (apart from all else in it) are no less its essential factors, 
even as change and permanency are. Let us grant that all bodies 
are in a state of flux. Change, indeed, or liability to change, is 
of the essence of all that is material. But it is not the only factor 
in the essence. If it were, then we might truthfully say that all 
bodies are the same length, for they all consist merely of this 
flowing point which is " now." But no sane philosopher will 
go so far behind his common sense as to question the facts of 
common observation. Bodies are not all the same length. 

There is a most luminous passage in St. Thomas which shows 
the unique position of the moderate realist in being able to use 

^Creative Evolution, p. 318. 



442 BERGSON'S PHILOSOPHY OF CHANGE [Jan., 

the good elements of idealism and realism without being caught 
in their fallacies. He is speaking of the intelligences of angels and 
disembodied spirits, and incidentally he shows how the human 
mind, working through the instrumentality of the brain, when once 
it has grasped the idea of a thing, can think of the thing irre- 
spective of space and time. 

Nor again [he says] can distance in place hinder the knowl- 
edge of a disembodied soul. Distance in place ordinarily affects 
sense, not intellect, except incidentally, where intellect has to 
gather its data from sense. For while there is a definite law of 
distance according to which sensible objects affect sense, terms 
of intellect, as they impress the intellect, are not in place, but 

are separate from bodily matter Plainly too neither is 

time mingled with the intellectual activity of such beings. 
Terms of intellect are as independent of time as they 
are of place. Time follows upon local motion, and measures 
such things only ^as are in some manner placed, in space, and 
therefore, the understanding of a separately subsisting intelli- 
gence is above time. On the other hand, time is a condition of 
our intellectual activity, since we receive knowledge from phan- 
tasms that regard a fixed time. Hence to its judgments, affirma- 
tive and negative, our intelligence always appends a fixed time, 
except when it understands the essence of a thing. It under- 
stands essence by abstracting terms of understanding from the 
conditions of sensible things : hence in that operation it under- 
stands irrespectively of time and other conditions of sensible 
things.* 

Here then is the precise difference between Aquinas and Berg- 
son. Aquinas uses space as one of the data provided by sense 
from which the intellect may abstract matter for thought; but 
when once the intellect has got its idea it is able to transcend 
space. Bergson, being absorbed by sense, is unable to transcend 
space, and consequently for the purposes of philosophy he has no 
alternative but to destroy it. The result is that we are shut off 
from the external world. We can neither derive experience from 
it nor enter into active communion with it. We are shut up 
strictly within the limits of our own subjective feelings. There 
being no internal norm by which to correct our eccentricities, 
the method can lead to nothing but confusion, whether it be in 
truth, goodness or beauty. 

*Contra Gentiles, Lib. II., Cap. XCVI. 



1913-] BERGSON-'S PHILOSOPHY OF CHANGE 443 

We must not, however, be content with showing the unwork- 
ableness of Bergson's conclusions. We must get at the fallacy 
of his reasoning. This may be conveniently done, by examining 
his criticism of Zeno's flying arrow. By this paradox the flying 
arrow is motionless all the time of its flight. If it moves it occu- 
pies a number of successive positions. But it cannot occupy two- 
successive positions unless two moments are allowed it. At any 
given moment, therefore, the arrow is at rest at a given point. 
It is, therefore, motionless at each point in its course. It is motion- 
less, therefore, all the time it is moving. 

Bergson tries to escape the paradox by denying that the arrow 
ever is at a certain point in the course. 

Yes [he says] if we suppose that the arrow can ever be 
in a point of its course. Yes again, if the arrow, which is 
moving, ever coincides with a position which is motionless. 
But the arrow never is in any point of its course. The most 
that we can say is that it might be there, in this sense, that it 
passes there and might stop there. It is true that if it did stop 
there, it would be at rest there, and at this point it is no longer 
movement that we should have to do with. The truth is that 
if the arrow leaves the point A to fall down at the point B, its 
movement AB is as simple, as indecomposable, in so far as 
it is movement, as the tension of the bow that shoots it. As 
the shrapnel, bursting before it falls to the ground, covers the 
zone with an indivisible danger, so the arrow which goes from 
A to B displays with a single stroke, although over a certain 
extent of duration, its indivisible mobility. Suppose an elastic 
stretched from A to B, could you divide its extension? The 
course of the arrow is this very extension; it is equally simple 
and equally undivided. It is a simple and unique bound. You-* 
fix a point C, in the interval passed, and say that at a cer- 
tain moment the arrow was in C. If it had been there it 
would have stopped there, and you would no longer have had a 
flight from A to B, but two flights, one from A to C and the 
other from C to B, with an interval of rest. A single move- 
ment is entirely, by the hypothesis, a movement between two 
stops; if there are intermediate stops it is no longer a single 
movement. At bottom, the illusion arises from this, that the 
movement once effected, has laid along its course a motionless 
trajectory on which we can count as many immobilities as 
we will. 

From this we conclude that the movement whilst being 



444 BERGSON'S PHILOSOPHY OF CHANGE [Jan., 

effected, lays at each instant beneath it a position with which it 
coincides. We do not see that the trajectory is created in one 
stroke, although a certain time is required for it; and that 
though we can divide at will the trajectory once created, we 
cannot divide its creation, which is an act in progress and not 
a thing. To suppose that a moving body is at a point of its 
course is to cut the course in two by a snip of the scissors at 
this point, and to substitute two trajectories for the single 
trajectory which we were first considering. It is to distinguish 
two successive acts where, by the hypothesis, there is only one. 
In short, it is to attribute to the course itself of the arrow 
everything that can be said of the interval that the arrow has 
traversed, that is to say, to admit a priori the absurdity that 
movement coincides with immobility.* 

In this long and brilliant passage M. Bergson takes us into 
a very old philosophical dispute. It has, indeed, been called the 
mystery of philosophy. It were, however, a very poor consola- 
tion if, in escaping the paradox of Zeno, we must needs plunge 
into the absurdity of M. Bergson. Fortunately we have a dis- 
tinction which rescues us from both. The question of motion 
harks back to that of the continuum. Nor does it make any differ- 
ence whatever to the question whether the continuum is in 
motion or at a standstill. We could use equally well for 
our example either a continuous downpour of rain or a 
railway line. We agree wholly with M. Bergson that 
a local motion, namely, the transit from one place to 
another through a medium, is continuous and successive. Motion 
must be either successive or permanent ; but it cannot be permanent 
because then the beginning, the middle, and the end of the motion 
would be all one; therefore, it must be successive. It is also 
continuous. So far we agree. 

But now comes the parting of the ways. The continuum, 
even though it be a kinetic continuum, a continuum in motion, 
such, for instance, as a flowing river, is not, as asserted by M. 
Bergson, indecomposable. There is a sense in which it is decom- 
posable. The distinction by which we explain this is that pro- 
posed by Aristotle and adopted by St. Thomas the distinction 
between actual parts and potential parts. The later scholastic 
textbooks speak of these parts respectively as formal and entita- 
tive. An actual or formal part is one that has both entity and 

*Crettive Evolution, pp. 325-327. 



1913-] BERGSON'S PHILOSOPHY OF CHANGE 445 

limits. A potential or entitative part is that which has entity alone 
but not limits; it is, however, capable of receiving limits. When 
it receives them, either actually or by our imagination, then it 
becomes an actual-or formal part. 

Now we readily grant, as M. Bergson demands, that the 
entitative parts of a continuum have only a potential existence. 
That is to say, they could exist did we choose to draw the limits 
around them. These limits, however, are not necessary for their 
existence. If they were not there already we could not separate 
them by drawing the lines of limitation. No one gives what he has 
not got, so neither could a continuum give parts if it did not already 
have them. If you want to separate the parts of a hare so as 
to jug it, you must first catch your hare, together with all its parts. 
Nay the very idea of a continuum is that it has parts and parts, 
and parts, outside parts. Otherwise each part would be identical: 
with each other part. " In a continuum," says Aristotle, " there 
are not two halves actually but only potentially, because if they were 
in act they would not make a continuum."* So also St. -Thomas : 
" In the parts of a continuum two halves of one line T||'e poten- 
tially double in that double line which is actually one', <f? 

With this distinction we may proceed to disse'ct M. "~*Bergson's 
treatment of the flight of the arrow. The flight, we grant, is one 
undivided entity. Moreover this is true both of the moving arrow 
and of the motionless trajectory which it lays along its course. 
But the flight has potential parts, and each of which has an entity. 
A thing does not lose its entity because it is in movement. Nor 
are those potential parts any less real because their limite have not 
been chalked out. Of every one of those parts, even though we 
divide them to infinity, we can say, with unfailing judgment, that 
they have existed. If I make a journey in a non-stop express- 
from New York to Washington, and the train rushes through Eliza- 
bethport, it is fooling both with ideas and with words to say that 
the train has never been in Elizabethport. Even though the train 
did not stop at the city boundaries, yet its passage through was as 
real as if it did stop. 

So, too, is it with the arrow. Its movement is continuous and 
successive, but the parts of the movement have reality. Otherwise 
the whole movement has no reality. So, too, is it with the Bursting 

*L. 8. phys. c. 8, 263, a. 28. 

t/n partibus continui duo dimidia unius lineae duplae sunt in potentia in ipsa: 
linea dupla quae est una actu. In i, 7. Met., lect. 13. 



446 BERGSON'S PHILOSOPHY OF CHANGE [Jan., 

shrapnel which is said to cover a zone with indivisible danger. If 
the danger were indivisible it could not do any harm to a company 
of men who occupied but a portion of the zone. It must destroy 
a whole zone full or none at all. But we know this is not true. 
Therefore the danger zone is divisible. 

The comparison with the stretched elastic is a false analogy, 
for it is comparing local motion with molecular motion. Let us 
take the movement of each individual molecule of the elastic before 
and after stretching, and we shall find that its minute local motion 
is just as divisible and decomposable as that of the railway journey 
from New York to Washington. 

Again, when M. Bergson says, and keeps on saying, that by 
the hypothesis the trajectory is created in one stroke, and that there 
is one movement only, then we distinguish and keep on distinguish- 
ing. One in act, we grant; one in potency, we deny. 

When, however, he flourishes his ultimate reduction to absurd- 
ity and charges us with admitting a priori, that movement coincides 
with immobility, then we would remind him that we are there 
approaching that philosophical mystery in the presence of which it 
is unwise to be too dogmatic. Neither M. Bergson nor any other 
philosopher has solved the problem of saying exactly where the 
static meets the kinetic. We all know that according to theory the 
bouncing ball never ceases bouncing, whilst the blatant experience 
of our common sense tells us that it does cease bouncing. If we 
believe that the ball is still when we see it, still we are not absurd 
in doing so. Neither can we be held to be absurd for attributing 
reality to the various potential parts which make up the one com- 
plete movement of the arrow from A to B. 

It is the exhibition of such paradoxes as the one just proposed 
by M. Bergson which calls forth that undying optimism of the 
schoolmen, confident of the reliability of common sense. It never 
occurred to them to ask what was reality. They might distin- 
guish between an ens reale and an ens rationis. But the ens existed 
somewhere, either in the mind or out of it. Just as they never 
doubted that things were normally what they appeared to be, so they 
never doubted that the things which appeared to exist did exist. 
And that is precisely the attitude which we take up now with respect 
to the philosophy of change. We declare that we will not give up 
the use of the verb " to be." Even M. Bergson cannot get on 
without it. His pages bristle with it. To strike it out of our 
vocabulary is to plunge ourselves into the gloomiest pessimism; 



1913.] BERGSON'S PHILOSOPHY OF CHANGE 447 

because if we cannot say of the things which we see and feel and 
think about that they are, then we cannot be sure of any truth 
whatever. 

But, suggests the Bergsonian philosopher, the use of the verb 
" to be " is but an artificial device for practical purposes. No, we 
reply, that lands us into pure pragmatism, another of the gloomy 
dungeons of the modern Hades. That is belied by the whole 
of human psychology. If I cannot be sure in my own mind that 
a certain statement is true, I cannot act as if it were true. And if, 
whilst not being sure that ideas represent the things they are 
supposed to represent, I go on acting as if they did represent them, 
then my whole life is one huge grimace. 

Bergson was keen enough to note the analogous fallacy in 
Kant. Quite pertinently he said to him : " If we can know abso- 
lutely nothing of the thing in itself, how do we know that there is 
such a thing as a 'thing-in-itself ?' So we can thrust the same weapon 
through the armor of Bergson. If we do know the thing in itself, 
how can it be never itself? For if its very essence is in a state of 
flux, always becoming something, then it is never itself. If Berg- 
son's philosophy is right that the essences of things are ever chang- 
ing, then Kant's philosophy is right that we know nothing of the 
essences themselves. The two positions stand or fall together. 

So, too, is it with the consequences. Kant fructified into the 
pessimism of Schopenhauer and into the anarchy of Nietzsche. 
Bergson must fructify into a still deeper pessimism and more 
chaotic anarchy, because he promises so much more than Kant 
and fulfills so much less. Kant did make some compensation 
for his critique of pure reason by undoing it with his critique of 
practical reason. Report says that M. Bergson has in preparation 
a book on ethics. It is appalling to contemplate what may be the 
result in conduct if the principles of the philosophy of change are 
rigorously applied. History relates of another Frenchman who, 
a hundred years previously, both anticipated and applied the philos- 
ophy of change to the destiny of nations. When Napoleon wanted 
an excuse for taking Holland, he said the Alps belonged to him; 
but Holland had been washed down from the Alps; therefore 
Holland belonged to him. He confused, with his tongue in his 
cheek, the point of view of the geographer with the point of view 
of the physicist. 

Geography tells us that countries are known according to their 
latitude and longitude on the earth's surface, whilst molecular 



448 BERGSON'S PHILOSOPHY OF CHANGE [Jan., 

physics tells us that particles of mud are known independently of 
their position on the earth's surface. If some Swiss mud has 
been carried from the source to the mouth of the Rhine, it does 
not follow that the essence of Switzerland has been changed into 
the essence of Holland. Switzerland remains up there and Holland 
down here, the philosophy of change notwithstanding. 

In thus insisting on the value of the static element in nature, 
we would not wish to appear to undervalue the kinetic element. 
Nay, we claim that the kinetic element cannot have its full kinetic 
value unless it is considered in its right relation to the static. 
Bergson made a cardinal mistake in supposing that " being " and 
" becoming " were mutually exclusive. They are not. " Being " 
is a genus of which " becoming " is a species. Likewise " going," 
" desisting," " ceasing " are species of the same genus. When a 
thing becomes, it is in a state of becoming. The kinetic and the 
static elements of the process instead of being mutually exclusive 
are mutually complementary. If a thing could not be in a state 
of becoming, it could not become at all. Indeed the very reality 
of the flux depends upon the ultimate reality of the static concept 
that the flux is. 

When the citizen of St. Louis crosses over to East St. Louis he 
sees the mighty Mississippi flowing beneath him. The flux is there. 
When he comes back next day all the water which he saw yesterday 
is gone, and another great volume has taken its place. A change 
has happened. But it is not the Amazon upon which he fixes his 
gaze. Nor is it the mere bed of the Mississippi which has remained. 
It is the Mississippi itself, the flowing continuum, the con- 
tinuous flow of one and the same thing. Either the flux is or it 
is not. If it is not it has no reality. But it has reality. There- 
fore it is. This is our foundation. We will have our wits 
about us. We will turn our faces about and look this way and 
that, but all the time we shall sit tight on the one enduring reality, 
namely, that which is. 

How such a radical confusion of thought could arise as to 
obscure this elementary dictate of common sense, we propose to 
show in our next essay. It is due to the exaggerated subjectivism 
which underestimates the use' of the intellect, and is known as 
Bergson's intuitive method. 




CANADA AND THE COLONIES: A LESSON FOR THE 
" GUARDIANS OF LIBERTY." 

BY EDWIN RYAN. 

N old proverb has it that " we learn by making mis- 
takes," and while that may not be a very pleasant 
method, it is at times an extremely practical one, 
in the case of nations no less than in that of individ- 
uals. For the " average citizen " is more likely to be 
impressed by an argument presented in this form than by a con- 
sideration of the abstract right and wrong of a question. Show 
him that a particular line of action that he is asked to pursue or 
to approve has been tried by his forefathers, and that they lived 
to regret it, and he will not take long to form his own conclusion. 
There seems to be a need for applying that method just now, for 
we have at the present day in this Republic a group of men who 
have started a revival of that most stupid and most pernicious of 
all blundering policies, bigotry. Under the name of " Guardians 
of Liberty " these persons are bidding us hark back to the days 
of Know-nothingism : they are trying to rekindle the ashes of old 
prejudice, while professing to be animated by sentiments of purest 
patriotism. Of course, such men can hardly be expected to learn 
anything from experience there are none so blind as those who 
will not see but it may happen that some well-meaning persons 
will be led astray by these " patriots," and it is for the sake of such 
that we would call attention to one instance in our history wherein 
this sort of thing would seem to have been the cause of a serious 
national loss which time has not yet repaired. 

Glance at the map of North America, and notice the way in 
which it is divided politically. It contains three large nations, 
Canada, the United States, and Mexico. Now, as this last is a 
country not connected with our own in language, race or past 
history, her political separation is natural. But with Canada the 
case is quite otherwise. Its people are largely of the same stock 
as we are, most of them speak the same language, and their laws 
are derived from the same source. And besides, their history is 
closely linked with ours, for in the interval between the termination 
VOL. xcvi. 29. 



450 CANADA AND THE COLONIES [Jan., 

of the " Seven Years' War " and the outbreak of the American War 
of Independence, both they and we were subjects of Great Britain.* 
Moreover, when the colonies revolted they were not without sym- 
pathizers across the Canadian border, and even some troops were 
furnished and yet there was never any formal union, so that 
while we broke away from England they remained British sub- 
jects, and remain so to this day, the British flag flying over all the 
land as far west as Alaska, and from the Great Lakes to the Arctic 
Ocean. How is this? Is it because the American patriots made 
no effort to enlist their cooperation in the struggle? On the con- 
trary, our forefathers realized full well the advantage to be gained 
by inducing their fellow-subjects of King George III. to make com- 
mon cause with them, and they certainly tried hard enough to bring 
it about. The reason why they failed, the reason why Canada held 
aloof, the reason why Canada is to-day a separate nation, though 
bound to us by many ties of blood and common interests, is mainly 
bigotry. There was a little too much " Guardian-of-Liberty-ism " 
in the American colonies, and it is that we must thank for the 
loss of a great opportunity. 

This is the story: When, by the Treaty of Paris in 1763, those 
portions of the American Continent to the north of the Thirteen 
Colonies still remaining to France were ceded to Great Britain, 
the majority of the inhabitants was Catholic. Therefore, one of 
the first problems to present itself was, What shall be done about 
this people's religion? We know what England was doing about 
religion elsewhere, and it would not have been so very surprising 
had she attempted to introduce into Canada the methods pursued 
within her own shores or in Ireland : the prohibition of Mass, the 
hunting of priests, the forcible establishment of Protestant wor- 
ship. And, as a matter of fact, there was at first some indication 
that such a policy might be adopted, but the attitude of the people 
of Quebec, aided by the disturbances that afterward led to the 
American War, brought about a change. England was too wise 
to allow her Protestantism, however thorough, to blind her to her 
own interest. She was not going to go out of her way to stir up 
trouble in a new colony. " The Province of Quebec is Catholic, 
the Province of Quebec wishes to remain Catholic, therefore Cath- 
olic shall it be," argued her rulers. " Let us demand of its in- 
habitants nothing more than obedience to the British Crown, and 

*Of course in the case of some portions of Canada British ownership goes 
back further. 



1913-] AND THE "GUARDIANS OF LIBERTY' 451 

let us smooth the way by according to their religion the position 
it enjoyed under the Government of Catholic France." Where- 
upon a bill was introduced into Parliament not only granting the 
Catholic freedom of worship, but even guaranteeing to their clergy 
all those " dues and rights " to which they had been accustomed. 
To be sure, there was opposition in England, both in Parliament 
and outside, but good sense prevailed, and by a vote of fifty-six 
to twenty in the House of Commons the bill was passed. 

Of .course the Quebec Catholics were very much pleased by 
this, and it went a long way towards securing their loyalty at a time 
when that meant a great deal. But among their fellow-subjects to 
the south were some who saw the matter in a different light. 
Despite the examples of patriotism given by American Catholics, 
despite the attitude toward the Church of some of the ablest of the 
colonial statesmen, hatred of " popery " was far from dead. But 
whatever bigotry there was would probably have been forgotten 
just then, when union and harmony were so desirable, had there 
not been those who saw fit not only to keep it alive, but actually 
to parade it before the eyes of the world. No sooner did it become 
known that Roman Catholicism in Quebec, instead of being penal- 
ized, had actually received explicit protection from the government 
of England, than there was an outburst of indignation. To be 
sure, there was one point of view from which the Colonies might 
(and did) take exception to the " Quebec Act," viz., that it gave 
to Canada the territory now comprising Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, 
Michigan, Wisconsin, and part of Minnesota, to which some of 
the Colonies laid claim. And had the objectors confined their 
strictures to this point, one could hardly question the justice of 
their complaint. But instead of that some went further, and saw 
in the religious provisions themselves a serious "menace" to Colonial 
interests, and expressed their fears in plain language. 

Thus, a correspondent contributed to the Pennsylvania Packet 
of October 31, 1774, a long letter, in the course of which he de- 
clared " the revocation of the Edict of Nantz, and the Irish Mas- 
sacre were acts of piety compared with the late Popish act of the 
British Parliament," and that " we may live to see our churches 
converted into mass houses, and our lands plundered of tythes 
for the support of a Popish clergy. The Inquisition may erect her 
standard in Pennsylvania, and the city of Philadelphia may yet 
experience the carnage of St. Bartholomew's Day." And an earlier 
correspondent, signing himself " Tribunus," had given vent to 



452 CANADA AND THE COLONIES [Jan., 

similar sentiments. Now, had this been confined to newspapers no 
great harm might have been done, and it would have been easier 
to explain away later on as the peculiar views of narrow or excit- 
able individuals. But unfortunately it did not stop there. The 
First Continental Congress was then (1774) in session at Phila- 
delphia, and among its members was John Jay, so notorious for his 
bitterness towards the Church. And he had a large part in the 
framing of the " Address to the People of Great Britain," which, 
among other grievances, states the following : 

We think the legislature of Great Britain is not authorized. . . . 
to establish a religion fraught with sanguinary and impious 

tenets The Dominion of Canada is to be so extended, 

modelled and governed, as that by being disunited from us, 
detached from our interests, by civil as well as religious preju- 
dices, that by their numbers daily swelling with Catholic emi- 
grants from Europe, and by their devotion to administration, so 
friendly to their religion, they might become formidable to us, 
and, on occasion, be fit instruments in the hands of power, to 
reduce the ancient free Protestant Colonies to the same state 
of slavery with themselves nor can we suppress our as- 
tonishment that a British Parliament should ever consent to 
establish in that country a religion that has deluged your island 
in blood, and dispersed impiety, bigotry, persecution, murder, 
and rebellion through every part of the world. 

Further on the fear is expressed that the Colonies will be 
reduced to slavery : 

by the power of Great Britain and the aid of our Roman 
Catholic neighbors. 

This was followed by an Address to the Colonies of similar 
tone: 

An act was passed [sc. in the British Parliament] for changing 
the government of Quebec, by which act the Roman Catholic 
religion, instead of being tolerated, as stipulated by the treaty 
of peace, is established The authors of this arbitrary ar- 
rangement flatter themselves that the inhabitants, deprived of 
liberty, and artfully provoked against those of another religion, 
will be proper instruments for assisting in the oppression of 
such as differ from them in modes of government* and faith. 

*This phrase refers to the establishment of French law in Quebec. 



1913-] AND THE "GUARDIANS OF LIBERTY' 453 

The people of England will soon have an opportunity of 

declaring their sentiments concerning our cause. In their piety, 
generosity and good sense, we repose high confidence : and can- 
not, upon a review of past events, be persuaded that they, the 
defenders of true religion, and the assertors of the rights of 
mankind, will take part against their affectionate Protestant 
brethren in the Colonies in favor of our open and their own 
secret* enemies; whose intrigues for several years past have 
been wholly exercised in sapping the foundations of civil and 
religious liberty. 

But even this, unpleasant reading though it be for an American, 
is not the sum total of this miserable business. For in the series 
of Resolutions drawn up on September i/th of that year (1774), 
we find the following : 

That the late act of Parliament for establishing the Roman 
Catholic religion and the French laws in that extensive country 
now called Canada is dangerous in an extreme degree to the 
Protestant religion and to the civil rights and liberties of all 
America; and, therefore, as men and Protestant Christians, 
we are indispensably obliged to take all proper measures for 
our security. 

And this " grievance " was repeated in the " Petition to the 
King " of October, 1774: 

In the last session of Parliament an act was passed for 

establishing an absolute government and the Roman 

Catholic religion throughout those vast regions that border on 
the westerly and northerly boundaries of the free Protestant 
English settlements.f 

But it was not long before the Colonies came to repent of their 
short-sighted policy in raising the religious question, and making 
it one of the principal grounds of objection to British rule. As 
the situation grew more serious, and it gradually became evident 
that war was unavoidable, it dawned on the minds of the patriots 
that they had made a mistake, since those very Canadians whose 
religion had been such a bugbear might be converted into valuable 
allies, and with that end in view they set to work on an " Address 

*Italics in the original. 

tSee Journals of the Continental Congress, 1774-1789, vol. i. (Washington: 
Government Printing Office.) 



454 CANADA AND THE COLONIES [Jan., 

to the Inhabitants of Quebec," where that terrible religion, so 
"dangerous to.... the civil rights and liberties of all America," 
" fraught with sanguinary and impious tenets," that had " deluged 
(England) in blood and dispersed impiety, bigotry and persecution, 
murder and rebellion, through every part of the world " was men- 
tioned only to be promptly dismissed as constituting no bar to a 
union. The contrast is so amazing that if, instead of possessing 
the documents themselves, we had to rely on the testimony of others 
as to their contents, we might suspect some error. But here are 
the very words : 

We are too well acquainted with the liberality of sentiment 
distinguishing your nation, to imagine that difference of re- 
ligion will prejudice you against a hearty amity with us. You 
know that the transcendent nature of freedom elevates those 
who unite in her cause, above all such low-minded infirmities ( !) 
The Swiss Cantons furnish a memorable proof of this truth. 
Their union is composed of Catholic and Protestant states, 
living in the utmost concord and peace with one another, and 
thereby enabled ever since they vindicated their freedom to defy 
and defeat every tyrant that has invaded them.* 

But the results of this appeal would seem not to have come up 
to expectations, and so another and stronger effort was made. In 
February, 1776, a commission, consisting of Benjamin Franklin, 
Samuel Chase, Charles Carroll, and the Reverend John Carroll was 
appointed to repair to Canada for the purpose of securing the 
adherence of that country to the cause of independence.! After 
a long and far from comfortable journey, the commission arrived 
at Montreal, where at first there was some show of friendship. 
But their hopes were soon shattered. The people of Quebec could 
not see any very clear reason for renouncing their allegiance. The 
British Government not only respected their civic rights, but a 
thing they seem to have considered vastly more important secured 
to them their religious rights as well, whereas the revolting Colonies 
had said some pretty hard things about that same religion, and 
were at that very time adopting constitutions whose religious pro- 
visions compared very unfavorably with those England had made. 
Consequently, when the enthusiasm had subsided, and they put 

^Reported in the Pennsylvania Packet, November 14, 1774. 

tThroughout the negotiations the Rev. Mr. Carroll confined his endeavors 
to securing the neutrality of the Canadians, as he deemed the promotion of an 
active military alliance incompatible with his priestly character. 



1913-] AND THE "GUARDIANS OF LIBERTY'- 455 

together the reference made to Catholicism in the " Address to the 
Inhabitants of Quebec" and those in the "Address to the People 
of Great Britain," they very naturally refused the invitation, call- 
ing Congress " perfidious and double-faced," and praying God's 
blessing on the English King and his government. In other words, 
the mission of Congress to Canada resulted principally in stirring 
up sentiments of loyalty to Great Britain! It was useless for the 
Americans to point to evidences of respect and esteem for Cathol- 
icism among the inhabitants of the revolting Colonies. One Jay 
can drown out a dozen Washingtons, and the sting of past insult 
had penetrated too deep to be removed by compliments and prom- 
ises. The most that was effected was the obtaining of aid from 
some individual Canadians, whose dislike of England was strong 
enough to triumph over those considerations, and the securing o>f 
the neutrality of others, but Canada, as a whole, held aloof, the 
scheme fell through, the commission returned disappointed and 
almost empty-handed, and American bigots were taught a lesson. 
And now, with this narrative in mind, let us ask ourselves a 
question: Suppose that the case was the other way, i. e., that the 
bigotry had been on the side of England, and the tolerance and 
common sense on the side of America, can there be any reasonable 
doubt as to what the attitude of Catholic Canada would have been ? 
Or suppose that the revolting colonies had shown even as much 
breadth of view were it but from purely political motives as the 
mother country showed, is it not likely that the reception accorded 
their envoys would have been more cordial, and perhaps even led 
to some sort of alliance? But, at any rate, whatever might have 
happened, we know what did happen. And if to-day the English- 
speaking peoples of this continent (north of Mexico) form two 
nations instead of one, the situation is due to the existence among 
our forefathers of exactly that spirit which the " Guardians of 
Liberty " are trying to resuscitate to-day. We played with that 
fire once, and got badly burned : shall we light it again ? 




WHILE JANE ANNE WAS AWAY. 

BY KATHARINE TYNAN. 

T was a long time ago since Angela Ferguson, the 
mother of the children at Fir Tree Hall, had left 
them: an endless age it seemed to Betty and Fan 
and Peter and little Pat though it could not have 
been so long ago as grown-up people count time, 
since Pat was only six years old, and she died when Pat was born. 
Poor sweet woman ! The peasants round about Fir Tree Hall, 
which was in a lonesome Ulster glen among the mountains, shook 
their heads when they thought about her, and said sorrowfully that 
she could not be happy in the place where she was gone to if she had 
any idea of the desolation and ruin she had left behind. For 
Richard Ferguson had taken to drinking after his wife's death, 
had remained drunk, with a few intervals of miserable conscious- 
ness, during the three years he lived after her: and ought to 
have died, said many a one, before he married Jane Anne Cleaver, 
a down Northern peasant and a Presbyterian, though she never 
troubled church nor chapel; she had been one of his own servants. 
The other servants vacated after the marriage. They were 
not going to sit down under Jane Anne for a mistress, not 
they. They all knew how she had got the poor master to marry 
her by bringing him drink for his destruction, and then carry- 
ing him off and keeping him fuddled till the Registrar at Quay- 
side had tied the knot. Sure, said the people, wouldn't he be 
punished for all his sins if he could only know the unhappiness 
of the poor children he had left behind him for he was a fond 
father as well as a fond husband, and it never would have happened 
only for the drink. 

Fir Tree Hall was a big rambling house, which would have 
required a whole staff of servants to keep it in order. It had 
been decaying, growing steadily shabbier year by year, but till 
Richard Ferguson's second marriage it had kept its shabby dignity 
and its troops of ragged retainers and pensioners of one kind or 
another. Jane Anne had thought to do a great thing for herself 
when she married the master. She had not done so well after 
all. The place was heavily encumbered. There was very little 
money, and there were the four children. Jane Anne in the early 
days of her promotion had given herself airs, and made enemies of 



1913-] WHILE JANE ANNE WAS AWAY 457 

her own class. She had sent the pensioners paddling. Now, in her 
widowhood, she was left alone. The gardens were overgrown, 
the stable yard empty, the house going to rack and ruin, and Jane 
Anne's temper was as bad as it was possible to imagine, especially 
after she had gone over to Quayside by train and came back red in 
the face, and with a dull glare in her eyes, which the children had 
learned to dread. 

It seemed nobody's business to see how Richard Ferguson's 
children were dealt with. Fir Tree Hall is in a beautiful but 
rather desolate and poverty stricken country, with very few gentry, 
and tucked away at the back of God Speed, as the people said, and 
the drive up to the house extends a full mile from the entrance 
gates. Jane Anne had been very rude to the one or two good 
people who had called. No one suspected that she was unkind to 
the children. And, after all, who was going to take charge of 
four helpless children? Richard Ferguson did not seem to have 
a relative left in the world. His friends were dead or alienated 
by his second marriage. When he had spoken just before his death, 
his hand wet with the sweat of death on Peter's shoulder, he had 
said: "Write Aunt Lucy 412 " His voice had died oft. 
He had never finished the sentence. 

Jane Anne through everything retained her grim Northern 
preference for cleanliness about her, although not of her person. 
The greater part of the big house might go to rack and ruin. The 
part in which she lived must be clean. She closed up the big hand- 
some rooms upstairs. They suffered less shut up than open. She 
preferred to live in the kitchen, and since she had grown lazy of late, 
and was tending to stoutness, the kitchen premises had to be kept 
clean by someone else than she. There was no one to do the 
scrubbing and the hearth-stoning, the whitening and polishing but 
the children, with Jane Anne's eyes and tongue over them. There 
seemed miles of these kitchen premises to the children, to say nothing 
of the stone staircases. The children spent most of their lives 
washing and scrubbing, that is to say Betty and Peter did, for the 
others were too little to be of much use. Betty and Peter rose 
in the dark of the winter mornings, dragging themselves 
from their heavy sleep. The fire had to be made, the 
kitchen tiles scrubbed over, everything clean and shining, 
and the breakfast ready before Jane Anne came down 
in her untidy dressing-gown. Whatever there was good in the way 
of food she had. The children had what Jane Anne might have 
flung to a dog, if she had kept anything so useless. Angela Fer- 



458 WHILE JANE ANNE WAS AWAY [Jan.,. 

guson's children should have been tall, handsome, well- formed, 
but they were half -starved and on the way to be stunted, and 
Betty and Peter were cruelly overworked, had not enough sleep, 
and lay cold at night, besides were ill-clad by day. All four chil- 
dren were cowed. Even Pat, who was naturally merry, had almost 
forgotten how to laugh, except when he played with the little 
Christ Child on the wall the picture of the Baby, framed in 
holly, which Angela Ferguson had hung up for the children to 
say their prayers before in the old days : Jane Anne had torn down 
the other religious emblems. Perhaps it had not occurred to her 
that this was anything but an ordinary Christmas Child, so it had 
escaped. 

Hitherto the children had not brought Jane Anne's direct 
wrath upon them. They were too thoroughly cowed for that: 
but one January morning little Pat, sitting at the table in the 
kitchen peeling potatoes with his little chilly fingers, was suddenly 
taken sick. And, seeing what his last meal had been composed of, 
it was no wonder. 

Jane Anne pounced on him, carried him struggling into the 
back yard, and turned the pump water upon him, all the time shaking 
and objurgating the terrified child till he was almost out of his 
wits. 

She had half -drowned him before Betty appeared on the scene. 
Betty had been scrubbing a bedroom at the top of the house, and 
had not known what was happening till Pat's cries reached her. 

She hurled herself upon her stepmother like a little fury, 
using what means of attack nature had given her her nails and 
her feet she was wearing hob-nailed boots that it would have 
broken her mother's heart to see. Unexpectedly Jane Anne fell 
back before the onslaught. The boots had done great execution 
on her shins. Betty rejoiced at the queer look of fear that came 
into the woman's yellow face. Of course, she would have to 
suffer for it later: they would all have to suffer for it but the 
gratified hatred in the little heart was sweet for the moment. Poor 
Betty, who was by nature the gentlest of children ! She had almost 
forgotten the prayers her mother had taught her in the heavenly 
time while that mother was still with them! 

She had snatched Pat from the amazed Jane Anne before the 
lady could recover herself, and carried him upstairs. She had torn 
off his w r et clothes and put him into bed. Her cheeks were flaming 
and her eyes shining. Presently she would break down into floods 
of tears, but not yet. 



1913-] WHILE JANE ANNE WAS AWAY 459 

When she had got Pat into bed she looked about her. He 
must have something over him besides the wretched thin single 
blanket, which Jane Anne allowed, if he was to be made warm and 
recover his half-drowning on this cold January day. She got 
her own blanket : she and Fan slept together, as did Peter and Pat, 
to save bed clothing. It was no good : the stuff was worn through. 

Ah, she had an idea. She walked straight into Jane Anne's 
room. Jane Anne might live in the kitchen, but she had one of 
the best bedrooms in the house. There was a big gilt bed, with 
curtains of scarlet damask. Jane Anne's cupidity would have been 
excited if she could have known what the bed was worth. It was 
heaped with fleecy blankets. Betty made two or three journeys 
before she was satisfied, and small Pat was ceasing to shiver under 
a mountain of blankets. While she was panting after her exer- 
tions, Peter and Fan came stealing into the room. They always 
crept about when Jane Anne was in the house, like a dog that is 
afraid of a blow. 

" Oh, Bet, what have you done? " Fan asked in a whisper. 

" One of these days," said Peter in a thick voice, " I shall 
take a knife and kill her. She'll want to do dreadful things to 
you. But I won't let her. I shall kill her first. I'm a gentleman, 
and a gentleman always defends ladies. I will not let her touch 
my sister." 

Poor Peter, in dirty corduroy trousers, worn to holes at the 
knees where he knelt to scrub the stones, in an old coat of his 
father's, with hob-nailed boots which carried a smell of the fowl- 
run he had just been cleaning about them, was a very deplorable 
looking gentleman. But Betty ran to him and took his head into 
her arms. Peter looked terribly thin. His color w?.s unwholesome. 
His eyes were sunken, and there were hollows behind his ears. 
Feeling his sharp shoulder blades under her arms the little sister 
looked up at the Christ Child with a sudden terror. She 
might have burst into tears if she had not heard Jane Anne's 
voice at that moment. 

Jane Anne was calling her from the top of the kitchen stairs, 
and her voice had a snarl in it. Betty closed the bedroom door 
and walked down quietly. Despite her rags and her miserable 
appearance she looked what she was, as she walked with her head 
uplifted, the child of gentle folk. 

" What do you want with me? " she asked of the virago, who 
stood hiding something behind her back. 

The woman blenched oddly. Then out came the stick, a stout 



460 WHILE JANE ANNE WAS AWAY [Jan., 

blackthorn, which was capable of rendering Betty's little delicate 
half-formed bones to pulp. She seized the child. Peter was upon 
her in a moment, and dashed her against the wall. The woman 
was oddly limp in his slight hold. Like most bullies she was a 
coward, and the children's unresisting helplessness had whetted 
her appetite for cruelty. 

" If you touch my sister I will kill you," said Peter. 

Jane Anne pushed him back after that pause of stupefaction, 
and stood looking at him malevolently, holding the door of the 
kitchen staircase half -open, so that she could shut it between her 
and Peter in case of sudden attack. 

" You'll go to a reformatory school," she said. " That's the 
only place for you, you young murderer. As for you, Miss, you 
may beg the country or go to the poorhouse. I am going to be 
married again. It's time I had someone to defend me. Out the 
two o' ye go this night. I'll thrash the devil out of the others 
before they're on the road after ye." 

Saying which she shut the kitchen-staircase door, bolted it 
on the inside, and clattered down the stairs. 

For a few minutes Peter and Betty stared at each other. 
Then Betty burst into sobbing. Peter went and put an arm about 
her, and tried to console her. They sat down on the stairs side 
by side, holding each other's hands forlornly. While they sat 
there they heard a welcome sound, the sound of the old pony's 
feet on the gravel. Jane Anne was going over to Quayside. She 
would be absent for the day. 

There was a staircase window from which they could see, and 
they were in time to see Jane Anne depart, whacking with a big 
stick the old pony which had belonged to the children's mother, 
and had been put out on the grass for the rest of his days in 
Richard Ferguson's lifetime. 

"Do you suppose she's gone for the police for me?" Peter 
whispered in a sudden terror. " She said the reformatory" 

Betty was not at all sure, but she protested loudly against 
the possibility of such a thing, and Peter was satisfied, or in 
part satisfied. Anyhow Jane Anne was gone out for the day, and 
that was enough for immediate happiness. 

" She said she was going to be married," said Betty. " It 
must be that red-faced man you disliked so much, Peter, who 
came to see her one day and gave you his horse to hold. She 
said he was a gentleman who kept a public house in Quayside." 

" If he was to come here," said Peter, " I'd as soon be out 



1913-] WHILE JANE ANNE WAS AWAY 461 

of it if it was to be a reformatory school. If only you were 
all right, Betty, and the others, I shouldn't mind if I was dead." 

" Oh, don't, Peter, darling. I couldn't live without you," said 
Betty; and then remembering she had had no breakfast, "do let 
us get something to eat." All this had happened before nine o'clock 
in the morning. " She may have left us a pinch of tea and some 
bread, and we'll make toast, and milk the goat, and have a feast. 
Isn't it lovely that she has gone off for the day ! If only she hadn't 
poor old Puck to ill-treat ! " 

" I believe papa meant me to write to Aunt Lucy," said Peter, 
" He looked so unhappy while he tried to remember : and then 
he fell asleep. Let us go and look at Aunt Lucy's picture. I can 
open a shutter so we can see. If she would only come I am sure 
she would not let her ill-treat us, nor poor old Puck either." 

They went into the shrouded drawing-room, where all the fur- 
niture, wrapped up in sheets, stood in a ghostly gloom. With 
a great effort they got down the big bar of the shutters and let 
the light in. On either side of the fireplace hung two water-color 
portraits: one of the children's mother, the other of her sister, 
Aunt Lucy. 

The children knew nothing at all of Aunt Lucy, and only 
Betty, who was eleven, had a hazy memory of a beautiful, loving 
young mother who used to teach her her prayers and talk about a 
Mother in heaven, and kiss her as she brushed out her long hair. 
Both faces were of a delicate oval. They had the ringlets, the 
softly smiling lips, the swan-necks of the Books of Beauty period. 
The brown eyes of the two sisters looked at the children with what 
seemed a pitying tenderness. Only there was a difference. Aunt 
Lucy's nose turned up a little: she smiled roguishly. There was 
something more wilful in her expression than in her sister's, which 
was somewhat sad, as though she had foreseen all the sad things 
that were going to happen. 

" I remember now," said Betty, " Aunt Lucy married someone 
papa did not approve of. Mamma liked him, but papa thought 
she let herself down. They went to America. I must have heard 
someone talking about it." 

Again she was aware of the pangs of hunger. 

" Close the shutters, Peter," she said, " and let us go. I'm 
so hungry. No one has had any breakfast. How quiet the chil- 
dren are ! " 

It was quite a considerable time before they could open the 
hall door, which was bolted and barred. The door at the head of 



462 WHILE JANE ANNE WAS AWAY [Jan., 

the kitchen stairs was locked, so there was no getting down that 
way. They ran round the house to the kitchen door. That too 
was locked and the key gone. The windows had been hasped inside. 
Jane Anne had said to herself, with a wicked smile, as she drove off, 
that there wouldn't be much fight in the children by the time she 
returned. 

Peter and Betty looked at each other in dismay. The worst 
of it would be when Pat began to demand his food. Pat was too 
young to be put off long with excuses, and even Jane Anne had 
had to feed him after a fashion, because he cried so much if he 
wasn't fed. 

They must find something, and milk the goat, and perhaps 
there might be an egg during the day. While they were discussing 
ways and means Fan joined them. 

" I saw her go off," said Fan. " Pat's awake and saying such 
silly things. He says . the little Child, the one we say our 
prayers to, came down off the wall and spoke to him, and told him 
that we're going to have such splendid times. He's such a silly 
child. He won't believe he only dreamt it. Oh, Betty, do you 
think he didn't dream it ? " 

Betty had hopes, but she was not sure. The poor children 
had very hazy ideas about religion, though Betty tried to remember 
the Our Father, and Hail Mary, and to make the children say 
them after her every night. No one had troubled about their 
prayers after their mother died, and since Jane Anne came to rule 
their praying had to be done by stealth. But the children knew 
that the picture of the Christ Child, which hung by Pat's cot, of 
which he had made a playfellow during his babyhood, represented 
Someone who was in heaven who had a lovely Mother, and she and 
her Son were dreadfully sorry for unhappy children, and could do 
anything they would for them. 

" I wish He and She would send Aunt Lucy," said Betty, " and 
take away Jane Anne." 

" Oh, and Betty," said Fan, " hadn't you better put back Jane 
Anne's blankets. She'll beat you if she finds out, and I can't 
bear that. Pat is lovely and warm now, and so am I, for I lay 
down beside him, and I'm sure the picture never stirred on the wall, 
only Pat will keep talking about the Child and the lovely Lady who 
was so kind. 

Pat apparently was none the worse for his immersion. He 
was lying still, talking to the picture on the wall when Betty went 



I9i 3-] WHILE JANE ANNE WAS AWAY 463 

upstairs, and he was quite, quite sure that the Child and His 
Mother had promised them all something very good. 

" It seems very likely," said poor Betty rather hopelessly. 
She was afraid to tell Pat that there was nothing to eat. But she 
suggested his staying in bed and Fan with him. They could play 
a game. There were still games in the old nursery cupboard, and 
books and toys, relics of the old lovely time when they had had 
mamma. They would keep warm, and they would be less likely 
to be hungry, as the game would distract them. 

The goat's milk was divided into four portions. The small 
children had one each, and Betty contrived that Peter should have 
what remained. She was still feeling scared over the thinness 
of Peter's shoulder blades. And his poor knees were sore where 
they looked through his corduroys. Perhaps she could mend them. 
There was that work-table of mother's; if she could only find a 
needle in it not rusted. Betty's ideas of mending were very rudi- 
mentary, but she thought she could manage to put something be- 
tween Peter's poor knees and the stones he had to scrub. 

Peter went out and collected a few pieces of coal and scraps 
of wood. They found matches and kindling wood in Jane Anne's 
bedroom, where there was a roaring fire every night ; and they made 
a fire in Pat's bedroom, but it smoked because the chimney was 
cold and refused to be anything but the ghost of a fire. 

Perhaps Betty was too faint from want of food to feel keenly. 
She sat mending Peter's trousers, while he was wrapped up luxur- 
iously in one of Jane Anne's woolly blankets listening dreamily 
to Pat. Pat was a child of imagination, and he pictured things 
which Betty wondered he had ever heard of, while the hours passed 
in a dream, and the dusk gathered down upon the house. She had 
a swimming in her head and a trembling in her limbs. She could 
hardly see to finish the cobbling of Peter's corduroys; and she felt 
oddly faint after Peter had retired into a corner to put them on. 

Suddenly there was the sound of wheels, of horses' feet. 
Jane Anne had returned. Pat forgot his happy dream, and began 
to whimper. Fan dived down under the bed clothes. Peter and 
Betty stared at each other; and Betty had a memory of the refor- 
matory for Peter, and of how she was to be turned out to beg, 
leaving the little ones to be bullied by Jane Anne. 

While they looked at each other, there was a tremendous 
rat-tat at the hall door. Not Jane Anne. Jane Anne would never 
have dreamt of knocking at the hall door. Was it the police? 
The thought terrified the two elder children. The little ones had 



464 WHILE JANE ANNE WAS AWAY [Jan., 

fallen silent. They thought nothing but that Jane Anne the tyrant 
had come back. A hope that it might be a message from the 
Christ Child awoke and died in Pat's little frightened heart. 

Rat-tat-tat! You'd think the door would come down. Peter 
started up, flinging back the mane of fair hair, which would have 
been beautiful if it had been cared for. There was a look of 
resolution on the poor thin face. 

" I am going to open the door, Bet," he said, " even if it 
is the police." 

He started off down the stairs, Betty following him. It was 
easy enough to open the door, for the bolts and chains had not been 
put back, but a storm had sprung up, and the door came open with 
a great bang as soon as they had shot back the lock. 

There was a carriage out in the dark, on the neglected gravel- 
sweep. The children hardly noticed it because of the little lady in 
furs who stepped into the hall, a big, rosy man following her. 

" Oh, dear," said the lady in a heart-broken voice, " this 
cannot be my little Peter. And Betty is it Betty? Oh, if I had 
only known. Why, John, it is worse than the people said. Oh, 
my darlings, my poor darlings ! " 

The lady seemed to be terribly agitated by the sight of them, and 
the gentleman was looking at them oddly too ! Betty had a wild 
idea that perhaps it was mamma, the voice was like mamma's, only 
the people did not come back from the dead. A rainy streak of 
sunshine came, in the Irish way, from the depths of the storm- 
cloud and shone full in the lady's face and Betty knew. 

" Oh, you are Aunt Lucy ! " she cried. " The Christ Child 
has sent you. We have been so happy." 

" I am Aunt Lucy, my darling. Oh, I wish I had known. 
Did you ever see anything like it, John? " to the gentleman. " That 
wretch has almost killed them. My dear sister's beautiful children." 

" I should just carry them right off, my dear," said the gentle- 
man very decisively, " and let the creature fight it out afterwards, 
if she wants to. It won't be long till we get some flesh on their 
bones. They want a wash and brush up and some feeding as badly 
as any children I ever hope to see. Now, my dear, you will have 
your desire. Four children all at once to take care of." 

There was a shocked sound in his voice as he spoke, though 
he pretended to speak lightly. 

" They want some mothering, the poor lambs," said the lady 
with an arm round Betty and one round Peter. " But where are 
the others, my pet ? There are two more, aren't there ? " 



1913-] WHILE JANE ANNE WAS AWAY 465 

At this moment Betty suddenly slid, and would have fallen 
in a limp heap if her aunt's arm had not held her up. 

The next thing that Betty knew was that she was just coming 
to, and that she was in a carriage with somebody's arms steadying 
her, so that her head should not roll about. She was wrapped in 
one of Jane Anne's big fleecy blankets, which had been mamma's. 
On the other seat of the carriage sat the rosy-cheeked gentle- 
man, with Pat on his knee, and Peter and Fan each side 
of him. The last light from the sky was on the children's faces, 
and they were looking bewildered and yet very happy. 

" Oh, my darling, you gave us such a fright," said Aunt Lucy. 
" We were taking you as fast as we could to a doctor. How do you 
feel now ? " 

" Oh, please," Betty answered, the children still kept the pretty 
manners their mother had taught them, in spite of everything, 
" it was only joy, Aunt Lucy, and hunger. I've had nothing to 
eat to-day. Jane Anne locked up everything, and there was only 
a little goat's milk for the others." 

"And you went without, you poor precious lamb ! " 

Betty felt as though she must have died and wakened up in 
heaven to hear such words spoken to her, in such a lovely voice, 
just like mother's. The happy tears flooded her eyes as she lay 
back against her aunt's shoulder. 

" Uncle John," said Fan how quickly the children had learnt 
it " please could you take Puck, too ? Jane Anne twacked Puck 
most fearfully." 

" She means mother's old pony," said Betty, opening her eyes. 
" Jane Anne is very cruel to poor Puck." 

" Never mind, my pets," Aunt Lucy said soothingly. " I 
daresay we shall be able to buy back Puck. That woman must 
not have him to be cruel to. Don't think of her any more. You 
are free from her forever. You are ours for the future, and 
your Uncle John and I have no little children of our own, and are 
so glad to have four dear children to be our own and to take 
care of." 

" Yes, and perhaps we may buy Fir Tree Hall back," said 
Uncle John. " Your Aunt Lucy and I want to live at home in 
Ireland. It is a beautiful old place, if it was only put in order." 

'" Oh, do ! oh, do ! " cried Peter and Betty together, rejoicing 
that Fir Tree Hall, which was as something that lived, was not to 
be left out of the promised happiness. 

VOL. XCVI. 30. 



CHRISTIAN SCIENCE. 



BY ADRIAN FEVEREL. 




III. 



THE CULT OF THE UNSCIENTIFIC. 

O the average man, the most interesting phase of 
Christian Science is Mrs. Eddy's method of healing 
disease. In the popular mind Eddyism is always 
identified with a number of people who do not believe 
in sickness. It is this aspect of Christian Science 
which we propose to examine in this paper, in order to appreciate 
properly how dangerous such teaching is, particularly when fol- 
lowed to its logical conclusion. We cannot ignore the progress 
of Christian Science in recent years ; a skillful propaganda is being 
carried on by its lecturers, and the press gives the movement a deal 
of free advertising. It is owing primarily to this doctrine, this 
belief that disease can be eradicated without medical or surgical 
science, that its increase in membership has been so rapid. Without 
this distinguishing tenet Christian Science as a religion would have 
been very short-lived, indeed. 

Therefore, if we are to examine Eddyism as The Cult of the 
Unscientific, we must understand just what " scientists " really 
believe regarding disease, and the means of curing it. Their belief 
stated in a few words is this : there is no disease.* The seeming 
reality of it, like the seeniing reality of sin, is but an illusion of 
" mortal mind."f Destroy this illusion, this belief, and the disease 
will vanish into the nothingness from whence it came.t If to this 
theory, we object, on the ground that disease entails suffering, 
and that one is acutely conscious of this suffering, the " scientist " 
will answer ; suffering too is but an illusion ; the body which seems 
to suffer is not real, the corporeal body has no real being. It, 
like all other mortal things, is only a belief of " mortal mind." 
The evidence of the corporeal senses is, therefore, a false evidence, 
since it implies that there is life and intelligence in matter. || In 



^Science and Health, pp. 108, 176, 188, 393, 395, 482. 
id., pp. 365, 395, 480. Ibid., pp. 397, 477. 



Mbid., pp. 391, 475. 
\\Ibid., pp. 396, 590. 



1913.] CHRISTIAN SCIENCE 467 

reality, there is no life, truth, intelligence in matter. All is In- 
finite Mind.* One has but to understand this fully, and the body 
will utter no complaints.! Such, briefly, is the doctrine of disease 
and the means of curing it which Christian Science teaches. 

When we remember that Christian Scientists identify God and 
man, it is not difficult to understand why they hold such peculiar 
theories. God being all good, disease can be no part of Him.$ 
Man being God's reflection, must be like God all good, hence 
disease can be no part of him. 

These are, briefly considered, the basic ideas which underlie 
the teachings of Eddyism on disease and its method of healing. 
As theories these doctrines might be mildly interesting for those 
who are seldom seriously sick, but carried out practically they 
become dangerous in the extreme. 

To any objections which may be urged against this mental 
method of healing sickness, the " scientist " will insist, " We are 
successful; we do heal the sick; come to our meetings and hear them 
testify." 1 1 But he forgets that at the testimonial meetings only 
the successes are heard, the failures are not spoken of. He forgets, 
too, that science has also its successes. Medicine and surgery have 
accomplished more marvelous cures than any wrought or even 
claimed to have been wrought in Eddyism. These cures, the cures 
of Materia Medica, the Eddyite does not consider as cures at all. 
According to the inspired textbook of the sect, the man cured in 
" science " is really cured, the man cured in surgery, or through 
drugs and medicine, has only substituted a worse belief for the 
former belief in sickness.fi Again, medical science readily admits 
that it often fails; in Mrs. Eddy's " science " there can be no such 
thing as failure, although the patient may expire whose life with 
proper medical attention might have been prolonged.** We see 
here how Mrs. Eddy's theories break down under severe analysis, 
and how inconsistent they really are. But shallow minds fail to 
comprehend this, and regard her absurdities seriously, not discern- 
ing to what they tend when carried to their ultimate conclusion. 
In theory they are perhaps mildly amusing, but in practice they are 
positively dangerous. 

The " scientist," however, is insistent that Eddyism is superior 

^Science and Health, p. 468. Mbid., p. 14. 

tlbid., pp. 467, 469, 477. llbid., p. 475. 

II See " Fruitage," the eighteenth chapter of Science and Health. 
^Science and Health, pp. 155, 344, 401, 408. 
**Ibid., pp. 427, 428. 



468 CHRISTIAN SCIENCE [Jan. r 

to medical and surgical science in the treatment of disease, and cites 
the cures once more in proof of his contention. Here, he urges, 
is the present proof, that we heal as Jesus healed centuries ago.* 
The cures of Our Blessed Lord, however, were authenticated and 
witnessed by many; the cures of " science " are seldom, if ever, au- 
thenticated, and when they are, we find them of such harmless 
diseases that they are practically worthless as proofs of the efficacy 
of Eddyism in curing disease. It was once humorously observed 
that Christian Science was an excellent thing for anything one did 
not have, and it would be hard to find a saying that so completely 
sums up its remedial benefits. The testimonials, too, are a proof 
of the humorist's witticism, for the bulk of them chronicle relief 
from nervous troubles, and are mostly indited by women. True, 
claims are very frequently made of marvelous recoveries; cases 
are cited that had been given up by specialists, but the specialists 
are never named, and when the diseases are scientifically examined 
it is generally found that the complaint was of a more or less trivial 
nature. 

How do Christian Scientists cure sickness? Their textbook 
asserts that they heal sickness through prayer.f Yet we must not 
misconstrue the meaning of that beautiful word in this connection. 
" Scientists " do not implore God to have mercy upon them and 
heal their sickness. The prayer of the " scientist " is by no means 
one of supplication, but rather one of affirmation.! Are you 
sick? In the quiet of your room plead the allness of God, and 
deny the existence of matter. Understand " that life is purely 
spiritual, neither in nor of matter, and the body will utter no com- 
plaints."|| "The prayer that heals the sick is an absolute under- 
standing of God."fl And this understanding is the only proper 
method of curing any of the ills that flesh is heir to. No one, 
Mrs. Eddy plainly intimates, is ever benefited by drugs or the 
doctor;** to heal, or rather to say that a drug can heal any form of 
sickness, is merely to say that one form of error has taken the place 
of another.ff Properly to heal disease, we must understand that 
disease is nothing, and that God is all and man His reflection. 
Then and only then will our ills depart.JJ 

Lest her readers deem these theories impracticable " the dis- 
coverer and founder " of Christian Science relates some of her 

^Science and Health, p. 123. ^Ibid., pp. i, 12, 16. 

pp. 2, 5, 7, 10, etc. llbid., p. 15. \\Ibid., p. 14. 

p. i. **Ibid., pp. 169, 483 

., PP. ioi, 483. Wbid., pp. 288, 337, 342. 



1913-] CHRISTIAN SCIENCE 469 

marvelous cures. If we could believe these marvelous happenings 
which Mrs. Eddy chronicles, or if she could substantiate them, we 
might be moved to consider her ideas seriously. But when her 
statements are tested scientifically and her assertions examined, we 
find grave reasons for doubting the veracity of them. An instance 
of this was afforded in some correspondence that appeared in the 
New York Sun in 1898. Her system of healing was being attacked 
by some writers in the correspondence columns of that paper, and 
Mrs. Eddy wrote a lengthy rejoinder. Her letter was filled with 
fullsome praise of herself and many extravagant statements re- 
garding her cures. Among other things, she asserted that she had 
healed tuberculosis in its last stages, when the lungs had been 
practically destroyed; and a malignant cancer, which had eaten 
the flesh away so that the jugular vein was exposed, yielded to her 
treatment at one sitting. Yet she never took any patients when 
her religion began to be solidly established, and perhaps some critic 
wondered why, and wrote the question that Mrs. Eddy answered 
so vigorously in Miscellaneous Writings, " Has Mrs. Eddy lost 
her power to heal ? " To which she replied, " Has the sun for- 
gotten to shine, or the planets to revolve around it? "* Yet when 
a doctor of Cincinnati challenged her to make good her assertions, 
she remained mute.f 

These theories of hers would not be at all dangerous were her 
disciples allowed the exercise of common sense and proper hygienic 
precautions in treating serious and contagious diseases, but Mrs. 
Eddy condemns in the strongest terms the slightest concession to 
matter, t Her followers must under no circumstances resort to 
drugs in the treatment of disease. The doctor may be called only 
when the law would be violated, and in such cases he must not pre- 
scribe. In rare cases a surgeon may be called to administer a 
hypodermic injection of morphia, but nothing further than that 
is allowed in " orthodox " Christian Science. 

If these theories were really successful they would be ad- 
mirable in many ways. The doctor's bill has always been a deal of 
a nuisance, and if Mrs. Eddy could supply in her " laborious pub- 
lications " a satisfactory substitute for the family physician, the 
world would be profoundly grateful. She asserts that " a thorough 
perusal of the author's publication cures sickness : "|| " Every Man 

*MiscelIaneous Writings, p. 54. 

tSee New York Sun, December 16, 1898; January i, 1899. 

^Science and Health, p. 389. 

llbid., pp. 443, 456, 464. \\Ibid., p. 446. 



470 CHRISTIAN SCIENCE [Jan., 

His Own Doctor " would really be a much more appropriate title 
for the " precious volume " than Science and Health. Yet her fol- 
lowers do not seem to be able to put her teachings into practice. 
It is only the occasional " scientist " that does not regularly con- 
sult a practitioner. Indeed, even practitioners often have " claims " 
to handle which they cannot meet themselves, and which often 
force them to seek " help " from older and more experienced 
practitioners. So the man whose wife was sickly and whose 
doctor's bills were large, need not rejoice unduly when his wife 
informs him that she is going to " try Christian Science." For the 
bills will come in just the same, though payable now to Somebody 
C. S. or C. S. B., instead of Somebody M. D., as formerly. 

Still this teaching of Eddy ism would not be regarded as dan- 
gerous were it not for its narrowness and its failure to meet con- 
ditions. It has done one good thing, perhaps, though it may be a 
question whether it is directly responsible. Indirectly, certainly, 
it has forced the attention of scientists to the really scientific ex- 
amination of the influence which the mind can exercise over the 
body. Mental therapeutics is now an established branch of scien- 
tific study, and through its means nervous diseases are more readily 
cured and are more agreeably treated than formerly. We are not, 
however, concerned with studying the progress made in recent years 
in the treatment of nervous diseases through mental suggestion. 
Rather, we are concerned in examining an ignorant and unscien- 
tific application of principles essentially scientific. In a limited 
way we know that the mind can exert a favorable influence over 
the body. " Faith in your doctor is half the battle," has become, 
to say no more, a trite saying. Yet to argue that because the 
mind can influence the body to the extent of health in some minor 
nervous troubles, it can therefore cure broken limbs and malignant 
cancers, is reasoning of a most puerile kind. The " scientist " 
answers that the human mind does not enter his method of treat- 
ment ; none the less in this he errs, since the human mind is the only 
mind we are cognizant of. For the " scientist " to argue that the 
human mind is non-existent is folly of the sheerest sort, a proposi- 
tion and a theory which he cannot prove. In this we see the dan- 
ger of this extremely narrow system, namely, its claim that all 
disease is subject to it. 

Everyone who follows the progress of science knows that 
to-day, thanks to modern methods in handling certain diseases, the 
rate of mortality is considerably decreased. We all know, too, 



1913.] CHRISTIAN SCIENCE 47* 

that certain diseases are contagious, and that the germs which carry 
them are easily dispersed by persons entering the sick room of a per- 
son afflicted with them; further we know such germs are highly 
infectious. Scientific treatment of these contagious diseases has 
reduced the number of their victims greatly, and in this work hy- 
giene has been a most potent factor. 

Now Mrs. Eddy denies entirely that any disease can be con- 
tagious,* and, further, she proudly asserts that hygiene has no 
part or place in her system of mental healing. f Scientists tell 
us that the rate of infant mortality is considerably lessened by 
proper hygienic conditions in the nursery. Daily baths for babies 
are now considered a great help in keeping an infant healthy. Mrs. 
Eddy tells us that to wash an infant daily is as sensible as taking 
a fish out of water, and covering it with dirt that it may thrive the 
better in its native element.! Such absurdities, one would think, 
would convince intelligent people of the utter silliness of Mrs. 
Eddy's ideas, yet it seems that many " scientists " regard such 
nonsense as wonderfully clever reasoning. It does not answer 
this objection to show that " scientists " are clean people, any 
more than it answered our objection of their teaching on sin, to 
show that they were decently behaved people. They are clean as 
they are decent, not because of their " science," but in spite of it. 

It is quite unnecessary to show from Mrs. Eddy's writings that 
she really does hold these views that we have been examining. 
Her opinions on these matters are well known; indeed they are 
about the only ideas of her sect that are well known and properly 
understood. It will suffice for us, therefore, to point out the 
danger that lies in the actual practice of them. -It might, however, 
before we proceed to this, be interesting to remember that her 
system of healing is based upon the Bible, in her own estimation, 
and is the same method of procedure that our Savior utilized in 
healing the sick. This is such a novel interpretation of Our Lord's 
miracles that it is almost amazing. It is not difficult to show its 
utter absurdity. Christian Science has its failures. Our Lord did 
not fail. Christian Science does not heal instantaneously; Christ 
did. Mrs. Eddy assumes that the Apostles were " scientists," but 
St. Paul contradicts this idea when he asks, " Have all gifts of 
healing ?" Clearly implying that "gifts of healing" were spe- 
cial favors of God bestowed upon certain holy men and women. 

^Science and Health, pp. 153, 176, 390, 393. 

Mbid., pp. 382, 484. tlbid., p. 413. i Cor. xii. 30. 



472 CHRISTIAN SCIENCE [Jan., 

There is another inconsistent point in this doctrine of the 
nothingness of disease which Mrs. Eddy so strongly insists on. 
She argues that the evidence of the corporeal senses is false.* 
Therefore if one is ill, and one's corporeal senses convey this in- 
formation, the information is to be discredited, since the corporeal 
senses chronicle beliefs of mind in matter. She seems not to 
realize that when one is in health, the same corporeal senses convey 
the information. Why should they be discredited in the one case 
and credited in the other? 

Let us examine these teachings a little further and see their 
results when put into practice. Let us observe the " scientist's " 
method of treating contagious diseases. We will imagine our- 
selves in a home where there are children, and where the father 
and mother are followers of Mrs. Eddy. Into this home the germs 
of scarlet fever are carried by some of the children. One of them 
contracts the disease. The child, who we are assuming has been 
brought up " scientifically," will not at first make any complaints. 
Gradually, however, the fever will gain upon this young " scientist," 
and he will have to take to his bed. The father and mother will 
continue as though nothing unusual were the matter. They will 
both treat their son, and if their treatment is unavailing, the prac- 
titioner will be notified. If any of the elders imagine the disease to 
be contagious they may have the house quarantined, but this seldom 
happens, as it is vastly more " scientific " to treat a case without 
diagnosis. The child will be treated as though he were in the 
best of health. He will not be placed upon a diet. No one will 
feel his pulse or take his temperature, and in the meantime while 
he lies ill at home the father and mother will go about without 
taking the slightest precautions. In the course of time, the child 
will either get well or die. If he gets well, there will be grateful 
testimony offered at the next Wednesday evening meeting; if he 
dies, well, there may be testimony just the same, to show how grate- 
ful the father and mother are to Mrs. Eddy for teaching them that 
" in science " there is no death.f It may be thought that the 
above is an impossible case, but this we will shortly see is not so. 

Let us, however, pause a moment and consider the danger to 
the community that exists in such a case as this imaginary one. 
First of all, there are the other children in the family to be con- 
sidered. Children are extremely susceptible to so highly contagious 
a disease as scarlet fever. It would be very unusual if one or 

^Science and Health, pp. 120, 274, 396, 489, 493. Mbid., p. 584. 



1913.] CHRISTIAN SCIENCE 473 

more of them did not also come down with it. Then there are 
the children in the neighborhood to be taken into account. The 
father and mother passing in and out carry with them the seeds of 
a scarlet fever epidemic. Incidentally they may themselves be af- 
flicted with their child's illness. From such a case as we have 
considered in imagination, let us pass to some actual cases. The 
following extracts from the daily papers show quite clearly how 
serious a danger there is to the health of a closely populated section 
in these teachings of Christian Science. 

Coroner lies of Yonkers is investigating the death of thir- 
teen-year-old Helen Esther Whipple, daughter of Manager 
Clayton J. Whipple of the American Multigraph Company, of 
59 Fanshawe Avenue in that city. The girl had died of scarlet 
fever, and had no medical attention according to her own father, 
who is a Christian Scientist. Dr. David John was called to the 
house before the girl died, but it was only to make a diagnosis 
and, as Mr. Whipple said, " to comply with the law." 

This was a death that was in all probability preventable had a 
physician been summoned. It had a somewhat ironical sequel, 
considering the concluding words of the newspaper account. To 
quote : 

Mr. Whipple says that he called a doctor to his house for 
the first time in many years on Saturday, and that all his three 
children had heretofore recovered under Christian Science 
treatment from all childhood complaints. The death of his 
daughter has not shaken his faith in Christian Science. 

The sequel is interesting as showing that the danger outlined in 
the imaginary case above is not at all over-estimated. 

Nine days after scarlet fever had killed his thirteen-year-old 
daughter Helen, Clayton J. Whipple, Manager of the American 
Multigraph Company, at 20 Vesey Street, died yesterday of the 
same disease in his home at No. 59 Fanshawe Avenue, Yonkers. 
Like his child he had been treated by a Christian Science prac- 
titioner, not by a doctor.* 

It is noteworthy in these two cases that the doctor was sum- 
moned a few hours before the death of the daughter, " to comply 
with the law." The law had, however, in great measure been 

*New York World, July 16, 1912. 



474 CHRISTIAN SCIENCE [Jan., 

violated, since no quarantine had been established in the house. 
It is interesting to read that the other three children had always 
had Christian Science treatment, and that a doctor had not been 
summoned to the house " for many years." Of these childhood 
complaints, some were probably of a contagious nature. The pos- 
sibilities of an epidemic are not difficult to see. 

This is not the only case we might cite in contention of our 
opinion that Christian Science is a dangerous menace to the health 
of the country. There was William B. Parham, who was found 
dead in bed, with a copy of Science and Health lying open before 
him. He had been suffering from tuberculosis, but refused to 
submit to any medical attention. There was Ernest Carlmark, 
who died of typhoid fever; he, too, refused any medical attention. 
Yet, he had been a nurse in Bellevue Hospital, and was only forty 
years of age. With proper attention he would probably have 
recovered. Then the Mosbach case, a young girl who died of 
diphtheria; no precautions had been taken to guard against the 
contagion of the disease, and in consequence her brother also con- 
tracted it. The Board of Health interfered after the girl's death, 
however, and the little boy's life was saved. These incidents amply 
bear out our contention that Eddyism is a dangerous thing to play 
with. 

The " scientist " may answer, as he does, to our contentions 
that his system is immoral and unhygienic, " Look at us ! We are 
decently behaved people, quite as clean as the average person, if not 
cleaner, and quite as healthy." But this simply begs the question. 
For we also can reply, " Look at us ! The bulk of us outside the 
magic pale of 'science' are healthy people too." It is not, there- 
fore, Christian Science that keeps them healthy, but rather the 
lack of it. Just as the doctor does not keep us healthy, but rather 
his absence indicates that we are without need of his services. 
If the " scientist " insists that he was cured, however, of some 
serious complaint, we will perhaps consider him seriously, but 
whenever he informs us that he has been healed of malignant can- 
cer or fractured skull or something of an equally grave nature, and 
we really become interested and inquire particulars, lo! the par- 
ticulars are seldom forthcoming, and when they are, they generally 
show on investigation that the gravity of the ailment has been very 
considerably magnified. 

Yet, while we can in a great measure discount the " marvelous 
cures," we cannot at all deny that Christian Science has helped 



1913.] CHRISTIAN SCIENCE 475 

many a nerve-racked man or woman, bordering upon nervous pros- 
tration, back to a comparatively quiet existence. What then? 
Are we to jump to the conclusion that because, in a limited way, 
Mrs. Eddy's system of mental healing has benefited a few people, 
it is therefore a sure cure for all the ills that flesh is heir to, and 
a new divine revelation sent to the present age, as Mrs. Eddy 
asserts. It is not necessary for us to answer such a question; 
common sense at once prompts a reply in the negative. We could 
show that some few individuals were benefited by the San Francisco- 
earthquake; indeed, one woman who had been paralyzed a number 
of years, in the excitement got up and walked to a place of safety.* 
This does not warrant us, however, in recommending earthquakes 
as a cure for paralysis. 

Yet how are we to account for these minor cures of people in* 
" Science ? " It will not do for us to dodge the issue by saying 
they had nothing really the matter with them, and found it out. 
The " scientist " will retort that Materia Medica was unable to find 
out that there was nothing the matter with these people, and to 
convince them of that fact as " science " had done. And while this 
is a difficult question to answer absolutely, still I think the solution 
lies in the hypnotic nature of Mrs. Eddy's method. It is true that 
Mrs. Eddy entirely denies any similarity in nature between her 
" science " and hypnotism.f Yet her mere " say so " does not alter 
the fact at all. Despite her protests and her assertion that hypno- 
tism ultimates in moral and physical death in both subject and prac- 
titioner,! there is a great similarity. Christian Science might, I 
think, be described as hypnotism with the manipulations discarded. 
We must remember that many scientists are absolutely depend- 
ent upon their practitioners. They seem unable to face the smallest 
danger themselves. The examples cited from the press show how 
entirely the minds of these unfortunates were in subjection to their 
" healers." Anyone who has come into intimate contact with 
Mrs. Eddy's followers knows how utterly they follow the advice 
of their practitioners; they talk much of mesmerism and its evil 
effects, while in reality they are themselves wholly under mesmeric 
influence. They point proudly to their cures as evidence that their 
system is practical. So does the hypnotist. Yet, the hypnotist 
can often authenticate his cures and, moreover, they are almost 
never so extravagantly impossible as those which are wrought ia 

*See The Religio-Medical Masquerade. By C. H. Peabody. 
^Science and Health, pp. 103, 106, 442, etc. $Ibid., p. 105. 



476 CHRISTIAN SCIENCE [Jan., 

" science." We have already said that the cures of cases that might 
really prove something were seldom authenticated, and it is idle 
to repeat it again. There is, however, an element of doubt that 
enters even the seemingly possible cures. And a multitude of ob- 
jections can be raised, e. g., How are we to know that the " claim " 
has been rightly diagnosed ? In the great majority of cases no one 
with any real scientific knowledge sees the person healed in Eddy- 
ism. We have only the word of the patient that he was really 
suffering from some organic complaint, and the inconsistency of 
the whole system is patent when we fully realize that no cure 
wrought by " science " is really a cure at all, since eventually the 
person healed contracts some ailment and goes the way of all flesh. 
There is no death, says Mrs. Eddy. Death is but an illusion like 
sin and sickness,* and yet the " scientist " has not yet come who 
can make a demonstration over the grim visitor. 

Here we must leave the subject, satisfied that we have shown 
the danger that underlies these teachings of Eddy ism regarding 
disease. We are satisfied, too, that it has been shown that Science 
is inconsistent and in all cases a colossal failure, since its cures and 
its adherents ultimately succumb to disease and death. We hope, 
too, that once its really dangerous character is realized, those per- 
sons who may think it mildly interesting as a religious novelty, 
and who believe " that there is something in it," will once more 
become rational, and understand that nonsense is not at all in 
keeping with divine revelation. 

^Science and Health, pp. 469, 584, etc. 
[TO BE CONTINUED.] 



SIR THOMAS MORE AND HIS TIME. 



BY W. E. CAMPBELL. 




VI. 

ORE'S first wife died about 1511, and, according to 
the witness of his confessor, he obtained a dispen- 
sation and was married again " without any banns 
asking " within a month of her death. This lady 
was a widow and seven years More's senior ; she was 
neither beautiful nor well-educated, but was an excellent housewife, 
and a good mother to his four young children. Like many a 
good wife, she seems to have been a little jealous of her husband's 
bachelor friends, so at any rate Erasmus implies. But we should 
remember in justice to her that Erasmus couldn't speak a word 
of English, and during his stay at her house the conversations 
between her husband and his guest must have been entirely in Latin, 
a little trying to a naturally talkative lady. 

Being now Under-Sheriff of London, and in the full tide of his 
professional success, More seems to have acted as the Sheriff's 
deputy in most of the important legal business, but he found 
leisure enough to begin his life of Richard III., an excellent example 
of straightforward and eloquent English style.* In 1514 a dis- 
pute arose between the London merchants and the foreign traders 
resident in the city. It was found necessary to send an embassy 
to the Archduke Charles in Flanders, and More was asked to 
represent the interests of his fellow citizens. This embassy left 
England in May, 1515, and kept More abroad for more than 
six months, very much against his will. He complains that his 
allowance, though sufficient to feed him abroad, is insufficient for 
the maintenance of his family at home, since, alas, he cannot per- 
suade them to fast in his absence. 

However, he seems to have made some very delightful ac- 
quaintances. 

In my legation, some things greatly delighted me [he writes 
to Erasmus]. First, the living so long and continually with 

*" The first example of good English language, pure and perspicuous, well-chosen 
without vulgarisms and pedantry " Hallam. There is some doubt as to whether 
More was the author of this work or only the translator from Cardinal Morton. 



478 SIR THOMAS MORE AND HIS TIME [Jan., 

Tunstall,* a man who, while he is surpassed by none in culture, 
nor in strictness of life, is also unequalled in sweetness of man- 
ners. Next, I acquired the friendship of Busleyden,f who 
received me with a magnificence proportionate to his great 
riches, and a cordiality in keeping with the goodness of his 
soul. He showed me his house so marvelously built and splen- 
didly furnished, and so many antiquities in which you know my 
curiosity and delight, and, above all, his library is so well 
filled, and his mind more richly stocked than any library, so 
that he fairly bewildered me. I hear that he is about to under- 
take an embassy to our king. 

But in my travels nothing was more to my wishes than my 
intercourse with your host, Peter Aegidius of Antwerp,^ a man 
so learned, witty, modest, and so true a friend, that I would 
willingly purchase my intimacy with him at the cost of a great 
part of my fortune. 

It was on this journey that More conceived the idea of his 
Utopia, and actually composed the second book ; the first book being 
written on his return to England, in the following year, in such 
time as he could steal from meat and sleep. 

The first book of the Utopia, which, as I said, was written 
after the second, introduces us to the hero of this idealistic romance. 
Upon a certain day, when about to leave our Lady's church at 
Antwerp, after hearing Mass, More chanced to espy his friend Peter 
Giles in conversation with a stranger, " a man well stricken in age, 
with a black sunburned face, a long beard, and a coat cast homely 
about his shoulders, whom by his favor and apparel forthwith I 
judged to be a mariner." More is introduced, and discovers the 
stranger to be a certain Raphael Hythloday, a learned man and 
greatly traveled, in fact he had joined himself to the company 
of Amerigo Vespucci, and in the last of four voyages was left 
behind, and came home later by another way. 

Anxious to hear of his adventures, More then and there sits 
down with his friends in a garden upon a bench covered with 
green turf. When Hythloday had discoursed for some time upon 
the manners, customs, laws, and ordinances which obtain in these 
little-known countries, More points out how useful he could make 

*Cuthbert Tunstall (1474-1559), Master of the Rolls, 1516; Dean of Salis- 
bury, 1521; Bishop of London, 1522; Keeper of the Privy Seal, 1523; Bishop 
of Durham, 1530. 

tjerome Busleyden, native of Luxembourg, Canon, Ambassador to Julius II., 
Francis I., and Henry VIII. Died 1517. 

$ Peter Aegidius or Giles, friend of Erasmus and More, to whom the latter 
dedicates his Utopia. 



1913-] SIR THOMAS MORE AND HIS TIME 479 

himself by getting to some king's court, and freely giving there 
the benefit of his experiences. But Hythloday replies to this pro- 
posal that no one would listen to him, much less follow his advice. 
He informs More that he has been in England, and speaks highly 
of Cardinal Morton, who in Henry VII. 's time had treated him very 
kindly. He then proceeds to discuss the chief social and political 
evils which afflicted More's country at that time. This relation 
occupies the whole of the first book, and forms a very vivid contrast 
to the ideal state of things set over against it in the second. 

A discussion arises, one day, at Cardinal Morton's house, as 
to why thieves seem the more to abound as the laws against them 
are the more rigorously enforced. Hythloday points, first of all, 
to the very rigor of the law itself. " This punishment of thieves," 
he says, "passeth the limits of justice, and is also very hurtful to 

the weal public Great and horrible punishments be appointed 

for thieves, whereas much rather provision should be made, that 
there were some means whereby they might get their living, so 
that no man should be driven to this extreme necessity, first to 
steal, and then to die." 

He then enumerates the causes of that widespread poverty 
which makes thieving a necessity. First, there is a great number 
of gentlemen, " which cannot be content to live idle themselves, 
like drones, of that which others have labored for: their tenants, 
I mean, whom they poll and shave to the quick by raising their 
rents. These gentlemen, I say, do not only live in idleness them- 
selves, but also carry about with them at their tails a great flock 
or train of idle and loitering serving-men, which never learned 
any craft whereby to get their livings. ..." These being dismissed 
at their masters' death, or for other reasons, are thrown upon 
the world with no means of getting a livelihood. 

Then we come to the enclosures. " Noblemen and gentle- 
men, yea and certain abbots, holy men no doubt," not content 
with their ordinary sources of income, leave no ground for tillage, 
but inclose all into pastures, with the result that the village folk 
are driven from their homes and occupations. " . . . . When they 
have wandered abroad till that be spent, what can they else do 
but steal, and then justly pardy be hanged." 

A w r ord should be said in regard to " the noblemen and gentle- 
men, yea, and certain abbots, holy men no doubt." The civil wars 
which preceded the reign of Henry VII. wrought prosperity to 
the towns, but great and silent havoc to the countryside. The older 
nobility turned all their laborers into soldiers, and when the War of 



480 SIR THOMAS MORE AND HIS TIME [Jan. r 

the Roses was at an end, the older nobility were mostly exter- 
minated, while their soldiers had little inclination for pastoral 
occupations. A new order of men now got possession of the soil, 
business people from the towns who looked to their own profit 
rather than to the contentment of the villagers. A complaint is 
made to Parliament in Henry VIII.'s time that " in consequence 
of the occupation of the land by merchants, clothiers, and others " 
housekeeping had decayed, and tillage had been turned into pas- 
ture. " When every man was contented with one farm, there was 
plenty of everything," say the petitioners. " Now in a town of 
twenty or thirty dwellings the houses are decayed, the people gone, 
the churches in ruins, and in many parishes nothing more than a 
neatherd or a shepherd or a warner is to be seen."* 

With regard to the monks, I need only quote one authority, 
that of a modern scholar by no means prejudiced in their favor; 
rather the contrary. After pointing out the reasons which might 
induce the monks to convert their arable land into pasture, and to 
inclose still more of the common lands for this purpose, he con- 
cludes : " Under such conditions the figures of monastic tillage 
become eloquent. In spite of the fact that pasture was twice as 
valuable as arable land, that monasteries were in a large way of 
business, and that they had particular reasons to reduce their arable 
land, yet up to the last the monks tilled almost as much land as they 
kept for grazing purposes."! 

Hythloday then points to the remedy for all this thieving, 
which is far better than capital punishment. 

Surely my lord [quoth I], I think it is not right nor justice, 
that the loss of money should cause the loss of a man's life. . . . 
To be short, Moses' law, though it were ungentle and sharp, 

as a law that was given to bondmen yet it punished theft 

by the purse and not with death. And let us not think that 
God in the new law of clemency and mercy, under which He 
ruleth us with fatherly gentleness, as His dear children, hath 
given us greater scope and license to the execution of cruelty, 
one upon another. 

Hythloday then develops the central thesis of his philosophy, 
namely, the evil of private property. 

Howbeit doubtless Master More [to speak truly as my mind 

*State Papers, vol. i., 1509-1514. 

^Oxford Studies in Social and Legal History, vol. i. ; English Monasteries 
on the Eve of the Dissolution, by Alexander Savine, Professor of History in the 
University of Moscow. 



1913.] SIR THOMAS MORE AND HIS TIME 481 

giveth me] where possessions be private, where money beareth 
all the stroke, it is hard and almost impossible that there the 
weal public may justly be governed and prosperously flourish. 

For the wise man (Plato) did easily foresee this to be 

the one and only way to the wealth of the commonalty, if 

equality of all things should be brought in and stablished 

Thus do I fully persuade myself, that no equal and just dis- 
tribution of things can be made, nor that perfect wealth shall 
ever be among men, unless this propriety be exiled and ban- 
ished. 

More, thereupon, directly denies this. 

But I am of contrary opinion [quoth I], for methinketh that 
men shall never there live wealthily, where all things be common. 
For how can there be an abundance of goods, or of anything, 
where every man withdraweth his hand from labor? Whom 
the regard of his own gains driveth not to work, but the hope 
that he hath other men's travails maketh him slothful. 

In the second book we are introduced to Utopia itself, which 
is plainly modeled on Plato's picture of Atlantis in the Critias; 
there is also a suggestion of Britain as described by Tacitus in his 
Agricola. It is, of course, a country of ideal perfection; and as 
such provides a glaring and suggestive contrast to the actual state 
of European affairs as set forth in the previous book. The scene 
of it is laid in the romantic regions of the west which the voyages 
and discoveries of Vespucci and Columbus had opened up to the 
imagination of Western Europe, and the fact that some enthusiastic 
readers quite seriously thought of fitting out an expedition to its 
happy shores, sufficiently indicates the success with which More 
conveyed the impression of its reality. 

Utopia was a crescent shaped island about a hundred miles 
across at its widest part, the sea running in between its two corners 
and separating them by some nine miles. It contained fifty-four 
cities, not crowded together, but spread about at minimum distances 
of twenty-four miles. The inhabitants divide their attention be- 
tween town and country, thinking it healthier that they should 
reside and work now in one and now in the other. Their chief 
city is Amaurote, which stands almost four square on the side 
of a low hill, with two rivers at its feet. The streets are twenty 
feet broad,* and flanked with handsome buildings, for the whole 
city was magnificently planned by its first founder, King Utopus, 

*A contrast to the streets of London, which were but ten or twelve. 
VOL. XCVI. 31. 



482 SIR THOMAS MORE AND HIS TIME [Jan., 

who paid special attention to the laying out of gardens, an excellent 
tradition that has never been lost sight of. 

The method of city government is described, together with the 
sciences, crafts, and occupations of the inhabitants. Husbandry is 
a science practiced by all, and in addition to this everyone, whether 
noble or not, is compelled to learn a trade. No man is allowed to sit 
idle unless age or illness excuses him. But, on the other hand, the 
hours of labor are strictly limited to six, a plain reference to the 
brutal conditions of Henry VIII. 's time when an act of 1496, which 
had been repealed, was revived making it compulsory for every ar- 
tificer and laborer to be at work from five in the morning until six or 
seven in the evening from March to September. Six hours a day is 
quite long enough to work, says the writer, if all take their share. 

He then passes in review the various social customs ; the regu- 
lation and distribution of population, the surplus being employed to 
colonize waste ground. Their dress is very simple, and without un- 
necessary display, and all things are so economically ordered that even 
the humblest citizens have time for leisure and mental improvement. 

The eldest, as I said, ruleth the family. The wives be 

ministers to their husbands, the children to their parents 

Every city is divided into four equal parts or quarters. In the 
midst of every quarter there is a market place of all manner 
of things. Thither the works of every family be brought into 
certain houses. And every kind of thing is laid up several 
in barns or storehouses. From hence the father of every 
family or every householder fetcheth whatsoever he shall have 
need of, and carrieth it away with him without money, without 
exchange, without gage, pawn, or pledge. 

There is also a meat market, but only bondmen are allowed 
to kill the beasts necessary for food, since " they think clemency the 
gentlest affection of our nature." Their meals are taken in com- 
mon in large halls, one to every thirty families; the women of 
each family superintend the cooking in turn, but all menial tasks 
connected therewith are performed by slaves. The men sit on 
one side of the table and the women opposite them, while all chil- 
dren above five years of age either serve at the tables or stand by 
in silence, eating only what is given them from the tables at the 
discretion of their elders. There is a short reading at each meal, 
followed by conversation, in which the young men are encouraged 
to take part. At supper music is always provided. In the country 
meals are taken at home. 



1913.] SIR THOMAS MORE AND HIS TIME 483 

Regulations follow as to travelers, who easily obtain permis- 
sion for their journeys. " There be neither wine taverns, nor ale- 
houses, nor stews, nor any occasion of vice or wickedness, no lurking 
corners, no places of wicked counsel or unlawful assemblies." In 
business they exchange superfluous for necessary goods, setting 
little store by money, except in so far as necessary for intercourse 
with other states. Gold, silver, and precious stones are held in 
dishonor and of little worth. They eat and drink in earthen and 
glass vessels, making only the commoner vessels of gold and silver 
as also the chains, fetters and gyves wherein they tie their slaves. 
Their children wear precious stones, but leave them off as soon as 
they grow up, and " thus by all means possible they procure to 
have gold and silver among them in reproach and infamy." 

Their ethical beliefs appear to be a mixture of Epicureanism 
and Platonism ; their summum bonum is pleasure that is rationally 
defined and interpreted. They believe the soul to be immortal, and 
by the bountiful goodness of God ordained to felicity. Good and 
evil are rewarded in the after life. These truths they think to 
rest on reasonable proof. They renounce the ascetic life, only going 
so far as to defer an immediate and lesser pleasure for a greater. 

They define virtue as life ordered according to nature, and 

that we be hereunto ordained by God The most and wisest 

part (of the Utopians) believe that there is a certain godly 
power unknown, everlasting, incomprehensible, inexplicable, far 
above the capacity and reach of man's wit, dispersed through- 
out all the world, not in bigness, but in virtue and power. 

Him they call the Father of all But after they heard us 

speak of the name of Christ, of His doctrine, laws, miracles, 
and of the no less wonderful constancy of so many martyrs, 
whose blood willingly shed brought a great number of nations 
throughout all parts of the world into their sect; you will not 
believe with how glad minds they agreed unto the same : whether 
it were by the secret inspiration of God, or else for that they 
thought it nighest unto that opinion, which among them is 
counted chiefest. 

Some of their customs are obviously in direct contrast to cer- 
tain practices of More's day. " They exclude and banish all at- 
torneys, proctors, and sergeants at law; which craftily handle 
matters, and subtly dispute of the laws. For they think it most 
meet, that every man should plead his own matter, and tell the 
same tale to the judge that he would tell to his man of law." They 
have little belief in leagues and treaties a courageous hit at Euro- 



484 SIR THOMAS MORE AND HIS TIME [Jan., 

pean diplomacy. " War or battle they do detest and abhor as a 
thing very beastly." They are very gentle to their enemies, espe- 
cially to those of the humbler sort, knowing " that they be driven 
and enforced to war against their wills by the furious madness 
of their princes and heads." 

We must not forget, however, that this delightfully idealistic 
picture of happiness rests on the sinister basis of slavery. Slave 
labor is performed either by criminals condemned for some heinous 
offence, or criminals condemned to death in other countries. A 
lighter kind of bondage embraces the poorer foreigners, who choose 
rather to be bondmen in Utopia, where food and comfort are 
secure, than to be free elsewhere under the burden of hideous 
toil and uncertainty of livelihood. 

In More's own day the Utopia was regarded as a mirror of 
the political and social evils of the time. Its popularity is shown 
by the numerous editions and translations. It is clearly an appeal 
to the social conscience of the age. If the Utopians by the mere 
efforts of natural goodness could reach such a happy condition, 
what a reproach to our own Christian nations, who with all the 
helps of revelation and grace fall so far behind them. The whole 
thing is a counsel of perfection, which should be used rather as a 
stimulus than as a model of social polity. 

The Utopia was never intended to be taken literally. More, as 
we see from his own interpolated remarks, could never seriously 
advocate a community of goods; he could never recommend an 
elective monarchy nor counsel the marriage of priests. He might, 
indeed, argue for a simpler code of laws, but he could hardly 
plead that lawyers were unnecessary except by way of a joke. 
But although the Utopian ideas were not meant to be carried out 
quite literally, yet they might still serve to show how kings, though 
not elective, were still responsible to God for the welfare of their 
humbler subjects; though community of goods might be imprac- 
ticable, yet the business of the state should involve the common 
good and not merely the interests of the few; though property 
could not be expropriated, yet it might be distributed much more 
widely and much more productively; the law too might be sim- 
plified and made as cheaply accessible to the poor as it was to the 
wealthy; and the statute book might justly be disencumbered of 
the obsolete and oppressive acts which had lately been revived and 
bore so heavily on the less well-to-do. 

Nor was the Utopia a plea for natural religion or even a justi- 
fication of it. More had no Pelagian or semi-Pelagian illusions as 



1913-] SIR THOMAS MORE AND HIS TIME 485 

to the strength of unassisted human nature. He did not build his 
hopes on the dreams of the natural man, because he knew it to be 
but the dream of a sick sleeper not yet awakened to the full remem- 
brance of his original weakness. 

I am inclined to think that in the Utopia we have an ironic 
picture of Ralph Hythloday as the natural man making a hoppity- 
click journey to Nowhere in the sorry strength of his naturally 
depleted powers. " I cannot agree," says More at the conclusion 
of the second book, "to all the things that he (Hythloday) said, 
being yet a man singularly learned, and also in all worldly matters 
exactly and profoundly experienced, so must I needs confess and 
grant that many things be in the Utopian weal public, which in 
our cities I may rather wish for than hope after." 

The whole argument of More's life was for the spiritual as 
against the secular power, and yet what he saw around him was 
the latter growing more and more beyond control, while the former 
stood by and approved with courtly acquiescence. " While the 
sovereign was absolute in theory," writes Mr. Brewer, " clergy, 
judges, people strove to render the prerogative more absolute, both 
in theory and practice. So long as Wolsey lived the Church formed 
some barrier ; afterwards government was absolutely identi- 
fied with the will of the sovereign."* This is what More foresaw, 
this is what he denounced and resisted to the death, for the con- 
sequences brought destruction to all spiritual authority whatever. 

The ecclesiastics who surrounded the throne of Henry VII. 
and Henry VIII., and sanctioned with their presence and 
authority the acts of both these monarchs, invested royalty with 
a spiritual influence in the minds of the people which could not 
be disintegrated from it, or resumed, when the King changed 
their religious principles, and dismissed their spiritual ministers 

All events had prepared the way for the King's temporal 

supremacy. Opposition to papal authority was familiar to men ; 
but a spiritual supremacy, an ecclesiastical headship, as it sepa- 
rated Henry VIII. from all his predecessors by an immeasur- 
able interval, so was it without precedent and at variance with 
all traditions* 

After all, the Christian prince was the real menace, alike to Chris- 
tianity and to all that involved the common welfare. 

The Utopia was a social and not a religious tract, written by 
a thoughtful and observant man in an altogether English-like man- 
ner. Quiet, sedate, and serious, yet hovering perpetually between 

*Letters and Papers, Foreign and Domestic, vol. 1., Introduction, cvi., cclxxv. 



486 SIR THOMAS MORE AND PUS TIME [Jan., 

jest and earnest, looking forward eagerly to a better future, yet 
always clinging to the strength of the past; showing how Christian 
kings failed in their duties, and how this failure produced the 
abounding social miseries of the time. On the one side princes, 
vainly ambitious for military glory, waging useless and extravagant 
wars, given over to the futile pleasures of court and table, of tourna- 
ment and chase, and all this involving enormous and growing 
expenditure; on the other side, a miserably oppressed and neg- 
lected people, whose only use was to supply money to meet the 
royal expenditure. The Utopian remedies did but point to the 
evils which suggested them: 

The endless wars; the faithless leagues; the military ex- 
penditure ; the money and time wasted upon instruments and 
means of offence to the neglect of all social improvements; 
unsettled habits ; trains of idle serving-men reenacting in the 
streets the interminable brawls of Montagues and Capulets; 
broken and disabled soldiers turning to theft and filling Alsatia 
for lack of employment; labor disarranged; husbandry broken 
up ; villages and hamlets depopulated to feed sheep ; agricultural 
laborers turned adrift, but forbidden to stray and driven home 
from tithing to tithing by the lash, to starve; no poorhouses, 
no hospitals, though the sweating sickness raged through the 
land, but the poor left to perish as paupers by the side of the 
ditches, filling the air with fever and pestilence; houses never 
swept or ventilated; choked with rotten thatch above and un- 
changed rushes within; streets reeking with offal and filthy 
puddles ; no adequate supply of water for cleanliness or health ; 
penal laws stringently enforced, more stringently as the evils 
grew greater; crime and punishment struggling for the upper 
hand ; justice proud of its executions, and wondering that theft 
multiplied faster than the gibbet. 

Who shall say, after reading Mr. Brewer's succinct catalogue 
of the social evils of More's time, that it is the dream of an ideal- 
istic trifler? A careful reader will find each of these grievances 
mentioned by name or contrast or implication in the Utopia; and 
if he would learn still more of the faults and vices of royalty 
which brought them about, let him read the Christian Prince of 
Erasmus which reproves, or The Prince of Machiavelli which con- 
dones them, both written about this time. The Utopia was, indeed, 
" one of the boldest declarations of a political creed ever uttered 
by an English statesman on the eve of his entry into a king's 
service;" but what should we expect from Sir Thomas More? 




THE CITY OF GOODWILL. 

BY JEANIE DRAKE. 

PART I. 

[CHILDLIKE drowsiness, not unbecoming, still veiled 
the dark eyes of young Mrs. Tredwith. She looked 
indifferently at the snow falling outside on the park 
trees; played with her grape fruit; crumbled her 
breakfast toast, and compromised finally on a little 
coffee. For even granted the possession of vigorous health, buoy- 
ant alertness, and the habit of late hours, this winter's early 
and strenuous rush of social functions could not fail to tell. 

" Has Mr. Tredwith gone yet, Wilkins ? " 

" Not yet, madam. He 'ad 'is breakfast, and is in the library 
arranging papers." Wilkins was English, and would have said 
" harranging," but that he was usually careful. 

The master of the house here entered a typical young Ameri- 
can of the wealthy working class ; his firm mouth and chin promising 
enterprise and resolution; the keenness of his gaze only less evident 
when he looked at his wife. 

" Wilkins, this toast is quite cold," said she, with a trifle of 
petulance. " Bring some fresh." 

" Is my girl so tired this morning? " asked her husband. 

" You would be tired, too, and savage, and bored to death, 
if you had had to go on to four other affairs after you left me 
at the opera house." 

" I was savage enough as it was," he laughed, " for I do like 
to hear a little of the music when the boxes including our own 
will allow. Ours was among the worst. I don't wonder the 
people hissed." 

" One can do nothing with so many acquaintances coming 
and going. Were you obliged to desert me ? " 

" Obliged. These papers needed me. And now I must fly." 

But she made his flight less abrupt, laying a soft, detaining 
hand upon his sleeve, while she removed an imperceptible speck 
of dust, selected and pinned a flower in his button-hole, and went 
with him into the great hallway's arches and tapestries. 



THE CITY OF GOODWILL [Jan., 

" I see so little, little, little of you these days," she whispered. 
" Do you work too hard, or do I play too hard ? " 

" My dear girl ! A member of half-a-dozen exclusive clubs, 
organized expressly to keep all but triflers out, to be suspected 
of working too hard ! The masses would laugh at your aspersion 
upon a pampered minion of fortune." 

" She raised a rather wistful face to his ; but at the moment 
a liveried footman waited at the outer door, and the respectfully 
officious Wilkins suddenly appeared with a forgotten cigarette case. 

" Did you ever notice," she asked, " what staring eyes Wilkins 
has?" 

" I suspect him of being observant ; but correctly and im- 
passively so. He might be worse. Do not forget we dine out 
to-night." 

When her husband had rolled away at full speed, she sighed 
once or twice. Decidedly she was out of sorts this bright winter 
morning, as she passed slowly up the broad stairway ; she brightened 
again at the nursery door. She ' would have entered with 
grateful eagerness, but the trained nurse beside the lace-covered 
cot held up a warning finger. 

" Hour of his nap, Mrs. Tredwith," she murmured, mechan- 
ically. " Careful not to wake him. Has had his breakfast, pre- 
pared and weighed, as usual, and seemed to take it with appetite. 
It being a sunny morning, I have ordered the cart for noon; the 
assistant nurse will go with us, and James can drive us for an 
hour. Then lunch and another nap. The afternoon programme 
you know." 

The mother bent over the sleeping baby. Lightly breathing, 
his curls scattered upon the pillow, he lay in childhood's attractive 
grace. " He looks wonderfully well," she said. Something of 
the other's formality reflected on her girlishness. " We are in- 
debted to your care, Miss Davis." 

" Not at all," automatically. " I have had considerable ex- 
perience in my profession." 

Leaving the room, Agatha Tredwith felt an unreasonable 
resentment. " He used," she reflected, " when old Sarah and I 
had him for the few days between diplomaed nurses to like 
to go to sleep with a little rubber dog. I suppose it is thrown 
away as unhygienic!" Then she reproached herself, knowing 
well the child could never have thriven under such chance and 
occasional supervision as incessant social distractions permitted. 



1913.] THE CITY OF GOODWILL 489 

The desk telephone in her boudoir summoned her at this 
moment; and a thin, high-pitched voice at the other end reminded 
her : " You are to call for me to lunch at Allard's, and then the 
matinee and bridge party afterwards, and don't forget to-morrow. 
We are expecting you and Fabian down at Timberton for the house 
party." 

This was from Muriel Joyce, Fabian's cousin, one of the 
gayest of the younger matrons, whose pranks even the moderately 
thoughtful sometimes disapproved. 

" Oh, well," Agatha shrugged, hanging up the receiver, " she's 
intelligent, at least, and not likely to offer us such imbecility as 
a monkey dinner at Timberton. Fabian's something of a restraint 
on her, too, so we may as well go." 

Then she rang for her maid, and the deft French girl arranged 
such toilet as might serve the varied exigencies of a restaurant 
luncheon, theatre matinee, and afternoon bridge party. 

At their bridge party, Agatha did not play, but in the luxur- 
ious ante-room reserved for talkers the conversation irked her. 
When it wandered from the treadmill round of their purely selfish 
pleasures, it was, if not flavored with absolute scandal, apt tc be 
mere petty gossip. 

" I wish," she said, later, to her husband as they drove to 
their dinner, " that we could just go on and on and on together ! 
It would be so much better than talking to people, forever, that one 
doesn't care for, and w y ho don't care for one." 

" Oh, come," indulgently, " they would be hard-hearted 
monsters not to care for a particularly nice girl, who is rumpling 
her pretty hair recklessly on my shoulder. If Rosine could, see 
you spoiling a chef d'oeuvre!" But he laid his cheek softly 
against the bronze waves and said more seriously : " If you had 
time to read the papers, which you have not, or if you were in 
the thick of it down town, you would have something to think 
about." 

" Tell me." 

" Financial affairs are in threatening shape all over the coun- 
try. Many houses have failed already, and several banks. The 
best and strongest are using every effort to avert a general panic. 
If it comes, we must all sit tight! But these are not things to 
worry you with before dinner." 

" They are, they are," protestingly, " and I wish I were a 
man to help." 



490 THE CITY OF GOODWILL [Jan. r 

" So do I. We hold our own, believe me, though I do not 
like Hexon's attitude in some matters." 

" I have never liked Mr. Hexon's attitude in anything." 

" Your father called that prejudice once," teasingly, " when 
you preferred me to him," but she divined that under his light 
tone lurked some anxiety. 

" Shall you go on to the ball with me afterwards ? " 

" My dear, I cannot. One of the stenographers comes up to 
the house, and we will work most of the night." 

" And I should so much rather be near you than an automaton 
dancing at a ball." 

And though she gave apparent pretty gracious attention to 
her evening's partners, her thoughts were with him, busy else- 
where, and full of care. 

Next morning she had reserved for some shopping, but she 
went listlessly about it. " I wish I might get baby another rubber 
dog," she mused on the way, " but Miss Davis would throw it 
away ! " At the stationer's she looked at some illuminated texts and 
mottoes, but pushed them away impatiently. Then she took one 
of them up again, and read it a second time. 

" Close by the City of Goodwill, 
A little house stood under a hill." 

" Why it has no ending, and no signature, and not much 
meaning. It's just a bit of childishness." But she took it away 
with her on leaving. 

They were to go down that afternoon to Timberton to the 
Joyce house party, and she did not see her husband again until 
they met at the train with others of the laughing, chattering guests. 
In the midst of the uproarious hilarity at dinner, a telegram sum- 
moned Mr. Tredwith to town. 

" Give me five minutes to join you," insisted his wife. 
Rosine can follow in the morning." 

In less than the time asked, she was with him; fur coat and 
hood over white satin and bare head. 

" Ridiculous ! " the hostess was calling in the hall, in high 
remonstrance. "Half-a-dozen of the men telegraphed for! And 
now you, Agatha Tredwith ! It's a mean shame ! " But Agatha 
was firm. 

She saw no more of her husband that night, after their return 
home, nor yet during the long hours of the day succeeding. 



1913.] THE CITY OF GOODWILL 491 

Late in the evening Fabian came in. The haggard lines 
of exhaustion and disappointed endeavor in his face answered 
her inquiring eyes. When he spoke it was to say : " In spite of all 
we could do, dear, the house, so well founded by your father, 
goes down in this terrible crisis. He would have grieved, but 
would have liked to know that all liabilities will be paid." 

" Then all is lost," she quoted, evenly, " but honor. That is 
an asset we can build upon again, however." 

" Yes," heavily. " But when I think of you and the child, 
and of my criminal carelessness in being ignorant of Hexon's 
gambling in stocks with the money of others ! It will take all I have 
to replace this. I can, perhaps, save something of yours " 

" Not one dollar," firmly, " not one, until all who trusted 
you have been fully paid. My dear," with earnest feeling, " you 
must not doubt my sympathy with you in the shock and ordeal 
of loss. But for myself, personally, I am undisturbed, almost. 
Perhaps I should not tell you, but I have even a curious feeling 
of elation, as if I were beginning real life; as if a new and inter- 
esting vocation were opening up before me. The modest com- 
petence I have from my mother will probably not be needed for 
the firm. There is the little homestead down in the country where 
old Sarah and her grandson are in charge. We have youth, health, 
your legal knowledge, and skill to hew a new path. Why, it is the 
chance of my life to prove that a very spoiled and pampered and 
incidentally bored person may become a real woman and comrade ! 
Who knows ! This may be a blessing in disguise ! " 

PART II. 

Fabian Tredwith had much on his hands in the days fol- 
lowing; in careful scrutiny and rearrangement of affairs; in com- 
plete relinquishment of the things that had formerly occupied him; 
in stern severance of the slightest connection with the partner who 
had so involved him; in establishing himself in an office for purely 
the practice of law. 

" Pity about Tredwith," said the street. " Gives up every- 
thing, I hear, even his wife's fortune. One of the best this black 
week has dragged down. He's better off without Hexon, who's not 
in his class ; and with his talents he ought to get on his feet again." 
Then in the pressure of the times they promptly forgot him. 

While agents conducted the sale of their handsome Riverside 



492 THE CITY OF GOODWILL [Jan., 

house and effects, with horses, equipages and motors, Agatha was, 
for the most part, down in the country, preparing the somewhat 
dilapidated homestead, in which her mother was born, for their 
reception. A rambling place it was, with a wilderness of vines 
and shrubbery waiting to be trained in summer; and great fire- 
places to heat it in winter. 

" It would have fretted your father sadly," deplored old Sarah, 
" and you that spoiled when a child ! " 

" Then," cheerfully, " it is high time I should reform. I 
mean to love it down here. Your grandson will take charge of the 
farm and grow vegetables and fruit for us. You are to teach 
me housekeeping. And, Rosine, good girl, cried at thought of leav- 
ing baby and me, and must stay and help us take care of him." 

Sarah looked doubtful at the prospect of collaboration with a 
"furriner;" but would have taken greater risks to have her old 
master's child once more under the same roof. 

" I am not, I hope, ungrateful for Miss Davis' care, Fabian," 
Agatha declared, " but baby is now to have a rubber elephant 
sterilized, of course, if you insist! " 

" I do," laughing. " It will keep you busy." 

" And, oh, my dear, what joy, in moments of impulsiveness, 
to be rid of Wilkins' stare! He seemed to embody society's dis- 
approval of most things natural." 

" He certainly disapproved of fallen fortunes," said Fabian, 
briefly. " He and the other men resigned with startling prompti- 
tude." 

" They knew what bores they were," with an airy wave ; 
" but that is the past. Behold the present ! What do you think 
of it? " directing his gaze to the living room, newly arranged and 
decorated in warm colors, where their most cherished possessions 
were already enshrined by her taste and deft fingers. 

" That I have the most wonderful wife in the world ! It is 
more homelike than anything I have seen in a long while." 

" Ah," triumphantly, " just wait until the carpenters and 
painters finish, and I have a chance to do a little here and a little 
there. And what a garden Sarah's Tim and I will make in the 
springtime! A lawn in front with those grand old trees, and, 
maybe, a terrace. We will have basket chairs and take tea out- 
doors." 

"It is snowing just now," he suggested, teasingly; but, to 
hide his real feelings, turned aside, fingering the trifles on her 



1913.] THE CITY OF GOODWILL 493 

desk. " What is this ? " he asked, looking at the illuminated card 
hanging above it: 

" Close by the City of Goodwill, 
A little house stood under a hill.' " 

" Some child's rhyme? A little unfinished, isn't it? " 

" Like us all," she answered, quickly. And then, with a cer- 
tain wistf ulness : " That is to be the name of this house, when 
it has had time to earn it." 

The springtime saw the homestead renovated and made a 
thing of comparative beauty. Its red roof and gables showed 
high amid the groves, and commanded a noble view of the 
river below and the little village nestling on its banks. The gar- 
den, so long run wild, was at first dismaying; for Sarah's Tim, 
she confessed, " know nought but wholesome greens." But with 
his strong arm to command, books to consult, zeal to inspire, order 
sprang from chaos, and the wilderness began to bloom, and pres- 
ently to reward its workers with a riot of color and fragrance. 

" How amazingly blessed and contenting life has become," 
Agatha reflected time and again. " It almost overwhelms me with 
gratitude. I have not deserved it. My thanks should be expressed 
in some way that was a little hard." 

Less buoyantly, though sturdily, Fabian applied himself to his 
law practice, but with results not soon profitable. In spite of 
undoubted brilliance and rare knowledge of law, success was slow 
to come. Glittering opportunities were offered him, but with pro- 
hibitory taint. " I am not here to evade, but to interpret law," 
he needed to say often. Or even : " Your cause, sir, does not seem 
just. I cannot undertake it." And it was whispered about that 
" Tredwith was something of a crank." 

After disheartening experience of the least favorable side of 
human nature, he began to regard his home as a haven whence true 
comradeship sent him forth strengthened once more. He said to 
Agatha : " I know that I shall win out in the long run. But it is 
uphill work; and I mind the waiting most for you, dearest the 
change." 

" Fabian ! Is it possible that you cannot see that I am happier 
than I ever was? There were all sorts of qualities going to waste 
in our former life which are now utilized. Nature meant me for 
just such contenting activities as are now mine; and was frustrated 
for a while by a dear, lavish father, followed by exactly such a 



494 THE CITY OF GOODWILL [Jan., 

husband. It was time it should be stopped. We have no longer 
a chef, it is true; but we have a competence, and if you enlarge 
it in time to set baby on the road to the Supreme Bench " 

As that infant was even then making his first adventurous trip 
in the next room from Sarah's to Rosine's knee, this won the 
desired smile. 

" By the way, do you remember Rabin, one of our former 
bookkeepers ? " 

" Certainly. An elderly Frenchman, very polite." 

" Yes. I had lost sight of him upon our dissolution. I heard 
to-day that he collapsed soon afterward a weak heart, and has 
been in the hospital ever since. Outside his skill in figures, he 
was quite a child, and was drawn by Hexon into some rotten 
ventures which took every dollar. I would go to see him to- 
morrow, but there are certain deeds to prepare which require re- 
search." 

" I will go after the morning's affairs," answered Agatha gaily. 
" I can take the late train down, lunch with you, and go to the 
hospital afterward. It is quite an adventure for a rustic." 

The next day's bright afternoon found her waiting on a 
corner of the rushing city, a bunch of roses in her clasp, where she 
was hailed from a passing auto by Mrs. Joyce's shrill tones : " What 
are you doing in Babylon, Agatha? A trolley! You! Get in 
and let me take you wherever, it is. Why have you not invited 
me down to cards and cream? Or why have you not come up to 
champagne and truffles ? Peter is thoroughly disgusted with Fabian 
because he gave up his seat in the Exchange. Some of those 
troublesome people heirs, or minors, or whatever they were 
might very well have waited for their money, or gone without." 
And so on until they reached the hospital. 

Here, in the general ward, a silver-haired man, with a tired, 
gentle face, opened his eyes at Agatha's greeting. 

" Ah, Mrs. Tredwith, it truly is ! How amiable of you to 
come here. And the lovely flowers ! For me ! " His gaze wan- 
dered impartially between the roses and his radiant visitor. 

They fell into talk soon, and her eyes were very pensive when 
she left him. Meeting the house-surgeon, she asked : " Is M. 
Rabin improving? " 

" Well, I can hardly say so. No, he has gone down steadily 
during his stay. Not any acute disorder, but a general failing 
to recuperate an indifference to life which is often fatal. No help 



I9I3-] THE CITY OF GOODWILL 495 

on his part towards recovery. We do what we can, but " he 
shook his head. " It is a pity he has no one belonging to him." 

On the way home she kept revolving an idea : " The dear, 
patient old man; my heart aches for him. Have we a right to be 
so happy while some one else is dying of loneliness? Is not this 
a way providentially pointed out for me to give thanks for a 
blessed lot! But Fabian! And our happy, secluded evenings, 
with everyone else shut out, while we have learned such close com- 
panionship! But if my father had lived, would I not have felt his 
presence a benediction in our home ! " 

" Fabian," she said, that night, " I want to have M. Rabin 
down here. The country air will do him good. Did you 
know that he lost wife and child many years ago in a 
railroad accident, and ever since coming to America, and being 
employed by you, has made no intimates, but has given his leisure to 
nature studies ? Now he is old, and ill, penniless, and with no one 
to take an interest in him." 

" Yes, it is sad. A little visit in country air may do him good." 

" Dearest, I want him for more than a visit. It is a home he 
needs. Let us ask him to share ours." 

" Agatha ! " in utter consternation, " a stranger to break in 
on the new family sacredness we have found so sweet! I will 
gladly spare some little to pension him in comfort." 

"That would not be the same thing. Oh, Fabian, I must, 
indeed ! Do not prevent me ! " She felt so conscience-impelled 
to save the kind, old man from slipping out of life from sheer 
homesickness she was so earnest that her husband reluctantly 
consented. 

But when M. Rabin, dazed with what looked to him a " mir- 
acle of heavenly kindness," was installed in a sunny room, and 
grew strong enough to pace the terrace and find his way through 
the forest walks and garden alleys, he proved to be of a rare 
adaptability. Never present when Fabian and Agatha would be 
alone together, his company at other times became an increasing 
pleasure. Father Melton, pastor of the little church in the village, 
called frequently to discuss other lands and manners. Rosine 
expanded visibly in the pleasure of talking her native tongue to 
" ce bon Monsieur," and baby was smilingly devoted to " Papa 
Rabin." 

" It is," said their gentle guest," as if a poor fish had been 
caught by the cruel hook of ill- fortune and thrown upon the strand 



496 THE CITY OF GOODWILL [Jan., 

to die. And then came a beautiful, kind fairy who raised it gently 
and laid it back in the shining waters of life." 

" He is something of a poet," smiled Fabian, when this was 
repeated to him. " Odd, too, when he is an expert accountant." 

" That was bad for his eyes ; but he writes a great deal now 
that they are stronger. Sarah claims to have restored them with 
her broths and jellies; and Rosine thinks it is her care, so they 
are very jealous of each other. But baby wins easily; for he is 
M. Rabin's chosen chum; trots all day long at his heels, and is 
learning his letters out of Papa Rabin's big illustrated Fables of 
La Fontaine. He knows lots of the animals from their pictures, 
and told me yesterday which was the 'hittamus pottamus.' ' 

" He is a budding genius." 

" Oh, well, I am his mother, I admit it. But I am by way 
of becoming a naturalist, myself, under M. Rabin. It appears that 
our garden and terrace, our groves and forest paths, are the uni- 
verse, in little." 

" And what branch have you chosen to study? " 

" Oh, botany, entomology, anything which comes in our way 
to observe. I am ashamed to scream any longer at beetles, or 
wasps, or bees, he is so fond of them, and so tender. He knows 
how to handle the butterflies so they are never hurt. And we 
have transplanted a number of wild flowers." 

" Well, it gives you a pretty bloom ; but do not get stung." 
He probably connected this uninstructed interest in nature of the 
former bookkeeper with the same " childlike simplicity " which led 
him each morning so early to Mass. " Any profound scientific 
knowledge," was his unformulated thought, " destroys those tra- 
ditional observances." He was, on the whole, pleased that M. 
Rabin should form a new interest for Agatha, which might divert 
her attention from signs of care in himself. He had not thought 
the business path upward would be so slow and hard. Not even 
remembrance of previous capital and power, not even keen ambition 
to reach that height again, should prick him into devious or pre- 
carious paths; but he chafed in impatience and goaded himself 
to overwork, and hid this from her all that he could." 

" Where did you find time to study all this, M. Rabin ? " 
Agatha asked, surprised anew at his minute and accurate knowledge 
of tree and plant and living things. 

" Oh, madame, every spare moment of a long life, beginning 
at five years. My people were only poor farmers near Avignon, 



1913-] THE CITY OF GOODWILL 497 

too poor to get me books, but there was always the great school 
of Nature, and, later, I had the laboratory of the open fields in all 
weathers. It did not hurt a hardy peasant boy, and so I grew, 
loving and studying each wayside plant and tiny creature of the 
good God. You may be sure I preferred them to mathematics; 
but when I was older and must earn my bread by teaching, it was 
only that which would pay. So I perfected myself in figures, 
and was professor at the college. But still I wandered in each 
spare moment under the sky and noticed, and even wrote about 
what I saw. Then I published my books about Bees and Butter- 
flies, and the Minister of Education complimented me, and sent 
a decoration. But that would not feed the wife and child. Then, 
when they were taken, I lost heart, and came, with an acquaintance, 
over here and drifted into your husband's employ, and still it was 
a habit, you see every moment of leisure I went wandering and 
studying in fields and park. And again I have, oh, bundles and 
bundles of notes. But no longer are my spirit and my eyes for 
compiling, though the study and the little creatures are as dear 
as ever." 

" But my eyes and spirit are quite young," Agatha suggested, 
" if I might see and help? " 

No judge, certainly, of the incomparable knowledge displayed 
in these voluminous notes, she was amazed at the intimate and 
delightful charm of the style. " Surely, this is unique in interest," 
she thought, again and again. 

When the compilation was complete, she went up to town, 
calling upon an eminent publisher, a friend of her father's, whose 
firm made a specialty of scientific works. He gave her welcome, 
glancing at the MS. she produced. 

" By whom did you say, Mrs. Tredwith ? A Frenchman, 
now living here? His name Rabin? Can it be possible that it 
is the distinguished naturalist, who, his Paris publishers tell me, 
has been lost sight of for so long? " 

" Oh, I think not. This is a very plain, unassuming elderly 
gentleman, a former bookkeeper, with, certainly, a love for Nature, 
and, I think, a very charming style. 

" Charming, yes, indeed ! A style of rare distinction, and 
fine simplicity and poetic grace. We are familiar with it, being 
proud of the fact that we undertook the translation, on this side, 
of his first works." 

" Then," somewhat bewildered, " you consent to publish this?" 

VOL. xcvi. 32. 



498 THE CITY OF GOODWILL [Jan., 

" Consent ! My dear Mrs. Tredwith, M. Rabin is the greatest 
living authority on these subjects, and we have only now ceased 
writing his publishers in France for more of his work because they 
told us he could not be found. We think it a privilege to produce 
this. You must know he has, until lately, been without apprecia- 
tion, but his work has grown in fame, and all are now delighting 
to do him honor. But we claim to have known from the first." 

Agatha was a little disappointed to find M. Rabin so unmoved 
when his publishers, to whom he was duly introduced, told him 
that he had come into his own. 

" It is somewhat late," he said to her afterwards. " The 
fruit is offered when appetite and time to eat are less. For forty 
years I yearned for leisure to devote to God's dear little creatures, 
but must work for a bare living. Still, I am not ungrateful, for 
study is sweet in itself when one loves the object. Do you know, 
my dear, the happiest day I have seen since I left my country? 
Not this one of flattering compliment. Oh, no. But it was when 
a gentle, sweet-voiced, young lady appeared like a vision, and 
offered to a lonely heart a home." 

" If you think so," boldly, " then give her reward in living 
to be a hundred, and telling many more wonder stories." 

When the months passed and the first of a series appeared 
which was to become greatly famous, her enthusiasm much ex- 
ceeded his placid content. " It is only a little that each one can 
do," he said, " in making God known through His marvels. But 
each must do his best; and then, his time being come, pass on the 
task to his successor, whom Providence appoints." 

" Making God known," Fabian repeated. " What you learn 
from these studies does not then unsettle faith? " 

" Increases it a thousandfold, as all His revelations must." 

" See now," the naturalist would say, " entomology is not to 
everyone's taste. He who absorbs himself in the doings of these 
tiny creatures, he seems foolish enough to the terrible utilitarian. 
But what looks useless to-day becomes useful to-morrow. The 
man of little faith must learn that each new fact ascertained lifts 
humanity higher on another rung of the ladder leading to God." 

" He makes me think of St. Francis," said Agatha, " with 
his 'little brothers, the birds.' Did you know that, with certain pro- 
visions for charity, he insists upon making our boy his heir? 
He spoke to me concerning it, and I objected strongly. But 
he urges that I am about his daughter's age; that in his thoughts 



1913.] THE CITY OF GOODWILL 499 

he puts me in her place, and so considers Bob his grandson. And 
adds that we are his happiness; and, with God's out-door nature, 
his all." 

" I am in the way," said the father, musingly, " though ar- 
duously and slowly, " to make reasonable provision for the boy's 
future. Such wealth as might easily accrue from Professor Rabin's 
works could, as we know, from our own past, lead to greedy 
absorption in well say sheer worldliness and vanity." 

It was snowing, and presently the old man and the little boy 
coming in, could be heard in the next room. M. Rabin was telling 
the story of a vagrant, starving cat, rescued and adopted by his 
own little daughter long ago. The story ended happily; the child 
asked : " But, Papa Rabin, now it is winter and snow, what will 
we have to watch ? " 

" Oh, we will put shelves outside our windows, and all the 
little hungry birds, black and red and green and blue and yellow, 
will come for crumbs. And I will tell you their names and their 
stones." 

" Unless you become as a little child," Agatha whispered 
in the study. " And he is a poet and philosopher ! Fabian, do 
you remember that is just five years since our sudden loss and 
gain?" 

" Yes," said the father, absently. " I think we will not take 
that legacy. Work is best for our boy. We will talk over with 
the Professor how he can best dispose of it to further his lifework. 
But he must live many years yet to instruct the world and us." 

" He is quite strong;" cheerfully, " he will -go with me to the 
early Mass to-morrow, Sunday morning. 

" And may I not go with you both ? " 

" Ah, dearest, how glad I shall be ! " she answered in deep 
gratitude ; then went on : " Fabian, remember, whatever worldly 
success Bob may have some day; or if we ourselves grow rich 
again, I have tasted here of real content, and will never return 
to Vanity Fair from our happy City of Goodwill." 




"LEAD, KINDLY LIGHT": ITS SOURCES AND ITS 
MEANING. 

BY JAMES MEARNS, M.A. 

NOTE. We are indebted to the well-known authority, Mr. Orby Shipley, for 
the opportunity to publish this remarkable and thorough study of Newman's famous 
hymn, written by an Anglican minister, the Rev. James Mearns, M.A. 

We may add that we believe the author to be mistaken in ascribing to Newman 
an undue desire to lead the Tractarian Movement. Newman himself writes in the 
Apologia : " For myself, I was not the person to take the lead of a party (the Trac- 
tarian Movement) : I never was, from first to last, more than a leading author of a 

school ; nor did I ever wish to be anything else Thus the Movement, 

viewed with relation to myself, was but a floating opinion ; it was not a power. 

It never would have been a power if it had remained in my hands I never 

had the staidness or dignity necessary for a leader." Ch. ii., pp. 58-59. Ed. 1895. 
[EDITOR C. W.] 

EAD, KINDLY LIGHT " is part and parcel of New- 
man's life, and of the Oxford Movement. It is im- 
possible in this paper to do more than to attempt to 
touch upon the following points :* 

i. "Lead, Kindly Light" has been called the 
one hymn of the English language. Properly speaking, it is not a 
hymn at all. It is a purely personal burst of emotion, written 
without the least idea of its ever being sung in church.f 

2. The Oxford Movement really began at Rome. Its impetus 
and direction were given by Cardinal Wiseman. 

3. The poem had a Roman Catholic model. But at the time 
he wrote it, Newman had no intention of entering the Catholic 
Church; and nowadays the only churches where one can be 
practically certain not to hear it sung are the Catholic churches. $ 

4. The chief reasons for its popularity are three: its own 
beauty ; the fine tune by Dr. Dykes ; and the vagueness which allows 
everyone, Christian, Jew, Turk, or heretic to read his own ideas 
into it. 

*The references indicate the pages, in support of the text, of the following 
works : 

A. : Newman's Apologia, ed. 1865. 

L.: Newman's Letters, 1891, vol. i. 

W. : Isaac Williams' Autobiography, 1892. 

^Athenaum, August 16, 1890 (by Joseph Jacobs ; reprinted in his Essays and 
Reviews, 1891). 

%Notes and Queries, September 20, 1896, p. 233, has this letter by Mancuniensis : 
" I have never been able to understand why 'Lead, Kindly Light' should be sung 
by a congregation in church. I am sure such a thing has never been thought 
of in any Catholic Church." 

James Anthony Froude (Good Words, 1881, p. 163; Short Studies, 1883, p. 277) 



1913.] "LEAD, KINDLY LIGHT": 501 

5. The local color is taken from Newman's experiences in 
Sicily, not from anything he saw on the day he wrote the poem. 

6. The " Kindly light " is his own conscience. 

7. The " Angel faces " are the faces of Angels, not the faces 
of Newman's departed friends. 

From a child* Newman took great delight in reading the Bible, 
and to the last the phrases of the Authorized Version lingered in 
his memory. The theological books he read before going to Oxford 
were almost all of the Calvinisticf school. At the age of fifteen 
he had a vivid conviction of the doctrine of Final Perseverance, 
He says : 

I received it at once,$ and believed that the inward con- 
version of which I was conscious (and of which I still am 
more certain than that I have hands and feet) would last into 

the next life, and that I was elected to eternal glory 

(It made) me rest in the thought of two, and two only absolute 
and luminously self-evident beings, myself and my Creator. 

The same autumn (1816) he read two books which powerfully 
influenced him.|| Joseph Milner's Church History led his thoughts 
to " religion of the primitive Christians," and he was greatly 
attracted by the long extracts from St. Augustine, St. Ambrose, and 
other Early Fathers. But he also read Newton On the Prophecies, 
and became, he says, 

firmly convinced that the Pope was the Antichrist predicted 
by Daniel, St. Paul, and St. John. My imagination was stained 
by the effects of this doctrine up to the year 1843.^" 

He matriculated** at Trinity College, Oxford, on December 
14, 1816. On April 12, 1822, he was elected Fellow of Oriel, and 
always looked back to that day,ff in thankful remembrance, as the 
day of a great mercy shown to him by God. His fellowship gave 
him an assured position and a competency ; and, as he then said, he 
did not wish for anything better or higher than " to live and die a 

says : " 'Lead, Kindly Light' is the most popular hymn in the language. All of us, 
Catholic, Protestant, or such as can see their way to no positive creed at all, 
can here meet on common ground, and join in a common prayer." 

"Mr. W. T. Stead, Hymns that Have Helped, 1896, under No. 37, writes thus: 
" When the Parliament of Religions met at Chicago, the representatives of every 
creed known to man found two things on which they were agreed. They could 
all join in the Lord's Prayer, and they could all sing 'Lead, Kindly Light.' " 

*A., i. ^A., 4. %A., 4. C/. A., 195- IA., 7. 

HJoseph Milner, died 1797, sometime Vicar of North Ferriby; Church History, 
in 5 vols., 1794-1809. Thomas Newton: Bishop of Bristol, 1761-1782; Dean of 
St. Paul's, 1768: 3 vols., 1754-1758. **L., 27. tt-L., 73- 



502 "LEAD, KINDLY LIGHT": [Jan., 

Fellow of Oriel." The senior Fellows found him painfully shy,* 
and gave Dr. Whately a hint to try to draw him out, which Whately 
did with a will and effectually.! " Whately," he says, " opened 
my mind, and taught me to think and to use my reason." He also 
taught him t " the existence of the Church as a substantive body 
or corporation," and fixed in him " those anti-Erastian views of 
Church polity which were one of the most prominent features of 
the Tractarian Movement." Another Fellow of Oriel, the Rev. 
William James, " about the year 1823," says Newman, " taught 
me the doctrine of Apostolical Succession, in the course of a walk, 
I think, round Christ Church Meadow." 

From Dr. Hawkins, also a Fellow of Oriel, he learned the doc- 
trine of Tradition, i. e., as he expressed it,|| that Scripture was 
never intended to teach doctrine, but only to prove it; and that, 
if we would learn doctrine, we must have recourse to the formular- 
ies of the Church; for instance, to the catechism and to the 
creeds. 

In 1824,^" Newman had become a subscriber to the Bible 
Society; but as the doctrine of Tradition more and more possessed 
him,** he withdrew from the Society in i83O.f f Dr. Hawkins also 
gave Newman a copy of Sumner'sJI Apostolical Preaching, by 
which, says Newman, " I was led to give up my remaining Cal- 
vinism, and to receive the doctrine of Baptismal Regeneration." 
The other leading Fellow at Oriel in 1822 was John Keble; but 
Newman was at first afraid of him,|||| and did not become at all 
intimateflfl with him till Hurrell Froude brought them together 
in 1828. 

In 1824, Newman became curate of St. Clement's in Oxford, 
where, he says,*** the prevailing opinion of him was that he was 
a Methodist. In the same year he lost his father, and on October 
6th made this entry in his diary : 

Performed the last sad duties to my dear father. When 
I die, shall I be followed to the grave by my children? My 
mother said the other day she hoped to live to see me married ; 
but I think I shall either die within college walls or as a mis- 
sionary in a foreign land. No matter where, so that I die 
in Christ.ftt 

*L., 104. \A., ii. %A., 12. IA., 10. HA, 9. 

IfL., 84. **A., 10. ttL., 228. 

Jtjohn Bird Sumner, Bishop of Chester, 1828; Archbishop of Canterbury, 
1848; Apostolical Preaching, 1815. 

HA., g. \\\\L., 72. nA., 17, 18; W., 49. ***., 94. ftt., 91. 



1913-] ITS SOURCES AND ITS MEANING 503 

Newman oftens refers to this idea of becoming a missionary.* 
He was for many years a member of the Church Missionary 
Society,f and was secretary of the Oxford Brancht as late 
as 1830. In his diary, under August 26, 1830, he says: "Frank 
went for good. God guide us in His way." This was his 
brother, Francis William, who went to Persia as a missionary, 
but returned to Oxford on July 9, 1833. 

In 1826, Newman was appointed public tutor at Oriel. || By 
this time he had begun to study the Early Fathers^ on the one 
hand, and on the other to study Hooker and the Caroline divines. 
In 1827, came the election of a new Provost of Oriel. Newman, 
still rather afraid of Keble,** and thinking Hawkins the better 
business man,ft turned the scale in favor of Hawkins. This 
election had very important results. It led first to Newman's ap- 
pointment to succeed Hawkins$$ as Vicar of St. Mary's, Oxford; 
and eventually led to a coll i son between Provost and Tutors. 
Newman and Hurrell Froude both wished, being in orders, to exer- 
cise a kind of pastoral relation towards their pupils. Hawkins 
considered that, however well it might do in a seminary, this was not 
suitable for the colleges of a University. The conflict of opinion 
at length became so sharp that, in i83O,|||| Hawkins signified to 
Newman, R. H. Froude, and Robert Isaac Wilberforce that he 
would stop their supply of pupils. Thus, by the Long Vacation 
of 1832,^ Newman's pupils had almost all taken their B. A. degree, 
and the two or three that remained he gave over to the Provost. 
He thus sums up the situation, writing in the third person : 

On his return from abroad the Tract Movement began. Hu- 
manly speaking, that movement never would have been had 
he not been deprived of his tutorship; or had Keble, not 
Hawkins, been Provost.*** 

By this time Newman had finished his book on the Arians,fft 
and welcomed Hurrell Froude's invitation to go with him on a 
cruise to the Mediterranean. On Sunday, December 2, 1832,1:$$ 
he preached a University sermon in St. Mary's on Wil fulness, the 
sin of Saul ; and on the next day he left Oxford to join the Froudes. 

Richard Hurrell Froude, brother of James Anthony Froude, 
had been elected Fellow of Oriel in 1826, and soon became New- 
man's inseparable friend. Of him Newman says: 

*A., 7. 1W., 43-47- *., 223. L., 236-238. \\L., 147. 

flL., 128, 145. **L., 154- ttW., 48. ttL., 147. L., 150, 159. 

IIHL., 156. PL., 160. ***L., 160. ttM., 32. *., 281. 



504 " LEAD, KINDLY LIGHT": [Jan., 

He professed openly his admiration of the Church of Rome, 

and his hatred of the Reformers.* He felt scorn of the 

maxim, " The Bible and the Bible only is the religion of Pro- 
testants;" and he gloried in accepting Tradition as a main 
instrument of religious teaching He had a deep devo- 
tion to the Real Presence, in which he had a firm faith. He 
was powerfully drawn to the Mediaeval Church, but not to the 

Primitive He taught me to look with admiration towards 

the Church of Rome,f and in the same degree to dislike the 
Reformation. He fixed deep in me the idea of devotion to 
the Blessed Virgin, and he led me gradually to believe in 
the Real Presence. 

Archdeacon Froude accompanied his son and Newman. They 
left Falmouth on December 7, 1832, and on December nth were 
abreast of Cape Finisterre, with (as Newman writes to his mother) | 
lights visible from farmhouses on shore, which is, maybe, fifteen 
miles off. They got to Gibraltar on December i6th, and spent 
Christmas at Malta. On the return journey they called at Messina 
and Palermo, in Sicily, and arrived at Naples on February 14, 1833. 
They were at Rome from March 3d till Easter. The Froudes 
then tried to persuade Newman to return with them to England ; 
but he had been so enchanted with the glimpses of Sicily that he re- 
solved to go there again, even if he went alone. 

His Letters written home, and published in 1891, give long 
accounts of the scenery, and of the incidents of the journey, even 
describing various bouts of seasickness. But the most important 
and significant incident is only casually mentioned. Writing to 
his sister Jemima from Naples, on April n, 1833, Newman says: 

I ought to tell you about the Miserere at Rome, my going 
up St. Peter's, and the Easter illumination, our conversa- 
tions with Dr. Wiseman and with M. Bunsen, my search for 
the Church of St. Thomas of Canterbury, my pilgrimage to the 
place of St. Paul's martyrdom, the catacombs, and all the 
other sights which have stolen away half my heart, but I 
forbear till we meet.|| 

In the Apologia, 1864, P- 98, he says little more: 

It was at Rome, too, that we began the Lyra Apostolica 
which appeared monthly in the British Magazine. The motto 
shows the feeling of both Froude and myself at the time; 
we borrowed from M. Bunsen a Homer, and Froude chose the 

*A., 24. \A., 25. %L., 284. L., 383. \\L., 385. 



1913-] ITS SOURCES AND ITS MEANING 505 

words in which Achilles, on returning to the battle, says, " You 
shall know the difference, now that I am back again."* 

All he says about Wiseman is (1864, p. 97) : 

Froude and I made two calls upon Monsignor (now Card- 
inal) Wiseman at the Collegio Inglese,f shortly before we left 

Romeij: When we took leave of Monsignor Wiseman, he 

had courteously expressed a wish that we might make a second 
visit to Rome ; I said, with great gravity, " We have a work 
to do in England." 

That remark did not close an interview in which they had 
merely conversed amiably about the weather. In R. H. Froude's 
Remains, published in 1838 (i. e., p. 306), we read, in a letter of 
[April 13, 1833, what happened the names are here filled in: 

The only thing I can put my hand on as an acquisition is 
having formed an acquaintance with Monsignor (Wise- 
man), the head of the (English) College at Rome, who has 
enlightened (Newman) and me on the subject of our relations 
to the Church of Rome. We got introduced to him to find out 
whether they would take us in on any terms to which we 
could twist our consciences [To this there is a footnote]. 
All this must not be taken literally, being a jesting way of 
stating to a friend what was really the fact, viz., that he 
and another availed themselves of the opportunity of meeting 

a learned (Roman Catholic) to ascertain the ultimate 

points at issue between the Churches, and we found to our 
dismay that not one step could be gained without swallowing 
the Council of Trent as a whole. We made our approaches 
to the subject as delicately as we could. Our first notion was 
that the terms of communion were within certain limits under 
the control of the Pope, or that in case he could not dispense 
solely, yet at any rate the acts of one Council might be rescinded 
by another; indeed, that in Charles the First's time it had been 
intended to negotiate a reconciliation on the terms on which 
things stood before the Council of Trent. But we found to 
our horror that the doctrine of the Infallibility of the Church 
made the acts of each successive Council obligatory for ever, 
that what had once been decided could never be meddled with 
again ; in fact, that they were committed finally and irrevocably, 
and could not advance one step to meet us, even though the 
Church of England should again become what it was in Laud's 
*A., 34- tA., 33- 

tin 1865, Newman adds: "Once we heard him preach at a church in the 
Corso," in Rome. 1864, p. 99; A., 34. 



506 " LEAD, KINDLY LIGHT": [Jan., 

time, or indeed what it may have been up to the Council, 

for Mon. (Wiseman) admitted that many things, e. g., the 
doctrine of Mass, which were fixed then, had been indeter- 
minate before. So much for the Council of Trent, for which 
Christendom has to thank Luther and the Reformers. (New- 
man) declares that ever since I heard this I have become a 
staunch Protestant, which is a most base calumny on his part, 
though I own it has altogether changed my notions of the 
Roman Catholics, and made me wish for the total overthrow 
of their system. I think that the only TOTCO*; now is the 
" ancient Church of England," and as an explanation of what 
one means, " Charles the First and the Nonjurors." 

This was the result on Hurrell Froude's mind. Newman felt 
very much the same. In an article on Home Thoughts Abroad, 
written while he was at Rome, he says :* 

I say nothing here of the intense hatred of us, and the 
iron temper with which she resists all proposals of ever so little 
concession. She multiplies her requisitions of belief upon us 
in matters great and little, till we. are forced to dissent from 
her, as robbing us of our Christian liberty ; and then she denies 
the Sacraments, which are the means of future life, except 

on the terms of our admitting all she chooses to impose 

Happily for us, we had the Apostolical Succession within our 
own country, and so could consecrate the bread and wine with- 
out her Time softens not her resentment; a hard mother 

she, with no relentings of parental affection or misgivings of 
purpose, she is looking on, at this very time, with satisfaction 
at the prospect of our Church's destruction. 

Again, writing to his sister Jemima, on April 13, 1833, he 
says :f 

Oh, if that Rome were not Rome ! but I seem to see as clear 
as day that a union with her is impossible. She is the cruel 
Church asking of us impossibilities, excommunicating us for 
disobedience, and now watching and exulting over our approach- 
ing overthrow. 

Even as late as 1837 he writes thus :$ 

If we are induced to believe the professions of Rome, and 
make advances towards her as if a sister or a mother Church, 
which in theory she is, we shall find too late that we are in 

*L., 444. Sent to R. H. Froude, August 22, 1833, published in the British 
Magazine, February, 1834, p. 131 (the same number in which "Lead, Kindly 
Light" appeared). 

\L., 385. ^Prophetical Office of the Church, 1837, p. 100. 



1913-] ITS SOURCES AND ITS MEANING 507 

the hands of a pitiless and unnatural relative, who will but 
triumph in the arts which have inveigled us within her reach. 
No; dismissing the dreams which the romance of early Church 
history and the high theory of Catholicism will raise in the 
guileless and inexperienced mind, let us be sure that she is 
our enemy, and will do us a mischief if she can. 

Wiseman, on his side, was much impressed by the interview. 
" He was struck," says his biographer, Mr. Wilfrid Ward, " by 
the truly Catholic temper of mind of the two men, and by their 
utter sincerity." Writing in 1847, ne said: "From the day of 
Newman and Froude's visit to me, never for an instant did I waver 
in my conviction that a new era had commenced in England."* 
This conviction led him to arrange his work so as to be able to 
return to England, f and there watch the course of events. It was 
his article in the Dublin Review for August, 1839, on Tracts for 
the Times (it deals largely with St. Augustine and the Donatists) 
that first seriously shook Newman's faith in the theory of a Via 
Media. 4. But he did not begin to correspond with Newman till 
1841, and then he says he did so, " Not as presuming upon the 
passing acquaintance I made with you some years ago in Rome." 

Thus, then, it was Wiseman who gave the Oxford Movement 
its impetus and its direction. If he had tried to meet Froude and 
Newman half-way, if he had tried to smooth away their difficulties, 
it is not at all probable that they would have been willing to submit 
to reordination. Indeed Wiseman does not seem to have been at all 
anxious that they should do so just then. Even if Hurrell Froude 
had returned to England with the determination 10 work out his 
dreams of corporate reunion, he would have got no help from 
John Keble or from Isaac Williams. There might have been an 
Oxford Movement in the direction of corporate reunion; but the 
time was certainly not ripe for it. 

The blank non possumus attitude of Wiseman was to Froude 
and Newman a cruel disappointment and a stinging rebuff. If 
Rome had no kindlier greeting, it was useless to parley further. 
They had a mission ; there was work for them in England. They 
must not despair of their own Mother Church; they must return 
and devote themselves to her regeneration. They must seek to re- 
vive in her, as Newman says: 

That primitive Christianity which was delivered for all time 

*Wiseman's Life and Times, 1897, i., p. 117. t/4., 64. 

%A., 116-117. Wiseman's Life and Times, i., p. 375. 



508 "LEAD, KINDLY LIGHT": [Jan., 

by the early teachers of the Church, and which was registered 
and attested in the Anglican formularies and by the Anglican 
divines. That ancient religion had well-nigh faded away out 

of the land and it must be restored. It would be in fact 

a second Reformation; a better reformation, for it would be 
a return, not to the sixteenth century, but to the seventeenth.* 

Froude returned home full of energy at the prospect of doing 
something for the Church. He said to Isaac Williams: 

Isaac, we must make a row in the world Only con- 
sider what the Peculiars (i. e., the Evangelicals) have done 
with a few half truths to work upon! And with our prin- 
ciples, if we set resolutely to work, we can do the same 

Church principles, forced on people's notice, must work for 
good. However, we must try; and Newman and I are deter- 
mined to set to work as soon as he returns, and you must join 
with us. We must have short tracts, and letters in the British 
Magazine, and verses, and these you can do for us and get 
people to preach sermons on the Apostolical Succession, and 
the like. And let us come and see old Palmer (the Rev., after- 
wards Sir, William Palmer, Bart., of Worcester College, 
Oxford, author of the Origines Liturgies), and get him to do 
something.f 

So they stirred up Palmer and John Keble; and in June, 1833, 
Froude, Keble, and Isaac Williams began to publish the Lyra 
'Apostolica in the British Magazine. " This, indeed," says Isaac 
Williams,! " Newman did not like, when he returned, for he wished 
to have had throughout the management." John Keble preached 
his Assize Sermon on National Apostacy on July 14, 1833, without 
any consulation with Newman, and the famous meeting at Mr. H. 
J. Rose's rectory at Hadleigh, in the end of July, 1833,!! which 
was the formal start of the Tractarian Movement, was held with- 
out Newman being present. If Newman had never returned from 
Sicily, there would still have been a Tractarian Movement. 

Newman had found Mr. Neate, another Fellow of Oriel, at 
Rome,^ and had hoped to have him as companion in his expedition 
to Sicily; but in the end Neate determined to go to Dresden.** 
Newman would not change his plans ; drawn on, as he says, ft " by 
a strange love of Sicily." At Naples, he engaged a man servant,!! 
and on landing at Messina started off with him, taking two mules 

*A., 43. *(W., 63. \W., 65. L., 414. || L., 432, 443. 

V.L., 356. **L., 372. ttL., 383- ttL., 392. /-., 396. 



1913-] ITS SOURCES AND ITS MEANING 509 

and a muleteer, to explore a country then innocent of railways, 
and in many parts innocent even of roads. He was delighted with 
Taormina, and with the view of Etna. Of Taormina he says : 

I never saw anything more enchanting than this spot. It 
realized all one had read of in books about scenery a deep 
valley, brawling streams, beautiful trees, the sea (heard) in 
the distance I never knew that Nature could be so beau- 
tiful; and to see that view was the nearest approach to seeing 
Eden. O happy I! It was worth coming all the way, to 
endure sadness, loneliness, dreariness, to see it.* 

He found the ascent of Etna impracticable,! and contented 
himself with going on to Catania. From Catania he went to Syra- 
cuse in an open boat, $ on account of the wretched roads, and intended 
to have returned to Catania by boat. The wind changing, they 
landed at Augusta (Agosta) at eight in the morning on April 29th, 
but were so much delayed, over quarantine and passports, that they 
did not start on the way to Catania till three in the afternoon. 
The season had been a very wet one,|| and the district they passed 
through on the way to Catania was, and is, one of the most fever- 
stricken in Sicily. The day was broiling hot;ff as the evening 
drew on, the fever laden mists began to rise from the marshes. On 
the journey they went over the moor, the fen, the crag, the torrent. 
They first passed, he says,** over wild heath, then cornland, then 
wood, then descended to the plain. They found that they had still 
eighteen miles to go, ft three rivers to ford or ferry over, and 
that the neighborhood of the second riveri$ was infested by rob- 
bers. Whether a will-o'-the-wisp from the marshes misled them, 
Newman does not say; but the guide lost his way just at the 
most suspicious part of the journey. They had not even the 
kindly light of the cottages, for by this time the brigands had evi- 
dently concluded that no one worth robbing would run the risk of 
malaria, and had retired to their beds. However, at last they 
reached Catania between eleven and twelve o'clock at night. |||| 

Next day, Newman felt the fever coming on,flfl but started to 
cross the island by the side of Etna to Aderno, and then west to 
get to Girgenti.*** At Leon forte, about the centre of the island, fff 
he found he could go no further; and lay there three days, with 
the fever increasing.$$$ He felt so ill that he gave his servant 

*L., 397. t., 399. tL., 406. L., 406. HZ.., 405. 

HZ.., 406. **L., 403. tt., 406. *$L., 403. /.., 406. 

IIIIL., 4 o6. HUL., 403, 413. ***L., 414, 418. tttz.., 415. n%L., 407. 



510 " LEAD, KINDLY LIGHT": [Jan., 

directions what to do in case of his death; but expressed to him 
a confident conviction that he would not die,* adding that he 
thought God had still work for him to do.f Then he took it into 
his head that he was better and started afresh ;| but, after going 
seven miles, he had to lie down exhausted in a roadside hut. A 
doctor, who happened to pass by, felt his pulse, and relieved 
him so far that he was able, on May 6th, || to get to Castrogio- 
vanni, the ancient Enna. There he lay for many days between life 
and death; but in the end he slowly recovered,^ while others in 
the town, stricken with a similar fever, passed away. On the 
twelfth day after the crisis, he started for Palermo. When he 
got there, he says : " I could not read, nor write, nor talk, nor 
think. I had no memory, and very little of the reasoning fac- 
ulty."** 

Later on, this illness appeared to him as a very important 
crisis in his life,ff partly as a judgment on self-will, partly as 
a sign of God's electing and directing grace. The latter idea is 
clearly expressed in his story with a purpose, entitled Loss and 
Gain (1848, p. 185), where, speaking of his hero, really speaking 
of himself, he says : 

He could not escape the destiny of being one of the elect 
of God; he could not escape that destiny which the grace 
of his Redeemer had stamped on his soul in baptism, which 
his good angel had seen written there, and had done his zealous 
part to keep inviolate and bright, which his own cooperation 

with the influences of Heaven had confirmed and secured 

he could not ultimately escape his destiny of becoming a 
Catholic. 

He wrote out, at intervals, from 1834 to 1840, a long and 
dreamy and confused account of the illness, in which, for example, 
he says: 

I felt it was a punishment^ for my wilfulness in going to 

Sicily by myself yet I felt and kept saying to myself, 

" I have not sinned against light," and at one time I had a 
most consoling, overpowering thought of God's electing love, 
and seemed to feel I was His Next day the self -reproach- 
ing feelings increased. I seemed to see more and more my 

utter hollotwness I compared myself with Keble, and 

felt that I was merely developing his, not my convictions 

I believe myself at heart to be nearly hollow, i. e., with little 

*.., 407. \L., 418. %L., 407. \L., 420. \\L., 420. 

HL., 422-425. **L., 408. tt-t-v 412- ttL., 413. .., 416. 



1913-] ITS SOURCES AND ITS MEANING 511 

love, little self-denial I thought* I had been very self- 
willed about the tutorship affair, and now I viewed my whole 
course as one of presumption. It struck me that the 5th of May 
was just at hand, which was a memorable day as being that on 
which (what we called) my Ultimatum was sent in to the 

Provost I recollected, too, that my last act on leaving 

Oxford was to preach a University sermon against self-will 

Yet still I said to myself, "I have not sinned against 

light " I had a strange f eelingf on my mind that God meets 

those who go on in His way, who remember Him in His way, 
in the paths of the Lord; that I must put myself in His path, 
His way, that I must do my part, and that He met those who 
rejoice and worked righteousness (Isaiah Ixiv. 5, A. V.) and 
remembered Him in His ways. 

These were some of his thoughts at Leonforte in the first 
stage of his illness; in the second stage, at Castrogiovanni, his 
thoughts were very wandering, and hardly worth recording. At 
last, on May 25th, he set out for Palermo. When he got up the 
next morning, he says : " I sat some time by the bedside,! crying 
bitterly, and all I could say was that I was sure God had some 
work for me to do in England." He got to Palermo on May 27th, 
and was nearly three weeks there, expecting to sail almost daily, 
very homesick, and much disappointed at the delay. At last he got 
off, on June I3th; but by delaying they had lost the favorable 
wind. 

The average passage, he had been told, was six days; but he 
had been warned that calms of twelve or even twenty days were 
common at that time of year.|| On June ist he had again begun 
writing poems. By these, we find that on June I4th they were still 
only " Off Monte Pellegrino," i. e., still in the Bay of Palermo, 
three hundred miles from the Straits of Bonifacio. If he com- 
posed a poem on June I5th, it has not been traced; on June i6th, 
while still "At Sea," he composed "Lead, Kindly Light." On 
the 1 7th they were off Sardinia, i. e., becalmed in the Straits of 
Bonifacio (see his Verses, 1874, p. 154); were "At Sea" again 
on June 22d, but did not cover the two hundred and forty miles 
from Bonifacio to Marseilles till June 27th. 

So far has been clear enough; now we pass into the region 
of uncertainty. 

In his Verses on Various Occasions, 1868, Newman marks 
" Lead, Kindly Light " as written on June i6th. But where did he 

*L., 417. t., 419. %L., 428. \L., 428. IIL., 410. 



512 "LEAD, KINDLY LIGHT": [Jan., 

write it? He gives two accounts which cannot be reconciled. In 
the first edition of the Apologia (1864, P- 99) he says : 

At last I got off in an orange boat, bound for Marseilles. 
We were becalmed a whole week in the Straits of Bonifacio. 
Then it was that I wrote the lines, " Lead, Kindly Light," 
which have since become well-known.* 

But in the 1873 edition (p. 35), and in later editions, he says: 

At last I got off in an orange boat, bound for Marseilles. 
Then it was that I wrote the lines, " Lead, Kindly Light," 
which have since become well-known. We were becalmed a 
whole week in the Straits of Bonifacio. I was writing verses 
the whole time of my passage. 

Why did Newman make this change? He tells us in the 
preface to the Apologia^ that he wrote that book with his memo- 
randa and letters unsorted. But before he published his Verses 
in 1868 he had looked up his memoranda, for all the poems there 
are marked with the date and place of writing. " Lead, Kindly 
Light " is dated " At Sea, June 16, 1833." The poem for the 
next day is dated "Off Sardinia, June 17, 1833." That is, his 
memoranda stated that on June i6th they were still in the open sea, 
but had reached the Straits on June 1 7th. The ship, which was only 
a small orange boat, is hardly likely to have done the three hundred 
miles from Monte Pellegrino to Bonifacio by June i6th. And 
yet, at least, as late as 1882, Newman spoke of writing the poem in 
the Straits. 

Mr. John Wilkinson (afterwards a Prebendary of Salisbury), 
while making a sketching tour in France as a lad of seventeen, 
met Newman in Paris in July, 1833; and his account would have 
settled the question, if it had been recorded at the time. Un- 
fortunately, he never wrote it out, and the final form in the 
family tradition has evidently grown by repetition. 

Newman, in 1833, had a strong prejudice against the French 
nation, as imbued with the Revolutionary spirit t While nearing 
Marseilles he wrote an apostrophe to France (Verses, 1868, p. 181, 
headed " Apostacy," and dated " Off the French Coast, June 26, 
)> which ends thus: 

And so in silence I will now proclaim 

Hate of thy present self, and scarce will sound thy name. 

*A., 35 *(A., xx. tCf. L., 233. 



1913-] ITS SOURCES AND ITS MEANING 513 

In the 'Apologia (1864, p. 97) he says: 

It was the success of the Liberal cause which fretted me 
inwardly.* I became fierce against its instruments and its 
manifestations. A French vessel was at Algiers; I would not 
even look at the tricolor. On my return, though forced to 
stop a day at Paris,f I kept indoors the whole time, and all 
that I saw of that beautiful city was what I saw from the dili- 
gence. 

The reason why he stayed in Paris even for a day was because 
the places in all the diligences for the northern ports were already 
booked. Mr. J. B. Mozeley (writing to his brother Thomas on 
July 12, 1833)1 savs that Newman would have had to stay longer 
if a passenger booked to Dieppe had not vacated his place. New- 
man thus crossed to Brighton, passed through London, and reached 
his mother's house at Iffley on July 9, 1833; ms brother, Francis 
William, returned there earlier in the same day.|| 

Feeling stranded in Paris, he seems to have welcomed the 
sight of a young Englishman, and before parting gave Mr. Wilkin- 
son a Plan de Paris, with the inscription " J. H. Newman, Paris, 
1833." This Plan is now in the possession of the Rev. J. F. Wil- 
kinson of Barley; who, in the course of a long correspondence in 
1911, reported his father as saying that Newman 

found himself, after a storm, becalmed and enveloped in a 
thick and depressing fog in the Straits of Bonifacio. It was 

in the night My father used to tell us how Newman 

had read the poem to him, and how fervently he acknowledged 
the Divine support in the mental and physical depression, almost 
despair, into which he had sunk, being, in his great weakness, 
so susceptible to the terrible clinging darkness of the fog, 
which succeeded the storm. 

Newman seems to have kept his own counsel after returning 
home, and did not even show the poem to Isaac Williams, his 
curate and his intimate friend. The publication of the Lyra Apos- 
tolica poems had begun in the British Magazine for June, 1833, 
and went on regularly from month to month ; but " Lead, Kindly 
Light " did not appear there till February, 1834. Isaac Williams 
states that he saw it there for the first time, and said to Newman : 

" Whose poem is that ? John Keble's, is it not ? It is not 
like you ; but, if it is yours, I will tell you when it was written. 

*A., 33. t" Twenty-four hours," in 1865. 

^Letters of the Rev. J. B. Mozeley, D.D., 1885, p. 31. L V 412. \\A., 35. 
VOL. XCVI. 33. 



514 "LEAD, KINDLY LIGHT": [Jan., 

It was when you were coming home ill." He answered, " You 
are quite right. It was on board the vessel from Sicily, when 
I was just recovering, and very weak." And this accounts for 
a tone in that poem which is unlike Newman, more subdued and 
touching. But yet, I have heard it noticed by Copeland ('. e., 
Rev. W. J. Copeland, sometime Newman's curate at Littlemore, 
afterwards Rector of Farnham in Essex) that it ends unlike the 
resignation of the Psalmist in Psalm xlii. (A. V.)* 

Newman says, plainly enough, that he had not the least idea of 
its ever being sung. If he had meant it to be sung, he might very 
well have ended, as Copeland suggests, with some such thought as 
this : " The morning light will show how wisely God has led me, 
and what good cause I have to thank God and take courage." 

In 1834, the title given to the poem is " Faith." In the col- 
lected edition of the Lyra Apostolica, 1836, p. 28, it is headed 
" Unto the Godly there ariseth up Light in the Darkness." In New- 
man's Verses, 1853, p. 24, it is headed " Grace of Congruity." 
These titles, it will be observed, all carry out the same idea. It is 
the son, now repentant and going to meet the Father, resolved to 
seek to deserve his Father's favor by working righteousness and 
walking in his Father's ways. It is still a purely individual matter. 
It is, as he says, in the Apologia: 

In the intercourse between God and the soul, during a 
season of recollection, of repentance, of good resolution, of 
inquiry into vocation the soul was sola cum solo; there was 
no cloud interposed between the creature and the Object of 
his faith and love. The command practically enforced was, 
" My son, give Me thy heart."f 

After the publication of the Apologia, the poem seems to 
have assumed a new importance in Newman's mind ; he momentarily 
lost the sense of perspective; and in 1868 he entitled it, "The 
Pillar of the Cloud." Looked at as a treatment of this theme, Mr. 
W. T. Stead was quite justified in saying (Hymns that have 
Helped, 1896, No. 38) that William Williams' (1717-1791) "Guide 
Me, O Thou Great Jehovah " is worth a hundred " Lead, Kindly 
Lights." Dr. E. A. Abbott, in his book on The Anglican Career 
of Cardinal Newman (1892, i., p. 288), takes this title as the key- 
note of his commentary on the poem. His analysis is certainly 
ingenious; but it is hardly what Newman meant in 1833. 

The writing of " Lead, Kindly Light " evidently clarified New- 
*w., 58. iA., 196. 



1913-] ITS SOURCES AND ITS MEANING 515 

man's brain. The result is seen in that series of poems written 
before he reached Marseilles, notably in the two splendid studies 
after the style of the tragic Greek chorus ("Man is permitted 
much," written "At Sea, June 25th," and "O Piteous Race," 
written " Off Marseilles Harbor, June 2/th ") which, with " Lead 
Kindly Light " (this Mr. R. H. Hutton justly describes as " shining 
with the softest and the whitest poetic lustre "), make up the trio 
of what Mr. Hutton (Cardinal Newman, 1891, p. 43) regarded 
as " his most exquisite poems." But the touching little poem en- 
titled "Desolation" (written "Off Sardinia, June i8th") shows 
that the clouds did not lift at once: 

Oh, say not thou art left of God, 

Because His tokens in the sky 
Thou canst not read: this earth He trod 

To teach thee He was ever nigh. 

He sees, beneath the fig-tree green, 

Nathaniel con His sacred lore; 
Should'st thou thy chamber seek, unseen, 

He enters through the unopened door. 

And when thou liest, by slumber bound, 

Outwearied in the Christian fight, 
In glory, girt with Saints around, 

He stands above thee through the night. 

When friends to Emmaus bend their course, 
He joins, although He holds their eyes ; 

Or, should'st thou feel some fever's force, 
He takes thy hand, He bids thee rise. 

Or on a voyage, when calms prevail, 

And prison thee upon the sea, 
He walks the wave, He wings the sail, 

The shore is gained, and thou art free.* 

Let me now gather together other things which Newman him- 
self said about the poem. 

Writing in 1874 to E. H. Bickersteth, he says:f 

I agree with you that these verses are not a hymn, nor 

*L., 411 shows that at Lyons, on July ist, he could, in writing to his mother, 
still say, " I am quite desolate. I am tempted to say, 'Lord, heal me, for my 
bones are vexed.' " 

^L^je of Ed-ward Henry Bickersteth, 1907, p. 199, dated from The Oratory, 
June 20, 1874. 



516 "LEAD, KINDLY LIGHT": [Jan., 

are they suitable for singing; and it is that which at once 
surprises and gratifies me, and makes me thankful that, in 
spite of their having no claim to be used as a hymn, they 
have made their way into so many collections. 

Lord Ronald Gower, in his Old Diaries, 1902 (p. 15), says 
that, in 1882, he had received a letter from Queen Victoria, in 
which she wrote: 

This is a pilgrimage, a great struggle, and not our real home, 
and we may say, in those beautiful lines: 

So long Thy power hath led me, sure it still 

Will lead me on, 
O'er moor and fen, o'er crag and torrent, till 

The night is gone ; 

And with the morn those angel faces smile 
Which I have loved long since, and lost awhile. 

Thinking it would please Cardinal Newman to know that the 
Queen had quoted his beautiful lines, I took the opportunity 

while at Trentham that autumn, to call upon him at 

Edgbaston The most interesting subject he spoke about 

referred to his hymn, " Lead, Kindly Light," which he said 
he had composed on board ship during a calm between Sardinia 
and Corsica. That hymn, he said, was not his feeling now. 
" For, we Catholics," he said with a kind smile, " believe that 

we have found the Light." He again alluded to his hymn 

saying, that he did not consider himself a poet ; but " Faber is 
one," he added. 

Again: George Huntington (who in 1866 became Rector of 
Tenby, where the Cardinal's youngest brother, Charles Robert 
Newman lived up to 1884) says, in his Random Recollections 
(1893, p. 246), that he once called on Newman at Edgbaston, 
and " ventured to say :" 

It must be a great pleasure to you to know that you have 
written a hymn treasured wherever English-speaking Chris- 
tians are to be found, and where are they not to be found? 
He was silent for some moments, and then said with emotion: 
" Yes, deeply thankful, and more than thankful." Then, after 
another pause : " But, you see, it is not the hymn, but the 
tune that has gained the popularity, the tune is Dykes," and 
Dr. Dykes was a great master. 

In 1879, Dr. Greenhill, who was Church- warden of St. Mary's, 



1913-] ITS SOURCES AND ITS MEANING 517 

Oxford, at the time when Newman resigned the living, wrote to ask 
the meaning of the last two lines, mentioning Charles Marriott's 
suggestion, that they might refer to " the more intimate communion 
of infants with the unseen world of spirits, which was lost in 
later years." Newman's answer was this (under Jan. 18, 1879) : 

You flatter me by your question; but I think it was Keble 
who, when asked it in his own case, answered that poets were 
not bound to be critics, or to give a sense to what they had 
written, and, though I am not, like him, a poet, at least I may 
plead that I am not bound to remember my own meaning, what- 
ever it was, at the end of almost fifty years. Anyhow, there 
must be a statute of limitation for writers of verse, or it would 
be quite a tyranny, if, in an art which is the expression not of 
truth but of imagination and sentiment, one were obliged to 
be ready for examination on the transient states of mind which 
come upon one when homesick, or seasick, or in any other way 
sensitive or excited. 

Dr. Greenhill comments thus : 

On this letter, so felicitously expressed, two remarks may 
be made: (i) Dr. Newman does not say that he had for- 
gotten his own meaning, but that he was not " bound to re- 
member " it; and (2) he does not say that the meaning of 
the words was plain enough to all but idiots, as he might easily 

have done, if their obvious sense were the true or only one 

the matter seems to rest thus, viz., that while almost every 
person who reads these lines will apply them only to departed 
friends, those few who, as an additional or alternative sense, 
are inclined to adopt Charles Marriott's suggestion, are quite 
justified in doing so.* 

In Tennyson's Memoir by his Son,-] a conversation is reported 
between Tennyson and his doctor. The doctor said : 

I see Newman was asked as to his meaning of two lines 
of " Lead, Kindly Light," and frankly acknowledged that he had 

forgotten what he was driving at (Tennyson rejoined) 

" I daresay Newman may have forgotten. It would be hard 
indeed to remember the 'atmosphere' of each thought. When 
young men ask me the interpretation of some of my early lines, 
I sometimes forget, and can only answer with Goethe: 'You 
probably know better than I do, being young.' " 

*Academy, August 3, 1890, p. 174. 

tAlfred Lord Tennyson: A Memoir by his Son, 1897, vol. ii., pp. 228, 229. 



5 i8 "LEAD, KINDLY LIGHT": [Jan., 

Newman must indeed for the moment have forgotten his own 
meaning when he chose the title " The Pillar of the Cloud;" and in 
his Apologia, speaking of the materials he used for that book, he 
says: 

As to the volumes which I have published, they would in 
many ways serve me, were I well up in them; but though I 
took great pains in their composition, I have thought little 
about them, when they were once out of my hands; and for 
the most part the last time I read them has been when I re- 
vised their last proof sheets.* 

But, in the light of his other sayings, it is probable that 
the real thought at the back of his mind was something like this: 
" I am glad and thankful that people should find comfort and en- 
couragement in my lines. Why disturb them by laying down one 
hard and fast interpretation? Much better leave them free to 
read in their own ideas." 

When, in his last hours, Newman gave a final judgment upon 
the poem, Mr. Wilfrid Meynell tells us it was this :f 

On one of these days he asked some of the Fathers to come 
in and play or sing to him Father Faber's hymn of " The 
Eternal Years." When they had done so once, he made them 
repeat it, and this several times. " Many people," he said, 
speak well of my ' Lead, Kindly Light/ but this is far more 
beautiful. Mine is of a soul in distress; this, of the Eternal 
Light." 

Turn now to the Catholic model. 

This is a passage (pt. i., i, 62 ff.) in the poem of " Glorious 
John " Dryden, the Catholic poet laureate, entitled The Hind and 
the Panther, 1867. Newman, as both his Apologia (1865, P- 3 1 ) 
and his Prophetical Office (1837, p. 140) show, was well acquainted 
with this poem, and may have taken a copy with him abroad. It is 
in one of the volumes of the Aldine Dryden, issued in a pocket 
size in 1832-33, published by William Pickering and edited by the 
Rev. John Mitford, who was himself an Oriel man: 

What weight of ancient witness can prevail, 
If private reason hold the public scale? 
But, gracious God, how well dost Thou provide 
For erring judgments an unerring guide! 
Thy throne is darkness in the abyss of light, 
A blaze of glory that forbids the sight. 

*A., xx. ^Cardinal Newman, by Wilfrid Meynell, 1907, p. 121. 



1913-] ITS SOURCES AND ITS MEANING 519 

Oh, teach me to believe Thee thus concealed, 

And search no further than Thyself revealed; 

But her alone for my director take 

Whom Thou hast promised never to forsake! 

My thoughtless youth was winged with vain desires; 

My manhood, long misled by wandering fires, 

Followed false lights; and when their glimpse was gone, 

My pride struck out new sparkles of her own. 

Such was I, such by nature still I am ; 

Be Thine the glory, and be mine the shame ! 

Good life be now my task ; my doubts are done. 

Here the guiding Light, the director, is the Infallible Holy 
Catholic Church. That was Newman's belief also in 1882, when he 
said, " We Catholics believe that we have found the Light." But, as 
he said in 1882, it was not his feeling in the year 1833. 

What then was the " Kindly Light " of Newman's poem? 

Mr. Spurgeon, in his Commentary on the Psalms,* took the 
" Kindly Light " to mean Holy Scripture. That might have passed 
for Newman's meaning if he had written in 1822 ; by 1833 his views, 
as we have seen, had changed. 

Does Newman use "kindly" in its modern sense? Like the 
term " garish " day, it is much more Elizabethan, or seventeenth 
century, in tone. He seems to revert .to the meaning in Sidney's 
tircadia, i. e., " inward, innate, implanted by nature." He means 
therefore " Inward Light," and this Inward Light is his Conscience. 
Here he -follows Bishop Sanderson, who says, for example :f 

"Why even of yourselves judge ye not what is right?" 
says our Savior. As if He had said: "You have an Inward 
Light, which is a ray of that True Light which lighteth every 
man that cometh into the world ; by the assistance of this Light 

you will be able to discover the right way of your duty, 

and to walk accordingly." (And again) : Every particular 
man has a Conscience given him to be a God to him; which, 
as Deputy of the Almighty, and a Preacher of His eternal law, 
dictates what he ought to do, and to avoid. 

And Newman himself in his Letter Addressed to his Grace the 
Duke of Norfolk (1875, p. 55 ff.) says that Conscience is "the 
Voice of God in the nature and heart of man; as distinct from the 
voice of Revelation Conscience is the aboriginal Vicar of 

*Treasury of David, vol. vi., 1882, p. 248, under Ps. cxix., 105. 
^Lectures on Conscience and Human Law, edited by Bishop Christopher 
Wordsworth of Lincoln, 1877, p. 95, and p. 30. 



520 "LEAD, KINDLY LIGHT": [Jan., 

Christ." So in his sermon on St. Thomas, published in 1835, 
he speaks of " the Invisible Guide who has a claim to be followed," 
and of " the Divine Voice within him." And in one of the poems 
written between Bonifacio and Marseilles ("At Sea, June 25th") 
he says:* 

When I look back upon my former race, 
Seasons I see, at which the Inward Ray 
More brightly burned, or guided some new way ; 
Truth, in its wealthier scene and nobler space 
Given 'for my eye to range, and feet to trace. 
And next I mark, 'twas trial did convey, 
Or grief, or pain, or strange eventful day, 
To my tormented soul such larger grace. 
So now, whene'er, in journeying on, I feel 
The shadow of the Providential Hand, 

Deep breathless stirrings shoot across my breast, 
Searching to know what He will now reveal, 
What sin uncloak, what stricter rule command, 
And girding me to work His full behest. 

And what of the last two lines of the poem? 

By angel faces Newman means the faces of Angels; he does 
not mean the faces of his departed friends. Why then did he not 
say so to Dr. Greenhill ? His Lectures on the Prophetical Office of 
the Church (1837, p. 17) show one reason :f 

Should a man profess to regulate his conduct under 

the notion that he is seen by invisible spectators, that he and 

all Christians have upon them the eyes of Angels would 

he not at first be thought to speak poetically, and so excused 

and when he was understood to speak literally, would 

not his views to a certainty be met with grave, cold, contempt- 
uous, or impatient looks, as idle, strained, and unnatural? 

Bishop Samuel Wilberforce, in reviewing the Lyra Apostolica 
(British Critic, January, 1837, p. 178 ff.), complains of Newman's 
verses as often marred by ellipses, or, as he expresses it, by 
" the multiplication of abbreviations." Here what Newman la- 
ments is not the loss of the angel faces, but the loss of the smile on 
the angel faces. Expressed at length it would be : 

^British Magazine, 1834 (November, p. 512), headed "Providences." Lyra 
Apostolica, 1836, no. xxxii., p. 35, headed " Discipline." Verses, 1853, p. 28, 
headed "Progress." Verses, 1868, p. 178, headed " Semita Justorum." 

fC/. Parochial and Plain Sermons, 1835, no. xxix., St. Michael. " Surely it 
is a great comfort to reflect that, wherever we go, we have those about us, who 
are ministering to all the heirs of salvation, though we see them not." 



1913.] ITS SOURCES AND ITS MEANING 521 

And with the morn those angel faces (which watch over me 

smile upon me with that) smile 
Which I have loved long since, and lost awhile. 

In a poem written at Iffley, on November 29th, 1832, he says:* 

Erst my good Angel shrank to see 

My thoughts and ways of ill; 
And now he scarce dare gaze on me, 

Scar-seamed and crippled still. 

And in a later poem to his Guardian Angel he says :f 

And when, ere boyhood yet was gone, 

My rebel spirit fell, 
Ah! thou didst see, and shudder too, 

Yet bear each deed of Hell. 

And then in turn, when judgments came, 

And scared me back again, 
Thy quick soft breath was near to soothe 

And hallow every pain. 

When one turns to his poems on the " Faithful Departed," we 
find one written at Augusta, while he was waiting to start on the 
eventful journey to Catania. Here he takes his picture from Taor- 
mina; and not from what he saw at Augusta; and the imagery of 
Paradise is taken from the view of Etna (Verses, 1874, p. 132; 
Agosta, April 29, 1833). 

Dear sainted Friends, I call not you 

To share the joy serene 
Which flows upon me from the view 

Of crag and steep ravine. 

Ye, on that loftier mountain old, 

Safe lodged in Eden's cell 
Whence run the rivers four, behold 

This earth, as ere it fell. 

Or, when ye think of those who stay 

Still tried by the world's fight, 
'Tis but in looking for the day 

Which shall the lost unite. 

^British Magazine, November 1833, p. 518. Lyra Apostolica, 1836, no. xii., 
p. 12, headed "Confession." Verses, 1853, p. 19, "The Scars of Sin." It begins 
" My smile is bright." 

^Verses. 1853, p. 12, headed "Guardian Angel." Verses, 1868, p. 291, headed 
" Guardian Angel," and dated The Oratory, 1853. 



522 " LEAD, KINDLY LIGHT" [Jan.,. 

Ye rather, elder Spirits strong! 

Who from the first have trod 
This nether scene, man's race among, 

The while ye live to God. 

Ye hear, and ye can sympathize. 

There the Angels are not the " sainted Friends," but the " elder' 
Spirits." After his return, he wrote a companion poem at Oxford :* 

They are at rest; 

We may not stir the heaven of their repose 
By rude invoking voice, or prayer addrest 

In waywardness to those 
Who in the mountain grots of Eden lie, 
And hear the fourfold river as it murmurs by. 

They hear it sweep 

In distance down the dark and savage vale; 
But they at rocky bed, or current deep, 

Shall never more grow pale ; 
They hear, and meekly muse, as fain to know 
How long, untired, unspent, that giant stream shall flow. 

And soothing sounds 

Blend with the neighboring waters as they glide ; 
Posted along the haunted garden's bounds 

Angelic forms abide 

Echoing, as words of watch, o'er lawn and grove, 
The verses of that hymn which Seraphs chant above. 

This is much finer; but the local color is still taken from' 
Toarmina and from Etna. And the angelic forms are still the 
Angels, spoken of now as those who watch round the Garden of 
Eden to keep out intruders. 

Let me, at last, sum up : 

One thing is beyond question, viz., that " Lead, Kindly Light " 
is a masterpiece of religious verse, and one of the very finest 
short poems in the English language. It is quite unlike any of 
Newman's earlier pieces; they are all more or less the carefully 
elaborated work of a man of genius, who was essentially a writer 
of prose. In this case, he was rapt out of himself. The poem 
was the fruit of a deep depression, a cry of emotion wrung almost 
involuntarily from his heart. His experience was that of the 

^British Magazine, October, 1835, p. 413, no title. Lyra Apostolica, 1836, p. 61, 
no. Hi., headed "Rest." Verses, 1853, p. 47, rewritten as "Enoch and Elias." 
Verses, 1868, p. 201, rewritten as " Refrigerium," dated Oxford, 1835. 



1913.] CHRIST'S CRADLE 523 

Psalmist : " My heart was hot within me, and while I was thus 
musing the fire kindled, and at the last I spake with my tongue." 
The thoughts and experiences of his days and nights in Sicily, his 
self-will, his willing self -surrender, his feeling that he is a son 
going to meet his Father resolved to take up the mission his 
Father has laid upon him, his hope that by God's help he will be 
able to play the man, and after the struggle will once more be 
consoled by the smile of his Guardian Angel all these have, 
as it were, been fused in the furnace, and have come forth in 
bright and perfect shape. 

But it is a personal matter between the individual soul and 
its Creator : it is the ego, not the devout soul voicing the thoughts 
and the feelings of its fellows in prayer and praise. 



CHRIST'S CRADLE. 

BY EDWARD F. GARESCHE, S.J. 

THE Maid hath laid her Babe to rest 
O holy Babe! O Maiden blest! 
Upon the cradle of her breast! 

The purest couch in earth or sky, 
Ah dearest bed, with veiled eye, 
Upon His Mother's heart to lie! 

It rocks Him soft, while every beat 

A tale of love doth low repeat, 

And heaveth now with sighs more sweet. 

God lists the tender lullaby 
Nor all the choirs of Heaven, nigh, 
Dare with that song in sweetness vie! 



AMONG THE ROSES OF MADEIRA. 




BY JOSEPH FRANCIS WICKHAM. 

HAD believed in childhood that fairyland was a long 
journey away, somewhere off in that twilight coun- 
try which lies just over the farthest hill, or myriads 
of leagues distant, an isle of dreams in some en- 
chanted sea. And then a pitiless somebody in- 
formed me that fairyland was like the fairies nowhere. How 
many years had I held for truth what my cravings and heart- 
longings wished were not so. But a cycle of misbelief is not too 
great a price for the fresh discovery that fairyland really is. 
Others had found it before me, of course, and had sung its won- 
ders, and I had found the music sweet. But no song is as cap- 
tivating as the melody your own ears listen to ; no hour can be more 
joyous than the one lived within the ocean-cinctured fairy world 
itself. For you must go a-sailing to find this land of enchantment. 
Embark in any ship that follows the ocean lane between New York 
and Italy, any boat which will stop at Madeira, for to Madeira 
must you take yourself to reach the home of sheer beauty, the island 
Elysium. Madeira is a place you will remember all your life, and 
when you have left it, and the months and years pass by, the fas- 
cination and irresistible charm of the spot will hang like a spell 
over you, and you will feel the call to go back. The far-off voice 
will tremble in your ears, and if you have wisdom, if the busy world 
will have left you a single vein of poetic fancy, you will heed the 
welcome which comes a-whispering in the winds across the leagues 
of blue sea and return to the island of the blest. 

Nine days we had joyed in the delights of ocean life, when we 
were informed that on the morrow we should reach Madeira. The 
steamer's schedule had told us as much, and we were all glad 
enough to enter our first haven, and see land again for the first 
time since losing sight of the coast line of New Jersey. We had 
heard that Madeira was a place of infinite delight, and we were 
pleased that our steamship company had the discretion to make the 
island a port of call. I suppose some of us had even read a little 
of its history. We knew that the island belonged to a group 
consisting of Madeira itself, Porto Santo, and the three uninhabited 
Desertas, Chao, Bugio, and Deserta Grande; that all five were of 



1913-] AMONG THE ROSES OF MADEIRA 525 

volcanic origin; that the present population is about one hundred 
and fifty thousand, most of whom live on Madeira, which is the 
largest of the group, being thirty-seven miles long and fourteen 
miles across. Someone may have informed us that Madeira had 
been settled by the Portuguese in 1419, and that shortly afterward 
the grape-vines which were to give it name and fame had been 
transplanted from Crete. We knew, too, that the people had 
several industries, producing, among other articles, embroidery, 
laces, and inlaid laurel-wood. But one forgets those little details 
in all their accuracy, and for the moment I was willing to give my- 
self over, not to the study of the statistics of its economic condition, 
nor to the consideration of the events of the island's history, but 
to the all-sufficient charm of its present, the present of a cloudless 
day in late June. 

Madeira rises from the sea a high mountainous shoulder, clad 
in a mantle of the deepest green one may behold. It does not 
appear quite real as you view it from the steamer's deck ; it is more 
like a massive painting thrust before your eyes, lowered suddenly 
from the heavens, or pushed upward from the deep, and anchored 
in place by the steady hand of an unseen Titan. But the island 
is there, with its Pico Ruivo six thousand feet above the water, 
and as the boat slackens its speed and steams slowly past the miles 
of coastland, you have time a-plenty to examine at your leisure the 
magic hills that have so lately been born for you. Far up on the 
towering heights may be seen the dark-green woodlands, and lower 
down the fields of sugar cane and the wheat fields, and the terraced 
vineyards that yield the luscious grapes for the wines. White 
against the eastern light the long lines of a convent stand forth, half- 
way up the high mountain, while on the level places, beside the 
shore for several miles, little villages cluster, the red roofs and 
white walls of the houses giving a wonderfully pleasing effect from 
the water. You see a deep ravine threading its way from the high- 
lands to the sea, a great fissure in the uneven, undulating slopes. 
Now and again a cottage nestles amid the large trees on the higher 
plateaus, or a more pretentious quinta looks out over the sea from 
a point of vantage, while close by a winding road zigzags 
its way along the edge of a dizzy precipice. As you approach closer 
to the harbor, broken lines of red roofs in greater numbers come 
into view, and many more villas, and the towers of half-hidden 
churches glistening in the sunlight against the dark background of 
the hills. At last you pass Forte Ilheo and are in the bay, opposite 
the city of Funchal, the capital of Madeira. 



526 AMONG THE ROSES OF MADEIRA [Jan., 

Here in the beautiful harbor we anchored, coming to rest op- 
posite the Portuguese warship which silently guarded the hillside 
city. We had been expected for days at the little port, and now 
the welcome was visibly assured in the shape of dozens of cockles 
swiftly propelled over the bay by the sturdy arms of their expert 
oarsmen. Some few were laden with native fruits, figs, straw- 
berries, bananas, and pineapples, to vend to the strangers, but 
most of them carried one or two boys, who fain would dive for 
dimes or quarters tossed into the water by the steamer's passengers. 
The boys were excellent swimmers, and displayed a pardonable 
pride in their aquatic accomplishments. Whenever one of them 
reappeared from beneath the water after the plunge, he would in- 
variably exhibit the recovered coin as a proof that neither his 
patron's munificence nor his own prowess had been in vain. It 
was a simple act, but its eloquence was decidedly engaging. 

From this genial pastime of parting with our money, we were 
called by the advice that it was now possible to go aboard the tender 
which would carry us to the shore. On land the first thing that 
one observes are the lines of ox-carts drawn up to receive passengers. 
But my ticket, bought on board the steamer, called for automobile 
conveyance, and in this speedier but less picturesque vehicle I was 
soon whirling through the broad praga, up the cobble-paved street, 
along the Ribeira de Santa Luzia, round many a winding turn, to 
the little railway station that stands at the foot of the funicular rail- 
road leading to the Monte. The street from the quay to the prac.a 
is a beautiful broad avenue, shaded by the wide-spreading fans of 
the tall, graceful plane trees which guard it on either side. This 
street, like all through which we drove, was very clean, and the 
cottages which we passed were pretty and neat-looking. We met 
many of the natives on the way, the dark-skinned men beaming 
a welcome upon us from their shops, the quiet and gentle faces of the 
women watching in mild interest the influx of American voyagers. 
Now and then an English resident might be observed looking at us 
from the sidewalk, for at all seasons of the year there are many 
strangers from the northern climes in Funchal in search of the 
health-giving tonic of the semi-tropical seas. The winters are ex- 
ceedingly mild here, due mainly to the Canary branch of the Gulf 
Stream. 

A train was just departing when we reached the ticket-office, 
and it was necessary to wait fifteen or twenty minutes before the 
next train would slowly back down the incline. During that inter- 
val I joined a party of my shipmates in the souvenir shop opposite 



1913-] AMONG THE ROSES OF MADEIRA 527 

the station. The delay, however, was brief enough, and we were 
soon allowed to pass through the gates and climb aboard the 
train. Slowly the pony engine pulled the car up the steep track, so 
gradually that the little girls and boys who lived nearby could run 
beside the train and toss through the open windows bouquets of 
roses and camellias and rhododendrons, and many other flowers 
bewildering in their infinite variety. In a short time the car looked 
like a moving floral garden resplendent in the masses of flaming 
reds and gorgeous yellows and the palest of opal blues. This bom- 
bardment of flowers is a very charming custom, filled as it is with 
the grace and beauty of poetic fancy. Past the little stations of 
Livramento and Sant' Anna our journey led us, and from the car 
windows on either side could be seen a profusion of color and 
wealth of vegetation that left one well-nigh breathless in wonder- 
ment. You could scarcely believe that you were actually looking at 
a scene which had not been transplanted from Aladdin's Cathay. 
Trees of Europe are there, the pine and the plane and the maple 
and the oak, and mingled with them rise the tropical palms, cam- 
phor-trees, yuccas, magnolias, bamboos, and many more beside. 
One had time to feast one's eyes on the promenade of Santa Luzia, 
which extends along the levada or water-channel of the same name. 
Everywhere beyond the walls enclosing the railway tracks are to be 
viewed the fields of sugar cane stretching in long, narrow acres; 
and one could envy the rare imaginings that must be borne beneath 
the sheltering of the trellised grape-vines, which blossomed in purple 
and green in long lanes bordering the white and buff dwelling 
houses beside the way. But by this time our juvenile guard of 
honor had exhausted its badinage of compliment, and as one looked 
back over the traveled way one could see the little bare legs scam- 
pering down the stony path, each child hastening to cull more gar- 
lands from its own fragrant garden. The next train up the hill 
would incite a fresh war of the roses, and a soldier must always 
be ready to give battle. 

Just as we were beginning to grow accustomed to the richness 
of the vegetation the train stopped at the Monte. One wondered 
what more could delight one's confused senses. But up here on 
the hilltop, two thousand feet above the shimmering waters of the 
Atlantic, rises the little church of Nossa Senhora do Monte. A 
choicer spot for our Lady's shrine could not well be imagined. After 
leaving the train you walk for a quarter of a mile through an in- 
viting grove to the terrace of the chapel. Many thousands of 



528 AMONG THE ROSES OF MADEIRA [Jan., 

visitors have passed through these wooded walks every year for 
the last quarter of a century, while their boats waited in the harbor 
below; and I wondered how many of the throng of admirers 
recalled the kind old sexton who showed me the church and took 
me up to the belfry to see the bell that every day tolled out its 
message of hope to the Catholic population of the city. Each sum- 
mer the little church is the scene of a fine display of religious faith 
during the nine days of the Novena. While this festival is in 
progress one may see the people of the town coming from near 
and far, all over this isle of loveliness, to pledge their fealty to the 
God who created their garden of flowers and all the beauty of the 
world. And when the service is over every morning, and the 
men and women and children leave the portals of the church to re- 
turn to their homes, the fairy lane they walk, leading through the 
palms and the pines and the reddest of full-blown roses, cannot fail 
to strengthen their faith that the heavenly paradise must be beau- 
teous beyond mortal conception. 

As I paused on the church terrace I could see the Bay of Fun- 
chal in all its quiescent radiance; and on its waters many a tiny 
boat longing softly to slip its moorings and sail the deeper seas; 
and beyond the restful harbor the blue ocean stretching out toward 
the Canaries and the shores of Africa. Gazing far out over the 
illimitable desert of the sea, I knew that somewhere four hundred 
miles to the southeast lay Morocco, and I liked to imagine its sandy 
coast line swept by the hot breath of the Sahara; and behind me, 
two hundred leagues, to the northeast, was the mother country of 
Lusitania; and I almost, but not quite, forgot that three thousand 
miles to the westward the ocean waves met the world that Portugal 
had sought so fearlessly, and that I had left nine days before. In 
those good old days when Portugal shared with Spain the glory of 
discovery, Madeira was the first stopping-place for the Portuguese 
and Spanish argosies on their way to the New World. Funchal 
then was a centre of trade. The rugged island cliffs, like the 
frowning walls of Quebec, formed a natural barrier against the 
unfriendly salvos of an intrepid English or Dutch sea-dog, but the 
Portuguese were wary, and built four mighty fortresses to com- 
mand the seas. By day their huge breastworks were clearly out- 
lined in the full gleam of the southern sun, and steeped in the soft 
silence of a moonlit night they taught many a passing ship that 
Portugal was watchful of her honor and jealous of her fighting 
fame. 



1913-] AMONG THE ROSES OF MADEIRA 529 

As the soft voice of the long ago faintly chimes in your 
imagination, you begin to dream of the missionaries who tarried 
for an hour here in Funchal to say farewell to their brother priests 
before the final journeying to the new lands in the western horizon. 
And you think, too, of their comrades back from Peru and Brazil 
and the Antilles, spent with months of weary voyaging ; and of the 
tears of genuine joy that must have been shed as the green hills of 
Madeira rose from the sea before their eyes, and the Bay of 
Funchal offered their little boats the shelter of its untroubled waters. 
Many a priest who had seen the strange shores of America must 
now lie buried beneath the green terraces on Madeira's slopes, and 
the silent dust of many a wearer of the purple keeps them faithful 
company. For Leo X. made Funchal an episcopal see just four 
centuries ago, and about twenty- five years later Clement VII. gave it 
archiepiscopal dignity in order better to serve religion's cause in 
Africa and Asia. For a brief decade or so Angra, Cabo Verde, 
Goa, and Santo Thome were its suffragans, but Funchal was soon 
after reduced to its former episcopal rank. Four hundred years 
have rolled over the island since those early days of missionary 
zeal, and to-day as the faithful priests of the Church of Our Lady 
look out in the twilight hour over the unrippled waters of the bay, 
they must often love to linger in memory over those who preached 
and prayed before them in the centuries that have gone to rest. 

It is a delightful place for day-dreaming up here amid the 
evergreens and roses and fuchias. But down in the harbor the 
side of my steamer was gleaming in the noonday light, and I remem- 
bered that the day was wearing itself away while I was not yet 
ready to descend the mountain. To the right of the church a 
pathway takes one to a large hotel, where one may take luncheon 
on the wide balconies. After this repast I followed the walk east- 
ward to view the grandeur of one of the ravines that traverse the 
length of the island. It is extremely interesting to note the in- 
dustry with which the villagers have terraced the sides of the hills 
through which the gorges run, leveling off long stretches of soil 
for their wheat and maize and sugar cane. On my way back to 
the main-traveled path I met a group of five or six small Portuguese 
girls. Bright little maidens they were, with faces as sweet as the 
roses they carried in their hands. The children seemed to believe 
that I ought to have more flowers than I already displayed, so, 
of course, I became a convert to their faith, and bought three of 
their choicest roses. As a farewell tribute to my discerning taste 

VOL. xcvi. 34. 



530 AMONG THE ROSES OF MADEIRA [Jan., 

they formed a choral band, and, leading the way, sang what I 
must believe was a pseen of praise until we reached the Caminho 
do Monte, the toboggan slide down the mountain. 

One may walk down the hill to the town, but the slide appealed 
to me, and I soon found myself examining the toboggans. They are 
graded in size, some being large enough to hold two or three, while 
others are built for a single passenger. They consist of flat baskets 
fitted on iron-covered runners, and are cushioned in such a way that 
one does not feel any jar during the swift descent. Choosing one 
of the newer-looking sledges, my companion and I were soon started 
on the thrilling ride. Two men, one on each side of the toboggan, 
held ropes attached to the car, and under their practiced guidance 
we were piloted in safety over the slippery raceway. When we 
were moving over the gentler declines of the pebble track the men 
ran at full speed, while on the steeper sections of the road, they kept 
the toboggan within the zone of safety by a backward pull on 
the ropes. For fifteen minutes our ride continued, and we finally 
stopped at the foot of the hill, within easy view of the wide square 
of the Praga da Constituic,ao. Coasting over snow-clad hills is 
not quite like the experience of shooting these terrestrial rapids, but 
most of the joys of the winter sport are duplicated on the sledge 
slide, save the tingling sensation of the snow dust in your face. 
And perhaps the flowers overhanging the wall on either side of 
the mile run compensated us for the absence of January and its 
snows. For everywhere were rich blooms in red and white and 
purple drooping over the garden walls, telling their story of the lux- 
uriance of floral grandeur lying behind. 

Our toboggan ride was over, and we were down in the lower 
levels of the town again, a short distance away from the cathedral 
church in the Largo da Se. In comparison with the magnificent 
temples in the Italian cities, this church is not an impressive edifice. 
Still there is a haunting beauty about it, and a simplicity of appeal 
which preserves the atmosphere of distant days. It has a quiet 
dignity all its own, a serenity unshaken by the rumbling of revolu- 
tions or the tottering of proud dynasties. Kings or presidents 
may rule in the splendid halls of Lisbon, but the humble cathedral 
in Funchal, with many a hallowed memory clinging to its altars, 
lives on in undismayed tranquility, continuing the mission that 
changes not with the vicissitudes of men and things. 

Opposite the cathedral, and on the other side of the spacious 
praga, is the public park. Lack of time prevented me from visiting 



1913.] AMONG THE ROSES OF MADEIRA 531 

this, but I am sure that the vegetation and flowers in the Jardin 
Municipal do not suffer when compared with the wealth I had 
already seen. I had hoped, too, to make my pilgrimage to the 
convent church of Santa Clara, as it is here that Zarco, the dis- 
coverer of Madeira, lies buried, but this also I had to forego. 

As I was leaving the cathedral, I heard the hoarse call of the 
steamer's whistle coming over the water. This was the signal that 
it was time for us to return to the wharf if we wished to sail to 
Italy on the big liner which was waiting in the harbor. So we 
hurried to the pier and stepped aboard the tender, to be carried back 
to our homes on the ocean steamer. Everybody had purchased 
some souvenir of Madeira. Some of my shipmates had invested 
their money in laces and handkerchiefs, others had brought aboard 
some of the delicious figs and luscious strawberries, and still others 
had chosen to allow their recollections to cluster about some pretty 
pieces of inlaid wood. There was an exchange of impressions 
about the island we had left, and the universal opinion was the 
individual one, that Madeira was the garden of the gods. When 
we had disembarked in the morning we were pretty well acquainted, 
but when we returned to the ship we returned as friends, a friend- 
ship born of the love which we shared in common for the beautiful 
city across the bay. 

Once more the steamer's engines began to revolve, and as 
we moved out from the harbor we felt that Madeira and the beauty 
of its floral world were slowly slipping away from us. For hours 
its green hills were clearly visible from the departing vessel, and as 
the evening twilight began to creep over the grey ocean, our last 
backward glances caught sight of the steeps of the mountain island. 
It was with the lingering of first love that we said adios to the 
flowery island in the sea. The night softly drew the curtain over 
the vision of day, but stored away in memory's treasure trove lay 
fresh and unshadowed the beauty of old Madeira. And as God's 
starry roses blossomed forth in the sky and hung themselves in 
wondrous festoons above us, we silently ploughed through the 
white-capped seas toward the welcoming waters of the Mediter- 
ranean. And as we looked out over the deep and watched the 
myriad foam pearls dissolve in the magic of the June moonlight, 
there was a touch of ill-concealed sadness about us all in the con- 
sciousness that there lay behind us, somewhere in the infinitude of 
the ocean's loving embrace, the little island of Madeira, the olden 
gateway of the western world. 



IRew Books. 

THE HOME BOOK OF VERSE, AMERICAN AND ENGLISH. 

Selected and arranged by Burton Egbert Stevenson. New 

York: Henry Holt & Co. $7.50. 

We envy the fine raptures of any poetry-loving youth whose 
eyes first light upon these " realms of gold." We of an older 
generation remember the delighted hours that sped in Bryant's 
Library of Poetry and Song. A noble anthology as we recall 
it; and in many a young heart did it awaken an undying love 
of poetry. It made us marvel for a season that anyone should 
be so dull as to read mere prose when the world was aglow 
with entrancing poetry. Yet have we here a nobler anthology, 
culled not only from familiar gardens, but from fresh fields and 
pastures new, or by stray paths on olden hills of song: all the 
joys of all the muses flowering in a single tome. Take it, boy or 
girl, youth or maiden, and if you do not learn from it to love the 
delights of poesy, know that you are fit for treason, stratagems, 
and spoils. You are doomed to perpetual poring over newspapers, 
to the playing of bridge, to the reading of Marie Corelli, or, if 
possible, to some worse fate. 

In a word we mean to say that Burton Egbert Stevenson 
has given us a splendid collection of poetry and verse. He had 
plenty of room to do it in; for this volume, which is not bulky, 
thanks to the India rice paper, contains three thousand six hundred 
pages of text s plus more than two hundred pages of indexes. As 
the table of contents embraces sixty pages, evidently we can give 
only a faint idea of the wealth spread before us. The work is 
arranged topically, and may properly be called not an anthology, 
but a collection of anthologies. There is enough for every taste, 
the selections ranging from nursery rhymes to Milton and Keats, 
from the immortal Solomon Grundy, who was born on Monday, to 
the not more " immortal Bird," who 

oft-times hath 

Charmed magic casements, opening on the foam 
Of perilous seas, in faery lands forlorn. 

Between these extremes is every variety of verse conveying 
every variety of mood and feeling, of fancy and imagination, of 



1913-] NEW BOOKS 533 

thought and reflection. We believe there is no collection, in a 
single volume, so comprehensive or so catholic. It includes 
nearly all the best poetry as found in the Golden Treasury, The Ox- 
ford Book of Verse, and The Flower of the Mind; not a little 
from the Irish Anthologies; many famous longer poems, complete, 
such as " The Ancient Mariner," " The Ballad of Reading 
Gaol," "The Deserted Village," "The Rubaiyat," etc.; the best 
vcrs de societe; patriotic poems; religious poems and hymns; 
stray bits of popular newspaper verse; old favorites; and the 
best of recent poetry, English, Irish, and American. 

Nobody can be expected to consider the compiler happy in all 
his selections or invariably just in his sense of proportion. We 
think, for instance, that there is altogether too much love poetry 
included about eight hundred pages. Even the strongest appetite 
for the dews of paradise will rebel before it is fed with the seven 
hundred and ninety-ninth spoonful ! Especially as there is so little 
real variety. It is the same old, old story retold in a thousand 
forms, with less expenditure of grey matter to the printed page 
than anywhere else in the book. The valuable space occupied by 
these sweet nothings might have been given to stirring ballads 
and battle pieces, to nature poetry, to the poetry of religion 
and reflection to something with ideas in it, to something fresh 
and original. Think of omitting " The Happy Warrior " or " The 
Barmecides " or " The Nameless One " of Mangan, or a hundred 
others more worthy of note. Every reader, no doubt, could ad- 
vise Mr. Stevenson; but none of us, probably, would choose so 
wisely. He has taken little that is not worth reading with the 
exception above noted; and our chief feeling towards him is one 
of deep gratitude. All lovers of poetry, and its refining and ele- 
vating influence, must rejoice that he has so admirably succeeded 
in bringing together, often from distant and obscure corners in the 
Vale of Poesy, so much of beauty in thought and sentiment. 

HISTORY OF ENGLISH LITERATURE, FROM BEOWULF TO 
SWINBURNE. By Andrew Lang, M.A. New York : Long- 
mans, Green & Co. $1.75 net. 

" This volume," writes Lang in his preface, " does not pretend 
to be an encyclopaedia of our literature; or to include all the names 
of authors and of their works. Selection has been necessary, 
and in the fields of philosophy and theology but a few names appear. 
The writer, indeed, would willingly have omitted not a few of the 



534 NEW BOOKS [Jan., 

minor authors in pure literature, and devoted his space only to 
the masters, but it was practically impossible to pass by these 
lesser lights in silence. The author's object has been to arouse 
a living interest, if it may be, in the books of the past, and to 
induce the reader to turn to them for himself." 

This is no ordinary pedantic, dry-as-dust manual made-in- 
Germany, but a most interesting, critical, and suggestive volume 
from beginning to end. All the qualities that have made so many 
thousands of us love Andrew Lang for years are to be found 
in this excellent history of English literature. We share his en- 
thusiasm for Homer, Jeanne d'Arc, and the Jacobite cause; we 
laugh at his acute yet kindly sense of humor; we are persuaded 
despite ourselves to judge every poet and novelist by the standard 
of "the great and good Sir Walter;" we are astonished at the 
wide scope of his general information, and the clearness of his 
vision; we admire him also for his honest hatred of John Knox 
and the Puritan divines, " who were soon to put an end to 'Merry 
England ;' " we forgive him for his occasional failures to under- 
stand things Catholic, for there is no malice in his heart. 

Lang had the faculty of painting a portrait with a few brilliant 
strokes, so that it would remain forever in the memory. 

He had, likewise, the wonderful gift of setting forth in bold 
outlines the literary merits of novelist, essayist, and poet, and 
though a bit strong at times in his likes and dislikes, he never an- 
tagonizes his readers by over-dogmatism. 

Where we are treated to such a feast of good things, it is 
somewhat of a task for a reviewer to choose the best. His esti- 
mates of Samuel Johnson, Carlyle, Milton, Dryden, Addison, and 
Poe are of singular merit. At times he is the jester, poking good- 
natured fun at Donne's annual rhapsodies, and the inaccuracies of 
Coleridge's Jeanne d'Arc; he is often severe, denouncing Burnet's 
improved insinuations against James II., and Phineas Fletcher's 
bitter hatred of popery; he is generally fair, praising the Jesuit 
missionaries for their heroic sufferings among the Iroquois, and 
rejoicing in the fact that Cardinal Newman gave Kingsley his 
quietus in a most strenuous fight. Occasionally, we are astonished 
to meet with a little Scotch Protestant prejudice; as when he styles 
St. Dunstan a medium, speaks of the wealth and licentiousness of the 
mediaeval clergy without qualification, calls Bacon " Jesuitical," 
and asserts that " it had not been easy for Kingsley to understand 
what Newman meant." We also are a bit surprised to find him 



1913.] NEW BOOKS 535 

ignoring, among the moderns, such writers as Coventry Patmore 
and Francis Thompson. 

We thank him, on the other hand, for his unsparing denuncia- 
tion of the unreliability of Froude as an historian, and for his loyal 
defense of his hero, Scott, against the mean aspersions of Macaulay. 
His love for angling is very much in evidence, when he speaks of 
Walton, Gay, Thompson, and Kingsley, and he chuckles over the 
fact that Gay never condescended to use " either worm or the 
natural fly." 

He has the literary man's contempt for " the poor results 
of modern science as regards human happiness," and the critic's 
contempt for the cheap newspaper criticism of our modern penny- 
a-liner. He has no patience with the English way of pronouncing 
Greek, " which is certainly wrong," and he confidently assures 
us that " our popular novels will doubtless astonish future genera- 
tions." 

" Readers, like poets and anglers, are born to be so," Mr. 
Lang assures us. Still some who were not born under such a 
fortunate star will undoubtedly be allured or compelled by this 
bright, clever volume " to come into the Muse's Paradise." 

There are a few misprints (pp. 452, 593), and the index is 
exasperatingly incomplete. The brief notices at the end of the 
volume also makes us feel that the author was cramped for space, 
and was doing his utmost to fulfill an allotted contract of book 
making. Still he most humbly warns us at the outset that he had 
been guilty of sins of commission as well as omission. Now that 
he has gone from us, we wonder who of all the English-speaking 
world is competent to take his place. 

THE HOLY CHRISTIAN CHURCH. By R. M. Johnston. 

Boston: Houghton Miflflin Co. $1.50 net. 

We opened this volume with the idea of reading a brief sketch 
of the Church made by some more or less competent outsider; but 
we were soon undeceived. This book is simply an ignorant, Inger- 
sollian tirade against Christianity, and especially against the Catho- 
lic Church, from its first to its last page. Were the attack con- 
ducted in a scholarly fashion, or were its literary style beyond 
reproach, we might gladly have entered the lists against an antag- 
onist worthy of our steel; but the author is so utterly incompetent 
both in philosophic viewpoint and in historical knowledge, that we 
must needs do violence to ourselves merely to mention it. To 



536 NEW BOOKS [Jan., 

stigmatize his book as it deserves would require the pen of 
Swift. 

With astounding ignorance, Mr. Johnston assures us that 
" the history of the Christian Church as a whole has never been 
written," and then with unbounded conceit he proceeds forsooth 
" to set out the facts in the terms of dispassionate historical observa- 
tion ! " The many false and outrageous statements in his inane 
account of Christian origins makes a serious student marvel both 
at the man's extreme impudence and the utter credulity of readers 
who could possibly swallow such a mess without nausea. 

Listen to a few of his utterances: There is nothing original 
in Christianity; it borrows from Greece, India, and Persia; almost 
all the incidents of Christ's life are typical myths; Christianity is 
nothing else but the almost universal cult of a Redeemer-God 
incorporated with the teachings of Unorthodox Hebraism ; the Gos- 
pels are full of contradictions, distorted facts, and pure myths; 
Jesus, a mere faith-healer, preached no dogmas, but a gospel of 
a suffering humanity against the rich oppressor, etc., etc. Utterly 
ignorant of the A B C of the science of comparative religions, 
our author loves to startle us by oracularly declaring that the 
Trinity is borrowed from Egypt, the Logos of St. John from Persia, 
the cultus of the Virgin Mary from Venus of Cybele, the celibacy 
of the priesthood from the priests of Isis, etc. He never makes the 
slightest effort to produce evidence for his most arbitrary assertions. 

The errors of his sketch of church history would fill about 
twenty pages of this magazine. We are told a great many facts 
that are not so, viz., as late as the fifth century Christians prayed 
to the rising sun; Pope Innocent the First sanctioned pagan incan- 
tations; Christianity adopted in its dogma of the veneration of the 
saints the superstitions and myths of Paganism; the papal power 
depended upon the forged decretals; in the year one thousand 
there was a widespread conviction of Christ's second coming; the 
mediaeval clergy manufactured countless relics for "pious profit;" 
Rome's challenge to heresy set back the clock of intellectual freedom 
for many years ; Pope Innocent III. diverted the Fourth Crusade 
from Jerusalem to Constantinople; the Roman Curia had a sched- 
uled list of prices for the forgiveness of sins ; the Dominican Tetzel 
sold indulgences ; Lutheranism had a great vogue even in Italy ; the 
Jesuits were spies, assassins, liars, and the champions of an austere 
immorality, developing casuistry in order to declare black white 
and white black; the Catholic Church has ever been the enemy of 



1913-] NEW BOOKS 537 

the press; Voltaire's Ecrassez I'lnfame was merely the indignant 
protest of toleration against revolting barbarities, etc., etc. 

We sincerely hope that by this time Harvard University is 
heartily ashamed of the " valuable help " that Professor Toy gave 
in the framing up of the first six chapters of the present volume. 

At a Catholic University no student would be allowed to take 
his degree if in his thesis he had been so inaccurate and so un- 
scholarly. But at a Catholic School of to-day no one would dare 
subscribe to Mr. Johnston's pragmatic thesis that " the word truth 
is slowly but surely being relegated to the pigeon hole as a meaning- 
less exorcism from the intellectual juggling bag of the Aristotel- 
ians " (p. xviii.). 

We stigmatize this entire volume as a tissue of the most out- 
rageous errors and lies. It is worthy of the English Rationalistic 
press, or of the pages of the lowest type of American anti-Catholic 
balderdash. 

RACE IMPROVEMENT OR EUGENICS. By La Reine Helen 

Baker. New York: Dodd, Mead & Co. $1.00 net. 

When Mr. Chesterton was asked one day his opinion of 
Eugenics, he answered more forcibly than elegantly : " It stinks." 
We can picture him making the same comment on the present 
volume of Miss Baker's, for it is frankly pagan from cover to 
cover in its advocacy of the modern degenerate gospel of race 
improvement. 

The Eugenists ignore God and His revelation, and view the 
race as one might consider the breeding of cattle on a Texas ranch. 
They completely ignore the Christian idea of the dignity of human 
nature; they insist on the absolute supremacy of the pagan state. 

' The ideal of celibacy stands self -condemned," we are in- 
formed by these new teachers. " Where successful it means race 
suicide, and where unsuccessful it means hypocrisy and a thousand 
other horrors." Miss Baker goes off in hysterics at the thought 
of the millions of dollars wasted by the Catholic Church in the 
endowing of monasteries and nunneries. 

Marriage is no longer a sacrament of divine institution, 
wherein each partner contracts for life certain duties as well as 
rights ; it is merely a State-controlled affair, which aims at " breed- 
ing the fittest from the fittest," in the bodily sense. Marriage 
is not by any means to be confused with procreation. Every woman 
has an absolute right to her own person, and it is her prerogative 



538 NEW BOOKS [Jan., 

to refuse to bear children. Illegitimacy must not be abolished, for 
it has justified itself historically by producing some of the earth's 
chosen heroes ! 

Divorce is the best thing the modern world has popularized, 
for marriage becomes attractive the more you increase the facilities 
for un-making it. Let divorce be " cheap, easy, and free from 
shameful scandal." 

The delicacy that has surrounded the subject of sex in the past 
has been due to " ignorance, bigotry, superstition, and persecu- 
tion," but henceforth the advocates of Eugenics intend to draw 
aside the veil. Boys and girls will be initiated early in all the 
essential information of sex-life. They will be taught the best 
methods of preparing for parenthood; they will be warned against 
sexual immorality in the plainest terms, and instructed in all the 
nastiness of sexual diseases. 

The physician of the future is to be called upon rather than 
the moral teacher, for "the nobler motives are proving inadequate !" 
As the world is beginning to contain too many of the wrong sort 
of people, race suicide is to be judiciously practiced, and the State 
is to step in to order the sterilization of the unfit. Why should 
criminals, the feeble minded, the diseased, hand down their taint to 
succeeding generations? When the Eugenists are in full control 
we are to have " the survival of the fittest with a vengeance." 

This book is full of platitudinous nonsense, unbelief, and 
immoral teaching. It proves that Miss Baker and her ilk have 
not the slightest sense of humor. If we were to follow out her 
principles, we might urge the State to prevent such degenerates 
from handing down to future generations their pagan gospel. 
But the Catholic Church is tolerant, and her children are taught 
to be kindly to the absurd. 

MIRIAM LUCAS. By Canon Sheehan. New York : Longmans, 

Green & Co. $1.35 net. 

In his new story, Miriam Lucas, the author of My New Curate 
has taken a wider field than heretofore. His wide sympathy and 
his wider understanding where his sympathy cannot be has 
brought him success. He shows us again the Irish peasants, whom 
he knows so well, with their simplicities and their superstitions, 
and then he pictures the upper classes, with their bitter social 
distinctions and religious differences. He takes us to Dublin with 
Miriam, who begins to contribute a series of earnest and very 



1913-] NEW BOOKS 539 

fiery articles to a revolutionary newspaper. In her company and 
that of an equally zealous young Trinity student, we become in- 
volved in labor struggles of serious import. Violence and blood- 
shed soon alter Miriam's theories, at least, to a certain extent, but 
she remains active in the industrial work, and in following her 
career we get a vivid and a complex picture of the labor troubles, 
the land troubles, and the social troubles of Ireland. In the end 
Miriam returns to the Catholic faith, in which she discovers herself 
to have been really born, and by her happy marriage dissipates 
the old curse hanging over her home. Miriam herself is a bit 
stiff; we are interested more in her life than in her character. 
But her lover is very human and likable, and the young en- 
thusiast of Trinity College is drawn with a sympathy and pathos 
that make him very appealing. 

Miriam's brief experience in New York forms a section of 
the story less likely to be enjoyed by American readers. The 
city depicted by Canon Sheehan is not the New York that we 
ourselves know. He makes an Avernus of it, perhaps necessary to 
his plot, but scarcely true to reality. 

BETWEEN TWO THIEVES. By Richard Dehan. New York : 

Frederick A. Stokes Co. $1.40 net. 

Between Two Thieves is a story of the Crimean War. The 
" two thieves " are Louis Napoleon and a British Army Contractor ; 
the one that is crucified is England. It is impossible to summarize 
the story, or rather stories, that the book holds, for it is a vast pan- 
orama of many scenes and many tales, and includes more characters 
than a novel of Dickens. It is exceptionally long, having about 
seven hundred closely printed pages. We may say that the heroine 
is Florence Nightingale spoken of under the name of Ada Merling 
and the hero Hector Dunoisse, a general in the army of Napoleon. 

The lesson which the author evidently seeks to inculcate is 
the abounding mercy of our Blessed Redeemer and surely all of 
us would hasten the message to the ends of the earth, for it is 
our only hope. It is good also to know that the great, eternal 
truths, so often denied and scoffed at to-day, are brought boldly 
forward. She has, in many ways, given us an exceptional piece of 
work, yet its defects are as glaring as its merits, and its work- 
manship is at times surprisingly crude and amateurish. She is 
not only dramatic; she is melodramatic, and, what is worse still, 
has been led by a love of the sensational, and in her slavish 



540 NEW BOOKS [Jan., 

service of the latter has not hesitated to use, with shockingly bad 
taste, things most sacred to the Christian heart. 

This may sound harsh when one considers the astounding labor 
spent upon the work, and the fact that the motives and intentions 
of the author are of the best. She is a Catholic, and more than 
once through the book are magnificent passages that testify to 
the truth and necessity of the Catholic faith. We will quote one: 

You may slough your skin of State-patronized, easy-going 
Protestantism as easily as you can change your political con- 
victions, and presently, with modern Buddhism, or Spiritualism, 
or Platonism, Christian Science, Agnosticism, Mormonism, or 
Hedonism, be covered and clad anew, but Catholicism pene- 
trates the bones, and permeates the very marrow. You cannot 
pluck that forth; it is rooted in the fibres of the soul. 

Yet in spite of these great things, the defects of the book are 
so glaring and so positive that we must emphatically condemn it. 
The mercy of our Lord is wonderful even to the man who has 
sinned seventy times seven. But in order to preach that mercy it 
is not necessary to forego good taste and propriety. We all know 
what sin is, and best of all they know it who have drunk most deep. 
The present volume will be as pearls before swine. Life has its 
dangers and temptations that are sufficient even when we do not 
go out of our way to meet them. Not by dwelling upon the power 
of iniquity, nor on the sensuality of the sinner before he became a 
saint, will we be strengthened, but by constantly seeking to keep 
sin away even in thought seeking to supply our own weakness 
by His grace; seeking to stand lest we fall by these means only 
will we be nobler and purer. To fight the fight in our own souls; 
to be instant in helping others; to contend with anger and passion 
against the flood of impurity which, under this guise or that, seeks 
to engulf the world, is our first duty. 

With much regret, for it has great qualities, we cannot but 
think that practically, as the world stands, and as the world views 
life, this book will be used as a champion of the coarse, the vulgar, 
the indecent in life and literature. 

RELIGION IN NEW NETHERLAND. By Frederick J. Zwierlein, 
D.Sc.M.H. New York : Leo Kelly. $2.00 net. 
It is with some misgivings that one opens a doctor's disserta- 
tion, for while one is pretty sure of finding facts, the vital spark 
that gives life and movement is often lacking. The work before 



1913-] NEW BOOKS 541 

us, in which Dr. Zwierlein traces the development of the religious 
conditions in the province of New Netherland from 1623 to 1664, 
is, however, one of the happy exceptions. 

The author first gives as a background the political and re- 
ligious conditions in Holland, after which he turns to New Nether- 
land and develops the relations of the Church and State in that 
province. He then considers the application of this general church 
policy to the English settlers in the province, to the Lutherans, the 
Quakers, the Jews, and the Catholics. He closes with a considera- 
tion of the Indian mission, noting the part played by the Dutch and 
by the Jesuits from Canada. 

The Church and State were very closely related in New Nether- 
land. The Reformed Church was, from the first, the established 
Church, and, in fact, it was the only one which enjoyed the liberty 
of public worship. Ministers and schoolmasters were appointed 
and paid by the civil government, upon the approval of the Classis 
of Amsterdam, the responsible ecclesiastical body for the province. 
The Director General, as supreme magistrate, retained control of 
the Colonial Church, but nevertheless he was not able to overawe 
the sturdy Dutch ministers. Dominic Bogardus is on record as 
having sent a letter to the redoubtable Wouter Van Twiller, in 
which he is said to have described him as " a child of the devil, an 
incarnate villain whose buckgoats are better than he." 

Despite the dominance of the Reformed Church, liberty of 
conscience was allowed, although dissenters were not allowed to 
gather for worship, either privately or publicly, but all were al- 
lowed to exercise their religion in their own homes. The only 
sect under the ban was the Quakers, and even they were tolerated 
after 1663. In that year Directors at Amsterdam, in passing on 
the case of one John Browne, whom Stuyvesant had banished 
from the colony, ruled that Stuyvesant might shut his eyes to the 
presence of dissent in New Netherland. 

The Dutch welcomed the English Presbyterians and Congrega- 
tionalists from New England as belonging to the Reformed faith, 
and allowed them full freedom of worship. Lutherans were urged 
to attend the orthodox Church, and one of their ministers was 
sent back to Holland for attempting to hold religious services, but 
little strife resulted. Catholics and Jews were tolerated, but there 
was much opposition to the latter on account, as Stuyvesant put 
it, " of their customary usury and deceitful trading with the Chris- 
tians." 



542 NEW BOOKS [Jan., 

Indian missions were little favored by the West India Com- 
pany's policy in New Netherland. Some of the patrons were solic- 
itous for the conversion of the Indians, and even the Director Stuy- 
vesant expressed himself as willing to carry out any measures that 
might be suggested to this end, but little was done. It was left 
to the Jesuits to plant the seeds of Christianity in central New 
York. This seed was watered with the blood of martyrs, although 
the Dutch, who were on friendly terms with the Iroquois, aided 
in rescuing more than one of the devoted band from the savage 
tormentors. 

Dr. Zwierlein has produced a work of singular merit. He 
is sure of his facts, he is impartial in tone, and his conclusions 
are, for the most part, sound. It is to be regretted that he did not 
consider briefly the religious colonial policy that held in New 
France, in Massachusetts Bay, in Spanish America, in order to 
throw a fuller light on the Dutch policy. In judging any period 
of history, it is well to look at motives and events from the view- 
point of the time. Perhaps if this had been done, " the spirit of 
intolerance which existed latent in the Dutch province from its 
foundation " would not appear in such sharp relief. 

The book is well bound, the paper good, the type clear, the 
footnotes excellent. The appendix contains a very valuable 
" Chronicle of New Netherland," giving year by year the chief 
events in the history of the province. There is, likewise, an 
exceptionally full and well-arranged bibliography, as well as a good 
index. 

THE INHERITANCE. By Josephine Daskam Bacon. New York: 

D. Appleton & Co. $1.30 net 

In her new novel, The Inheritance, Josephine Daskam Bacon 
takes us back about fifty years. Her hero, who tells his own story, 
is a little English boy of mysterious parentage, who is adopted 
into the family of an American doctor a lovable, big-hearted 
doctor of the old school. He grows up happily enough with the 
doctor's boys, but on reaching manhood determines to go to England 
and make an attempt to claim his shadowed inheritance. The 
failure and the follies of his visit are made very pathetic, and we 
are glad when he returns home at last, to follow the profession and 
succor the declining fortunes of his adopted father. In the pages 
of this novel, readers will look in vain for the bright humor of 
" The Memoirs of a Baby " and " The Biography of a Boy." They 



I9I3-] NEW BOOKS 543 

will find, however, a natural, human story, with well-drawn char- 
acters, pleasant pictures of family life, and a plot whose occasional 
improbabilities do not detract from its interest. 

LOOKING ON JESUS: THE LAMB OF GOD. By Madame 

Cecilia. New York: Benziger Brothers. $1.75. 

As these meditations are to be used during the holy season 
of Lent, they are based on the Gospel narrative of our Savior's 
Passion. Commencing with the Baptism of Jesus, the considera- 
tions set forth in a loving and practical manner the sufferings, both 
mental and physical, endured by the world's Redeemer for the sal- 
vation of the human race. 

The author displays a minute and loving knowledge of the 
life of our Lord and of the four Gospels. Many topographical 
details and " side-lights " on Jewish customs are inserted, and in no 
small way contribute to the interest of the work. 

We hope that Madame Cecilia will fulfill her promise of 
making this volume the first of "a series destined to cover the 
circle of the Church's year." 

THE ENTHUSIASTS OF PORT ROYAL. By Lillian Rea. New 

York: Charles Scribner's Sons. $3.00 net. 

If Lillian Rea ever read the list of authorities which she cites 
at the end of her superficial and inaccurate account of Port Royal, 
she gives no evidence whatever of that fact in the present volume. 

No one should dare attempt a sketch of the Port Royalists 
without a perfect grasp of the problems of grace which Jansenism 
discussed so obstinately, and an accurate knowledge of the Jesuit 
casuists which the author dismisses so cavalierly. 

We are treated to a number of gossipy sketches of St. Cyran, 
Arnauld, Nicole, Quesnel, and Pascal; we are amused at the trio 
of worldly devotes, Princesse de Guemene, Marie de Gonzague, and 
the Marquise de Sable; we hear a great deal of " The letter of the 
law," of persecution, Jansenist miracles, and wicked Jesuit systems 
of relaxed morality; but of any intelligent summary or apprecia- 
tion of the teaching of Jansenism there is not the slightest evidence. 

One would expect her, at least, to mention the five propositions 
of the Augustinus that were condemned, for surely her readers will 
never take the trouble to read about them elsewhere. 

But, perhaps, she was fearful that they would not understand 
them any better than she had done herself : " The Augustinus was 



544 NEW BOOKS [Jan., 

in reality so obstruse," as she naively admits. Still she owed it 
to her readers, who, otherwise, might stupidly go away with her 
notion that " Jansenism was a pure renaissance of the spirit of the 
early Fathers, and the ancient dogma and authority of Christian 
tradition" (pp. 19, 20). 

We would advise her to read carefully the articles on Jansenius, 
Pascal, Quesnal, etc., in The Catholic Encyclopedia, and if she 
would incorporate a good portion of these articles, her book might 
interest the intelligent reader. 

We will quote a few lines from Volume XI. on Pascal's 
letters : 

Without ever seriously altering his citations from the Casuists, 
as he has sometimes been wrongfully accused of doing, he 
arranges them somewhat disingenuously; he simplifies compli- 
cated questions excessively, and in setting forth the solutions 
of the Casuists sometimes lets his own bias interfere. But 
the greatest reproach against him is, first, that he unjustly 
blamed the " Society of Jesus," attacking it exclusively, and 
attributing to it a desire to lower the Christian ideal and to 
soften down the moral code in the interest of its policy: then, 
that he discredited Casuistry itself by refusing to recognize 
its legitimacy, or, in certain cases, its necessity, so that not only 
the Jesuits, but religion itself suffered by this strife. 

When Miss Rea questions " The utility of self-immolation in 
the religious life " (p. 226), she pictures to herself the stern, rigor- 
istic, and un-Catholic community of the Port Royalists, who knew 
little of the joyous, peaceful life of the true religious. 

The Catholic Church was very wise in stamping out such a 
travesty of the religious life, just as she was perfectly justified in 
condemning the heresy of the tricky anti-Catholic Jansenists. 

THE COMMUNION OF SAINTS. By Rev. Charles F. McGinnis. 

St. Louis: B. Herder. $1.50. 

A right understanding of the Catholic doctrine of the Com- 
munion of Saints will not only give great spiritual nourishment 
to the individual soul, but will further enable the soul to see the 
errors that lie at the beginnings of many modern theories of life 
and of duty. The modern world is beset with materialism. Just 
now, sickened with its constant diet of gross materialism, it is 
listening to a new " prophet," Henri Bergson, who claims to refute 
materialism; but he is only leading the world from the grosser to 



1913-] NEW BOOKS 545 

the more refined. His gospel is still ultimately material. God is 
a necessity for man, and the human heart yearns still with unabated 
hunger for redemption. Christ, the Son of God, our Messiah, is 
absolutely necessary if we are to read life hopefully, and any system 
that begins not with Christ, the Second Man, begins wrong, and 
will go from bad to worse. The root evil of modern theories is, 
to put it plainly, that man can save himself without Christ. 

The Communion of Saints is the fruition of our Lord's 
work and sacrifice. In its light alone is true human progress to be 
found. It tells us that we are Christ's and Christ is God's. To 
make a study of it; to know it intimately with all its results its 
height and depth is one of the most profitable tasks to which a 
Catholic could set himself. 

Our gratitude, therefore, goes out to Dr. McGinnis for his 
excellent and important work, The Communion of Saints. He has 
spent many years on the task, consulted original sources, and, as a 
result, presents a thorough and, as regards a popular book, a com- 
prehensive work. The first part deals with Invocation and Inter- 
cession, and the second with Veneration of the Saints. The space 
of a review does not permit quotation nor extended praise of the 
careful handling of different questions which we would otherwise 
gladly give. The work should be widely recommended by priests; 
and merits a large circulation. For non-Catholics who find the 
Catholic doctrine of prayers to the Saints and for the dead an ob- 
stacle, it will furnish an admirable and unanswerable defense. 

THE EVE OF CATHOLIC EMANCIPATION. Volume III. By 

Monsignor Bernard Ward. New York: Longmans, Green 

& Co. $3.75 net. 

Monsignor Ward in his Dawn of the Catholic Revival (two 
vols.), and his Eve of Catholic Emancipation (three vols.), has 
given us a most interesting and valuable history of the Catholic 
Church in England from 1781 to 1830. He has accomplished a 
most difficult task in a manner that argues well for his accurate 
scholarship, his perfect candor and his impartial judgment. Some 
few critics assert that it would have been better to have left these 
bitter controversies of the past buried in the archives of London, 
Dublin, and Rome. Whatever would have been gained by such 
a policy, it would be futile in the end. Deus non indiget mendacio 
nostro; the evidence of human frailties which such records disclose 

VOL. xcvi. 35. 



54 6 NEW BOOKS [Jan., 

are necessary to warn us not to be guilty of the same mistakes. 
Many of us have been all at sea when we tried to form a judgment 
upon the various questions that are discussed so ably and so fully 
in these five volumes. Now Monsignor Ward has furnished us 
a guide that will enable us to steer safely in somewhat troubled 
waters. 

It is always sad to read of factions, dissensions, and quarrels, 
but an accurate and impartial history of both sides is better than 
the partisan statements that have bewildered us in the past. Much 
of the present volume like its predecessors makes very unpleasant 
reading. We are shocked to find bishops (like Milner) prohibited 
by the Holy See from publishing attacks on their fellow bishops ; to 
read charges against the Society of Jesus of trying by means not 
praiseworthy to re-establish itself in England ; petty accusations sent 
to Rome to prevent episcopal appointments; of the questioning 
by their brethren of the orthodoxy of distinguished prelates; of 
the Gallican spirit that prevailed among many laymen and clerics. 

Frequently throughout the present volume we find some of 
those short but clear-cut estimates of men which make Monsignor 
Ward's work so valuable. Listen to his appreciation of Bishop 
Milner : 

His lot was cast in turbulent times when the need of a re- 
doubtable champion to stand out in behalf of principles of 
ecclesiastical discipline and policy which were in danger, was 
of paramount importance; but his greatest admirers could not 
but regret the rugged and intolerant language which seems to 
have been inseparable from anything he wrote language often 
ill-becoming the dignity of the episcopate We feel grate- 
ful to him for the courage with which he fought against the 
Cisalpine and worldly principles which were asserting them- 
selves among the laity, and for the part which he took in helping 
to defeat the Emancipation Bills of 1813 and 1821, clogged as 
they were with objectionable restrictions. Nevertheless it is 
impossible for us to shut our eyes to the fact that the price 
paid was a high one; for it involved continual dissensions for 
nearly twenty years among the bishops of England and Scot- 
land, who but for Milner would have been a most united body, 
and a state of acute tension for several years between the 
English Vicars Apostolic and the venerable hierarchy of Ire- 
land, not to mention the division of the whole Catholic body 
into two parties, with consequent mutual ill-feelings and con- 



J9 i3.] NEW BOOKS 547 

tentions. Milner's orthodoxy has never been called in question ; 
but his colleagues, who were combatting the same evils as he 
was, by what they at least considered rightly or wrongly 
to be more prudent methods, were no less orthodox a fact 
which he seems to forget, or rather, which he frankly dis- 
believed He had grievances against every one, from the 

Holy Father downwards. 

The present volume ends with the passing of the Emancipation 
Bill. It was a braye and arduous fight, and was won by the Irish 
despite the expressed opposition of the King and the leading English 
statesmen. The English Catholics, on account of their small num- 
bers, could only petition for emancipation, whereas the Irish, who 
were four-fifths of the nation in Ireland, could demand it. As 
our author states : " The truth was that the government having 
refused to emancipate the Catholics, the Catholics began a move- 
ment to emancipate themselves" (p. 166). O'Connell was the 
soul of the movement, and his cleverness in founding the Catholic 
Association to gather the needed funds, and his ability in uniting 
the various factions which argued continually about the conditions, 
did more than anything else to prove to men, like Sir Robert Peel, 
that he was bound in honor to change sides, and favor so powerful 
and unanimous a demand. 

Although the relief granted by the bill centred on the right 
to sit and vote in Parliament, it was by no means confined to 
this. Moreover, while it was drawn out primarily with a view 
to Ireland, it applied also to England and Scotland, in which 
countries it conferred on Catholics the elective franchise, 
which their brethren in Ireland had enjoyed since the year 

1793 Catholics everywhere were allowed to hold all civil 

and military offices (with a few specified exceptions) on like 
conditions, and to belong to any corporation. The only civil 
restrictions were that Catholics could not present to livings 

in the Established Church, and that they were precluded 

from holding the office of Regent, Lord Chancellor of Great 
Britain, and Lord Chancellor of Ireland, and Lord Lieutenant 
of Ireland. 

There were a few restrictive clauses in the bill, viz., first, 
the Catholic Bishops in Ireland were not to adopt the titles of the 
ancient sees; second, Catholics were not to hold religious celebra- 
tions outside their churches or private houses; and, third, all mem- 



548 NEW BOOKS [Jan., 

bers of religious orders were obliged to register their names before 
a clerk of the peace, and all incoming religious were henceforth to 
be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor and banished. There were 
also other grievances that were not removed by the bill, viz., mar- 
riages before Catholic priests continued to be invalid in law; 
Catholic soldiers and sailors were still without legal rights to 
exempt them from frequenting Protestant worship; and Catholic 
property continued insecure, their charities being regarded as " su- 
perstitious uses." As Monsignor Ward remarks, " it was, in fact, 
from first to last a layman's bill; and whereas the laity can justly 
date their emancipation from 1829 in ecclesiastical matters, what 
ever freedom of worship there was dated from the act of 1791." 
This volume contains some excellent portraits of Bishops Bram- 
ston, Doyle, Baines, Weld, Gradwell, and Wiseman, and of laymen 
like O'Connell, Canning, Peel, Andrews, Blount. There are also 
a number of interesting letters and documents in the appendices. 



EXPOSITION OF CATHOLIC MORALITY GRACE. Confer- 
ences at Notre Dame of Paris. By E. Janvier. Paris: P. 
Lethielleux. 4 frs. 

This is the eighth volume of a series of conferences on Catho- 
lic Morality which Canon Janvier has been giving every Lent 
in the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris since 1903. The six con- 
ferences are on Grace: its necessity, its nature, its efficacy, and its 
effects. Each conference is preceded by a very carefully' detailed 
summary, while the appendices furnish a list of the chief authors 
consulted, and some forty pages of explanatory notes. 

The conferences are followed by a paschal retreat of six 
instructions, which discuss the life of grace from the viewpoint 
of the Passion, the Holy Eucharist, the Sacraments, etc. While 
the learned Canon has given us a most instructive and edifying 
course of sermons, we feel that he suffers in comparison with his 
illustrious predecessors. He has neither the cold, intellectual bril- 
liancy of Monsignor d'Hulst, nor the fiery eloquence of Lacordaire. 
Besides he has selected a most difficult theme. 

The conferences are for the most part speculative in tone, 
while the instructions are practical, in view of the men's Easter 
Communion; still there is always that clever mixture of teaching 
and exhorting which stamp the popular preacher. 



1913.] NEW BOOKS 549 

'THE ONE TOO MANY. By Mary Agnes Byrne. (Akron, 
Ohio: The Saalfield Co. $1.00.) This entertaining little 
story deals mainly with the disappearance of a child of four, who is 
being half-cared for by the Milfing family, people in poor circum- 
stances. An ingenuous little neighbor, whose sympathies have 
been aroused, surreptitiously installs the orphan in the home of a 
wealthy resident, who proves to be the child's grandmother. 
The little one's mother, supposedly deceased, returns to her old 
home after a long estrangement, to find her lost baby and a warm 
welcome awaiting her. The home life of the families are inter- 
estingly portrayed, and the book will be enjoyed by young readers. 

T I NDER the unsuggestive title of Gone Before, Benziger Broth- 
ers, New York, presents a volume of biographical sketches 
of three young women Margaret Mary Ward, Alice de 
Deze, and Agnes Westlake who belonged to the Helpers of the 
Holy Souls Sisterhood. The light and fragrance of sanctity made 
their lives a joy and blessing to those who knew them, and gives to 
these simple records a unique, spiritual power. The most inter- 
esting of these sketches and the most detailed, illustrating more 
fully than the rest the ways of God with chosen souls and the 
ways of such souls with God, is the account of Margaret Ward, 
the eighth child of William George Ward of Oxford Movement 
fame. It is a delightful as well as an inspiring story. 

'THE ADVANCE OF WOMAN (Philadelphia: J. B. Lippin- 
cott Co. $1.50 net) is the noble title of a cheerful little 
fireside volume we have with us this month. Its chapters are 
" Man as Ruler," " Man a Social Coward," " Woman as Man Has 
Made Her," and " Evil Consequences of Degradation." In the 
words of the poet, " enough said." The book, as farce, is excellent. 
It is " funny without being vulgar." In one especially enlighten- 
ing chapter it tells how the Church of the Middle Ages " cleared 
its skirts of woman," and went on its evil, torturing career, leaving 
her " outside its ministration." But it was her noble influence 
that brought about the Reformation! We wish to add that The 
'Advance of Woman is by Jane Johnstone Christie, and that (slightly 
impolite, but obvious remark!) she does not appear to have ad- 
vanced very far. 



550 NEW BOOKS [Jan., 

'THE GOLDEN PRAYER BOOK, published by B. Herder of 
* St. Louis (60 cents), is attractively presented. Its matter is 
extensive and well-chosen. The same firm publishes Father Otten's 
popular work, The Church of Christ, well-suited for inquiring non- 
Catholics. The price is very reasonable, fifteen cents. Among 
Herder's pamphlet publications are The W 'ay of the Cross (5 cents), 
and a drama in four acts that will recommend itself to schools: 
Crowns and Palms (25 cents). It is translated from the German 
of Monsignor A. de Waal. The same house gives us two pamph- 
lets of the Catholic Social Guild of England. One of them, The 
Church and Eugenics, by the Rev. Thomas J. Gerrard, is of ex- 
ceptional importance to-day, and should be read by Catholic parents. 
Our readers will know its value. The second is of interest 
also to students of social conditions The Housing Problem, by 
Leslie A. Toke, although we have to meet problems somewhat 
different in this country. The Very Rev. Canon Welsh has written 
an instructive volume on The New Rubrics and Psalter (10 cents). 

DATHER J. F. X. O'CONOR, S.J., well known for his excellent 
volume, Reading and the Mind, With Something to Read, has 
written a study of Francis Thompson's Hound of Heaven. Father 
O'Conor gives a mystical application of the poem, and compares its 
theme in brief with the exercises of St. Ignatius. 

'THE Ave Maria Press of Notre Dame, Ind., publishes a timely 
pamphlet by the Reverend James Goggin on Christian Science 
and Catholic Teaching (10 cents). 



'THE SENTINEL PRESS, New York, publishes a Short Treatise 
* on Confession and Communion, with particular regard for 
the laity (5 cents). 



C. HEATH & CO. issue a full and careful compendium of rules 
for correct writing, entitled: Handbook of Composition, by 
Edwin C. Woolley. 



^foreign penobfcals. 

Edmund Burke: Religion and the Church. By W. F. P. 
Stockley. Burke was a Christian philosopher as well as a con- 
servative statesman. Personally and officially, he was dominated 
by Christian views. He advocated public religious instruction. 
" Atheism is the great political evil," he said. He held it absurd 
to claim religious assent on mere human authority, and as for sub- 
scription to Scripture as the rule of faith, he said it was " the most 
astonishing idea I ever heard." Yet Burke, always fearful of in- 
quiry into the basis of things, did not inquire into the real basis 
of religious authority, and there seems to be no evidence that Dr. 
Hussey of Maynooth ever received him, as was rumored, into the 
Church. The Tablet, November 23. 

Words Without Knowledge. One of the most characteristic 
and disquieting features of our age is an incapacity for clear or 
consistent thought, which is perhaps the inevitable accompaniment 
of unfaith. It was in the Middle Ages, when faith was strongest, 
that the processes of thought were defined with the most uncom- 
promising exactitude. We have passed to an age of half-lights, 
from the glory of life to the sadness of decline. We have lost sight 
of the truth and begun to doubt even the possibility of its attainment. 
The theory which denies the existence of truth, except as a fluc- 
tuating concept, could have arisen only in the United States, the 
acknowledged headquarters of the modern spirit. This uprooting 
of the very foundations of thought inevitably results in a slovenly 
habit of reasoning. Consequently in the last few decades we have 
an unprecedented and increasing slovenliness in the use of words. 
For example, those who have ceased to take practical account of 
a personal Deity have endowed " progress," which in itself is 
duller than a log, and more dead than a stone, with the personal 
attributes of the God they deny. Matthew Arnold is a notorious 
example. To Arnold " progress " was a power not ourselves mak- 
ing for righteousness. Now what sort of a power can be thus 
susceptible to moral bias, and yet should not be described as a 
person, it is impossible to say. The reckless use of scientific 
method has likewise caused an incredible amount of slovenliness in 



552 FOREIGN PERIODICALS [Jan., 

style and language. The houses of " ologies " and " isms " are 
guilty of many offences. The soul of a people is reflected in its 
language. It is surely a fact of the most disquieting significance 
that the present state of the English language should be one of literal 
decomposition, that having forgotten to believe we are forgetting 
even how to talk. The Oxford and Cambridge Review, December. 

The Eastern War Question. By Andre Cheradame. This 
article deals with the present Turco-Balkan war troubles. Only 
two countries of Europe are at present able to interfere Russia and 
Austria. If the Christians and orthodox people had been van- 
quished by Turkey, it would have been necessary for Russia to 
interfere, but this intervention is now impossible, owing to the 
decided victory of the Balkan States, but it is possible and probable 
that Russia will interfere if Roumania and Austria, either singly 
or conjointly, try to rob the Balkan States of the fruit of their 
military successes. Austria, on the other hand, is hindered from 
interfering by its motley inhabitants. They may be divided into 
Germans, Magyars, Semites, Latins, and Slavs. Each of these 
groups may be sub-divided into numerous nations or tribes, num- 
bering altogether fifty millions of people. Politically they are 
divided into the Separatists and the Loyalists. The former favor 
the neighboring states, but their ambitions would be satisfied with 
the overthrow of Austria-Hungary. The Loyalists comprise about 
forty millions of people : twenty-three millions of these are Slavs, 
and are unanimous in their determination that the Austro-Hun- 
garian army shall not interfere in the Eastern war, for in case of 
a victory the fruits would go to the Balkan Slavs, to whom they 
are opposed. Le Correspondant, November 10. 

Catholic Immigrants in Paris. By Henri Couget. The Catholic 
immigrant in Paris comes from every Province of France, and na- 
turally when he arrives in the French capital he is greatly in need of 
help religious, social, material, etc. Catholic associations, about 
twenty in number, have been instituted for the benefit of the immi- 
grant. Each of the associations represents certain parts of France, 
so the immigrant finds there the same costumes, customs, songs, 
dances, etc., characteristic of his native province. He will find 
friends who are ever ready to help him. One of these associations 
publishes a twenty-page booklet, which serves as a guide and direct- 
ory in Paris, and which gives warning of the pit-falls which beset 



1913.] FOREIGN PERIODICALS 553 

the immigrant. Another means of helping the immigrant is that 
of communication between the Cure of his native parish and the 
Cure of the parish in Paris where the new Parisian is expected to 
live. The latter notifies the Parisan Cure of the immigrant's ar- 
rival. With both these plans working together, the immigration 
problem in Paris is not so discouraging. Le Correspondant, No- 
vember 25. 

The Spanish Premier. By Salvador Canals. This article is 
by a member of the Cortes. M. Canals deplores the assassination 
of the Premier while condemning his political policies, which the 
writer believes have paved the way for anarchy. M. Canalejas 
was fifty-eight years of age, and a man of remarkable intellect, 
and a powerful orator. He was elected to the Cortes in 1881, and 
was Under- Secretary of State to the President of the Council. 
Soon after this he became a member of the Liberal Party, being 
one of their Ministers from 1888-1895. Up to 1899 he had no 
special political characteristic among the Liberals, except his bril- 
liant intellect and oratorical powers. From this time he was 
very active in the ranks of the Liberal Party; succeeding Moret in 
1910 as a member of the Cabinet. The remaining portion of the 
article reviews his work as Premier. The writer feels that Canale- 
jas' death at the hands of an anarchist will not be lost upon 
his countrymen, and that they have a further warning in the 
condition of their neighbor, Portugal. Le Correspondant, No- 
vember 25. 

A Great Career. By De Lanzac de Laborie. A further study 
of the pontificate of Pope Benedict XIV. is gained from his per- 
sonal correspondence with ^the French Cardinal Tencin. In the 
pontificate, as well as in the lower ecclesiastical offices, he showed 
remarkable zeal. Unfortunately he was apt to be too compromising 
when dealing with royalty. He carefully governed the Papal States 
and replenished the Papal Treasury. Under him came the Gal- 
lican troubles which he strove to settle. His great encyclicals 
will long be remembered for their clearness. On the whole he was 
a sterling character, and the idol of his faithful subjects. Le Cor- 
respondant, November 25. 

Luther and a Catholic Historian. By H. Grisar, S.J. Luther 
and his doctrines still live in the hearts and minds of his followers 
in Germany as well as elsewhere. When Father Grisar, S.J., pub- 



554 FOREIGN PERIODICALS [Jan., 

lished his historical work on Luther he met with great opposition on 
the part of the Lutherans especially. Harnack and Kaweran pub- 
licly asserted that it is impossible for a true follower of Luther 
to recognize their leader in the character described in the pages of 
Father Grisar's book. Harnack went so far as to say : a Catholic 
is wholly incapable of properly writing a history of Martin Luther 
and his times, for his prejudices carry him away from historical 
truth. The Reverend author answers that he and others are greatly 
misjudged ; that he has kept to bare historical facts, leaving dogma 
out of the question; that the requisite of having a special feeling 
of " awe " for the character described, is in no wise conformable 
to good criticism. Stimmen aus Maria-Laach. 

The Star of Bethlehem. By Father X. Kugler, S. J. Many and 
varied are the explanations given concerning the real nature of the 
" star " that led the Magi to the humble stable at Bethlehem. Some 
have sought to give a reasonable account of it from the science 
of astronomy, especially Kepler and Kritzinger, who put forward 
the hypothesis that it was nothing other than a " conjunction of 
Saturn and Jupiter." Others place the experience in the category 
of " dreams," such as are mentioned in the Scriptures. The Magi, 
astronomers by profession, saw in this constellation a most im- 
portant message. The first theory falls, for the word " star " 
signifies but a single planet, and not a conjunction of two planets; 
the second lacks conclusiveness. As miracles marked the work of 
Christ during His life, so was His birth heralded by the miraculous 
Star of Bethlehem. Stimmen aus Maria-Laach. 

Frederic Ozanam. By Michael Moncarey. The story of 
Ozanam's life is brief and simple. By aptitude and early choice 
he was a Christian apologist; his means of influence was the pro- 
fessor's chair. Boldly Catholic, he never offended opponents, com- 
manding their respect no less by the charity and unflinching courage 
of his character than by the breadth of his views, the brilliance of 
his presentation, the timeliness of his apologetic, the range and 
accuracy of his reading. This article describes especially his prep- 
aration for and success in the lectures given at the Sorbonne and 
at the College Stanislas. Etudes, November 20. 

Public Schools and Liberty of Teaching. Until the end of 
the sixteenth century public instruction was in the hands of the 



1913.] FOREIGN PERIODICALS 555 

Church. Later the State, to the exclusion of the rights of the 
Church, made attendance at State schools compulsory, and taxed 
citizens for the support of such schools. The liberty of teaching 
which the Church demands for her children, consists ( i ) in general 
liberty to open and maintain private schools without restriction; 
(2) that parents should be allowed the selection of the school for 
their children; (3) that parents who send their children to other 
than State schools should be free from taxation for the State 
school; (4) that the schools, other than the State schools, have 
equal rights with the latter to State support. To these demands 
the adversaries of the Church take exception. The author shows 
that it is not private or confessional schools that harm a nation, 
but neutral schools. The author reviews the conditions of public 
instruction in different countries. Liberty of teaching, he finds, is 
more highly respected in the United States than in any other coun- 
try. Many newspapers and leading non-Catholic organs, he says, 
express themselves as in favor of equal distribution of State 
grants for both private and public schools. La Civilta Cattolica, 
October 19 and November 2 and 16. 

The Oxford and Cambridge Review. Lord Roberts and Ger- 
many, by the Rt. Hon. F. E. Smith, K.C., M.P. Style, by I. 

Gregory Smith. Reform: V. The Power of the Crown, by 

Hilaire Belloc. The Prospects of Catholicism in England, by 

O. R. Vassall-Phillips. 

The National Review (December) : An exposition of the 
failure in discipline, in numbers, in energy, and equipment of the 
famed Territorial Force is given through the medium of a speech 
delivered by Field-Marshal, the Earl Roberts, to the Men of Kent 

Association. Under the title Suffragette Factories, Miss Helen 

Hamilton severly criticizes the system of education that brings to 

the fore an " efficient citizen " instead of an ideal woman. The 

Impressions of a Political Tramp, by M. O. Sale, is a record of 
the author's impressions obtained during a holiday tramp through 
Lancaster and Yorkshire, where he went dressed in the guise of 

a seedy clerk. " It must have often occurred to thoughtful 

readers that if, in Shadow-Land, authors of reputation could en- 
counter those who write their lives, the subsequent proceedings 
might have considerable controversial interest." With this preface 
Austin Dobson describes an imaginary meeting between Henry 



556 FOREIGN PERIODICALS [Jan., 

Fielding and his first biographer, Arthur Murphy. W. R. Law- 
son continues his exposition of the Marconi Inquiry. 

The Tablet (November 30) : Bernard Whelan develops Mr. 
Belloc's statement on the relations of Catholicism and Culture. If 
we examine the cultivated world, past and present, we shall discover 

the humanizing influences of Catholicism everywhere at work. 

'After the War, by Edwin De Lisle. The temporal sway of the 
Caliph is passing. The ultimate disappearance of the Ottoman 
Empire is certain. In theory its integrity and independence have 
been the keynote of European policy; in practice all the Powers, 
Germany excepted, have received a part of it. The victorious 
Balkan confederacy will be satisfied with nothing short of the 

Gladstone " bag and baggage policy." Dom Connolly continues 

at length his reply to Dr. Fortescue's theory of a former Great 
Intercession in the Mass after the consecration. 

Irish Ecclesiastical Record (December) : Rev. Berthold Mul- 
leady, O.D.C., attacks the positions of both Thomists and Molin- 
ists in their famous controversy on the manner of God's knowledge. 
He maintains thaf St. Thomas (whose views he claims to be ex- 
pressing throughout) held that God can foresee free things as 
well as necessary things in their causes; that both Thomists and 
Molinists have an erroneous conception of the nature of the Divine 
Will and in consequence they incorrectly apportion the Divine 
Causality as between the Divine Will and Intellect; and that the 
science which they attribute to God cannot be at all predicated 
of Him, or, at least, that it is wholly insufficient. 

Le Correspondant (November 10) : Gabriel Louis- Jaray de- 
scribes Uskub, which is in the war zone of Eastern Europe. He 
gives a description of the motley inhabitants, their peculiar customs, 
the form of government, and the commercial importance of the 

country. On Sunday, October 31, 1512, the beautiful Sistine 

Chapel was exhibited by Pope Julius II. to seventeen Cardinals. 
The work of decoration had been begun on May 10, 1508, by 
Michelangelo, and was therefore awaited with great interest. The 
entire history of the Old and New Testament and of the Church 
herself are depicted as only this artist could do it. The article, 
with its description of each painting and also of the architects, 
painters, etc., interested in the work, is written by Alexandre Mas- 
seron. 



1913.] FOREIGN PERIODICALS 557 

(November 25) : Personal Correspondence, by Henri Per- 
reyve. This article is composed of the letters written by Henri 
Perreyve to Charles Ozanam, the youngest brother of Frederic 

Ozanam. Battleships, by L. Haffner. On November 7th the 

battleship France of the dreadnought type was launched. A de- 
tailed account of the new battleship is given, and the remainder 
of the article gives an historical account of the growth of war 

vessels among all nations interested in dreadnoughts. Art. 

Ruskin's ideas on art and architecture are summarized by Adrienne 
De Lens. 

Revue du Clerge Frangais (December) : The First Repentance 
of a Persecuting State, by Georges Goyau, is a page of history con- 
taining an exposition of the struggle between Church and State in 
the year 1879-80. The accession of Leo XIIL, the alliances in 
the Baden Reichstag between Catholics and certain conservative 
Protestants, the symptoms which Bismarck showed of a change 
of attitude, and the increasing weariness of the struggle contributed 
to establishing peace between Church and State. After having 
given bad example to the world for thirty years, the government 
of Baden finally taught Berlin a lesson by the law of March 5, 1880. 
In a few months four hundred and sixteen priests assumed the 
charge of souls. 

Revue des Deux Monde (November 15) : " The Turkish-Bal- 
kan war is not a religious war, but a conflict between two civiliza- 
tions," says M. Rene Pinon in his article, The Congress of Berlin 
to the Balkan Confederacy. In it we read the history of the many 
unsuccessful attempts made by the European Powers to improve 
the condition of the Christians under Turkish rule and the Forte's 
many unfulfilled pledges. Another interesting point made by M. 
Pinon is that the Young Turks proved their inability to reorganize 
Turkey by not seeing the importance of gaining the good will of 

the Christians by just legislation. The political intrigues and 

" drames de boudoir" of Versailles, about the year 1780, are the 
subjects of a very illuminating article, At the Setting of the Mon- 
archy, by the Marquis de Segur. He very cleverly shows us the 
curious and subtle mixture of kindness, weakness, and inability to 
rule in the character of Louis XVI., and the pernicious influence 

which Marie Antoinette exercised over her husband politically. 

Dr. Grasset writes on the history, uses, and many advantages of 
vaccination. 



558 FOREIGN PERIODICALS [Jan., 

Revue Pratique d'Apologetique (November i) : 'A Refutation, 
by Chan. Van Langendonck. The Neutral School has been de- 
clared the only solution of the educational problem. The writer 
of this article raises three objections to neutrality, viz., (i) per- 
sonality of master; (2) collective personality of pupils, and (3) 
the education and answers each of his own objections. 

(November 15) : Catholic Congresses, by Paul Parsy. Within 
the past few years the Bishops of the different dioceses of France 
have been encouraging their people to hold Congresses to strengthen 
the faith of Catholics. The outcome has been most creditable, as 
the various works proposed at these Congresses are now in full 

operation. Educational Troubles, by E. Bruneteau. This article 

is an historical study of the beginnings and growth of the Neutral 
School System of France, with a personal and historical account 
of the prime movers. 

La Civilta Cattolica (November 2) : Father Michineau, com- 
menting on the first answer of the Biblical Commission, concerning 
the authorship of the Gospels of St. Mark and St. Luke, says : " The 
formal testimony of the Fathers of the Church, both Greek and 
Latin, prove that their Gospels must be attributed to St. Mark, a 
disciple and interpreter of St. Peter, and to St. Luke, physician, 

coadjutor, and companion in travel to St. Paul. The Falsehoods 

of Ernest Hackel gives a thorough study of the character, as well 

as of the teachings, of Ernest Hseckel. Italian critics are very 

much pleased with the last volume of the Catholic Encyclopedia, 
which gives the history of Italian literature and art. 



IRecent Events. 

Parliamentary work has begun again in 
France. France. The prospects are bright for a 

session which is to be devoted to useful 

measures. There are no signs of an immediate Ministerial crisis, 
although on a small question the government has lately suffered 
a defeat. The leading part taken by M. Poincare in the negotia- 
tions between the Powers with reference to the Balkan situation, 
as well before the war began as during its course, has secured for 
France an eminent place in the councils of Europe. His efforts, 
indeed, did not meet with complete success, although they contrib- 
uted in no small degree to the maintenance of peace. 

The Electoral Reform Bill is making its way through Parlia- 
ment. Having passed the Chamber of Deputies, it has been re- 
ferred by the Senate to a Special Commission. Here it has been 
shorn of the provisions which established Proportional Representa- 
tion. To this proposal M. Clemenceau is offering the most deter- 
mined opposition. He is the author of a Manifesto which de- 
nounces the plan as a design of the enemies of Republican institu- 
tions, with the object of overthrowing them. The government, on 
the other hand, have staked their existence on success in passing 
the Bill in its substantial entirety. The decision of the Commis- 
sion of the Senate is not looked upon as a decisive indication of the 
mind of that body. The Senate is believed to be almost equally 
divided for and against the measure. The Cabinet will resign if 
it does not secure a majority of Republicans in favor of the Bill. 
Among its enemies, M. Combes must be reckoned. He declares 
proportional representation to be a new form of Boulangism, and 
has urged the necessity of reconstituting the Radical block of 1903, 
as a means of bringing about the fall of M. Poincare's government. 
Although M. Combes is the leader of the Socialist- Radical Party, 
he has failed to secure its unanimous support in opposition to this 
Bill. 

Among other measures to be brought before Parliament is a 
Bill for the arrest of the spread of consumption. Certain amend- 
ments are to be proposed to the Old Age Assistance Law of 1905. 
The French government is not above making a profit out of the 
vices of the people. On casinos and gambling resorts a tax is 
levied according to their annual income. This tax is to be increased 
in proportion to this income. When, in any case, this amounts to 
$200,000 dollars a year the State will take half. 



560 RECENT EVENTS [Jan., 

As has already been mentioned, the depopulation of France is 
progressing at such a rate that the government has appointed 
an extra-Parliamentary Commission to study all the national ques- 
tions, social as well as fiscal, which bear upon the question, and 
to seek to discover a remedy. Former attempts have been made, 
but they are described as half-hearted; they had only resulted in 
partial and ineffective measures. It is now seen to involve even 
the existence of the nation, and it is expected that heavy expenditure 
will be required for any remedy the State can adopt. The Com- 
mission consists of more than one hundred members, and includes 
many men of eminence, ex-Premiers, Senators, Deputies, and ex- 
Governors, with the Minister of Finance as its President. An 
elaborate scheme of investigation has been prepared. 

The Grand Commission has been divided into five sub-com- 
missions: (i) administrative and legal, to inquire into the mar- 
riage laws, infanticide, and kindred evils; (2) military, to examine 
the effect of the birth-rate on recruiting and army organization; 
(3) social, to study infantile mortality, hygiene, intemperance, and 
tuberculosis, together with questions of assistance to mothers and 
of the proper education of the sexes; (4) financial, to decide how 
best to encourage larger families, and how to help those which have 
become too large for their parents' means. A fifth sub-commission 
is to collate and examine the reports of the other four sub-com- 
missions, and to draw up the final report. Of this M. Ribot is the 
President. 

The Commission has begun work. Its proceedings have been 
opened by a speech of its President, the Minister of Finance. The 
gravity of the situation may be judged from the facts which he 
laid before the Commission. In 1910 the excess of births over 
deaths in France was only 71,418, while in Germany it was 819,113; 
in Austria-Hungary, 573,520; in Great Britain, 413,779, and in 
Italy, 451,771. In the years 1906 and 1911 the number of deaths 
had exceeded the number of births. While in other countries 
there had been a diminution in the rate of increase, yet this diminu- 
tion bore no comparison with that in France. If unchecked, the 
Minister declared, it would lead to military and economic inferiority, 
and to a weakening of the expansive power of France in the 
world. There were in 1908, 1,350,000 unmarried men over thirty 
years of age, and a somewhat larger number of unmarried women. 
There were 1,804,710 families without children; 2,966,171 families 
with only one child; 2,661,978 families with two children; 1,643,415 
families with three children, and only 967,392 families with four 



1913.] RECENT EVENTS 561 

children. The total number of families with four children and 
more was only 2,328,780. 

The Minister dealt with the causes of this national decline. 
Among these is the example set by the so-called upper classes, an 
example which is now being followed by the masses. The division 
of property established by the Civil Code of Napoleon is reckoned 
as influential. The chief reason, however, does not seem to have 
occurred to the Minister's mind, at least he does not mention it. The 
loss of faith and trust in God as a Father in heaven, and of a 
belief in a future life, is no doubt the main cause of practices which 
have had such disastrous results, but which had for their object the 
amelioration of the life in this world, that being the only thing 
that counts with unbelievers. And so for the remedies proposed 
by the Minister; they may be pallatives, but the revival of re- 
ligious faith will alone afford the effective remedy: and that is 
not within the power of the State. 

Another evil with which France is afflicted is the propagation 
among soldiers, by a League which is called the " Sou du Soldat," of 
the duty to revolt and to desert from the ranks. It is said that there 
are at present some seventy thousand deserters. This propaganda 
has been going on for some time, and has revived lately. Nineteen 
members of the League have just been sent to prison. The So- 
cialists have been holding many meetings to express their horror 
of war; with this, of course, no one can find fault, being, as it is, 
a legitimate means to influence public opinion for a very desirable 
end. 

With other countries France remains on the best of relations. 
For the first time, however, for many years, there has been, on 
the part of leading journals, such as the Temps, somewhat severe 
criticism of the other party to the Entente Cordiale Great Britain. 
Sir Edward Grey was condemned for what was thought to be the 
dilatoriness of his action in bringing pressure to bear on Turkey 
before the war broke out. The criticisms passed on him excited 
a certain degree of feeling in Great Britain. But there is no 
reason to think that any alienation is indicated. 

The Treaty with Spain regulating their mutual relations in 
Morocco, which was signed some time ago, has now been pub- 
lished. A year and a half has been spent in the negotiations. 
The boundaries of the respective spheres have now been drawn, 
and nothing remains to be done except to settle the terms of the 
internationalization of Tangier. Both in the north of Morocco 

VOL. xcvi. 36. 



562 RECENT EVENTS [Jan., 

and in the South, Spain has lost a considerable slice of territory. 
The religious privileges at present enjoyed by the Spanish clergy 
in the parts conceded to France will cease to exist. The Spanish 
missions will retain their property, but the Spanish offers no 
objection to their being staffed by French missionaries. Any new 
religious establishment that may be founded will be in French 
hands. The question of the railway from Tangier to Fez is 
settled by a Protocol annexed to the Treaty. That a settlement has 
at length been made is, of course, in the highest degree satisfactory; 
for on two occasions Europe was on the verge of war on account 
of the conflict between France and Germany with reference to 
Morocco. Although no serious fear of war between France and 
Spain arose, yet for a time there was a certain degree of tension. 
The good result is said to be largely due to the late Senor Canalejas. 
Certain representations have been made by Germany as to her 
rights, said to be affected by the new agreement. No doubt is felt, 
however, that the question will be settled without any difficulty. 

The Ministers of Prussia, as well as of the 
Germany. Empire, affect to be independent of the Diet 

and Reichstag respectively, but in practice 

have to depend upon some group or groups of the manifold parties 
of which their Parliaments are made up in order to pass into law the 
bills introduced by them. Of late it is upon the support of the 
Conservatives and of the Centre that they have relied. On two 
points recently the Centre has refused to give the government its 
wonted support. In 1908, by the Prussian Diet, a law was passed 
expropriating Polish owners of land for the benefit of German 
would-be purchasers. This proposal met with great opposition 
at the time, and, although carried into law, has not until a short 
time ago been put into force. A recent attempt to do this on 
a small scale caused a rather stormy debate in the Diet. The Catholic 
Centre Party criticized as bitterly as ever the high-handed pro- 
ceedings of the government in its dealings with their Catholic 
fellow-subjects. 

The other ground of disagreement between the government 
and the Centre is the policy adopted by the former towards the 
Bavarian relaxation of the law passed in 1872 against certain 
religious orders. Last year the Bavarian government issued a 
Rescript interpreting this law in a more lenient sense. This Re- 
script caused considerable political excitement, and its lawfulness 
was referred to the Federal Council. This Council has given a 



1913.] RECENT EVENTS 563 

decision adverse to the Bavarian government. The leader in the 
Reichstag of the Catholic Centre criticized the law of exclusion 
as being a violation of freedom of conscience and of the rights of 
the Catholics in the German Empire. They ought to be able, he main- 
tained, to choose for themselves such priests as they wish for the ad- 
ministration of the Sacraments. For this reason the Catholic leader 
declared that his party had lost the confidence hitherto felt in the 
Imperial Chancellor and in the Federal Council, that the require- 
ments of Catholics would find just treatment at their hands. 
He intimated that the support, hitherto given to the government, 
might be withdrawn. It is possible that the Social Democrats 
may ally themselves to the Catholic Centre, inasmuch as they dislike 
the law of 1872 for somewhat similar reasons as a restriction of 
freedom. Then instead of the Blue-Black combination supporting 
the government, there would be a Red-Black combination in oppo- 
sition to it. The Chancellor replied strongly, deprecating the 
making of this question the corner-stone of the Centre's action. 
The forty millions of Protestants in Germany had rights superior 
to those of the twenty-four millions of Catholics. He would sup- 
port them in their determination to protect themselves from an 
activity which threatened to revive the religious hatred of the past. 
The Chancellor showed himself very much in dread of the furor 
Protestanticus which is so easily aroused in Germany. It is not 
thought that the situation will develop rapidly, or that the Centre 
Party will vote against the Estimates, or go into opposition on 
national questions or foreign affairs. 

The Emperor has many times given expression to his 
desire to preserve the religious belief of his people. In a 
speech at the unveiling of the memorial of Coligny, which has 
recently been erected at Wilhelmshaven, he disclosed the reason 
for this so frequent insistence. It would be better to say: a 
reason, for it cannot be thought that he has no other. Citing the 
example of his martyr-ancestor, who was true unto death for 
loyalty's sake, the Emperor called upon each of his hearers 
" to remain loyal, body and soul, to his king, and to remember that 
he will do that only if he remains loyal to his Heavenly King." 

The relations of Germany with foreign powers have under- 
gone no material change. A statement has appeared that the Triple 
Alliance has been renewed on precisely the same terms as before. 
What foundation there is for this statement is not clear. With 
reference to the Balkan War, Germany has taken no very con- 
spicuous action. It has worked together with the other Powers 



564 RECENT EVENTS [Jan., 

for the maintenance and the restoration of peace; and for the 
localization of the conflict. The Chancellor gave a clear intima- 
tion that in the event of her allies being attacked by a third party, 
she would fight by their side, not in their interests only, but to 
defend her own place in Europe and her safety as a nation. With 
Great Britain there seems to be indubitable signs of something 
like a rapprochement. The new Ambassador has lost no time in 
manifesting his good will and his desire for complete harmony. 
" Never," said he in a speech delivered at the Anniversary 
Dinner of the Royal Society, " between England and Germany 
have there been more intimate and more sincere relations than at 
present." " Of all bonds that connect nations, none are stronger 
than intellectual sympathy," and between Germany and England 
these bonds were very close. These statements of the Ambassador 
were confirmed in the Reichstag by the Foreign Secretary, Herr 
von Kiderlen-Waechter. 

By the death of the Prince Regent of Bavaria, Germany has 
lost a ruler who was not only loved and venerated by his own 
subjects, but honored by all Germans as one of the chief instru- 
ments in the formation of the Empire, and of its most loyal 
supporters since its formation. He has been taken away just at the 
time that Bavaria is taking a more prominent part than ever before 
in the Imperial concerns. 

The chief event of purely internal interest 
Austria-Hungary. in Austria-Hungary is the birth of an heir 

to the throne in succession to the Heir-ap- 
parent, the Archduke Francis Ferdinand. The latter having con- 
tracted a morganatic marriage with Countess Chotek, now Duchess 
of Hohenberg, made a declaration, which has the force of a statute, 
that neither his wife, nor their issue, should ever be entitled to 
claim succession to the throne. The heirship thereupon passed 
to his brother, the Archduke Otto. Upon his death, his son, the 
Archduke Charles Francis Joseph, became the next heir. It is to 
him that a son has been born. He is the great-great-nephew of the 
Emperor Francis Joseph. 

All other questions have, of course, been overshadowed by the 
deep interest that has been taken in the War of the Balkan States 
with Turkey, and the consequent partition of the territory which 
has been released from the bondage of so many centuries. In 
this release Austria, in recent years, has had a share, inasmuch as 
Bosnia and Herzegovina have been added to her own dominions. 



1913.] RECENT EVENTS 565 

The inhabitants of Macedonia, however, have had little reason to 
be grateful. In fact, Austrian action has rather tended to the 
perpetuation of their miserable condition. And now that, by its 
own valor, Servia has secured the freedom of the Christians under 
the Turkish yoke, Austria has threatened to step in to prevent 
Servia from securing the reward due to her victory. 

It must be admitted that Austria is placed in a very difficult 
position. On the one hand, the majority of the various nation- 
alities of which the Dual Monarchy consists (some seventeen in 
number) are Slavs in race and sympathy, and in the event of a 
war with Servia, their loyal support to Austrian efforts would be 
more than doubtful. On the other hand, if Servia secures the 
increase of territory, and the outlet to the Adriatic which she is 
seeking, and to which she is entitled, there is every prospect that 
she will become the rallying point for the aspirations of the Slavs 
in every part of the Austro-Hungarian dominions, and in this way 
lead to the dissolution of the Empire. 

The German element in that Empire have held a dominant 
position, although it is in the minority. The Slav element has 
long chafed in the subordinate position to which it has been 
relegated, and has desired an opportunity to reverse the situation. 
Servia's aggrandizement may favor such an opportunity an oppor- 
tunity likely to be all the more eagerly embraced, as the Slavs 
supremely dislike the Germans. Hence for the Austrian govern- 
ment there seems to be a choice of evils, and this has led to the hesita- 
tion and vacillation that have of late been so marked. The enor- 
mous expense that has been involved in the policy of activity since 
the advent to power of the Count Aehrenthal is an additional 
reason for hoping, or even expecting, that no attempt will be 
made by force of arms to deprive the small neighbor, of whom 
she is so jealous, of the road to the sea which is necessary for 
her commerce. 

The Third Session of the Portuguese Parlia- 
Portugal. ment under the Republic began a short time 

ago, and friends and enemies alike of the 

new form of government are beginning to look for the fruits of 
the change. Its friends have frankly to admit their disappointment. 
So bad, indeed, is the state of affairs that every effort is made to 
suppress the truth. Officials, of course, as is their wont, are 
more than content at least so they say. Independent observers, 
however, testify that the politics of Portugal are no sounder than 
they were before the Revolution, while its material condition is 



5 66 RECENT EVENTS [Jan., 

worse. The abuses which existed under the monarchy have not 
been brought to an end. While it is true that these abuses were 
many and deeply rooted, and that the efforts of the Royalists 
since the establishment to overthrow the government have diverted 
its attention from practical reforms, yet this forms no excuse for 
the fact that no effort has been made. The leaders in the Repub- 
lican groups have been acting in the same short-sighted way as 
their predecessors, seeking merely their own selfish and personal 
interests. 

The thing which shows most clearly the utter want of the 
remotest idea of a real love of liberty is the treatment accorded 
to the Royalist prisoners. To quote a telegram from Lisbon, 
" The majority of those still in prisons are lodged in inadequate 
rooms wholly devoid of hygienic conditions. Seven prisoners are 
kept in cells intended only for two. Section five of the prison of 
Limoeiro holds thirty-seven prisoners, although designed only for 
sixteen. In some of the rooms rain freely enters. Other of the 
rooms have no windows, and the only light and air are from holes 
in the roof. Other conspirators imprisoned in the Castle of Sao 
longe are in as bad conditions, part of the living rooms being 
underground. The delay in the trials is very great." Months 
pass before the trial comes on. The defense offered by the govern- 
ment for these and similar abuses is that the same things took place 
under the monarchial regime, as if it was not for this very reason 
that its overturn was rendered necessary. 

In view of the failure, more or less complete, of the efforts 
to secure a greater degree of self-government which have been made 
recently in Persia, Turkey it is too soon to speak of China and 
Portugal, the question arises whether it is not possible for peoples to 
be so injured by the long-continued sway of absolutist methods as to 
be incapable of rising to better things whether certain powers of 
the mind of the normal man may not become atrophied by the 
methods of oppression and repression that are the characteristics 
of absolute rule. The triumphant success of the Servians, Bul- 
garians, and Greeks seems, however, to give a conclusive proof 
of the contrary. After a few years' enjoyment of the blessings 
of freedom and self-government, they have proved themselves 
more powerful than the so-called great Powers. 

In managing the finances of the country the new Republican 
authorities have proved themselves as incapable as in other respects. 
Ever since the advent of the Republic the annual deficit has con- 
tinually increased. The floating debt which stood at some eighty 



1913.] RECENT EVENTS 567 

millions of dollars when the Monarchy fell, now reaches nearly 
one hundred millions. The remedies proposed by the Minister of 
Finance, which include a large issue of paper money without an 
increase of the metallic reserves, have been coldly received by 
the Press and by members of Parliament. It is openly declared by 
the President of the former Provisional government that there is no 
competent financier to be found in the Ministry, that the public 
moneys have been improperly handled, and that considerable sums 
of money have been lost sight of and forgotten in a certain bank. 
He suggests that on account of the proved incompetence of the 
Portuguese financial Ministers, it might be well to import a skilled 
Chancellor of the Exchequer from abroad. 

Of the many recent attempts to introduce 
Russia. constitutional government in States accus- 

tomed to a more or less absolute regime, 

that which has been made in Russia must be looked upon as the 
most successful, although it is yet far from realizing the ideal of 
genuine government by the people. The Fourth Duma has just 
entered upon its work, with warm expressions of good will on the 
part of the Tsar. Like the other Parliaments of the European 
continent it is made up of groups, rather than of stable parties. 
These groups may be divided into three main sections, the Right, 
the Centre, and the Left. The final returns gave one hundred and 
sixty-three members to the Right, one hundred and forty- four to 
the Centre, and one hundred and twenty-five to the Left. The 
Octobrist Centre has hitherto exercised, with varying degrees of 
fortune, the greatest influence. In the new House it will have a 
much more difficult task, and will be compelled to seek alliance 
with the other groups as time and opportunity demand. The recent 
elections were greatly influenced by clerical and bureaucratic inter- 
ference. The gain of one hundred and twelve seats by the Right 
in the provinces was achieved entirely by the vote of the parish 
priests, who in many cases acted under orders. The city voters 
were not so amenable to clerical influence. The first step taken 
by the new Duma was to make a protest against these proceedings. 
The Government has prepared a long list of urgent reform 
measures, dealing with every department of the administration, 
notably with the extension of the principle of local government. 
Many important reform bills were left over by the previous Duma. 
If these are proceeded with, the House will remove the dissatis- 



568 RECENT EVENTS [Jan., 

faction which exists in all classes of the community on account of 
the delay that has taken place in passing these measures into law. 

The influence of Russia has grown greatly within the last three 
or four years. Its army has been strengthened, and the financial 
position is excellent. Consequently its weight in European affairs 
has been felt. There is reason to think that to this fact is due the 
non-interference of other Powers with the Balkan States, and espe- 
cially with Servia. The Russian people have manifested their sym- 
pathy with their Slav brethren in the clearest manner, by meetings, 
subscriptions, and appeals to the government. The latter, even had 
it wished, would not have been able to show itself indifferent. 

The opportunity has been taken to secure the aggrandize- 
ment of the Empire in another direction. Something like a fourth 
part of the Chinese Empire has been brought within its dominating 
influence. An agreement has been made with the Mongolian 
Sovereign by which the Russian government undertakes to assist 
Mongolia to maintain the autonomous regime she has established, 
to support her right to have a national army, and to admit neither 
the presence of Chinese troops on her soil, nor the colonization 
by the Chinese of her territory. Rights and privileges are given 
to Russian subjects. There is said to be, in addition to this pub- 
lished agreement, a secret protocol, which gives to Russia the right 
to supervise Mongolia's foreign relations, and to take any measures 
which may be necessary to maintain the independence of Mongolia, 
to extend Mongolian territory as far as the Great Wall of China, 
and to obtain international recognition of Mongolia as a new 
State. Should this be the case, an end has indeed been put to 
the integrity of the Chinese Empire. Great indignation was caused 
in China. 

The Chinese Foreign Minister resigned, and public opinion 
called upon the government to send troops into the district. This 
it made a show of doing, but the latest news is that they have been 
recalled. At the present moment China is powerless, and other 
nations are occupied in various ways. 

When this is being written, the Conference 
The Balkan War. in London, with a view to settle the 

many questions which have arisen, has just 

begun its labors, an Armistice has been concluded between Turkey 
and the States that were at war with her, with the exception of 
Greece, and hopes exist that a general European war may be 



1913-] RECENT EVENTS 569 

averted. A full and complete account of the two months' war is 
beyond the scope of this chronicle. A few notes, however, may 
not be out of place. 

The part that religion has taken is noteworthy. The war 
began avowedly not for increase of territory, but to secure for 
their fellow Christians in the Ottoman dominions the natural rights 
to which every man is entitled. The blessing of heaven was in- 
voked at every step; thanksgiving was offered for every success. 
So marked was this feature that a cartoon appeared in a French 
paper representing Bulgarians kneeling before entering upon a con- 
flict to receive the blessing of a priest. Two generals of the French 
army are witnesses of the scene. One of them says to the other, 
" What should we get, if we allowed such a thing to be done in 
France by soldiers under our command ? " The reply of the other 
was, " The victory." When King Peter of Servia entered the old 
capital of the Servian Empire, he paid a visit to the Catholic 
Church in which a Te Deum was sung, and he was welcomed by the 
priest as the deliverer of the country. 

On the other hand, one of the causes of the defeat of the 
Turks, and of the display of cowardice which was so often wit- 
nessed, was the fact that old religious beliefs have been shaken 
by the events of recent years. The Young Turks were imbued 
with rationalistic notions, and in various ways had shown their 
disregard of orthodox Turkish tenets. This contempt had spread 
more or less widely through the ranks of the soldiers. Another 
reason for their failure was the loss of discipline among the officers, 
due to the habit they had formed of mixing in politics. The Com- 
mittee of Union and Progress, to whom the revolution was due, 
was largely made up of officers, or at least found its chief sup- 
port among them. Political discussion had taken the place 
of military discipline. Abdul Hamid's system had also a very bad 
effect upon the army in the highest quarters. Never had a monarch 
succeeded so well as he in getting into his own hands every detail 
of power. He was jealous of everyone, and especially of any 
officer who showed signs of superior ability. He took the greatest 
pains to bar the way of such a one to power, in order that he might 
have no rival. To this is attributed the failure of the generals. 
We hope that yet another cause may be assigned : that the time has 
passed when the cause of tyranny is able to find willing instruments 
of its designs. " A bad thing," it is said, " never dies." Let us 
hope this saying may for once be proved untrue. 



570 RECENT EVENTS [Jan., 

Before the war began the Great Powers warned the Balkan 
States that they would not be allowed to get, even in the unlikely 
event of a victory over Turkey, any increase of territory. But 
immediately after the startling succession of victories the Powers 
withdrew from this position for nothing succeeds like success 
and the Balkans for the Balkan States became an axiom. The 
Powers, however, or at all events Austria-Hungary, wished to 
give the benefit of this principle to that collection of tribes which 
have dwelt in Macedonia, and which, after having been the main 
support of Abdul Hamid, have taken no part in freeing the country 
from the Turk; in fact, have in some cases fought on the side of 
the oppressors. This was evidently unjust in itself, and especially 
unjust to one of the States whose only way to expansion was 
by the annexation of territory occupied by certain of these tribes. 
If the claims of Servia are to be met it can only be by including 
some of the Albanians within its new limits. Moreover, some of 
these tribes are scarcely better than savages; living in a state of 
constant warfare, tribe against tribe, almost man against man. 
Another reason against the formation of an Albanian autonomous 
state is the difficulty of finding a definite boundary. Albanian 
tribes have existed; Albania, as a definite territory, never had 
existence. The real reason of Austria-Hungary is only too clear. 
Her desire is to hem Servia in, so that she may be kept in that 
subordination, commercial and political, which suits the interests 
of the Dual Monarchy. Servia, on the other hand, decidedly, and 
perhaps somewhat too pugnaciously, claims not only the right of 
annexing the territory called Old Servia upon which Albanian 
tribes are living, but a port or ports on the Adriatic as necessary 
for the development of her commerce. No claim is made for the 
retention of all the territory which have been overrun by Servian 
armies. But for what she looks upon as necessary, she has in- 
timated her determination to sacrifice her last man. This is one 
of the most difficult of the questions which the Conference QOW 
sitting in London has to settle. The fate of the Turks is compara- 
tively easy. But when it comes to adjust the mutual claims of the 
Allies, unless a miracle has been wrought in the minds of age-long 
opponents, a period of conflict and disagreement seems all but 
impossible to avoid. Already at Salonika the Bulgarians and 
Greeks have almost come to blows. The Conference in London 
has a difficult task before it. 



With Our Readers. 

MANY self-constituted social reformers have, under the title of 
sex hygiene, started a so-called crusade, the extent and pos- 
sible results of which they do not seem to realize. The best that 
may be said of their efforts is that they seem to believe that knowl- 
edge is virtue. 

With a boldness that bespeaks the folly of inexperienced youth 
they talk publicly to children, even, at times, with the permission 
of our public school authorities, about matters of sex which, whether 
known or unknown, must ever retain an aureole of privacy if they are 
to retain their sanctity. And unless they be holy to each and every 
one of us, the race of man knows neither worth nor dignity. Many 
of these ill-advised reformers father public exhibitions, and these are 
aided by public government funds, whereto children of any and every 
age are admitted, where temptation brazenly masquerades under statis- 
tical charts and wax figures, and the prurient are freely fed with the 
food they desire. 

Of course, the so-called reformers will indignantly protest that 
their purpose is just the contrary. But is the community going to allow 
them to work untold harm simply because they have good intentions? 
Many social " reformers " have a confirmed habit of looking at one 
set of facts and blinding themselves to another. Their first premises 
are always true and pitiably narrow. Their logic is unquestionable. 
They have the method and the fanaticism of lunatics. " Purge society 
of this evil," they cry, " at all costs." " But what if you create a 
greater," asks the man of experience. " Purge it at all costs," is the 
invariable answer. " Theirs not to reason why, theirs but to do 
and die," is their impatient and ill-advised cry. 

******** 

T)ERHAPS some of these workers, who will not listen to the words 
A of any Catholic authority, will listen to the words of one who is 
far from being a Catholic or having sympathy with things Catholic. 
We refer to M. L. L. Klotz, Minister of Finance, in the present French 
Cabinet. In a recent address before the Commission appointed in 
France to study the question of the decreasing birth rate in that 
country, he reviewed the causes of such decrease. In the course of 
his review he said : " The voluntary limitation in the birth rate is 
encouraged and positively fostered by the active propaganda which 
aims to make public certain immoral practices under the cover and 
pretext of hygiene and the diffusion of scientific doctrines. The Com- 
mission will consider what penal measures are to be taken to prevent 
such a morbid and demoralizing propaganda." 



572 WITH OUR READERS [Jan., 

WE strongly recommend on this matter the department called 
" Survey of the Field " in the Catholic Educational Review for 
December, 1912. In our October issue we spoke at some length of 
how this difficult and delicate question ought to be handled. 

******** 

ONE great fact we ought always to remember. Many of the present 
generation are so impatient of tradition that they scorn their 
fathers utterly. But the wisdom of the race is cumulative : traditional, 
enduring. Our fathers and mothers did not neglect the problem. 
What sanctity, purity, and virility we have, as a race, we owe to them. 
We must protect and nourish innocence, as well as redeem from evil. 
And surely the words of the French Minister of Finance are startlingly 
true with regard to conditions in our own country. We need but 
mention one. 

The propaganda to cure vice has been carried on with such vic- 
ious license that unprincipled, salacious writers, and equally unprin- 
cipled publishers, furnish weekly and monthly in popular magazines, 
at the price of fifteen cents, stories that stink of the filth of the 
sewer and bristle with the cleverness and subtlety of Satan himself. 

Our President-elect said not long since that the time had come for 
every man to write his name down politically on either this side or 
that. So widespread and well-financed is the war on public morality, 
that every man must write himself down as for it or against it. This 
is not the day for compromise and consideration. It is the day for 
heated and incessant warfare. 



GOD uses all the things of the universe to draw us to Himself. The 
soul belongs to God. It is His immediate possession, and the 
joy of joys will be our possession by Him, the entirety of which no 
words can express or symbol symbolize. Of old the psalmist proclaimed 
that the heavens declare the glory of God. The physical universe has 
for us a meaning only in so far as it veils or interprets our personal 
relations with Him. The stars in the quiet night, the sun in the clear 
heavens, or its softer glory as day gives way to night, the sea in its 
power or its peace, the rivers that may sing or warn as they go all 
these are means by which the soul may be brought to think of God, Who 
has so blessed the chorus of creation. So also with ourselves and our 
fellows. The grace of God has made us lovers of one another and par- 
takers of the Communion of Saints. Speaking only of earth, there is a 
natural communion or companionship whereby we are often led by the 
love, example, instruction of and devotion to another to reach out after 
better things and to serve God more faithfully. In this, the blessed 
shadow of the Communion that is heavenly and eternal, souls act upon 
souls in natural human ways that work toward goodness. Many bear 
witness to the life story that made them better men and women. Many 



1913-] WITH OUR READERS 573 

tell of the friendship that meant a turning point for them to what was 
upright and noble. Everyone of us, even the most simple and the 
most unknown, may play a part, we know not oftentimes how or 
when, in elevating the standard of life for our fellows. Across our 
path may come, by the favor of Providence, one who will give to 
us, either in word or example, the bread of life; one who will give 
to our hearts that sense of loyalty to all that is noble; that sense of 
honor in the following of what is best, as to open for us a new life. 
We may bind him to our souls with hoops of steel, and our debt 
to him is eternal. 

Yet it is equally true that to everyone who works with or loves 
others, neither he nor the loved one is an end in himself. He is 
satisfied to be the stepping-stone. Both he himself and all whom he 
would ever help, would fall never to rise again were they to lose 
themselves in admiration for each other, and forget that which alone 
gives meaning to service and devotion. It must be the eternal care of 
the creature, obvious as the truth may seem, not to make himself 
God, nor to make another his God. It must be the eternal care of the 
creature not to bring down God to the measure of the creature nor of 
his love for a creature. 



may sound like very self-evident truths, requiring no rep- 
J- etition or emphasis. And yet there is a tendency in modern 
literature that is working for just this sort of thing. Long ago, in 
a most befitting way, St. Francis symbolized, after the manner of 
the songs of chivalry, his love of poverty, and called it his love 
of Lady Poverty. And great ones in a great and holy way have 
symbolized as love for a woman their soul's love of God. Their 
example, while always for our edification, is obviously not always 
for our imitation, as is true of many things in many of the lives of 
the saints. When we have their plentitude of grace we also may have 
their inspiration. 

Constantly to frame the soul's love of God under the figure of a 
man's love for a woman even though the woman be non-existent 
is not alone inexact; it is also dangerous. The use of such a figure 
may be a type, an example. It should never be an interpretation. 
To employ it too habitually in poems or novels, or, worse still, to 
elevate it into something of a philosophy of life, is apt, unless there 
be corresponding great safeguards and unusual discipline, to lead 
the mind into chaos, and the soul into a bewildering symbolism that 
loses the real meaning of the Incarnation. For the Incarnation, while 
it elevates virtue, intensifies sin. It harmonizes matter and spirit: 
the creature and the Creator. Yet the harmony is emphasized by 
the remembrance of how greatly and eternally they may be separated. 
\Ve cannot too familiarly bring the images of earth into our love and 



574 WITH OUR READERS [Jan., 

service of God. Sense is more powerful in this world than spirit. 
And more than once sense has led the spirit captive. The spirit that 
thought it was above sense will, as the slave of its own pride, be made 
its slave. 

We must in that individual, inner life of principle be ultimately 
independent of others. The world and our fellows are a means: 
even our Lord in His humanity is the " Way." We may in the cul- 
tivation of that life of the spirit and of prayer learn freedom from 
images, and types, and illustrations. The soul hungering for God 
hungers to be free from the images of earth. This is the liberty 
wherewith Christ has made us free. This is the work of our Holy 
Church, her message in the revealed Word, and the truth whereby 
she would guide her children that we are Christ's and Christ is God's. 
It is well to bear her guiding star with us as a standard of our 
actions and our conduct. 

ST. BERNARD has these wise lines : " Give me a man who, before all 
things, loves God with all his being. . . .whose love for all things 
whatsoever is regulated by his love for God; who despises the earth 
and looks up to the heavens; who uses this world as not abusing it, 
and knows how to distinguish by a certain inward faculty of soul 
between things which are to be chosen and loved and those to be 
merely used, so that things transitory are made use of as they pass 
for temporary need, and as long as the need requires, while things 
eternally enduring, are embraced with lasting joy: show me, I say, 
a man such as this, and I will boldly pronounce him wise, since he 
takes things for what they truly are, and is able with truth and 
confidence to boast, 'He hath set in order charity in me.' " 

And then St. Bernard continues in words which compel quotation : 
" But where is such a one to be found : and when shall it be. thus 
with him? This I ask weeping: how long shall we perceive this 
fragrance without tasting it? how long look forward to our heavenly 
home, without attaining it, sighing for it, while beholding it from 
afar? O Truth, fatherland of exiled souls, and end of their exile! 
I descry thee, but am unable to enter in: I am detained in the flesh, 
I am defiled by my sins, I am not worthy to be admitted. O Wisdom, 
whose powerful guidance extended from the beginning to the end of 
things, establishing and controlling them, who disposest all with 
admirable gentleness : ordering, blessing, and gladdening all affections, 
direct our actions according as our temporal necessities require, and 
dispose our affections as Thy Eternal Truth demands; so that each 
of us may be able securely to glory in Thee, and say 'He has set in 
order charity in me.' For Thou art the Power of God, and the Wis- 
dom of God, Jesus Christ our Lord, the Bridegroom of the Church, 
God above all, blessed forever. Amen." 



1913.] BOOKS RECEIVED 575 



Tales of the Mermaid Tavern, by Alfred Noyes, now running 
J- in Blackwood's Magazine, show not only the gift of high poetry, 
but also a healthy moral sense which it is refreshing nowadays to 
find. To Christian truth must English poetry look for its reinvig- 
oration. Thus the poet writes of the providential purposes of joy and 
sorrow : 

Silence and sound, 

Darkness and light, mourning and mirth, no tale, 
No painting, and no music, nay, no world, 
If God should cut their fruitful marriage knot. 

Mr. Noyes thus answers those who would deny the truth of 
hell ; and those who would make this earth the " be-all and the end-all :" 
A shallow sort to-day would fain deny 
A hell, sirs, to this boundless universe. 
To such I say " no hell, no Paradise." 
Others would fain deny the topless towers 
Of heaven, and make this earth a hell indeed. 
To such I say, the unplumbed gulfs of grief 
Are only theirs for whom the blissful chimes 
Ring from those unseen heights. 

The poet continues, championing the eternal meaning of our 
human actions and the overruling harmony of God's law: 
Every note distinct, round as a pearl, 
And perfect in its place, a chime of law 
Whose pure and boundless mere arithmetic 
Climbs with my soul to God. 

******* 

The fairy tales 

Are wiser than they know, sirs. All our woes 
Lead on to those celestial marriage bells 
The world's a-wooing ; and the pure City of God 
Peals for the wedding of our joy and pain ! 



BOOKS RECEIVED. 

BENZIGER BROTHERS, New York: 

The Road Beyond the Town, and Other Little Verses. By Michael Earls, S.J. 
$1.25. Up in Ardmuirland. By Rev. Michael Barrett, O.S.B. $1.25 net. 
Spiritual Progress. From the French. 90 cents net. The Consolations of 
Purgatory. By Rev. Father H. Faure, S.M. 90 cents net. The Westminster 
Hymnal. Edited by Richard R. Terry, F.R.C.O. $1.25 net. 

LONGMANS, GREEN & Co., New York : 

In St. Dominic's Country. By C. M. Antony. $1.60 net. The Three Sisters 
of Lord Russell of Killowen and Their Con-vent Life. By Rev. Matthew 
Russell, S.J. $2.00 net. William George Ward and the Catholic Revival. 
By Wilfrid Ward. $2.40 net. History of the Roman Breviary. By Monsig- 
nor Pierre Batiffol, Litt.D. Translated by A. M. Y. Baylay, M.A. $3.00 net. 



576 BOOKS RECEIVED [Jan., 1913. 

AMERICAN BOOK Co., New York : 

The Swallow Book. By Dr. Giuseppe Pitre. Translated by Ada W. Camehl. 
35 cents. Hannah of Kentucky. By James Otis. 35 cents. Physical Labor- 
atory Guide. By F. C. Reeve, E.E. 60 cents. Seth of Colorado. By James 
Otis. 35 cents. 
THE MACMILLAN Co., New York : 

Socialism from the Christian Standpoint. By Father Bernard Vaughan, S.J. 

$1.50 net. 
ROBERT APPLETON Co., New York: 

The Catholic Encyclopedia. Volume XV. 
PRESENTATION CONVENT, New York : 

What Dora Dreamt. By A Member of the Presentation Order. Musical Drama. 

$1.00. 
FREDERICK A. STOKES Co., New York : 

Marriage and the Sex Problem. By Dr. F. W. Foerster. 
HENRY HOLT & Co., New York : 

The Home Book of Verse, American and English, 1580-1912. Selected by 

Burton Egbert Stevenson. $7.50. 
G. P. PUTNAM'S SONS, New York : 

The Peace Movement of America. By Julius Moritzen. $3.00 net. Immigra- 
tion and Labor. By Isaac A. Hourwich, Ph.D. $2.50 net. 
THE SHAKESPEARE PRESS, New York : 
The Nativity. By John Bunker. 
JOSEPH F. WAGNER, New York : 

Sermon Plans for All the Sundays of the Year. From the French of Abbe 
H. Lesetre. $1.00 net. Lantern Slides and Lectures. Pamphlet. Pictorial 
Church History for Use with the Stereopticon. Pamphlet. 40 cents net. 
JOHN FOSTER CARR, New York : 

Guide to the United States for the Jewish Emigrant. By John Foster Carr. 

15 cents. 
LEO KELLY, New York : 

Religion in New Netherland. By J. Zwierlein, D.Sc.M.H. $2.00 net; $2.13 

prepaid. 
D. C. HEATH & Co., New York : 

Handbook of Composition. By Edwin C. Woolley, Ph.D. 
LITTLE, BROWN & Co., Boston : 

Penal Philosophy. By Gabriel Tarde. Translated from the French by Rapelje 

Howell, Esq. $5.00 net. 
WHITCOMB & BARROWS, Boston : 

The Making of a Trade School. By Mary Scherick Woolman. 50 cents net. 
H. L. KILNER & Co., Philadelphia: 

The Adventures of Four Young Americans. By Henriette E. Delamare. 6 
cents. Nellie Kelly, or the Mother of Five. By Henriette E. Delamare. 
60 cents. Amelie in France. By Maurice F. Egan. 70 cents. 
J. B. LIPPINCOTT Co., Philadelphia : 

Steamship Conquest of the Sea. By Frederick A. Talbot. $1.50 net. 
B. HERDER, St Louis : 

The Communion of Saints. By Rev. Chas. F. McGinnis, Ph.D. $1.50. Spir- 
itual Exercises for the Purgative, Illuminative, and Unitive Ways. By J. 
Michael of Coutances. $1.35. Crowns and Palms. From the German of 
Monsignor A. de Waal. Pamphlet. 25 cents. The Church of Christ. By 
Rev. B. J. Otten, S.J. 15 cents. The Holy Way of the Cross. Pamphlet. 
5 cents. 
M. A. DONOHUE & Co., Chicago : 

Bi-sexual Man. By Buzzacott and Wymore. Memory and the Executive Mind. 

By A. R. Robinson. $1.50 net. 
CATHOLIC TRUTH SOCIETY, London : 

Facts and Theories. By Sir Bertram C. A. Windle, LL.D. Twelve Catholic Men 
of Science. By Sir Bertram C. A. Windle, LL.D. Catholicism and Socialism. 
SANDS & Co., London : 

The Tragedy of Fotheringay. By Hon. Mrs. Maxwell Scott. 3 s. 6 d. 
PIERRE TEQUI, Paris : 

Le Salut Assure par la Devotion a Marie. Le Reverend Pere A. De Ponlevoy 
S.J. Par P. Alexandre de Gabriac. 4 frs. Au dela du Tombeau. Par R. P. 
Ad. Hamon, S.J. 3 frs. La Bonte et les Affections Naturelles chez les Saints. 
Par Marquis de Segur. 6frs. Jeunesse et Ideal. Par Abbe Henri Morice 
2 frs. Saint Antoine de Padone. Par Mgr. Ant. Ricard. 3 frs. 50. Senti- 
ment de Napoleon ler sur le Christianisme. Par Bathild Bouniol. Le Mystere 
de la Tres Ste Trinite. Par R. P. Edouard Hugon. 3 frs. 50. Le Petit 
Journal Des Saints ou Abrege de Leur Vie. Par Deux Missionnaires. i fr. 25. 
La Verite aux Gens du Monde. Par Joseph Tissier. 3 frs. 50. Les Fonde- 
ments de La Foi. Par R. P. Mario Laplana, S.J. Vers la Vie pleine. 
Par Ad Goutay. 3 frs. 50. Allocutions pour les Jeunes Gens. Par Paul 
Lallemand. 3 frs. Mizra'im ; Souvenirs D'gypte. Par Godefroid Kurth. 



THE 



CATHOLIC WORLD. 



VOL. XCVL 



FEBRUARY, 1913. 



No. 575. 



MINIMUM WAGE LEGISLATION. 




BY JOHN A. RYAN, S.T.D. 

HE proposal to establish a lowest legal limit of wages 
has, even in the United States, got beyond the con- 
fines of academic discussion. It has found a place 
in the statutes of Massachusetts, been introduced 
in the legislatures of two other States, been inserted 
in the national platform of a great political party, been authorized 
in the new constitution of Ohio, and it will be among the bills 
discussed in the legislatures of several States this winter. Perhaps 
the most conclusive evidence that it has become a live and general 
question is to be found in the fact that it will be the topic of dis- 
cussion at one session of the American Economic Association at its 
annual meeting this month. 

Obviously a legislative innovation of this sort ought not to be 
seriously urged unless the need therefor is grave. Is this condition 
verified in the matter of a legal minimum wage? Undoubtedly it 
is. Whether we consider the industrial situation from the side of 
the individual or from that of society, we cannot escape the con- 
clusion that the State ought not to permit any considerable section 
of its citizens to live below the level of efficient, normal, and 
reasonable life. Yet we are to-day confronted with just such a con- 
dition. 

Every one of the investigations into the cost of living that 
has been conducted in recent years justifies the assertion that the 
lowest amount on which a man and wife and three children can 

Copyright. 1913. THE MISSIONARY SOCIETY OF ST. PAUL THE APOSTLE 

IN THE STATE OF NEW YORK. 
VOL. xcvi. 37. 



578 MINIMUM WAGE LEGISLATION [Feb., 

maintain physical, mental, and moral health, in any city of the 
United States, is somewhere between seven hundred and fifty and 
nine hundred dollars per year, and that a decent living for a woman 
wage earner is somewhere between eight and ten dollars per 
week.* Yet the most comprehensive, and at the same time specific 
study of wage rates ever made in this country, showed that in 
1904 about fifty-eight per cent of the adult males in the manufac- 
turing industries were getting less than six hundred dollars an- 
nually, while about one-half of the female workers failed to receive 
more than six dollars a week.f 

According to Professor Nearing of the University of Penn- 
sylvania, who has published the latest and most complete estimates 
of wages on the basis of all the available statistics, three-fourths 
of the male adult workers get less than seven hundred and fifty 
dollars yearly, and three-fifths of the adult females are paid 
a weekly wage of less than eight dollars. This estimate makes no 
allowance for idle time during the year, which Professor Nearing 
places at twenty per cent.$ The Twelfth Biennial Report of the 
Minnesota Labor Bureau shows that about three-quarters of the 
male wage earners in the principal occupations of the State received 
under seven hundred and fifty dollars per year, and that twenty- 
five per cent of the female workers got less than six dollars per 
week, and seventy-one per cent less than nine dollars per week. 

If the remuneration of these underpaid multitudes could be 
raised by other means to normal and decent levels within one or 
two generations, the case for legislative intervention would not be 
overwhelmingly strong. But all competent authorities know that 
this is not merely improbable, but, humanly speaking, impossible. 
In the general rise in wages which has taken place during the last 
fifteen years, the pay of the unskilled, who comprise the greater 
part of the underpaid workers, has not kept pace with that of the 
men and women who possess skill. 

In fact, the real wages of this submerged class have not risen at 
all. Neither through organization, for the great majority cannot 
become effectively organized; nor through the automatic action of 
economic forces, for, as Walker long ago pointed out, these tend 
to degrade further, rather than to uplift, the oppressed sections of 

*See Chapin, The Standard of Living in Workingmen's Families; Streightoff, 
The Industrial People of the United States, and Report of the Massachusetts Com- 
mission on Minimum Wage Boards. 

tSee Bulletin No. 93 of the Census Bureau of Manufactures. 

\Wages in the United States. 



1913-] MINIMUM WAGE LEGISLATION 579 

the working people; nor through the benevolence of employers, for 
they either cannot or will not achieve the desired end, can the 
remuneration of the underpaid be made adequate to decent and 
reasonable living. There remains, then, the single and sufficient 
method of legislation. 

The establishment of a minimum wage is quite as much a 
proper function of the State as the safeguarding of life, limb, or 
property. All these are goods which are of immediate necessity 
for the individual, and which indirectly promote the social welfare. 
To protect the health, morals, and mind of the citizen against 
the injury resulting from an insufficient livelihood, is quite as 
important, both individually and socially, as to protect his life 
against the assassin, his body against the bully, or his money against 
the thief. 

When the State neglects any of these functions, it fails in its 
primary duty of protecting natural rights, and promoting the com- 
mon good. The notion, so common throughout America, that, 
whatever else the State may do for the regulation of industry, it 
may not touch the wage contract, has neither political, moral, nor 
logical foundation. It is the last surviving remnant of the shallow 
and discredited doctrine of laissez-faire. If the believers in this 
notion were logical, they would condemn State regulation of child 
labor; of the hours of labor of women and young persons; of 
safety and sanitation in factories, and of workmen's compensation 
for industrial injuries. All these legislative provisions are justified 
because they are designed for the protection of classes that cannot 
protect themselves against economic exploitation. Precisely the 
same may be said of a minimum wage law. 

The establishment of living wages by law has no other eco- 
nomic consequences than those which attend upon their establish- 
ment by a labor union, or by voluntary agreement among employers. 
In all three cases a minimum is fixed below which no employer is 
permitted to pay wages. If the enforcement of that minimum 
by a labor union, or by a trade agreement conference, would not 
inflict excessive hardship upon the less efficient workers, nor unduly 
raise prices to the consumer, there is no reason why these evils 
would follow when the minimum is maintained by law. The essen- 
tial fact is the setting up of the minimum; the means through 
which it is set up is of no importance whatever economically. 
In view of this obtrusively obvious fact, it is somewhat difficult 
to retain one's respect for the intelligence of those well-meaning 



580 MINIMUM WAGE LEGISLATION [Feb., 

persons who would like to see all underpaid workers so effectively 
organized as to command living wages, and yet, on economic 
grounds, shrink from attaining the same end by legislation. 

That there are certain economic difficulties confronting the 
establishment of decent minimum wages, whether by law or other- 
wise, no intelligent advocate of the proposal will deny. Neverthe- 
less the obstacles are neither so serious nor so probable as they are 
thought to be by opponents. If the enforced payment of universal 
living wages would drive any employer or any industry out of 
existence, the contingency should be welcomed; for it is more 
desirable on every account that the masses of underpaid workers 
should have the means of living like human beings than that certain 
soulless trades should survive, or certain inefficient employers 
continue to function as captains of industry. 

Moreover, there is no sufficient reason to expect that these 
results would happen to more than an insignificant fraction of 
industries or of employers. The fear that slow and infirm workers 
would be unable to find employment is likewise without any solid 
foundation. Provision could be made in the law for the employ- 
ment at less than the legal minimum of all those persons who were 
not up to the average in speed or efficiency. Evasions of this article 
could be prevented, as is done in the Victoria statute, by the proviso 
that not more than a certain definite fraction, say, one-fifth, of the 
employees in any establishment should be permitted to work for 
less than the general minimum. In this way the relatively ineffi- 
cient workers would be better provided for than they are at present 
in occupations which maintain the union scale. 

There is, however, one objection to a universal minimum wage, 
which has in it some elements of validity. At least, it will stand 
the test of examination. It consists in the possibility that the in- 
creased wages would be followed by increased prices, and, therefore, 
by diminished production and diminished employment. Neverthe- 
less this contention has been unsuccessfully urged against every 
legislative enactment which apparently tends to increase the cost of 
production, such as eight-hour laws, child labor laws, industrial 
safety laws, accident compensation laws, and every other legal 
regulation which restricts in any way freedom of contract or free- 
dom of industrial management. Since the objection has not been 
permitted to prevail against these worthy and necessary measures, 
it should not stand in the way of minimum wage legislation. To 
be sure, if the wages of all the underpaid workers in America 



1913-] MINIMUM WAGE LEGISLATION 581 

were raised to decent and living levels by one sudden stroke of legal 
enactment, the evil results that we are now discussing would prob- 
ably be verified. 

Such able and uncompromising advocates of the minimum 
wage as Sidney and Beatrice Webb make this admission. Con- 
sequently the advance in wages effected by the law should be grad- 
ual and continuous, not quick and final. In this way the rise in 
prices would be confined to the products of a very few industries ; 
for the greater part of the increased wages would probably come 
out of the increased efficiency of the workers, and the diminished 
profits of monopolistic establishments and sweating establishments. 
All authorities admit that better food, clothing, and housing for 
submerged workers would enable them to turn out a larger product. 

The Massachusetts Minimum Wage Commission found that 
in one candy factory in that State twenty- four per cent of the girls 
received less than four dollars a week, while in another only one 
per cent fell below that wage ; that in a third establishment twenty- 
two per cent were paid between six and eight dollars, while in a 
fourth seventy-eight per cent were in that class of wage rates; 
and that, if a minimum wage of six dollars per week were estab- 
lished, Jones would be compelled to add ten dollars to his payroll 
for every ten women employed, but the increased wage outlay by 
Jenkins would be only three dollars. Undoubtedly Jones would 
suffer a considerable reduction in profits. He might even be forced 
out of business; but this would be a good thing, not only for his 
exploited employees, but for the whole candy industry. 

Even a considerable rise in prices would be a smaller evil than 
the existence of large masses of underpaid human beings. If 
people want goods they should pay a sufficient price for them to 
provide living wages for the producers. If the higher prices caused 
a lessened demand, and a smaller volume of employment in some 
industries, the displaced workers could probably all find occupation 
in those trades in which an increased product would be needed to 
meet the increased purchasing power of those wage earners who had 
formerly been underpaid. 

To put this phase of the matter in a single sentence : a rise in 
wages which, on the one hand, compelled the comfortable classes 
to expend a larger proportion of their incomes for the products 
of labor, and which, on the other hand, increased the efficiency of 
the producers, could not possibly be detrimental to the laboring 
population as a whole. Indeed, if the argument against a minimum 



582 MINIMUM WAGE LEGISLATION [Feb., 

wage, based on the assumption of a consequent rise in prices, is valid, 
it condemns every attempt to raise the remuneration of any group 
of workers by any method whatever. It is not merely a counsel 
of despair, but a resurrection of the crude and discarded wage 
fund theory. 

Finally, we come to the constitutional difficulty. Twenty years 
ago those provisions of our State and Federal constitutions which 
protect every person against deprivation of life, liberty, or property 
without due process of law, would probably have been interpreted 
by almost all our higher courts as fatal to minimum wage legisla- 
tion. Since that date the situation has been greatly improved. 
In the Oregon ten-hour case (Mueller vs. Oregon) the United States 
Supreme Court decided that the liberty to work more than ten 
hours a day in certain occupations could legally be taken away from 
women wage earners in the interest of their health, morals, and 
general welfare. The Supreme Court of Illinois rendered the same 
decision in a similar case on substantially the same grounds 
(Ritchie & Co. vs. Wayman). In several other States the courts 
of final resort have made like pronouncements regarding ten-, nine-, 
and eight-hour laws for women workers. 

The reasoning employed in all these cases would compel these 
courts to sustain the constitutionality of laws requiring that women 
be paid minimum rates of wages. Counsel for the State would 
merely be required to show that insufficient wages are detrimental 
to the health, morals, and welfare of women employees, and there- 
fore of the community; and this could be even more impressively de- 
monstrated than in the matter of excessive hours of labor. It 
could easily be proved that a woman's freedom to work for less 
than living wages is a fit subject for restriction under the police 
power. 

Even if a minimum wage law should include not merely women 
and children but adult males as well, there is some probability that 
it would be sustained by the Supreme Court of the United States. 
In the case of Holden vs. Hardy, the Court declared that employees 
engaged in dangerous and unhealthful occupations, such as under- 
ground mining, are not on an equality with their employers, but 
are practically constrained to obey the rules laid down by the latter, 
and that in such cases the legislature may interpose its authority on 
behalf of the workers. Hence it sustained the law reducing the 
hours of labor to eight per day. Similarly in the cases of Allgeyer 
vs. Louisiana, Lochner vs. New York, and the Knoxville Iron Co. 



1913-] MINIMUM WAGE LEGISLATION 583 

vs. Harbison the same Court laid down the doctrine that police 
power may be exercised not only on behalf of the general health, 
welfare, safety, and morals, but in the interest of any particular 
class of employees who are in a position of economic disadvantage 
as compared with their employers. Surely this is the plight of 
the great mass of underpaid men. 

The latest and most sweeping pronouncement of the United 
States Supreme Court on this question is found in its decision con- 
cerning the case of Noble State Bank vs. Haskell. " It may be said 
in a general way that the police power extends to all the great 
public needs. It may be put forth in aid of what is sanctioned 
by usage as held by the prevailing morality or strong and prepon- 
derant opinion to be greatly and immediately necessary to the public 
welfare." Under this interpretation a minimum wage law apply- 
ing to men as well as women would probably be held constitutional, 
once it had got through a State legislature; for it would then be 
regarded as " greatly and immediately necessary to the public 
welfare." 

Not all the State courts of last resort would take such a broad 
and enlightened view of the police power. In the case of Ives vs. 
South Buffalo Railway Co., the New York Court of Appeals ex- 
pressly repudiated that interpretation. In all the States thus af- 
flicted, the obvious and fairly easy remedy is to amend the State 
constitution. This has already been accomplished in Ohio through 
the following provision : " Laws may be passed fixing and regu- 
lating the hours of labor, establishing a minimum wage, and pro- 
viding for the comfort, health, safety, and general welfare of all 
employees; and no other provision of the constitution shall impair 
or limit this power." It will be observed that this article applies to 
male as well as female employees. A similar enabling act can be 
got into the organic law of any State in which the subject is of 
great practical importance, and in which public opinion has become 
sufficiently aroused and enlightened to support corresponding stat- 
utory legislation. 

So much for the theoretical side of the situation. What is the 
verdict of experience? Throughout the mediaeval period wages 
were for the most part fixed by law, or by custom which had all 
the force of law. The most notable example of formally legal 
regulation is, of course, the long series of English Statutes of 
Laborers from 1349 till the days of Elizabeth. In the early years 
of the nineteenth century the weavers of Lancashire, and the more 



584 MINIMUM WAGE LEGISLATION [Feb., 

efficient employers in that trade, petitioned Parliament to reinforce 
the Elizabethan statute for the regulation of wages by the justices 
of the peace, in order to raise the starvation levels of wages then 
prevailing. Owing to the extraordinary influence of the political 
economists, however, the British Parliament not only rejected the 
petition, but formally repealed the statute. It followed the advice 
of doctrinaires who condemned legal regulation, not merely of 
wages, but of hours, age, sanitation, and safety. 

So far as the present writer knows, the first modern enactment 
of the minimum wage principle was made in one of the communes of 
Belgium in 1887. It provided that the employees of firms doing 
certain work by contract for the commune should be paid a mini- 
mum wage, respectively, of thirty-five and twenty-five centimes per 
hour. Since then the requirement that contractors on public work, 
and the makers of supplies for public purposes, should pay certain 
minimum rates of remuneration has been extended throughout the 
entire kingdom. Herein we have a suggestion that is of value 
for our own municipal, state, and national governments. If laws 
may be, as they have been, passed requiring that the eight-hour 
day be observed on work done by private contractors for the govern- 
ment, it would seem that a minimum wage clause in all such con- 
tracts ought to be feasible. 

The first minimum wage law applying to purely private em- 
ployments was enacted in the year 1896 in Victoria, Australia. 
The method of determining the rates of remuneration was that of 
boards, composed of employers and employees in equal numbers, 
and a third group of members representing the public. Applying 
at first to some half dozen trades, the law has been steadily extended, 
until it now embraces the great majority of the industrial employees 
in the State of Victoria. While sweating has not been entirely 
abolished, the lowest levels of wages have been considerably raised, 
industrial peace has been greatly promoted, and the scheme has given 
more general satisfaction than any other measure of equal im- 
portance ever enacted. Neither the cost of production nor the 
price of products has advanced. Some of the most beneficial 
effects of the law are not pecuniary at all, but intellectual and moral. 

The wage boards have tended to cultivate a disposition 
among employers to act more justly towards their employees 

The workers' interest has been aroused, and they are 

moved out of that apathy which prevented them from making 



1913-] MINIMUM WAGE LEGISLATION 585 

any attempt to better themselves. Their moral and intellectual 
status is steadily improving. Initiative is fostered, hopes and 
aspirations are aroused. The workers' whole outlook upon 
life is changing as they gradually awake from the slough of 
despondency and indifference induced by the depressing and 
demoralizing influence of evil conditions and hopeless drudgery. 
The power of the sweater is broken, and the worker has cast 
off that fatalistic servitude and degradation which blighted 
his whole existence.* 

The success of the Victorian legislation has influenced the 
neighboring States of New South Wales and South Australia to 
enact similar measures within the last ten years. 

At the beginning of the year 1910 minimum wage boards, or 
trade boards, were established in four of the most depressed in- 
dustries carried on by the female home workers of England. Par- 
liament adopted this device as the only remedy that held out the 
slightest promise of success. Writing in the American Economic 
Review for March, 1912, Mr. E. F. Wise of Toynbee Hall, London, 
says : " It would be safe to say that the measure of progress in 
the two short years that have elapsed has exceeded the hopes of 
the warmest supporters of the act, and there is every indication 
that at last a weapon has been forged that will greatly diminish if it 
does not destroy one of the worst evils of our industrial system." 
At the very moment that this sentence was published, the British 
Parliament was engaged in extending the minimum wage legisla- 
tion to all the coal mines of the country. This was primarily to 
bring to an end a disastrous strike which had defied all other 
methods of settlement. The faith of the workers in the measure 
was sufficiently indicated in the fact that they called off the strike 
as soon as the law was enacted. 

Within the last three or four years minimum wage projects 
have been seriously entertained in the national legislatures of 
France, Germany, and Austria. Like the first English legislation, 
these proposals would apply only to certain classes of women 
workers, and would operate by means of trade boards. 

The first enactment of this sort in the United States is the 
minimum wage boards act of the Massachusetts Legislature in 1912. 
It applies only to women and minors, and the wages to be fixed 
under it will have only moral not legal sanction. The names of 
those employers who refuse to pay the rates of wages determined 

*Sweated Labor and the Trade Boards Act, p. 44. 



586 MINIMUM WAGE LEGISLATION [Feb., 

by a board must be published in four newspapers of the county in 
which the establishments are located. While 'the law is in this 
respect vitally defective, it does recognize the principle of a mini- 
mum wage, and it may well become a powerful means of educating 
public opinion to demand a genuinely compulsory statute. 

Practically all the foregoing laws and projects of law provide 
for the establishment of the minimum by the device of wage boards. 
These are more democratic, more elastic, and more apt to win the 
assent of employers than the more direct method of wage fixing 
by the legislature or by a State commission. Far from being radical 
or revolutionary, wage boards are moderate in conception, and 
likely to move very gradually in their task of raising existing rates 
of wages. Inasmuch as they represent the employer and the gen- 
eral public as well as the employees, they could not easily be or do 
otherwise. They are very much akin to boards of arbitration. 
The direct method was embodied in the bill brought before the Wis- 
consin Legislature in 1911, and is likewise exemplified in the bill 
to be introduced into the Legislature of Oregon this winter. In 
the former project the State industrial commission was authorized 
to fix minimum rates of wages in all employments which were 
paying wages, whether to males or females, insufficient to provide 
" the necessary comforts of life." The Oregon bill would, if 
enacted into law, operate at first even more directly; for it would 
specifically fix the minimum wages of women at nine dollars and 
seven dollars and eighty cents a week in counties containing, re- 
spectively, more and less than one hundred thousand inhabitants. 
While the direct method, as exemplified by either of these projects, 
is simpler and more easily applied than the board method, it seems, 
for the present at least, to be less likely to be successful. 

The ideal arrangement would comprehend both methods: a 
general minimum applying at once to all trades in the State, but so 
low that it would prohibit only a few of the lowest actual rates 
of wages; and boards in each trade which would raise the general 
minimum whenever such action was justified by particular condi- 
tions. Thus, the legislative minimum would give formal sanction 
to the minimum wage principle, and also do away with the most 
extreme forms of underpay, without, however, putting an unfair 
burden upon any industry; the board's minimum would go beyond 
this wherever possible, and accomplish it through a method that 
gave all parties a voice in its decisions. 




CELIA'S LOVER. 

BY JOHN AYSCOUGH. 

CHAPTER I. 

VERYTHING at Earlsmere is traditional. And that, 
to my mind, is its special and rare attraction. As 
soon as you step out of the fly that has brought you 
from Severton, half a dozen miles away, you feel 
that you are enjoying life in the time of your grand- 
mother, with the advantage of being able to drive back again, for 
seven-and-sixpence, into the twentieth century whenever your busi- 
ness or inclination may call you there. 

The old inhabitants assure you that there have been lament- 
able changes, but you really cannot believe in them. 

There is a delightful sensation of fixity about the Earlsmere 
folk : for one thing they are always to be found in the same houses. 
That Lord Earlsmere should still inhabit Earls Thorpe, as 
his noble progenitors did before him, is of course satisfactory, 
but does not affect the imagination. Nor is it worthy of remark 
that Sir Amos Dene should reside at Dene Abbey as all the Denes 
have done for three hundred and forty years; though by the way 
there are countries where the spectacle is not uncommon of family 
seats occupied at present by alien invaders, of unfamiliar name and 
bewildering wealthiness. 

But at Earlsmere it is not the great folks alone who inhabit 
traditional homes. Doctor Hart's father was Doctor Hart before 
him, and lived where he does in the cosy white house with green 
Venetians, opposite the church gates. And that former Doctor Hart 
was son of old Mr. Daniel Hart, the apothecary, who moved into 
that house after he had retired on a "modest competence." 

(Almost everybody at Earlsmere enjoys a "modest compe- 
tence," and that again is very comfortable.) 

The Misses Spicers still keep school in The Firs, where their 
aunts, the original Misses Spicers, had their establishment for young 
ladies soon after Queen Victoria's accession. And, as we all know, 
those primal Misses Spicers inherited the school from their mother, 
who had purchased it (on becoming a widow) from the last surviv- 
ing Miss Crabbe, under whose auspices she herself and all the neigh- 



588 CELIA'S LOVER [Feb., 

borhood had received their education in the time of the Prince 
Regent. 

Lawyer Quill is the perennial rival of Lawyer Vellem, as his 
father before him was the rival of old Attorney Vellem, the pres- 
ent man's uncle: and Greenbank is still the abode of the Quills 
as it was forty years ago, while Thorn Lodge is still the strong- 
hold of the Vellem interest. 

Nor is this pleasing fixity of habitation confined to our upper 
classes. Where we now buy our tea and sugar, our grandpapas 
and grandmammas also purchased theirs from the grandparents 
of our purveyors. If we require a new smoothing iron, or a packet 
of nails, we get them from Steele Brothers in High Street, where 
the nails were probably purchased that held together the framework 
of the triumphal arches on the occasion of the Waterloo celebra- 
tions, and the rejoicings over The Peace. Our post office has been 
in the Stampett family for four generations Andrew Stampett the 
second having been cut off prematurely in the very flower of his 
sixties and in its present house for more than thirty years, but we 
still call it the new post office. The fact is, we were much offended 
at its removal from Church Street, a change effected by Her 
Majesty's Postmaster-General, in spite of vehement petitions on 
a merely utilitarian pretext, the Market Square being, as he alleged, 
more central than Church Street. The hollowness of this pretense 
was very apparent to us, for (as Miss Granger observed) the 
Market Place might be more exactly in the centre of the town, 
but Church Street was quite as near the middle of the parish; 
and it was hard, as she very justly remarked, if ladies who had 
lived in Church Street all their lives were to be expected to shift 
their residence for the sake of being near the new post office. 

Miss Granger was the daughter of the late rector, and grand- 
niece of the last rector but one, and was an authority on all local 
topics, the unwritten laws that guided us being conserved by her 
with special rigor of fidelity. 

" For my part," said Miss Granger, " I shall be surprised if 
any good comes of such changes. You may still dispatch letters 
on a Tuesday, if you will, but for my part I shall be careful to 
do no such thing." 

Tuesday is our market day, and it is not Earlsmere etiquette 
for our ladies to be seen in the Market Square on that day a 
regulation founded on a tradition of a drunken drover having en- 
deavored to salute the great grandaunt of Miss Granger's god- 
mother, Lady Dene, on such an occasion. 



1913.] CELIA'S LOVER 589 

" In a case of necessity," said Miss Lavender, " I suppose 
one would have to send an important letter by one's maid-servant; 
and one would certainly prefer to see it in the box oneself." 

" I am one of those," cried Miss Granger, " that would never 
feel myself justified in exposing others to a risk I would shun 
for myself." 

I could not help commending Miss Granger in this, for the 
" risk " in the case of her pretty maid was certainly quite as 
worthy of consideration as in her own. 

" As for the box," she continued, " it is very different from 
the old one. It is made of iron, and the mouth goes up instead of 
down : one never knows where one's letter goes to. In the old one 
you could see it go down." 

Miss Granger spoke gloomily, and it was felt that her sus- 
picions were but too well founded. I do not think that the Post- 
master-General has ever been regarded since as a very reliable 
Minister in Earlsmere. 

Miss Lavender lived in Paragon House, and with her resided 
her sister, whom we all spoke of as " Miss Celia," but whether 
correctly or no this story will unfold to you. 

CHAPTER II. 

Paragon House is the last in the town, at our end, of course, 
and its garden is bounded by the park palings of Dene Abbey. The 
house is rather large, and stands well apart from Doctor Hart's, 
which is the nearest to it. It has a gateway of wrought-iron 
facing its wide front door, and among the scrolls and dragon 
heads of the design the Lavender crest a Cornish chough is 
frequently apparent. The same crest is repeated in stone on the 
gate-posts at each side, and the whole shield of arms is carved in 
crumbling stone on the classic pediment. The house is of warm 
red brick, mellowed by a hundred and fifty winters; but the 
pilasters along the front one between each pair of windows and 
the pediment are of gray stone. 

This house was once the Dower House of the Lavenders of 
Lavender Hill, four miles away on the Severton Road, and in 
those days the Lavenders were big people: but a hundred years 
ago Squire Lavender was a gambling, drinking, cock-fighting 
spendthrift, and when he died which he deferred doing uncon- 
scionably it was found that the estate was all at sixes and sevens, 



590 CELIA'S LOVER [Feb., 

and most of it had to be sold. With what was left his widow and 
her children retired to Paragon House, and there the Lavenders 
had been ever since, growing no richer, and not much poorer. 

And the Garbuts flourished wealthily at Lavender Hill; but 
nobody forgot that it " was really the seat of the Lavenders." 
In no other instance has any other estate in our neighborhood 
changed hands within the last century. At the time of which I 
write, Paragon House was inhabited by two ladies, sisters, who both 
as has been said went commonly by the style and title of " Miss 
Lavender." 

There had been a brother, whose story, if you allow me, may 
hereafter be told; but concerning whom it is enough to say here 
that he had long been or supposed to be dead. At all events the 
two sisters had for many years, ever since their mother's death, been 
all alone in the world. Miss Lavender Grace, her sister called 
her was by some years the elder, and was dark-eyed, and with a 
great deal of soft, dark-brown hair; while Miss Celia was very 
fair, with wide blue eyes, that had a beautiful but somewhat melan- 
choly moistness, and she was much shorter than her sister. As a 
girl she had been rather plump; but that was the case no longer. 
Nor was she merry now, as everyone declared that she used to be in 
her sunny days of youth. 

Indeed, neither of the Misses Lavender were much given to 
laughter, and in Earlsmere they were considered terribly silent. 
But this silence and gentle sadness was generally forgiven them, 
for we knew their history. 

The late Mrs. Lavender had been sister to the Reverend 
Rupert Granger, the Rector, and as her husband had left no brothers 
or sisters of his own, the clergyman was appointed guardian to the 
children. What came of that guardianship in the case of the lad 
there is no occasion to detail here. 

At the time of their mother's death, the elder Miss Lavender 
was nearly thirty years of age; Miss Celia being about one-and- 
twenty. Their uncle's guardianship was therefore become rather a 
matter of interest and protection than of direction and regulation. 
He was desirous that his nieces should look out for a tenant 
for their house, which was indeed vastly too big for them, and 
come to live at the Rectory. But this neither of them would hear 
of. The elder Miss Lavender had a feeling for her uncle ever 
since the affair of her brother that would have become repulsion 
had she given way to it. 



1913.] CELIA'S LOVER 591 

CHAPTER III. 

When Mrs. Lavender died, the Miss Granger whom we have 
heard speaking on the subject of the new post office, was still a 
young woman, and was still residing with her father at the Rectory. 
She, too, had a brother, but he was seldom at home; he being a 
" major in the army," as we used to say with almost superfluous 
particularity, if one considers the comparative rarity of majors 
in the navy. 

This brother, however, came home one winter on furlough, and 
with him there came a younger officer, one Captain Brand, whom we 
all devoted to the hand of Miss Granger. 

As it turned out, he discovered no admiration for that young 
woman, but did specially betray a marked attraction for the younger 
of her cousins, Miss Celia Lavender. 

Whether Miss Granger had shared our ideas in reference to 
this visitor or not I cannot say; but she certainly seemed little 
pleased with his attentions to her kinswoman. And she took so 
little pains to conceal her feelings that everybody noticed it; the 
more rough spoken remarked that Miss Granger was jealous, but 
most of us were content to shake our heads and commit ourselves 
to no opinion about that. 

But there seemed no doubt that Miss Granger had remonstrated 
with her cousin for " gliding so easily into a flirtation with a 
man who was a stranger to them all, of whom no one knew any- 
thing, and whom Celia herself had not met five weeks before." 
And it was equally certain that Miss Celia had not taken this re- 
monstrance in good part, whereupon her cousin betook herself to 
the Rector. Apparently the clergyman, when his attention had been 
drawn to the matter, agreed with his daughter, for he spoke strongly 
to his niece, and failing to produce much effect on her by his words 
of wisdom, abruptly asked the young man his intentions. 

Report now declared that Captain Brand had been a good deal 
taken aback by this vigorous course on the part of the Rector; 
that he had objected to being hurried, but had not denied having 
serious intentions in regard to Miss Celia Lavender. 

At all events an engagement between them was speedily an- 
nounced, and all preparations for a wedding were put forward. 

Of course the Rectory did not like to stand aloof, but it was 
easy to see that the Rectory took no great delight out of the 
marriage. The Rector, indeed, was not silent as to the necessity 
of stricter inquiries into the antecedents of the bridegroom; but 



592 CELIA'S LOVER [Feb., 

to all such suggestions Miss Lavender to whom they were gener- 
ally made replied that Captain Brand was no friend of her sister's 
finding: that she had met him at the Rectory, that he had been 
introduced to her as her cousin's friend and her uncle's guest, 
and it was now too late to draw back and declare that he was a 
mere acquaintance. If Major Granger had any grounds for dis- 
trusting him, why had the major brought him among them? If he 
had none, why was he now seeking to belittle his friend? 

Miss Lavender had never loved her uncle since the loss of 
her brother, a loss which she laid, justly or unjustly, at that uncle's 
door; and now Miss Celia went over to her side with a fuller com- 
pleteness, and there were no close amities between the Rectory 
and Paragon House. 

Nevertheless the wedding was performed by the Rector, as- 
sisted by the Reverend Matthew Primm, the Curate, and Miss 
Granger was bridesmaid with the elder Miss Lavender. 

That wedding was never forgotten in Earlsmere. Weddings 
among the Church Street circles were not of frequent occurrence, 
and Paragon House was, in a way, more distinguished even than 
Church Street. 

And Miss Celia was a lovely bride. I do not know myself 
that wedding garments are invariably becoming, or that young 
brides always look their best in them; but Miss Celia had never 
looked so well in all her life as on that bright, sunny morning in 
January when she walked with her bridal procession from the old 
house, where she had passed all her life hitherto, to the old church 
where she had prayed since childhood, and where so many of 
those whose name she was about to relinquish lay in their quiet 
sleep, waiting for the day when the Master should call to them 
to stand again upon their feet clad in the fair raiment of the flesh. 

It was the fashion of Earlsmere weddings to walk to church, 
and a very pretty kindly fashion, as I think. None of our circle 
lived far from the church, and we were accustomed to boast that 
our village street was clean enough for you to eat your dinner 
off. And by walking the wedding party gave the poorer throng 
who also are much interested in weddings and funerals a far 
better opportunity of enjoying the smart clothes and flowers than if 
those who were adorned with them had been shut up in coaches. 

Many were the blessings and good wishes rained upon Miss 
Celia as she walked between the respectful lines of spectators 
that bright winter's morning; and not always silent were the 
admiring criticisms of the handsome bridegroom. The poor people 



1913-] CELIA'S LOVER 593 

love a pretty bride, and a bride is twice as interesting when you 
remember her mother's wedding " as if it was yesterday." 

And it was not forgotten that Miss Celia came of the " old 
Lavenders of Lavender Hill," and that her grandmother and the 
present Lord Earlsmere's grandmother had been first cousins. 
Among our townsfolk there is nearly as much reverence for good 
blood as among ourselves, and it was not felt to be any great 
favor on the part of the present proprietors of Lavender Hill that 
they had sent over their grand Scotch gardener with a whole 
cartload of exotic plants to decorate the chancel for Miss Celia's 
weddings. That was a very simple attention, and it would have been 
more remarkable in its omission than it was in its fulfillment. 



CHAPTER IV. 

One little contretemps occurred that might have seriously 
marred the cheerfulness of everybody, but fortunately it occurred a 
minute or two too soon to have any unlucky result. A triumphal 
arch had been erected over the churchyard gate into Church Street, 
as was our custom on these occasions, and this one was rather 
more than commonly magnificent. It had, in fact, been so loaded 
with decorations as to have become rather top-heavy; and just as 
Miss Celia, leaning on Major Granger's arm, was about to step 
under it on to the red carpet that reached from the gate to the 
church, a large portion of the upper part came crashing down. 
There was quite a confusion of greenery, white paper pairs of 
gloves, true-love knots, and three-fourths of the word " luck " lying 
on the ground ; but Miss Celia had stepped back lightly, and had not 
received so much as a scratch. No harm had been done to anyone, 
and the delay necessary to remove what had fallen was not five 
minutes. 

It was declared afterwards that Miss Celia had grown very 
pale, as if the slight occurrence had jarred upon her with some 
foreboding of ill-omen. But brides are apt to look pale, and it 
is certain that she laughed cheerily enough while the bystanders 
were congratulating her on her escape. 

" It would have been horrid," she said, " to have been married 
in a broken nose." 

Without any tears, though in a low voice, did the young 
bride take God to witness how she plighted all her troth to the 

VOL. xcvi. 38. 



594 CELIA'S LOVER [Feb., 

man whom she loved, and with louder, more virile decision did 
he declare his intention of endless fidelity to the girl whom he 
had chosen. 

Then the little gold fetter bound them together, and up over- 
head the old bells rang out their clanging assent and gratulation. 

" Ding-dong ! For he has ta ken her 
To be ding-dong his wed ded wife " 

" ded wife," came the resonant echo from the hollow tower 
where the joy-bells swung. And bells, you know, cannot spell/ 

Then the registers w r ere signed and duly witnessed; the bride 
was kissed; and, on her husband's arm this time, she passed down 
the aisle between the familiar faces, some of which were wet 
with tears. We mostly weep for happiness here below, as if 
remembering how sorrow jostles all our joy, and how swiftly one 
melts into the shadow of the other. 

It is such a short walk from the church to Paragon House, 
that the wedding party were seated at breakfast within twenty 
minutes of the conclusion of the ceremony. The bridal cakes were 
duly eaten, the wedding cake home-made by the old cook who had 
made the bride's mother's was duly cut, and the bridal toasts 
were drunk: then the bride withdrew to don her traveling gown, 
and her sister bore her company, for it was the custom sixty years 
ago at Earlsmere for the senior bridesmaid to accompany the newly- 
wedded pair upon their honeymoon. 

During that absence of the sisters it was remarked that the 
bridegroom was not talkative, and it was said afterwards that 
he had seemed much preoccupied by a letter that he had then 
opened; some said he frowned, some that he bit his lip, others 
averred that he had stamped impatiently; but all these statements 
were made at a later period. At the moment it was only observed 
that the " groom was eager to be off and have his wife more to 
himself." 

At last bride and bridesmaid did come down; there was much 
kissing and handshaking, and the post chaise rolled away on the 
road to Severton, which was to be all their journey for that day, 
the rest of the party being left behind to that feeling of vague 
melancholy that generally succeeds the excitement and elation of 
the morning. 

It is nearly seven miles to Severton, the roads are " deep " 
and rutty, and the frost, following on a partial thaw of snow, had 



IQI3-] CELIA'S LOVER 595 

made them very nearly impassible. It therefore took the heavy, 
old-fashioned post chaise, drawn by its heavy and old-fashioned 
post horses, a very long time to get the bridal trio from Earlsmere 
to the big seaport town. And the brief winter's day was done 
and the frosty night fallen before the journey was ended. 

The warmth and bright lights of the " Benbow's Head " were 
very pleasant after the cramped sitting still for so long in the 
chilly chaise, and they were all three healthily hungry. Dinner 
was not very long off being ready, for they were themselves later 
than had been expected, and the little party of three sat down to 
it with a great deal of appetite and good humor. When it was 
finished the young wife admitted fatigue, and consented to go and 
rest, her husband going out for a stroll and a pipe upon the quays. 

From that stroll he never returned. After an hour or so 
had gone by the ladies began to expect him, though without any 
nervousness, as it was by no means late. But at the end of two 
hours the bride grew anxious, and a vague, unhappy disquiet fell on 
her. The sisters sat over the fire and tried to turn the bridegroom's 
absence into a jest, but ever with less and less success. They 
had a shyness of making inquiries concerning his absence among 
the inn folk, until it had grown so late that they were really 
frightened. 

But those inquiries led to nothing. He had been seen to 
light his pipe on the steps of the hotel, and to start off leisurely 
towards the docks and quays; but that was all the people of the 
place could tell. It was a bitter cold night, and through its dragging 
hours the two sisters sat waiting for one who never came. Some- 
times Celia wept a little, but for the most part she sat in dull 
apathy, gazing into the sulky, smouldering fire. She would not 
go to bed ; and in the morning, through deep snow, they were taken 
back to Earlsmere in the same coach and by the same driver that 
had brought them yesterday. 

The only word morning brought was that one of the 'ostlers 
belonging to the inn had seen the gentleman talking to a woman 
down by the quays, and had walked into a house with her. There 
was also talk of a party of king's sailors having been ashore and 
impressed a number of young fellows, but who had been taken or 
what was their description, no one knew. 

If the chill drive had seemed long yesterday, what did it appear 
to-day ! Celia shivered as she gazed out on the dead, white world ; 
under the pall of snow all her life lay frozen. 

The sisters hardly spoke, and when they did at length reach 



596 CELIA'S LOVER [Feb., 

their home the widowed bride went straight to her room. If she 
could have felt thankfulness for anything then it would have been 
that Paragon House stands at the Severton end of the village, so 
that no other house would have to be passed before reaching it. 
It had never seemed so cheerless; there was no fire in any 
sitting-room, and the blinds were drawn down, as if a dead person 
lay in one of the silent chambers. 



CHAPTER V. 

No news ever came of the bridegroom who had disappeared, 
and the forsaken bride withered in the midst of her youth. Not 
even to her sister would she ever speak of him ; from no one would 
she receive any hint of condolence, any suspicion of sympathy. She 
never in any most distant way alluded to her marriage. The old 
servants called her " Miss Celia," as they had done all her life, 
and she neither remarked nor appeared to notice it. What she 
would have signed her name no one could tell, for she never wrote 
anything. Nor did any letter ever come that might give her mar- 
ried or her maiden name. 

Some said her trouble had turned her brain, and so they ex- 
cused her for never coming to church she set no foot in it from 
the day she walked out of it on her husband's arm; but her sister 
did not think she was mad. 

" She is dazed. She is like someone who cannot awaken, that 
is all." 

Perhaps she was like the Princess in the Legend of the Briar 
Rose; she would never waken till her lover came to rouse her from 
her sleep. 

She hardly ever read; I do not know that any of our young 
women used to be great readers in those days. While daylight 
lasted she would knit and sew socks and garments for the poor 
folk, but she herself never took them to the poor. Her sister did 
that. When the light failed she would sit staring into the fire, 
and yet she was not sullen or selfish. She would talk to her 
sister, and play with her at such games as two can play, only she 
would go out to no parties, and her sister never suggested having 
any there. 

Everybody in Earlsmere knew Miss Celia's story, and its 
shadow hung like a gray sad veil over Paragon House. 

There was hardly any intercourse in those days between the 



1913.] CELIA'S LOVER 597 

Rectory and Paragon House. The major had gone away to India; 
the Rector was angry that his prudent counsel had not been taken, 
and Miss Granger had once tried to tell Celia what was now her 
duty. The sisters never went to the Rectory, and it was very sel- 
dom anyone from the Rectory came to them. 

It is a trite saying that time is measured less by the mere 
tearing of leaves from the calendar than by our own bitter or 
sweet experiences ; and the story of Celia's marriage was not really 
very old ere it had seemed to throw the pale shadow of age over 
her. She was many years junior to her sister, and yet there 
was more of youth's aroma still clinging round the elder woman. 
Everyone at Earlsmere thought of " Miss Celia " as an old maid. 

Only once during the years after her bereavement was Celia 
left alone at Paragon House by her sister; and that was for very 
few weeks. Their sole remaining relation, the widow of their 
father's brother, living in a distant county, drew near her end, 
and sent word that she would take it kindly if one of her nieces 
would come and keep her company until the end, which she humbly 
said would not be long. 

Celia would have gone, but Miss Lavender would not suffer it 
and set off, wrapped in furs and many cloaks, for it was again 
winter, the hardest there had been since that in whose chill course 
Miss Celia had been married. 

People were not so much given to frequent letter writing in 
those days of heavy postage, but a couple of epistles did come from 
the elder Miss Lavender; rather stiff in style, as was natural 
in one not much in the habit of correspondence, and very likely 
not altogether free from the reproach of mistakes in spelling. 

The latter of these was to announce their aunt's death, which 
had taken place very quietly " early on the morning of New Year's 
Day," and to inform Celia that what money remained in the late 
Mrs. Lavender's power had been bequeathed to her two nieces. 

The letter ended by an assurance that the writer would be 
with her sister again (D. V.) "by the evening of Thursday." 

Perhaps Celia had never risen from her bed since the day 
of her wedding with anything so like cheerful anticipation as she 
did on that Thursday morning. She had missed her sister, and 
felt more solitary in her absence than she would have thought prob- 
able ; and she had grown almost afraid of the emptiness of the big 
old house. 

There are always certain preparations to make against an 
arrival in houses where arrivals are not frequent, even though the 



598 CELIA'S LOVER [Feb., 

person expected be no stranger. And the making of these filled 
the morning with pleasanter occupation than the poor numbed 
heart had known for years. 

As she went about her little pleasant tasks, a strange kind 
of excitement might have been observed in her manner, had there 
been anyone to watch her. She was conscious herself of it, and 
it deepened into a peculiar suppressed elation. 

At length the old housekeeper did, in fact, notice this; and 
was inclined to shake her head. To her simple, superstitious mind 
it was like the fabled singing of the swan before its death. 

Celia could not rest ; all day she was up and down, filling vases, 
that had long stood empty, with Christmas roses and crocuses, 
seeing that the logs burned brightly on her sister's hearth, and 
making little foolish trips to the door to see if any sign of the 
chaise was to be seen along the road, long before any chaise could 
be expected. 

The day was very cold; and there was a hard bitter frost, 
but it did not seem to freeze about that lonely heart of the desolate 
maid-wife, as in other winters it had done. There was a thick 
frosty haze, and the trees loomed large and ghostly out of the 
mist; but their naked fingers did not appear to her to clutch and 
snap at the leaden sky as was their wont. She could hardly 
eat her solitary meal at one o'clock, and after it was again afoot 
through the house, though there was really nothing left to do. For 
the first time in years she really looked at the things that fell 
within her view : the familiar, old-world rooms, the ancient furni- 
ture, every bit of which had stood in the same position in the 
same room ever since she had been a child; and the portraits of 
her people that seemed to-day to look down upon her from their 
frames with special kindliness. 

" Old Janet," she said to the ancient woman that had been her 
nurse in babyhood and was now the housekeeper ; " do you know 
what I think? I think that God is going to let me die. I feel 
as if the heavy weight was lifting up; as if all my sadness was 
near its end. I think God is going to let me die, and have done 
with all the sorrow of this foolish life of ours on earth." 

" Nay, Miss ! " cried the old woman ; but she could but shake 
her head. She, too, thought that this strange, rapturous excite- 
ment was the forewarning of the end. 

As the brief wintry afternoon closed in, the girl for still 
I must so call her grew calmer, but not less full of cheerfulness. 
She sat down by the fire in the warm snug parlor, and sat look- 



1913.] CELIA'S LOVER 599 

ing into it. The curtains were not yet drawn, and presently some 
one looked in through the window, and watched her as she sat. 
One has some sense of being so watched, I think, and she moved 
half-uneasily in her seat. 

" I will go and look along the road," she said, " and see if 
the chaise lights are in sight." 

She went out to the front, down the paved walk leading from 
the door to the gate of wrought iron, and out into the road. She 
looked towards Severton, but there were no coach lights to be seen, 
nor sound of wheels to be heard. It was, in truth, too early 
for her sister yet. She went back into the house, closing now the 
big door that she had left open, and so back into the fire-lit parlor. 
But as she entered a little exclamation broke from her; it was 
neither fear, nor joy, nor surprise, but some sort of mixture of 
them all. In the chair from which she had so lately risen sat a 
gentleman, and as she moved towards him he rose to his full 
height, and one saw that he was tall. Then for one thrilling 
moment she stood still, they both silent: and then he called her 
by her name. 

The old portraits blinked down pleasantly in the flickering 
light of the fire, as if they were well pleased to assist at such 
a meeting; and they were very discreet witnesses, making neither 
comments nor interruptions. 

On the table w r ere set out the tea things against Miss Laven- 
der's return, on the hob stood the bright bronze kettle, and this 
began to sing comfortably to itself, though nobody paid it the 
least attention. 

" And when are you going to want to know all ? " asked 
Captain Brand. " When are you going to demand explanations ? " 

She laughed, low and happily, and told him, " When he 
pleased." 

So then he began this tale : 

"A good many years ago there was a boy for, indeed, he 
was no more who very much resembled me, and when he was 
twenty I was just the same age. He was not a bad boy, but he was 
very weak and, like many other people, very hot-headed. He fell 
in love with a woman much older than himself, whom he thought 
then very beautiful, but whom you, dear, would never have admired. 
This woman was much lower in station than himself, and an adven- 
turess. How he fell more and more in love I need not now tell; 
but at last he offered to marry her, and she held him like a leech to 



6oo CELIA'S LOVER [Feb., 

his offer, not, it must be admitted, that he had then any other 
desire than to keep to it. 

" Well, they were married, and the boy's dream lasted a few 
weeks : then he found her out. She was drunken, and degraded, 
and selfish as only a drunkard can be. Her coarseness was now 
unbridled, and she sickened him to the very soul ; but still he tried to 
be faithful to her. One day, however, he by chance discovered 
that she had been already married to such another as herself 
a convict at the time of her marriage with him. Then he left 
her with a small provision the biggest he could make which 
should have been enough to keep her in frugal comfort. 

" Ten years after that discovery this boy, a man now and a 
soldier, was brought by a brother officer to stay in a little country 
town, where he met a dear and lovely maiden whom you have 
often seen, nay, whom you may see now if you will stand up 
and look there over the mantelpiece. And with her he fell in love ; 
to her he was married. On their wedding day he met in the streets 
of the great seaport and garrison town, which was the first stage 
on their wedding trip, the woman whom he had once believed to be 
his wife. She had heard of his engagement, and that he was now 
married; and she told him she was in very truth his wife. That 
her former husband had died in prison a day or two before she her- 
self had married him. And she produced evidence of what she 
asserted, having led him into a house for that purpose. Here she 
was living disgracefully. In the very midst of their talk a press- 
gang from a king's ship burst into the tavern, and with several 
others he was carried aboard the ship. Convinced of the wretched 
truth, he had made no effort to inform the girl whom he had wedded, 
and who could not be his wife, of the truth. Anything she could 
conjecture of his death would, he thought, be easier to bear. And 
so he had kept silence. In many lands he had been, and seen many 
peoples; but always one image only had lived within his eyes. At 
last tidings came of that woman's death. He had then been long 
free, and had hastened to verify them. It was certain that woman 
was dead, and now he had come back to ask for the long-delayed 
happiness of which he had so long dreamed." 

" And, Hector," the girl whispered, " am I then your wife? " 

" No, my dear," he answered, la-ughing, " but I hope you will 
still consent to be. I hope you will make no difficulty about your 
second marriage." 

A sound of wheels came now upon the frosty air; the great 



1913.] PENNIES 601 

front gate creaked on its hinges, and old Janet ran in to announce 
the arrival of Miss Lavender. 

" Well, my patience ! " she cried, as she pulled up short at 
the doorway of the parlor. But her voice was aglow with satis- 
faction. " Lor' now, if it ain't the Captain, and he not a day older 
than when he lost himself 1 " 

" Come," said Celia, " let us go out and welcome my sister." 



PENNIES. 

BY JOYCE KILMER. 

A FEW long-hoarded pennies in his hand 

Behold him stand ; 

A kilted Hedonist, perplexed and sad. 

The joy that once he had, 

The first delight of ownership is fled. 

He bows his little head. 

Ah cruel Time, to kill 

That splendid thrill! 

Then, in his tear-dimmed eyes, 

He drops his treasured pennies on the ground, 

They roll and bound 

And scattered, rest 

Now with what zest 

He runs to find his errant wealth again! 

So unto men 

Doth God, depriving that He may bestow, 

Fame, health and money go, 

But that they may, new found, be newly sweet. 

Yea, at His feet 

Sit, waiting us, to their concealment bid, 

All they, our lovers, whom His Love hath hid. 

Lo, comfort blooms on pain, and peace on strife, 

And again on loss. 
What is the Key to Everlasting Life? 

A blood-stained Cross. 
New lights arise. 




BERGSON'S PHILOSOPHY OF CHANGE. 

HIS INTUITIVE METHOD. 
BY THOMAS J. GERRARD. 

HE two most prominent ideas in the philosophy of 
Bergson are time and intuition. In our last essay 
we dealt with his conception of time. We saw that 
he placed the very stuff of reality in this real time 
which is the flow of the " now," the everlasting be- 
coming, the perpetual change. We saw that he cast out of the realm 
of reality the concept of space. Space implied that bodies were 
side by side, that is, discontinuous, whereas real reality was con- 
tinuous, an indivisible flux. We argued that such analysis of 
reality was fraught with metaphysical, physical, and moral ab- 
surdities. 

We suggested at the end of our argument that these absurdi- 
ties were the outcome of a false method of philosophizing, namely, 
Bergson's particular method of intuition. To substantiate that 
suggestion is the purpose of this essay. Bergson claims that the 
intellect is neither the supreme nor the only method of acquiring 
knowledge. Certain knowledge of the highest and most trans- 
cendental kind can only be obtained by a peculiar kind of intuition. 
In order to find out the respective functions of intelligence 
and intuition, we must first look at the history of their evolution. 
Here, at the very threshold of the question, M. Bergson clashes 
with all previous evolutionists. Hitherto we have been asked to 
believe that from the primordial slime there was evolved first the 
lower forms of life, such as the amoeba and the protocossus, then the 
higher forms of the invertebrates; then the vertebrates with some 
sort of a monkey as the highest but one, and finally man as a de- 
scendant from a simian ancestor. 

M. Bergson now says that this is all wrong. The three 
orders of life, vegetative, instinctive, and rational, are not three 
successive stages of one and the same line of development, but 
rather three divergent directions of one life which split up as it 
grew. We hear nothing of natural selection as the cause of the 
different orders and species. It is the " original impetus " which 
does everything. The inert matter which it has to overcome serves 



1913.] BERGSON'S PHILOSOPHY OF CHANGE 603 

to modify it. " The animate forms that first appeared were 
therefore of extreme simplicity. They were probably tiny matters 
of scarcely differentiated protoplasm, outwardly resembling the 
amoeba observable to-day, but possessed of the tremendous internal 
push that was to raise them even to the highest forms of life. 
That in virtue of this push the first organisms sought to grow as 
much as possible, seems likely. But organized matter has a limit 
of expansion that is very quickly reached; beyond a certain point 
it divides instead of growing."* 

The aptitude of matter to divide was not, however, the chief 
cause of the great divisions. The real causes were those which 
life itself bore within its bosom. We can perceive this in our own 
lives. We feel various incompatible tendencies all striving for 
expression. We choose some and abandon others. So the great 
initial life chooses and bifurcates. Of the many bifurcations most 
have become blind alleys, but two or three have become highways, 
one the highway of the plants, another the highway of brutes, 
and another the highway of man. Only in the last one, which 
leads through the vertebrates, has the passage been wide enough 
to allow free movement to the full breath of life. The chief radical 
difference between a vegetable and an animal is that the vegetable 
manufactures its own food directly from mineral substances, whilst 
the animal has to have the organic food ready made. These 
phenomena imply that the vegetable may remain stationary, whilst 
the animal must move about in search of food. Hence, argues 
M. Bergson, " the same impetus that has led the animal to give 
itself nerves and nerve centres must have ended, in the plant, 
in the chlorophyllian function."! 

Again, just as one great stream of life split up into plants 
and animals, so the animal stream split up into the arthropods and 
the vertebrates. In the line of the arthropods the insect was its 
culmination, whilst in the line of the vertebrates the culmination was 
man. Now it so happens that the most highly developed instinct 
is found amongst the insects. Ants and bees, for instance, have 
instinct much more wonderful than that of cats or foxes. Hence 
M. Bergson infers that the evolution of the animal kingdom, with 
the exception of certain retrogressions towards vegetative life, is 
a bifurcation of ways, one leading to instinct, the other to intelli- 
gence. 

At this point we have to institute a comparison between in- 

*Creative Evolution, p. 104. Mbid., p. 120. 



604 BERGSON'S PHILOSOPHY OF CHANGE [Feb., 

stinct and intelligence. In the first place they both come under the 
influence of the philosophy of change, inasmuch as they must be 
described as tendencies and not things. Just as we see plant life 
and animal life interpenetrating each other, so that there is no com- 
plete severance between them, so also we see instinct and intelli- 
gence interpenetrating each other. Neither lends itself to rigid 
definition. Nevertheless that which is instinctive in instinct is 
different from and opposite to that which is intelligent in intellect. 
What does the difference and opposition consist in ? 

First it may be noticed that the instruments which instinct uses 
are much more perfect than those which intelligence uses, but they 
have much less adaptability. Instinct is a faculty which uses 
organized implements, whereas intelligence is a faculty which uses 
unorganized implements. In proportion as man's implements be- 
come organized, so much the less intelligence is required in the 
use of them. Consider, for instance, the difference between the 
thought required to make a pair of shoes by hand and that to make 
a pair by machine. Instinct, therefore, is specialized. It uses a 
special instrument for a special purpose. Intelligence, however, has 
a much wider range. It may have clumsier tools to work with, 
but it can adapt them to an indefinite variety of operations. Imagine 
how many things a sailor can do with his pocket knife. 

This difference of instruments calls forth a difference of 
knowledge. If intelligence has but an unorganized instrument with 
which to work, it must seek out ways and means of adapting the 
instrument to different ends. Intelligence, therefore, is a knowl- 
edge of the relations of things. It sees the connection between 
subject and predicate. It makes inferences. Instinct, on the other 
hand, being generally unable to observe the relations of things, has 
a direct knowledge of the things themselves. It is a sympathy. 
Its direction is quite the opposite of that of intelligence. It touches 
life directly, whilst intelligence has only to do with inert matter. 
.When bees are born they know their business immediately and di- 
rectly. Their knowledge is perfect from the first, and independent 
of experience. It is this power of direct insight into life which 
makes instinct so much like intuition. And it is by observing the 
operations of instinct that we are able to put ourselves in the way of 
seeing things by intuition. 

Before passing to the consideration of intuition itself, it will 
be well to give some account of the function of the intellect, 
for the sphere of the operations of the intellect is more familiar 



1913-] BERGSON'S PHILOSOPHY OF CHANGE 605 

to us, and therefore having written this off, we shall better be able 
to discern the range of intuition. 

The best illustration of what Bergson believes the intellect 
to be like is the cinematograph. The intellect does not deal with 
reality directly; does not touch that unceasing flow of time. It 
only takes snapshot views of it, and does this so constantly and 
readily that the snapshot views may be regarded as succeeding 
each other on a long cinematographical film. The intellect is only 
a part of the mind. It is to the mind what the eye is to the body. 
The body formed the eye because it needed it. So, too, the mind 
formed the intellect, because it wanted it for a special purpose. 
This purpose is to establish relations. The operation of the in- 
tellect is called forth by the needs of action. 

The intellect aims, first of all, at constructing. For this pur- 
pose it uses only inert matter, and if by any chance it uses or- 
ganized matter it treats it as inert. The intellect can deal only 
with the solid, for all else escapes it by reason of fluidity. Now 
for the practical purposes of life we have to take snapshots of the 
living flux; deal with them as having spatial quality; regard them 
as provisionally final and as so many units. It is as if we had 
actually taken a kodak picture of a man vaulting over a bar. We 
know quite well that he does not remain in mid-air, but for the 
practical purpose of showing our friends at home what we have 
seen on the athletic field, we make this static photograph. Cur- 
iously enough we are inclined to look upon the discontinuous 
pictures of life, which our intellect makes, as the one reality. But 
that is simply because such things fix our attention and rule our 
action. " Of the discontinuous alone does the intellect form a clear 
idea."* 

So, too, is it with regard to the objects upon which we act. 
We want to know whither a certain train is going, and whether it 
will stop at our station. Its rate of progress is quite a secondary 
matter. This shows that we fix our minds on the end or meaning 
of the movement We like to have a design of it as a whole. It 
is so much easier for us to plan our journey if we have a map as 
well as a time table. The intellect, therefore, is not meant to put 
itself into the midst of reality for the thrill of feeling the move- 
ment of the train; not for pure philosophy and metaphysics, but 
simply for the practical purposes of life, to show us how quickly 
we can get to the city, make a fair pile of money, and come home 

* Creative Evolution, p. 163. 



606 BERGSON'S PHILOSOPHY OF CHANGE [Feb., 

and gaze during the calm evening upon clean vital becoming. The 
intellect deals with the static and unchangeable simply because it 
is made that way. " Of immobility alone does the intellect form 
a clear idea"* 

By manipulating unorganized, inert, discontinuous, and im- 
mobile solids the intellect is able to fabricate things. Indeed this 
is its chief characteristic, that it has an unlimited power of de- 
composing according to any law, and of recomposing into any 
system. 

Then, too, it has learnt the use of words. These, too, are 
mobile. They can be used first of one concrete thing, then of 
another, and also of ideas. Through means of language the in- 
telligence can penetrate the inwardness of its own work. Nay, 
when it once sees that it can create ideas, there is no object con- 
cerning which it does not wish to have an idea. Thus it seeks 
to employ itself outside practical action. " There are things that 
intelligence alone is able to seek, but which, by itself, it will never 
find. These things instinct alone could find; but it will never 
seek them."f Intellect tries, indeed, to embrace life and thought, 
but it fails in its endeavor, because of its nature it seeks to have 
things distinct and clear, that is discontinuous; and this it cannot 
have because life is continuous. The " intelligible world " which 
the intellect makes for itself resembles the world of solids, but it is 
more diaphanous. The concepts are easier to deal with than 
images of concrete things ; yet somehow they are not the perception 
itself of things, but the representation of the act by which the 
intellect is fixed on them. They are symbols not images. 

Hence logic is purely symbolic, and triumphs most in that 
science which deals with solid bodies, namely, geometry. When- 
ever logic works outside this science, so liable is it to go wrong and 
miss life that it needs to be constantly corrected by common sense. 
So natural is it for intellect to look outside life, and fix itself 
on inert matter, that it is sheerly an unnatural process for it to look 
inward upon life and to think that continuous real mobility, that 
creative evolution which is life. The chief negative character of 
the intellect is its natural inability to comprehend life. 

Seeing, then, that intellect gives us but a distorted view of 
life, how shall we get a real direct vision of life? The nature 
and the functioning of instinct suggest that it must be by something 
analogous to this. 

^Creative Evolution, p. 164. *(Ibid., p. 159. 



1913.] BERGSON'S PHILOSOPHY OF CHANGE 607 

Instinct is sympathy. If this sympathy could extend its 
object and also reflect upon itself, it would give us the key 
to vital operations just as intelligence, developed and dis- 
ciplined, guides us into matter. For we cannot too often re- 
peat it intelligence and instinct are turned in opposite direc- 
tions, the former towards inert matter, the latter towards life. 
Intelligence, by means of science, which is its work, will deliver 
up to us more and more completely the secret of physical opera- 
tions ; of life it brings us, and, moreover, only claims to bring us, 
a translation in terms of inertia. It goes all round life, taking 
from outside the greatest possible number of views of it, draw- 
ing it into itself instead of entering into it. But it is to the 
very inwardness of life that intuition leads us by intuition I 
mean instinct that has become disinterested, self-conscious, ca- 
pable of reflecting upon its object and of enlarging it in- 
definitely.* 

I will here make confession, and say that it took me some 
considerable time to see what M. Bergson meant by this new 
method of observing reality. I had been so accustomed to regard 
the intelligence as the only faculty for acquiring real knowledge, 
that I began to have a sinister foreboding that this new method of 
knowing things might have something to do with the stomach. 

" Consciousness of living is the intuition of life. It is reality." 
I read these words over and over again, yet unable to fathom 
their profundity. Then the light came to me in this wise: One 
night as I was in the train coming from Maldon, a man whose 
heart was glad with wine (or something else) turned to me and 
said : " I am glad I am alive, sir, aren't you ? " I hesitated a 
moment, and then I put my hand on his shoulder and said : " You 
have got it." In a moment of exalted confusion he had seen 
the central truth of the new philosophical method. 

Consciousness of living is the intuition of life. It is a psy- 
chological phenomenon which all philosophies have recognized, and 
which every man may observe for himself. M. Bergson's alleged 
discovery is not the fact itself, but the supposed enormous sig- 
nificance of the fact. He asks us to make a wider use of this 
faculty of gazing directly at life. Like the man in the Maldon 
train, we are too liable to be content with the first glimpse of it, 
to turn our backs upon it, and to seek our satisfaction in discursive 
reasoning. We need to wake up and see in this intuitive vision the 

*Creative Evolution, p. 186. 



6o8 BERGSON'S PHILOSOPHY OF CHANGE [Feb., 

philosophical instrument par excellence. By this method we can 
lay hold on reality itself. Kant thought that we could not touch 
the thing in itself because space and imaginary time were in the 
way. But Bergson having discarded space and the images of time, 
and having made real time the one reality, is able to see it by direct 
vision. Thus at last we have a real metaphysic, a knowledge of the 
Ding-an-sich, moving about with no Erscheinung to veil it from 
our view. 

At first it might seem that this direct vision of life might 
give us nothing more than the elementary idea of the eternal flow 
of things. But that is because we have not yet made any serious 
effort. What, however, gives us hope is an analogous process in 
the world of aesthetics. The layman in art sees only the features 
of the objects which strike his eye. But the artist sees the inten- 
tion of life, the simple movement that runs through them, binds 
them together, and gives them significance. " This intention is 
just what the artist tries to regain, in placing himself back within 
the object by a kind of sympathy, in breaking down by an effort 
of intuition the barrier that space puts between him and his model."* 
!A! sonata by Beethoven does not consist of vibrations, or melodies, 
or chords, nor yet in the technique of the pianist who plays, but in 
one undivided and indivisible whole which the composer saw at 
one glance by intuition, and which the performers, if they are to 
execute it properly, must see in like manner. 

So also, it is suggested, must we try to see the problems of 
life. The intuitions of art never get further than the individual, 
but the intuitions of philosophy may conceivably get to universals 
of very rich content. But let us not expect too much. Intuition 
will never have so wide a range as science, nor yet will its knowl- 
edge be so definite and clear. Why ? Because " intelligence re- 
mains the luminous nucleus around which instinct, even enlarged 
and purified into intuition, forms only a vague nebulosity." Let us 
take particular note of this sentence, for it explains so very much 
of the hazy thought of the day, and also why so many people 
are turning to Catholicism for something intellectual, solid, and 
fundamental. 

Thus we have arrived at the conclusion which Bergson prom- 
ised us in the beginning : Before we can have a theory of knowl- 
edge, we must first have a theory of life. The theory of life was 
that an initial impulse was thrust out from some centre, and that 

* Creative Evolution, p. 186. 



1913-] BERGSON'S PHILOSOPHY OF CHANGE 609 

this impulse was identical with life, consciousness, time, and reality. 
The life thus continually flowing bifurcated, forming itself into 
special streams for special needs and special purposes. 

In man the stream had two distinct functions to perform, 
namely, to deal with the objective world and with the subjective 
world. For these purposes it created respectively the faculties 
of intelligence and intuition. From these two faculties taken to- 
gether, as being elements of the one consciousness, we derive 
our theory of knowledge. Intelligence needs the service of intui- 
tion, whilst intuition needs the service of intelligence. 

On the one hand, indeed, if intelligence is charged with matter, 
and instinct with life, we must squeeze them both in order to 
get the double essence from them ; metaphysics [he means knowl- 
edge gained by intuition] is, therefore, dependent on theory of 
knowledge. But, on the other hand, if consciousness has. thus 
split up into intuition and intelligence, it is because of the need 
it had to apply itself to matter at the same time as it had to 
follow the stream of life. The double form of consciousness 
is then due to the double form of the real, and theory of 
knowledge must be dependent upon metaphysics. In fact, each 
of these two lines of thought leads to the other; they form a 
circle, and there can be no other centre to the circle but the 
empirical study of evolution.* 

We are deeply grateful to M. Bergson for this last word, for 
it gives us the key to the criticism we are about to make of his 
theory. In the formation of his theory he has depended very 
largely on the biological science. We have followed with fasci- 
nation his long disquisitions on the wonders of plant and animal life. 

But the selective principle in the choice of his examples has 
undoubtedly been the determination to demonstrate a continuous 
evolution due to intrinsic impulse. Hence such a thoroughgoing 
evolution as that of Herbert Spencer is cast aside, because it is not 
continuous enough. His evolution was merely an intellectual re- 
construction of evolution. " Such, however, is Spencer's illusion. 
He takes reality in its present form; he breaks it to pieces; he 
scatters it in fragments which he throws to the winds; then he 
'integrates' these fragments and 'dissipates their movement.' Hav- 
ing imitated the whole by a work of mosaic, he imagines he has 
retraced the design of it, and made the genesis."f Spencer had 
started off to remount and redescend the course of the universal 

^Creative Evolution, p. 188. Wbid., p. 385. 

VOL. XCVI. 39. 



6io BERGSON'S PHILOSOPHY OF CHANGE [Feb., 

becoming, but no sooner had he started than he turned off short 
and gave us a picture of mosaic dispensation, formal parts side by 
side with formal parts, a picture whose veriest characteristic was 
discontinuity. 

Now it so happens that the biological science has, in these latter 
days, given a very rude shock to all evolution which professes to be 
continuous. 

The discoveries of Gregor Johann Mendel have come as a 
bolt from the blue. Their whole tendency is to show that what- 
ever else may be said of evolution, it cannot be said to be continuous. 
The example first used in experimentation by Mendel himself shall 
serve to illustrate what we mean. This example is the ordinary 
edible pea, Pisum sativum. Taking two varieties of this, the tall 
and the dwarf, he cross-fertilized them. The first generation of 
hybrids turned out to be all tall. Then these hybrids in turn were 
sown, and the result was that both tall and dwarf plants grew up. 
Moreover, these tall and dwarf grandchildren appeared in definite 
proportion, three tall specimens for every one dwarf. 

Mendel experimented on 1,064 plants, out of which 787 ap- 
peared as tall and 277 as dwarfs, that is three to one approximately. 
To the character which remained during the three generations, 
namely, tall, Mendel gave the name of dominant, whilst to that 
which disappeared or rather remained latent in the middle genera- 
tion he gave the name of recessive. 

From these experiments two laws are deduced. The first is 
that when two races possessing two antagonistic peculiarities are 
crossed, the hybrid exhibits only one, and as regards this character 
the hybrid is indistinguishable from its parent. The second is that 
in the formation of pollen or egg-cell, the two antagonistic peculiar- 
ities are segregated, so that each ripe germ-cell carries either the one 
or the other of these peculiarities, but not both. Thus the laws 
positively exclude any intermediate conditions. Discontinuity, 
therefore, is of their very essence. Further, what is true of in- 
heritance is also true of variation. Professor Bateson, the apostle 
of Mendelism in England, does speak of continuous and discon- 
tinous variation. But of the continuous variations he says that 
they are very slight, in fact almost insensible, differences of size, 
color, etc., in a series of individuals having the same parent. But 
these fluctuate about a given mean. They never shade off into 
other forms. Thus where continuity does appear, it would seem 
only to accentuate the fact of discontinuity. And when the dis- 



1913-] BERGSON'S PHILOSOPHY OF CHANGE 611 

continuity affects both inheritance and variation, there is a double 
reason for doubting a continuous evolution. 

We are quite aware that Mendel's laws are not universally 
accepted in the scientific world. Nor have they, owing to the 
complexity of interfering circumstances, been widely verified in 
the qualities of the human species. But they have assumed an 
importance so great in the scientific world, and have received such 
marvelous confirmation by the experiments of De Vries, Bateson, 
and Biffen, as to throw the gravest possible doubt on that theory 
of life from which M. Bergson develops his theory of knowledge. 
The chief note of Bergson is continuity, whereas the chief note of 
Mendel is discontinuity. I have searched in vain through the 
works of M. Bergson for some reference to the theory of Mendel. 

What is made doubtful by a study of biology is made more 
than doubtful by a study of psychology. With regard to this 
theory of life, which M. Bergson takes as his foundation, we may 
ask what does he mean by life ? He tells us : " Existence in time 
is life." Once again he changes the current coinage. It is quite 
true that we now speak of the life of a motor-car, and when a 
medical practitioner is calculating whether motor-cars or horses are 
the more economical, he considers their lives on the Bergsonian 
principle of existence in time. Which will last the longer and 
which will cost the less? But, according to the current use of 
words and ideas, the life of a motor-car is but metaphorical life 
when compared with the life of a horse. The chauffeur needs 
no whip because the motor-car has no feelings and no conscious- 
ness. Such a kind of life then can be no prerequisite for a theory 
of knowledge. On the contrary there is required a theory of knowl- 
edge before the motor-car can have any life at all, metaphorical or 
otherwise. The construction of a motor-car is wholly the outcome 
of mechanical science. 

Next we must eliminate from the question the life of plants. 
We may readily grant that there are borderland specimens of plants 
showing signs of sensation. But taking the whole vast order of 
the vegetable world, we have to say of it that it has no sensation 
and no consciousness. An oak tree does not squeak or kick if 
you stick pins into it. That stream of life, therefore, which is 
purely vegetable has no exigency and tendency to concentrate for 
itself a nucleus of intelligence. The vegetable life is no prerequisite 
for a theory of knowledge. 

The question is thus narrowed down to one of feeling and 



612 BERGSON'S PHILOSOPHY OF CHANGE [Feb., 

intelligence. But here M. Bergson unfortunately uses words of 
double or vague meaning. For instance, he uses the word " mind " 
as including instinct and intelligence, whereas hitherto mind has 
always been taken to exclude instinct or feeling. So also he speaks 
of intuition as instinct that has become self-conscious and capable 
of reflecting on its object, whereas at other times he speaks of it as 
the power of direct vision. 

Now a faculty cannot be sense and intelligence at the same 
time, because these two faculties, whether we regard them as 
things or as tendencies, are essentially distinct. Neither can a fac- 
ulty act directly and reflexly at the same time. If, however, M. 
Bergson means that intuition can act first directly and then reflexly, 
then so far he is intelligible. We understand, but do not agree 
with him. 

As we have already remarked, the most ardent students of 
M. Bergson complain of his obscurity concerning the borderland of 
intelligence and intuition. 

We must try, therefore, to disentangle the matter for him. 
And the first step in this process of disentanglement will be to recog- 
nize that there is an essential distinction between intellect and sense. 
Imagination is sense, and instinct is sense, because both pertain 
directly to an organic faculty. The intellect undoubtedly depends 
upon sense for its material wherewith to think. Each thought 
indeed is accompanied with an organic phantasm. Their mutual 
interpenetration is subtle and complex. Accidentally they are 
united, but essentially they are distinct. Instead of drawing out 
long a priori proofs of this, we shall propose a simple experiment 
by which every reader may test it for himself. 

Let him first picture to himself in his imagination a square. 
Then let him likewise form a pentagon. After that let him imagine 
a hexagon. Now let him pass respectively to a regular polygon 
of 3,751 sides and to one of 3,752 sides. As far as imagination goes 
(i. e. } the faculty of sense), both of the polygons are identical. 
They are as circles in his imagination. But his intelligence tells 
him that they are as much different from each other as a square is 
from a circle. Sense, therefore, even in its highest form, namely, 
that of the imagination, is different in kind, and not merely in 
degree, from intellect. 

With this distinction we may examine M. Bergson's picture 
of consciousness : " Intelligence is the luminous nucleus around 
which instinct, even enlarged and purified into intuition, forms only 



1913-] BERGSON'S PHILOSOPHY OF CHANGE 613 

a vague nebulosity." That part of consciousness, therefore, which 
is not intelligence is instinct or intuition. Instinct and intuition, 
therefore, must be sensation. And this is what M. Bergson repeats 
over and over again. We are to set our intelligence aside, because 
that deals only with solids and the representations of reality, and 
we are to put ourselves into the eternal flux and feel the reality of 
it. That consciousness of living, therefore, which is the dawning 
of a new philosophy, according to M. Bergson, has been rightly 
named in the scholastic system as the sensus intimus, and rightly 
defined as the faculty by which we recognize as our own the various 
modifications of our senses. 

This was the sense which had just functioned in the man in the 
Maldon train. Then his intellect reflected upon it, and the reflec- 
tion caused him the joy which he so ardently wished to share with 
me. Moreover, this explanation of intuition as a feeling is the 
one which has been generally taken by those who have tried to put 
M. Bergson's doctrine to a practical application. 

When asked for reasons for certain views, they reply that they 
have arrived at their conclusions by another way than that of reason. 
They have seen the truth intuitively. They feel that it must be 
true, and therefore it is true. And this is just where the danger 
of M. Bergson's doctrine comes in. 

Naturally such an exaggeration of feeling would require a cor- 
responding debasement of reason. This, therefore, shall be our 
next point, to examine the various limits which have been set to 
reason by M. Bergson. 

Our first objection is to the statement that it is of the dis- 
continuous alone that the intellect forms a clear idea. There is a 
fallacy here which is due to the confusing of imagination with in- 
telligence. When we try to imagine an object in motion, especially 
if the motion be rapid, the phantasm appears to us as somewhat 
blurred. The internal sense of the imagination is very similar to 
the external sense of eyesight. The eye requires time to adjust 
itself to rapid motion, and if this time is not allowed, the moving 
object appears as fogged. If I tie a piece of wood to the end of 
a string and whiz it round, the wood will appear as a circle. 

The Futurist painters* made exactly the same fallacy when 
they tried to express movement through means of paint on canvas. 
Thus if they wanted to paint a man in the act of swimming they 
painted two men and smudged one into the other. Pictorial repre- 
sentation, whether on a photographic film or on a painter's canvas, 

*See article in the Dublin Review, July, 1912. 



614 BERGSON'S PHILOSOPHY OF CHANGE [Feb., 

or on the retinue of the eye, or on the substance of the brain, 
requires time and space, requires to be discontinuous, if it is to be 
clear. But not so with intellectual representation. 

The intellect, whilst using time and space as its handmaids, 
is able to transcend them. I can conceive of local motion even apart 
from the object which is moving. I can conceive of life even apart 
from the animal which lives. And this essential distinction can be 
demonstrated by the experiment with the regular polygon already 
described. The fallacy which is here committed by M. Bergson is 
that known as the illicit transit from the ontological to the logical 
order. He mixes up sensitive phantasy with intellectual thought. 

So also is it with the statement, that of immobility alone does 
the intellect form a clear idea. This statement is connected with 
the previous one by the doctrine that motion is continuous and in- 
divisible, a doctrine which we disproved in our first article. With- 
out, however, referring to that doctrine or its refutation, we can 
say directly that the intellect can get a clear idea of mobility. I can 
compare, for instance, mobility with immobility, and I can recognize 
precisely, distinctly, and clearly that there is as much difference 
between them as there is between chalk and cheese. It is the 
imagination that renders the immobile clearly and the mobile con- 
fusedly. The intellect can have clear conceptions of both. Once 
again, M. Bergson has been the victim of the illicit transit, mistak- 
ing that which is spiritual for that which is material. 

With what M. Bergson says of the intellect's unlimited power 
of decomposing ideas according to any law and of recomposing 
them into any system, we cordially agree. In our language we 
call it division and composition. Here we come to the point 
where intellect meets intuition. 

We object to the statement that the chief negative character of 
the intellect is its natural inability to comprehend life. 

First, M. Bergson misrepresents the power of the intellect 
when he says that its concepts are not the perception itself of things. 
He wonders still farther from the truth when he says that these con- 
cepts are something less than images, and are, in fact, merely sym- 
bols. He falls into an error somewhat similar to that of Kant. 
Kant said that the intellect could know nothing of the things in 
themselves, but only of their appearances. Bergson says that in- 
tuition alone sees the things in themselves. The intellect does not. 
The intellect sees only symbols of the things, and symbols, more- 
over, which are not images. That means that our intellectual 
concepts have so little correspondence with the things they represent 



1913.] BERGSON'S PHILOSOPHY OF CHANGE 615 

that they are not even natural symbols of them, but merely conven- 
tional symbols. 

The refutation of this doctrine is the same as the refutation of 
that of Kant. It is an appeal to common sense and to the universal 
judgment of mankind. When I put my teeth into a rosy apple, 
can I be quite sure that it really is an apple, and that it is not pos- 
sibly a cricket ball, which is the conventional symbol for an apple ? 
When I am talking to President-elect Wilson can I be quite sure 
that it really is Mr. Wilson, and not possibly Mrs. Eddy, who may 
be the conventional symbol for Mr. Wilson. 

No, we decline to be moved from that mediaeval scholastic in- 
tuition which is the common sense of all nations, always and every- 
where, the semper, ubique et ab omnibus all taken together, namely, 
that things are normally what they appear to be, and not merely 
conventional symbols of the same. 

Hence although we do not go so far as to say that the intellect 
is naturally able to comprehend life, yet we do go so far as to say 
that it is as naturally able to comprehend life as it is to comprehend 
the solid objects of the external world or anything else at all. The 
intellect does not comprehend things in the sense that it knows 
everything that can possibly be known about them. But it does 
comprehend them in the sense that it knows their essence, namely, 
that by which they are what they are. And to this kind of com- 
prehension life is no exception. 

The intellect has no difficulty whatever in formulating its 
definition of life the activity by which a being moves itself. And 
when asked for further explanation it has no difficulty in saying that 
the word " move " includes all forms of change or alteration, and 
includes the energies of feeling, intelligence, and will, as well as 
local motion; and that the word " activity " is understood as having 
an immanent character as opposed to transient, that is, beginning 
and ending as an internal principle. 

All this belittling of intelligence, however, is but the natural 
result of M. Bergson's theory of life. In trying to make intuition 
a continuation of instinct he got on to the wrong line. Intuition 
is a mental faculty, whereas he tried to make it a sensitive faculty. 
He did not recognize that there are organic internal senses as well 
as organic external senses. And being on the line of organic inter- 
nal sense, he came to that operation of it by which it feels the 
present state of the body, the flow of the now, and thereupon 
called it intuition. Then, instead of regarding this organic sense 
as ministrant to intellect, he dragged in the reflections which the 



616 BERGSON'S PHILOSOPHY OF CHANGE [Feb., 

intellect made upon it, and called those reflections the reflections 
of the intuitive faculty. 

Bergson is quite clear on the point. " But it is to the very 
inwardness of life that intuition leads us."* So far he has ob- 
served the operation of the organic sense. Then he continues: 
" By intuition I mean instinct that has become disinterested, self- 
conscious, capable of reflecting upon its object and enlarging it 
indefinitely.''! There he adds on to the sensation the reflective 
function of the intelligence, but retains all under the same name of 
intuition. He observes that the primary sensation has a natural 
tendency to lend itself to the intellect to be reflected upon. But 
he asks us to resist this natural tendency and drive on this so-called 
intuition to explore the deeper experiences of life. Instead of 
using his intelligence to abstract essences from life, man must 
plunge into the stream and feel life. 

Unfortunately there is one great obstacle to this method, and 
that is the great fact of space. Therefore, according to Bergson, 
space must be annihilated. Thus we have arrived at the conclusion 
which we proposed at the end of our last article. The discarding 
of space and the placing of reality in the flow of time was due to 
this exaggerated subjectivism which substitutes feeling for intelli- 
gence, and which under the false title of mental intuition sets up 
sensation as the philosophical faculty. 

But it may be asked : is it not true that artists have visions of 
great conceptions? Is it not true that great politicians conceive 
vast policies intuitively? Is it not true that great generals seize 
upon great strategies instinctively? Is it not true that great Saints 
and Doctors of the Church have a tremendous grasp of huge fields 
of doctrine, and see many truths so swiftly that it can hardly be 
ascribed to discursive reasoning? It is. 

But the insight is not due to that organic sensation which 
announces to us our subjective feelings at the present passing mo- 
ment. Nor is it due to that stultification of the intellect which 
confines its powers to the limits of space and imaginary time. Nor 
yet again is it due to an aimless guessing at conclusions merely be- 
cause we would like them to be true or feel them to be true. No 
there is a sane doctrine of intuition and a sane doctrine of mental 
instinct. 

We propose to sketch this in our next essay, which will take 
the form of a comparison between Bergson, Newman, and Aquinas. 

^Creative Evolution, p. 186. Hbid., p. 186. 




AT THE GATEWAY OF ITALY. 

BY JOSEPH FRANCIS WICKHAM. 

T is afternoon in the June time ; and over on the other 
side of that mile of blue water is Italy. Slowly, 
very slowly, the steamer is passing Posilipo; and so 
softly it moves that you scarcely feel the gentle stir- 
ring as you stand by the rail in silent watching. 
Closer and closer you are nearing the haven, and a thousand voices 
coming over the hill are bidding you welcome home. For no one 
ever sails in through those summer seas but feels he is come to the 
home of his hopes and longings and dreams. 

For days the spell of Italy has little by little been creeping 
out to you. Long before you sighted Isoia dei Cavoli you felt 
the beguiling of the Tyrrhenian Sea. And when Cape Carbonara 
is lost in the distance, and the blue begins to deepen in the sky, 
and the waters of the ocean are all but tranquil, the enchantment 
steadily strengthens. And at last as you enter the Bocca Grande, 
with Ischia near enough to touch, and Capri over there in the offing, 
and the tiny Procida beckoning you in, the charm is done. 

There is Naples, rising in all her loveliness on the bay of un- 
ruffled water that sweeps for thirty miles from Pozzuoli to far 
Sorrento; a hillside city that follows the lines of the crescent bay, 
with red-roofed houses rising tier upon tier, gleaming in cream 
and brown, and churches with towers, and castles with turrets re- 
splendent in the glow of the western sun. To the left, on the 
garden slopes of Posilipo, is the flashing of white villas; on the 
right is Vesuvius, the one shadow in all Campania. Little barks 
are flitting about as butterflies in gay festa; singers are winning 
your heart with the notes of " Santa Lucia ;" flower-boys are fresh- 
ening the air with the scent of roses; and the hum of life, the 
joyous life of the Old World, calls to you from over the water. 
Verily you have reached the land of the soul's desiring. 

One day in the long ago, before the muse of history had 
emerged from the cloud of fable, a siren maid, Parthenope, slept in 
unceasing slumber on the shores before you. She had sought death 



618 AT THE GATEWAY OF ITALY [Feb., 

in the wave that ofttimes had mingled its foam with her soft voice. 
Never a dream was hers that whither the ocean carried her should 
be given her name, but so it was that those who found the maiden 
would not let us forget. From Parthenope's strand to the Naples 
of now is a long path to travel. Greek and Roman, Goth and 
Norman and Spaniard, mingle in the film that gives you Naples' 
history, and her twenty-five hundred years have watched many a 
conqueror and many a captive pass over her hills. 

Every nation in Europe has had its warriors at her gates. 
Until conquered by the Romans in the fourth century before 
Christ, Naples remained, in art, in letters, in atmosphere, a Gre- 
cian city. When Rome crumbled before the downpouring of the 
barbarians, Naples, too, felt the inroad of the mighty victors. In 
the middle of the sixth century the city fell under Byzantine suprem- 
acy, but soon after gained her liberty. For five centuries she 
maintained her freedom, with all the lights and shadows of an iron 
age falling upon her stage. But in 1 130 her independence dissolved 
before the embattled hosts of Roger of Normandy. In 1194 the 
Hohenstaufen secured the fair city as a marriage portion. Seventy 
years later Charles of Anjou obtained the prize, but his line fell, 
too, when in 1442 Alphonso of Aragon rode through the streets 
at the head of a conquering army. For three hundred years Spain 
had her viceroys living in the beautiful city. Hapsburg then won 
the cast in 1713, and the Bourbon shortly after. -And even in days 
more near there was still the constant shifting of the battle tide, 
ever the restless surging of the waves of war. 

Not all this motley throng of plumed knights and crested kings 
cross your imagination in thickened confusion as you look upon the 
brilliant Posilipo or the gigantic Vesuvius, or the amphitheatre of 
hill-set houses that smile a welcome to you over the bay. But to- 
morrow you will begin to see them, and you will see them the day 
after, and for many a day to come. For history a-plenty has been 
made along the busy Via Roma, and through the length and breadth 
of the lanes that intersect it at every turn. Down by the Piazza 
del Municipio, the Castel Nuovo, with six and one-half centuries 
of time recorded on its chronicles, speaks to you of Charles of 
Anjou, who built it and passed it on to a line of kingly followers. 
But the pennons of Aragon were also to float from these battlements 
when the time should be ripe for Angevin defeat. Frenchman and 
Spaniard now fight their battles over again on the bronze gates of 
the triumphal arch. To-day Italy's cavalry is quartered at the 



1913-] AT THE GATEWAY OF ITALY 619 

Castel, but when the world is hushed in the silence of the night 
Anjou and Aragon are tilting for the title, and many a battle is 
lost and won by the pale riders of a day that is gone to its setting. 

As you walk away from the Castel Nuovo the thoughts of olden 
tumults die, and you only remember that thirteenth of December in 
the year 1294. On that day in the Sala di San Luigi took place an 
event unparalleled in ecclesiastical history il gran rifiuto. Five 
months before the Cardinals had climbed Monte Marone in the wil- 
derness of the Abruzzi, and had acquainted a gentle old man with 
the news that the conclave in session at Perugia had selected him 
as the new Pope. Tearfully was the word received. Why had 
they come to him, Pietro di Murone, was the bewildered appeal, 
to him who knew nothing of affairs of State, and unworthy utterly 
to be vicegerent of Christ on earth? They prevailed; and on the 
twenty-ninth of August he was consecrated, taking the name of 
Celestine the Fifth. But he was not happy. More and more as 
the days went by was he convinced that he was not fitted for the re- 
sponsibilities of the Papacy, that he was only working mischief to 
the Church. Finally, his soul weary almost unto death, he resolved 
to abdicate. The clergy and the people implored him to continue as 
their Father, but in vain. And on that mid-December day he sum- 
moned the Cardinals to the great hall of the Castel Nuovo, and 
announced to them that he was to be their Pope no longer. Taking 
off the triple tiara and the ring of the Fisherman and the white 
cassock of lamb's wool, he resumed his poor habit, and hastened 
away to the happiness of his cell in far Sulmona. The centuries 
have woven many memories into the mellow tapestry of the Castel; 
but the one of purest sheen is the memory of the kindly San Celes- 
tino, who believed that he was not fitted to be the leader of Chris- 
tianity, but that he should serve God in solitude and prayer, in 
cloistered silence amid the hills. 

If the Angevin dynasty appeals to your love of the past, you 
will go some day to the old church of Santa Chiara. With splendid 
facade and beautiful campanile, it is well worthy of the six centuries 
of service that it has to its crediting. Founded by Robert the Wise, 
it was the royal chapel. Many a worshipper of high degree has 
the old edifice counted; it has sung the requiem over many a house 
of kings fallen to dusty death. Up by the high altar is the monu- 
ment of its founder, a princely figure, robed in the Franciscan habit, 
resting in all the quiet dignity of marble life. Here among the 
Gothic tombs of Anjou it is interesting to read the epitaphs that 



620 AT THE GATEWAY OF ITALY [Feb., 

Petrarch and his fellows once wrote to tell the story of knightly 
men and virtuous women. 

Naples is indeed redolent of memories. Poetry breathes its 
message to you from the tomb of Virgil; and the wayside grasses 
whisper to you the tale of Arcady-land that they told to the gentle 
Mantuan centuries and centuries ago. Posilipo has its memories of 
Lucullus and his wondrous gardens; and treasures, too, proud 
recollections of the days when Augustus came to its cooling breezes 
wearing the sceptre of the world. Naples was vigorous in the 
Middle Ages, and enjoyed her share in the pageant and pomp of 
the Renaissance. For in those days the Tuscan artists and scholars 
and poets came to the city on the bay and lingered long. Naples 
displays her churches and castles, and shows what Giotto did, and 
Simone Martini, and many an architect and sculptor. She points 
out to you the place where Sannazaro used to watch the fishermen 
to get inspiration for his idylls; Sannazaro, chosen by the Pope 
as the poetical champion of Christendom. She tells you where 
Petrarch prayed, where Tasso sang his song. For the poet of 
Avignon had no uncertain connection with the southern city, as 
history writes the incident. Robert the Wise was a child of the 
early Renaissance, and was a scholar as well as a king. And one 
day Petrarch came to the king and received from his hands a 
diploma setting forth his qualifications for the laurel. When the 
poet went to Rome for the crowning, he bore with him the parch- 
ment signed by a royal hand. And Tasso, the flower of the Catho- 
lic cinquecento, not infrequently tarried for a season in the city 
of the siren. Here in the monastery of Monte Oliveto, while 
wooing back the smiles of health after a severe illness, he wrote 
part of the Gerusalemme. Here, also, interrupting for a time his 
work on the great epic, he composed a poem in honor of the con- 
gregation whose careful nursing was restoring him to better days. 

A morning will come when you will wish to visit the convent 
of San Domenico. Alphonso the First and all his court went there 
six centuries ago, and were held spellbound by the gifted tongue 
of a Dominican monk. For Thomas Aquinas came to Naples, too, 
and gave her to wonder at his flashing intellect. The lecture hall 
where once he taught still remains, but you will prefer to linger 
in the humble cell of the Saint, where he used to kneel before his 
crucifix, from which, as he declared, he had won all his wisdom. 
You partake a little of his humility as you think of that greatest 
genius of the schools kneeling before the figure of the Infinite 



1913-] AT THE GATEWAY OF ITALY 621 

Truth, and asking God in heaven that His lowly servant might 
speak a portion of that Truth in no fashion unworthy, while the 
multitude of students in eager assembly waited in the hall. 

The great church of Naples -is the Cathedral of San Gennaro. 
Begun in 1272 by order of Charles of Anjou, and completed in 
1316, the Gothic edifice is one of the most imposing cathedrals 
in south Italy. Its Chapel of San Gennaro is, perhaps, the richest 
chapel in the world. Perfect in point of architecture, it is filled 
with silver lamps, golden candelabra, purest of marble altars, and 
chalices studded with diamonds and rubies, the gifts of princes 
and peers from every nation on earth. It is commonly known as 
the Cappella del Tesoro. But its chief wealth, surpassing any 
gems of gold, is the vials of blood and the head of Saint Januarius. 

Saint Januarius, the Bishop of Benevento, beheaded near the 
Solfatara in the early fourth century, is the Patron Saint of the 
city. And great is the devotion to him. It is in this chapel that 
the liquefaction occurs in May and September, when the cathedral 
is crowded to its very portals. When the wonder is manifested, 
the voices of thousands join in a mighty Te Deum; the bells of 
the city's churches ring forth their joyful acclaim; the booming 
cannon echoes out over the waiting waters to carry the message 
to the sailors on the ships; and the Neapolitan fears no more for 
another year the frowning mountain of Vesuvius. Rejected by 
men unwilling to accept the evidence of their eyes, the miracle 
of the liquefaction has baffled scientists for ages. But it is pleasing 
for the people of Naples to remember that Voltaire lost his skepti- 
cism in its presence, and to count him as a valiant defender of 
their faith. 

Over in the Palazzo Reale, the palace with the statues of 
eight Neapolitan rulers adorning its attractive front, blossoms a 
memory which had its birth in the capital city on the Seine. Up 
in the distressed city of Paris the revolutionists, maddened with 
their new-found liberty, were seeking victims to sate their insane 
fury. And a gentle queen one day rode through the city of sorrows 
to lay down her life, a ransom to their thirst for blood, the most 
pitiable martyr of the old regime. Down to sunny Naples the news 
was borne. To-day they will show you at the Palazzo the chapel in 
which Maria Carolina, the wife of Ferdinand the Fourth, knelt 
in prayer for the soul of her sister, Marie Antoinette. Her five 
daughters were beside her, and their mingled orisons rose to heaven, 
and sincere and sorrowful petition at the throne of the King; a 



622 AT THE GATEWAY OF ITALY [Feb., 

fervent asking that she who was never more queenly than in death 
might rest in everlasting peace. 

The sojourner in Naples will feel no affection for the giant 
that castles in Vesuvius. Still more keenly will he cherish resent- 
ment when he visits the Museo Nazionale and beholds the pitiful 
relics of that old-time campaign of destruction. Mural paintings 
and bronze statuettes and silver goblets plead the cause of the once 
fair and laughing cities whose graves he will look upon in sadness 
on some to-morrow. Along the corridors of this fine museum one 
will also feel the thrill of early Greek art, the repose and beauty of 
many a god and nymph; and will remember Roman glory in the 
august assemblage of heroes that live in these marble halls. 

This kind of joy Naples offers you; the keen delight of delv- 
ing into the bypaths of her past and the lanes that ask you to follow 
to the end. Your day wanderings open up vistas of thought through 
which you never looked before; aisles of dream peopled not with the 
conjured figures of your fancying, but with the ghosts of men and 
women once ruddy in the flush of life. And at the close of many a 
full day you go up to your balcony window overhanging the splen- 
did Corso Vittorio Emanuele and live it all over again. 

The golden sun has gone to sleep behind the restful hills of 
Posilipo, the cool of the day has come, and the southern twilight 
is just creeping over the world. The calm and serenity of un- 
counted centuries are closing in on the gray-blue Mediterranean, 
the beautiful sea that carries deep in its bosom memories of Han- 
nibal and Augustus and Saint Paul. The rose-tints pale in the 
west, and over lovely Sorrento the lamp of night is beginning to 
glimmer. And with the rising of the moon you open your arms to 
Naples as she has done to you, and beg her to take you as her own. 

Expanding before you is the vast panorama of the wonderful 
bay, aglow with the lanterns of a hundred ships. A great pale 
sheet of silver it seems, bathed in the white radiance of the full- 
orbed moon. The huge Vesuvius looms distinct in the distance, 
a grim and gray spectre of the night. Below you in curving lines, 
in harmony with the bowl of the bay, and rising in fairy tiers, 
are the lights of the hillside city, twinkling and gleaming like thou- 
sands of torches carred in elfin hands. It seems as if Naples has 
attired herself in her loveliest robe to gladden you, but every night 
she wears the same soft mantle and the same brilliant jewels to tell 
the world that there is only one Naples. 

The scene from this balcony window you will never forget. 



1913.] AT THE GATEWAY OF ITALY 623 

It is almost too much to endure, all this marvelous beauty, all this 
exquisite perfection. Words fail you as you look out over the 
satin shimmer of the water; with silence alone can you pay the 
homage of your soul. And in silence you feel that you have 
come a little closer to the heart throbs of the great king who sang the 
psalms of praising in the holy city centuries and centuries ago. 
Quite soon, as you are beginning to slip away into the magic courts 
of the dream world, you hear the song of the passing troubadour, 
the plaintive melody of O sole mio floating up to you from the 
terrace below. It is the last touch of Italy for the night, the 
gentlest bidding to slumber. So you close your eyes on the glory 
of the fair earth and the moon-swept water, and seek the golden 
palaces over sapphire seas of sleep. 

In saddening contrast to the glad, care- free life in Naples 
is the awful silence of the dead city that lies to the southeast. Under 
the shadow of their conqueror, Vesuvius, the quietened walls of 
Pompeii rest, a grave for the dead yesterday that once lived in 
the throbbing pulsation of youth. Pompeii once sang her songs 
in all the gayety of pagan joy, but now as you walk through her 
streets, no strains of merriment rise on the winds from the bay, 
all the songs are lost chords that perished with the fallen city. You 
go out to Pompeii on the train from Naples, passing on the way 
through a fair plain covered with grapevines, with here and there 
a solitary flat-topped pine standing in soldierly guard. The road to 
Pompeii is within a short distance of the sea, and at intervals 
you catch sight of the blue water gently washing the sands on the 
shore. 

Half-way to your destination lies the city of Herculaneum, the 
companion of the larger city in mutual sorrow. A little nearer, 
perhaps, to the mountain of destruction in the long centuries ago, 
it, too, was soon buried beneath the sea of lava. On your left, as 
the train takes you toward Pompeii, rises the Vesuvian hill. You 
have seen it from the steamer's deck on the bay, you have looked 
upon it from your balcony window at night, and now there is noth- 
ing novel in its closer presence. There it stands, a relentless, titanic, 
elemental force of nature, holding within its breast memories of 
war, of a day when its fiery breath withered the cities of the plain. 
As it rests firm and steadfast on its broad base, holding its head 
high and undismayed, it waits the hour when once more it will send 
down its message that it is not dead nor sleeping. 

A certain majesty it has in its sphinx-like silence, but not a 



624 AT THE GATEWAY OF ITALY [Feb., 

lovely sight is Mount Vesuvius. Yet you cannot help thinking, 
as you look upon it, that once its lofty summits were fair and 
green, and its steep slopes covered with purple blossoms and white. 
From its hilltops many a son of Pompeii had looked upon the 
sea, and had little believed that one day the sweet and verdant 
earth would change to a fiery volcano and destroy him and those 
he loved. The smile of the hill was a lure to the unwary, the 
music of its breezes a call to bitter death. The vineyards are now 
in ashes beneath many a layer of lava; and the once-happy mountain 
height is now the dull-gray, jagged mouth of an ever-active volcano. 

When first you enter the gate of Pompeii you do not won-, 
der, or feel in a strange land. Everything seems entirely normal, 
quite as it should be. How else should a city look that had been 
buried for eighteen hundred years? But as you penetrate the 
interior and walk farther through the streets, you lose the sense of 
time, and the centuries that have slowly drawn their curtain across 
Pompeii's living day disappear and float away into the nothingness. 
You are for the moment back in those days when Christ had been 
dead about half a century, a victim to the cowardice of the great 
Rome in whose dominions Pompeii was a proud city. The streets 
are still here, and the houses, and the forum, and the baths, and 
the great amphitheatre. They are all here, indeed, but desolate and 
deserted. No chariot swings through the stone avenue with praetor 
or sedile, no children make holiday along the Greek collonades, no 
votary offers incense at the marble altars of Isis. Silence is queen 
in the city, death is the only guest. 

As you walk along the streets and visit the houses of former 
magnificence or humbleness, it seems but yesterday or the day be- 
fore since the city was teeming with the life of its thirty- thousand 
inhabitants. Everything recalls the business of living. The wine 
shop stands by the roadside, with the frames for the wine jars 
still ready for use; a bakehouse with its brick oven seems to be 
waiting the coming of its owner. The silent arenas are willing 
to re-echo to the chorus of applauding voices; the empty streets 
are looking for the return of their citizens. But they wait in vain. 
The people will not return from their long absence-leave ; they will 
never come back to the days they lived and loved in the little city 
by the blue bay. 

If you mount a staircase leading to the top of one of the 
houses, it is possible for you to view the entire city. Dwelling after 
dwelling, and street after street in bewildering network, stretch out 



1913-] AT THE GATEWAY OF ITALY 625 

before the eye, with the lines broken here and there by the large 
spaces of a bath or a theatre or a forum. Surveying the old city 
you wonder where the crowds were thickest on that fateful day 
in the year 79, and you think of the panic that must have swept the 
populace when they saw the destroyer coming; some hiding in fan- 
cied security in underground chambers, others madly endeavoring 
to reach the sea. 

Pompeii never dreamed on that ill-omened morning that Vesu- 
vius was in deadly earnest. There had been an earthquake several 
years before, but she had forgotten it. She sang her songs, and 
the flowers of youth and beauty blossomed, and the sun beamed 
kindly down upon her; but the dark mountain, angry at her joy, 
and hating her happiness, flung down upon her the fiery lava and 
silenced her forever. It is a sorrowful story that Pliny relates, a 
terrible page of history that Dion Cassius bids us read; and their 
simplicity of language only intensifies the awfulness of that day 
of dreadful doom. 

There is a Street of Tombs in Pompeii, where the citizens used 
to inter their dead. But there is small reason, it might seem, for so 
naming it, when the entire city is a sepulchre, inclosing the dust 
of an era that has passed away. Many a spirit must wander un- 
seen through the pathways about the tombs, or hold sweet converse 
along porticoes still clinging to old-time grandeur. Only they can 
hear the soft splashing of the fountains that used to build and un- 
build their rainbow castles in the impluvium, only they can enjoy 
the grateful odor of the flowers that once blossomed in the lovely 
courtyards. And perhaps some perfumed night, when the mil- 
lion stars hold carnival in the sky and dance in glad delight about the 
silver chair of the huntress, old Pompeii raises her head for an hour 
and entertains the pale visitors with the smile she wore in the years 
of her young gayety. Gentle music floats once more down the 
marble columns, and men and maidens plight their loves amid the 
murmuring of bubbling waters. But long before the dawning of 
the east the ghosts troop back to the still places of the dark, and 
the city once more falls back into her long sleep. Slumber and rest, 
little city, the daytime melody and joy from Naples down the bay 
will never disturb thee. 

Not far from the Porta Marina is a museum, a miniature of the 

great Museo of Naples. Plaster casts in pathetic realism, bits of 

burnt cloth, loaves of blackened bread, and fragments of broken 

pottery in their own unhappy language whisper their grief to you. 

VOL. xcvi. 40. 



626 AT THE GATEWAY OF ITALY [Feb., 

But you soon will have commingled long enough with the memories 
that gather here, and will wish to turn down the long lane that leads 
to the outer gate, and leave Pompeii behind, the symbol of far-off, 
almost forgotten things, the lingering voice of a day that is dead. 

Looking back toward the hot forum with the broken columns 
and the ruined temples and the lizards running along the desolate 
walls, if that destruction had not come, one feels what might have 
been. There in the Strada Stabiana might be the gray, battle- 
scarred Palazzo della Signoria with traditions of doges, wealthy 
and powerful. Over the lesser buildings would be gleaming the 
golden dome of the majestic cathedral, and close beside a tall cam- 
panile in full flower. There would be a flower-booth near yonder 
Casa del Citarista, with heaped-up masses of camellias and carna- 
tions and white lilies drenching the air with their fragrance. At 
the corner, amid playing children, a grizzled soldier might sit drows- 
ing, lost in dreams of the long ago, when as a zouave he tried to 
defend Papa Nono. From some hidden portico would come the 
lilt of a madrigal attuned to the faint pulsing of an old guitar. 
Over on the Vicolo di Mercuric would extend the long arcades 
where the silversmiths would have their shops, and where you could 
find the cameos and the tortoise shell and the most delicate of pink 
corals. The white stucco houses would be climbing the slopes of 
the mountain, and round about them would lie the built-up terraces 
of vineyards and yellow corn. And on the summit would rise the 
long monastery with its garden of orange trees, where the monks 
would gather in the evening when vespers and compline had been 
sung, and gaze over toward San Martino and the fellowship. But, 
ah ! the difference of it all. 

We have passed out through the gates of the Silent City. 
Above it Vesuvius is towering, sullen, grisly, with no sign of re- 
morse, but watching and waiting. And then we think of that 
sister city, to the westward, beside her bay of sunlit blue, with never 
a care to trouble and never a fear to chill, and right fervent is our 
prayer that the good San Gennaro guard her eternally in surest 
protection, that her sunshine never be darkened and her songs never 
be stilled. For the joy of heart that Parthenope possesses in happy 
heritage is too rare a gift, in a world of weariness, to pass away. 




A GREAT CATHOLIC SCIENTIST. 

PIERRE JOSEPH VAN BENEDEN (1809-1894). 
BY SIR BERTRAM C. A. WINDLE, M.D., SC.D., LL.D., F.R.S., K.S.G. 

|T sometimes happens that a father and his son become 
highly distinguished in the same walk of life; so 
highly distinguished and in studies so very similar 
that it is difficult even for the expert to distinguish 
the discoveries which have been made by the one 
from those which are due to the other. 

Such is the case with the two van Benedens, father and son, 
Pierre Joseph, the elder, who is the subject of this paper, and 
Edouard, his son, still happily with us, the very distinguished 
Professor of Zoology at Liege, a man whose name and fame is in 
the mouth of every zoologist. It was indeed as far back as 1877 
that Ray Lankester said that one of the most important services 
that the father had rendered to science was that of having perpet- 
uated his name and his genius in the person of his illustrious son. 
It is of the father that I am now to write, and, if I mention 
the son, it is with the object of making it quite clear to those un- 
acquainted with the facts that when they read, as they may even 
in the public press, of such and such a discovery having been made 
by van Beneden, they must remember that there are two van Bene- 
dens. 

Pierre Joseph van Beneden was born in Malines on the iQth 
of December, 1809, and pursued his early studies at the college in 
that archiepiscopal city. As far as is known, nothing special 
marked this part of his career, nor was his next step in life one 
which gave any special promise of future opportunities for dis- 
tinction. He became an apprentice to a pharmacist, with the in- 
tention of following that walk of life. Here, however, the choice 
of a principal had everything to say in determining the young 
chemist's future, for M. Stoffels, to whom he was apprenticed, 
was by no means an ordinary chemist nor an ordinary man. A 
Dutchman by extraction, he had inherited that ardor for collect- 
ing curiosities of all kinds which infected so many of his country- 
men during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. But beyond 



628 A GREAT CATHOLIC SCIENTIST [Feb., 

all this he was a serious student of science. He corresponded with 
many scientific men in different parts of Europe, and was the 
centre of what was then a very active scientific society in Malines. 
This was the master chosen by young van Beneden or by his parents, 
and such a man was not likely to mistake the character of the pupil 
who was placed in his charge. 

A university course was not necessary for one desiring to 
pursue the business of pharmacy, nor had van Beneden's parents 
any intention of giving one to their son. Stoffels, however, induced 
them to do so, and, in so doing, placed the young man's feet on 
the first rung of the ladder of distinction on which he was to climb 
so high. In later years van Beneden expressed publicly his great 
indebtedness to Stoffels. 

It was at this period of his life that van Beneden had actual 
experience of war. The revolution broke out in 1830, and van 
Beneden, like Stensen, another celebrated Catholic naturalist, took 
arms in defense of his country. But the ruling passion was not to 
be extinguished even by martial ardor, and van Beneden gives us 
a characteristic picture of himself standing under the walls of 
Antwerp, a city whose fortifications were afterwards to be asso- 
ciated with some of his most striking and best-known discoveries, 
with a cartridge in one hand and a fossil shell, which he had come 
across in his march, in the other. Science won, and van Beneden 
went to Louvain to follow a course of medicine. 

This ancient seat of learning was founded by a Bull of Martin 
V. in 1425, and continued in existence until 1797, when it was 
suppressed. After an interval the Dutch government established 
in 1815 a State institution, at which van Beneden was a student. 
It was not long-lived as a State university, and in 1834, with the 
sanction of Gregory XVI., the Bishops of Belgium decided to open 
the university which is to-day well known, a university with 
which van Beneden's long life was to be almost entirely associated. 

But before settling down he was anxious to extend his ex- 
perience, and went to Paris, which at that time was the scientific 
centre of the world, in order to pursue advanced studies. During 
this time he made a number of visits to the shores of the Channel, 
and of the Mediterranean, for the purpose of collecting specimens, 
forming then the taste for marine zoology which he was to pursue 
later with such fruitful results. At this time, also, he gained the 
reputation of being one of the most skillful dissectors of his day. 

In the period after the Belgian revolution, as must naturally 



1913-] A GREAT CATHOLIC SCIENTIST 629 

have been the case, vast reconstructions of the country's insti- 
tutions were in progress, and amongst other things the university 
system was in the melting-pot. The government decided to found 
two State Universities, one in Ghent, the other in Liege, and at 
one or other of these van Beneden fully expected to be made 
Professor of Zoology. But, while he was in Paris, other influences, 
it would seem, were brought to bear upon those responsible for the 
appointments, for when he hurriedly returned, at the advice of his 
friends, from Paris, it was only to discover that both positions had 
been filled. It may be added, incidentally, that neither occupant 
made a tithe of the impression on the scientific world that was 
made by the rejected candidate. 

One can well understand what a blow this must have been 
to the young man of science. University chairs are not things 
which grow on every bush, and even the most ardent lover of 
science must live by some means or another. If he has no private 
income, as was the case with van Beneden, and no chair by which 
he can live, he must needs turn his face away from science and 
towards some other avocation by which it may be possible for 
him to earn his daily bread. It must have seemed to van Beneden 
that, with all his love for science and his remarkable aptitude for 
pursuing purely scientific studies, he would have to turn away from 
them and devote himself to medical practice. 

But another door was to open for him. As we have seen, 
whilst the State was engaged in founding two State Universities, 
the Catholic hierarchy of Belgium had set themselves the task of 
creating a free Catholic University in the ancient university city 
of Louvain. The Rector of this new institution was Monsignor 
Ram. This far-seeing principal at once named van Beneden to the 
chair of Zoology, and thus established him in 1835 in a position 
which he was destined to occupy for the remainder of his life. 

Of Monsignor Ram no more will have to be said here; yet, be- 
fore passing from him entirely, we wish to mention that the Univer- 
sity of Louvain and the whole scientific world are indebted to him, 
not merely for providing van Beneden with the opportunity of 
which he made such splendid use, but also for finding a position 
for an equally celebrated man, Theodor Schwann, who, among other 
notable achievements, practically established the cell-theory in his 
work, the Structure of Plants and Animals, translated into English 
in 1847. 

Cavillers will note that for some extraordinary reason the 



630 A GREAT CATHOLIC SCIENTIST [Feb., 

Catholic organization, so far as Louvain was concerned, was not 
engaged in what those cavillers believe to be its most cherished 
occupation, namely, the stifling of science, at least at the time when 
van Beneden and Schwann were appointed to chairs, nor, it may be 
added, can it be accused of similar proceedings in the same uni- 
versity when that institution was assisting Carnoy to make his 
great researches on the cell. 

But to return to van Beneden. As already mentioned, he was 
destined to spend the remainder of his life in the university to 
which he was first appointed, and, so far as the great world was 
concerned, that life was spent without incidents more exciting 
than those associated with some new and startling discovery, or the 
attendance at some great gathering of men of science. In 1886 
the jubilee of his professoriate was celebrated with great pomp 
and rejoicing, and in 1894 (on the 8th of January) he died in 
Louvain. 

The scientific world had not stinted honors during his life- 
time. He was elected a Foreign Member of the Royal Society 
(one of the distinctions most coveted by men of science not 
belonging to the British Empire) in 1875. Needless to say he 
received numerous honorary degrees. He was a Foreign Member 
of the Linnaean, Zoological and Geological Societies of London, and 
of many other learned institutions. In his own country he was 
not without honor, for he was President of the Royal Belgian 
Academy in 1881, and was a Grand Officer of the Order of Leopold. 
He left a considerable family behind him, the most distinguished 
member of which, his son, Edouard, is, as has already been men- 
tioned, Professor of Zoology in the University of Liege. 

We may now turn to the consideration of his work and his 
character. With regard to the former it may, at the outset, be re- 
marked that it is most unusual for any man to secure eminence of 
the highest kind in two distinct lines of observation. Readers of 
O. W. Holmes' Poet at the Breakfast-Table will remember the fel- 
low-guest who was known as " the Scarabee," who was not " quite 
so ambitious " as to claim to be an entomologist, nor imagined that 
he had a " right to so comprehensive a name " as that of Coleop- 
terist. He is the type, even if he is the caricature, of the minutely 
specialized scientific man of the present day, a widely different 
person from the naturalist of former days, with a narrower horizon, 
and one who is too often disposed " to think his little burgh the 
world." 



1913-] A GREAT CATHOLIC SCIENTIST 631 

It was not so with van Beneden, as the following pages will 
show. From his early studies on the seashore, and from his life- 
long proximity to the coast at Ostend, it is not wonderful that 
he should have been led to the study of marine zoology, and his 
researches in that line of study must first be described. For years 
it was his custom to spend his holidays at some seaside resort, 
where he could devote himself to his favorite studies. 

The shores of the Mediterranean at first particularly attracted 
him, and those of Sicily especially, whose rich marine fauna and 
clear waters were a constant source of joy to him. He used to 
say that the waters at Cette were so clear that, whilst standing on 
the quay, he could see the molluscs slowly making their way along 
the bottom of the sea. In these researches van Beneden was a 
real pioneer, and that in two directions. In the first place he in- 
sisted upon studying his objects of investigation in a fresh con- 
dition, and not, as most observers were then either obliged or con- 
tent to do, after long exposure to the spirit which had been used 
for their preservation. And, as a corollary to this, he was the 
first to construct a marine biological laboratory, in which it was 
possible to carry out observations leisurely and undisturbedly, ob- 
servations which for obvious reasons it would be utterly impossible 
to carry out on the creatures in their own native waters. 

In order to achieve this purpose, van Beneden set up at Ostend 
the first marine zoological laboratory, a foundation which has had 
many successors in all countries. To his honor, be it said, he set 
it up entirely at his own expense. The University of Louvain had 
(I believe has) no subvention from the State. Its resources were 
limited, and so, one may feel sure, were the incomes of its pro- 
fessors, and at any rate it is clear that there was little money to be 
spared for scientific research. Even at Louvain van Beneden's 
equipment was of the smallest, as was indeed the case at that time 
with most scientific departments at most universities, and no assist- 
ance was forthcoming for his seaside laboratory. 

Indeed there is one amusing incident of his life narrated which 
shows how little sympathy or assistance he received from the State. 
One day whilst searching along the shore, after a severe gale, for 
the spoils cast up by the sea, he discovered a tortoise's shell covered 
with all sorts of zoophytes. With this he was returning to his 
laboratory in triumph, when a customs officer stopped him and took 
possession of his trophy as jetsam belonging to the State. 

The line of studies carried on in this laboratory and on the 



632 A GREAT CATHOLIC SCIENTIST [Feb., 

seashore led van Beneden in 1845 to determine to publish a com- 
plete account of the littoral fauna of Belgium, a work to which he 
devoted an immense amount of time, and many hundreds of 
pages of his voluminous writings. But it was not only to him- 
self that his marine laboratory was of service. There were no 
other such institutions then in existence, as there now are, and 
men of science anxious to work out some point for themselves 
had no place to which they could resort where they could be 
sure to find the apparatus and reagents necessary for their study. 
To many such van Beneden permitted the use of his private labor- 
atory, provided, it may be remembered, at his own private expense. 
Of those who availed themselves of the opportunities which he 
extended may especially be mentioned Johannes Miiller, Max 
Schultze, Quatrefages, Liebig, R. Greef, and Lacaze-Duthiers. In 
later years, when his son Edouard was professor at Liege, the 
laboratory was always available to his pupils for the carrying out 
of their researches. 

In connection with the visits of these men of science, an inter- 
esting incident may be mentioned, in which that giant of biological 
science, Johannes Miiller (also by the way a practical Catholic 
man of science) was paying a visit to van Beneden. Calling on 
van Beneden at Louvain, on his way to Ostend, Miiller remarked 
that the two most important zoological points then requiring eluci- 
dation were the character and position of two very puzzling 
genera, whose names would convey no information to the general 
reader, and may be omitted. What is of real importance is that 
van Beneden was able to show to his confrere an article just pub- 
lished clearing up the difficulty in the one case, and a series of ob- 
servations, still unpublished, doing the same for the other; the 
two great desiderata of science for the moment, according to Miiller, 
thus being no longer desiderata but settled points. 

Van Beneden was, as we have seen, like so many other scien- 
tific men, educated for the profession of medicine; yet later he de- 
voted himself to pure science. It was probably owing to this dual 
attitude that he was led to write and publish his Medical Zoology. 
Like many another enlightened man, van Beneden was alarmed lest 
the education of the medical student should become too specialized, 
and his horizon narrowed by too rigid a pursuance of purely pro- 
fessional studies. He desired that he should have a competent 
knowldge of the sciences, ancillary to medicine, and particularly of 
what has since become known as " biology," and he wrote this book 



1913.] 'A GREAT CATHOLIC SCIENTIST 633 

of zoology with a special eye to the needs of the medical student and 
the medical practitioner. This was in 1858, when the medical 
profession, as a self-governing profession, was, in these islands in 
which I write, only in the making. It was many years later that 
biology became, as it now is, a compulsory study for all students 
of medicine. The advance of science has rendered van Beneden's 
Medical Zoology out of date, but his services in respect of medical 
education ought never to be forgotten. This, however, is not the 
only service which he rendered to medical studies. 

In his researches on marine zoology, he had been led to make 
numerous observations on the strange subject of parasitism. In- 
deed one of the two observations, mentioned above, which had 
converted desiderata of science into established facts, had dealt 
with an instance of this kind which related to a group of parasi- 
tic and, as is commonly the case, also incomplete cestoid worms, 
which passed part of their career in bony fishes and part in sela- 
chians. 

His observations on the subject of parasitism, after having 
originally appeared in various scientific publications, were event- 
ually gathered together into one volume under the title of "Animal 
Parasites and Messmates in the well-known International Scientific 
Series, which began its career a great many years ago by the pub- 
lication of Tyndall's Forms of Water, and is still continuing to 
produce works on all kinds of scientific topics. Much has been 
learnt since van Beneden's day as to the problems with which this 
book deals. We now know much that was then unknown as to the 
diseases which tiny parasites of all kinds, internal and external, 
are capable of carrying or of causing. His book, like all books 
on science after a certain period, must clearly become incomplete 
and out of date, but it remains, and will always remain, one of 
the classics, an imperishable monument of unsparing and illumi- 
nating research on a subject which, from the point of view of 
health, seems destined to become second to none in importance. 

In his early youth we have seen van Beneden, in military uni- 
form, pursuing his researches around the fortifications of Antwerp, 
whilst at the same time ready to receive his enemy with far more 
lethal weapons than the fossil which temporarily distracted his 
attention. At a later date these same fortifications were to afford 
him a further opportunity of extending his scientific knowledge 
and fame. The question of completing and strengthening the 
fortifications of this city having assumed great importance, and 



634 A GREAT CATHOLIC SCIENTIST [Feb., 

the carrying of them out having been opposed by some, a strong 
supporter of the project was found in van Beneden. It is prob- 
able that it was his early military experience which taught him 
the importance of the projected fortifications, but the insinuation 
was made, perhaps more than half in kindly jest, that van Beneden 
was really anxious for the fossils which would naturally be ex- 
posed by the necessary excavations. Be that as it may, the fact 
remains that immense numbers of fossil remains of cetaceans 
were turned up in the course of the very extensive works, the 
results of which are to be seen by all who visit that beautiful 
and far-famed city, and that their discoveries did actually lead van 
Beneden into a new and fertile field of research, in which he gained 
still further laurels. 

With characteristic completeness van Beneden not merely made 
a study of the fossil remains which came under his observation 
in the way I have mentioned, but he also set himself to study the 
cetacea (which, it may be explained for the benefit of the non- 
scientific reader, include the whales) as they exist at the present 
day, as well as their predecessors in fossil periods. At the time 
the subject was but little worked over, and the characters of these 
creatures but little known. In collaboration with Paul Gervais, van 
Beneden brought out between the years 1868-80 his Osteographie 
des Cetaces vivants et fossiles, which is still and must long remain 
the standard work on the subject in question. 

It will be seen, then, that van Beneden acquired the highest 
fame in three distinct lines of research. He was a pioneer in 
marine zoology, and the acknowledged authority on marine fauna 
whilst he lived. But he was no less an authority, if possible even 
a greater authority, in the region of parasitology, and, as we have 
just seen, in the region of the cetaceans. 

It will also be remarked by scientific men, and should be im- 
pressed on the non-scientific reader as a most significant fact, that his 
triumphs were achieved in both the invertebrate and the vertebrate 
branches of zoology, a really remarkable achievement but seldom 
paralleled since science became, perhaps necessarily but certainly 
in many ways most unfortunately, so minutely parcelled out into 
tiny areas of specialization as is now the case. If we are to decide 
in which of these realms van Beneden's greatest triumphs really lie, 
the palm should I think be given to his researches in parasitology. 
It was for these that he was awarded in 1858 the grand prix 
des sciences physiques of the Institute of France, and it will be 



1913.] A GREAT CATHOLIC SCIENTIST 635 

probably by these that he will be longest remembered, except by 
specialists who must continue to take note of his other original 
memoirs as long as natural science is cultivated in this world. 

From this sketch of van Beneden's scientific achievements we 
must now turn for a short space to another side of his character. 

The sympathetic writer of his memoir in the Proceedings of 
the Royal Society, evidently the late Sir William Flower, Director 
of the Natural History Museum at South Kensington, says of him 
that " though he remained to the end a devoted son of the Church in 
which he had been brought up, he always showed the widest tolera- 
tion for the views of others," not an unusual characteristic, I 
submit, of Catholic men of science. " He believed firmly in the 
preconceived order of nature," says Dr. Kemna, his biographer, 
to whose work I have to express my indebtedness for many of 
the points mentioned in this paper ; " the expressions God, the Ail- 
Powerful, the Creator, the Divine Artist " fall frequently from his 
pen. The memoir of 1858 on the intestinal worms, which ob- 
tained the grand prix of the Institute of France, bore, as its motto, 
these words of a bishop, " The laws of nature are the constant appli- 
cation of the eternal ideas of the Divine Wisdom for the preserva- 
tion of the beings which It has created." In the discourse Sur 
I'homme et la perpetuation des especes dans les rangs inferieurs 
du regne animal, we read: "The breath of life, once breathed 
upon the earth by the generosity of the Creator, is never 
extinguished; it is a force impressed on the first couple whose 
power renews itself without cessation. Life does not commence 
with each new individual, it continues; it has only commenced 
once for each species." 

When Darwin's work first appeared, and the whole world, 
scientific and non-scientific, was convulsed with this new and power- 
ful re-statement of the theory of Trans formism, a theory which, 
though of secular antiquity and discussed up to a point allowed by 
Fathers of the Church, had dropped almost entirely out of con- 
sideration until the issue of The Origin of Species, van Beneden 
was at least at first inclined to differ with the views put forward. 
Nor does it appear that he ever made any specific pronouncement 
in favor of a transformistic theory, but what is clear is that, to some 
extent at least, perhaps even to a large extent, he modified his 
views as to the fixity of species, and claimed a direct descent for 
various forms from the fossil forms which had preceded them. 

As he wrote, so far as I am aware, no work directly express- 



636 A GREAT CATHOLIC SCIENTIST [Feb., 

ing his opinions on these points, it must suffice to say that he 
would appear, whilst not denying the theory of descent, to have 
held the moderate view, now held by so many, that whilst Darwin's 
factor of Natural Selection was a factor, it was insufficient to 
account for the results which it purported to explain. He re- 
garded the facts of nature from a Catholic standpoint, which, in- 
deed, when properly understood, is also the standpoint of plain 
common sense, and refused to believe that the picture of nature 
around us, whether of to-day or of the remote past, is at all expli- 
cable without the existence of a Divine Creator and Designer. 

In the brief memoir, already quoted from, the late Sir William 
Flower says that " any notice of van Beneden would be incomplete 
without reference to his high character and remarkably courteous 
and agreeable manners. He was gentle, modest, kind, and con- 
siderate to others, and was much beloved by all who knew him 
intimately, as the writer of this notice had many opportunities of 
observing both in his own family circle at Louvain and on many 
visits which he paid to England, during which he was always a 
most welcome guest." 

That he was beloved by his students is shown by the appre- 
ciative notice of Dr. Kemna, and by the enthusiasm manifested 
when he celebrated that very unusual occurrence in academic 
institutions, the jubilee of his tenure of the same chair in the same 
University. 



THE WOOING OF GUESCA. 



BY OLIVER. 




OU have not yet given Guesca away in marriage," 
I reminded Peol one day when a mizzling, disheart- 
ening rain kept us house-bound or rather tent- 
bound. " She has already refused, to my certain 
knowledge, several handsome offers. In fact, men 
have died for love of her: her grandfather, old Nadoga, the sor- 
cerer, for instance, in his anxiety to save her from the attentions 
of the Huron chiefs; the Hurons themselves on their way to lay 
siege to her heart; nay, the very Mengwe who attempted to kidnap 
her went straight to their deaths in the attempt. There is some- 
thing fateful about the girl. Still I trust she did not die an old 
maid. A girl of her spirit could not have been without lovers, 
and in the end must have fallen to the lot of some enterprising 
chief or warrior who was he? Intrepid lover no doubt he was, 
who would not brook refusal, and who was ready to use and 
mayhap did use a club to gather in his bride." 

Somehow those ancient Abenaki strike me as having been 
not many removes from the cave-man in their methods of wife- 
getting. I awaited Peol's reply with interest. 

" Women are queer critters," he answered in his quaint ver- 
nacular, shaking his head knowingly. " One never knows what to 
expect of them; much like the water out there, easily moved in 
the shallows, but harder to measure where it is deep. Guesca 
was no ordinary maid, but one who wanted her own way in the 
choice of a husband; and yet, in the end, she married a man 
because she did not know what else to do with him." 

Peol paused and looked hard at me; no doubt to see how 
I would take this paradox. 

" Married him to get rid of him, I suppose," I replied quickly. 
" Girls are still said to do that sort of thing." 

" He was hers by fair hunting," he continued, ignoring my 
pertness, " and yet she did not go hunting for him. That he 
happened to be the son of a chief in his own country helped 
the matter some; still Guesca won her husband by chance; and 



638 THE WOOING OF GUESCA [Feb., 

the manner of his winning made him ever afterwards a sorcerer, 
when he would rather have been a warrior. He was not a cave- 
man although she got him in a cave; nor yet a Quoddy nor a 
Micmac nor a Malicete, but a Mengwe, and closely connected with 
many of those whom she guided to the fateful chasm." 

Again Peol regarded me with one of his inscrutable looks 
a look of inquiry, if I interpreted aright as if he would take 
in the full extent of my mystification. It was certainly puzzling. 
She got him by hunting, and yet she did not hunt for him; she 
took him then to husband because she could not put him to other 
use; she captured him in circumstances which forced him ever 
afterwards to be a stay-at-home, which was far from Guesca's 
ambitions; she accepted him although he was not of her own tribe 
nor of the tribes of the allies of her tribe surely here was a puzzle- 
ment. Well might Peol prepare my mind with a descant on the 
inconsistencies of woman. 

The expression of his countenance now showed me that he 
was gratified with my mystification. He dearly loved paradoxes 
and surprises of this kind, for the dramatic instinct was strong 
in him. In turn I was crafty enough to cultivate this whimsicality, 
knowing that no better way could be followed if I wished to 
secure a story heartily and willingly told. I made, therefore, every 
show of bewilderment. In fact, the utmost I could advance was 
that she took him prisoner in war for truly I could put 
nothing that was dangerous or unusual beyond the prowess of 
the girl. 

" No ; she did not capture him in war," Peol stolidly replied, 
" and he was not a prisoner brought in by the warriors, as you 
might imagine. She caught him herself when she was not looking 
for him; and he fainted at the sight of her " 

" Hold on there, old man," I cried in exasperation. " You're 
piling up the mysteries too fast. Let me get this thing right. 
He fainted at the sight of her. I thought Guesca was a pre- 
sentable girl ? " 

" She was as straight as a stripling elm," Peol proudly an- 
swered, raising himself up, his eyes sparkling, " and the brown of 
her cheeks was the tint of young spruce buds in springtime." 
Here his English failed him, or he felt its inadequacy to express 
his meaning, so that he turned to his own speech. " Her eyes 
browned and smiled like the water of a brook in its course, or 
darkened into the depths of a silent pool, according to her humor; 



1913.] THE WOOING OF GUESCA 639 

her lips were more red than the berry of the rowan tree when the 
frost first mellows it; her teeth were white and small; and the 
tiptoe of her foot was like the spring of a young ash." 

What more could he say? Peol always waxed enthusiastic 
when he spoke of this ancient glory of his race. Quickly re- 
verting to his whimsical desire to continue my puzzlement, he 
added in English, " So it was not her ill looks which made him 
faint he took her for a spirit or goddess." 

" And well he might," I heartily admitted. " A goddess in 
human form she must have been, and compact of all good qualities." 

Peol at once relented. My unstinted praise of Guesca won 
him from all further thought of befogging me. Seating him- 
self beneath the shelter of the projecting fly, while he scanned 
with unvarying vision the broad expanse of the lake at our doors, 
he at once addressed himself to the tale of the girl's marriage. 
Now and then he chuckled, doubtless at the thought of his ingenuity 
in puzzling me. 

Again I must be permitted to translate into serviceable English 
his quaint and untutored dialect. It was at all times sufficiently 
intelligible to me, when he used what he called a foreign tongue 
although he did cruelly mistreat some of his pronouns; the How 
and softness and abundance of flowery metaphor particularly ap- 
pealed to me when he employed his own agglutinative speech. In 
this case there was a certain directness and unsophistication of 
thought, which somehow reminded me of our archaic English. 
All this I will endeavor to the best of my ability to eschew; still if, 
now and then, I suffer a fleeting glimpse of this trim naturalness 
to show, itself, I pray that I may be forgiven. 

"Guesca had many lovers, as you know," Peol began; "the 
first of whom in a regular and official way was a great Micmac 
chief from the mouth of the Ouigoudi, Cacagous by name. He 
was well advanced in life when he came a- wooing amongst us; so 
that our young men, who resented quietly his coming, predicted 
that his courting would be directed rather to Guesca's parents 
than to herself. And so it was, for he made a great show of his 
escort and importance, and was profuse with his presents. He 
labored, besides, under the disadvantage of having no less than 
eight wives at home on the Ouigoudi. Nobody, therefore, was sur- 
prised when Guesca dismissed him incontinently with the curt ad- 
vice to go back to his wives; as for her, she had no desire to 
be exhibited as a curiosity in a string of curiosities for old 



640 THE WOOING OF GUESCA [Feb., 

Cacagous was wont to line up his wives and show them to every 
stranger who visited him. 

"The old chief, nothing daunted knowing, as he said, the 
innumerable whims of womankind reconciled himself to his dis- 
appointment by immediately marrying another girl. 

" Next in point of importance, in this matter of Guesca's 
wooers, was the suit made to her by a warrior and minor chief 
of our tribe named Hidaha. He was actually a well favored man, 
industrious, a great hunter, and which was of greater value and 
recommendation to him he was a close friend of Malpooga's. 
Guesca was civil to him always, and even allowed him to win a 
game of checkers from her, which was a favorable omen for his 
suit. But Hidaha had a brother, who was very much in love with 
the girl, and yet could not get her to regard him at all favorably. 
So Hidaha, wishing to oblige his brother, had undertaken to 
make love to Guesca in his place, without her knowing, trusting 
to succeed in getting her to elope with him, as was often the 
custom, and then when it should be too late for her to back out, 
he could acquaint her with his vicarious purpose in courting her, 
and offer his brother in his stead. It was not a nice thing to 
do, and I cannot blame Guesca for breaking the checkerboard on 
his head, when through a hint from Malpooga she learned Hi- 
daha's real intentions. But, then, that was before the great event 
at the falls, when Guesca's mettle was not yet fully tried or known. 
Afterwards, no one dared think of employing such a ruse in con- 
nection with her. As it was, Hidaha fell into permanent disfavor 
with the tribe. 

" Things were in this condition, Guesca being still heart-whole, 
when, after the battle at Saco under the great Micmac chief, 
Membertou in which, if you will recollect, Malpooga rescued 
his bride from the lodges of the Abenaki the young men of the 
three allied tribes formed a league or society. They called it 
Of The Strong Hearts, and decided to make a trip of exploration 
and pleasure through the lands of the Abenaki and Pequods 
who were now submissive after their supreme defeat to the great 
lake on the edge of the hunting grounds of the Saranacs. The 
Micmacs feared no men alive, now that the French had armed them 
with powder and ball ; and while our tribe, together with the Mali- 
cetes, were not so well dressed with arms, still the French had 
-also supplied us with iron hatchets and scalping knives of sur- 
passing sharpness. Some of our greater chiefs carried firearms 



1913.] THE WOOING OF GUESCA 641 

likewise. So that the young men who were members of this joint 
confraternity of the Strong Hearts planned their excursion with- 
out a worry as to the dangers of the route. This is why those 
amongst them who had wives unencumbered, yet with children, 
carried them along with them, together with sisters and other grown 
young folk who might enjoy the trip. It was a holiday party, 
young, healthy, and vigorous, with here and there an older chief 
as a balance against the known rashness of youth. 

" Guesca accompanied her brother Malpooga and his newly 
wedded wife. It was in the days after the destruction of the 
Mengwe, when the young people would entertain no project to 
which Guesca did not give her assent : they claimed she was lucky. 

" It is not to my purpose to dwell upon the events of this 
foray into strange hunting grounds. I will deal only with those 
incidents which were immediately connected with Guesca's mar- 
riage for I might as well admit to you at once it was there she 
found her husband, under circumstances most unusual and sur- 
prising, as I will now relate. 

" The party had reached the long lake since called Champlain 
which borders the mountainous country of the Adirondacks. 
Within that region of defiles and snowy cliffs there dwelt in those 
days a tribe of people called by some the Andastes, because they 
were said to worship a goddess or female spirit, to whom they 
sacrificed all strangers or invaders who had the rashness to pene- 
trate into their recesses ; by the Mohawks they were called Saranacs, 
which name still clings to their hunting ground. The entire region 
was, therefore, a land of mystery and danger, for which reason 
it unaccountably appealed to the imaginations of the young warriors 
of the Strong Hearts, especially to our allies the Micmacs. They 
were quietly itching for an opportunity to try the efficacy of powder 
and ball on those mysterious Andastes. Yet, by promise, they were 
held from all outward aggression against peaceable tribes on their 
route. Hence the presence among them of chiefs of years and 
wisdom. 

" They had now built a sort of temporary camp, such a one 
as they could comfortably tarry in for an indefinite period in 
summer, when the nights are warm. For the site of this encamp- 
ment they chose a gently rolling declivity, between hills; these in 
turn screened the position from distant view; while a noisy brook 
ran past their doors and supplied them with water for domestic 
use. The camp lay nearly a mile from the lake, on its western 

VOL. xcvi. 41. 



642 THE WOOING OF GUESCA [Feb., 

shore, with but a line of lower hills separating it from the adven- 
turous land of the Saranacs.. The forest, bright and lively in the 
summer sun, surrounded them on all sides, serving as a mask and 
protection, especially against interruption from the lake. For, since 
the tragedy of the falls although it was undeniably certain that 
no survivor had escaped it was an act of discretion at least not to 
court too openly reprisal from the Mengwe. As to the Andastes, 
no one feared them. 

" Having thus established a camp in a comforting position* 
to the satisfaction of the older chiefs the Strong Hearts planned 
an expedition into the alluring country of the Andastes. Two 
hundred in number, they set out through the hills, having left an 
adequate guard of warriors to watch the camp; moreover, as was 
the custom, the party as it progressed left lookouts usually on 
the hill tops behind it to give warning should danger suddenly arise 
in the rear. Most of the older chiefs, with some stripling warriors, 
remained to safeguard the women. 

" Thus it happened that Guesca, having wearied of her sister's 
perpetual praise of Malpooga, wandered alone away from the camp 
one sunny afternoon. For the lack of other purpose on she fol- 
lowed the babbling of the busy brook in the direction of its source. 
For the moment she had not in mind the hazy legend of the origin 
of the brook in a great pool and falls, somewhere within the shad- 
ows of the pine-clad hills. Strange and no doubt exaggerated de- 
scriptions were given of the wonderful cavern, into which the brook, 
descending by leaps and jumps from the mountain, cast its waters, 
which in their final descent spread out into a fleecy cloud of silvery 
spray. The assurance that she was heading directly for this my- 
sterious locality came to her now only after she had pursued her 
journey for some time. Behind her the sights and sounds of life 
in the encampment had long since died away; the inevitable brook 
dazed and babbled still, inviting her onward; a resentful king- 
fisher screamed at her in his metallic notes, and yet kept intrusively 
within sight as he flew from point to point, from stub to stub, lead- 
ing her no doubt away from the neighborhood of his young. 

" Guesca took no thought of danger. Somewhere behind the 
rampart of funereal pines, which screened the hills in front, the 
invincible band of her friends, the Strong Hearts, were in pos- 
session no doubt from his outlook on some tall tree a friendly 
watchman had already sighted her, and wondered at her purpose. 
Nor was she unarmed. In the single and particular instance of 



1913.] THE WOOING OF GUESCA 643 

the distribution of the precious firearms by the French she had 
the extraordinary fortune of acquiring a neat rifle, light and easily 
managed, with an accompanying gift of powder and lead. She had 
practiced sufficiently with the untoward thing to lose all fear of it; 
she knew the explosive quality of powder; and could load and 
fire with readiness. She had her gun with her now, and in a 
pretty bronzed horn duly ornamented, and coquettishly balanced 
against her breast she carried her precious supply of powder. 
'Altogether she felt reasonably sure of her own safety, even if 
attacked by a wild beast. 

" The reputation of the cavern towards which her steps were 
tending now gradually supplanted more personal thoughts. In 
some indistinct way she knew it to be associated with the singular 
religious ritual of those mysterious folk who lived within this 
secluded area ; it was she had sometime heard the favorite dwell- 
ing place of the goddess or spirit whom they worshipped with such 
inhuman ceremonies. There amid the thunder of falling waters, 
this goddess was famed to dwell ; and there, if report spoke aright, 
human victims were sacrificed. The courageous spirit of the girl 
arose at the thought of penetrating to such a mystic recess; perhaps 
she might be rewarded with a glimpse of the deity of the place. 
And then, as she bent over a friendly pool in which her own smiling 
face was reflected, she did not restrain the thought that comely and 
trim must even the goddess of the dell be who could surpass her own 
attractions. By this time she was carrying her beaded moccasins 
in her hand, while, bare-footed, she stepped from rock to rock or 
waded through the shallows. The day was already long past its 
meridian, and the quiet of evening was settling down over the forest 
scene. I 

" The sudden bunching together of the young beeches and elms 
which lined the brook making, for all the world, an opening like 
a doorway across the stream brought her to a halt. Within she 
could perceive that the shadows deepened and darkened ; the edging 
trees interlocked overhead; stepping stones gave way to boulders, 
slimed over with dripping mosses; quiet pools edged with golden 
sands succeeded one another; while behind all was the noise of 
falling water, and the darkness of semicircling pines, illuminated 
by the penetrative shafts of the westerning sun. 

"Now was the time to turn back; so whispered wise discre- 
tion. But when did woman ever yet abide the whispers of dis- 
cretion when her fancy or her curiosity urged her on? Guesca 



644 THE WOOING OF GUESCA [Feb., 

pushed boldly into the shadows, content only to unlace her rifle 
from her side where she carried it. Her moccasins she left hanging 
upon a shrub should search be made for her they would direct 
it. Then, gathering her dress about her, she wound around bould- 
ers, splashed through pools, steadied herself by friendly trees, and 
strove valiantly forward, unintimidated by the ghostly fashion 
of the place. The stream, suddenly freed from the restraint of 
boulders, ran clear and deep, dark and uninviting, in strange 
contrast with the soft playful sand of either bank. 

" The lure of this warm softness under foot led the girl 
willingly to penetrate further into the shadows of the place and 
then the trees, with their overhanging foliage of deep and dark- 
ened green, were the same trees which she knew at home; where 
they were she might well be ; she had known them from childhood, 
and never to her hurt. A few turns more of the brook now 
a little river and she came to the edge of a wide, dark pool, 
from which the stream flowed, outletting itself with great vigor 
of volume. On the side opposite to where she stood, the upholding 
mountain let down a rushing cascade, which after a leap of several 
feet struck the pool in its centre with a sound between the thud of 
an inert body and the lively crash of water welcoming water. 
To the left, in the background, the mountain receded enough 
to allow the slanting rays of the declining sun to reach the pool, 
through the soft greenery of pines, with a golden glare so pure 
and ethereal that Guesca could see the motes playing in the sun- 
beams. To complete the beauty of the scene, a pair of rainbows 
concentric, but slowly merging into one spanned the splash of 
the waters. Surely here was fitting habitation for the most exact- 
ing goddess. 

" The girl, still restless and curious, circled around the spread 
of water until she stood where she could get a good view of the 
darkened space behind the cascade. Here, instead of a smooth 
wall of rock, which she expected to find, a wide opening presented 
itself, not unlike a cave; a cleft or cavern evidently, but just how 
deep or extensive she could not at first make out. Her venture- 
some spirit at once forced her to investigate. Picking her steps 
carefully across the tops of level boulders, she soon reached a smooth 
platform of rock, which projected beyond the face of the wall and 
led to the cavern. Following this narrow pathway, while the 
water splashed overhead and outward a thin mist, the refinement 
of the spray, alone reaching her she quickly found herself in a 



1913-] THE WOOING OF GUESCA 645 

good-sized room hollowed out of the face of the rock. In front 
the falling water spread as it fell, forming an effective cover and 
concealment. The sun's rays, glinting through the crystalline spray, 
lighted up the interior. The floor and side walls were level and 
even, as if made so by the hand of man; the rear wall alone 
retained its natural roughness and inconsistency. At a distance 
much higher than the girl could reach, it was broken by a pro- 
jecting shelf which ran back into a secondary cleft in the rock. 
Here appeared to be a smaller room overlooking the larger one 
on the ground floor. Just what it was like the girl could not at 
once tell, as the opening was ragged and irregular, but it did look 
inviting and cool. 

" Guesca had walked far in the hot sun; there was a sleepy 
lull to the waters, even in their worried splashing; the cave was 
cool, the day not yet spent: she would have ample time to rest 
herself before retracing her way home. A short but vigorous 
climb landed her within the upper gallery or cave; she was pleased 
to discover that here she could stretch herself, while the uneven- 
ness and bosses of the projecting shelf of rock would effectually 
conceal her from below. Here she reclined at her ease, having 
laid her gun carefully by her side. For a while she watched the 
imperturbable waters as they fell, and thought of the cascades 
and rapids of her own home rivers, and lived over again that awful 
night when the Mengwe took her prisoner. Gradually being 
young and healthy her head sank, and she fell asleep. 

" How long she slept, she could never tell. She was awak- 
ened by a sudden consciousness of the presence of others near 
her, and by the acrid fumes of some burning matter. Luckily her 
instincts taught her to be noiseless in her movements. She bent 
over, under cover of the irregularities of the rock, and peered at 
the scene below. It was sufficiently unusual to satisfy her taste 
for adventure. Below, on the smooth floor of the cave, a 
small fire blazed and burned, from which curling strings of blackish 
smoke arose and spread the aroma of cherries a peculiarly pungent 
odor which she at once recognized, because old Nadoga in some of 
his incantations was wont to use it. It was particularly agreeable 
to the spirits. Bending over the flame and feeding it with fresh 
fuel, stood the strangest and queerest figure that Guesca, in all her 
experience, had ever set eyes on. At first, in fact, she was only 
dimly aware of the presence of this extraordinary personage, so rapt 
and motionless, and withal so attenuated and ghostly was he. An 



646 THE WOOING OF GUESCA [Feb., 

aged man he was again her experience told he was a priest or sor- 
cerer engaged in some mystic rite. The burden of many years 
had bent him almost double, and his long gray locks fell over 
his neck and shoulders. On his head he carried a sacrificial cap 
of birch bark, strengthened with bands of deerskin, and ending 
in a narrow point much like the mouthpiece of a moose horn. 
Here and there, on its surface, the yellow-brown cone flower 
appeared, bending and titillating with every movement of his 
head. From this striking headpiece the girl's attention was next 
drawn to the scarcely less remarkable footgear in which this odd 
figure stood. His feet were encased in shoes, not moccasins, long 
boat-like things (for which Guesca never could find a name), 
which projected far in front of him, and ended in turned-up toes, 
narrowed like the bow of a canoe. The girl could not repress 
a smile at the incongruity of this strange old man's appearance; it 
was with difficulty that she restrained a laugh when he moved 
about in his unwieldy shoes. Moreover, the strained posture he 
was obliged to take in order to keep his feet out of the fire made 
his attitudes at times truly laughable. He was an uncanny figure, 
nevertheless ; and the girl could not but watch his actions with lively 
interest. When the first start of surprise had passed off, she had 
time to note that evening was slowly setting in; the water of the 
falls had lost its quick, prismatic hues, and was slowly dead- 
ening and darkening. 

" She had begun to wonder whether she had not better make 
her presence known to the extravagant yet harmless being below, 
when two figures suddenly appeared in the doorway or entrance 
of the cave. So far as dress went, one of these was the exact 
reproduction of the old man; but he was many years younger, and 
robust and active. The other was evidently a prisoner, for his 
arms were bound behind his back, and his legs were tied together, 
so that he had barely liberty to step a few inches at a time. He 
was a young man, of fine figure, erect and haughty of bearing. 
Despite his air of indifference, Guesca noted a certain involuntary 
curiosity. His eyes wandered from the fire to the old man and 
then to the walls and shadows of the cavern, as if he expected 
more than this meager show of wonder. At least so she interpreted 
his quick glances; and being a girl of many resources and of great 
whimsicality, and judging on the spur of the moment that he was 
casting about in vain for a sight of the famed goddess of the 
grotto, she quickly rose upon her knees and as quickly sank again 



1913-] THE WOOING OF GUESCA 

into the shadows. She could see a wave of astonishment pass 
over his countenance. Her purpose she ever afterwards held < 
was to give him assurance of friendly help, but he did not so inter- 
pret it. In the after years he always claimed that he resigned 
himself then and there to the death that was intended for him, 
content to be sacrificed as a victim to such a goddess. He was taken 
aback so much by the sight of her, however, that he came to a 
sudden stop, still gazing confusedly in her direction. The younger 
sorcerer, mistaking his hesitation, pushed him roughly onward. 

" The elder sorcerer now met them, and with hands that 
trembled with age drew the prisoner close to the sacred fire. 
They stationed him between them, his face to the falls a position 
which cut him off from all further view of Guesca. To her the 
three men now stood with their backs turned; in the intensity 
of her interest she drew herself noiselessly forward on the rocky 
shelf, until she could have lifted without effort the pointed cap 
from the head of the taller of the sorcerers. They had no thought 
of her presence; the victim alone knew of it, but vaguely as one 
senses the presence of a spirit. She watched them, therefore, with- 
out thought of discovery. 

" From a sheath of green water flags the younger sorcerer 
drew a long pointed knife of bone itself in shape and length not 
unlike the pointed stalk of the blue flag and handed it to his 
senior. The latter felt its edge to make sure of its condition; and 
then, with an indifference that aroused all the ire of the watchful 
girl, he began to rub, in a doddering way, the young man's back 
and neck, evidently in the spots where the knife should enter. 

" At the same time he began an address to the victim. The 
girl readily understood the most of what he said. From this dis- 
course she learned that the prisoner was a Mengwe; that he and 
his father had been hunting in the forbidden territory of the Sar- 
anacs ; that they had been discovered and overtaken ; and that in the 
running fight which ensued the young man could have made his 
escape had he been willing to desert his father ; that his filial devo- 
tion carried him even farther than this, for, in order to save his 
father, he had willingly consented to become a victim to be offered 
to the goddess of the falls. 

" All this the old sorcerer repeated in tones which the drone 
of the water sometimes hid from Guesca's ears; but she heard 
enough to decide her on a rescue. The old man continued, the 
last portion of his address being evidently an invocation to the 



648 THE WOOING OF GUESCA [Feb., 

goddess herself. 'Great goddess,' he said, 'who makest thy home 
amid the noise of these gentle waters, and dost at times show thy- 
self in the beauties of the rainbow, behold we offer to thee this 
day this estimable victim, a gift in every way fitting thee. A good 
son he hath been and dutiful, as thy children do generously testify; 
willingly would we have preserved him for his valor and filial piety, 
and adopted him into our sacred tribe, but he preferred to die 
in his father's stead. He is thine, therefore, Sweet Goddess of 
the Pool' here the old priest lifted the sacrificial knife. 'Accept 
him and show thyself to ' 

" A sudden explosion, which filled the cave with noise and 
the smell of gunpowder, and in the midst of the awful flame and 
thunder the form of a young woman of great beauty flashed on 
the bewildered senses of the sacrificing priests. It did more, 
for it landed directly on the shoulders of the younger of the two, 
throwing him to the ground with great violence. Moreover, with 
clubbed rifle it sent the doddering old man into a heap in a far 
corner of the room. The fire, scattered and distributed with such 
violence, and being no respecter of sorcerers, accepted their sacred 
headdresses as suitable food for consumption. The rumble of the 
explosion seemed to penetrate the very bowels of the mountain, so 
persistent was it to return again and again. No wonder, then, that 
the intended victim was as astounded and terrified as were his would- 
be executioners, and that like them he too lost consciousness. The 
practical goddess, however, who had devised this distraction in his 
favor having sacrificed her precious powder and horn for his 
sake now shook him back to consciousness, and with her ready 
knife removed the bonds which bound him. Then when, staring 
and still stupefied, he was slow to recover his senses, she pointed 
imperiously to the limp bodies of the sorcerers, and thence to the 
falling waters and pool in front. Through his resentment against 
them she quickly brought him to his senses. It required but the 
action of a moment for him to throw the bodies into the whirpool ; 
so that in a shorter time than it takes to tell it the place was cleared, 
and they stood regarding each other at the edge of the cataract; 
he knelt and taking her hand being yet uncertain that she was of 
real flesh and blood he put it on his head, thus making himself 
her man and slave thenceforth. 

" She made no effort to recognize his act, but picking up the 
battered remains of her pretty powder pouch, she led him out of 
the cave. The sun had gone down, and the twilight was doubly 



1913.] THE WOOING OF GUESCA 649 

dark in the arched recesses along their path, but she led him un- 
falteringly forward until the brighter light of the open country re- 
ceived them, and the brook guided them to the encampment. Not 
a word did either speak on the way; but when they were arrived 
at the boundaries of the camp, Guesca turned suddenly and asked 
him, 'What name did your mother call you by ?' 

" 'Nikagahi, the faithful one,' he answered ; 'but what does it 
henceforth matter what my mother called me? My father is 
back there among the Saranacs, a prisoner. I shall never see her 
again.' 

" 'Waghinethe shall you henceforth be called,' she replied 
'which means the Victim of the Goddess. Never again will the 
spirit of the dell appear to her children of the Saranacs. Their 
race is run. You will return to your mother, and your father will 
return with you. This much I venture to prophesy, although I am 
no prophet; no, not even a goddess nothing but a simple Etchemin 
girl; but behind me are two hundred of the bravest warriors, who 
for my sake and at my command will storm the deepest and farthest 
recess of these bald mountains to rescue your father. This much 
you have won this day by your filial piety. What more niay 
come we will leave to fate.' ' 

I began to question in my own mind whether Peol was abso- 
lutely correct in his estimate of Guesca's motives for marrying 
this noble Iroquois. 

" 'If you are not a goddess,' he persisted, 'you are my goddess, 
whom I am now sworn to serve. Your people must henceforth 
be my people ; I live by your sufferance.' 

" Guesca, not caring to pursue the matter further, did not 
reply, but led him forward into the light of the camp fires. She 
turned him over to one of the older chiefs, having first given to 
a small but attentive audience a brief account of her adven- 
ture. 

" Waghinethe " for so he was thenceforth known to us 
"was not long in making acquaintances and friends; so that 
when the dawn came he had found companions to accompany him 
back to the chasm, where they expected to find at least one scalp 
still unattached. No doubt the younger sorcerer must have es- 
caped, as the dip into the pool would naturally restore him to con- 
sciousness; but the older man at best so feeble could hardly 
have recovered from the weight of Guesca's blow and the immediate 
drowning. It was as they expected: the body of the aged priest 



650 THE WOOING OF GUESCA [Feb., 

floated in the shallows, at the edge of the pool; the other, and 
younger man, had escaped. 

" The problem of getting quickly in touch with the main 
body of the Strong Hearts, whom Guesca, in order to make 
good her promise, was anxious to reach, was unexpectedly 
solved by their return the next day. With them came Waghine- 
the's father, whom they had not so much rescued as permitted to 
join them. Some most unusual and untoward event had happened 
among the Saranacs, which for the moment had paralyzed their 
courage and watchfulness, thus leaving him practically unguarded. 
So far as he could gather, the goddess whom they worshipped ap- 
peared in a flame of fire and with unspeakable thunderings to 
the two sorcerers, whose duty it was to offer his son, Nikagahi, 
in sacrifice; the elder priest was killed in the very act of stabbing 
the victim; while his companion, terrified by the glimpse he got 
of the angry goddess as she descended, knew nothing until he found 
himself gasping and smothering in the waters of the pool. As to 
the victim, he had disappeared, having been carried away bodily 
by her godship. 

" What the older Iroquois thought or how he felt when he 
learned of the rescue and safety of his son, one can well imagine. 
He entered heartily into the latter's view of his obligations towards 
Guesca, although he could not so easily reconcile himself to the 
prospect of having his son desert his own tribe to go live by the 
sea. It would be necessary, he insisted, to have the consent of 
the boy's mother for, among the Iroquois, the women exercise 
final authority. Guesca protested that she had no thought of hold- 
ing him to a vow made in a moment of grateful excitement. 
Waghinethe, however, protested his purpose to return and 
accompany our party homeward to the sea; nor could an as- 
sumed chill and coldness on Guesca's part turn him from his 
purpose. 

" Both he and his father to show their gratitude urged 
the party to accompany them to their homes. In fact, so insistent 
were they that only the counsels of the older men prevented the 
Strong Hearts from accompanying them in a body. At a secret 
council it was decided not to incur the risk; for through some slip 
of the tongue the fate of the lost warriors of the Mengwe whom 
Guesca had done away with might be revealed. Waghinethe was, 
therefore, dismissed with the assurance that, while the party would 
now return homeward, it would tarry by the way long enough to 



1913.] THE WOOING OF GUESCA 651 

give him time to overtake it. With this understanding, therefore, 
he and his father departed. 

" Again it looked as if to Guesca fell all adventure. Some 
complained jokingly that she must be the favorite of Wahwouni, 
since to her alone did he permit such exceptional experiences as had 
recently happened to her. The sudden arrival of messengers from 
the St. Croix, to warn them that the Abenaki and Pequods were 
likely to attack them on their way homeward, gave promise, how- 
ever, of adventure and fight for all. The party, therefore, threw 
out scouts in front and rear, and marched with all the compactness 
and caution possible. At night the women were guarded by rows 
of warriors, many deep, no straggling was allowed, and the posts 
of danger were occupied by the well-armed Micmacs. The runners, 
remembering their instructions, were anxious to force the pace, and 
get through the hostile territory as quickly as possible ; in fact, they 
pleaded for silent night marches; but the Micmacs, whose boast 
it ever was that they feared no warriors alive, refused to be 
hurried. They were well armed, and rather courted a fight. 

" One night when the entire party were encamped on the 
Connecticut River, near where it is broken by a fall, the attack 
was made. There must have been an undue sense of security in 
the party, for the scouts had been called in or had come in of their 
own notion, not having seen any signs of an enemy. In the middle 
of the night, therefore, or in the small hours before daybreak, the 
Pequods having crept up close to the sleeping encampment, opened 
a sudden attack with a hideous yell. Our warriors, however, were 
.not as unprepared as they seemed. Every man had gone to sleep 
with his arms close by him. In a moment the Strong Hearts were 
on their feet; a volley from the rifles of our allies restrained and 
daunted the onset of the enemy until the warriors of the three tribes 
could secure suitable positions for a favorable fight. Still the 
enemy were in great numbers, and our people were burdened 
with the defense of the women. The attack quickly developed 
into a serious fight, in which the Pequods had the advantage of 
being able to choose their own cover. Back and forth it raged, 
the Strong Hearts compelled by their exigencies to fight in a circle 
around the women. In the obscurity and darkness of the hour the 
rifles of the Micmacs counted for little in repulsing the onset; they 
fought, therefore, with clubbed muskets, or, throwing their guns 
away altogether, they met the enemy with knife and tomahawk. 
These being of iron, they soon made sad havoc among the Pequods ; 



-652 THE WOOING OF GUESCA [Feb., 

but elsewhere the fight was not so successful. On the side where 
the Malicetes had camped, the enemy being perhaps in greater 
force in that direction forced an entrance through the line of 
defense; so that some women were wounded or killed, without the 
possibility of the victorious Micmacs being able to get round to the 
succor of their allies. The Etchemin, too, had their hands full, 
and were content to keep the enemy at bay. The position was, 
therefore, critical, for if the Pequods once succeeded in making a 
victorious entry through this weakest spot in our defense, they 
could massacre our women while our men were kept occupied in 
front. 

" Only morning with its light, by which the riflemen might 
use their guns with certainty of effect, could offset the advantage 
already gained by the enemy. And morning was slow in coming. 
At this moment, when the Micmac chiefs were about to make a 
flank movement in order to relieve the awful pressure on our 
rear, suddenly the war cry of the Mengwe sounded from that di- 
rection. It came with the roar of many voices, and the effect was 
instantaneous. The Pequods, to whom that awful cry had ever 
been the knell of doom, took at once to flight; they threw away even 
their arms in their haste to get away from the terrible presence 
of the Iroquois. In the dim light they could be seen scattering and 
bounding, followed by their relentless enemies. The Strong Hearts, 
now fairly sobered by their recent danger and by the sight of their 
wounded and dead, drew their lines closer, satisfied to leave the 
pursuit to the Mengwe. Waghinethe had been recognized by many 
as being one of the leaders of the Iroquois. Once more had Guesca 
saved the tribes. 

" Waghinethe it indeed was, together with a war party of his 
people who accompanied him a part of the way on his journey to 
the land of the sea. They had made forced marches in order to 
catch up with our party, and happily arrived in time to be of supreme 
help when it was most needed. The opportuneness and value of 
the service he thus rendered no doubt had weight with the maid 
Guesca. She received him with every sign of favor; she even 
chided him when he still showed symptoms of regarding her as 
more than human. His humility, for so promising a warrior, was 
a subject of comment among our tribes, with whom women had 
not the same standing as with the Iroquois. Guesca accepted it, 
however, as her due; and I make no doubt his deferential attitude 
towards her in the end influenced her choice of him for husband. 



1913-] THE WOOING OF GUESCA 653 

" In the meantime our tribes, having parted with the Iroquois 
(who were on the warpath against the Saranacs, and soon con- 
quered them), returned home, and, after final feasting, separated 
to their respective homes. Waghinethe, of course, remained with 
us, and was unremitting in his service of Guesca. We built him 
a wigwam for his own use, in which he lived a bachelor life. He 
was a great hunter, and hardly ever went out without bringing some- 
thing home with him. He soon learned, too, how to spear salmon 
and kill porpoises on the sea, and bring down gulls for their downy 
plumage; in all of which accomplishments he had Malpooga for 
teacher. 

" But all the time he haunted the steps of Guesca, laid the 
fruits of his hunting or fishing at her door, and in ways innumerable 
showed his deep regard for her. Such assiduous attentions could 
not fail of their purpose. It was noticed that Guesca began to meet 
him oftener at the springs in early morning or in the evening; 
she played checkers with him and let him win; she even trusted 
him as watch and guard when she and other girls amused themselves 
with the strictly private game of ball playing with rackets. When 
finally, through a casual handling of the spirit-stone, it became evi- 
dent that he was in some way favored of the spirits since Wah- 
wouni in some obscure way showed him favor Guesca consented 
to marry him. She enforced a condition, however, which one 
would hardly have expected from a girl of her spirit: he should 
never go out to war. He might indeed accompany a war party in 
his character of soothsayer, but in actual bloodshed he should take 
no part. The goddess who had rescued him was, unlike the god- 
dess of the chasm, no lover of human blood ; her wishes he should 
respect, or otherwise he might return to his Mengwe relatives. 
She had had all the warring and sight of blood that she wanted 
for one short life. Henceforth she would look for peace and time 
to raise a family. 

" Waghinethe was obliged to acquiesce in this condition ; so 
that through the insistence of his wife, the favor of our tribal 
spirits, and by reason of his extraordinary experience and renown 
as a victim rescued from the spirit of the falls, he became a great 
soothsayer and sorcerer greater even than old Nadoga had ever 
been. Moreover, this gift of consulting the spirits followed his 
descendants as was afterwards exemplified in the case of Madwe, 
our sorcerer before Ticonderoga, whose assertion that the American 
scout Rogers with his men were at the moment approaching the 



654 THE WOOING OF GUESCA [Feb., 

French encampment on snowshoes, led the allied French and In- 
dians to intercept and almost destroy that famous body of scouts. 

" He was a descendant of Guesca and Waghinethe. In fact," 
Peol concluded in a casual voice, " I can myself call cousins with the 
Iroquois, for in direct descent I am a son of this same Waghinethe 
and Guesca, greatest of our women. But my devotion runs in a 
different channel, as did Guesca's, for the priests came among us, 
and she died a Christian. But Waghinethe remained a heathen, 
and practiced his incantations, but was a good husband, and always 
somewhat afraid of his wife." 

The rain had ceased, and the sun shone warmly. From the 
door of the tent my eyes wandered reminiscently over the lake and 
spreading forest: here, close at hand, stood the giant pine, from 
the branches of which, in its greening and youth, the panther 
carried death to the first Christian maid of the Etchemin, Nant- 
loola; here, along this curving shore, the demon Wahwouni pro- 
nounced his cryptic oracles to an abject auditory; here, too, a valiant 
race of aboriginal manhood made their rude homes in peace and in 
such comfort as was given them; this scene but little changed, I 
ween Guesca graced with her presence; and here her lineal. de- 
scendant in every way worthy of her still lived to perpetuate 
her memory, and recount the valiant deeds, the loves, and the sor- 
rows of his ancestors. 



CHRISTIAN SCIENCE. 




thought. 



BY ADRIAN FEVEREL. 
IV. 

THE CULT OF THE RIDICULOUS. 

UR examination of Christian Science in preceding 
articles, wherein we have shown it to be immoral, 
unchristian, and unscientific, may be extended a bit 
further to prove that from a philosophical point of 
view it is an inconsistent and ridiculous system of 
We propose, therefore, in this concluding article, to 
analyze briefly Mrs. Eddy's concept of matter. 

For it is primarily in her teaching of the nothingness of 
matter, that the nonsensical element of her system becomes most 
evident. The average man understands by the word " matter " 
that which exists outside of oneself, and which is visible and tan- 
gible, and occupies space; in short, something which we recognize 
through the medium of our senses. 

According to Mrs. Eddy, however, it has quite another mean- 
ing. Her own definition of it is the following: 

Matter : Mythology, mortality, another name for mortal mind 
illusion; intelligence, substance, and life in non-intelligence and 

mortality sensation in the sensationless that which 

mortal mind sees, feels, hears, smells, tastes only in belief.* 

We may sum up Mrs. Eddy's idea of matter in these words : 
Matter is an unreality, f 

Such a theory is ridiculous on its very face, for it ultimately 
results in this : The material universe and all it contains is without 
reality, and is merely a belief of mortal mind. Everything of which 
we have cognizance through our corporeal senses is an unreality. 
It is no wonder, then, that Christian Science abounds in inconsist- 
encies. 

We have already seen how, according to its teachings, man is 
merely the reflection of God. Now we see how all things, even man 
himself, are unreal in Mrs. Eddy's scheme of creation. The 

*Science and Health, p. 591. "\Ibid., pp. 285, 335, 467, etc. 



656 CHRISTIAN SCIENCE [Feb., 

" Scientist " does not really understand to what absurd lengths 
such premises may logically be carried, and what conclusions may 
be drawn from them. Mrs. Eddy might endeavor to support her 
position, with the " scientific statement of being,"* namely, " There 
is no life, truth, intelligence or substance in matter. All is infinite 
mind and its infinite manifestation. Spirit is the real and eternal, 
matter is the unreal and temporal."! 

In this statement she argues that man is in no way material, 
that all creation is spiritual. Yet again and again throughout her 
book we meet with statements that flatly contradict this. 

To illustrate the practical conclusions of her teaching that man 
is in no way material, let us apply them to our every day actions. 
Accepting her premises, we would at once see that we never really 
eat, sleep, engage in business, marry, beget children, fall sick, or die. 
Indeed Mrs. Eddy plainly tells us that " God rests in action."! 
Hence man's body is never tired. It needs no sleep. Why ? The 
body is material, and things material are merely beliefs of mortal 
mind, and mortal mind is no thing. || In this connection, the fol- 
lowing passage from the " precious volume " is interesting in show- 
ing to what absurdities this doctrine of the nothingness of matter is 
carried in " Science." 

You say " Toil fatigues me." But what is this me ? Is 

it muscle or mind? Without mind could the muscles be 

tired? Matter is non-intelligent. Mortal mind does the false 
talking, and that which affirms weariness, first made that weari- 
ness. 

You do not say that a wheel is fatigued; and yet the body 
is just as material as the wheel.fl 

Here we get a glimpse of what masquerades as reasoning. 
The parallel which Mrs. Eddy draws is not really a parallel at all, 
for the wheel is not endowed with life, while the body is. But 
further comment as to the practical application of Mrs. Eddy's 
ideas regarding the nothingness of matter, after such a self-evident 
absurdity, is needless. 

Consider, too, how in this examination of Mrs. Eddy's teach- 
ing regarding matter, we find another inconsistency of her method 
of healing material ills. 

We are told that there is nothing material in man. " Spirit 

* Science and Health, p. 468. ilbid., p. 468. %Ibid., p. 519. 

Ibid., pp. 190, 475, 477, etc. \\Ibid., p. 591. $Ibid., p. 217. 



1913-] CHRISTIAN SCIENCE 657 

is God, and man is His image and likeness, therefore man is not 
material, he is spiritual."* If this be true, why should the " Scien- 
tist " endeavor to cure what seems disease ? There is no death in 
" Science," and though one seem to die, yet we have the word 
of Mrs. Eddy for it, that death, like disease, is but an illusion.f 
No practitioner endeavors to demonstrate over death. Why not, 
since death is quite as much an illusion as sickness ? 

To examine yet another phase of the ridiculous that enters 
into Christian Science through this teaching of material nothingness, 
let us see how Mrs. Eddy's doctrine of the " sensationlessness " of 
matter works out practically. We seem to suffer pain. Yet, in 
reality, according to Christian Science, we cannot suffer pain. To 
illustrate this let us take an example of our author's reasoning 
on the subject 

You say a boil is painful; but that is impossible, for matter 
without mind is not painful. The boil simply manifests, through 
inflammation and swelling, a belief in pain, and this belief is 
called a boil. Now administer mentally to your patient a high 
attenuation of truth, and it will soon cure the boil.J 

We will consider another ridiculous result of the doctrine of the 
unreality of matter. If the body is unreal, a mere belief of mortal 
mind, then the clothes in which we garb it are also unreal; the 
money paid for them is unreal ; and the tailor who cut them is also 
unreal. In like manner we might show that the butcher, the baker 
and candlestick-maker are " nothings " mere beliefs of mortal 
mind. 

To follow up the matter, we will imagine ourselves beneath the 
spreading chestnut tree idly watching the smith, " with large and 
sinewy hands," the muscles of whose " brawny arms are strong as 
iron bands." Standing there and watching the play of muscle as 
the hammer strikes the anvil we might, did we not know that it 
was " unscientific " to hold such thoughts, come to the conclusion 
that exercise develops the muscles. But in " Science " we know 
better. 

Because the muscles of the blacksmith's arm are strongly de- 
veloped, it does not follow that exercise has produced this 
result or that a less used arm must be weak. If matter were 
the cause of action, and if muscles, without volition of mortal 
mind could lift the hammer and strike the anvil, it might be 

*Science and Health, p. 468. ^Ibid., p. 473, 584, etc. tlbid., p. 153. 

VOL. XCVi. 42. 



658 CHRISTIAN SCIENCE [Feb., 

thought true that hammering would enlarge the muscles. The 
trip-hammer is not increased in size by the exercise. Why not, 
since muscles are as material as wood and iron? Because 
nobody believes that mind is producing such a result on the 
hammer.* 

To put the above to a practical conclusion if we believe that 
exercising the trip-hammer would increase its size, as we believe 
that exercise increases the muscles of the arm, then indeed the 
hammer would increase and become, perhaps, in some measure, 
like Thor's mighty hammer, one of prodigious strength. 

Now for one more example. Let us take Mrs. Eddy herself. 
Who was Mrs. Eddy? The answer is obvious ; especially if we may 
imagine ourselves making such an inquiry of one of her followers. 
" The discoverer and founder of Christian Science, our beloved 
leader, and the author of our inspired textbook," he would answer. 
But examined in the light of her own teachings, Mrs. Eddy passes 
entirely out of existence; for Mrs. Eddy always speaks of man as 
a reflection of Divine Mind. Mrs. Eddy was herself, therefore, 
a reflection of Divine Mind.f Yet a reflection, as we have already 
pointed out, is not a reality, and hence we may conclude that Mrs. 
Eddy is non-existent because the reflection is non-existent. 

By another of her teachings we will again show that Mrs. 
Eddy never really existed. We have seen that Mrs. Eddy regards 
the testimony of the corporeal senses as false.J Yet it was only 
through our corporeal senses that we ever were able to recognize 
her. If her contention be true, then the only evidence we have 
ever had of the existence of " the discoverer and founder " of 
Christian Science is false, and logically we must deny that such a 
person existed. For not only were we never able to recognize 
Mrs. Eddy save through the medium of our corporeal senses, and 
their testimony is false, but we never saw her save in her material 
body, and that body, as we have seen time and again, is, in Mrs. 
Eddy's own teachings, " unreal. " To quote her own words upon 
the subject. 

Divine Science shows it to be impossible that a material body, 
though interwoven with matter's highest stratum, misnamed 
mind, should be man the genuine and perfect man, the immortal 
idea of being, indestructible and eternal.|| 

* Science and Health, p. 190. Hbid., p. 478, etc. 

tlbid., pp. 248, 488, 489, etc. Ibid., pp. 190, 477, etc. \\Ibid., p. 477. 



1913-] CHRISTIAN SCIENCE 659 

This citation shows quite lucidly that we could never have 
seen Mrs. Eddy, since we never saw aught save her " material body." 

We might think, or her followers may think, that they knew 
Mrs. Eddy, albeit dimly, through the medium of her writings. 
But, when we come to analyze this belief and try to make it har- 
monize with the theory that matter is unreal, we find ourselves 
again forced to the conclusion that there can be not only no Mrs. 
Eddy, but no writings of hers either. The books which we think 
she wrote and copyrighted cannot possibly exist, since, according 
to " Science," we know them only through the corporeal senses. 
This evidence is false; we must reject it. Again she wrote with 
her hand and an instrument; or she spoke with her lips, and in 
some material way her words were recorded; but the material 
body and all portions of it and all matter are "unreal," non-existent : 
therefore the writing must of necessity be unreal also. In fact, the 
book Science and Health is no book at all, since its elements are 
purely material. The paper, the printer's ink, the binding, all 
these have no real existence; hence the weight, the tangibility of 
the volume, the volume itself, are only seeming realities, the evidence 
of those false corporeal senses which we must dismiss at once as 
untrustworthy. 

In this connection it is interesting to see how the " Scientist " 
might refute those critics who complain of the high prices which 
Mrs. Eddy's writings bring. Money is, of course, a mere belief, 
just as the lack of it is merely a belief, and since the books are 
mere beliefs also, it would not be at all difficult to show that to 
give something unreal, and to receive something unreal for it, is, 
after all, only a fair exchange. 

So, we cannot understand or explain Mrs. Eddy save as a 
nonentity, if we endeavor to prove her existence in, the light of her 
own teachings. 

After reviewing this long list of inconsistencies and indirect 
contradictions, the reader may well ask how any person gifted 
with the faculty of reasoning can possibly profess himself a con- 
sistent follower of Mrs. Eddy. 

We have already said that perhaps the sense of credulity, 
which seems to lie latent in mankind, the sense of superstition, as 
we ventured to call it, might in a large measure account for this 
seeming paradox. 

Large numbers of the members of Mrs. Eddy's church have 
probably experienced some apparent benefit from her system of 



660 CHRISTIAN SCIENCE [Feb., 

mental healing. When they first began to take an interest in her 
theories they were, perhaps, suffering from some ailment of the 
flesh. In the majority of cases these ailments have been healed, 
or at least the patient has been helped by the practitioner. Any 
beginner who experiences such help will naturally look upon it as 
remarkable. His enthusiasm will be aroused. He will be inter- 
ested. Soon he begins to talk " scientifically." He no longer says, 
" I am sick," but " I am not sick, this error is unreal." Gradually 
he finds that what seemed at first to him so obviously absurd 
becomes now most logical and practical. He reads Science and 
Health now with zest, and flatters himself that he is making great 
progress; but in reality the real meaning of the " precious volume " 
eludes him. He fails to see how plainly ridiculous are the extracts 
which we have quoted, for his uncritical sense of credulity has 
been stimulated by the apparent benefit he received. He forgets 
to reason, and accepts what his practitioner tells him with meek 
docility. In this connection we must not forget to allow for the 
hypnotic element in Christian Science. Let us recall the tragic fate 
of those unfortunate fanatics who died under Christian Science 
treatment, when proper medical attention would, in all probability, 
have saved their lives. The minds of these poor victims were 
completely controlled by this system of mental healing. They 
would not allow a physician even to enter the house. Those who 
have known by actual experience the servile regard that 
the average " Scientist " has for his or her practitioner, need no 
further proof of how widely this hypnotic element figures in Chris- 
tian Science healing. 

Either the intelligent members of Christian Science churches 
do not realize the self-evident absurdities of the system, or they are 
so completely lost in the vain superstition of Mrs. Eddy's doctrines 
that their reason lies dormant, and their credulity easily permits 
them to think that black may be white and white black. 



SHAKESPEARE'S MAN OF ACTION. 




BY EMILY HICKEY. 

HREE historical plays of Shakespeare's, the two parts 
of Henry IV. and Henry V., have a connection, each 
one with the other two, which is not merely histori- 
cal. A great dramatist, by whom historical per- 
sonages are set upon the stage, does not only show us 
the sequence of the events in which they have played their part, 
but brings them before us as men who have had to do with the 
shaping of those events; and, going deeper still, shows us the 
springs of their actions. He lets us see that, just as history is not 
chronicle, so an historical play is not a pageant glorious or solemn 
or terrible, but the presentation of the characters who have made 
history; the presentation of them as men who, in any position, 
must have been large factors in the making of environment, as well 
as figures of importance in their world. He shows them as men 
who, placed in the forefront by birth or achievement, or by the 
forcing upon them of honor unsought, stand out before our eyes 
to be known, to be for example, for warning, for delight, for thank- 
fulness, for wonder; men, all of whom, had they been in an 
ordinary position, and lived lives gallant or mean in the sight of 
their comrades only, might have been absolutely unknown after 
the passing of one or two generations. 

Let us try to trace something of the spiritual connection of 
the plays I have named, with special reference to the making of 
a kingly and gallant gentleman, in the person of King Henry the 
Fifth. 

It has been thought that this king is the ideal Man of Action 
in Shakespeare's mind : however that be, he comes before us as a 
man of action, one who faces the facts of life, and meets them in 
the strength of an honest, singlehearted manhood, upheld and 
confirmed by a fine trust in God; a man who uses all experience 
to bear on the conduct of life public and private ; a man whose youth 
is tainted by folly, and whose maturity can use all for the attain- 
ment of a fuller knowledge and a larger wisdom. 

It has been pointed out by Professor Dowden that out of 



662 SHAKESPEARE'S MAN OF ACTION [Feb., 

the six* portraits of English kings which Shakespeare has drawn 
for us, three represented are studies of weakness and three of 
strength. 

John is weak in wickedness, and Richard II. is weak in his 
absolute lack of the faculty of looking straight at facts and sen- 
timentalizing over " situations ;" weakly wicked, also, in seizing 
on Bolingbroke's inheritance. Henry VI., with all his piety, is 
as unfit to wear a crown as even the wicked John. He does not 
understand the responsibilities that are upon him; he seeks to keep 
his garments white by withdrawing from the struggle, which, 
as a religious, he could have left behind; but which, as a king, 
he was bound to face. He mistakes innocuousness for innocence, 
and passivity for endurance. His is not the glorious peace lying 
deep at the heart of things, however troubled their surface may be; 
but the mere quietness, the quietness which, as Cardinal Newman, 
aptly quoted by Professor Dowden in this connection, says is a 
grace, not in itself, but only when it is grafted on the stem of faith, 
zeal, self-abasement, and diligence. 

The other three kings are studies of strength, Richard III., 
Henry IV., and Henry V. Strength is an absolute good, and 
wickedness is absolutely bad: but strength in wickedness is weak- 
ness. Strength wrongly used becomes weakness. As Milton 
says, " All wickedness is weakness." The Satan who says, " Evil, 
be thou my good," and sets his magnificent intellect to devise 
schemes for the hopeless rule of God's transcendent work, is 
infinitely weaker than the Redeemer in His agony, from Whose 
brow the drops of anguish fall blood-stained, and to Whom in the 
darkness of that hour the Angel of the Passion comes and ministers ; 
because wrath and destruction are for ever, by their very nature, 
less than mercy and redemption. The Creator and Preserver is 
also the Destroyer; but He is the destroyer of what destroys, not 
of what creates and preserves. 

The strength of Richard II. then really is weakness; the 
strength of Henry IV. is marred by the mixture of craft, and the 
strength of Henry V. is that of plain heroic magnitude, thoroughly 
sound and substantial, founded on the eternal verities. 

We have to find in the career of Henry V. the working out of 
the punishment of the wrongful seizure of the banished Boling- 

*Henry VIII. is not included. And, to be strictly accurate, neither should 
Henry VI. be counted in ; as the plays in which these kings appear, are not 
entirely Shakespeare's work. 



1913-] SHAKESPEARE'S MAN OF ACTION 663 

broke's goods by Richard II.; and of the punishment of the pun- 
isher, Bolingbroke; and of the atonement offered by Henry V. and 
his son. 

The play of Richard II. closes with Henry Bolingbroke as 
king, announcing his purpose to make a voyage to the Holy Land, 
to wash Richard's blood from off his guilty hand: and the First 
Part of Henry IV. opens with the declaration that this purpose, 
whose execution has been delayed for three years, is now about 
to take form. 

In Richard II. we have the punishment that comes upon wrong 
and injustice. Richard had wrongly taken what rightly belonged 
to Bolingbroke, and he had lived to prove the truth of York's 
warning. 

If you do wrongfully seize Hereford's goods, 
******** 

You pluck a thousand dangers on your head, 
You lose a thousand well-disposed hearts, 
And prick my tender patience to those thoughts 
Which honor and allegiance cannot think. 

Richard, persisting in his course, had inevitably plucked a 
thousand dangers on his head, and, indeed, lost all. But the 
avenger of injustice ought to be strictly just; the rightful punisher 
of wrong-doing should be a right-doer. If the chastiser be so 
swayed by passion and self-interest that he seems to be but an 
instrument of chastisement, he must remember the fate of a mere 
instrument to be thrown aside when no longer needed, or to be 
broken and destroyed. But as no man can so lose his individuality 
as to become nothing but an instrument; as God will never wrong 
one human soul by using it only to be the means of chastising 
another; as each man, beside his life in our common humanity, 
lives in himself and on his own responsibility, it was necessary 
that we should see the punishment of the punisher who had pun- 
ished for his own ends, and not for the ends of right and truth. 
So in the first scene of Henry IV., Part I., we find how uneasy a seat 
Bolingbroke has found the throne. He has had no peace from 
troubles and fears ever since he had taken the sceptre from Richard's 
hand. Retribution has come upon Henry. The " heavy weight " 
given from off Richard's head has pressed hard upon his own. 
The deposed king had said that with his own tears he had washed 
away his balm; with his own breath released all duty's rites, 



664 SHAKESPEARE'S MAN OF ACTION [Feb., 

foresworn all pomp and majesty, foregone his manors, rents, reve- 
nues, and denied his acts, decrees, and statutes. He had said, 

God pardon all oaths that are broke to me. 
God keep all vows unbroke that swear to thee. 
Make me, that nothing have, with nothing grieved, 
And thou with all pleased that hast all achieved. 
Long mays't thou live, in Richard's seat to sit, 
And soon lie Richard in an earthy pit. 
God save King Harry, unking'd Richard says, 
And send him many years of sunshine days. 

But the forgiveness of the wronged, even the very assent of the 
wronged, can never make wrong right. Henry is shaken and wan 
with care, and only now after three years has frighted peace 
time for a moment to pant. But, at last, he thinks, a time of quiet 
is at hand; a time, therefore, for the fulfillment of his purpose 
to go on crusade. Now, at last, he will have the opportunity of 
leading an army to chase the pagans from the holy fields, over 
whose acres walked those blessed Feet nailed so long ago to the 
bitter cross for our advantage. 

A council has just been held to decide as to the best means 
of granting aid for this expedition, and Henry asks the Earl of 
Westmoreland what has been decreed. The business of arranging 
for the expedition to the Holy Land had been broken off by the 
tidings that Mortimer had been taken captive by Glendower, with 
the loss of a thousand men, and that Harry Percy was engaged in 
uncertain conflict at Holmedon with the Scot, Douglas. Sir Walter 
Blunt, however, has arrived, all travel-stained, from Holmedon, 
bringing welcome tidings of the discomfiture of the Scots, and 
the captivity of the chief among them. Hotspur has been entirely 
victorious, and his bravery is strongly commended by the king. 
But there is a drawback: Hotspur has refused to surrender his 
prisoners to the king, with the exception of the Earl of Fife, the 
eldest son of the vanquished Douglas. Hotspur had indeed a right 
to keep these prisoners, except the Earl of Fife, whom, being a 
prince of the blood royal (he was nephew to King Robert II.), 
Henry might in justice claim. Hotspur is sent for to answer for 
his conduct in this matter to the king, and the " holy purpose to 
Jerusalem " is to be for the time neglected. This is but the 
prelude to the great rebellion so soon to break out. The king has 



1913-] SHAKESPEARE'S MAN OF ACTION 665 

a deep cause for grief in the wildness of his son, whom he sorrow- 
fully contrasts with the son of the Earl of Northumberland, " the 
theme of honor's tongue." Riot and dishonor he sees stain the 
brow of his young Harry, and he wishes that it could be proved 
that when the children lay in their cradle-clothes some night-trip- 
ping fairy had exchanged them, " and called mine Percy, his Plan- 
tagenet." 

The next scene introduces us to the Prince of Wales and his 
comrades, the dissolute band, of whom the most prominent in every 
way is Sir John Falstaff. 

In the play of Richard II. , Henry says of his son: 

As dissolute as desperate; yet, through both, 

I see some sparks of better hope, which elder years 

May happily bring forth. 

This better hope remains with the king; to pass, one day, into 
fulfillment. 

The old story of the sudden conversion of Henry V., from 
a wild and reckless youth, a haunter of evil places and a com- 
panion of evil associates, has been modified by Shakespeare itra 
special way. According to him, Henry kept before himself a 
steady purpose of casting the slough of the life he was choosing 
to lead, and of using that same old life, with its experience and 
its knowledge of various kinds of men, by and by to enlarge and 
enrich the higher life which it was his purpose to lead, with greater 
human sympathy and a wider understanding than one confined 
to the sphere of court and nobility would have been likely to gain. 
A risky experiment, in truth. But it is difficult to feel that the 
old tavern life was altogether on the lines of mere experiment. 
Surely the sense of fun, the breaking of bonds that fretted, the 
feeling of liberty, however poor a thing that liberty might be, 
must have had something to do with it. And with these things 
went the enjoyment of such a companion as that extraordinarily 
amusing Falstaff, that strange creature who is on a plane where 
morality there is none: Falstaff, not only witty, but the cause 
that wit is in other men. He has forgotten, he says, what the 
inside of a church is like; he is a coward and a bully; he is 
loaded with superfluous flesh; he has age without dignity, and the 
vices that beset youth without the radiancy and beauty of youth 
itself. Yet it is in him to exercise an extraordinary fascination 



666 SHAKESPEARE'S MAN OF ACTION [Feb., 

over people with whom he comes in contact; a fascination which 
it is impossible to analyze and difficult not to feel. Of what we call 
" heart," does he possess even an infinitesimal share ? It might be 
supposed that he loves Harry Tudor; he says he does. But 
with what manner of love? It is true that, after his disappoint- 
ment and banishment, it is said of him, " the king has killed his 
heart." But does it seem possible to believe that wounded affection, 
much less love, had a place in that killing of his heart? And 
who says it of him? The Hostess who, despite of his having 
cheated her and abused her, clings to him with a pertinacious 
affection, which bears witness to the fact that it is not always 
the givers of love who are the receivers of it most in full. The 
Hostess herself has found it impossible to get from him the money 
which he owed her; she is driven, after long forbearance, to bring 
what she calls an " exion " against him. A hundred mark, as 
she says, is a loss which it " is a long one for a poor like woman 
to bear." " I have borne, and borne, and borne, and have been 
fubbed off, and fubbed off, from this day to that day, that it is 
a shame to be thought on." Yet Falstaff can manage not only to 
appease her, but also to borrow ten pounds of her, which he shall 
have, she says, though she should pawn her gown. And she can 
say to him, as he goes forth, " Well, fare thee well ; I have known 
thee these twenty-nine years, come pescod time ; but an honester and 
truer-hearted man well, fare thee well." 

As to Falstaff's lies, it is impossible to take them seriously. 
What might appear the grossest falsehoods are often really the 
outcome of an exhaustless wit. Take, for instance, the scene 
where he describes his " peppering " of the rogues in buckram 
suits. Poins has devised a plot, into which Harry enters, which 
is to show up the cowardice of Falstaff, Gadshill, Bardolph, and 
Peto. Certain travelers are to be robbed by these men, and the 
Prince and Poins are to rob the robbers. This is done, and the 
coward four run from the two, leaving their booty behind. Later 
on the story is related at the tavern how they had set upon at least 
sixteen men and bound them, and how six or seven had come to 
their rescue, and unbound them. Falstaff goes on with the story. 
" I have peppered two of them ; two, I am sure, I have paid ; 

two rogues in buckram suits Thou knowest my old ward : 

here I lay, and thus I bore my point. Four rogues in buckram 
let drive at me " 

Prince Henry. What, four? thou saidst but two even now. 



1913-] SHAKESPEARE'S MAN OF ACTION 667 

Poins. Ay, ay, he said four. 

Falstaff. These four came all afront, and mainly thrust at 
me. I made no more ado, but took all their seven points in my 
target, thus. 

Prince Henry. Seven? why there were but four, even now. 

Falstaff. In buckram? 

Poins. Ay, four, in buckram suits. 

Falstaff. Seven, by these hilts, or I am a villain else. 

Prince Henry. Prythee, let him alone; we shall have more 

anon. 

* * * * 

Falstaff. These nine in buckram, that I told thee of 

Prince Henry. So, two more already. 

Falstaff. Their points being broken Began to give me 

ground; but I followed me close, came in foot and hand; and with 
a thought seven of the eleven I paid. 

Do we not feel that Falstaff is lying in this ridiculous way, 
perfectly knowing what he is about? He is much too clever not 
to remember the numbers he has given. The lies he tells are too 
" gross and palpable " to be falsehoods. A lie is an intention to 
deceive, and Falstaff has no intention of deceiving anyone as to 
the number of his rogues in the buckram suits, nor is anyone 
deceived by him. Take his reply to the Prince, when he is asked 
for his reason. " What, upon compulsion ? No, were I at the 
strappado, or all the racks in the world, I would not tell you on 
compulsion. Give you a reason on compulsion! If reasons were 
as plenty as blackberries, I would give no man a reason upon com- 
pulsion ! " 

And when the Prince has told him the " plain tale," and asked 
him what trick, what device, what starting-hole he can now find 
to hide him from this open and apparent shame when Poins 
chimes in with, " Come, let's hear, Jack, what trick hast thou now ?" 
does Falstaff for a moment think that he can deceive them by telling 
them how he knew them all the time, but would not kill the heir 
apparent? Not he. 

It must have been a struggle for Harry to shake off this 
man entirely; this fascinating personification of the lust of the 
flesh. Such a man as he would easily spoil a nature proof against 
coarser temptations, casting, as he does, a glamor over all things 
till there seems to be no absolute right or wrong, and the world 
appears as an oyster for every man to open as he will. But as 



668 SHAKESPEARE'S MAN OF ACTION [Feb., 

there is eternal separation between right and wrong, so there must 
be separation between those that choose the right and those that 
choose the wrong: and so the king sends away Falstaff, not, as 
we feel, without regret : for we remember Henry's words, spoken 
when he believed in his death, " I better could have spared a 
better man." 

Old associates are not broken off without a pang. It would 
be a cold and incomplete man who could separate himself, from 
one bound to him by any tie, without feeling it; and Henry is 
too much of the man to forget, though he will never repent. The 
society of a man like Falstaff must needs one day have palled 
upon one who, like Henry, could at will throw aside his folly and 
face the realities of life. When Falstaff, as Shrewsbury, lets 
Henry take for his pistol a bottle of sack which he had carried 
in the pistol-case, Henry has neither time nor mind to joke with him, 
but throws the bottle at him, with the words, " What, is it a time to 
jest and dally now ? " Falstaff had no sense of the in-season and 
out-o f -season ; he never was in earnest, and Henry was capable 
of earnestness very intense. There was no room for Falstaff 
among the realities and earnestnesses of Henry's true life. The 
king provides for him and his other companions of the days for 
ever gone by. They are banished, as Prince John says, " till their 
conversations appear more wise and madesat to the world." A' 
long look ahead, indeed. Falstaff succumbs to an illness, the end 
of which is probably accelerated by his disappointment. The 
account of his death is in the never-to-be forgotten words of the 
Hostess, which are to be found at the beginning of the play of 
Henry the Fifth. There is a conversation between Prince Harry 
and Poins (King Henry IV., Second Part, Act II., Scene II.) 
which lets us see how the Prince is conscious that this life of 
freedom is also that of bondage ; for he dare not let his real feeling 
of deep grief at his father's illness be seen in the presence of those 
who would think him " a most princely hypocrite," should he weep, 
as a son might weep whose heart " bleeds inwardly " that his 
" father is so sick." 

The relation between Harry Tudor and his father is one into 
which there enters much tenderness, and much belief of the one 
in the other, although there is a reserve which leads people to fancy 
that there is no great affection between them. But though the king 
loves Harry, he does not understand him altogether. He knows 
that his nature is a fine one, for he says, " Most subject is the 



1913-] SHAKESPEARE'S MAN OF ACTION 669 

fattest soil to weeds." But he discloses to Warwick what he would 
not have told to his son John, concerning his dread of the unguided 
days and rotten times which are to follow on his own death: 
and it is Warwick who gives him the comfort of the expression 
of his belief that the Prince is but studying his companions, and 
that, by and by, he will cast them off and turn past evils to ad- 
vantages. For, thank God, each of us may use his old unhappy 
past as a ladder by which to climb to better things. 

Harry really loves his father and reverences him. This, of 
course, is notable in the famous crown scene; but to me his feeling 
for the king is shown less in the long speech he makes on that 
occasion, than in the delightful fact that he breaks FalstafFs 
head " for liking the king, his father, to a singing man of Windsor." 

Harry's good humor and power of endurance, as well as 
power of being amused, come partly out of his enviable perfection 
of physical health. " It is much," says Falstaff, " that a lie with 
a slight oath and a jest with a sad brow will do with a fellow that 
never had the ache in his shoulders. Oh, you shall see him laugh 
till his face be like a wet doublet ill laid up." In this capacity for 
laughter he contrasts with his brother, Prince John of Lancaster, 
" this same sober-blooded boy." Harry is full of generous appre- 
ciation of what is fine in others. See what he says to Hotspur's 
uncle of that same Harry Percy, whom the king had once said 
he wished had been his son instead of his own. 

Tell your nephew 

The Prince of Wales doth join with all the world 
In praise of Henry Percy; by my hopes, 
This present enterprise set off his head. 

(Hotspur's rebellion.) 

I do not think a braver gentlemen, 
More active-valiant, or more valiant-young, 
More daring or more bold, is now alive 
To grace this latter age with noble deeds. 

And when Hotspur falls by the prince's sword, he says: 

This earth that bears thee dead 
Bears not alive so stout a gentleman. 
Adieu, and take thy praise with thee to heaven. 



670 SHAKESPEARE'S MAN OF ACTION [Feb., 

See, too, what he' says to Prince John, after the battle of 
Shrewsbury. 

By heaven, thou hast deceived me, Lancaster; 
I did not think thee lord of such a spirit: 
Before, I loved thee as a brother, John ; 
But now I do respect thee as my soul. 

The conduct of Harry himself in this same war with the rebels 
has washed away many a stain. How gallantly he is mounted. 

I saw young Harry with his beaver on, 

His cuisses on his thighs, gallantly armed, 

Rise from the ground like feather'd Mercury, 

And vaulted with such ease into his seat, 

As if an angel dropp'd down from the clouds, 

To turn and win a fiery Pegasus, 

And witch the world with noble horsemanship. 

He covets honor then, as he always is to covet it; and he 
gains it in full. He brings a " fair rescue " to his father, who 
has been nearly overpowered by Douglas in the fight, and saves 
his life. He shows high courtesy to his brother John by giving 
him the honor of sending him to Douglas, who has been taken 
prisoner, to " deliver him up to his pleasure, ransomless and free." 

When Henry the Fifth succeeds to the throne he has to decide 
whether the war he thinks of undertaking is a war lawful and 
just. He charges the Archbishop of Canterbury fully and re- 
ligiously to unfold why the Salique law should or should not bar 
him in his claim. 

He will have no glozing; all must be straight and true. 
And God forbid, my dear and faithful lord, 
That you should fashion, wrest or bow your reading, 
Or nicely charge your understanding soul 
With opening titles miscreate, whose right 
Suits not in native colors with the truth. 
******** 

May I, with right and conscience, make this claim? 

And assured that he may, he makes up his mind at once; 
he will regain the lost heritage which he believes to be his by 
right. There is no room in a nature so direct, so sane as his, for 



1913-] SHAKESPEARE'S MAN OF ACTION 671 

anything like scrupulosity : he will look well, then leap, and, what- 
ever comes, never give way to regrets and wishes that he had chosen 
another course of action. His anger at the Dauphin's present of 
tennis-balls, in jibing allusion to his old days of pleasure-seeking, 
partly justifies his father's description of him to Thomas of Clarence 
as flint, being incensed, though gracious if observed. 

The scene at Southampton, where he rebukes the traitors who, 
while believing the king to be ignorant of their treasonous plot 
against his life, have tried to divert his mercy from a poor wretch 
who has, while drunken railed against him, is a great one. It is 
great, not only dramatically, but as a further revelation of a 
great nature, a nature to which treachery is a thing absolutely 
intolerable, while unpremeditated wrong is a thing to be met with 
mercy. He is deeply wounded by Scroop's conduct, in especial 
his own familiar friend, who has been on terms of high intimacy 
with him, and whom he has so dearly loved, and so entirely trusted : 
but even in his wrath he is not merely the injured man, not at all 
the avenger of a private wrong, but the kingly righteous judge. 
For ever and ever the sin of Iscariot brand is the deepest and the 
loathliest. 

How finely Henry shows as captain and commander! It has 
gone hard with the English invaders; they are famine-stricken 
and worn and weary. The enemy gambles for them, on this eve 
of Agincourt, in confidence of the next day's victory. But their 
king goes through the ranks, and talks to his soldiers : he can tell 
them of their duty and their responsibility, each for his own soul, 
which they would fain lay upon their king; he can even indulge 
his old love of a jest by accepting Will Bates' gage. And, then 
as he stands alone, he can think with awe of his great place, and its 
great responsibilities and all the difficulty, pain, and trouble which 
those responsibilities involve ; think of them in courageous piety and 
strong manliness. He does not forget that his inheritance has come 
to him stained by those indirect and crooked ways to which his 
father has confessed. Here is his prayer: 

God of battles, steel my soldiers' hearts. 
Possess them not with fear ! Take from them now 
The sense of reckoning, if the opposed numbers 
Pluck their hearts from them. Not to-day, O Lord, 
Oh, not to-day, think not upon the fault 

My father made in compassing the crown ! 

1 Richard's body have interred new; 



672 SHAKESPEARE'S MAN OF ACTION [Feb., 

And on it have bestow'd more contrite tears 
Than from it issued forced drops of blood, 
Five hundred poor I have in yearly pay, 
Who twice a day their wither'd hands hold up 
Toward heaven, to pardon blood ; and I have built 
Two chantries, where the sad and solemn priests 
Sing still for Richard's soul. More will I do; 
Though all that I can do is nothing worth, 
Since that my penitence conies after all, 
Imploring pardon. 

He knows well that his father has sinned in compassing the 
crown; and he knows, too, that he, as the son of a usurper, has 
the shadow upon him of his father's sin, and that he must take his 
share in the atonement offered to God. He knows well that God 
is the accepter of penitence, and the lifter up of the suer of pardon. 
And surely Henry must also know that out of the wrong God can 
evolve good, and bring to pass great and glorious things. He is in 
the battle in his own soldier-kingly presence; not his to allow his 
followers to personate him by appearing in accoutrements exactly 
like his, as had been done when his father was in the field against 
the rebels. He takes his share; he will not fare better than his 
men. When the victory is won, he can ascribe it simply to Almighty 
help. 

Take it, O God, 
For it is none but Thine, 

and the Te Deum strains go up with those of Non Nobis, Domine. 
He will have no boasting. When he comes home in triumph, he 
forbids the bearing before him through London of his bruised 
helmet and his bended sword. " Being free from vainness and 
self-glorious pride." He has always been a foe to braggardry, 
for he knows it as a thing contemptible and all unworthy. 

As plain soldier Henry woos the French princess, and England 
and France are for the time being united in a union believed to be 
right and natural. Men's minds have had to change, and their 
eyes have had to learn to see that this was not the comely and 
beautiful union of hearts for nation and nation; but to Henry 
it was the union to be desired and accomplished. 

So we leave the great Englishman who, on Shakespeare's 
stage, has won our love, our admiration, and our reverence as the 
Man of Action. 



IFlew Books. 

THEODICY: ESSAYS ON DIVINE PROVIDENCE. By An- 
tonio Rosmini Serbati. Translated from the Milan Edition 
of 1845. In Three Volumes. New York: Longmans, Green 
& Co. $7.00 net 

Theodicy to Rosmini's mind very properly signifies an ex- 
planation and defense of the justice of God in His mysterious 
providence. It is, perhaps, part of that great providence that 
a work of this kind should appear at this time in English. It 
will supply an efficient antidote to agnosticism, a product of English 
soil, and a disease of this age. In this generation, when the 
name of God is avoided in scientific quarters, it is refreshing to 
find a great publisher giving a wider field to this religious master- 
piece of a great mind. 

Rosmini candidly makes an admission of the mysteriousness, 
the darkness of God's providence, in a vast multitude of respects. 
Like the great Augustine, he is willing to say, as a last word on 
the subject, that the best science of God is the confession of our 
comparative nescience. But such a recognition gives us the grand 
idea of God as a dark and unfathomable abyss of wisdom and 
greatness. Such a thought, also, helps to silence the puny objectors 
to God's providence, those who presume with mysterious audacity 
to measure themselves with the Infinite. Having made, in regard 
to many things, the grand admission I do not know Rosmini 
proceeds to lift the veil from very many other things that are 
mysteries to lesser minds. He shows the uses of evil, even the 
moral evil of the world. Without evil there would be no grand 
fortitude; there would be no hero. Horace dreamed of the just 
and brave man who could look, unmoved, on the greatest evil, 
the absolute ruin of his frail body and all temporal things. With 
the martyr, Lawrence, the pagan dream became a Christian reality. 
To explain the designs of God and His non-interference with 
evil in particular cases, Rosmini introduces from his observation 
of nature the great law of the least means with its many subordinate 
laws, as the law of celerity; the law of excluded superfluity; the law 
of excluded equality; the law of variety; the law of germ; the 
law of gradation. If God were to be constantly interfering with 
natural law to avoid particular evils, He would not be using the 
VOL. xcvi. 43. 



674 NEW BOOKS [Feb., 

law of the least means for attaining an end, which is the law of 
wisdom. To expect Him to act in this manner would be to expect 
the impossible, to expect Him to act foolishly. 

The reader may not take all the statements of Rosmini with- 
out question. Unfortunately he comes to us with a name that is 
somewhat suspect. He paid the customary tribute to human fal- 
libility. There are spots even in the bright sun of Rosmini's genius. 
We need not blindly accept his statement that we can have in this 
life no positive knowledge of God. There is also a slight trace of 
his false theory of the origin of ideas. But the present work con- 
tains only a faint vestige of error in subordinate connections. 
Our main purpose was to select some gold nuggets of truth from the 
mine of erudition of a genius. We have done so with the hope 
that the reader will go to the book itself for very many more. 

TWELVE CATHOLIC MEN OF SCIENCE. Edited by Sir Ber- 
tram Windle, LL.D. London : Catholic Truth Society, i s. 
net. 

This is a collection of short biographies of men who may be 
taken as concrete refutations of the charge that the Church is 
opposed to science. It is a good idea excellently realized. The 
editor himself contributes two of the essays, and among the other 
contributors are Father Gerard and Dr. Walsh. 

FACTS AND THEORIES. By Sir Bertram Windle, LL.D. Lon- 
don : Catholic Truth Society, i s net. 

Readers of THE CATHOLIC WORLD need no introduction to 
the author of this little book, nor to some of the matter contained 
in it. It constitutes an able defense of the Catholic position against 
the attacks of a certain school of biologists, and incidentally bears 
witness to the curious fact that some of the theories which the 
multitude takes as first principles of science have long since been 
abandoned by scientists. 

SOCIALISM FROM THE CHRISTIAN STANDPOINT. By 

Father Bernard Vaughan, S.J. New York: The Macmillan 

Co. $1.50. 

Six of these conferences were delivered in St. Patrick's Cathe- 
dral during the Lent of 1912. The other four were combined with 
the Lenten addresses to make the presentation of the subject more 



1913.] NEW BOOKS 675 

nearly complete. For the general reader, at any rate, this book is 
the most satisfactory that has yet been produced on this subject. 
It is especially commendable for its moderation and its winning 
tone. Very few assertions are made which are not susceptible of 
proof, and there is not a single rancorous statement in all its pages. 

The topics selected for treatment are those which are usually 
discussed in works on Christianity and Socialism, namely, the 
relation of Socialism to the State, the individual, the family, re- 
ligion, and private property. 

In taking up such a discussion the experienced reader natur- 
ally seeks first the chapters on " Socialism and Religion," and " So- 
cialism and Property." Precisely in his treatment of these topics 
the author's method appears at its best. In his discussion of the 
former he makes it quite clear that, when he declares Socialism to 
be opposed to religion, he is speaking of Socialism as a concrete, 
present-day movement, not as a future economic organization. 
With the field thus delimited, he has no difficulty in proving his 
point. 

In the chapter on " Socialism and the Rights of Ownership," 
he contends that private property in capital is a right, not for some 
intrinsic, esoteric reason, but on the very practical ground that it is 
necessary for human welfare. 

Man has been set upon this earth in order to develop his ma- 
terial, intellectual, and spiritual capacities. With the duty of 
developing them goes the right of developing them. Now the 
Catholic Church maintains, and has ever maintained, that the 
possession of property (including capital) is a normal condi- 
tion of this development. Man not only has a deep-rooted and 
natural desire to own property, but, as a rule, and speaking 
generally, if he is to develop according to the designs of God, 
he must own property. 

The arguments advanced in support of the last sentence 
are as persuasive as any that can be had in a matter that is not 
susceptible of anything like mathematical proof. 

Throughout the volume are many admissions that the present 
system is greatly in need of reformation, and many expressions of 
sympathy with the oppressed toilers. If the author condemns 
Socialism, he takes pains to show that he does not do so as a 
" retainer of plutocracy." In the last chapter or conference, he 
submits a series of necessary and far-reaching reforms. While they 



676 NEW BOOKS [Feb., 

are not complete, they are much more nearly so than most of the 
attempts in this direction found in works of this kind. 

One serious defect of the book is the great number of citations 
which are not accompanied by exact references to author, work, 
or page. There was a reason for this in the conditions in which 
the book was prepared for the printer, but that does not make the 
want of references less aggravating to the reader. In the next 
edition, which ought to be called for soon, this situation should be 
thoroughly corrected. 

CONSUMERS AND WAGE EARNERS. The Ethics of Buying, 

Cheap. By J. Elliot Ross, Ph.D. New York: The Devin- 

Adair Company. 

The consumer has it in his power to abolish all the injustice 
and inhumanity of modern industry. Let him refuse to buy from 
those concerns which treat their employees unfairly, whether in the 
matter of age, hours, sanitation, safety, or wages, and let him 
patronize only those establishments which accord to their work 
people the best conditions of employment. As a consequence, the 
trend of competition will be steadily and inevitably toward higher, 
instead of lower, standards of labor and of living. In such a com- 
petitive struggle only the most humane employers will survive. 
On the new plane of competition established by the consumer, they 
will survive because they will be the fittest. 

Such is the hypothetical aspect of the industrial situation. 
Potentially, at least, the consumer occupies the dominating position. 
Is he morally obliged to convert this potency into reality? This is 
the question which Dr. Ross endeavors to answer. 

His main thesis is that laborers have a right to a fair day's 
wage for a fair day's work, and that the obligation corresponding 
to this right, if not discharged by the employer, falls upon the 
consuming class. Consumers are obliged to pay a just price 
for their commodities, and a just price includes a living wage 
for labor. This general principle is fully proved in the second 
chapter of the book as a general principle. 

An obligation of this sort, however, is obviously conditioned 
upon the ability of the consumer to fulfill it without a dispropor- 
tionally grave inconvenience. In the first place, the consumer 
must be aware that the laborer who has had something to do with 
the production of a given article, say, a pair of shoes, has not 
received fair wages, and, in the second place, he must know where 



1913-] NEW BOOKS 677 

to find the article which has been produced in fair conditions. 
These circumstances and considerations make all the difference 
in the world practically. As Dr. Ross points out, they are so 
serious that, even with the best intentions, the individual consumer 
can do very little toward bettering the condition of the oppressed 
producer. 

The great desideratum is organization in order to obtain pre- 
cise information and to secure concerted effort ; but the organization 
of consumers is perhaps more difficult than the organization of 
any other class. The National Consumers' League has been in 
existence for more than twenty years, yet it has succeeded in im- 
proving conditions in only a few establishments, mainly in New 
York City. Nevertheless, the problem of organization is not un- 
reasonably difficult. As compared with other methods of reform 
and the results within reach, the organization of consumers is 
decidedly worth while. It cannot be neglected in any compre- 
hensive scheme for the reformation of industrial conditions. 

The economic and ethical considerations upon which the fore- 
going statements are based, find ample, though necessarily brief, 
discussion in Dr. Ross' book. He has answered adequately and 
convincingly the question so often asked to-day about the responsi- 
bility of the consumer for the inhumane treatment of the producer. 
His calm temper and scientific method provoke the wish that this 
his first effort in the field of industrial justice may be followed by 
many others. They are badly needed. 

SERMONS AND ADDRESSES OF HIS EMINENCE WILLIAM 
CARDINAL O'CONNELL, ARCHBISHOP OF BOSTON. 

Cambridge: Riverside Press. Three Volumes. 

We have read with great interest the three volumes of Cardinal 
O'Connell's Sermons and 'Addresses. Each volume is better than 
its predecessor, the Cardinal, like the steward of the marriage 
feast, reserving the best wine for the last. 

The final volume contains many masterpieces of eloquence, 
for example, the sermons preached on the occasion of the Boston 
Centennial, the Eucharistic Congress of Montreal, the death of 
Archbishop Williams, and the Address on The Church's Stand 
read at the meeting of the Woman's Alliance. 

As a very good critic has pointed out, " what is peculiarly 
attractive (in these sermons) is that it is not merely a matter of 
music and color such as other word-artists might employ to delight 



678 NEW BOOKS [Feb., 

the imagination. The spontaneous exuberance and beauty of 
language is merely a vehicle for conveying to the mind and heart 
strong and solid dogmatic instruction and exhortations." 
There are many good passages worthy of quotation: 

The luxuries of religion we may well dispense with. Too 
often they have brought only harm to the Church, and have 
been the enemies within the gates. Magnificent buildings, 
splendid ceremonials, superb appurtenances are all good in their 
place, for the worship of Christ can never be too adequately 
expressed even by all that the noblest endeavor and most bril- 
liant genius of man may bring to its expression; but if these 
things are to breed a selfish content and rob the Catholics of 
any generation of that primitive apostolic zeal which inflamed 
the breasts of their first teachers, then it is far better to dis- 
pense with these external embellishments, and in poverty and 
hardship cultivate the gift which made the first promulgators 
of the Faith of Christ the conquerors of the world. 

The Church recognizes and takes occasion to hold up for 
the imitation of other peoples the noble spirit of the United 
States. She finds here the rarest of combinations, liberty with- 
out license, and authority without despotism. She finds here, 
with many dangers, great natural virtues, a conspicuous love of 
justice and fairness, a sympathy quick to be touched by suf- 
fering anywhere, and a generosity in the relief of distress 
unequalled by any other people in the world. She finds a 
people of wonderful ingenuity, versatility, and practical sense, 
with marvelous and daring schemes of material conquest, and a 
spirit equal to their accomplishment. And more than that, 
she finds a people who, despite their growing indifference to 
organized forms of worship, are still at heart religious, and 
honestly devoted to the betterment of mankind. 

In addressing the Knights of Columbus, the Cardinal says: 

The Church could never bless a society formed for selfish 
aims. Were mere social enjoyment, worldly pleasure, material 
gain, political ambition, or any other selfish aim the object of 

this society its name would have no meaning It is because 

we know and realize that your aims are ideal, not material, 
that you desire to assist in the great work which the Church 

is doing among mankind, that you have her recognition 

Already you have done much. The very act of bringing to- 
gether into a common fraternity thousands of young men is 
an accomplishment which demands recognition It (the 



1913.] NEW BOOKS 679 

gift to the Catholic University) was the first great unselfish 
act of your body corporate, and the spark of noble charity 
quickened a higher life among all the members. 

Oh! priests of New England, seeking no reward but God's 
blessing, wanting no recompense but heaven's approval, what 
wonders, unknown but to God and you, your enlightened priestly 
zeal, your high and strong courage, your true love of New 
England's peace and happiness have accomplished. What les- 
sons of all that ennobles life your lips have spoken ! What deeds 
of sweet charity your hands have wrought! What messages 

of peace your weary feet have carried! The child of the 

immigrant is called to fill the place which the Puritan has left. 
He must learn to fill it worthily and well. From the story 
of his father's struggle he must take to heart two salutary 
lessons to keep his faith -undimmed and his charity unquenched. 
The charity of the Puritan was for his own only; the charity 
of the Catholic must be for all. The Puritan failed because 
he planned only for himself. The Catholic must broaden his 
love to embrace all as Christ did. He will not fail. 

Speaking on the problem of modern education he says: 

There is such an attempt at futile general culture that solid 
training is being overlooked, with the result that instead of 
a compact, well-constituted organism of knowledge, moral as 
well as mental, there is a spreading out of a thin veneer over so 
large a surface that it takes but a short time and little wear 
to penetrate through the thickest part of it. It is principles, 
principles, principles, the foundation stones of life, which are 
needed to-day. 

AMERICANS AND OTHERS. By Agnes Repplier. Boston: 

Houghton Miflflin Co. $1.10 net. 

Some time ago Miss Agnes Repplier dared to tell us that " art 
is never didactic," which pronouncement came as a shock to the 
problem novelists and the problem dramatists, both domestic and 
made in Germany. 

Theories about futurism, theories about eugenics, theories about 
graft, theories about hygiene, are occupying the minds of our 
writers to a really terrifying extent. " Scarers in print " tell us 
what to eat, whom to marry, whom to vote for, which books of 
the Bible to reject, and what reply to make to the next tramp at 
our back door. 

But " art is never didactic," says Miss Repplier. How sooth- 
ing, how holy ! And with a sweet consistency she never sins against 



680 NEW BOOKS [Feb., 

her belief by mounting into the literary pulpit. She is strangely 
silent about the (of course!) quite novel notions of the futurists, 
the evils of graft leave her still smiling, and, as for eugenics, she 
seems content to let future generations worry along somehow, as 
well she may be, having given so much pleasure to this one. 

Her new volume, under the title 'Americans and Others, gives 
us her usual collection of leisurely and graceful essays, ranging 
in subject from " Goodness and Gayety " and " The Condescension 
of Borrowers" to (the feline favorite again!) "The Grocer's 
Cat." A thoroughly delightful paper is entitled " The Customary 
Correspondent." In the course of it we are told of the begging 
letters received by the unfortunate famous, of the " young English- 
woman who wrote to Tennyson, requesting some verses which she 
might read as her own at a picnic," and of the " very imperative 
person who wrote to Dickens for a donkey, and who said he would 
call for it the next day, as though Dickens kept a herd of don- 
keys in Tavistock Square, and could always spare one for an 
emergency." 

" The Girl Graduate " is particularly refreshing. It says the 
sane and sensible things that somehow do not get said, and which 
throws the poor college girl a word of sympathy for the mesh 
of statistics that seem to engulf her, " statistics dealing exhaustively 
with her honors, her illnesses, her somewhat nebulous achievements, 
and the size of her infant families." 

The essay on " The Mission of Humor " is so clever that it 
.alone is worth the price of admission. And the volume is full of 
the witty, pointed sayings with which Miss Repplier has really 
spoiled us. Thus, for example, in praise of indifference : " If we 
had no spiritual asbestos to protect our souls, we should be con- 
sumed to no purpose by every wanton flame." Or this other, in 
comment on a graceful little sentiment of Sterne's : " It has all 
the freshness of a principle never fagged out by practice." 

FAUSTULA. By John Ayscough. New York: Benziger Broth- 
ers. $1.35 net. 

" No writer," says our author in his preface, " can guess 
beforehand whether his work will be approved or no; nor, while 
he is writing, does he ever try to guess. He is taken up with the 
new children he is begetting between brain and pen, and has no 
room in his mind for conjecture as to how others may like or 
dislike them." 



1913.] NEW BOOKS 681 

There is no doubt whatever in our minds that this work 
will meet the hearty approval of " those who know" We are 
sure that all his readers' hearts will go out lovingly to Faustula, 
who appeals to them so winningly across the centuries, " with 
her lonely cry for pity and sympathy." We are a little doubtful, 
however, whether they will love her as well as Consuelo or Marotz. 

Monsignor Bickerstaffe-Drew has ventured forth into a new 
field. He writes of Rome in the fourth century, when Christianity 
had become dominant after the victory of Constantine. The volume 
ends with the futile attempt of Julian the Apostate to make the 
dead ashes of paganism live again. 

Although the writer actually falls short of his great prede- 
cessors Newman and Wiseman, in picturing the days of early 
Christianity, he manages to give us a series of beautiful portraits 
and scenes that will linger long in the memory. We are shown 
the effects of " the poisoned air of heathenism " on the pleasure- 
loving Faustulus, the cold-hearted Sabina, the selfishly corrupt 
Tatius, the murderous f reedman Maltro, and the hypocritical Vestal 
Virgins; and in vivid contrast is set forth the supernatural beauty 
of the Christian character in the dignified Acilia, the devout Melania, 
the pure Domitilla, and the noble Fabian. 

Faustula has been neglected by her father from the very be- 
ginning. As a very young child she is brought up among slaves 
on the Sabine farm of her unloving aunt. She comes in contact 
with Christianity for the first time while visiting the family of 
the widow Melania, who lives on a neighboring estate. Her father 
marries a second time, and, anxious to please his wife, heartlessly 
gets rid of his daughter by making her a Vestal Virgin. 

Faustula, after ten years novitiate in the hypocrisy of a dry 
and empty paganism, and after ten years of longing for a " god 
not only not worse than men, but greater than any man," learns the 
true story of Christ from the lips of a Christian soldier, Fabian, 
the playmate of her youth. She is accused by a spy to the Virgo 
Vestalis Maxima of being untrue to her vow, and is condemned, 
according to the old pagan law, to be buried alive. The scene 
in the Coliseum when Fabian's brother is martyred, and Faustula 
declares herself a Christian, is one of the most dramatic scenes 
of the book. The story of her entombment, with her miraculous 
Holy Communion, is rendered less effective by the rather common- 
place rescue by her lover. 

Two other particularly good scenes are Melania's nursing of 



682 NEW BOOKS [Feb., 

the slave Clodia at the cost of her own life, and the murder of 
Faustulus on "his first errand of charity." 

Faustula herself is a bit precocious for a child of so tender 
an age, but her peculiar upbringing might easily account for her 
being wiser than her years. One feels at times that, whereas the 
achseological setting is perfect, the characters speak frequently like 
men and women of the twentieth century. But the author might 
easily answer this by saying that much of the world outside the 
Church to-day is frankly pagan. 

MAY IVERSON TACKLES LIFE. By Elizabeth Jordan. New 

York: Harper & Brothers. $1.25 net. 

The deliciously humorous stories in which Elizabeth Jordan, 
the editor of Harper's Bazaar, holds up the mirror to the school-girl 
heart, to borrow a phrase dear to Miss Iverson herself, have been 
amusing us for several years past. 

The volume into which the earlier ones were collected called 
itself May Iverson: Her Book; now the more recent ones appear 
under the satisfactory title, May Iverson Tackles Life. May 
wrestles again, or rather still wrestles, with " the grim and terrible 
problem of what life really means." With her, as of yore, are 
Mabel Blossom, the giggler and mischief plotter; Maudie Joyce, 
the spiritual, who, however, has " golden instants when she forgets 
about her soul ;" Mabel Muriel Murphy, who is still ambitious to be 
a lady, like Sister Edna, and who " has terrible struggles with 
conscience and remorse but she never really misses anything;" 
and Kittie James, now too fat to look soulful, and " not intellectual, 
alas ! like the rest of us." 

May's literary ambition endures, and she narrates the achieve- 
ments of her " set " in a style that Addison might envy. Some- 
times she can almost feel the angels guiding her pen, she informs 
us, " and beautiful flowers of thought fall on the snowy pages 
before me, and I write so fast my hand gets covered with ink 
up to the wrist, and I have a dreadful time afterwards with pumice- 
stone." And sometimes she even wins from her adored teacher 
and critic, Sister Irmingarde, the verdict that several of her efforts 
" hold striking examples of what to do and what to avoid in fiction." 
Her vocabulary and her philosophy are indeed joys forever, whether 
she is telling us of the beauty culture which she initiated, and the 
tempers and friendships it wrecked, or of the Grouchometer Club 
and its sad fate, or of the suffrage issue that " split the convent 



1913-] NEW BOOKS 683 

like West Point when the Civil War broke out," or of the noble 
anti-fat method by which she removed twenty of Kitty James' 
superfluous pounds. 

It is very safe to say that May Iverson will delight all her 
readers. To Miss Jordan's Tales of the Cloister an unqualified 
approval certainly cannot be given, but these stories offend nowhere. 
The picture of life at Saint Catharine's is charming; Miss Jordan 
does not sacrifice sweetness to humor, and sandwiches pathos in 
with her cleverness. The figure of Sister Irmingarde is of a real 
and unusual beauty, and is revealed to us very skillfully, rather 
by May's indirect, unconscious touches than by her open adoration. 
Our only regret connected with the book is the author's state- 
ment that this is positively May's last appearance. Let us hope 
she will experience a change of heart, for we should gladly wel- 
come May for as many " last appearances " as Mr. Crummies 
himself could recommend. 

THE KISS, AND OTHER STORIES. By Anton Tchekhoff. 

New York: Charles Scribner's Sons. $1.50 net. 

Tolstoi is a great name, and Turgenieff is a great name, but it 
does not follow that we must build temples to every subject of 
the Tsar whose name begins with T. 

As for Tchekhoff the much-vaunted, Tchekhoff the new " dis- 
covery " that bade fair to rival Peruna and the Klondike, Tchekhoff 
of the literary green carnations, alas for our hopes ! We have him 
here in a book of short stories that are decadent without even a 
morbid interest, cheaply pessimistic, without even sincerity, and 
frankly futile without even a literary beauty to urge the dear old 
" art for art's sake " excuse. They try hard to be " fleurs du 
mal," but turn out poor, struggling weeds after all. 

A clumsy artillery captain is kissed anonymously in a dark 
room, a little boy eats oysters, a wife lies to her husband, an 
unkissed gentleman of twenty-nine years runs away from a leap- 
year proposal and this is dished up to us on a Russian menu 
as the food our system craves! Why should we take the trouble 
to import worthless stories with the " made in Russia " label, 
when our domestic supply never fails? 

REMINISCENCES OF A DIPLOMATIST'S WIFE. By Mrs. 
Hugh Fraser. New York: Dodd, Mead & Co. $3.00 net. 
That pleasant volume by Mrs. Hugh Fraser called A Diplo- 



684 NEW BOOKS [Feb., 

matist's Wife in Many Lands had an unusually large circle of 
readers, all of whom will be interested in its present successor, 
which appears under the title, Reminiscences of a Diplomatist's 
Wife. In it we find the same witty and informal style, the same 
vivid pictures of persons and places, with never a hint of the 
repetitions that often mar such writings. 

In addition to the expected glimpses of the writer's brother, 
the late Marion Crawford, we meet Mr. Henry James, and are 
delighted to learn of his " exquisite urbanity, unerring judgment, 
and amazing humility." The last five chapters of the book take 
us to South America, and are perhaps the most interesting of all. 
The story of Liberalism in Chile, of the outrages which it promptly 
instituted, and of the part the women took in checking it, ought, 
for non-Catholic readers, to throw some light upon similar struggles 
in France and Portugal. 

VOLONT6 ET LIBERTY. Par Wincenty Lutoslawski. Paris: 

Librairie Felix Alcan. 7 frs. 50. 

Professor W. Lutoslawski, already well known to the phil- 
osophical world by his Origin and Growth of Plato's Logic (Lon- 
don, 1897), has recently published a work in French entitled 
Volonte et Liberte. The work shows throughout the dominant traits 
of the author's character, who may be truly termed a religious 
philosopher. He prides himself on being a reconverted Catholic, 
and in this book he attempts to put forward some of the main 
elements of his Polish philosophy in harmony with the faith that 
he professes. He treats the problems of will and liberty with the 
originality of genius. Though adopting much from Leibnitz, he 
rises far above the determinism of the great Franco-German phil- 
osopher. 

One of the most interesting features of Professor Lutos- 
lawski's work is his theory of training the will. The principle 
on which it is based is expressed by the law that every effort fol- 
lowed by success increases the force of the will; and inversely 
every effort that fails, decreases will power. As a corollary from 
this law, it follows that when we attempt to strengthen the will by 
training, we must not commence with tasks whose successful issue is 
at all in doubt. One must make a start with things that can certainly 
be accomplished, and increase the difficulty of the task by slow de- 
grees. All rapid advance is illusory and transitory. Progress by 
slow degrees is alone real and permanent. The tasks that lie within 



1913.] NEW BOOKS 685 

the power of all are simple muscular exercises, among which 
respiration seems to offer special advantages for voluntary control. 
Professor Lutoslawski recommends a series of exercises for slow- 
ing respiration, and is of the opinion that such exercises will not 
only tend to strengthen the will, but also have an indirect influence 
over what he terms the negative emotions, such as anger, fear, 
hatred. Such emotions, he says, are incompatible with a marked 
slowing of respiration, and can be controlled by voluntary slow 
breathing. Another muscular exercise which is easily controlled 
is that of one's handwriting. A little constant and systematic 
practice will make a tremendous improvement in an illegible hand. 
This lesson learned, confidence in one's ability to improve is es- 
tablished. 

The will is not only perfected by muscular exercise, but also 
by intellectual training. This intellectual training constitutes Pro- 
fessor Lutoslawski's system of pedagogy. Being aimed primarily 
at the development of the will, its central point is the pupil's inde- 
pendence of his master. The system, says the author, is actually 
in vogue in Poland, where, owing to the oppression of Russia, it 
accidentally became possible to realize what in reality is the ideal 
system of education. If the Polish child is to learn his own lan- 
guage and the history of his own people, he must do so secretly, 
and his master imparts instruction at his peril. As a result the 
student cannot always have the assistance of the master, he must 
work independently, being tided over his difficulties from time to 
time by the instructor. Students are not graded into classes, but 
work for themselves slowly or rapidly, according to their ability. 
Concentration upon a few subjects takes the place of the dissipation 
of attention over the multitudinous branches of the common school. 
Such conditions make for the highest intellectual efficiency, the 
most complete independence of the mind and, therefore, for the 
power and freedom of the will. 

The perfect training of the will, however, is to be sought in 
the communion of the soul with God. This is accomplished by 
prayer. The author deprecates the fact that prayer is now ban- 
ished from the schools of France, and maintains that it should 
constitute a part of one's training from infancy to old age. 

MODERN PROGRESS AND HISTORY. By James J. Walsh, 
M.D. New York: Fordham University Press. $2.00 net. 
Those acquainted with Dr. Walsh's previous writings will 



686 NEW BOOKS [Feb., 

recognize here the qualities that have won him so many readers. 
He is on familiar ground, as the book deals largely with topics 
connected with the history of medicine, and the lesson is the one 
he likes to insist on, that even in such things as surgery and medicine 
the new is sometimes not new after all. The volume is erudite, 
interesting, and at times amusing. 

IMMIGRATION AND LABOR. The Economic Aspects of Euro- 
pean Immigration to the United States. By Isaac A. Hour- 
wich, Ph.D. New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons. $2.50 net. 
The object of this bulky volume is to refute the finding of 
the Immigration Commission in 1910, that European Immigration 
should be restricted in the interest of the American laboring class. 
In the pursuit of this object the author deals at considerable 
length with all the important arguments and phrases of the Report 
of the Commission. Among the leading points which he seeks to 
establish in opposition to the contentions of the Commission are 
the following : Recent immigration has not increased unemploy- 
ment; nor displaced native Americans in industry; nor provoked 
an increase of race suicide ; nor set up inferior standards of living ; 
nor underbid the native workers; nor prevented the reduction of 
the work day; nor hindered labor organization; nor given us our 
present labor problem. 

These and several other conclusions, at which the author ar- 
rives as the result of long and painstaking discussion, are contrary 
to the views not only of the Immigration Commission, but of per- 
haps most students of the subjects, to say nothing of the labor 
unions and the ordinary observer. 

With regard to most of his contentions, the verdict of the 
critical reader will be that they have not been proved. He is un- 
doubtedly right about the lack of causal relation between immigra- 
tion and race suicide, and his criticisms show in general that many 
of the supposed evil results of abundant immigration have been 
considerably exaggerated. 

Concerning the main contention of the Commission, that im- 
migration has kept the unskilled labor market overstocked, and so 
kept down wages and increased unemployment, his attempted refu- 
tation must be set down as a failure. To assume that because 
unemployment varies with the seasons, it has not, therefore, been in- 
creased by immigration, is a strange misconception of the point at 
issue. Of course, there would be unemployment even if all immigra- 



1913.] NEW BOOKS 687 

tion were prohibited ; but it would be much smaller in volume and in 
intensity. The argument that if immigration were less in volume, 
the supply of unskilled labor would be too small, and some of the 
skilled workers would be obliged to find employment at common 
labor, overlooks the fact that at present the proportion of unskilled 
men in the industries is much too high. Hence the universal cry 
for industrial education, both for the proper equipment of the 
industries, and in order to reduce the proportion of the unskilled. 
To be sure, there is " a fixed proportion of skilled to unskilled 
laborers" (p. 35), but it is a pure assumption, and one that is 
contradicted by all the facts, to say that the ideal proportion exists 
at present. The logic of the author's argument on this point is 
that any rise in wages would be bad for the laboring population, 
owing to the assumed consequent rise in prices. This is a verit- 
able counsel of despair. 

Despite its inconclusiveness on the main thesis, the book con- 
tains an abundance of valuable material and critical observations. 
It ought to do good service as a corrective of the exaggerations 
committed by the advocates of restriction. 

HOMILETIC AND CATECHETIC STUDIES. By Canon A. Mey- 

enberg. Translated by the Very Rev. Ferdinand Brossart. 

New York: Frederick Pustet & Co. $3.50 net. 

A splendid addition to our sermonic literature one that largely 
fills our gravest need in that field is Father Brossart's translation 
of Dr. Meyenberg's Homiletic and Catechetic Studies. The value 
of this work is attested by the translator, who took on himself the 
arduous task of putting it into English only because he was con- 
vinced that it is unsurpassed in usefulness, and by the fact that 
in a very short while it has gone through seven editions in the 
original German, which abounds in such aids to sacred eloquence. 

The book is not meant for those who want labor-saving devices, 
nor will it yield much help in that direction. It calls insistently for 
a generous expenditure of time and labor, if its lessons are to be 
duly learned, and its suggestions fruitfully carried out. Instead 
of dispensing one from study and from the careful personal prep- 
aration of sermons, it makes one feel keenly that one's best efforts 
are imperatively demanded in the holy work of preaching the 
Gospel, both because one's preaching has so much to do with the 
salvation of men, and because the message to be proclaimed is so 
sacred. 



688 NEW BOOKS [Feb., 

The volume is not a collection of ready-made sermons, homi- 
lies, and instructions, which need but slight alterations to fit them 
for use anywhere and everywhere. Neither is it a bundle of 
outlines and plans. It is a thorough, scholarly, scientific treatise 
on sacred oratory. The first, and by far the largest part of the 
work, is divided into seven books, which take up in turn the fol- 
lowing subjects; the essence and foundation; the supreme laws; 
the sources ; the means ; the matter ; the different kinds ; the exterior 
form and forms of sacred eloquence. In the second part, which 
deals with the instruction of children, besides general hints about 
the duty of catechizing, the spirit in which the work should be done, 
and the method to be followed, there are chapters which treat in 
detail the ways and means that should be employed to lead chil- 
dren, of different ages and different degrees of mental development, 
to a knowledge of religious truth. 

One may learn from this work not only what ought to be done, 
and why, but how the theories advanced may be put into practice. 
There are serviceable hints and suggestions everywhere. Points of 
view and themes are proposed and partly developed, the author 
going with his reader just far enough to prove that the roads he 
recommends are well worth traveling, and will lead to rich fields. 
At first sight the book may seem heavy, and little likely to prove 
profitable. One's maturer judgment, however, will be a deep 
conviction that the preacher who studies it carefully, and acts 
on it faithfully, will soon make himself a " workman that needeth 
not to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth." 

SERMON PLANS. By Abbe H. Lesetre. New York: Joseph 

F.Wagner. $i.oonet 

Though they are brief, averaging a trifle less than two pages 
each, these plans from the pen of a French priest, who has been 
zealously at work for over thirty years, will prove helpful in many 
ways to priests who have little time to gather their thoughts and set 
them in order, and to those who, for other reasons, stand in need of 
suggestion as to topics, and as to the main outlines of their treat- 
ment. 

POLEMIC CHAT. By Edmund M. Dunne, Bishop of Peoria. 

St. Louis: B. Herder. Cloth, 50 cents; paper, 25 cents. 

This little book, largely a reprint of articles which appeared 
in the Peoria Cathedral Calendar, is frankly polemic, and aims 



1913.] NEW BOOKS 689 

avowedly at " the refutation of a few popular fallacies regarding 
religious truth." Its scope is really much wider than that, for it 
sets forth the doctrine and views of the Church concerning many 
matters about which most people outside of the Church, and not 
a few within, are not well informed. The dialogue form in which 
it is written affords excellent opportunity for a concise presentation 
of difficulties and objections, and an equally concise, direct, pointed 
rejoinder. There are no wasted words, no devious approaches 
towards the truth, no timid, half-hearted, apologetic attacks on 
error. The author's aim is excellent, and his blows are given with 
a hearty good will. Some might think his plain speaking injudi- 
cious; no earnest, straightforward lover of the truth not even 
an enemy will be annoyed or hurt by it, even though some of his 
own theories and half-formed judgments be the object of attack. 
For all the sharp criticism of error is accompanied by love for 
what is right, and true, and good, and by kindliness towards those 
who are in error. 

MY HEAVEN IN DEVON. A Volume of Eucharistic Verse. 

By Olive Katharine Parr. New York: Benziger Brothers. 

45 cents. 

It is rare even among volumes of devotional praise; even 
among mediaeval songs of passionately fervid praise to find a 
more absorbing mystical love of Christ in the Blessed Sacrament 
than permeates this little book. It contains, in thirty-three short 
poems, " a record of the restoration of Eucharistic worship in the 
pre-Reformation parish of St. Pancras," in the moors of Devon. 
The verses are largely reminiscent or " occasional," and are of 
unequal literary beauty; but for their absorption in a single divine 
theme, for their manifestly faithful expression of the author's self- 
consecration, they are deeply impressive. Many a devout soul 
should find in them comfort and pleasure and peace. 



GINEVRA. A Play of Mediaeval Florence. By Edward Doyle. 

New York: Doyle & Co. $1.00 net. 

From the hand of Edward Doyle, whose Haunted Temple 
showed anew (if the lesson needed showing) how far into life 
might look eyes which the world deemed sightless, comes now a 
tragedy of old Florence. Ginevra tells in simple but poetic phrase 
a highly dramatic story: a story of family feud and forced mar- 
riage, of premature burial, and finally of the curious denouement 

VOL. xcvi. 44. 



690 NEW BOOKS [Feb., 

brought about by the plague of 1400. To the " crimson cross " 
(that awesome astronomical phenomenon which flamed across the 
heavens of that sad year) the drama owes some passages of beau- 
tiful inspiration; and Mr. Doyle has introduced among the men 
and women of his play one jester, who both for his wisdom and 
his folly is well worth the knowing. 

PHCEBE, ERNEST, AND CUPID. By Inez Haynes Gillmore. 

New York: Henry Holt & Co. $1.35 net. 

Inez Haynes Gillmore, who in Phoebe and Ernest described 
so cleverly the American girl and boy of high school age, pub- 
lishes a new book called Phoebe, Ernest, and Cupid, in which she 
lets them grow up and be carried safely into matrimony. Their 
adventures and their point of view are those of our average young 
people, and make very pleasant reading. 

CARDINAL MERCIER'S RETREAT TO HIS PRIESTS. Trans- 
lated by J. M. O'Kavanagh, with a foreword by Cardinal 
Gibbons. St. Louis: B. Herder. $1.50. 
The well-known learning, zeal, and sterling virtue of the 
Cardinal Archbishop of Mechlin are a sufficient guarantee that he 
gave his priests an earnest, helpful retreat, and that they went back 
to their work more keenly alive than before to the sublime dignity 
of their calling. The published retreat will do a like good work 
for those who will read it attentively and with zeal for self -im- 
provement. An appendix contains in Latin and English the letter 
our Holy Father addressed to the clergy on the occasion of the 
golden sacerdotal jubilee of Cardinal Mercier. 

THE ROMANTIC STORY OF THE PURITAN FATHERS. By 

Albert C. Addison. Boston: L. C. Page & Co. $2.50 net. 

The extensive and vital part played by the Puritans in the 
history of England, and in the development of our own country, 
gives to everything connected with them an enduring interest, and 
in most instances a real value, however remote and slight a bearing 
it may have had on their activities or their fortunes. This new 
book about them is, therefore, sure of a welcome, even though it 
is an enthusiastic eulogy rather than a critical study. It describes 
the birthplace of the sect, portrays the most influential of its early 
leaders, sketches the conditions in which it grew strong, and nar- 
rates the details of its establishment in the new world. Those 



1913-] NEW BOOKS 691 

who do not share the author's warm admiration of the Puritan 
character, but look on it as decidedly defective and warped, will, 
for all that, find this an interesting book. 

FAITH AND SUGGESTION. By Edwin Lancelot Ash. Phila- 
delphia: Peter Reilly. $1.25 net. 

This rather tiresome volume discusses the apparently miracu- 
lous recovery of an hysterical consumptive girl, Dorothy Kerin, 
who saw a number of wondrous visions of shining angels, beau- 
tiful lights, and a beautiful woman. 

The author has really no sense of humor, or he would not 
dare compare the inane dreaming of this commonplace young wo- 
man with the vision of St. Paul on the road to Damascus, or the 
heavenly voices of Blessed Joan of Arc. The whole book seems 
a case of much ado about nothing. We fail to see anything mi- 
raculous or supernatural in the case from start to finish, and wonder 
why any man in his sober senses could give it a second thought. 
Why it should have attracted any attention whatever is simply 
beyond our comprehension. We may be unduly suspicious, but 
we thought we saw the reason of this plain piece of humbuggery 
in the message of the " Beautiful Lady who carried the beautiful 
annunciation lily in her right hand." For with wondrous unction 
she whispers gently to the neurotic Dorothy : " The Lord has 
brought you back to use you for a great and privileged work. 
Many sick will ye heal in your prayer and faith." Perhaps she 
will be exploited later as a money-getting faith-healer, and bring 
quite an income to her exploiter. 

Mr. Ash assures us in his preface that " his book seeks to 
prove nothing." He has succeeded admirably in his endeavor. 
If the proofs of the unseen world of spirit depended merely on 
the so-called facts adduced in this celebrated case, we would not 
marvel a bit at the unbeliever's skepticism. The author's citations 
from men like Oliver Lodge, William James, Henri Bergson, and 
others show his absolute ignorance of a definite Christian phil- 
osophy. 

BELGIUM, THE LAND OF ART. By William Elliot Griffis. 

Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co. $1.25 net. 

" This little book," writes the author in his preface, " is in- 
tended to give pleasure to the reader at home, and to the traveler 
the means of enjoying what he sees By pen and in print, 



692 NEW BOOKS [Feb., 

on canvas, in mural decoration, in sculpture, in monuments of 
bronze and marble, in fireplaces and in wood-carving, the story 
(of Belgium) may be read as in an illuminated missal." 

Our author naturally reads his missal through colored Prot- 
estant glasses, and although he honestly endeavors to be fair, his 
ignorance of things Catholic breaks out frequently. Like most 
of his confreres in the Protestant ministry, his knowledge of the 
past is inaccurate, and his orthodoxy vague. It is rather strange to 
find a Christian holding a brief for the unbelieving, anarchist 
Ferrer, as if " ordered freedom of conscience " was identical with 
contempt and denial of the gospel of Christ. Of course, we hear 
of the Reformation " certainly meaning purity of morals " despite 
the witness of Luther himself; we are solemnly informed that 
Protestantism is in reality the primitive gospel; we are mildly 
amused at his extravagant praises of the Belgic Confession of 
Faith, and the wonderful doings of his over-praised Walloons; 
and we rather expect the old calumnies about the horrors of the 
mediaeval era with its bigotry, fanaticism, and intolerance, 
and accommodating confessors; the pretences of priests and 
dogmas, the saintly mediators supposed to be necessary between 
God and man, etc., etc. 

Our smile becomes a hearty laugh when we read that " port 
wine helped greatly the cause of American Independence." Such a 
statement shows the breadth of view which the Reformation 
frequently breeds in its sons. While praising the Liberals in 
Belgium, there is not the slightest praise given to the wonders 
wrought by the Catholic party, who, after being in office nearly 
thirty years, won a tremendous victory this year despite the coali- 
tion of Socialists and Liberals. The Belgians are the most pros- 
perous people on the face of the earth, and they know their present 
status is due to a Catholic ministry. The appeal to bigotry and re- 
ligious hatred made by the Liberals at the last election fell on 
deaf ears. You cannot fool the people all the time. 

The title of the book is misleading. If one opens it to find 
a real grasp of Belgium's title to the " Land of Art " by one who 
has a right to speak, he will be very much disappointed. If he 
wants a rather meager and imperfect guide book, with some facts 
intermingled with a good deal of inaccurate statements, he will 
be perfectly content. This book is another proof that Catholic 
things can be appreciated at their full value only by those who 
know them at first hand. 



1913-] NEW BOOKS 693 

FROM DANTE TO VERLAINE. By Jules Pacheu. Paris: A. 

Tralin. 3 frs. 50. 

This is a new edition of Father Pacheu's book which was 
first published in 1897. He is well known to French readers from 
his many studies on mysticism, viz. : An Introduction to the Psy- 
chology of the Mystics; Contemporary Religious Unrest; The 
Poem of Conscience Dante and the Mystics; Mystic Experience 
and Sub-Conscious Activity, etc. In the present work he gives 
us a history of Dante studies in France from the beginning, com- 
pares Bunyan and Spencer to the Florentine poet, and writes rather 
favorable notices of Verlaine and Huysmans. It is a good 
piece of literary criticism, although like every book made up of 
magazine articles, it lacks unity, and contains monographs of very 
unequal value. 

STEAMSHIP CONQUEST OF THE SEA. Illustrated. By Fred- 
erick A. Talbot. Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott Co. $1.50 
net. 

One branch of the tremendous material development of recent 
years is graphically and convincingly set forth in this profusely 
illustrated volume which deals with the modern steamship. Every- 
thing connected with the subject the planning, construction, equip- 
ment, ornamentation, launching, provisioning, management, and 
protection of the great liners, the routes they follow, the dangers 
they run, the records they have made, the care taken to chart the 
sea and keep the ocean clear of dangerous wreckage, together with 
other kindred matters has been gone into thoroughly. A great 
amount of varied information is given to the reader, not in a 
technical, dry way, but plainly and entertainingly, with many anec- 
dotes and excellent illustrations, that make this story of modern 
progress a delightful bit of instructive reading. 

TF the Isle of Wight has been called the " Garden of England," 
* the Isle of Thanet may well be called its gate, for life and death, 
war and peace, joy and sorrow, have often entered thereby. One 
of its chief glories in the days of faith was the Saint whose life 
we are considering. In the Story of Saint Mildred of Thanet, 
by M. Sawyer (New York: Benziger Brothers), we are intro- 
duced to this gentle Saint, whose name signifies " peaceful will " 
or fount of peace. Yet her peace was attained by stern combat 
for chastity with the rough, half -barbarian element of those days. 



694 NEW BOOKS [Feb., 

Quaint and beautiful is the tale which brings the royal nuns of 
those early days before us; their enemies bold and cruel; ours more 
insidious ; yet there is comfort in the thought that the same virtues 
were defended, as the same laurels await those who combat for 
faith and purity. Her history gives an excellent picture of con- 
ventual life in Saxon England, as well as the darker side of 
untamed natures. 



SUGAR CAMP AND AFTER, by Rev. H. S. Spalding, 
-*- SJ. (New York: Benziger Brothers. 85 cents), is the new- 
est of the author's popular stories for boys. It is a good, healthy 
story, with plenty of action, and a sturdy little hero who will surely 
appeal to readers of his own age. 

'THE DRAMATIC FESTIVAL, by A. T. Craig (New York: 
G. P. Putnam's Sons. $1.25 net), is a study of the lyrical 
method as a factor in elementary education, with some plays for 
class use. Its aim is the cultivation of the imagination by " Folk 
Stories, Dances, Songs, Games, and the Drama." A plea is made 
that time be devoted to these matters, and that the long-suffering 
and overcrowded school curriculum is to furnish it. Possibly 
when their recreations, games, and pleasures have all been brought 
under the directing, organizing and supervising power of the 
" grown-ups," there will be nothing left for the children of the 
future but to take refuge in games of learning the much neglected 
" three R's." 

'"THE GOLDEN LADDER is the first of the "Golden Rule 
-* Series ;" these consist of fairy stories, fables, and easy poems 
gathered from various sources, " embodying a graded system of 
moral instruction." A Path, A Door, A Key, 'A Word, and A Deed 
Book are to follow, and all are " golden." A professor, a dean, 
and a school superintendent are the authors, and the series is the 
publication of Macmillan Company. The Golden Ladder is neatly 
and prettily bound. (Price, 40 cents net. ) 



meditations published under the title of The Litany of the 
* Sacred Heart, by Joseph McDonnell, SJ. (New York: Ben- 
ziger Brothers. 90 cents), first appeared in The Irish Messenger 
of the Sacred Heart. The commentaries explain the titles, and are 
suitable for instruction; the meditations seem more for individual 



1913-] NEW BOOKS 695 

use, and lead the heart to taste and see the sweetness hid in the 
loving Heart of Christ for those of His servants who humbly 
approach the fountains of the Savior. 

t)Y telling of the origin and aims of the " Children of Mary," in 
*~* The Story of the Sodality of Our Lady (New York: Ben- 
ziger Brothers. 30 cents net), Father Edmund Lesler, S.J., would 
increase our zeal to emulate the lives of the many who have gladly 
enrolled themselves as Sodalists. The Little Office of the Immac- 
ulate Conception and the Ritual for Reception are added. 

'THE WAIF OF RAINBOW COURT, by Mary F. Nixon-Roulet 
(St. Louis: B. Herder. 60 cents), is a story of a poor little 
waif, whose sweet nature led her to look upon the bright side of 
her life, and who, forgetting her own woes, neglected no oppor- 
tunity of helping those who came in contact with her. 

~\T7E have received from the American Book Company four of its 
* ' new publications. The Training of Children, by John Wirt 
Dinsmore ($1.00), is a refreshingly sane book on the training of 
children. The author lays down the principle that the child is a 
physical, mental, and spiritual unity, and, therefore, that the culti- 
vation of the entire child is essential to any perfect training. 
He advocates the use of whatever is good in new theories. His 
counsels are firm, gentle, and farseeing. He rates very highly 
the responsibilities of the teacher, and justly insists that she herself 
should be an example of the characteristics she seeks to inculcate. 
A book so practical and earnest as is this one, cannot fail to help 
any young teacher who has at heart the real good of the youthful 
charges. No one need look in it for hazy discussions on psychology, 
heredity, etc., such as are the fashion in most books on pedagogy 
nowadays. The author has something to say, and says it, to the 
point, simply and straightforwardly. 

Plane and Solid Geometry, by C. A. Hart (each book 80 cents; 
together, $1.25), allows the pupil to take nothing for granted, 
but requires him to prove each step. As an aid to this task the 
figures in Book I. set an excellent model of clearness. Altogether, 
we think, the book well establishes the claim made for it, that it 
is " the combined product of experience, class-room test, and 
abundant criticism." It is surely up-to-date, since it contains 
a problem on the foundation of the Woolworth Building. 



696 NEW BOOKS [Feb., 

English Grammar, by Lillian Kimball (60 cents), is another 
addition to the endless texts on English grammar. It claims, how- 
ever, " to simplify and rob " that study of all unnecessary and minor 
" technicalities." 

Fifty Famous People, by James Baldwin (35 cents), is a sup- 
plementary reader consisting of short and not very well-chosen 
stories. Save that many of them concern royalist worthies, one 
might suspect the book of being a translation of some modern 
French school text, so completely is God excluded from its contents. 
Even Csedmon and his wonderful song of Creation is discussed, 
but no mention is made of the Creator! 

HTHE EUCHARIST AND CHRISTIAN PERFECTION (New 
-*- York: The Sentinel Press. 50 cents) is the fourth and last 
of the series of collected works of the Venerable Pere Eymard's 
works. The volume before us contains three retreats preached 
respectively to the Brothers of St. Vincent de Paul, to his own 
religious, and to the Servants of the Most Blessed Sacrament 
(nuns). It need not be said that he makes the Holy Eucharist 
the means, the end, the whole spirit of these retreats, and continually 
reminds his spiritual children of their dedication, their glory, their 
riches in the possession of Jesus Christ under the Sacramental Veil. 

T^ROM the American Press comes a reprint (with additional 
matter) of Father Husslein's articles on Socialism, under the 
title of The Church and Social Problems. The writer first shows, 
in the words of its own advocates, what Socialism is, and then 
contrasts with it the social teaching of Christianity. Grouped 
in a book one feels the chapters are more telling than in the pages 
of a periodical. For one thing they make perfectly clear that 
there can no more be concord between the Church and Socialism 
than between Christ and Belial. Price, $1.00. 

DENZIGER BROTHERS publish a handy volume, entitled 
*-* Spiritual Progress (90 cents net), which treats of the progres- 
sive Use of Confession and of Lukewarmness. The volume con- 
siders the matters quite thoroughly, but we take exception to one 
of its recommendations. Spiritual progress is not greatly to be 
helped by keeping a table of our advance or of our falls. The 
volume is tastefully presented. The same house publishes also in 
handy form an excellent volume that will give much instruction, 



1913.] NEW BOOKS 697 

and also much comfort to souls. It is entitled The Consolations 
of Purgatory, from the French of Father Faure, S.M. The trans- 
lation by W. Humphrey Page is well done. 

TN Charles Louis Philippe, by Andre Gide, we have a favorable 
-^ appreciation of the author whose name gives title to the volume, 
Another French work from the same house of Eugene Figuiere et 
Cie (Paris), by Paul Vulliaud, gives a sketchy, superficial account 
of the Renaissance in Italy in the fifteenth century. 

A MONG French publications, which will be of interest to those of 
** our readers who are acquainted with French, are two volumes 
from the press of P. Lethielleux of Paris entitled: The Elements 
of Dogmatic Theology. Pierre Tequi of Paris publish a Life of St. 
'Anthony of Padua by Monsignor Ricard ; a work entitled : Vocation 
by the Redemptorist Father Coppin, which treats of marriage, the 
priesthood, and the religious life, and a useful work on the prin- 
ciples of Contemplation by Father Lamballe. Gabriel Beauchesne 
of Paris issues a critical refutation of modern champions of Monism 
in France. The work is from the pen of J. B. Saulze. 



~\T7E are requested to announce that the publications of Tequi of 
Paris may be obtained from Benziger Brothers, 36 Barclay 
Street, New York City. 



foreign periobfcals* 

Father Gerard, SJ. This article is a tribute to the late Father 
Gerard by a former Stonyhurst boy. Father Gerard was born 
at Edinburgh in 1840 of a most distinguished family. In 1850 
two years after the conversion of his parents he entered Stonyhurst 
College, and six years later entered the Society of Jesus. He 
returned to Stonyhurst in 1879 as a priest, and there did the chief 
part of his teaching work. 

He was a skillful organizer, and to his efforts were due a boy's 
debating society and the revival of the college magazine. He 
found time in his busy teaching days to produce a Latin grammar, 
a " course of religious instruction," and was greatly interested in 
dramatics. He wrote the centenary of his beloved Alma Mater, 
and in 1893 was made Chief of the Staff of The Month. 

In 1897 he was elected Provincial, and under his wise guidance 
a hall for Jesuit scholastics was opened at Oxford. Father Gerard 
was a success at anything he undertook. His scholarly reply to 
Haeckel, The Old Riddle and the Newest Answer, has gone through 
several editions, and been translated into several languages. The 
Tablet, December 21. 

The Practice of Holy Communion. By Bishop Hedley, O.S.B., 
of Newport. Exhorting the faithful to more frequent reception of 
the Holy Sacrament of the Altar, the Bishop traces the history 
of the Blessed Sacrament from early times to this day, showing 
the four aspects under which the Sacrament has at different times 
been viewed; as a pledge and symbol of unity in apostolic times, as 
a source of strength in trial and temptation in the ages of persecu- 
tion, as an object of formal adoration and reverence in the centuries 
following, as the source of all grace and charity from the thirteenth 
century onward. 

After amplifying briefly the first three aspects, he shows how 
St. Thomas Aquinas, treating of the operations of divine grace, 
stimulated men to study the capacity of their own souls. Jesus, 
the life of the soul, was then more keenly appreciated in the Great 
Sacrament of His Love. 



1913-] FOREIGN PERIODICALS 699 

The Catechism of the Council of Trent, following St. Augus- 
tine, counsels daily Communion, as do the Saints and Popes of 
the late sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. 

Jansenism, with its false reverence ("the true reverence was 
always an essential feature of the Church's life"), "would build 
up barriers around the Holy Table to keep off the flock whose very 
life depended upon the food thereon." 

The authoritative teaching of Pope Pius X. on frequent and 
daily Communion follows. The treatment is divided into the dis- 
positions necessary, the reverence due, and sensible devotion. Spe- 
cial emphasis is placed on the Holy Father's teaching that the 
principal end of this Sacrament is " that the faithful may derive 
strength to resist " temptations, to cleanse themselves of faults, 
and to avoid sin. This was Christ's purpose on earth; this is also 
His purpose in this Sacrament. The Tablet, December 28. 

The Catholic Church in 1912. By Rev. James MacCaffrey. 
In Italy the situation of the Catholics is unfortunate. They 
lack unity, capable leaders, a generally accepted programme, and 
capable newspapers to voice their views. In France the educational 
outlook, from a Catholic standpoint, is improving because of the 
popular support of the free schools and the dangerous views ex- 
pressed by the much-praised governmental Teachers' Association; 
in political elections in the Catholic Congress of Tours, and 
in the building and filling of many new churches around Paris, 
there is evidence of a religious re-birth. 

French and Italian newspapers have tried to make difficulties 
by opposing the entrance of German laborers in any but purely 
Catholic organizations. The Holy Father has expressed his views 
on the matter, but the end of the dispute is not yet. 

In Vienna the marvelous success of the Eucharistic Congress 
proves the vitality of the Faith as well as the unselfish zeal and 
organizing capacity of the leaders. The Belgian elections, con- 
trary to the fears of many, have strengthened the Catholic Party 
both in the Chamber of Deputies and in the Senate. In Holland, 
for the first time, a Catholic has been elected President of the 
Senate ; great activity for foreign missions and a religious teaching 
and atmosphere in primary schools are to be commended. In 
Spain and Portugal the outlook remains dark. 

In America the value of organization on questions of educa- 
tion, labor, foreign missions, charity, opposition to Socialism, and 



700 FOREIGN PERIODICALS [Feb., 

the publication of the Catholic Encyclopedia has been realized, and 
has done much good. 

In England the Anglican Archbishop of Canterbury failed to 
make a bold stand for the independence of his Church in the 
Banister vs. Thompson marriage case; but the Catholics, especially 
in educational matters, have exhibited wonderful activity and or- 
ganization. They have forced the Radical and Socialist parties 
to abandon the annual resolution at the Congress of Trade Unions 
in favor of secular education. They endeavor to educate not only 
their own followers, but the public in general as to the aim and 
policy of the Catholic Church. They have a definite programme on 
all public questions in which their interests are concerned. They 
have schools for the higher education of priests at Oxford and 
Cambridge, which also keep the lay students in touch with Catholic 
principles. 

In Ireland the Home Rule Bill is the principal subject of dis- 
cussion, but it should not exclude attention to the efforts of the 
Home Rule Chief Secretary to introduce reforms in secondary 
education and university scholarships, which would create difficul- 
ties for the proposed Irish Legislature. He is trying to override the 
express wishes of many of the Irish County Councils, and is not 
consulting those whose interests are principally concerned. Irish 
Ecclesiastical Record, January. 

Can the Blame be Laid on the Temporal Power? By J. Bricout. 
Defenders of the temporal power of the Popes are often met with 
the objection that this power for some forty or fifty years back has 
been very dangerous for France. The defeat in 1870, the grow- 
ing unpopularity of the Church after the war, and the final separa- 
tion of the Church from the State, are held as effects of the tem- 
poral power. A careful examination of each of these points, 
especially in regard to their causes, clearly shows, however, that 
the temporal power cannot justly be held responsible either for the 
defeat in 1870, or for the separation law of 1905, or even for the 
establishment of the Third Republic. As a consequence, the French 
Catholics cannot be said to have been faithless to the sacred interests 
of their country by following, in this regard, the directions of 
Pius IX., Leo XIII., and Pius X. Revue du Clerge Frangais, 
December. 

The Tablet (December 21) : Prince Ludwig, the new Regent 



1913.] FOREIGN PERIODICALS 701 

of Bavaria, comes to the throne welcomed by the spokesmen of 
all the political parties of his realm, not excepting the Socialists. 
He gives promise of a strong determined character, as was shown 
in his message to the Kaiser. He is an earnest and practical 

Catholic, and his private life is exemplary. The English public 

are now awakening to the fact that there is in England one class 
immune from penalties of law. The Trade Unions by the Trades 
Dispute Act of 1906 can blacklist, libel, or boycott an employer 
with impunity. This has been decided by Parliament. Until a 
few weeks ago it was thought that this position of privilege could 
be claimed only when the wrong complained of was committed 
in the direct furtherance of a trade dispute. This illusion has been 
dispelled by the decision handed down in favor of the Trade Unions 
in the case of Vacher and Sons vs. London Society of Compositors. 
(December 28) : The writer of Literary Notes, after comment- 
ing on the critical introductions to the reprinted classics in the Every- 
man's Library series, after calling attention to Mr. Chesterton's val- 
uable appreciation of Matthew Arnold, the critical preface to Cardi- 
nal Newman's Apologia by Mr. Charles Sorolea is analyzed at length, 
and the failure of Mr. Sorolea to appreciate Cardinal Newman 
or his celebrated book because of the critics' faulty viewpoint is 
shown. Mr. Sorolea's appreciation of Charles Kingsley and his 

views is also called in question. The Stations and Great Basilicas 

at Rome, a translation of the paper of Abbot Cabrol of Farnborough, 
explaining these stations, the liturgical worship connected therewith, 
and their different classes, is begun. 

The National Review (January) : The United States and 
'Anglo-German Rivalry, by Washington, is an appeal to the United 
States to increase its military and naval strength in order to be 
prepared if war breaks out between England and Germany. The 
writer infers that our welfare will demand our antagonism to Ger- 
many, and urges that we should be far more active than we are in 

the affairs of Europe. Ad Memoriam is a sketch of the late 

Senator Jones of Nevada. A. Maurice Low writes on American 

affairs. 

The Month (January) : The article entitled Father John 
Gerard is the life story of the famous English Jesuit of that name 
who recently passed away. He was for many years editor of 
The Month, a prominent lecturer, an active member of the com- 



702 FOREIGN PERIODICALS [Feb., 

mittee of the C. T. S., and author of books on the Gunpowder Plot, 
Unnatural History, and The Old Riddle and the Newest Answer. 

The New Breviary is treated by Rev. Herbert Thurston. 

The Dago's Poet, by Alice Dease, is a highly favorable appreciation 
of the writings of Mr. T. A. Daly, together with various quotations 

from his writings. Under the caption Convent Inspection, Mr. 

James Britten addresses an open letter to Miss M. E. Spaull, Sec- 
retary of " The League of Freedom for the Inspection of Convents." 
After discussing the lines on which this new organization is to be 
developed, the author gives a brief history of the dishonest methods 
and inevitable failure of former pseudo-convent reformers. 

The Irish Ecclesiastical Record (January) : W. H. Grattan 
Flood traces the history of the only Cluniac Priory in Ireland, that 
of SS. Peter and Paul in Athlone, founded by Turlough O' Conor 
in 1150. Professor J. M. O'Sullivan describes the natural ad- 
vantages as regards commerce and defense which Constantinople 
possesses; the antagonism which arose between New and Old 
Rome; the influence upon modern politics of the fact that the Sla- 
vonic peoples received their Christianity from Constantinople; the 
rise and final victory of Mohammedanism. 

Le Correspondant (December 10) : Commandant Davin writes 
on the enmity that exists between Austria and Italy. Each seeks 
to be mistress of the Adriatic. The breach has been greatly 
widened, owing to the different attitudes of each of these Powers 
towards the Turco-Albanian troubles. Furthermore, Austria has 
ever withstood the demands of her Italian subjects for the establish- 
ment of an Italian College, although allowing this privilege to almost 
all of her other motley inhabitants. L. Delavand gives a charac- 
ter study of Roald Amundsen, the Norwegian Antarctic explorer, 
together with an historical account of his early life, the preparations 
for his Polar expedition, and a chronological account of his trip. 

(December '25) : An unsigned article treats of the compli- 
cated electoral system of Russia, which is not very clearly under- 
stood even by the Russian people themselves. A description is 
given of the recent electoral campaign and the results of it, show- 
ing the make-up of the new Douma. The recent death of the 

Prince Regent of Bavaria has again aroused interest in this German 
State. M. Andre in his article deals with the private and public 



1913.] FOREIGN PERIODICALS 703 

life of some of the most prominent members of the House of 
Wittelsbachs Maximilian Joseph, Louis I., Maximilian II., and 
Louis II. 

Etudes (December 5) : Father Prat, S.J., discusses The Synop- 
tic Question. His purpose is to indicate briefly the actual state 
of the controversy, to expose fairly the arguments for and against, 
to distinguish facts from hypotheses, certain conclusions from 
probable opinions. That SS. Mark and Luke are the authors of 
the Gospels bearing their names is borne out by the testimony of 
the Fathers and of the ancient heretics, the versions of the New 
Testament, and the early manuscripts almost without exception, 
together with the internal criticism of the Books themselves. 

We have an additional argument in the fact that the Gospels 
were not signed by their authors; is it conceivable that the early 
Christians, without the very best authority, would have assigned 
these precious writings to comparatively insignificant men, and not 
rather to the more famous apostles? The Biblical commission 
declares the canonicity and authenticity of the last twelve verses 
of St. Mark, the narrative of the Holy Infancy and the incident of 
the Bloody Sweat in St. Luke. The objections brought against 

these passages by some critics are not solid or decisive. The 

'Avignon Popes, by Augustin Noyon. The general sentiment of 
history is that the Avignon period was the source of the greatest 
evils to the Church, and in the last analysis was the primary cause 
of the Great Schism. Is this opinion tenable now that the Vatican 
archives have been thrown open to scholars? M. Mollat, in his 
recent book Les Popes d' Avignon, sets about to answer this ques- 
tion. He shows that all the Avignon Popes were personally good 
priests, despite the accusations of such writers as Villani; Pope 
John XXII. has especially been misrepresented. In view of the 
lack of documents, M. Mollat does not dare give any decided answer 
to the complicated questions which arise concerning the suppression 
of the Templars. M. Mollat does not flatter the Avignon Popes; 
he tells their faults and their weaknesses, but he treats them with 
sympathetic justice. 

(December 20) : Joseph de Tonquedec contributes some pages 
from his forthcoming critique of Blondel's philosophy. Blondel 
teaches that observation, apprehension, judgment are powerless to 
put one in touch with reality ; this can only be realized by personal 
experience. Vladimir Soloviev, " the Newman of Russia," after 



704 FOREIGN PERIODICALS [Feb., 

once joyfully proclaiming his conversion, maintained a silence which 
puzzled many. Michel d'Herbigny discusses the reasons which 

justified this course. Father Jacques Fabre contributes notes 

regarding his travels as army chaplain in Morocco last year. He 
says the finest sight he saw was the humble and cheerful self- 
sacrifice, and even the religious spirit, of the French soldiers. 

Etudes Franciscaines (January) : M. F. Richard, in the Revue 
Thomiste (July- August, 1912), had argued that not only was Tho- 
mism the only safe basis and method for attacking the modernist 
position, but also that Scotism, by its emphasis on the primacy 
of the will and of action, is anti-intellectualist, and, therefore, allied 
with pragmatism and modernism. Father Raymond replies that 
such a view shows a total misunderstanding of the Scotus' views, 

and that his opponents arguments are mere word- juggling. 

Father Hugues contributes a long and eulogistic summary of L. 
Cl. Fillion's study on The Stages of Rationalism in its Attacks on 
the Gospels and on the Life of Our Savior. 

Revue Thomiste (November-December) : The Life of the 
Church, by Father Cathola, O.P. The aim of this article is a study 
of the Church's nature and divine organization. The method of the 
inquiry is synthetical rather than analytical, the author judging 
such a method better suited for convincing men of the divine beauty 
of the work of Christ. The Church as an organism has its soul 
or vital principle. This is the Holy Ghost Himself, Who possesses 
the characteristics of unity, immanence, and finality necessary for 
every vital principle. Scriptural, patristic, and liturgical proofs of 

this are given. The Present Necessity of a Deeper Study of 

Theology, by Father Hedde, O.P. Considering the spirit of the 
age in which we live, the author of the present article is convinced of 
the necessity of a more profound study of Sacred Theology, a 
study which, while paying due respect to tradition, will nevertheless 
be progressive and scientific. Not that there are new truths to be 
discovered, but that old ones may be better comprehended and 
more exactly expressed ; not that there are new dogmas to be added 
to the ancient ones, but that the ancient ones may be more fully 
understood. The failure of certain defenders of theology, in their 
fight against modernism, is due not to their lack of vigor, of 
courage, of perseverance, but to the fact that they appear to be 
inferior to their advancement in logic, in their sense of criticism, 



1913-] FOREIGN PERIODICALS 705 

and in their rendition. They give the impression of being the 
heroic but despairing defenders of a retreating army instead of ; 
acting on the offensive. They rest content with general principles 
which they do not clearly understand which resolve everything and 
solve nothing. True defenders hold to tradition, but to do this 
they must know the tradition. There alone is progress. Yet we 
must struggle, for, as Lacordaire says, " Truth reigns over minds 
only on condition of always conquering them." 

Revue des Deux Mondes ( December 15): In some very orig- 
inal and amusing conversations called Between Two Hemispheres, 
Mr. Ferreo discusses his ideas and those of some of his clever fel- 
low travelers on art, beauty, and other kindred subjects. New; 
York, in one of these details, is tersely summed up as being the 

" intestine " of America. The correspondence of Albert Sorel 

during the years 1870-1871 is very pleasant reading, not only 
because of its style, but also for the very sane opinions which the 
writer held on the French position during the Franco-Prussian War. 

The Marquis de Segur cpntributes his work, Au Couchant de 

la Manarchie, by an article on the downfall of Necker. 



VOL. XCVI. 45. 



IRecent Events. 

The new year found France on the eve of the 
France. election of a new President. By the last 

Constitution, the head of the Republic is 

elected for seven years by the two Houses of Legislature (Senate 
and Deputies) sitting in joint session as the National Assembly. 
'All French citizens are eligible for the office, except members of 
any family which has ever reigned in France. The election this 
year was held on the I7th of the month just expired. The question 
of a successor of M. Fallieres became a matter of general dis- 
cussion during the last month of the year. A second term is not 
the custom in France. M. Fallieres has performed the duties 
of his office to the general satisfaction of the country. 

The discussion as to his successor has shown that there 
is to be found at least one man who, while in thorough 
sympathy with the Republic, is unwilling to take the highest place. 
To M. Leon Bourgeois, the Minister of Labor and Social Providence 
in the present Cabinet, a nomination was offered, not once or twice 
only, but a third time, by a number of supporters sufficient to 
secure his election. M. Bourgeois persisted in declining, because 
the state of his health would not permit the fulfillment of its duties. 
The doctors had forbidden him to live in the light. On any day, 
he was assured, he was liable to the stroke of fate. The death 
of a President would be a source of grave inconvenience to the 
country. As M. Bourgeois was inexorable, the field was clear 
for other candidates 1 !. Of these the most prominent was one 
who had been taking the leading part in the nomination of M. 
Bourgeois, the present Premier, M. Raymond Poincare. 

The contest has resulted in the election of M. Poincare. Sat- 
isfaction may be felt with the result, for, although the new President 
is a thorough Republican, and would only accept support from 
Republicans, he represents the more moderate elements in the 
party. This may be seen from the fact that M. Combes was a 
most vehement opponent of his election. M. Poincare has taken 
a very prominent part in the conferences of the Powers with 
reference to the Balkan War, and to him the maintenance of peace 
is laregly due. He is a young man to be elected to such an office, 



1913.] RECENT EVENTS 707 

being only fifty-two years of age. He is credited with the inten- 
tion of asserting certain powers of the President, which during the 
last terms have been left dormant. An attempt of this kind may be 
a cause of trouble. 

The result will, of course, affect the position of the present 
Cabinet, but not in the same way that it would in this country. 
For the French Ministers are responsible, as in England, to Par- 
liament, not to the President, and he has to accept a Cabinet which 
possesses the confidence of that body. 

Of all the countries in Europe, the people of France have 
been the most outspoken in their sympathy with the Balkan States 
in their struggle with the Turk, and have rejoiced most heartily in 
their success in the attainment of the long-desired expulsion of 
this barbarous Power from Europe. The Lord Mayor of London 
boasted that the Conferences could be held in London because the 
people of England had shown complete impartiality between the 
combatants. No such shameful boast could have been made by any 
Frenchman in authority. For it is a disgrace to be impartial when 
there is a conflict between right and wrong. There is reason to 
think that the people of Italy were also warmly in favor of the 
Balkan Allies, but its government is so closely tied up with the 
Austrian that counsels were more divided than in France. 



Germany has been very unfortunate in the 
Germany. loss of such leading statesmen as it at present 

possesses. In September last the Baron 

Marschall von Bieberstein died a few weeks after his appointment as 
Ambassador to Great Britain, where, as was thought by some, he 
had been specially sent to bring about an improvement of the 
relations between the two countries. 

At the close of the year, Herr von Kiderlen-Wsechter died 
suddenly. He was the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, 
and during his term of office a marked improvement had taken 
place in these relations. When he was first appointed considerable 
apprehension was felt. He was called the Little Bismarck, in 
whose school he had been bred. He took, it is said, the principal 
part in the aggressive action last year with reference to Morocco. 
Experience had, however, softened his character, and his death 
is considered a loss by those most anxious for the preservation of 
peace. It must, however, be borne in mind that it is the German 



70S RECENT EVENTS [Feb., 

Emperor who is the inspirer of the policy of Germany; the Min- 
isters are little more than his instruments. It is not probable, 
therefore, that the policy recently made so clear will be changed. 
With reference to the Balkan War, Germany does not seem to 
have taken any very prominent part, but has been willing to act 
as the second of her ally, Austria-Hungary. Nor are there any 
very clear indications as to the side which was taken by the Ger- 
man people. The truth is that for some time the dominating 
influence in Germany has been the progress and advancement of 
commerce and industry, and interests other than materialistic 
scarcely affect either her government or her people. 



The Dual Monarchy is paying dear for the 
Austria-Hungary, spirited policy which in recent years it has 

seen fit to adopt. Before the advent of 

Count Aehrenthal, Austria-Hungary was looked upon as a Conserv- 
ative influence a mainstay of the peace of Europe. Its well-being 
and the continuance of its existence, although looked upon as doubt- 
ful, were strongly desired. At the present time the disappear- 
ance of this monarchy of shreds and patches would not be re- 
gretted by many of its former friends, for it has become a source of 
disturbance. By the way in which it effected the annexation of 
Bosnia and Herzegovina, it brought Europe to the verge of war, and 
undermined that confidence in treaties which forms the basis of 
mutual international relations. Its conduct since the breaking out 
of the Balkan War has been the cause of the anxiety which has 
been so keenly felt lest the whole of Europe should be involved, and 
this for the pettiest motives of self-interest. The fear that a 
little State like Servia should find an outlet in the Adriatic led 
Austria to arm herself to the teeth. But the price has been high. 
The exact amount spent is not known: estimates make it range 
from one hundred millions at the least to two hundred millions 
of dollars. Trade, moreover, has been totally paralyzed; for sev- 
eral weeks the country has been in a state bordering on panic; 
deposits have been withdrawn from the banks; the stocking has 
taken their place. 

Nearly one hundred millions are said to have been withdrawn 
from circulation. Banks, consequently, are unable to place money 
at the disposal of productive industries. If those who have been 
the cause of the trouble were themselves likely to bear the burdens, 



1913-] RECENT EVENTS 709 

there would be little cause for complaint, but it is the people who 
will have to surfer. The taxation, already immense, will have to be 
increased, as the supposed emergency has " justified " the expendi- 
ture without recourse to Parliament. 

The present Foreign Minister is a man very different in char- 
acter from Count Aehrenthal. It is due largely to his moderation 
and uprightness that worse evils have not befallen the country. 
But he is in the thralls of a vicious system. Under Count Aehren- 
thal the Foreign Office, of which he was the head, was the means 
of the dissemination of a series of fraudulent documents which 
led to the scandalous trial at Agram. Since the outbreak of the 
war in the Balkans, an analogous procedure has been adopted. 
It was alleged by or with the connivance of the Press Bureau of the 
Foreign Office, that the Consul of the Dual Monarchy at Prisrend, 
named Prochaska, had been imprisoned by the Servians and ill- 
treated in indescribable ways ; these assertions were circulated after 
it had been ascertained that they were made without any foundation 
in order to excite public opinion, and to justify the " precautions " 
that were being taken. 

These proceedings of the government have led the independent 
press of Austria itself to express fears lest the international 
position of Austria should be shaken. " The Prochaska case and 
its issue are equivalent to a lost battle for the Austrian State." 
In Germany the condemnation of the handling of the case has 
been almost unanimous, while in France Austrian policy, as a 
whole, has met with very severe criticisms. The effects of this con- 
demnation are being felt even in the world of finance. Austria 
is finding it very difficult to place the bonds which the Treasury 
has emitted, while Hungary has had to pay seven per cent for a 
loan which a British Colony could issue at four. 

The rumor, to which reference was made last month, that the 
Triple Alliance between Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy had 
been renewed has proved to be well founded. As this renewal 
took place something like eighteen months before the term for its 
expiration, and in the midst of all the turmoil of the Balkan War, 
a certain degree of skepticism was justified. The renewal has been 
made, it is said, on precisely the same terms as before. Anticipa- 
tions had been formed that its scope would be widened to include 
the naval control of the Mediterranean, in view of the fleets which 
are being built by Austria and Germany. This does not seem to have 
been done. The term for which the Alliance is to last, according 



;io RECENT EVENTS [Feb., 

to some account, is twelve years, according to others seven. Its 
renewal is taken as a sign that the balance of power is to remain 
in the long-existent equilibrium. 

After the meeting of the German Emperor with the Tsar at 
Port Baltic, an official communique was issued that there had been 
no question of producing " alterations of any kind in the grouping 
of the European Powers, the value of which for the maintenance 
of equilibrium and peace has already been proved." This grouping 
the Triple Alliance and the Triple Entente has now become a 
fundamental part of the order of things in Europe. Its chief ad- 
vantage is that in most of the questions that arise, isolated action 
is prevented by the necessity of consultation with the other members 
of the groups to which each of these Powers belong. This neces- 
sity prevents precipitate action, and renders the maintenance of 
peace more likely. The renewal has, therefore, given general 
satisfaction. 

Although full reliance cannot be placed in the statement that 
the questions at issue between Austria-Hungary and Albania and 
Servia have been settled, there is reason to think that such is the 
case. The general principles were discussed at the Conference 
of Ambassadors held in London. The Albanians are to have 
autonomy, under the suzerainty of Turkey; Servia is to have a com- 
mercial port on the Adriatic, with special safeguards, both of itself 
and of the road to it. The relations of Austria with foreign 
powers remain, therefore, unchanged, a war with Russia having 
for the second time been averted. Russia was united as one man 
in support of the Slavs in the Balkans. The government of the 
Tsar deserves great credit for the control which it exercised over 
its people. 

Ever since 1905 every government that has taken office in 
Hungary has included universal suffrage in its programme, but 
tinder one pretext or another has failed to fulfill its pledge. On the 
last day of the old year the Premier introduced into the Lower 
House of the Hungarian Parliament a Bill which looks like a patent 
evasion of the reforms so long demanded. The franchise is to be 
given to men with secondary school education depositing certificates 
at the age of twenty- four, and to all the rest at thirty. Industrial 
workmen must show that they have been in permanent employment 
for two years, and agricultural laborers for five years. Illiterates 
receive the franchise only when they pay something like eight 
dollars in taxes or own seventeen acres. Polling is by secret ballot 



1913.] RECENT EVENTS 711 

in towns, and by open ballot in agricultural districts. Eight hun- 
dred and fifty thousand will be added to the number of voters if it 
should pass an increase of seventy-five per cent of the present 
number. 



The year 1912 has been a great year for 

Italy. Italy. The success of the attempt to seize 

upon Tripoli, unjust though it was, has made 

her a great Power, as the world counts greatness. It has caused 
the nation to realize better than ever before its unity and strength. 
Material prosperity has never been so great. Emigration has been 
checked. The finances of the country have never been so stable. 
They have borne the strain of the war in a manner that has surprised 
the whole world. So great is the prosperity that the Socialists 
have ceased to agitate. The subversive parties of the State the 
Radicals of the Extreme Left, the Republicans and the Socialists 
have received a severe setback. The Crown is exceedingly popular, 
and a report has appeared, although this is doubtless malicious, that 
the King thinks of proclaiming himself Emperor of Rome. 

The chief, purely internal, event of the year has been the pass- 
ing of an Electoral Reform Bill which extends the franchise from 
three millions to nearly eight millions of electors. It provides also 
for changes in the electoral procedure and in the payment of 
Deputies. 

The renewal of the Triple Alliance keeps Italy in the same 
relation to Germany and to Austria-Hungary as have so long 
subsisted. There is, however, some obscurity as to the character 
of the friendship between two members of the Alliance Austria 
and Italy. A party in Austria is ardently in favor of a war with 
Italy. This party was held in check by the late Count Aehrenthal, 
who forced the resignation of a general high in office in the army, 
because he was a strong advocate of such a war. No sooner was 
the Triple Alliance renewed than this general was re-appointed. 
Great perplexity is felt in both countries as to the meaning of 
this step. 

At the time these lines are being written 

The Balkan War. the peace negotiations which have been 

carried on in London for the past four 

weeks are at a standstill, and no one knows what will be the out- 



712 RECENT EVENTS [Feb., 

come. It is understood that the Great Powers have taken steps 
to mediate between the combatants. Turkey, at the beginning, re- 
fused to recognize her defeat, and demanded that Adrianople should 
remain Turkish; that Macedonia should be an autonomous prin- 
cipality, with its capital Salonika under the suzerainty of the Porte; 
that Albania should be a self-governing Province, administered by 
a Prince of the Ottoman Imperial House; that the future of Crete 
should be left to the discussion of the Powers; and that the yEgean 
Islands should he retained by Turkey. These demands were im- 
mediately rejected by the delegates of the Balkan States, who 
required the surrender of Adrianople and the drawing of such a 
boundary of the territory left to Turkey in Europe as to leave her 
only a very small district. The uiEgean Islands were to be sur- 
rendered, with certain exceptions to be specified by the Powers; 
Albania was to be ceded, its future to be decided by the Powers. 
All kinds of modifications of these original terms have been dis- 
cussed ; but no settlement has been reached, and it is quite possible 
that this war may be renewed. 

It has been left to Rumania to give to the world one of the 
most amazing exhibitions of national selfishness on record. She 
is requiring of Bulgaria, who has sacrificed her blood and treasure 
in fighting the common enemy, the surrender of a large portion of 
the latter's territory as the price for having done nothing for the 
common cause, and is threatening to enforce her demand by making 
war on its champion. It is a proceeding worse than that of a 
brigand who charges a ransom for giving a man the liberty he 
has taken from him. 



The state of Persia shows no sign of im- 
Persia. provement, and if that is true of nations 

which is said to be true of individuals, that 

not to make progress is to go backward little hope can be enter- 
tained for the future. Its ruler is a child fifteen years of age. 
The Regent appointed to govern in his place has left the country, 
and has taken up his abode in Europe. It is not known whether or 
no he intends ever to return. The ex- Shah has pledged his word 
never again to come back, but that word is worth as little now 
as it was when he ruled. In fact one of the anxieties of those 
interested in Persia is the dread that he is making efforts to regain 
the power, for he is not without supporters, and there are many 



1913.3 RECENT EVENTS 713 

who despair of any amelioration under the existing form of govern- 
ment. 

The Mejliss, as the Persian legislature is called, has been 
in abeyance for more than a year. Rumors have been circulated, 
from time to time, that new elections are to be held, but none 
have yet taken place. A Cabinet is in existence, but in such a state 
of things naturally cannot do much to save the country. It has no 
power to change the Constitution, or even to appoint a Regent. 
The consequence is that the various independent tribes, of which 
the population mainly consists, have thrown off the authority of 
the central government. The disorganization has gone still further, 
for the members of many tribes have cast off the control of their 
own chiefs, and have organized into lawless bands of robbers and 
bandits. This is especially the case in the south, in which part 
commerce is almost at a standstill. Within the last few weeks 
a British Captain was shot by the assailants of a caravan. 

Every excuse is being given to the Powers interested in 
trade to interfere in Persian affairs, or even, were they so disposed, 
to divide the country between themselves. In fact, in the north in 
several places there have been for some time considerable Russian 
forces, while in the south Great Britain has a few soldiers to guard 
the Consulates. But both Powers disclaim the intention of taking 
this course. The conferences which took place last September 
between the Foreign Ministers of Russia and Great Britain re- 
sulted, it is said, in the complete agreement of the two Powers 
as to the necessity of strengthening the Persian government and 
assisting it to maintain order. No detailed programme, however, 
has been published, and the attention of both Great Britain and 
Russia has since been absorbed in the questions that have arisen 
from the Balkan War. The project of a Trans-Persian Railway to 
connect the Russian with the Indian System of Railways, the exact 
plans for which are being considered by a comite d'etudes, com- 
posed of British, French, and Russian members, has been severely 
criticized by Lord Curzon, formerly a Viceroy of India, on the 
ground that its construction would involve great danger to the 
safety of India from invasion. Great Britain and Russia are at 
present friends, but will that always be the case? The common 
danger apprehended from Germany, and perhaps as important 
a consideration the recent development of trade between the two 
countries, are strong bonds of united action for the time being; 
but like every thing human by no means immutable. 



;i4 RECENT EVENTS [Feb., 

Accounts differ greatly as to the present 

China. actual state of China under the Republic. 

Anticipations as to its future are, of course, 

still more divergent. Were all the public men of China as self- 
sacrificing as was Dr. Sun Yat-sen, who gave such a signal example 
of patriotic devotion to lofty ideals by resigning the Presidentship 
to which he had been elected in order to make sure the general 
recognition of Yuan Shih-kai, the hopes of the future would be 
greater. Yuan Shih-kai maintains his position as Provisional 
President with a Coalition Ministry drawn from the former Nan- 
king and Peking Administrations. This Ministry has, however, 
undergone several modifications, the reasons for which are somewhat 
obscure. The term of office of the Provisional President lasts till 
a National Convention meets. This body is to consist of the 
Senate and House of Representatives sitting together. Laws for 
the election of both Houses were promulgated in September, and 
the final elections to the Lower House were to have taken place on 
the tenth of last month. 

So far there has been scarcely even a semblance of constitu- 
tional rule. Yuan Shih-kai has been the government. He is not 
without enemies, and has not been able to exert any authority over 
the Provinces. The desire for greater independence on the part 
of these Provinces was, indeed, a mainspring of the revolution. 
They are not likely easily to give up to a President what they refused 
to an Emperor. Whether Yuan Shih-kai will be elected permanent 
President of the Republic by the National Committee is, of course, 
still quite uncertain. The support of Dr. Sun Yat-sen is much in 
his favor. So far none of the Powers have recognized the new 
Republic. As in the case of the Portuguese Republic, they are 
doubtless waiting for its definite constitution. 

The question of money has been the chief obstacle to complete 
success of the new regime. A large sum is required, and the 
bankers of six Powers have combined not to lend except under 
certain conditions. They look upon every Chinese government, 
whether Central or Provincial, as unworthy of trust, and for this 
they have good reason, based upon experience of the past. The 
conditions which the group of the six Powers demanded the Chinese 
government looked upon as humiliating. 

It is now stated that a loan is to be made, although for a 
much smaller sum than was at first sought. The fact that the 
government has promulgated an order to create an Audit Bureau 



1913-] RECENT EVENTS 715 

charged with the auditing of the revenues of the Central and 
Provincial Governments, and that the services of an expert foreigner 
are to be enlisted, has doubtless facilitated the negotiations of this 
loan, and has led to a modification of the conditions which had 
proved so unacceptable to China, although some measure of control 
of the expenditure is secured. Steps also have been taken to effect 
a reform of the currency a long-standing evil. For this purpose 
a foreign adviser has been chosen, a gentleman from Holland. 

In a very important matter the Republic has shown itself far 
less efficient than the deposed Emperor. The latter was able by an 
Edict to suppress the growth of opium. This was done, so effec- 
tually that a Treaty was made with Great Britain to bring the trade 
to an end within a time shorter than that at first stipulated. 
Since the establishment of the Republic some of the Provinces have 
acted in violation of the Treaty obligations, and the Central Govern- 
ment has been unable to bring them to a sense of their duty. Hence 
complications are likely to arise with Great Britain, and a possible 
reversion to the evils of the opium trade may be the result, for 
it is understood that Great Britain contemplates terminating the 
Opium Agreement of 1911 unless its conditions are observed. 

The Treaty made last October by the Mongolian authorities 
with Russia practically excludes the Chinese not merely from the 
administration of that country, but even from the settlement of the 
Chinese within its boundaries. On the other hand, to the Russians 
there are granted a large number of special privileges, the effect of 
which is to make Mongolia as free to Russian industry and com- 
merce as is Siberia itself. 

Action has been taken by Great Britain in restriction of rights 
claimed by China over Tibet. In this case China has recently 
made efforts to exert actual sovereignty over a country of which 
she is only the suzerain, and which has hitherto possessed a large 
measure of autonomy. This was done in violation of a Con- 
vention made in 1906. Great Britain has informed China that 
while fully recognizing her suzerainty, she cannot suffer her to 
assert sovereignty over a country which has the right to make 
treaties in its own name. 

Japan has just been passing through a 
Japan. Cabinet crisis of which it has been some- 

what difficult to find a solution. The coun- 
try stands greatly in need of financial retrenchment. Taxa- 



716 RECENT EVENTS [Feb., 

tion has been on a war footing. The burden of taxation 
is said to be double that of France. Prices, too, as in the rest of the 
world, have been steadily rising. Retrenchment, therefore, was 
considered necessary, but the proposals of the Premier stood in 
the way of that increase in the army in Korea which was demanded 
by the War Minister. The latter accordingly resigned, and as no 
other War Minister could be found, this led to the resignation of the 
Cabinet. Great difficulty was experienced in finding a Premier 
capable at once of relieving the burden of taxation, and of satisfying 
the demands of the army. The choice at last fell upon Prince 
Katsura, who only a few months ago had announced his final 
retirement from public life. It is probable that he acted in obe- 
dience to the Emperor's command; for, although Japan has a con- 
stitution, the Emperor still possesses a large degree of authority. 
This is shown by the fact that he issued an edict by which he 
ordered an admiral who had refused the Ministry of Marine in the 
new Cabinet to take that office an order which was promptly 
obeyed. The new Cabinet has a difficult work to do, at once to 
satisfy the army and to effect economics. Its prospects are not 
very bright. 

The conduct of the Japanese administration of Korea has 
been severely criticized. Over one hundred Koreans, most of whom 
were Christians, were sentenced in September for a conspiracy to 
murder Count Terauchi, the Governor-General. The evidence 
which led to this conviction, it is alleged, had been secured by the 
use of torture, and in various respects the police and judicial 
methods made use of at the trial are said not to have reached the 
standard of a right administration of justice. 



WE take pleasure in putting before our readers the work of the 
American Eunomic League, of which Mr. Richard Dana 
Skinner is President. The headquarters of the League are at Cam- 
bridge, Massachusetts. Its work is of the kind that is sorely needed 
in the matter of social reform to-day. The League is an association 
of Catholic university and college graduates, and its aim is not only 
to spread abroad correct eunomic principles, but also to stimulate a 
keen and active interest among the Catholic laymen of the country in 
the vital and pressing social questions of the day. 



THE League plans to have local chapters throughout the country and 
a national headquarters. Part of its programme is to propose 
subjects for debate and general discussion; to report arguments and 
results, and thus in time to train a number of capable speakers. 
Furthermore, it plans the publication and distribution of pamphlets 
dealing with the most important social and economic questions, and 
written by the best Catholic authorities. 

Such a work ought to receive the encouragement and support of 
every zealous Catholic. 

The following appeal has been sent out by the League : 

What do you consider the greatest menace to the State? 

To this question would you not reply, at first, " The instigators of revolu- 
tion?" 

But, after reflection, would you not see a factor still greater, far more basic, 
namely, that which makes revolutionary agitation possible? 

If all parts of society were properly ordered, the revolutionary would be 
laughed to scorn ; yet your experience constantly shows that he is one of the most 
seriously accepted persons of the day. He is feared only because he has power. 
The truly important question is, where does he secure that power? 

His stronghold lies in the blind financial greed which sucks the life blood 
from the heart of our nation, in the gross materialism and immorality practiced 
by the Scribes and Pharisees of our day, and ill concealed under the cloak of 
a false and hypocritical Christianity, with which they would deceive those 
about them. Among a large proportion of our citizens religion is desirable 
only so long as it is convenient, and respectable only in so far as it is fashionable 1 

It is time to awake! The true spirit of Christ still lingers here and there; 
the Catholic Church is at once its chief promoter and protector. It is time to 
infuse this spirit into the practical social and economic life of the nation! No 
mere "system" of human and fallible laws can supplant eternal justice. Unless 
human law is based on Divine law, it becomes futile ; social order and equilibrium 



718 WITH OUR READERS [Feb., 

must be brought into being, not by an artificial system, but by the saving grace 
of true Christian love! 

The Eunomic movement, as its name implies, has two great objects. First, 
the awakening of a strong public conscience by spreading abroad the great social 
and economic principles of Christian Democracy long maintained by the Church, 
and particularly emphasized by the late Pope, Leo XIII. Secondly, the attain- 
ment of social order by a systematic endeavor to secure the enactment and 
enforcement of humane laws based on the true understanding of Divine 
justice. 

Do you not see about you hundreds of crying abuses, the weight of which 
has dragged us into the mire? Do you not realize that half of these abuses 
could have no foothold if the strength of public opinion were directed against 
them? Do you not see that it is only the callousness, the deadly apathy which 
has blunted a large part of the public conscience, that allows these abuses 
to continue unchecked, that unconsciously fosters the spirit of revolution at 
its breast? 

It is truly revolution that is needed, a revolution in the minds and hearts of 
men ! , That is the revolution which the teachings of Christ wrought in the 
hideous corruption of Imperial Rome, centuries ago. That is the revolution 
which the same teachings, the same Divine principles of social order, must 
work to-day, amidst a corruption in many ways scarcely less hideous ! 

This is the true revolution for which the Eunomic movement is striving, the 
revolution which shall raise men's hearts once more to God, which shall supplant 
with justice, commercial integrity and civic righteousness the religious indiffer- 
ence, the dishonesty and corruption of the disordered life surging about us! 



POME few weeks ago His Eminence John Cardinal Farley, in a 
O lengthy and timely commentary on the Minority Report of the 
British Divorce Commission, showed how the widespread evil of 
divorce throughout our country has made us in this respect the laughing 
stock of the civilized world. In connection with what His Eminence 
then stated, the following figures, given by the Rev. Mr. Moody at a 
meeting of the New York State Marriage and Divorce Commission, 
are instructive. 

" The Pacific Coast has been the greatest divorce centre not only 
of this country, but of the entire world, and in that belt of Washington, 
Oregon, and California the divorce centre has been San Francisco. 
In the year 1912 alone there were granted in this country over 100,000 
divorces. More than 70,000 children, mostly under the age of ten 
years, were deprived of one or both parents by divorce. In the last 
forty years 3,700,000 adults were separated by divorce in the country, 
and more than 5,000,000 persons were affected by these cases. 

" The bulk of these cases in that period have been in the Middle 
Western States, nine of which provided 632,000 divorces, or practically 
half of all the divorces in the country. Illinois alone provided 120,000 
divorces, and for this reason we have deemed it wise to make the 
beginning of our movement in that State, where we now have a com- 



1913-] WITH OUR READERS 719 

mission on marriage and divorce striving to bring about reform of 
the marriage and divorce laws and work for countrywide uniformity 
thereof. Pennsylvania had 55,760 divorces, the State of California 
50,000, and that of New York 44,450. 

" New York State, however, sent 18,169 * i ts couples into other 
States to procure divorces, and probably 10,000 more persons who 
obtained divorces without leaving records of their place of marriage. 
Thus New York's total is probably 80,000 divorces. These migratory 
divorces, cases sent from the State into another, constitute sixty-six 
per cent of the divorces in Connecticut, fifty per cent of those in New 
York, and forty-two per cent of those in New Jersey. Most of these 
were procured elsewhere than in the State where the parties lived, 
in order to defeat the ends of real justice where there was no clear 
case justifying divorce. 

" In twenty years 170,000 cases out of the total of 900,000 divorces 
were brought on with change of residence migratory divorces. From 
twenty-five to fifty per cent of the children in our reform schools 
have been found to have got there because of the separation of their 
parents. 

" In this country there is a pressing necessity of legislation re- 
quiring every State to see to it that both the parties in every divorce 
suit are represented. At present ninety per cent of the cases go by 
default, with only one party represented. In Reno, for example, 
divorces are granted on the utterly uncorroborated testimony .of one 
party to the suit." ;/ 

f J 



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THE 




CATHOLIC WORLD, 



VOL. XCVI. MARCH, 1913. No. 576. 



THE POETRY AND PROSE OF LIONEL JOHNSON. 

BY ELBRIDGE COLBY. 

HERE were two chief inspirations to the poetry of 
Lionel Johnson, the Catholic Faith and Ireland. 
Whatever others may be attributed to him whether 
reminiscences of Oxford, affection for Winchester, 
devotion to the classics, reverence for nature, mem- 
ories of Cornwall and Wales, or cherishment of his friendships 
they are merely incidental and subordinate to the two larger in- 
terests. They are confined to illustration, to amplification, to sup- 
port of one of the main theses. The poems which discuss sub- 
jects purely ideal may be limited in material to one of the minor 
fields ; but the coloring is always Catholic or Irish. Lionel Johnson 
received impressions and emitted expressions in a certain poetic 
mood. In some poems this poetic mood is evident only as deter- 
mining the point of view; in others it is the sole motif of the piece. 
It has emanated from his love for Catholicism and for Ireland; 
and naturally, therefore, his poetry would deal to a large extent 
with ideals and ideas of a Catholic and of an Irish character. 

Before we speak of Lionel Johnson as a poet of the Celtic 
Renaissance, it is necessary that we should examine this " move- 
ment " and learn whereof it consists. I have avoided the well-nigh 
accepted title "Irish Revival," because I consider it a misnomer. 
The writers who compose the school of Mr. Yeats are in no sense 
the lineal literary descendants of the early Irish poets or of the 

Copyright. 1913. THE MISSIONARY SOCIETY OF ST. PAUL THE APOSTLE 

IN THE STATE OF NEW YORK. 
VOL. XCVI. 46. 



722 POETRY AND PROSE OF LIONEL JOHNSON [Mar., 

daring, patriotic, mid-century singers of Irish legends, and of 
Irish heroism Davis, Mangan, Callanan, and Walsh. The true 
Irishman, Mr. G. B. Shaw to the contrary notwithstanding, is a 
very simple character with a strong faith; his character is to a 
certain extent represented in the work of the writers of '48, and 
in the works of Griffin, Lever, Lover, and the Banims. A real 
" Irish Revival " would not have failed to take the Irish themselves 
into account. I have adopted the words " Celtic Renaissance " 
as better suited to the work of the school of Mr. Yeats for two 
reasons : it is essentially Celtic rather than Irish, not limiting itself 
to the narrower field of Ireland; it is analogous to the "Renais- 
sance " period in European literature, of which John Addington 
Symonds has treated, in that it is not so much an attempt to re- 
construct a by-gone past as to draw upon that past for the unusual, 
the fantastic, and the weird bits of illustrative material. 

Furthermore, this Celtic Renaissance is very much outside 
the trend of Irish, and within the trend of English, literature. 
Wordsworth crystallized the idea that the object of all poetry was 
truth ; Poe affirmed that poetry is the rhythmical creation of beauty ; 
and Keats declared that " beauty is truth, truth beauty." Thus 
began the nineteenth century worship of beauty, which resulted in 
the revival of buried centuries, and which produced in turn the 
poetry of Keats, Tennyson, Morris, Rossetti, and Swinburne, and 
of Pater, Patmore, and Francis Thompson. Then, early in the 
nineties, it occurred to some that instead of going back to "the 
glory that was Greece and the grandeur that was Rome," instead of 
seeking materials in the mediaeval romances and legends, instead 
of delighting in the gallant sights of Italian tournaments, these 
writers might find for their inspiration new material in the dim 
forgotten mists of the Celtic twilight before the dawn of history 
in the British Isles. Thus the Celtic Renaissance is a part of the 
English aesthetic movement. We may add that it is essentially 
pagan; and that it is essentially a movement of defeat, a material 
and a spiritual renunciation. 

For a confirmation of the statement that it is essentially 
pagan, we have only to turn and think of the beautiful and cold 
grandeur of Pater, and the imitated ferocity of W. E. Henley's 
Song of the Sword, and connect them in our mind with the heart- 
less brutality of Fiona MacLeod. In Marcath* we get the wild, 
terrible beauty of the fighting life of other days. 

*Fiona MacLeod: Mircath in The Washer of the Ford and Other Tales, p. 293. 



1913-] POETRY AND PROSE OF LIONEL JOHNSON 723 

Olaf the Red went into the sea, red indeed, for the 

blood streamed from head and shoulders and fell about him as 

a scarlet robe When Haco the Laugher saw the islanders 

coming out of the West in their birlinns, he called to his 
vikings, " Now of a truth we shall hear the Song of the Sword ! " 
No man knew aught of the last moments ere the bir- 
linns bore down upon the viking's galley. Crash and roar 
and scream, and a wild surging; the slashing of swords, the 
whistle of arrows, the fierce hiss of whirled spears, the rend- 
ing crash of battle-axe and the splintering of the javelins ; wild 
cries, oaths, screams, shouts of victors, and yells of the dying; 
shrill taunts from the spillers of life, and savage choking cries 
from those drowning in the bloody yeast that bubbled and 
foamed in the maelstrom where the warboats swung and reeled 
this way and that; and over all the loud death-music of Haco 
the Laugher Never had the sword sung a sweeter song. 

Also, the writings of Mr. Yeats and of John M. Synge do not 
obtain the deep spirituality of the Irish faith. They deal with 
superstitions, with dreams, with fantastic ideality rather than with 
the great fervent forces which stir humanity. Mr. Yeats, who 
undoubtedly stands at the head of this " Irish School," has many 
things in common with Arthur Symons, decadent of decadents, 
worshipper of the vaguest of all vague symbols of beauty. His 
mood is the same as that of Symons, but his subject is different. 
He deals with the tragedies of Celtic myth and legend instead of 
London music-halls and bought kisses. So, Mr. Yeats has, in an 
un-Irish fashion, joined himself to the morbid devotees of a beauty 
that does not, and cannot, exist. Through all his work there is 
the muffled beat of a despondent heart, the feeling of helpless 
regret, the note of defeat, the vague and vain longing for " old 
forgotten far-off things." 

Into the midst of this came Lionel Johnson, fresh from the 
classic severity of a Paterian-Oxford influence, and the positive 
convictions which had led him along the road to Rome. He was 
of the Celtic Renaissance and yet not of it. Although he came 
from a family which had participated in the persecutions and atroci- 
ties of 1798, he developed a love for Ireland. He saw the legacy 
of past years oppressing Ireland, and felt the tragedy of defeat. 
But, just as in the dark and troublous hours of the Middle Ages 
sincere Christians abandoned material things and consecrated them- 
selves to God, Lionel Johnson stepped out of the line of retreat 



724 POETRY AND PROSE OF LIONEL JOHNSON [Mar., 

which was marching backward to contemplate the dim disasters 
of long ago, and consecrated himself to spiritual happiness and to 
thoughts of ultimate perfection, ultimate conquest, ultimate realiza- 
tion. Ireland had lost the material, and other poets had, therefore, 
assumed the loss of the spiritual as well. But, with Lionel Johnson 
it was different. Witness his sentiments in the lines on the statue 
of Charles I. : sentiments which seem to characterize himself : 

Although his whole heart yearn 

In passionate tragedy: 
Never was face so stern 

With sweet austerity. 

Our wearier spirit faints, 

Vexed in the world's employ: 
His soul was of the saints; 

And art to him was joy. 

The eternal stability of his faith was derived from the divine 
authority on which he based his hopefulness. Therein is the ele- 
ment of distinction between Lionel Johnson and the other English 
poets whose work has contributed to this Celtic Renaissance 
hopefulness. His verse treats of the ideals of man symbolically, 
rather than the transitory things of the world, as theirs does; 
but his spirit faces forward. 

Quotations from three well-known poems will illustrate his 
attitude. The first deals with the legend of Sertorius, the Roman 
leader in Spain, who turned in the hour of defeat and sought to 
sail westward to the mystical mythical Hesperian Isles, where there 
is ever peace and hope, and who, for his dreams, was treacher- 
ously slain by mutineers. It illustrates the persistently hopeful 
thoughts of the things that are to be. 

No trader thou, to northern isles, 
Whom mischief-making gold beguiles 

To sunless and unkindly coasts : 
What spirit pilots thee thus far 
From the tempestuous tides of war, 

Beyond the surging of the hosts ? 

Dreams! for they slew thee: Dreams! they lured 
Thee down to death and doom assured: 



1913-] POETRY AND PROSE OF LIONEL JOHNSON 725 

And we were proud to fall with thee. 
Now, shadows of the men we were, 
Westward indeed we voyage here, 

Unto the end of all the sea. 

"And we were proud to fall with thee" Thus does Lionel 
Johnson think that whatever may happen to the body, the soul that 
stands firm will conquer. With the slight note of sadness at the 
crushing of the Irish spirit, he mingled a feeling of triumphant 
gladness; with his passionate love he mingled a chaste aloofness * 
all of which is demonstrated by reference to lines in the ode on 
Ireland. 

Thy sorrow, and the sorrow of the sea, 
Are sisters; the sad winds are of thy race: 
The heart of melancholy beats in thee, 
And the lamenting spirit haunts thy face, 
Mournful and mighty Mother! who art kin 

To the ancient earth's first woe, 
When holy Angels wept, beholding sin. 
For not in penance do thy true tears flow, 
Not thine the long transgression: at thy name, 

We sorrow not with shame, 
But proudly; for thy soul is white as snow. 

And of the loyal hearts overseas he says : 

Far off, they yet can consecrate their days 

To thee, and on the swift winds westward blown, 

Send thee the homage of their hearts. 

The essential difference between the material and spiritual 
despondency which we know to be characteristic of the Celtic 
Renaissance, and the material defeat and spiritual triumph of 
Lionel Johnson, is perhaps best shown by the apostrophe to the 
sun in the lines to Gwynedd. 

From dawn of day, 

We watch the trailing shadows of the waste, 
The waste moors, or the ever-mourning sea : 
What, though in speedy splendor thou hast raced 
Over the heather or wild wave, a ray 
Of traveling glory and swift bloom ? Still thou 
Inhabitest the mighty morning's brow; 
And hast thy flaming and celestial way, 
Afar from our sad beauties, in thine haste. 



726 POETRY AND PROSE OF LIONEL JOHNSON [Mar., 

The chief characteristic of the poems on Ireland are this lofty 
idealism and the refusal to accept a mood of defeat, this secure 
confidence in a " flaming and celestial way afar from our sad 
beauties." Lionel Johnson, together with several lesser poem- 
writers such as Mr. Seumas MacManus and " Ethna Carberry," 
should have the best claim to distinction in a true " Irish Revival." 
No tear-stained Celtic Renaissance this, but a courageous and hope- 
ful advance toward better days, a movement founded on a pas- 
sionate and practical love of Ireland, a march of Christians with 
strong loves and strong hates, with great hopes and great fears. 
They are minstrels to incite advancing warriors; they are bards 
to stir the fighters to battle ; they are songsters to rouse the mircath 
in the hearts of the soldiers. For the benefit of those who have 
falsely had the idea that Lionel Johnson's mood was that of a 
recluse, a calm cloistral composer, austere, somber, and sad, I will 
quote a single stanza from Ways of War, an imagined picture of 
future assemblings, future fights, and future victories. 

A dream ! a dream ! an ancient dream ! 

Yet, ere peace come to Inisfail, 
Some weapons on some field must gleam, 

Some burning glory fire the Gael ! 

There is no doubt of the definiteness and the action implied in 
those lines ! 

Where Mr. Yeats contributes to Irish or English literature 
merely a vague and indefinable yearning and a haunting melancholy, 
this Catholic poet contributes true enthusiasm. The Celtic char- 
acteristic of intense individuality and remoteness is lacking in 
the work of Mr. Yeats who has peddled to the world an unnatural 
sadness; but Lionel Johnson utilized contemplation and solitude to 
express high inspirations for men and high aspirations for man. 
In his thoughts of Ireland there is the mark of firm decision backed 
by careful thought. His mood is one to elevate, not to depress. 
He stood on embattled ground, facing forward. 

We have discussed the inspiration of Ireland the influence 
of Ireland upon him and his interest in Irish affairs. 

The other inspiration of Lionel Johnson was the Catholic Faith, 
and there were many phases to his love for the Church. Mr. Yeats 
once said that Johnson had 



1913-] POETRY AND PROSE OF LIONEL JOHNSON 727 

made a world full of altar lights and golden vestures, and 
murmured Latin and incense clouds and autumn winds and dry 
leaves, where one wanders, remembering martyrdoms and cour- 
tesies that the world has forgotten. His ecstasy is the ecstasy 
of combat, not of submission to the Divine Will ; and even when 
he remembers that " the old saints prevail," he sees " the one 
ancient priest" who alone offers the sacrifice, and remembers 
the loneliness of the saints. Had he not this ecstasy of 
combat he would be the poet of those peaceful and happy souls 
who, in the symbolism of a living Irish visionary, are compelled 
to inhabit when they die a shadowy Island of Paradise in 
the West. 

Thus, the head of the " Irish School " has selected for comment 
one of the few poems that are not composed of distilled courage. 
The one indicated, The Church of a Dream, is the nearest in poetic 
mood to the Yeatsian haunting music of sweet sorrow, and to the 
Yeatsian human helplessness and inevitable fatalism when 

The host is riding from Knock-na-rea, 

c 
the host whose cry is, 

And if any gaze on our rushing band 

We come between him and the hope of his heart, 
We come between him and the deed of his hand. 

This idea on which Mr. Yeats has dwelt is the very point 
of departure for Lionel Johnson from the spirit of the Celtic 
Renaissance. Instead of " the sadness of all beauty at the heart " 
and the " song of sorrow," we have the trumpet peal rung out by 
the champion of a vigorous cause. There is something real and 
tangible about the faith of a man who could write such stanzas 
as these from Te Martyrum Candidates: 

Ah, see the fair chivalry come, the companions of Christ! 

White Horsemen, who ride on white horses, the Knights of God! 
They, for their Lord and their Lover Who sacrificed 

All, save the sweetness of treading, where He first trod ! 

These through the darkness of death, the dominion of night, 
Swept, and they woke in white places at morning-tide : 

They saw with their eyes, and sang for joy of the sight, 
They saw with their eyes the Eyes of the Crucified. 



728 POETRY AND PROSE OF LIONEL JOHNSON [Mar., 

Now, whithersoever He goeth, with Him they go : 

White Horsemen, who ride on white horses, oh fair to see ! 

They ride, where the Rivers of Paradise flash and flow, 
White Horsemen, with Christ their Captain: for ever He! 

This " ecstasy of combat " is seen with more subtlety, and 
more from the point of view of the individual, in the lines to 
The Dark F Angel: 

I fight thee, in the Holy Name! 

Yet, what thou dost, is what God saith: 
Tempter! should I escape thy flame, 

Thou wilt have helped my soul from Death. 
* * * * * 

Dark Angel, with thine aching lust ! 

Of two defeats, of two despairs: 
Less dread, a change to drifting dust, 

Than thine eternity of cares. 

Do what thou wilt, thou shalt not so, 

Dark Angel ! triumph over me : 
Lonely, unto the Lone I go; 

Divine, to the Divinity. 

In the " shadowy depth " and the " mourning gloom," he 
played the part of a mystic priest who made his home with " the 
rich and sounding voices of the air, interpreters and prophets of 
despair." As Julian at Eleusis from the darkness of the holy place 
had learned the secrets divine, so he in his literary kinship to 
Pater had cultivated the classic writers of other days, and culled 
the secret wisdom of their wisest minds. From Plato he mined 
"truth of fine gold," and from the other great men of the past he 
learned whatever they had to teach. In much the same manner as 
Arnold he considered the works of the ancients as touchstones 
as past hopes, past knowledge, past accomplishments from which 
we should progress. And what was there to be found, he reasoned, 
comparable to Catholicism in venerable richness, in greatness and 
eternity of strength, and in security for the future? 

With extreme care, Lionel Johnson played the role of prophet, 
and, when his vision- was complete, " sang for joy of the sight." 
He always loved the contemplative and the mystical; and we can 
easily imagine to ourselves the splendor of his emotions after a high 



1913-] POETRY AND PROSE OF LIONEL JOHNSON 729 

session of lofty inspiration. The sensations must have seemed to 
his heart and to his soul somewhat similar to those at Eleusis: 

Then on their eyes fast sealed, their dreading ears, 
Thunder with flame broke through the sanctuary: 
And through the thunder, voices ; through the flame, 
Visions: and in the vision and the voice, 
God's light, and the whole melody of God. 

Lionel Johnson was a mystic, but essentially a Christian mys- 
tic; his thoughts were of the exaltation of the soul, not of the mind 
or of the senses. In The Darkness he has shown us the inner life 
of a solitary given to whole-hearted devotion, and in Our Lady 
of the Snows he has depicted the beauty and the righteousness of 
the ascetic life. He will ever be considered a worthy advocate of 
monasticism. His ardent love for St. Francis of Assisi was one 
of the characteristics of his mystical, sacred mind. The attitude 
expressed in the poem to the Assisian, and in the poem called The 
Precept of Silence, is not unlike the early mediaeval attitude. The 
Christians of those days had high ideals, for which they were 
willing to fight and die. Of what they liked they could not have 
too much: of what they hated they could not have too little. 
Classic stoicism rapidly lost favor, and people plunged into 
the mood of their religion in absolute abandonment and ecstatic 
exaltation. Our poet sang : 

Thy love loved all things, thy love knew no stay 
But drew the very wild beasts around thy knee. 

Oh, lover of the least and the lowest! pray, 
St. Francis, to the Son of Man, for me; 

and in The Precept of Silence he said: 

I know you : solitary griefs, 

Desolate passions, aching hours 1 
I know you: tremulous beliefs, 

Agonized hopes, and asfcen flowers. 

So Lionel Johnson's poetic mood, for all his classicism aroused 
by Pater, was the product of a mind essentially mediaeval. His 
sympathies were with the Church, and especially with the early 
Church of Britain. His mood was that of some superb bard sing- 



730 POETRY AND PROSE OF LIONEL JOHNSON [Mar., 

ing worthily to inspire the Christian chivalry of Arthur, singing 

for the knights who 

swore 

To break the heathen and uphold the Christ, 
To ride abroad redressing human wrongs, 
To speak no slander, no nor listen to it, 
To lead sweetest lives in purest chastity.* 

Comparing him with the other eminent English Catholic 
poets of his time, we find him utterly unique. He brought more 
exquisite culture to his Catholic inspiration than did Coventry 
Patmore; and yet his poetry seems less learned, less detailed, less 
dogmatic, less prejudiced. It is not possible to say that Lionel 
Johnson was more rich or covered a more extensive field than 
Francis Thompson ; but it is possible to say that he depicted general 
sensations and symbolic sentiments with more humanity and sim- 
plicity, with more passion and less emotion. The early years of 
the nineteenth century had shown many poets with a belief in the 
infinite perfectibility of the human soul. The progress in science 
soon made this wild groping seem ridiculous, and then the poets 
became despondent and sought perfection in the past, " reviving 
buried centuries." Lionel Johnson and these other Catholic poets 
took then the station of the music-makers who stood beside the 
men of old, and so shall stand forever ; and they taught that, amid a 
maze of doubt, the only spiritual certainty lay in the Catholic Faith. 
They sang victory amid defeat; and Lionel Johnson seems the 
most fervent, the most simple, the most sincere. 

As for Lionel Johnson's technique as a poet, as for his ability 
as a handler of the tools of versification, little need be said. His 
beauty was a thoughtful beauty and his artistry was conscious. 
Most of his poems were short, but not so Herrick-like, not so care- 
fully cut and polished as those of Father Tabb. They present 
a single thought well enriched and finely developed ; and their length 
seems to be necessary to the depth and dignity of the subject. 
Johnson's poetry obtains a rare musical quality. The rhythm is 
usually sustained throughout flawless. Magic is inimitable for 
music; and Te Martyrum Candidatus sweeps along in a manner 
appropriate to the challenging, charging, conquering " companions 
of Christ." A re-reading of any of the passages already cited 
will show the characteristic of his versification without further 

*Alfred Tennyson, Idylls of the King. 



1913-] POETRY AND PROSE OF LIONEL JOHNSON 731 

quotation. The poems are thoughtful, and there is no " lyric cry." 
There is, however, an elevating sweep and mount in the mere suc- 
cession of words. If we wished to pause for a moment to agree 
with the French Symbolists that the sound-sense, the feeling of 
colors in the sound of the words, conveyed an impression of 
beauty irrespective of the meaning of the words, we could scarcely 
find a better example than the rhythm of Lionel Johnson. The 
very movement of the line gives the sensation of elevating, of 
ennobling, of aspiring, in a measure equalled only by the expressed 
thought of the line. In Christmas, we have a real song: 

Sing Bethlehem! Sing Bethlehem! 
You daughters of Jerusalem! 
Keep sorrow for Gethsemani, 
And mourning for Mount Calvary! 

Why are your lids and lashes wet ? 
Here is no darkling Olivet. 
Sing Bethlehem! Sing Bethlehem! 
You daughters of Jerusalem! 

Then in the wonderfully simple piece To Morfydd we see what 
he can do with a refrain, varying the word and syllable sounds in 
the body of each stanza so as to give a carefully studied, a clearly 
premeditated, effect. 

With Nature directly Lionel Johnson deals but little. In 
Gwynedd (passage quoted above), in Cadgwith, and in A Cornish 
Night he looks at the external world in a subjective manner some- 
thing akin to that of Wordsworth. But here there is nothing 
of the vague, indefinite, shifting pantheism of Wordsworth nor 
is there any of the fatal and powerful pantheism of Mr. George 
Russell ending in poetic, though utter, resignation. Lionel Johnson 
sees all the wonderful phenomena of Nature, all the magnificent 
cliffs, all the superb marine views, all the beautiful Welsh and 
Cornish vignettes as revelations of the gracious and omnipotent 
God. He can, when less inclined to subjectivity, give the whole 
picture with a deft word or so : 

While on rich fernbanks fair 
The sunlights flash and dance. 

But Lionel Johnson is best when he deals with some such subject 



732 POETRY AND PROSE OF LIONEL JOHNSON [Mar., 

as the statue of Charles I., or Sertorius, or the Companions of 
Christ when he can give his imagination the freedom it requires, 
and when his genius can escape into the light of divine inspiration. 

Vernon Lee has noticed " the difference between the love of 
our Elizabethans for the minuter details of the country, the flowers 
by the stream, the birds in the bushes, the ferrets, frogs, lizards, and 
smaller creatures; and the pleasure of our own contemporaries 
in the larger, more shifting, and perplexing forms and colors of 
cloud, sunlight, earth, and rock;"* and I cannot but remark the 
modern breadth and strength in the spirit of Lionel Johnson. What 
Vernon Lee has said of the actual material facts of Nature as seen 
in the other poets, applies to the spirit of Lionel Johnson. He deals 
with the larger aspirations of the heart, the nobler feelings of man, 
the greater influences of God. 

It has been stated above that the inspirations of Lionel John- 
son were the Catholic Church and Ireland. The two naturally 
fused. It must be evident to all who read his poems nay, even 
to all who read this paper that these were no separate inspirations. 
The two were one. The Irish heart is a simple one, and in doubt 
and defeat it needs a strong support. The Irish faith is deep and 
certain. So the Irish poet who, moved by the political decline of 
his nation, dares to lay aside the material things and seek spiritual 
exaltation, finds it in Catholicism. Thus, Ireland to-day is coming 
to realize that the Irish, as a nation and as individuals, must dis- 
cover their future support in the strength of the Catholic Faith. 
Then shall there be ecstasy, and not bitterness, of combat. Lionel 
Johnson will be of that band of minstrels who raise songs in 
expectation of future glory. Louise Imogen Guiney wrote in 1902, 
" Lionel Johnson, after all, and in spite of all, dared to be happy." 
May the present writer offer a further contribution as from over- 
seas, a characterization which shall include this other, and 
also amplify it: Lionel Johnson, amid the confusion and 
perplexity of the world, dared to be hopeful, and his happiness 
was in his hope the Church. 

*Euphorion, p. 117. 




THE RED ASCENT. 

BY ESTHER W. NEILL. 

CHAPTER I. 

HE long seminary dining hall was a cheerless place, 
its bleak walls, ridged by the annual trail of the 
whitewash brush, and decorated at measured inter- 
vals by pictures of staring Saints resplendant in 
robes of gold and vermillion. 

Once the young seminarians had risen in artistic revolt, and re- 
quested that these impossible portraits be removed, and one of the 
students, who had studied art in Paris, had even gone so far as to 
call them " sacrilegious effigies," but the gentle lay brother in charge 
of the dining room had convinced them that their demand was un- 
reasonable and uncharitable; the old priest who had painted them 
in the fervent days of his novitiate was still alive and a frequent 
visitor at the seminary. 

" But he is very feeble, and when he is gone," added the brother 
pointing heavenwards, " ah, then " 

The delegation smiled, the humorist of the class laughed out- 
right. 

" Brother Boniface," he said, " you propose murderous meth- 
ods, but since you suggest them I am sure they are orthodox. If 
it is kinder to kill a man than to convince him he's no artist, tell 
us the name of the perpetrator of these monstrosities, so that we 
may pray for his early demise." 

The fat German brother held up his pudgy hands in mute sup- 
plication. Polysyllables always confused him. He was stolid and 
literal, and he regarded these gay assaults of the students as a 
positive penance to be endured for the development of his immortal 
soul. 

To-day as he set the table for dinner, he looked up at the gilt- 
framed pictures with something akin to rapture in his chromo- 
loving eyes, and he wondered why the young Americans found them 
objectionable. 

Fifty young men sat at the two long narrow tables, eating with 



734 



THE RED ASCENT [Mar., 



healthy relish the coarse but abundant fare served in thick white 
dishes, and passed quickly from hand to hand. The meal was 
partaken of in silence. Seated in a black wooden pulpit at one end 
of the room, an old priest read aloud from a spiritual book. His 
voice was monotonous and tired, and fell away at times, so that the 
more conscientious students, attentive to his reading, had to strain 
their ears to hear him. Richard Matterson had not been listening. 
He was busy with his own thoughts, and they were troubled ones ; 
he was leaving the seminary to-day or to-morrow he had not 
decided the hour. He was leaving against his will. He was 
putting every inclination of his own aside, and he was too young, 
too untried, to make the sacrifice without some inward rebel- 
lion. 

Dinner was nearly over, the simple dessert was being portioned 
out, the old priest's voice seemed to recover itself like a runner's 
breath, gaining new impetus when he sees the relieving goal the 
words seemed to penetrate even Richard's deep absorption. 

" In ancient days the cliffs outside of Jerusalem were the battle 
ground for many warring chieftans. They have witnessed so much 
bloodshed that they have been rightly called the 'Red Ascent.' 
But cannot the path of every man, who struggles to attain the 
heights of idealism, be likened to that bloody road? " 

The reading stopped abruptly, the heavy chairs were pushed 
back noisily from the table, the students rose, and murmuring a 
short thanksgiving, they filed out of the dining room. 

Richard leaned over and whispered to the man in front of him : 

" It's the descent for me the black descent." 

The man half-turned and clasped Richard's hand in silent 
sympathy that meant more than he could express in words. He 
was a young fellow, short and chubby, and not very intelligent. 
He had idolized Richard, partly on account of the older man's 
towering size and intellectual brilliancy, and partly because Richard 
had good humoredly " coached " him ever since he had come to the 
seminary. 

As they passed into the little entry that led from the dining 
room into the garden, a visitor, fresh from the world outside, cried : 

" Dick Dick Matterson, since when did you begin to adorn the 
tail end of a procession ? " 

The troubled look left Richard's face. " Jeff Jeff Wilcox," 
he exclaimed, holding out both hands. " From what corner of the 
world did you drop ? " 



1913-] THE RED ASCENT 735 

Jefferson Wilcox beamed his satisfaction at the cordiality of 
this greeting. " Come out into the garden. I want to hear the 
news right from the beginning. Come down to the lily pond 
your hermit's retreat. Give me the facts. I'm bursting with ad- 
vice." He linked his arm in Richard's. 

As they passed through the open door that cut a golden patch of 
sunlight in the plastered wall, the chubby little student looked half 
enviously after them, wondering if he would ever have the courage 
or the confidence thus to approach the sanctity of Richard Matter- 
son's sorrow. 

The lily pond was the most retired spot in all the beautiful acres 
that surrounded the gray stone seminary. It was early spring, 
and the lily leaves lay brown and sleeping on the placid water, but 
the grounds around the lake were yellow with crocuses and jonquils. 
Jefferson gave a long low whistle of surprise when he saw the 
profusion of flowers : " We fellows who live shut up in sky- 
scrapers, don't even know when the spring time comes. Now a 
crocus is infinitely to be preferred to a calendar. Think I'll plant 
a window box on my fire escape." He seated himself on the trunk 
of a crooked willow that sprawled its branches across the 'lake. 
" Now let's come down to business," he said, " I've traveled a hun- 
dred miles to talk to you; cut out a bank director's meeting, and 
left a client swearing in my office, and I only have three," he grinned 
broadly. " I want to prove to you that I'm ready to stand by you 
in any emergency. I've got my car at the lodge gate, so if you've 
made up your mind to leave, I'm ready to take you to the nearest 
railroad, but ever since our college days you have been so dead set 
on entering the priesthood that I'm going to butt in and ask you 
why you've changed your mind ? " 

Richard sank down upon the ground by his friend's side ob- 
livious to the dampness, a look of unutterable weariness in his eyes. 
" I haven't changed it," he answered. 

" They are not asking you to leave ? " 

" No." 

''' Then for the Lord's sake why do you go ? " 

Richard sat silent for a moment, apparently intent upon count- 
ing the many buttons on his cassock. " Remember that game we 
used to play when we were kids?" he said irrelevantly, "naming 
the buttons on our clothes rich man, poor man, beggar man, thief, 
doctor, lawyer, Indian chief? I've found myself doing that 
lately. Can you imagine any thing more asinine? Been strug- 



736 THE RED ASCENT [Mar., 

gling to keep myself from getting too desperate over my prospects. 
It always comes out 'rich man/ and sometimes I confess to you I'm 
superstitious enough to believe there's some truth in such an 
idiotic amusement" 

Jefferson Wilcox turned his keen eyes upon his friend. " Then 
it's money," he said. 

Richard laughed mirthlessly. " It's no money," he answered. 
The visitor from his vantage place on the tree trunk. bent so- 
licitously over the young seminarian. " Dick," he began, and his 
tone craved patience and understanding, "I'm embarrassed. You 
know I'm no diplomat; I never could talk around corners. You 
always were as proud as the devil, and I don't suppose two years 
in the seminary have cured you of your besetting sin." He smiled 
as if to foregather his courage, and then went on : " When a crabbed 
old uncle, with miserly instincts, dies intestate, and a nephew he 
has never seen inherits his sheckles well it's bad for the nephew. 
You know I've got more than I know what to do with. I'd have 
more stamina, more ambition, more energy if you would relieve 
me of a little. You can make it up to me later on saving my 
soul from eternal perdition. Isn't educating young men for the 
priesthood a privilege for us plutocrats ? " 

"You don't understand, Jeff," said Richard. "I'll have to 
begin from the beginning. My family needs me I have to go 
home." 

" But it's money you need, Dick." 

" It's everything," said Richard, and his face looked pinched 
like a man who has suffered physical privation. " My mother is 
dead, my father is an old man he had some money in a bank that 
failed. I knew that they had to economize lately, but I did not 
realize what straits they were in until a week ago when I got this 
letter. It is from my sister. Read it, and then I think you will 
understand." From the inside pocket of his cassock he brought 
a crumpled envelope and handed it to his friend. " I trust you 
will not think me disloyal in letting you read it," he said. 

"Disloyal?" 

" Disloyal to my family." 

Jefferson put the unopened letter down on the moss-grown log 
beside him. 

" I had no business butting in at all," he said. " I'm going 
t ask you to forgive me, but somehow well, to tell the truth, 
I was disappointed when I heard you were leaving. I know you 



1913.] THE RED ASCENT 737 

are free to go; you're not bound in any way. It will be two years 
before you are ordained." 

" Four," corrected Richard. 

" Well two or four, I'm never very accurate as to facts or 
figures. A year or two doesn't alter the situation if you've made 
up your mind to go; I know a lot of fellows do get out before 
ordination. It's all right, but somehow I can't help feeling sorry. 
You see, I've sort of hung on to your ideals and your spirituality, 
and all your highfaluting notions of reforming the world, until 
it seems to me I've sort of fallen into the habit of judging things 
by your standards, and so when I heard you were leaving well 
I wanted to make sure that you had a good excuse." 

He looked half shamefaced as he made this confession; he was 
not accustomed to talking about himself, and when he had finished 
he gazed off into the distance, realizing that his cheeks were crim- 
son. His complexion was as fair as a girl's. He ran his fingers 
through his yellow hair until it stood upright, a trick he had 
acquired in boyhood when he was embarrassed or perplexed. 

" Then I'll read you the excuse," said Richard quietly. " My 
sister's letter is not very coherent ; it begins : 

DEAR DICK : 

Everything here has gone literally to the dogs. The dogs 
are flourishing a litter of puppies two months ago perfect 
beauties! We might sell them, but I haven't the heart to part 
with a single one, or we may have to eat them if we reach a 
further state of starvation. The sugar barrel and the flour 
bin are nearly empty; I can get no one to plant a kitchen 
garden this year for I have no money to pay for labor. You 
will have to give up this absurd idea of being a priest, and come 
home to help. You can't expect us to sympathize with a re- 
ligion we know nothing about. I never liked preachers any- 
how, they seem so wishy washy dehumanized or fanatical. 
Father is drinking again. Most of the servants have left. All 
day long I've been furious with Lincoln for emancipating them. 
I know the war is a long way back, but I'm sorry to-day that 
I'm not my own grandmother with her slaves to command. 
I can't run a farm alone; I don't know how. It's a great dis- 
advantage to possess the bluest blood in the South and no money 
to keep up traditions. If I had been a boy I would have been 
a jockey I adore horses, I hate dish washing. 

Your loving 

BETTY. 
VOL. xcvi. 47. 



738 THE RED ASCENT [Mar., 

Jefferson turned his boyish blue eyes upon his friend. They 
showed vast comprehension and sympathy. " Jove ! I'd like to meet 
her," was all that he said. 

" Poor little Bet," murmured Richard, " I suppose I have been 
selfish without knowing it. Of course there's always been need of 
a certain economy at home. I had to work my way through college 
tutoring, you remember? But there's always been plenty of niggers 
around for harvest hands, and our table was always fit for a king, 
now " 

Jefferson held out his hand appealingly, " Won't you let me 
help ? " he said. 

" No," Richard interrupted him, and his tone showed irritation. 
" You know I can't let you support my family for years to come. 
The responsibility is mine, and the sooner I shoulder it the better, 
and yet I'm a little afraid of myself." 
" Afraid ; what do you mean ? " 

" Well you know I'm not a saint, I'm only a man with one idea. 
I believe if I turn farmer it will be to the exclusion of everything 
else, books, prayers, all the idealistic things of life. I'll think and 
dream, and talk fodder and cows and crops." 

" Well there are worse things," said Jefferson philosophi- 
cally. 

Richard smiled faintly. " Then the sooner I get out of here the 
better. I'll leave this afternoon if you will take me to the station. 
I believe I have some clothes somewhere. I won't keep you long 
if you will wait." 

' Yes, I'll wait, but I'd like to ask one last favor. If you hope 
to get into the clothes you wore when you came here two years ago, 
you are very much mistaken. You've gained twenty pounds. 
Don't break in upon your family looking as seedy as a tin-pan 
peddler. I've got a trunk on the back of my car. Been touring the 
country, and forgot to take it off. Here's the key; I'll lend you 
a suit. I'll get it when I come down to visit you." 

" Well, give me the key," said Richard resignedly. " If I'm 
going to town with you I suppose I'll have to spruce up. I don't 
want to look like an escaped monk. Remember when we were at 
college and only had one dress suit between us? Remember the 
night you went to the students' ball? You were to dance until 
twelve, because I didn't know how, and then you promised to 
return so that I could put on the clothes in time for the refresh- 
ments " 



1913.] THE RED ASCENT 739 

" And I never came." 

" Do you remember the excuse you gave ? You never were 
a ready liar." 

Jefferson grinned. " I've forgotten the details," he said, " but 
I remember the night. I was head over heels in love with little 
Lilybelle Lee euphemistic title. Remember that girl? She was 
years older than I was, and I adored her. Didn't even come to my 
senses when I saw streaks of rouge on her pocket handkerchief 
the night we got caught out in the rain. Used to write odes to 
the roses in her cheeks and the blackness of her eyes, when any 
chump would have known they were chuck full of belladonna. 
Didn't wake up until dad wrote me to go ahead and propose to her, 
that he had had the same symptoms for the same lady twenty 
years ago." 

" That's an old joke," said Richard with a wan smile. 

" Maybe," agreed Jeff reflectively, "but it has curative prop- 
erties. You never did play the fool, Dick. Girls never seemed to 
enter into your ken " 

" I didn't have time." 

" Time ! It wasn't that, it was lack of inclination. You 
wouldn't know how to talk to a girl if you met one. Frivolity 
never was your long suit. Never could explain or understand why 
you and I should be so chummy." 

Richard threw his arm affectionately around his friend. 
" Give me that key. Got a red necktie ? Always did have a pref- 
ence for red. Believe me, giving up neckties was the only real 
sacrifice I made when I came here." 

Jeff patted the long white hand that was artfully pulling his 
own necktie out of place. " I'm glad to hear it," he said. " Since 
you're immune from other normal notions, a little weakness like 
a red necktie seems to bring us closer together, and I'll believe 
anything of anybody since that old anchorite, that used to teach 
us philosophy, told me that he had great difficulty in giving up em- 
broidered waistcoats that seem to have been the vogue in Paris 
a hundred years ago. I don't know anything about vocations or 
calls or the high paths of spirituality; I had depended on you as 
a sort of aeroplane to boost me when I had fallen too deep in the 
mire; now go put on that suit and come on." 

" Wouldn't you like to wait in the library ? " 

" No, I'd rather wait here ; I want to get my bearings. Some- 
how I can't imagine you out of this altruistic world scrambling for 



74 o THE RED ASCENT [Mar., 

a living, but I suppose if you put your colossal mind to work on 
a farm, something will have to drop." 

Richard stood up, his arms outstretched. His shadow fell 
across the brilliant crocus beds. " I can dig," and Jefferson noted 
the tragedy in his eyes. "You'll admit that I'm strong enough 
to dig." 



CHAPTER II. 

The next day, late in the afternoon, Richard arrived at his 
own home station. There was no one to meet him. The old 
freight agent, who ambled leisurely out of the baggage room every 
time a train rattled by, stared curiously at the impressive looking 
stranger, and then said with a toothless smile : 

" Reckon you got off at the wrong station." 

" Hope not," answered Richard humorously. " But it seems 
to be a habit of mine. Ought to have arrived a year or two ago. 
Your Southern trains are slow." 

The old man relieved his puzzled state of mind by sending 
a carefully aimed spray of tobacco juice arching towards an empty 
crate. " The country is growing, sir," he said, " but this ain't no 
place for drummers. Money is tight and scarce. There ain't 
been no real prosperity here since Abe Lincoln freed the niggers. 
Dagoes and Swedes and such ain't coming here to work when New 
York's opening its arms of sin and greed right there at the boat 
dock." 

" I haven't even the distinction of being a drummer," said 
Richard, " I'm just a down-and-out coming home." 

" Home ! " the old man's sparse chin whiskers and sharp nose 
nearly met as he squinted his dull eyes to discover a resemblance. 
' You ain't Dick Matterson who's studying to be a preacher? " 

'' You seemed to have guessed it," said Richard carelessly. 
" All except the preacher part. I've had to give that up to come 
home and run the farm." 

The old man cackled a laugh. " Lord ! I knowed that preach- 
ing was only a passing notion. The Mattersons ain't that kind. 
I've known 'em root and branch for over fifty years. I was in 
your pa's regiment one of the first to enlist. I tell you he was 
a fighter, and he could swear harder than any man in the regiment. 
Swear black and blue with the bullets whizzing around him like 



1913.] THE RED ASCENT 741 

hail. Don't believe he would know how to pray even at the 
judgment seat. When they picked him up at Gettysburg, with his 
leg shot in two, he was still a-swearing. But I reckon he didn't 
mean no disrespect to the Almighty. Your pa is a great man, and 
we young fellows in them days would have followed him into hell 
fire, I reckon. We were in some mighty tight places; caught 
in a ridge of rocks one day with a skirmish line of Yanks on either 
side. I don't want no hotter place than that, but the Colonel was 
as cool as you please. Lit his old corn-cob pipe even gentlemen 
smoked them in those days didn't have nothing else, and he climbed 
up on that there ridge and signalled for help down the valley. 
Yanks thought there was a whole army behind the hill and they lit 
out. Signalling down the valley was a hoax; Colonel knowed 
there wa'n't another regiment of Confeds nearer than twenty-five 
miles." 

" I've heard of the signalling," said Richard quietly. 

" Reckon you have," said the ragged old soldier. " Reckon 
everybody has heard of it. Your pa is a great man. Used to call 
him the 'Fighting Bantam' in them days, cause he was undersized, 
and all the other Mattersons have been tall men like you. Reckon 
you favor your grandfather; he stood six feet three in his socks; 
he was a Mexican War veteran fighting runs in the blood. Your 
pa sure was a great soldier, a great man." 

"Thanks," said Richard genially, holding out his hand. "Every 
son likes to hear his father praised. Come and see us. The 
Colonel will be glad to have you, I know." 

" Well I ain't sure of that," said the old man reflectively, wip- 
ing his mouth on his coat sleeve. " I ain't nothing but poor white, 
and I know my place. Mustering out a regiment is one thing, and 
parlor visitors is another." 

Richard smiled. He had held so many heated debates on the 
equality of man, the absurdity of social distinctions in a democracy, 
and he had been leading the academic life so long, that he had almost 
forgotten the old South's taut lines of aristocracy. 

" Nonsense," he said aloud, patting the old man on the back, 
" you are both two old soldiers ; that's reason enough to get to- 
gether. I thought my sister would drive over to meet me. I sent 
a telegram." 

" I reckon you did," agreed the old fellow reminiscently. 
" So that was your telegram. I reckon you can find it lying on 
the desk in the office. The operator had a spell of cramps and 



742 



THE RED ASCENT [Mar., 



had to go home. He said the telegram wa'n't important, no wed- 
dings, nor deaths, and he never did believe in people telegraphing 
about nothing." 

Richard laughed. " Well, it's good for a man to realize his 
own nothingness. I forgot I lived in a country where they send 
telegrams by mail. I'll leave my grip here until to-morrow. It's 
a little too heavy for a four-mile tramp. Good-bye to you." 

The old man straightened up and gave the military salute. 
" Tell the Colonel that you seen Jeb Jackson," he said. 

Some of Richard's natural buoyancy returned to him as he 
strode along the moist, brown roadway. The first poignant sense 
of disappointment had passed. Since he had to break away from 
the life that most attracted him, he would not play the coward, 
the shirker, the grumbler. His duty seemed so clearly outlined 
that it did not offer even the privilege of choice. 

The air was fresh and full of the delicious earthy odors of 
early spring* Richard wondered a little at his own unexpected 
sense of elation. By nature introspective, the past two years had 
added to his habit of self-examination. He had experienced so 
many moods since the receipt of his sister's letter, but this was his 
nearest approach to any thing like contentment. It had been hard 
to be called from the congenial atmosphere of study, from the 
preparation for his life work, a life planned for the service of 
others. His own bodily necessities had seemed too slight to need 
consideration. Ever since the thoughtful days of his boyhood he 
had dreamt of going out in the world as a warrior, at first as an 
armored knight of romance battling for weak children and beggars 
by the dusty high-road, or fighting his way across slippery moats to 
rescue sickly maidens from cold castle towers. Then, out of the 
haze of these mediaeval ambitions, had come a definite desire to 
grapple with the more subtle powers in his own complex civilization ; 
to denounce greed, to defend the poor from their own ignorance, 
to demand justice for labor, to study preventive measures that 
would relieve the multitudinous forms of suffering, while all the 
time he would struggle to infuse a sense of the supernatural into 
the material mass, arming men against despair with the strength 
and knowledge of their own immortality. 

But the great dream was ended. He must go down into the 
competitive world, and plan like a million other men for the 
immediate needs of himself and his family. 

There had been some satisfaction in his departure from the 



1913.] THE RED ASCENT 743 

seminary that helped to offset the tragedy of that leave taking. His 
teachers had expressed such genuine regret; the students had 
crowded around him full of sorrowing sympathy; Jeff Wilcox's 
loyalty had cheered him, and the old freight agent had contributed, 
all unconsciously, to lessen the darkness of his homecoming. 

For between Richard and his father there had never been any 
real companionship or affection. The Colonel's spirit was martial, 
and, since that dismal day at Appomattox, finding no legitimate 
outlet it had exploited itself in acts of small tyranny in the house- 
hold. The loss of his leg at Gettysburg had given him all the 
selfish privileges of an invalid. He did not care to read; he had 
always considered manual labor degrading. He loved horses and 
dogs and the excitement of riding to hounds^ the fact that he had 
an artificial leg had never deterred him from reckless feats of 
horsemanship. 

Richard did not resemble his father in any way, for he had 
inherited much of his mother's gentleness ; he grew to be a bookish, 
dreamy boy, and the indolent Colonel, disapproving of such develop- 
ment, soon fell into the habit of ignoring him. But twice they had 
come to open warfare the first time when Richard was only ten 
years old. The boy had held out protecting arms to a little fox that 
was nearly spent with running, and had hidden it in the hay loft 
while the eager red mouthed hounds sniffed around the barnyard 
fence, and the merry hunters came riding from the woods to 
question him. 

It had required courage to stand his ground and confess to 
them what he had done ; then, forgetting himself, he had pleaded so 
hard for the life of the little animal that one of the young ladies 
of the party added her entreaties to his, and because she was the 
belle and beauty of the county, not one man ventured an objection, 
and she led them all laughing away, promising them roast turkey 
and dumplings if they would all return and dine with her. 

When the Colonel heard of the episode his face turned an apo- 
plectic purple that a son of his should interfere with the gentle- 
manly sport of his friends and neighbors was an unforgivable of- 
fence. He stormed and swore at the trembling boy, and struck him 
so hard with his clenched fist that Richard bore the bruise for 
days. In the after years Richard tried to forget that blow and 
could not. 

The next difficulty between them did not occur until some time 
later. The Colonel was going duck shooting, and, in a rare mood 



744 



THE RED ASCENT -[Mar., 



of paternal interest, had decided to take Richard with him. 
Richard had been trained by his mother to an attitude of respectful 
obedience, so he made no objection to his father's suggestion. 
Even when the Colonel ordered him to wade out into the shal- 
low river to pick up a wounded bird that had fallen and floated 
a little beyond their reach, he turned up his trousers and went 
without complaint, though the water at the edges showed films of ice. 

The Colonel had made a fire on the shore, and while he busied 
himself whittling sticks to a point preparatory to roasting the duck, 
camp fashion, he told Richard to dress the bird, and they would 
have it for breakfast. 

The boy glanced appealingly at the Colonel and then at his 
own blood-stained hands, and then, without warning, he fainted 
at his father's feet. 

The Colonel looked down upon him without compassion. That 
the son of an intrepid soldier should faint at the sight of blood was 
not to be regarded as an idiosyncrasy, but as a grievous fault in 
character. When the boy slowly regained consciousness, the 
Colonel proceeded to discipline him by sending him home in dis- 
grace without his breakfast. The injustice of the punishment left 
an indelible mark upon the sensitive boy's mind. 

Betty was more like her father. She had been left motherless 
when she was very young, and the Colonel's personality had im- 
pressed itself upon her. She had had few educational advantages. 
For a short time she had been taught by an assortment of frivolous 
governesses, who were seeking matrimonial opportunities in the 
village. Later she spent one or two years at a " Polite Institute 
for Young Females," where the curriculum consisted chiefly of 
piano practice and embroidering floral pillow tops. Both accom- 
plishments Betty had abhorred, so one night, without asking leave 
of absence, she returned to her father. Her conduct was considered 
so reprehensible that she was promptly expelled. Since the Colonel 
had no thought of forcing her to return, the expulsion was alto- 
gether supererogatory. This experience had brought her education 
to an abrupt conclusion. 

As Richard reached the long poplar-shaded avenue that led 
to the old Matterson mansion, he stopped for a moment, shocked 
by the desolate appearance of his home. A tree, rotten at the heart, 
had fallen across the driveway, and no one seemed to have had the 
energy to remove it. One of the white pillars of the portico was 
propped up with a rough wooden beam, shutters sagged from their 



1913.] THE RED ASCENT 745 

hinges, the windowpanes in the west wing were broken out, and 
part of the chimney had fallen, scattering the shingles of the roof. 

" God help us," said Richard, striding on more quickly. He 
had not before fully realized the real poverty of his family. Now 
that he saw, every personal regret for his own future was laid aside ; 
his one desire was to plunge in and remedy this pitiful situation. 

He had been home but seldom during the past eight years, for 
he had been very late in entering college, and his whole course had 
been a struggle to pay his way through. His father had told him 
frankly that he could give him no assistance. At the time this had 
seemed a hardship, for the Colonel had inherited a small competence 
after the war that enabled him to live with some show of feudal 
grandeur; he had servants, horses, a well-tilled farm, and ready 
money in the bank, but he was not willing to sacrifice any of his 
luxuries to aid or abet the impractical " bookishness " of his son. 
A few years later when Richard wrote and announced that his his- 
torical studies had led him to become a Catholic, the Colonel 
was more than ever bewildered. A religious son was worse than 
a studious one, and both were incomprehensible. The Colonel had 
only the vaguest ideas of supernatural truths. He was a gentleman 
a gentleman could not lie, nor steal, nor turn traitor to his friends 
a gentleman never did anything dishonorable; he preserved his 
honor at all costs, at pistol point or sword's end if need be. The 
Mattersons had been wise statesmen, great soldiers, hospitable 
neighbors. He lived consistently up to this creed, leaving, he said, 
the praying to the women and the rest to God Almighty. 

Without any monetary help from home, even Richard's vaca- 
tions had been busy ones. He possessed a patient genius for teach- 
ing, and a certain captivating charm for his fellow-students, so that 
he was always in demand as a tutor. Several times he had gone to 
Europe with backward boys, who had to be " coached " all summer 
while they toured the continent with their strenuous families. So 
that Richard's visits home had been few and far between, and then 
he had come and gone half doubtful of his welcome. Now he 
blamed himself remorselessly for his neglect of his family, toler- 
antly forgetful of the Colonel's disregard of him. The old freight 
agent had done much to help him to this contrite mood, and the 
fact that he was needed, in a home where he had hitherto seemed 
superfluous, added to the joy that all unselfish souls experience 
when they enter a wide field of usefulness, and realize that their 
presence is essential. 



746 THE RED ASCENT [Mar., 

As he neared the house four setter dogs ran out barking at his 
heels, and Betty followed, shading her eyes from the sunset glare 
that she might better see the approaching stranger. 

She was a slight figure standing against the dark of the door- 
way; her small feet in thick tan shoes that buckled high above her 
ankles;. her mud-stained corduroy skirt grazing their tops; she wore 
a middy blouse open at the throat, and an old gray sweater was 
flung about her shoulders, the sleeves tied around her neck to 
keep it from slipping off; her curling black hair was caught in a 
loose knot. It would have been hard to tell whether she was child 
or woman. Richard tried to remember her age. He had always 
made a point of sending her some small memento on her birthday. 
She had been twenty-two last March. He hurried up the three 
steps that led to the wide brick portico, and lifting her in his arms 
he kissed her. 

She did not recognize him and cried out, " Stop stop let me 
go. The Colonel will shoot you for this ! " 

" You little spitfire," he laughed, " don't you know your own 
brother, Betty. Betty, didn't you tell me to come home to you ? " 

She flung her arms about him, crying half hysterically. " You 
frightened me to death, Dick. Why didn't you telegraph that you 
were coming? " 

" I did." 

" But we didn't get it." 

"They didn't consider it worth delivering." 

" Jeb Jackson is an old fool," said Betty, stamping her foot. 
" He's always poking his long nose into other people's business, 
and deciding what is best for them. He's the biggest gossip in the 
village." 

" Why men don't gossip, Betty," said Richard, his eyes twink- 
ling. 

"They love it," she said with great finality. "They won't 
acknowledge it, but they always encourage it. Now if you had only 
sent us word you were coming, I would have come to meet you. 
You don't look at all like I thought you would look." 

" How is that ? I can't have changed so much in two years." 

"But you have," insisted Betty, holding him out at arm's 
length. " The year you left college you had a half-grown Vandyke. 
Now well you must have shaved on the train, your face is as 
smooth as mine." 

" Oh, no, not as smooth as yours, Betty dear." 



1913.] THE RED ASCENT 747 

" And you look you look quite human, not like a preacher 
at all." 

" But I'm not a preacher, Betty." 

" Well, I'm glad you're not," she said. " It's almost worth the 
financial failure to have you come back home." 

He regarded her tenderly. " I did not know you cared." 

" But I do care. I need a brother dreadfully to take me to 
parties and dances and things. You really are very good looking. 
I'm quite proud of you; I'm sure the other girls will be crazy about 
you.". 

" Work will save me from that calamity," he smiled. 

She did not heed his interruption. " The Colonel has been so 
cross lately that I almost felt like flying to a monastery myself. 
Everything has gone to pieces. Look at the house. We had a 
storm here two months ago that nearly blew us all away. The wind 
banged the shutters to and fro until nearly every windowpane was 
broken. Look at the chimney! I thought the whole house had 
fallen down. I don't see how we are going to patch things together 
at all." 

" Patching is puzzling work, but I like puzzles." 

" I remember," she laughed, showing two rows of even white 
teeth, " how you used to pore over the puzzles in the newspapers 
when you were a boy." 

" And now we will work it out together," he said, laying his 
hand upon her shoulder. 

She shook her head ominously. " I'm not very dependable," 
she said. 

" Oh, yes, you are. Come, take me to the Colonel, or per- 
haps you had better announce my arrival. It seems a little dan- 
gerous to take this war-like family by surprise." 

[TO BE CONTINUED.] 



BERGSON, NEWMAN, AND AQUINAS. 




BY THOMAS J. GERRARD. 

HERE can be no doubt that M. Bergson has hit upon 
certain facts of experience which are of enormous 
importance in the formation of a philosophy. 
Amongst these may be cited the fact of our last and 
ultimate phase of consciousness, that which we ex- 
perience at the living present moment; the fact of the interpene- 
tration of feelings with feelings, of ideas with ideas, of feelings 
with ideas; the fact of the organic connection between thought 
and the other activities of life. 

Because these facts are so important we shall not be content 
with merely criticizing his interpretation of them, but we shall 
offer, step by step, an interpretation of our own. The merely 
destructive critic is of some use, but not much. If we pull down 
we ought also to build up. Our architects for the present plan are 
Newman and Aquinas. 

First there comes intuition, strictly so-called. That is an 
operation of the mind, not of an organic sense. It is defined 
as an act by which the intellect perceives a truth immediately 
evident. For instance, it is immediately evident to me that I 
am not you and you are not I. To bring any intermediate evidence 
to prove it would be to act as a fool. The truth is self-evident. 
Being certain of my own identity, I can pass out of myself and 
consider a number of other truths in the outside world also self- 
evident. For instance, " The whole is greater than its part." 
And again : " Good must be done and evil avoided." Concern- 
ing intuitions of this kind there is no practical difficulty. 

But as we get deeper and deeper into the processes of thought, 
we find that there are truths which, while self-evident to some 
minds, require discursive reasoning for others. Minds made the 
more capable by nature or by culture can see complex truths more 
readily than minds not so capable. God, having a perfect all- 
comprehensive mind, sees everything at one intuitive glance, per 
unam speciem. 

The question before us is this : Has man a faculty by which 
he can see complex truths at a glance? Can he arrive at truths 



1913-] BERGSON, NEWMAN, AND AQUINAS 749 

not generally self-evident without passing through the process of 
discursive reasoning? Can he come to a sublime concept by any 
faculty such as instinct or intuition and apart from the faculty of 
reason ? 

Here there is need of several distinctions. Our first distinction 
shall be that of the word " instinct." By instinct, considered as a 
function of organic sense, man cannot arrive at even the simplest 
abstract truths. Much less, therefore, can he arrive at the more 
complex truths by instinct. 

Instinct considered as an organic faculty can only touch single 
concrete objects. It is by its very nature utterly incapable of 
making the slightest reflection. It is common to both brutes and 
men, but brutes possess it in a much more perfect degree than men. 

Cardinal Newman has a very pregnant paragraph, in which 
he shows that the principle of the objectivity of thought (I not you 
and you not I), the first of our first principles, is founded on the 
animal instinct, yet is essentially distinct from it. He says : 

Next, as to the proposition that there are things existing 
external to ourselves, this I do consider a first principle,, and 
one of universal reception. It is founded on an instinct; I so 
call it, because the brute creation possesses it. This instinct is 
directed towards individual phenomena, one by one, and has 
nothing of the character of a generalization ; and, 'since it exists 
in brutes, the gift of reason is not a condition of its existence, 
and it may justly be considered an instinct in man also. What 
the human mind does is what the brutes cannot do, viz., to draw 
from our ever recurring experiences of its testimony in par- 
ticulars a general proposition, and, because this instinct or 
intuition acts whenever the phenomena of sense present them- 
selves, to lay down in broad terms, by an inductive process, 
the great aphorism, that there is an external world, and that all 
the phenomena of sense proceed from it. This general proposi- 
tion, to which we go on to assent, goes (extensive, though not 
intensive) far beyond our experience, illimitable as that experi- 
ence may be, and represents a notion.* 

Here Newman sheds light which reveals to us at once the 
confusion of Bergson's thought. For Newman shows exactly where 
instinct ends and where intellect begins. Instinct provides in- 
tellect with material to work upon. Instinct is not, as Bergson 
says, disinterested, self-conscious, capable of reflecting upon its 

^Grammar of Assent, pp. 61-62. 



750 BERGSON, NEWMAN, AND AQUINAS [Mar., 

object and enlarging it indefinitely. On the contrary, instinct 
presents sensible images from which intellect makes abstractions. 

Bergson's great mistake was in making intellect and instinct 
act in opposite directions, and in giving them entirely different 
fields of action. They act in the same direction, but each in a 
different manner. They both have the same things for their 
objects, but under different aspects. Sense has for its object the 
appearances of a thing, whilst intellect has for its object the thing 
itself, and not the appearance of it. 

We will inevitably land in confusion if we do not rid our- 
selves of the notion that instinct and intellect act at variance, and 
in opposition to each other. While each has its distinct sphere, 
both act in harmony with each other, instinct spontaneously min- 
istering to intellect. 

St. Thomas is perhaps more generous than Newman in ad- 
mitting similarities between animal instinct and human intelligence. 
He goes so far as to use the word " intellect " for some of the 
higher operations of animal instinct. But he is careful to qualify 
the word by calling it " passive " (intellectus passivus), and by 
insisting on its singular, sensitive, organic nature. He also calls 
it the vis cogitativa. He shows that this is not the differentiating 
faculty between brutes and man, but that man has a real intellect, 
the intellectus possibilis, so called because of its unlimited power 
to think all possible ideas. St. Thomas says: 

An incident of the sensitive part cannot constitute a being in 
a higher kind of life than that of the sensitive part, as an incident 
of the vegetative soul does not place a being in a higher kind 
of life than the vegetative life. But it is certain that phantasy 
and the faculties consequent thereon, as memory and the like, 
are incidents of the sensitive part. Therefore, by the aforesaid 
faculties, or by any one of them, an animal cannot be placed in 
any higher rank of life than that which goes with the sentient 
soul. But man is in a higher rank of life than that. Therefore 
the man does not live the life that is proper to him by virtue 
of the aforesaid " cogitative faculty " or " passive intellect."* 

And again: 

Sense is found in all animals, but animals other than man 
have no intellect: which is proved by this, that they do not 
work like intellectual agents, in diverse and opposite ways, but 

*Contra Gentes, Lib. II., Cap. LX. 



1913.] BERGSON, NEWMAN, AND AQUINAS 751 

just as nature moves them to fixed and uniform specific activities, 

as every swallow builds its nest in the same way No sense 

has reflex knowledge of itself and its own activity: the sight 
does not see itself nor see that it sees. But intellect is cognizant 
of itself, and knows that it understands.* 

This essential distinction between sense and intellect obliges 
us to recognize that a man can no more think with his instinct 
than he can with his big toe. The right functioning of instinct is 
a necessary condition of clear thinking, just as is the right func- 
tioning of blood circulation at our lower extremities. We cannot 
study metaphysics if we are distracted with gout. But no amount 
of vegetative operation or keen instinct can see reflexive truth. 

Having made quite clear the distinction between instinct and 
intelligence, properly so-called, we may pass on to consider those 
higher acts of the mind in which the mind seems to act just as 
instinct does, and in which it seems to go directly to its object, 
complex though it be, without appearing to pass through the inter- 
mediate stages of discursive reasoning. 

First, however, let us admit that the operations of some 
particular minds would seem to give a handle to that part of 
Bergson's philosophy which limits the operations of intellect to 
space, and to explicit processes analogous to the cinematograph. 

There are people with what we call rigid minds and wooden 
dispositions. St. Thomas the Apostle was one. My distinguished 
friend, Dr. Adrian Fortescue, is another. As he passes from 
the major to the minor of an argument, you can almost hear the 
click, and when he passes from the minor to the conclusion, the 
click becomes a snap. He is perfectly at home with such a theme 
as the Orthodox Eastern Church, because that Church has been 
petrified for nearly nine centuries. But if he writes a book on such 
a vital thing as the Roman Liturgy, it is only to chronicle what 
has been said about it by others. 

Of course, the angelic Doctor had taken stock of this sort 
of mind, for doubtless there were such amongst the savants of 
Paris in his day even as in Bergson's. He says : 

There are some who do not accept that which is said to them 
unless it be said in a mathematical way. And this happens on 
account of the custom of those who have been brought up on 
mathematics, for custom is a second nature. This also can 

*Contra Gentes, Lib. II., Cap. LXVI. 



752 BERGSON, NEWMAN, AND AQUINAS [Mar., 

happen to some people on account of their indisposition, to 
those, namely, who have a strong imagination and a not very 
elevated understanding. 

Nor is this quoted as in any way disparaging to the class. They 
have their fitting place in the general scheme of things. They 
make the bricks of which the builder constructs the edifice. 

Wherefore, since these things are so, we may proceed with 
our construction. We may observe next that there is a principle 
in the philosophy of St. Thomas which does account for that 
interpenetration of the faculties of which M. Bergson makes so 
much. This is known as the principle of dichotomy. 

It asserts that man is a composite being of two principles, 
and of two only, namely, body and soul. There are not two souls 
or two forms. It is the same soul in man which thinks, wills, feels, 
vegetates, and actuates the primary matter. If, therefore, all these 
operations are but the activities of one and the same spiritual sub- 
stance, namely, the soul, they must work in mutual harmony. They 
must have something more than an artificial communication with 
each other. They must have an organic connection with each other. 
But at the same time each one must perform the work which it was 
made to perform, each one must act according to its own nature. 
The will must not be expected to circulate the blood, neither must 
the sensitive faculty be expected to do the thinking. Each must 
do its own proper work. To emphasize this important point we 
print the formula in capitals : SECUNDUM NATURAM PRO- 
PRIAM (according to its proper nature): that by keeping this 
phrase prominently before us we may secure our reasoning process 
from degenerating into Bergsonian confusion. 

Bergson professed to bring in the whole man as the total 
principle which searched for truth, but by confusing mind and 
sense, and by casting out the spatial relationship, his whole man 
became the whole man minus intelligence, while our whole man 
retains all his faculties. They act organically. Neither sensa- 
tion nor volition usurps the office of intelligence. All the functions 
and faculties act in harmony with each other, but each according 
to its own nature, secundum naturam propriam. 

St. Thomas thus describes the interaction of the various 
powers : 

According to the order of nature, on account of the com- 
bination of the forces of the soul in one essence, and of the 



1913-] BERGSON, NEWMAN, AND AQUINAS 753 

soul and body in one composite being, the superior forces, and 
also the body, influence each other, and hence it is from the 
soul's apprehension that the body is transmuted and like- 
wise conversely the transmutation of the body re-acts upon the 
soul. Similarly the higher powers act upon the lower powers, 
as when passion in the sensual appetite follows upon an intense 
movement of the will, or when close study restrains and hinders 
the animal powers from their acts; and conversely when the 
lower powers act upon the higher powers, and from the vehe- 
mence of the passions in the sensual appetite the reason is 
darkened.* 

Owing to this basic and organic connection between the facul- 
ties and functions, the mind is able to make rapid and spontaneous 
acts, which, in the concrete, we find difficult to analyze. It makes 
quick and spontaneous abstractions. Then in the same quick way 
it can pass from one concrete truth to another without having any 
explicit attention fixed on the intermediate universal term by which 
it does so. Thus I can say : " John Smith is a man, therefore 
he can make mistakes." " John Smith is a man," that is pne 
concrete truth. " He can make mistakes," that is another con- 
crete truth. The universal middle term by which I pass from one 
to the other is : " It is human to err." This middle term is not 
expressed, but it is implied. 

Afterwards, when we are talking about our quick mental 
processes, we can see that the intellect has not gone out of its 
province, nor has it drawn any other faculties into its province. 
Why? Because each faculty and function has acted according to 
its own nature. 

Further, when the intellect has had much practice in thinking, 
it forms intellectual habits. By these habits it can pass more 
rapidly still from one truth to another. Nay, it can even sum- 
marize long intellectual processes. Hence we have a recognized 
form of syllogism, called the enthymeme, in which a premise is 
left out, because it can be perceived implicitly. This is why the 
writings of great thinkers are so frequently difficult to understand. 
A well-trained mind is able to suppress, or rather to imply, much 
intermediate reasoning which a less trained mind would have to 
render explicitly. 

Now for this quick process of thought three kinds of mental 
habits are needed. First there is required the habit of common 

*Quest. disp. de Veritat. qu. 26, a. 10. 
VOL. XCVI. 48. 



754 BERGSON, NEWMAN, AND AQUINAS [Mar., 

sense. That is the faculty of seeing those truths easily which the 
average mind sees easily. In other words, a man must not be a 
stupid. He must have the ordinary capacity for seeing such truths 
as " twice two are four," and that " parallel lines will never meet." 
This mental habit is called understanding. 

Then there is required the habit of combining these first 
principles. By constant practice a man can acquire a facility 
in combining simple ideas, dividing complex ideas, and re-com- 
bining the elements of certain complex truths to make up certain 
other complex truths. When this facility has been acquired the 
man passes easily from the known to the unknown. Eventually 
many of his conclusions, which previously needed to be worked 
out laboriously, become to him self-evident. The habit by which 
he does this is called the habit of science. 

Hence a physical scientist can see at a glance that water is a 
combination of oxygen and hydrogen. A moral scientist can see 
at a glance that marriage is the foundation of society. Thus a 
proposition which needs discursive reasoning for the average mind 
may be intuitive for a mind skilled in that particular science or 
branch of knowledge. 

Thirdly, there is a mental habit which enables a man to handle 
the principles and conclusions of a science easily. This is a further 
extension of the power of composition and division; the power to 
study the various sciences, to trace them back to their ultimate 
sources, and to ordain them to man's highest happiness and well- 
being, that is called the habit of wisdom. This faculty, too, like 
those of science and understanding, can be so trained as to act 
rapidly, easily, and spontaneously. And when it can do this per- 
fectly, then its operation is of the nature of an intuition. 

In the whole of the above process, from the simplest dic- 
tates of common sense up to the highest acts of expert wisdom, 
one thing is abundantly clear, namely, that the operation of the in- 
tellect is never a blind operation. It is one of vision from beginning 
to end, a vision of evidence. 

First there is the vision of first principles, the sight of those 
primary truths which we liken to the vision of the bodily eye. 
" It is plain as a pike-staff," we say. Then there is the vision of 
science, a vision of inferences based upon experiment. Finally 
there is the vision of wisdom, that grasp of a large situation which 
appears in its highest perfection in men of genius, in great generals, 
great statesmen, great poets, great artists. Thus by a synthesis, 



1913-] BERGSON, NEWMAN, AND AQUINAS 755 

based upon the Aristotelian theory of habits, does St. Thomas build 
up his theory of intellectual vision. 

By a different method Cardinal Newman arrives at almost 
the same conclusion. His method is the analytic and comparative. 
He takes the phenomena of assent in different spheres of inquiry, 
he observes that men actually arrive at certitude in law, in politics, 
in war, etc., and argues that they can arrive at certitude in the 
same way as regards speculative and religious truth. 

Just as St. Thomas uses the term " passive intellect " to 
describe something which is merely organic sense, so Newman 
uses the word " sense " to describe something which is strictly 
intellectual. 

That spontaneous act by which a man sums up all available 
evidence and assents to a conclusion which is the result of it, 
Newman calls an operation of the illative sense. It is exactly 
the same operation which St. Thomas calls an act of wisdom, 
except that whereas St. Thomas extends its range to both prac- 
tical and speculative truth, Newman limits it to speculative truth 
alone. 

That Newman and Aquinas, approaching the question from 
such opposite points of view, should be in such perfect 
harmony with each other is explained by the fact that 
they both possessed the same identical key. This was the 
Greek word phronesis that final judgment which is so sponta- 
neous, natural, and quick that it may be likened to the spontaneity 
and quickness of instinct, and may be called, in its perfection, 
the power of intuition. And the Greek word which represents its 
foundation may be taken for an everlasting sign that the opera- 
tion is strictly intellectual, and not a re-action of the organic 
sense. 

Says St. Thomas: 

The power of intellect first of all apprehends something, and 
this act is called " understanding ;" secondly, however, it takes 
that which it apprehends, and orders it towards knowing or 
doing something else, and this is called " intention ;" whilst, 
however, it is engaged in the inquiry of that which it intends, 
it is called " excogitation ;" but when it examines that which 
it has thought out with other certain truths, it is said to know 
or to be wise. And this is the function of phronesis, or sapientia; 
for it is the function of wisdom to judge.* 
*Summa, p. I., qu. 79, a. 10, ad 3111. 



756 BERGSON, NEWMAN, AND AQUINAS [Mar., 

Newman writes : 

This power of judging and concluding, when in its perfection, 
I call the Illative Sense, and I shall best illustrate it by referring 
to parallel faculties, which we commonly recognize without dif- 
ficulty As regards moral duty, the subject is fully con- 
sidered in the well-known ethical treatises of Aristotle. He calls 
the faculty which guides the mind in matters of conduct by 
the name of phronesis, or judgment. This is the directing, con- 
trolling, and determining principle in such matters, personal and 
social. What it is to be virtuous; how we are to gain the just 
idea and standard of virtue; how we are to approximate in 
practice to our own standard, what is right and wrong in a 
particular case, for the answers in fullness and accuracy to 
these and similar questions the philosopher refers us to no code 
of laws, to no moral treatise, because no science of life, applicable 
to the case of an individual has been or can be written. Such 
is Aristotle's doctrine, and it is undoubtedly true. An ethical 
system may supply laws, general rules, guiding principles, a 
number of examples, suggestions, landmarks, limitations, cau- 
tions, distinctions, solutions of critical or anxious difficulties; 
but who is to apply them to a particular case? whither can we 
go, except to the living intellect, our own, or another's ?* 

These quotations have an additional value when we remember 
that Newman did not know the works of Aquinas. From the 
beginning to the end of Newman's works there is no mention 
of St. Thomas. I am also of the opinion that Newman had not 
read Aristotle's Metaphysics, else why should he draw his par- 
allel from the Nicomachean Ethics, when the idea he wanted was 
there to his hand in the Metaphysics and already applied to his 
purpose. It was a happy fault on his part, if fault it was, for it 
shows us at once the independence and the harmony of the three 
great minds, Newman, Aquinas, and Aristotle. 

It is to St. Thomas rather that we must look for the more 
complete synthesis. He has one phronesis overruling the totality 
of man's life, whereas Newman asks for a phronesis for each 
faculty. Once again we find St. Thomas absolutely abreast of 
modern times. 

We may now examine the difference between the doctrine 
of Bergson and that of Newman and Aquinas. The higher intui- 
tion of Bergson is purely organic and sensitive, unintellectual, act- 
ing only in response to its proper object. The higher intuition 

*Grammar of Assent, pp. 353 and 354. 



1913-] BERGSON, NEWMAN, AND AQUINAS 757 

and instinct of Newman and Aquinas is strictly intellectual, but 
nevertheless spontaneous, quick and easy, when in its perfection, 
and only called sense or instinct by reason of a certain analogy 
which it bears to them. 

He, therefore, who uses the intuitive method of Newman and 
Aquinas must use his intellect to the utmost of its capacity. All 
its discursive reasoning is gathered up in the form of habit, and 
is summarized for the service of that last ultimate judgment 
which comes as an intuition. Thus the intuition, instead of being 
a blind piece of guess-work, is the total result of the whole of the 
man's thought. It is an illation characterized by the highest wis- 
dom. 

On the contrary, in the Bergsonian method, the seeker after 
truth begins by maiming his intellect. He is like a man who would 
dig a hole, and begins by smashing his spade. Intuition and in- 
tellect are declared to work in opposite directions, the one aiming 
at life, the other at inert matter. Intuition, according to Bergson, 
is not a special perfection of the intelligence, but a special perfec- 
tion of animal instinct. 

The doctrine of Newman and Aquinas has all the advantages 
which Bergson is striving for, but which he fails to obtain. Both 
Newman and Aquinas are fully in touch with life. Aquinas begins 
with the living ego. Then from the ego he communicates with the 
outside world and receives impressions. These impressions modify 
the ego, and become the material upon which the mind works. 
Hence the axiom found throughout the whole system of St. 
Thomas, that nothing is in the intellect except what has previously 
been in the senses. 

Then, when the mind has obtained the material with which to 
work, there goes on a constant kinetic process. Thought is as 
much a present necessity for the mind as air is for the lungs. 
Hence the composition and division of ideas goes on in one con- 
stant flow. First principles are worked up into knowledge and 
knowledge into wisdom. Wisdom being that vital mobile faculty 
of the mind by which it peers into truth and forms its explications 
and applications. St. Thomas, however, takes this so much for 
granted that it seems hardly worth while for him to emphasize it. 

Newman, on the contrary, is never tired of insisting on the 
need of associating thought with life, or rather of looking upon 
thought as a form of life. Whilst ever insisting on the intellectual 
nature of the illative sense, he deprecates too much introspection 



758 BERGSON, NEWMAN, AND AQUINAS [Mar., 

and self-analysis. " Introspection of our intellectual operations 
is not the best means of preserving us from intellectual hesitations. 
To meddle with the springs of thought and action is really to 
weaken them."* 

Hence it is well to let the mind act naturally, not to force 
one element towards the abstract flow of life and another to the 
solids of the outside world; not to confine reflection to subjective 
experience derived from subjective experience, but to use a sub- 
jective experience which is constantly refreshed from the objec- 
tive world. 

Instinctively, even though unconsciously, we are ever institu- 
ting comparisons between the manifold phenomena of the exter- 
nal world as we meet them, criticizing, referring to a standard, 
collecting, analyzing them. . .We apprehend spontaneously, even 
before we set about apprehending, that man is like man, yet 
unlike; and unlike a horse, a tree, a mountain or a monument, 
yet in some, though not the same respects, like each of them. 
And in consequence, as I have said, we are ever grouping and 
discriminating, measuring and sounding, framing cross classes 
and cross divisions, and thereby rising from particulars to 
generals, that is from images to notions.f 

Thus Newman is in complete harmony with the scholastics. 
Bearing this fundamental harmony in mind we can go the whole 
way with him when he shows us his method as a vital process. 
We know now what he means when he says : " Logic makes but a 
sorry rhetoric with the multitude ; first shoot round corners, and you 
may not despair of converting by a syllogism."! 

And again : " It is the mind that reasons or assents, not a 
diagram on paper." The mind acts according to its own nature, 
that is, it normally keeps the laws of the syllogism, even though, 
through rapidity of action, it does not reflect on them. " It is to 
the living mind that we must look for the means of using correctly 
principles of whatever kind, facts or doctrines, experiences or 
testimonies, true or probable, and of discerning what conclusion 
from these is necessary, suitable, or expedient, when they are taken 
for granted; and this, either by means of a natural gift, or from 
mental formation and practice, and a long familiarity with those 
various starting points." || 

St. Thomas crowns his doctrine by showing how it is directed 

^Grammar of Assent, pp. 216 and 217. ilbid., p. 30. 

tlbid., p. 94. Ibid., p. 180. \\Ibid., p. 360. 



1913.] BERGSON, NEWMAN, AND AQUINAS 759 

to man's eternal interests through the special gifts of the Holy 
Spirit. In the natural order man orders his life aright by making 
a fair equipoise between external evidence and subjective appre- 
ciation of the same. He does not shut himself up within himself, 
depending entirely on his own power of self -perfectibility. He 
acknowledges that he is a social animal, and depends very largely 
for his due perfection on the experience and influence of his follow 
beings. 

But if self -perfectibility is a crude fallacy in the natural order, 
much more so is it in the supernatural order where man is destined 
to a life so much beyond his natural powers. Wherefore St. 
Thomas works into his system the revealed truth concerning the 
gifts of the Holy Spirit. Corresponding with the three habits of 
mind by which man passes from first principles to highest intuition, 
there are the three divine gifts of understanding, knowledge, and 
wisdom (intellectus, scientia, sapientia) . 

Thus, therefore, concerning the truths which are proposed 
to be believed on faith, two things are required on our part. 
First, they must be penetrated and grasped by the intellect; 
and this pertains to the gift of understanding. Secondly, it 
is necessary that man should have a right judgment concerning 
these truths, that he should value his power of clinging to them 
and of shrinking from their denial. Such judgment concerning 
divine things pertains to the gift of wisdom, whilst such judg- 
ment concerning created things pertains to the gift of knowl- 
edge.* 

Thus the highest operations of the intellect become controlled 
and guided by the Holy Spirit. These gifts have their root in 
charity. Hence the greater one's charity is, so much the keener 
will his insight be into supernatural truths. 

Now we can discern which is the better method for a sane 
creative evolution, the method of Bergson or the method of New- 
man and Aquinas. 

Look first at the creations of science. Have they been ac- 
complished by turning away from the intellect and the outside 
world, and by forcing intuition to bear on the flow of the " now? " 
Columbus sees wood floating on the water and discovers America. 
Stephenson sees the kettle boiling and discovers the steam engine. 
Farman observes a bird flying and makes an aeroplane. Archi- 

*Summa, 23. 2x qu. 8, a. 6 corp. 



760 BERGSON, NEWMAN, AND AQUINAS [Mar., 

medes jumps into his bath, turns out the water, and discovers the 
law of specific gravity. Is the reason evident? 

Now we clap 
Our hands and cry "Eureka." 

Every discovery of any value to mankind has been the result 
of an illation of the intellect based upon sensible experience. Some- 
times the experience has been a short and simple one, but sometimes 
it is a long series of patient experiments. Marconi required long 
trial and continued inference to discover wireless telegraphy. So 
also did Madame Curie for the discovery of radium. And so, 
too, Mendel for the discovery of his laws of inheritance. 

But, it may be argued, these are instances of physical science 
merely. What about the real creations of art? Surely the great- 
est creations of painting have been inspired by a Mother and a 
Child. The most sublime works of sculpture have for their fact 
value a woman or a man. So, too, in music, the very nature of 
which might seem to exclude images. Beethoven, in the depths 
of despair over his manuscript, hears a knock at the door: he 
waits and hears another, and these two knocks provide the theme 
for one of his superb symphonies. Bach takes the letters of his 
name, changes the H into G sharp, and writes one of his classical 
fugues. Palestrina adopts a simple melody from the plain chant, 
and upon that builds up the music of a Mass. All of which points 
to the universal axiom that genius is but an infinite capacity for 
taking pains. 

But pains are just the things which the disciples of Bergson 
will not take. It is so much easier to say : " I believe in so and 
so, not because I can give any reason for it, but because I see it 
intuitively. If the rest of the world fails to see it, that is only 
because the rest of the world has not cultivated the higher sensi- 
tiveness." 

Hence it is that in the world of art we have those soi-disant 
creators, the Futurists and Post-impressionists. Having thrust 
intellect aside, having destroyed all spatial values, and having 
projected their feeling into the flux of life, they have produced 
exactly that which one would expect them to produce, galleries 
of daubs and smudges. 

Suppose a man imagines himself a superman, beyond good 
and evil, and enunciates principles for which he has no reasonable 



1913-] BERGSON, NEWMAN, AND AQUINAS 761 

justification principles which he sees only by intuition how are 
we to deal with him ? 

Many have done this; and chief amongst them is Friedrich 
Nietzsche. Nietzsche called himself the " creator of new values ;" 
and his philosophy is the " transvaluation of all values." He 
retires to the upper regions of the Zugadina, and shuts himself up 
within himself. Gradually his intuitions begin to enlarge. 
" Christ," he says, " is the first prophet of transvaluation, whereas, 
I, Nietzsche, am the second prophet continuing the work of Christ. 
I have fulfilled Christ's work by destroying it." And so Nietzsche 
feels happy, free, light. He sees himself soaring to an infinite 
height above man; and believes his creative thought can do every- 
thing. " I am not a man ; I am dynamite." In two years the 
earth will be in convulsive throes. But before this comes to pass 
his friends take pity upon him and place him under lock and key. 

Perhaps the most obnoxious fruit of the Bergsonian philos- 
ophy is the work of M. Georges Sorel, the apostle of the general 
strike. From his quiet little home at Boulogne he sends forth 
effusions calculated to put whole nations into throes. His doctrines 
are only just beginning to make their way into England' and 
America, though for some time they have influenced France, Italy, 
Spain, and Switzerland. 

The general strike, or rather the threat of a general strike, is 
the weapon with which he is to renovate society. But this is not to 
be brought about by intellectual organization, nor yet is it to be 
justified by a reasoned statement as to what will happen afterwards. 
Sorel pours contempt on such a scientific socialist as the English 
organizer, Mr. Sidney Webb. His figures and statistics are indi- 
gestible; they require much time and trouble to assimilate. 

Patience is not a characteristic virtue of the school of Bergson. 
Therefore Sorel seizes upon this intuitive method as an easy way of 
escaping the intellectual and moral difficulties which the concept of 
the general strike involves. Intuition, he says, is more than knowl- 
edge. If looking inward upon life, you see the general strike 
to be good or necessary, then intellectual analysis of the results 
becomes unnecessary. " Man has only genius in the measure that 
he does not reflect." The privilege of our personality is to impose 
itself on the future, and to cut into it without ceasing. Hence our 
intelligence cannot possibly anticipate what is going to happen. 

Such ideas were readily taken up by the French syndicalists. 
Here was a ready-made apology for unchecked liberty to combine, 



762 BERGSON, NEWMAN, AND AQUINAS [Mar., 

and for a self-determined government heedless of all outward au- 
thority. 

Indeed, Sorel goes farther and distrusts socialist members of 
parliament and labor representation. He prefers the creative evolu- 
tionary methods of street demonstrations, strikes, boycotting, and 
sabotage. For to-day the Marxian doctrine of a materialistic con- 
ception of history is abandoned in favor of the creative evolution 
of Bergson. 

When Sorel is asked what he will have if he rejects both 
intellectualism and materialism, he replies that he will depend on 
creative evolution. The people must revert to primitive states so 
as to get into instinctive and poetic moods. Bergson, he tells us, 
has done away with the rationalists, whilst any organized plan 
for the future is but the idol of politicians. 

Is not the general strike an undivided whole? How can it be 
possible to mark out the various parts of such a catastrophe as the 
transition from Capitalism to Socialism? Is it not a vital indi- 
visible flowing continuum? 

This last instance may serve as a lesson to those members of 
the orthodox camp, and there are many of them, who think that 
metaphysics has no connection with the practical life of the multi- 
tude. The filtering down is usually a process so intricate and so 
long that it is not easily observable. But here the passage is quick, 
requiring the minds of only two men to form a disastrous specula- 
tion to realize it. 

Bergson upsets the concepts of "being" and "becoming;" 
then Sorel upsets railway-carriages and tram-cars. Bergson says : 
" Keep your intelligence for the hum-drum things of every-day life, 
but use your intuition to evolve new creations." Sorel replies: 
" Yes, sire, I am doing it, and the Happy Land is coming." 

Ah, but the essential condition of a happy and prosperous 
community is stability, whereas the essential characteristic of Berg- 
sonian philosophy is instability or change. Therefore, not by this 
method can the Happy Kingdom come. A stable society can only 
be assured when wealth is divided amongst the majority of the 
citizens. But that is just what Syndicalism aims at frustrating. 

Syndicalism, with true instinct, follows the philosophy which 
prescribes everlasting change, not only accidental change, but change 
of essence, change of the thing in itself. Sorel may well say that his 
Happy Land is coming. Perhaps it is. But it is coming in such a 
way that it will be always coming it never can and never will arrive. 




THE LAND WHERE DREAMS COME TRUE. 

BY JOSEPH FRANCIS WICKHAM. 

HE moon hangs high in full-blown splendor over the 
quiet waters of the Bay of Salerno; and the moon 
beams its welcome to me as I stand near a pillar of 
the pergola of the old Cappuccini monastery. 
Half-way up to heaven I sleep to-night in the hotel- 
convento that clings to the side of the mountain, and over the 
balcony I am watching the wondrous beauty of the moon-hour. 
For this is Amalfi town, the sweetest spot on the Riviera from 
Salerno to Punta di Campanella. 

Soft and low the gentle night breeze is blowing, and there is 
a whispering through the ivy on the long row of columns yonder, 
and the scent of roses on the lattices sweetens the air. Crimson 
geraniums are flowering all around me, and the blooms of amaryllis 
and marjoram weave their garlands at my feet. Down that 'Shel- 
tered collonade orange blossoms are glowing in the radiance of the 
night, and the globes of ripened fruit are hanging like dull-burn- 
ing lanterns in the shadows of the green leaves. Out in the glorious 
bay a white sail of a fisherman glides by, and over there, miles 
away on the darker waters, a tiny shallop sleeps in solitude on the 
breast of the mothering sea. And down the hill below the monas- 
tery the little town is putting out her lights and going to bed. 
A hundred houses cluster upon the hillside, one above another, clam- 
bering for a foothold on the steep slopes, and from among them, 
a silent sentinel, rises the campanile of the cathedral. 

The night throws its witchery about you up here in the old 
monastery, and you feel no wish to break away from the fascina- 
tion of it all. Down on the sands on the shore the filmy ripples are 
sparkling as they gently sift their foamy diamonds in the magic 
of the streaming stars. Once in a while a faint melody is carried 
to you from the bay, the joyous song of the fisher lad in the happy 
toiling of the deep. Looking down beyond the jagged lines of red 
roofs, beyond the campanile, beyond the inns of the town, you 
catch sight of the broad road, white and clear for a little way, 
but soon lost in darkest shadow. That is the path we followed 
all the warm afternoon on our way to this lodging for the night. 



764 THE LAND WHERE DREAMS COME TRUE [Mar., 

And back over that long road my thoughts now take me, while 
I stand among the columns of the old convento. 

Fair is the high road that stretches along the bay from Salerno 
to Amalfi; the fairest of any land on earth, so travelers say, and 
fair in very truth I found it. That afternoon we had passed 
through Pompeii, and had pitied that poor city with her broken 
columns and her empty urns and her warped roadways. The 
sun had been beating down in relentless intensity, lava dust had 
mingled with every breath of air, and so it was good to behold the 
sea again at Vietri; the ancient sea, pale blue like a great opal 
lying at our feet. 

The drive to Amalfi lay before us, ten miles of sheerest beauty 
and grandeur and undying charm, following the coast line to the 
end. Nearly all the way the road is hewn out of the towering 
cliffs, sometimes ascending in long inclines until it carries you 
hundreds of feet above the sea. It is a gladsome experience this, 
with the azure gulf below you, and the dizzy summits above point- 
ing their green-clad pinnacles to the sky. At frequent intervals 
the shore curves inward, and the roadway following the fanciful 
windings presents new pictures at every turn. You round an en- 
croachment of the bay, and across the now intervening waters you 
behold in fullest vision, with all its idyllic charm, a town you have 
seen but imperfectly before. 

At Vietri you can look over upon Salerno, the little city by the 
water's edge, resting at the foot of fairy cascades of mountain 
ranges. And as you roll along with unbroken view of its red 
roofs and ivory walls glittering in the afternoon light, you remem- 
ber that over there sleeps Gregory the Seventh, the great Hilde- 
brand, who loved justice and hated iniquity, and so died in exile. 
Many another diminutive city offers you from time to time its 
enchantment of memories of gallant men and good. You pass also 
through several hamlets on the high road to Amalfi, homes of 
fishermen who love the sea ; happy villages nestling in rocky glens, 
each with its own mark of distinctive personality, but everyone 
with its little beach of gray sand, and many a cream and crimson 
house to brighten the landscape. You will see rising up amid the 
olive trees above your magnificent drive the graceful outlines of 
a large villa looking out in placid joy on the clear water. And 
the air you breathe, as you behold the lofty hills on your right smil- 
ing upon the blue water, is filled with the fragrance of myrtle and 
cistus and gay coronilla. 



1913.] THE LAND WHERE DREAMS COME' TRUE 765 

On those heights, and not rarely on the foothills below you, 
orange trees in uncounted numbers bear their golden fruit, some- 
times at some little distance from the road, sometimes hanging their 
rich yellow ornaments temptingly within reach of your fingers. 
Like Yuletide trees they look, these sunlit orange groves, with 
their full-colored toys fastened here and there in the unstudied 
harmony of nature. And lemon trees, too, are on the descending 
hillsides to your left, long rows of them, their paler fruit so many 
candles in the shade beneath their branches. When the breeze 
comes over the mountain tops or gently blows in from the sea, it 
seems as if all the blooms of a thousand summers have mingled 
their sweetness together to greet you in a perfume of delight. 

But onward stretches the road. You can see vine-covered ter- 
races hundreds of feet above you, where a loving toil has stolen a 
level plot from a precipitous hill, and down on a rocky islet the 
gaunt towers of a roofless castle watching in dreams of five hun- 
dred years. You have leisure to see visions on this long drive, 
and you will allow your mind to wander to earlier days when 
Amalfi, the town at your journey's end, was a powerful city 
republic, and sent her ships to all the ports of the traveled seas. 

It was such a backward drifting our thoughts were taking, 
when our reveries were sweetly broken by the chiming of a bell 
in a nearby church, telling the Angelus hour. The pealing hung 
tremulous on the summer air and glided softly into our souls, 
graciously blending with the sea and the sky and the voice of the 
fragrant earth. And after a little the sun no longer shone upon 
the sea; the long shadows had reached across the waters, and the 
day was done. 

Down in the bay a fisherman was furling his white sail and 
tacking landward. But another little boat was putting out from the 
shore, and would remain all night to fulfill the everlasting persever- 
ance of the toilers of the sea. 

The half-light had come suddenly. Along the way the red 
lamps were beginning to glimmer in the little shrines of our Lady 
that are set into the house-walls ; and the Madonna, amid the blos- 
soms that some knightly hand had placed at her feet, was smiling 
down kindly upon those w r ho went by. More than once we passed 
under green- festooned arches, with floating streamers attached, of 
blue and crimson. For the morrow was to be a day of days 
SS. Pietro e Paolo and all the land would be in festa. 

During the afternoon we had observed the pale figure of the 



766 THE LAND WHERE DREAMS COME TRUE [Mar., 

moon resting against the blue, and now when night was come it 
burst out in all the splendor of its summer glory. Never since time 
began, I think, was the moon lovelier than on this June night. 
Full in our faces it was beaming, and then it was on our left keeping 
pace with our chariot wheels, while less often the light came over 
our shoulders and cast strange, fantastic shadows on the smooth 
roadway in front. And all the time it mirrored itself upon the Bay 
of Salerno, throwing a long full ribbon of fire across the quivering 
water. A painter might have deftly drawn his brush across the 
bay, so steadily did that stream of color remain trembling upon the 
surface of the sea. Once a little sailboat crossed from the shad- 
owed zone through the lane of light. For a moment it was sil- 
houetted in brilliant lines, but the passage was soon over, and it 
receded into the dimness of the distance. 

About eight o'clock we jingled through the towns of Majori 
and Minori. The lights were aglow in the little cities, and the day's 
work over, the people were enjoying the cool of the evening. But 
at one open door we could see an old, wrinkled cobbler stealing 
an hour from the night in hammering the final pegs in a few pairs 
of stout boots which lay in a little heap by his feet, while his happy- 
faced daughter held an interested bambino. For the cottage doors 
were open to the night and the moon and the soft crooning of the 
sea, and we caught glimpses of many a Rembrandt grouping as we 
drove past. From out an ivy-bordered window down the pathway 
were wafted in feminine voice the strains of " 'A Frangesa," and 
farther on, born of the heart of a violin, the dulcet notes of " Tacea 
la notte placida " from Verdi's opera were wooing the listening 
night. At Atrani the boats were all drawn up on the beach, and 
close beside them the fishermen were smoking their pipes. 

We rounded the point just beyond Atrani, and we were home 
at last. There in a ravine between the hills lay Amalfi, wrapped 
in moonlight and shadow, with countless houses huddled in pic- 
turesque alignment on the sea sands, and the others clinging like 
swallows' nests to the bold cliffs. The long beach glistened greet- 
ingly on our left as we passed the cathedral, and the lights dotting 
the hillside cottages beamed a welcome to the sheltering hospitality 
of the city. And high over them all, two hundred and fifty feet 
above the silvered water's edge, stretched the long porticoes of the 
Cappuccini convent. 

This was the drive to Amalfi, and this was Amalfi by night. 
And when you have trudged up those multitudinous steps of the 



1913-] THE LAND WHERE DREAMS COME TRUE 767 

winding vaulted staircase after the long, happy ride, you will wish 
to linger an hour about the pensive pergolas, or in subdued emotion 
watch from your casement window the exquisite radiance of the 
moon flooding the hill, and the low beach and the peaceful deep 
of the surgeless sea. 

But in your contemplation of all this beauty, you cannot 
help thinking of the other Amalfi that lies in unceasing slumber, the 
Amalfi you were wondering about back on the road in the afternoon 
before the church bells began to peal, the old Amalfi that offers you 
this little city as a flowery token of her ancient grandeur. Amalfi 
of to-day is a tiny city of five thousand people, who live in quiet 
seclusion by the sea, who fish in the bay, and carry on a small fruit 
trade for their livelihood. 

But the ocean that breaks in on the shore can tell the story of 
the old Amalfi, the stout principality that held the naval sway of the 
Mediterranean and lorded it in commerce over Pisa and Genoa. 
From the ninth to the twelfth century Amalfi held her head high 
in supremacy, and her maritime laws governed Mediterranean 
waters. Colonies she had in Asia and Africa, and rich tribute 
they lent her. Many a foe her galleys defeated, countless times 
her rocky glen echoed the shouts of victory from the battle storm 
beyond the harbor. They had a doge in Amalfi, and palaces of 
senators, and council halls, and many a noble building fit for civic 
lordship. More than once her streets rang with the hymns of 
Crusaders as they marched down to take ship for the rescue of the 
Holy Sepulchre. Hospitals there were in far Jerusalem that flung 
the banner of Amalfi; the splendid order of the Knights of Saint 
John was born of her creation. And the culture of Athens and 
of Rome and of the early Christian centuries never ceased to 
bloom under the cherishing protection of a goodly fellowship of 
quiet scholars. 

Alas, poor Amalfi ! You now nestle there amid the hills hang- 
ing over the little cove, a picturesque scene for the artist's brush, 
a theme for the poet's rhyme. Can your fishing boats feel the 
flush of victory; does Pisa respect your senate decrees? Your 
palaces are gone, your fleets are scattered, your greatness is only a 
memory. Where are those flowers of yester-year; where is the 
glory that was Amalfi? Where is the symbol that tells the story 
of fifty thousand free burghers? 

Pisa finally destroyed her naval supremacy, but to find the 
humbled city we must look beneath the sea. For there does most of 



7 68 THE LAND WHERE DREAMS COME TRUE [Mar., 

her territory now lie, sunk by an earthquake in 1343. Somewhere 
under the shifting sands of the ocean floor lie docks and arsenals 
and forts. Houses that men lived in are now buried in a grave of 
sea-swept pebbles. The long beach that connected Amalfi with 
Atrani has not been seen for well-nigh six centuries, and now a 
jutting mountain cliff divides the friendship of the two cities. 
Thus did her glory wither ; the strategy of man and the might of 
nature were too much for the proud republic. Saddened and 
crushed, her youth-time gone, she now joined the ranks of the 
things that have been. But the sunny memories of the great com- 
monwealth still live in the tiny city; she does not forget 'the ambi- 
tions she once achieved, as she rests there serenely against the hills. 

The morrow morning we were awakened by the call of the 
campanile bells. Looking down from the window of my cell, I 
could see the people gathering, twos and threes and half dozens, and 
slowly walking toward the Piazza di Si Sant' Andrea. But for my 
orisons I went not down to the cathedral. This morning a priest 
from the far country was saying Mass in the chapel of the monas- 
tery. So thither I went, and somehow I felt nearer to God than 
ever before in all my years. 

Down the long staircase, white in the morning light, you make 
your way to the level roadway, and here you retrace your path of 
last night for a few hundred yards to visit the cathedral. The 
bell-tower, standing beside, is a striking sight in the daytime, the 
green and yellow tile work glittering strangely as the sunlight falls 
upon it. The cathedral itself, Lombard-Norman in architecture, 
has a fine setting on its high-built terrace above the piazza, and is 
one of the few reminders of Amalfi's former splendor. For almost 
nine centuries have the beautiful bronze doors swung across the 
portals. Wrought in Constantinople, they bear witness to the olden 
intercourse with the Byzantine city on the Bosphorus. Down in 
the crypt of the church repose the bones of Saint Andrew, brought 
here in the thirteenth century, the revered relics of the Saint who 
lends his name to the honor of the old minster. 

It is a good twenty miles from Amalfi to Sorrento over the 
road that begins back at Salerno. Like the leagues behind, this 
stretch, too, is ofttimes hewn through the rock along the cliffs, and 
it skirts the sea for half the way. Sometimes it is carried over 
ravines by viaducts high above the sea level, affording you beautiful 
views of pleasant waters tumbling over large boulders, and of 
pretty cascades dropping their white- foamed burdens into the cool 



1913-] THE LAND WHERE DREAMS COME TRUE 769 

shadows of some deep pool. The coast is a succession of little 
coves and bays, where the ocean has crept up and found a nesting 
place and felt at home. Forever the sea is all-loveliness, wide, 
unlimited expanses of water, dissolving in imperceptible gradation 
of color from dark turquoise to the palest sapphire, with a rich 
emerald tint where the waters lap a steep rocky crag. For miles 
and miles you can watch it in the clear sun, until far, far away 
it merges with the unclouded heaven out on the Mediterranean 
horizon. 

Between Amalfi and Sorrento there is no fairer sight than the 
lovely village of Positano. Set high on a rounded hillside, amid tall 
trees and moss-grown precipices and blossoming shrubs, it looks 
forth upon the Salernian bay. Exquisitely dainty it must appear 
at night to one approaching by sea from Sorrento, when the lights 
from the southern windows twinkle and beam like fireflies gathered 
in full assemblage. But no less an idyl was it in the June noontide 
when we looked down upon the little city from the veranda of our 
hotel. A fantasy in brown and pink and white it was, trembling 
on the steep slope. Half-way down the valley the graceful lines 
of a campanile rose heavenward. On the shore an old watch 
tower told the ancient fear of corsairs from the Levant. Those 
were the days when Positano enjoyed the friendship of Amalfi's 
fleet. When the bell in the tower tolled out its message of warn- 
ing, and the signal was relayed through many a dreaded pealing 
along the coast, the good ships that lingered ten miles up the bay 
spread their white wings and bore down on the despoilers of the 
little city. And they fought the fight to victory, and ended the 
plunder cruise. Many a watch tower shows its ruins on the rugged 
cliffs from Salerno to Positano, but the bells are silent as a tide- 
less sea. 

Positano is the last of the cities on the water, for the road now 
bears landward across the peninsula toward Sorrento ten miles 
away. The shimmering Bay of Salerno we now left behind us, 
the waters of enchantment, with the Odyssean islands of sirenic 
lure dimly visible out in the shining distance. For some time the 
road ascends the verdant hills and then drops downward toward 
Meta, where near the church of Santa Maria del Lauro, Amalfi's 
wondrous road links its sinuous length to the Cornice drive from 
Castellammare. Over the ravine by the Ponte Maggiore we con- 
tinued past several small towns that were watching the long after- 
noon wear itself away. 

VOL. xcvi. 49. 



770 THE LAND WHERE DREAMS COME TRUE [Mar., 

Sorrento was close by now, and we were approaching it 
through streets walled high on either side, and swooning with the 
intoxication of billowy blossoms from many fair gardens beyond. 
At one sunny corner hung overladen bushes of pink roses, swaying 
when the breeze stirred, and dropping their perfumed petals on the 
roadside; and the blithe scent of acacia mingled with the fragrance 
of rosemary, and filled the afternoon heavy with summer. Along 
happy ways like this we drove, our senses lulled by the flowery odor, 
until we reached the courtyard of the Tramontane. 

It was the sunset hour, that kindly time when day is becoming 
a memory and falling into the chronicles of departed joys, when 
evening is beginning to open her fairy doors. Sunsets are beauteous 
always and everywhere, but I doubt if earth will give you a more 
wonderful effect than at Sorrento. Our windows faced the west, 
with balconies hanging almost two hundred feet over the Vesuvian 
bay. Away across the clear waters, leagues distant in the western 
seas, rested the sun, a huge disk of virgin gold hanging in all the 
glory of centuries of sunsets commingling in supreme friendship. 
When the world was young, yEneas saw that Mediterranean sun, 
and the lotus eaters, and the faithless Helen on the topless towers of 
Ilium ; and in all the years after every dweller by the sea has watched 
the day-star sink into the water with all its golden splendor dis- 
solving in the lonely places of the deep. The sun gradually lowered 
itself once more, leaving behind a trail of glory over which angels' 
wings might float, or the voices of the unseen stars might travel in 
trembling melody. The purple of the hillside vines dyed the pillars 
of cloud, and all the roses of old Paestum were strewn over the 
aerial mountains in rich pink and yellow and red ; and the sky was 
aflame with color from Naples to the edge of the world. 

But the twilight gathers none too slowly in Sorrento, and the 
little waves that you may have seen a while ago bubbling in beads of 
gold and pearl and coral have lost their lustre. 

And now, perhaps, you will wander out beneath the palm trees 
and try to believe, as some others do, that Ulysses really did found 
Sorrento, and erected that temple of Minerva which to-day lies in 
ruins with its sister fanes of Venus and Ceres. Nobody knows, but 
of this you are sure, that in nearer antiquity, probably some time 
after Sorrento became Rome's ally three centuries before the Chris- 
tian era, the city was a favorite dwelling-place of Roman wealth 
and fashion, a boon spot to escape the heat of the palaces near the 
Tiber. And it is a matter of history, too, that Hannibal captured 



1913-] THE LAND WHERE DREAMS COME TRUE 771 

Sorrento in the second conflict between Rome and the Phoenician 
rival on the African shores. 

You know also that when Rome was imperial, and peace and 
Augustus were supreme, a colony was sent out to make a home in 
this gracious clime ; and that not long after, before the first century 
had closed, the message of Christianity was preached, and the people 
exhorted to abandon false gods and shrines unholy. Very strong 
the town grew in the passing of time, and valiant her defenders. 
In the seventh century Rudolfo, the Duke of Benevento, laid siege 
to her walls, but to no purpose. And so Sorrento lived on, now a 
Byzantine dependency, but with much of self-government and free- 
dom of action. In her annals is recorded a naval victory over 
Amalfi near the end of the ninth century. One hundred and fifty 
years followed before the city tasted the humiliation of defeat 
at the hands of the Duke of Salerno, a prelude to her bowing with 
her conqueror to Norman dominion in the near by and by. Of 
the achievements of her later life little is known, for when Pialy 
Pasha led his Turkish pirates into Sorrento in 1588 to plunder 
and burn, her archives did not escape the torch of the ruthless 
victors. 

No one who has not visited the city can imagine the charm of 
the night at Sorrento. Perhaps the keenest interest centres about 
the large hotels where the tarantella is danced, and the melody of 
southern song fills the air with joy and gladness. A beautiful 
picture the Tramontano presents. There is a spacious courtyard 
in front, enclosed on three sides by the verandas of the inn, and 
shut in on the other side by luxuriant bushes of roses and tall 
palm trees. Hundreds of glowing lamps make the courtyard bright 
as day; and on this illuminated square the singers and dancers are 
ranged, decked in the gay dress that once made Italy even more 
colorful than it is to-day. 

From the verandas and the high balconies above, the faces of 
men and women from over the wide ocean are smiling in happiness 
as they watch the dance pass through its volutions. And with the 
air all a-tremble in currents of melodious wafting, the facile har- 
mony of Italian song glides refreshingly into your soul. The 
singers and dancers themselves seem altogether tireless, and their 
black eyes snap and sparkle in delicious sympathy as the full chorus 
rings out clear and tuneful into the charming Sorrentine night. 
And in your watching across the court, if your eyes wander beyond 
the dancers and the lamps and the fringe of delighted gazers, your 



772 THE LAND WHERE DREAMS COME TRUE [Mar., 

imagination may play you pretty illusions, and you may just once 
fancy the sweet singer of the swan-song of the Renaissance stand- 
ing in a fragrant corner of the garden. For well may Tasso be 
pardoned for wishing to return to his birthplace to look for a brief 
moment upon all this life and color and whole-souled gayety. 

Sorrento is, in very truth, a place for ghosts to tread in silence, 
and a place for mortal hearts to dream old dreams and love old loves, 
and call to mind the old gentleness and kindly deeds of well-cher- 
ished friends. It is a bower where one may wisely linger, and for- 
get the tiny worries and the great, and heal the old-time wounds 
of care, and in the blithe fountains of perennial gladness renew 
the loving freshness of youth. Among the odors of full-petaled 
lemon flowers Sorrento asks you to cull the sweetness of to-day, or 
by her shattered pagan temples to remember her long-ago child- 
hood. She asks you to visit the villa Browning loved, or look 
where Crawford wove his hundred romances of every land. In 
trustful pleading she bids you watch the moon in full-orbed splen- 
dor overflow the summer world, or listen to the little waves kissing 
the yellow sands of the Marina, or look for morning suns to rise 
above the brim of emerald tree tops and work aureate patines on 
the good brown earth. She invites you, too, to climb the lofty 
hills that look down upon the piazza, and from the Deserto-Con- 
vento survey her two bays meeting beyond Punta di Campanella 
or view the jewel isle of Capri basking in the over-blue seas. 

Sorrento is a ballade of roses, but no Villon could tune his 
soul to anything so perfect. It is the final word in all the beauty 
of the sunlit southland, the softest and tenderest rhythm in all 
Italy's book of song. A long time ago, before the world had lost 
its youth and the gardens of paradise had been shorn of their 
verdure, there were rivals to this city looking upon the bay, but now 
there is but one spot of loveliness increasing, never another such 
without the white walls of heaven. 

If Spenser is the poet's own poet, Sorrento is nothing if not 
the poet's own home. You will feel the enchantment of Como's 
hills and the gentle spell of Fiesole, but you leave your heart in 
bella Sorrento, a hostage to happiness, and expect one day when 
next you fare forth under the wander thrall to go back and join 
it in affectionate surrender. 

It was a fair Sunday morning that we departed after attend- 
ing Mass in the chapel of the inn. A lift took us down to the little 
wharf, and a rowboat carried us over the water to where the 



1913-] ETERNAL SEQUENCE 773 

steamer for Naples stood by, waiting its complement of passengers. 
Standing on the deck we gazed back at the high-flung cliffs, with 
their clustering inns in thick bordering confusion, where Roman 
villas once looked out to sea ; at the Marina where the little children 
with dark, lucent eyes were waving their tiny hands in sweet fare- 
well ; at the friendly mountains in the distance with the thinnest of 
blue veils on their summits. And as the waters lengthened between 
us and Sorrento, gentle Sorrento, smiling in peace and joy and 
blushing loveliness, we remembered the precious roses swaying in 
the tranquil gardens, and the winds blowing over the orange blos- 
soms, and all the songs the dear city had sung to us out of the 
warmth and riches of her heart. And the plaintive melodies 
chanted by the Neapolitan singers, as we sailed over the bay, re- 
echoed the soft murmuring her receding beauty was whispering 
in our grateful souls. 



ETERNAL SEQUENCE. 

BY CAROLINE D. SWAN. 

A FOAM-LIT chain of emerald surges flies 
Adown the sands, persistent as the flight 
Of days and hours. Like these, its tidal might 

In varied moods and shining color hies 

On, ever on! With fascinated eyes 
We watch its chase eternal in the light 
Of blazing suns, in broad moon-glories white 

Or tempest-blackened beneath leaden skies. 

O days and hours! E'en thus we watch you run 
Along Earth's beach from early morn till dark 

Then, on again, undeviating still, 
To wondrous shores of strange new life begun, 
Of moonlit flowers unfading, like its spark, 
And Resurrection's vast eternal thrill. 




THE POLITICAL ECONOMY OF ALCOHOL. 

BY FRANK o'HARA, PH.D. 

HE world is too much with us," the poet sings. " Late 
and soon, getting and spending, we lay waste our 
powers. Little we see in nature that is ours; we 
have given our hearts away." In plain prose the 
poet means that we go to so much trouble heaping 
up the material things which serve us for food and drink and 
clothing and shelter and ornament, and then spend so much time 
in the enjoyment of these things, that we are compelled to neglect 
the intellectual and spiritual and aesthetic sides of our natures. 
Do we as a nation live too well in a material sense for our highest 
good? Ought we, as a nation, cultivate plainer living and higher 
thinking? Finally, is there any reason for the expectation that 
plainer living will be accompanied by higher thinking? These 
are all questions of vital importance, but they lie outside the field 
of this investigation. 

The interest of the economist in the poet's dictum is essentially 
this: accepting the present standard of living as approximately a 
correct one, do we attain to that standard in a reasonably economical 
way, or do we lay waste our powers in getting and spending? 
There can be no doubt that we do not economize in our getting and 
spending. We do not get what we get in such a way as to require 
a minimum of effort, and we do not spend what we spend in such 
a way as to give us a maximum of satisfaction. In other words, 
our production of wealth is wasteful. By better planning, we 
could shorten our working day without lessening the product of 
our work. Our consumption of wealth is wasteful. By wiser 
expenditures there is room for a very considerable increase in 
satisfactions of wants to be obtained from the present supply of 
wealth. 

It is the purpose of this paper to call attention to a single 
phase of this broad problem of economy, and to show the relation 
between alcohol and the waste involved in our getting and spend- 
ing; in a word, to call attention to the political economy of alcohol. 
Now, the political economy of alcohol is not the chemistry of 



1913.] THE POLITICAL ECONOMY OF ALCOHOL 775 

alcohol, and it is not the physiology of alcohol, and it is not the 
ethics of alcohol. 

Alcohol when mixed with water is freely oxidized. This fact 
is of some interest to the chemist, but it concerns the economist only 
indirectly; it concerns him only in so far as it affects man's wealth 
relations. There are persons who assert that in extremely small 
doses alcohol may act as a food for man. This alleged fact claims 
the attention of the physiologist. If men, as a matter of fact, seldom 
partake of alcohol in these minute quantities, this particular fact 
has little relation to the problems of wealth, and can not make 
demand upon the economist's time. If the effect of the free use 
of alcohol is to blunt the moral sense of the user, that is a problem 
mainly for the moralist, and some economists hold that it is of 
interest to them only in so far as effects are produced in the fields 
of the production and of the distribution and of the consumption 
of wealth. But if the individual drinker, or a nation of drinkers, 
finds that it requires more effort to make a living, or that the 
living made is less satisfying because of the use of alcohol, that is 
primarily a problem of political economy. 

Let us examine the relation of alcohol to the business of get- 
ting a living. In order that we may live, goods must be produced. 
In our present organization of industry they must be divided among 
those who are to consume them, and finally they must be consumed. 
Now, alcohol is related closely to each of these three sets of activi- 
ties to the production of wealth, to the distribution of wealth, 
and to the consumption of wealth. 

First, let us consider the part which alcohol plays in the pro- 
duction of wealth. The relation of alcohol to the production of 
wealth is a twofold one. In the first place, alcohol itself a product 
of industry requires in its production the expenditure of labor 
power and capital power and land power and business management. 
Thus the production of alcohol represents effort that might be em- 
ployed in other directions. Instead of employing land and labor 
and capital and business management to manufacture beer and 
whiskey and wine, an equivalent amount of land and labor and 
capital and enterprise might be employed in producing bread and 
beef and clothing and houses. 

In the second place, it may be shown that the use of alcohol 
renders the workers less efficient producers than they would be 
without its use. There is a shortage, then, in the production of 
the necessaries of life because, on the one hand, the production 



;;6 THE POLITICAL ECONOMY OF ALCOHOL [Mar., 

of the necessaries has had to give place to the production of the 
not-necessaries, and, on the other hand, because the producers have 
been made inefficient or entirely unproductive through the use of 
some of these not-necessaries. Lest any reader might think that 
although alcohol has disastrous effects upon a few individuals, it is 
of little consequence in the economy of the nation as a whole, a few 
figures to show the extent to which it is used may not be out of place. 

I. 

Distilled spirits, wines, and malt liquors consumed in the 
United States in ipn. 

Gals, per capita. 

Distilled spirits 138,585,989 proof gals. 1.46 

Wines 63,859,232 gals. .67 

Malt liquors 1,966,911,744 gals. 20.66 

Total 2,169,356,695 gals. 22.79 

II. 

Consumption per capita. 

Distilled spirits Wines Malt liquors All liquors and 

Year. proof gallons. gallons. gallons. wines gallons. 

1850 2.24 0.27 1.58 4.08 

1860 2.86 0.34 3.22 6.43 

1870 2.07 0.32 5.31 7.70 

1880 1.39 0.47 6.93 8.79 

1890 1.34 0.48 11.38 13.21 

1900 1.28 0.39 16.09 17.76 

1910 1.42 0.65 19.79 21.86 

1911 1.46 0.67 20.66 22.79 

III. 

Some comparative costs and values. 

Percentages. 

Alcoholic drinks, 1911 $1,833,643,525.00 

Public revenue from liquor business 300,000,000.00 



Net $1,533,643,525.00 100 

United States debt 1,346,848,636.66 87 

Value of all cattle in United States 1,484,889,647.00 96 

Value of all swine in United States 398,002,878.00 25 

Value of products of all wholesale slaugh- 
tering and meat packing establishments, 1,370,568,000.00 89 
Annual value of products of all flour and 

grist mills in United States 883,584,000.00 57 

Panama Canal when completed 375,000,000.00 24 

The thirty-seven battleships of the United 

States Navy 204,329,000.00 13 



I9I3-] THE POLITICAL ECONOMY OF ALCOHOL 777 

As is shown in the first table, during the last fiscal year the 
American people drank a total of more than two billion gallons of 
alcoholic beverages, or nearly twenty-three gallons for every man, 
woman, and child in the United States. The second table, giving 
the per capita drink consumption for each decennial year since 
1850, shows that that consumption has increased more rapidly 
than our population. In recent years this increase has taken place 
in the consumption of the more deadly distilled spirits, as well as in 
the less deadly wines and malt liquors. The third table compares 
the cost of alcoholic liquors with other large values. Representing 
the net drink cost at 100, the last column shows the percentages 
of this amount represented by the other values in the table. For 
example, we could construct a Panama Canal every three months 
with the money wasted upon alcoholic drink. 

This illustrates well the planlessness of our production. We 
waste all this effort in producing alcohol, and pour it into our 
mouths to steal away our brains, and at the same time there are 
thousands and thousands of little children dying for the want of 
food and adequate shelter. It is almost incredible; but we are 
blunted to the situation, and have accepted it as a matter of course. 
True, it is not an easy thing to prevent the manufacture of alcohol 
and other similar luxuries, until starvation shall have been abolished 
from this cultured and Christian nation. Perhaps it is not even 
a possible thing. But certainly our system of producing and dis- 
tributing wealth is not a rational one if we allow human beings 
to starve and freeze through no fault of their own, while we employ 
a force which might have been devoted towards making these priva- 
tions unnecessary, in producing things which are on the whole 
decidedly harmful. 

We suffer loss through the production of alcohol not only in 
that we use in its production forces which might better be spent 
in the production of other things, but also in that the use of alcohol 
lowers the efficiency of our producers. There was a time when it 
was believed that the production of wealth was stimulated through 
the use of intoxicating drinks. In an earlier day it was customary 
on farms to distribute liquor to the field hands in harvest time, 
in order to increase their daily amount of work. There was a 
general prejudice in favor of the custom, and it was believed that 
better results could be secured by conforming to it. It is not so 
long ago since it was usual for traveling salesmen to indulge freely, 
and to treat their customers freely with intoxicants in order to 



778 THE POLITICAL ECONOMY OF ALCOHOL [Mar., 

increase their sales. Both practices have largely died out, primarily 
because people have come to realize that the earlier methods were 
not profitable. Farmers have ceased to furnish their hired men 
with liquor; not purely on moral grounds. If it were generally 
believed to-day that harvest hands would produce more economically 
when provided with alcohol, the farmer would not be able to resist 
the temptation to supply the drug. He does not do so because the 
workman produces better results without it. 

With competition as keen and methods as unscrupulous as 
they often are in the business world of to-day, it is not purely 
on moral grounds that traveling men are discontinuing their former 
methods of treating, and have begun to be a sober class of men, 
but because it has been found more profitable to do so. The 
non-drinker can be depended upon to do a higher class of work 
than the man who is in a semi-intoxicated condition during working 
hours, or than the man who drinks moderately, and confines his 
drinking to the time when he is off duty. 

A few years ago, the Federal Bureau of Labor undertook an 
investigation to find out the attitude of employers towards the use 
of intoxicating liquors by employees. Employers were asked if, 
in employing new men, they were accustomed to give consideration 
to the use of intoxicating liquors. Out of nearly seven thousand 
employers answering this inquiry, more than one-half reported 
that they required in certain occupations, and under certain circum- 
stances, that employees should not use intoxicating liquors. Many 
different reasons were given by the employers for the requirement, 
of which the most frequently recurring were, " Because of respon- 
sibility of position, and to make good example for other employees," 
and " to guard against accidents." Other reasons were, " To guard 
against inefficiency and poor work," and " to guard against irreg- 
ularity in time, and because of unreliability of drinking men." 

In recent years the tendency on the part of employers to 
discourage the use of alcohol by their employees has been growing 
rapidly. In the daily papers we frequently come upon such news 
items as the following : " New York, July 2pth. As a result of 
an investigation conducted by the management of the Delaware, 
Lackawanna, and Western Railroad following the recent disastrous 
wreck at Corning, New York, an order was issued to-day to the 
employees of the transportation service forbidding the use of intoxi- 
cants, either while on or off duty." The following advertisement 
recently published in the want columns of a Minneapolis paper, fur- 



1913-] THE POLITICAL ECONOMY OF ALCOHOL 779 

nishes an extreme and a slightly humorous illustration of the point : 
" Bartender wanted. Must be sober. No boozer need apply." 

This testimony goes to show that the interests of production 
suffer through the use of alcohol by the producers. We must, 
therefore, charge up against alcohol not only the effort which is 
actually put into the production of intoxicating liquors, but also 
the loss in production which is sustained through the fact that the 
laborers who have drunk these millions of dollars worth of alcohol 
now produce less efficiently than they would have produced if they 
had been total abstainers. Where the intoxicated workman puts 
his hand in a planer and loses an arm, or falls from a train and has 
his legs cut off by the car wheels, or kills himself by falling from 
a scaffold, we must debit the account of alcohol with the fact that 
such men have not succeeded in producing during the course of their 
lives the normal amount of wealth. Then again, where men have 
been unable to do as full a day's work as they might have done 
had they not been addicted to strong drink, we may charge up the 
difference in their productivity to alcohol. Where the lives of 
workers have been shortened, or where men have been incapacitated 
for work at a comparatively early age through the use of liquor, 
the loss in production should be charged to alcohol. Where families 
have been broken up through the use of liquor, and where children 
have been brought up under conditions which have made them less 
than normally productive citizens, the loss in production can fairly 
be ascribed to liquor. Where men and women are confined in 
jails and in insane asylums because of their addiction to strong 
drink, the lack of their productivity is justly placed to the account 
of alcohol. 

When we consider all of these matters together, when we think 
of all the bread and all the beef and all the clothing and all the 
houses which could be produced if all the energies which are now 
devoted to the production of alcoholic drinks were devoted to the 
production of bread and beef and clothing and houses, and all that 
could be produced if the world's workers had not been rendered 
inefficient or had not been destroyed through the use of strong 
drink, we cannot fail to see how large and how sinister alcohol 
looms in the problem of the production of wealth. 

We have now arrived at the second stage of our investigation 
the study of the place of liquor in the distribution of wealth. The 
distribution of wealth is concerned with the manner in which the 
wealth which has been produced is finally shared among those who 



780 THE POLITICAL ECONOMY OF ALCOHOL [Mar., 

are to consume it. The traditional shares recognized by the econo- 
mist are wages and profits and rent and interest. Wages and profits 
go to the laborers and to the enterprisers as a reward for the 
exertion of their efforts. Interest and rent go to the capitalists 
and to the land owners in exchange for the use of their property. 
Of course land owners are sometimes laborers, and receive wages as 
well as rent, and capitalists are often enterprisers receiving profits 
as well as interest ; and so it is impossible to divide people into four 
distinct classes, accordingly as their incomes are derived from one 
or another of these four shares. It will, however, be readily 
admitted that in a rough way, and for practical purposes, society 
may be divided into two classes on the basis of the receipt of income 
from the possession of property, or from sources other than the 
possession of property. 

Taking the two extremes of the scale, it may be said that the 
rich derive their incomes from the possession of property, and that 
the poor derive their incomes from other sources, of which the most 
important is wages. Moreover, the children of the rich inherit 
property accumulated through the means of property, while the 
children of the poor inherit poverty and live for the most part from 
wages. Thus the unequal distribution of wealth tends to perpet- 
uate itself ; " for he that hath to him shall be given and he shall 
abound; but he that hath not from him shall be taken away that 
also which he hath." 

Now any man with a little ability and industry can succeed in 
getting possession of income-bearing property, and thus starting 
himself on the road to wealth, or at least away from the road to 
poverty; but other things being equal, the chances are that in most 
lines of endeavor the ability and industry of the man who uses 
liquor to excess will be less than the ability and industry of the 
non-user of alcohol. Thus the alcohol user is handicapped in 
the start for a fortune. " Late and soon, getting and spending 
we lay waste our powers," the poet says. Perhaps the greatest 
handicap to the alcohol user is on the side of spending. 

Our friend Micawber is authority for the statement that a man 
with an income of twenty pounds a year will ultimately reach 
poverty if he spends six pence a year more than twenty pounds, and 
opulence if he spends six pence a year less. Other things equal, 
the man who uses alcohol to excess is likely to be the man who lives 
in the present rather than in the future; who will wish to consume 
his income now rather than to convert the penny in the pound into 



1913-] THE POLITICAL ECONOMY OF ALCOHOL 781 

income-bearing property. If he has property, he is likely to mort- 
gage it in order to increase his spending money. In the language 
of the economists, he has a high rate of preference for present 
over future income. It is most probable that such a man, unless 
fate is especially kind to him, will ultimately lose his property and 
become dependent on his labor alone for his support. Alcohol, 
then, it would seem, tends to further accentuate the existing unequal 
distribution of wealth. 

Moreover, the effects of the drink habit upon the distribution 
of wealth are cumulative and permanent. Sins of the fathers are 
visited upon the children through many generations in the industrial 
world. The man who uses alcohol to excess, and who lowers his 
own economic position in society thereby, also places his children 
at a disadvantage in the struggle for a livelihood. As a general 
thing they do not inherit the property that they otherwise would 
inherit. They must depend to a greater extent than would other- 
wise be necessary on their labor power for their support. Then, too, 
as a rule they will not receive so good an education as they would 
receive if their father were not a drinker. They are thus doubly 
handicapped in the race of life because of the meagerness of their 
education, and because of their lack of income-bearing property. 
They start out at the bottom of the industrial ladder, and they must 
content themselves with the meaner positions and the smaller in- 
comes. 

Occasionally one emerges from this class, and we are asked to 
consider the possibilities for self-improvement that exist in it, but 
as a rule there is little hope. The children remain in the relative 
positions in which they were left by their father, and if they fall 
victims to the temptations to drink which are likely to surround 
them, the chances are that their children in turn will sink to a still 
lower level in the industrial world than they had themselves known. 
Thus, alcohol tends to produce an unequal distribution of wealth 
because it tends to increase the number of the inefficient and un- 
skilled, and to decrease the number of those qualified to take the 
positions requiring special training and responsibility ; and because it 
tends to divide society into a property-holding class and a property- 
less class. If alcohol were not used there would be a better 
balanced relation of supply and demand in the skilled and in the 
unskilled labor markets. If alcohol were not used there would be 
fewer persons dependent solely upon their labor for their income. 

Thus far, in discussing the relation of alcohol to the distribu- 



782 THE POLITICAL ECONOMY OF ALCOHOL [Mar., 

tion of wealth, we have assumed that the user of alcohol is a 
producer of wealth. Unfortunately, this supposition is not always 
borne out by the facts. The use of intoxicating liquors may have 
the effect of rendering the worker less efficient and thus reducing 
his income, but the reduced income may still be sufficient to support 
the worker and those dependent upon him, although it reduces 
his standard of living. The circumstances, however, are not always 
so fortunate. Sometimes the user of liquor and his dependents 
are compelled to rely partly or wholly upon charity for their 
support. Sometimes they fall into the vicious and criminal classes 
which prey upon society. In either case the tendency is away from 
the ideal situation where every man shall be independent and self- 
supporting and self-respecting. 

It is a difficult matter to tell to what extent poverty and pau- 
perism are the results of the drink habit, and perhaps it is more 
difficult to tell to what extent vice and crime are its results. Var- 
ious statistical estimates have been made along these lines, but 
there is not any great degree of unanimity in the findings. Probably 
the most impartial and reliable authority is the Committee of Fifty, 
which undertook a comprehensive investigation of the liquor prob- 
lem a few years ago, and whose report is generally credited with 
fairness by social workers. The sub-committee of the Committee 
of Fifty, reporting on that particular phase of the matter, states: 

Of the poverty which comes under the view of the charity 
organization societies, about twenty-five per cent can be traced 
directly or indirectly to liquor eighteen per cent of the persons 
studied having brought on their poverty through the personal 
use of liquor, and nine per cent attributing it to the intem- 
perance of parents or others. (The general percentage is less 
than the sum of the partial percentages, because in some cases 
liquor acted both as a direct and as an indirect cause.) Of 
the poverty found in almshouses, thirty-seven per cent can be 
traced to liquor, and of this, again, thirty-three per cent is due 
to the personal habits of the inmates and eight per cent to the 
intemperance of others. In the case of the destitution of chil- 
dren, not less than forty-five per cent was found to be due to 
the liquor habits either of parents, guardians, or others. 

While no one doubts that much crime is due to the use of 
liquor, it will readily be seen that it is more difficult to obtain reliable 
statistics concerning the exact extent to which liquor functions 
as a cause of crime than is the case with poverty. The report of 



1913-] THE POLITICAL ECONOMY OF ALCOHOL 783 

the Committee of Fifty covers the cases of more than thirteen 
thousand convicts in seventeen prisons and reformatories scattered 
throughout twelve States. The figures do not include ordinary 
jails, and therefore do not take account of persons convicted for 
mere misdemeanors, drunkenness, or violation of the liquor laws. 

Of the total number of cases thus investigated, it appeared 
that intemperance figures as one of the causes of crime in nearly 
fifty per cent. It was, however, a first cause in only thirty- 
one per cent. While, therefore, intemperance appears to con- 
tribute to crime in nearly half the cases investigated by us, a 
result which is strikingly confirmed by the investigation of the 
Massachusetts Bureau of Labor Statistics for that State, it was 
almost always only one of the several causes, and appeared as 
a leading cause in less than one-third and as a sole cause in but 
sixteen per cent. The difference in the importance of liquor as a 
cause of crimes against property, and of crimes against the per- 
son, is surprisingly small. It is, as should be expected, somewhat 
more prominent in crimes against the person, fifty-one and one- 
half per cent of such crimes being attributable to liquor, either on 
the part of the criminal or of others; but even in the case of 
crimes against property the percentage is forty-nine and one- 
half. 

These percentages of crime and poverty due to alcohol are cer- 
tainly sufficiently large to compel our attention in a study of dis- 
tribution. 

The third division of our subject relates to the consumption of 
wealth. Consumption, in political economy, means the utilization 
of goods in the satisfaction of human wants. Consumption, the 
satisfaction of wants, is the end of economic activity. It is to 
this end that men labor and save. Now, there have been economists 
who have held that the great principle of consumption is to satisfy 
as many and as intense wants as possible, not any other character- 
istics of wants being taken account of than their number and 
intensity. The present writer has never been able to accept this 
view of the scope of political economy, but has always believed that 
the economist is an ethicist, and that in his computation of the 
satisfactions of wants he has a right to consider moral values. 
However, let us for the moment waive this point and accept a purely 
utilitarian view of the matter. Let our main consideration be the 
satisfaction of wants, and let us ask no questions as to whether 
the wants be for food or lodging or intoxicating drinks or de- 
moralizing pictures. 



784 THE POLITICAL ECONOMY OF ALCOHOL [Mar., 

Accepting this purely utilitarian, pleasure-pain philosophy of 
wealth-consumption, let us ask how the drinker of intoxicating 
liquors measures up to this philosophy in the expenditure of his 
income. Does the person who drinks to excess really spend his 
income so as to get the highest degree of satisfaction of wants from 
it to experience the greatest pleasure and the least pain? Clearly 
not. The economists are indebted to the psychologists for the law 
of diminishing utility which says, " The intensity of our desire 
for additional units of any commodity decreases as we consume 
successive portions." Thus, the hungry boy receives less satisfac- 
tion from the consumption of his third dish of ice cream than he re- 
ceived from the second, and if additional dishes of ice cream were 
given to him he would finally come to a stage in his estimation of 
values where he would prefer a piece of bread and butter to an 
additional dish of ice cream. 

Applying the same principle to the drinker, we find that as he 
approaches the point of satiety in the consumption of intoxicants, 
it becomes a matter of indifference to him whether he spends his 
next ten cents on alcohol or on a catechism for his children, or on 
a ticket for a moving picture show. At this point in his consump- 
tion, the subjective value of the drink of liquor, of the catechism 
and of the ticket, will be approximately the same. The chances 
are, however, that on the morning after he will experience a change 
in his estimates of the relative values of the expenditures of the 
night before. He may feel, the next morning, that it would have 
been wiser to have spent the last twenty cents, which actually went 
for drink the night before, in the direction of the catechism and 
the moving picture show. 

Clearly then, from a purely utilitarian standpoint, the drinker 
of intoxicating liquor very often does not secure the best results 
from his expenditures. For no one will contend that the drinker's 
judgment of what was for his good was better on the night before 
than it was on the morning after. But even from the standpoint 
of the night before, the excessive drinker does not spend his money 
to the best advantage ; for his expenditure is governed by habit and 
custom, and is not a free exercise of his best judgment, such as it 
is at the time. The point is illustrated by a cartoon which appeared 
some time ago in a Munich paper. Two students were sitting at 
a table in a restaurant. One was drinking, the other was not. 
The one who was drinking asked the other, " Why are you not 
drinking?" The other answered, "Because I am not thirsty; 



1913.] THE POLITICAL ECONOMY OF ALCOHOL 785 

I drink only when I am thirsty." " That is just like a pig," 
answered the drinker in disgust. 

The drinking man does much of his drinking, not on account of 
any feeling of thirst, but purely from habit or because of the custom 
of treating, which compels him to prove that he is not a pig, which 
drinks only when it is thirsty, but that he is a gentleman and a 
Christian, who drinks in order to spend as much money as any of 
his fellows. If it is true that men drink from these motives, 
and are not like the pig which drinks only when it is thirsty, then 
it is true that the consumers of intoxicating liquors do not spend 
their incomes in such a way as to get the best results, as viewed 
from the pleasure-pain standpoint. But the utilitarian principle 
prescribes not the greatest possible good for a particular individual, 
but rather the greatest good of the greatest number. But is alcohol 
actually used in such a way as to give the greatest satisfaction to 
the greatest number? The question answers itself. We all know 
too many shocking and horrible examples to think so. 

Here is a little story from real life. It is a comparatively 
mild one, and devoid of the usual harrowing details. 

The father of the family in question is an engineer who earns 
about seventy-five or eighty dollars a month when he works. He 
drinks steadily, however, and finds it impossible to hold a position 
for any length of time. He lives with his wife and daughter. 
He has three married sons, drinkers like himself, who contribute 
nothing to the support of their parents and sister. When out 
of work these sons and their wives live with their parents. 
The daughter adds eight dollars a week to the family 
income by working in a department store. She might have been 
earning a little higher wages if her education had not been cut 
short at the sixth grade. The mother and daughter are refined 
people and good Catholics. The daughter is good looking and of 
much charm of manner. Three or four years ago she met a college 
student at a church gathering, and in the course of time the two 
developed a considerable affection for each other. She invited 
him to dinner one day when, unluckily, the family skeleton was 
stalking around the house. It was too much for the young man, 
and there the romance ended. 

A couple of years ago, the father was coming home one night, 
on the street car, drunk, and in getting off the car he fell to the 
ground and was unable to rise. A crowd gathered, and a policeman 
came to the scene and sent in a call for the patrol wagon. The 

VOL. XCVI. 5O. 



786 THE POLITICAL ECONOMY OF ALCOHOL [Mar., 

daughter had been at church that evening, and as she came near 
her home and saw the crowd gathered around, she was moved by 
the usual curiosity, and wished to see what was going on. She 
was startled to find that her drunken father was the cause of the 
commotion, and that he was about to be taken to the police station. 
She pleaded with the policeman to let her take her father home, but 
to no avail. The officer insisted that since he had rung up the 
patrol wagon, he would have to keep the man until the wagon 
arrived; otherwise, it would go against his record at headquarters. 
She renewed her entreaties, and as a compromise he suggested 
that she might try to influence the officer in charge of the wagon 
when he came. And so, this high-strung, fme-natured girl waited, 
and furnished a target for the remarks of the crowd, until the 
wagon arrived. Then she had to go all through the process of ex- 
postulation again with the other officer, and finally she was allowed 
to take her drunken father home. 

A few months ago the father had been drinking and got into a 
quarrel with a boy who worked in the same shop, and struck him 
with an iron bar. Thereupon the employer discharged the engineer, 
and ever since that time the family has been living upon the eight" 
dollars a week earned by the department store girl. The furniture 
has been gradually disappearing from the home, and now the vital 
problem is : how long will the landlord allow the family to occupy 
the house before he ejects them for the non-payment of rent? 

Sticking to the strictly utilitarian, pleasure-pain view of polit- 
ical economy, who will dare to say that on that particular evening 
when the father fell from the street car, his pleasure, the satisfac- 
tion of his wants through the use of alcohol, was not more than 
outweighed by the pain, the sense of dissatisfaction and discomfort 
on the part of the daughter? And who will dare to say that the 
satisfaction of this family, as a whole, in the course of a year, or in 
the course of a decade, is as great as it would be if no liquor had been 
consumed by any of its members ? 

Nor is this an extreme case of the suffering entailed upon the 
family of the heavy drinker. Rather it is a typical case. Here 
is a girl with sensibilities as keen, perhaps, as those of any of 
her more fortunate neighbors. She has as good a right to respect 
and love and the good things of life as anyone has, and yet they 
are denied her through no fault of her own ; and the shame of it all 
is that the case is not an extreme one, but, rather, is typical of the 
life of the heavy drinker's family. If it departs from the typical 



1913-] THE POLITICAL ECONOMY OF ALCOHOL 787 

at all, it is rather exceptional in that the girl has been able to hold 
the family together through these years. And yet there are people 
who will complain loudly when any suggestion is made which leads 
towards the placing of restrictions upon the liberty of the individual 
to consult his own judgment in the matter of what and how much he 
shall drink, forgetting that it is not the individual that is the unit 
in society but the family, and that on any rational principle of 
satisfaction of wants, pleasure and pain should be distributed 
throughout the family instead of the pleasure being apportioned 
to one member and the pain to the others. 

In view of all these considerations, political economy has this to 
say about alcohol as it is actually used as a beverage : 

I. Its use is prejudicial to the economical production of wealth. 

II. Its use is inconsistent with a wholesome and wise dis- 
tribution of wealth. 

III. It tends to promote an irrational consumption of wealth. 
Political economy, therefore, will have none of it. 

Where, then, shall alcohol look for a defender ? Surely not to 
physiology, not to psychology, not to ethics. The natural defend- 
ers of the liquor traffic are avarice and others of the lower vices. 
But these, alone and unaided, could not withstand the attack which 
is being made upon the drink evil by the forces of light. 

Who, then, are the allies of the powers of darkness in this 
matter ? 

First among them are those who do not know of the destruction 
wrought by alcohol. These persons use alcohol little or not at all 
themselves, and possibly belong to those nationalities whose habits 
of drinking are more temperate than ours. 

Then, there are those who know of the harm which alcohol 
does, but who cannot make up their minds to enlist in the fight for 
better things. Of these some honestly fear for the cause of the 
liberty of the individual (forgetting the cause of the liberty of the 
individual's wife and children). 

Some are unwilling to sacrifice their own thirsts for the general 
welfare. 

Some are under obligations to persons who make money out 
of the drink traffic. 

Some are just plain, ordinary, everyday cowards who dare not 
even think what is unpopular. I like to believe that these last will 
one day be bold and mighty champions of righteousness. And they 
will be if righteousness ever becomes fashionable. 



A ROYAL MAUNDY. 




BY E. M. DINNIS. 

OMEONE has remarked that a holiday spent at Had- 
lands Old Manor is as efficacious as an annual Re- 
treat. Certain it is that no guest ever left Hadlands 
without feeling a better Catholic than before he went. 
Many a statuesque opinion has become a living faith, 
warmed into being on the hearth-place of the old panelled library 
at the Manor; for not only are the associations of the place, with its 
chapel in the rafters, its relics of martyred priests, and its hiding- 
hole, stimulating in themselves, but the present owner of the Old 
Manor has inherited a gift for which the family seems always to 
have been remarkable, viz., that of telling a tale. It was an eight- 
eenth century Brayne who collected authentic accounts of the doings 
of his forebears during the later days of Elizabeth, when the 
political fears of the populace made an " armed ruffian " of the 
gentle dreamer who served the altar of his fathers. These he set 
down, together with stories of his own day, also a day of perse- 
cution and vicissitude for the faithful. There was likewise a John 
Brayne of the seventeenth century, who kept a careful diary of 
certain strange things, that the king's pursuivant would have 
given much to learn, in a cipher, the key to which was only 
known to his adopted son Francis, of the Friars Observant, 
and to his wife Gertrude, whose incredibly ready wits had extri- 
cated her husband from many a tight corner, since discretion was 
not a salient quality in the John Brayne of that period. 

The John Brayne of to-day a sturdy, open-hearted Lanca- 
shire gentleman resembles in many ways his ancestor; among 
others, as I have said, in his possession of the faculty of telling a 
story. He has at his finger-tips, so to speak, all the brave old 
tales preserved by his predecessors, and these it is his custom to 
translate into the language of the " yarn," and recount for the 
delectation of his guests after supper, when they gather round 
the fire in the long, low library. 

Hadlands Old Manor is an isolated, incongruous survival from 
the old days when Lancashire sheltered the ancient faith in its 
lonely, hill-guarded valleys. It stands, a long, many-gabled, tim- 



1913-] A ROYAL MAUNDY 789 

bered homestead of the early Tudor period, hardly beyond the out- 
skirts of a grimy, be-chimneyed, and exceedingly prosperous town, 
which having absorbed the forfeited Hadlands acres, now, with a 
certain irony, bears the name of the old family who suffered the loss 
of a corner of a shire through their adherence to the faith of old 
England. The same sturdy spirit which made unconscious martyrs 
of the sixteenth and seventeeth century Braynes, displayed itself in 
the nineteenth century when a Brayne of Hadlands, to save the 
family fortunes, bravely turned to commerce, and took as gallantly 
to trade as his predecessors had taken to the road in the wake of 
the traveling priest. John Brayne worked well, built up a business 
in the smokey town bearing his name, and succeeded as he deserved 
to do, so that at the present time the owner of Hadlands Old 
Manor is a very fairly prosperous merchant of passing gentle birth, 
who spends his days in a counting-house, and his leisure time in 
antiquarian research, and in the telling of stories, in which his very 
fine imagination is kept well in check by the serious historian's 
love of accuracy. 

To anyone like myself, whose privilege it is to spend every 
Christmas at Hadlands, John Brayne's stories have grown familiar. 
They include all kinds, comedy as well as thrills; and not a few 
tender little love stories. " Psychic " people like to hear the story 
of the ghostly light in the turret, but my old friend John Brayne 
is chary of the occult as a rule. I was, therefore, all the more 
surprised when one evening last Easter, when Hadlands contained 
its usual house-party, he not only produced a story which I had 
never heard before, but one which raised the question of the super- 
natural in a manner that the shy Englishman is usually careful to 
avoid, be he Protestant or Catholic. 

It came about like this. We were gathered round the library 
fire, the ladies, the men, and the children. The latter, tired of their 
romps and rioting in the hall, had insinuated themselves into 
available laps, or perched their small bodies on the arm of the 
easy chair occupied by the grown-up of their predilection. Others 
were curled up, dog fashion, on the hearthrug. Some of us were 
discussing dreams, and those experiences which are half -dreams, 
half-visions ; and someone was maintaining that for all these there 
was a natural explanation to be traced in the mental impressions re- 
ceived previously by the brain, although such might have been 
acquired subconsciously, or at a great distance of time back, as 
opposed to any occult theory. We appealed to our host. 



790 A ROYAL MAUNDY [Mar., 

" I think I believe in something between the two," he said. 
" I think a dream, or vision, may have both a natural and a super- 
natural meaning such may be accounted for satisfactorily by pre- 
vious impressions, and yet possess, concurrently with the material 
explanation, an analogous interpretation, equally striking, and 
quite as difficult to dispose of." 

"Story, story!" 

One of the party, a Brayne of the second generation, a student 
from Maynooth, tapped on the table with the bowl of his pipe. 

" Suppose you illustrate what you mean, Uncle? " he suggested. 
"I know there's something up your sleeve." 

I wondered. I had never heard John Brayne tell a story 
bearing on this point. 

Our host sat silent, looking at us thoughtfully. He let his 
thoughts run on, as was his wont, and then spoke to the conclusion 
arrived at in his mind. 

" It will do for the children," he said. " It is all about a small 
boy." He was looking, however, at the originator of the material- 
istic argument, a young fellow whom he had rescued from a lonely 
Easter in Cottonopolis. John Brayne was fond of this young man, 
a former employee of his, nobody exactly knew why. He was 
not a Catholic, but sympathetically inclined, and sufficiently con- 
genial to his present surroundings. 

The children were delighted. 

" What is the story called ? " their leading spirit inquired. 

" In the old cipher MS. it is headed, 'Concerning the strange 
evidence given to Mr. Whitbourne, Magistrate, by a child called 
Francis, touching the alleged visit of a priest at night time,' ' 
John Brayne said. " I've never told this story before." 

I noticed that he didn't call it a yawn. 

Mrs. John Brayne gave a swift glance at her husband before 
applying herself to her knitting. One of the children, a very small 
schoolboy who had accomplished his first term at Hodder, placed 
himself, with very definite intention, in the lap of his mother, 
young Mrs. Jack. The young man from Cottonopolis threw the 
remaining half of his cigarette into the fire. 

" It's quite a seasonable story," our host remarked. " It's all 
about something that happened on a Maundy Thursday, in the days 
when the very old folk could almost remember the ceremony of 
the washing of the feet of beggars at the monasteries and churches. 

" You have noticed, any of you who have taken the short cut to 



1913.] A ROYAL MAUNDY 79* 

the works, two old ruined cottages now used as sheds. Old in- 
habitants can remember the time when these stood by themselves on 
the edge of a stretch of moorland, known as the Burnfield. The 
cottages are at least four hundred years old, so I am disposed to 
identify them with 'two lonely cottages' mentioned in the MS. of 
my namesake, John Brayne. These cottages, the MS. says, were 
occupied in the year 16 , the one by an elderly couple, and the 
other by a vagrant fellow, who had lately lost his wife, and his 
small son, Francis John Brayne very seldom bothers to give names 
in his diary, but he puts it on record that this small boy was called 
Francis. On the Maundy Thursday of 16 special ill-luck seemed 
to have descended on the inmates of the cottages on the Burnfield. 

" In the one the old lady lay slowly dying, and sighing for 
spiritual consolations, for she was a good, devout Catholic. The 
old gentleman, her husband, had been up to the Manor with a 
message, for there was a rumor abroad among the faithful that 
a traveling priest had stopped at the Manor the night before, 
and might yet be there. The inmate of the other cottage was in 
even a worse plight. The father of the small boy Francis, as- 
sailed by one of the attacks of vagrancy to which he had been 
addicted since his wife's death, had left the boy to shift for himself 
and gone off, nobody knew where. Francis had become used to 
this conduct on the part of his parent, and as a rule he managed to 
get on passably well, but a really terrible misfortune had befallen 
him. I must tell you that it appears that Francis had recently 
come into possession of a pair of leather shoon. The record doesn't 
tell us how he came by them, but you can take it from me that 
he didn't steal them. Now a small boy who has gone barefooted 
all his life, a matter of nine or ten years, will fancy himself mightily 
in a pair of leather shoon. Moreover, Francis was a fervent 
admirer of Master John Brayne. It must be a wonderfully fine 
thing to be beautifully dressed like Master John, and the leather 
shoon were exactly the same pattern as those worn by the squire's 
magnificent son. Francis wore his footgear assiduously, manfully 
ignoring the fact that there was a long nail sticking up in the sole 
of one shoe. 

" The nail was inconvenient, but Francis was a philosopher, 
and he realized that wearing shoon for the first time must neces- 
sarily be an uncomfortable business. He stuck to his shoon, and 
his shoon, alas ! stuck to him ; and every day the result became worse. 
By the time that the young popinjay had realized that the shoon 



792 A ROYAL MAUNDY [Mar., 

must be relinquished, and the point of similarity between himself 
and Master John Brayne abandoned and a back-to-nature course 
adopted, a particularly sore place had established itself in the sole 
of his left foot. The leather had been dyed, presumably, with a 
poisonous dye, and the boy had become what would be now called 
an advanced case of septic poisoning. 

" The child lay on his little straw bed in the living room on 
this the evening of Maundy Thursday. Of course, no one remem- 
bered that it was Maundy Thursday. The parish church had been 
shut all day. Francis' mother had been a Catholic she may have 
told him something about the washing of feet, and the Maundy 
alms. The father was a person of no convictions, and as capable 
as" anyone else of adding to his income by informing on a popish 
priest. That such, by the way, were to be found at certain times 
and seasons in the Old Manor was a fact more than suspected, but 
inasmuch as young Master John was given to bringing all sorts and 
conditions of acquaintances to enjoy the hospitality of his father's 
roof poets who wished to live by their lyres, quack physicians 
who had outraged the medical faculty with their strange doctrines as 
to the virtue of fresh air; young lordlings who had married the 
beggar maid, and so beggared themselves a light interpretation 
could be put on even the presence of a popish priest at the Old 
Manor. Master John Brayne, like many young fellows nowadays, 
had a special and peculiar devotion to the under-dog; but apart 
from that he was a staunch Catholic, like his father, old Sir Hum- 
phrey, and possessed, also, a peculiar devotion to Holy Church 
and to our Blessed Lady, and, I may add, to Mistress Gertrude 
Haile, a maiden 'most religious and intelligent, and merry withal' 
says one record, not John's his terms are those of the devout 
lover but I must get back to my small boy. 

" He lay all alone. The aged dame who attended on the sick 
lady at the next cottage had given him a look in on her way thither, 
as was her wont. She had made him a bowl of gruel, stacked up 
a nice fire on the hearth, and placed a drink of water within his 
reach, and so left him. The gruel Francis had found himself un- 
able to swallow; there was a stiff feeling all over his face; he had 
been bad for eight days now, but the water he had taken eagerly. 
He was not hungry, but very thirsty, and very, very hot." 

" He'd got the fever," a boy on the hearthrug opined. He had 
found a mild attack of scarlatina during term time not without its 
compensations. 



1913-] A ROYAL MAUNDY 793 

" He had got something," the narrator said. " He was tossing 
on his bed and calling out for his mother." 

The " Hodder brat " took yet firmer root in his special lap, 
and slipped an arm round the neck of Mrs. Jack. He was thinking 
of an attack of toothache, and the total inadequacy of the kind 
and sympathetic matron on that occasion. 

" Then there suddenly came a gentle knock at the door. 
Francis did not bother to answer. The hole in his foot hurt him 
too much for unnecessary speech. In a moment or two the latch 
was cautiously lifted and two men entered, clad in dark cloaks. 
One of these the invalid vaguely recognized as Master John Brayne. 
In an ordinary way such a thing as a visit from Master John, 
the hero of his devotion, would have been marvelously exciting, 
but the pain in his foot was too absorbing for anything else to 
claim attention. As for the other visitor, he was so queer-looking 
an object that he might have been taken for an image conjured up 
by a fevered brain. He was an old man, with a curious little 
withered face, the mouth rather on one side, and a scar across the 
cheek on the side where there was most mouth. The eye on that 
same side had entirely disappeared. Master John Brayne's com- 
panion was not a personable gentleman. He stood looking round 
him, with one hand thrust inside his bosom, and moving his lips 
as though he were speaking to himself. Master John carried a 
lantern, and was muffled up to the eyes. He also gave a hasty 
glance round, and drew in a quick breath. 

" 'We've come to the wrong cottage/ he whispered. 'We must 
get out of this the lad's father may be about !' Francis took small 
notice of this. The hole in his foot seemed to suck all his con- 
scious being into itself. The other foot ached and throbbed from 
sympathy, as also did the palms of his hands. Master John was 
making for the door again, but the other lingered, looking at the 
boy. Going up to the bed he said, 'My child, you are in pain. 
Have you no one to look after you?' 

" 'Have a care !' Master John whispered. 'Don't let him 
see you!' 

" 'Goody's been/ Francis answered. 'She's gone on to nurse 
Granny Mace, over yon.' 

" The two visitors exchanged glances. Master John stepped 
forward and questioned the sick lad. 'How long will Goody be, 
do you think ?' he asked, 'before she comes back ?' 

" 'She doesn't come back, she goes home/ the boy moaned 



794 A ROYAL MAUNDY [Mar., 

wearily. Master John turned to his companion. 'You must wait 
here,' he said, in an undertone, while I go and find out if she's still 
there. I'll return for you if all's clear, but don't let the boy get 
sight of you, Father, he may inform.' 

" Nevertheless, when Master John Brayne had disappeared, 
leaving the lantern on the table, the stranger turned again to Francis. 
He went up to the child and took hold of his hand, and regarded him 
steadily with his one and only eye. 

" 'Little one,' he said, 'you are in grievous pain, what is it that 
ails you?' 

" Francis looked up at the queer face. 'I've hurt my foot. 
Oh, I have hurt my foot!' he sobbed, wailing out the pent-up tale 
of his woe, for Goody had taken the injured foot pretty well as a 
matter of course. If those whom the Almighty (the 'Good God' had 
become the 'Almighty' in these new times) intended to go barefoot 
chose to wear shoon they must expect something of the kind. 

" Very gently the old man examined the wounded foot. Then 
he set it down and sat looking at it, with his hands clasped over 
his bosom, as though he felt a kindred pain there. Then he 
examined the wound again, and his misplaced mouth screwed itself 
up into the corner of his seared cheek. The foot itself was be- 
grimed with the dirt of many weeks. Bandage there was none, 
except an unspeakable piece of colored cloth, which the stranger 
removed and placed on the fire. There he noted a caldron con- 
taining some water, and a fair-sized basin. 

" 'My child/ he said, 'can you sit up for a moment? I must 
bathe that foot.' He moved the caldron on to the fire, and rinsed 
out the basin. Then he appeared to bethink himself, and an idea 
seemed to strike him. His action became really curious. He 
threw back his cloak and displayed a fine suit of red velvet with 
white cambric ruffles. Then he worked his mouth into what was 
evidently meant to be a smile. 

" 'Methinks,' he remarked, apparently to himself, 'that it was 
to some good purpose, after all, that they turned a son of St. 
Francis into an old popinjay!' He had taken out a clasp knife, 
and was busily engaged in ripping the white cambric from his dress, 
nay more, he was tearing large pieces of linen from his underwear. 
The boy caught the sound of his name, and was aroused for a 
moment to a languid interest in what was going on. He fixed his 
dim eyes on the odd little figure bending over, both hands busily 
employed in the work of destruction. A little white silk bag with 



1913.] A ROYAL MAUNDY 795 

yellow tassels, which was suspended from his neck by a cord, had 
escaped from his bosom and was swinging gently backwards and 
forwards in front of him. Francis watched it until, to his poor, 
blurred mind, the yellow tassels seemed to be made of pure, shining 
gold, and the faded silk to shimmer like a patch of white light. For 
a moment the child forgot his pain and sat up on the pallet. 

" 'Bravely done !' the visitor said. He set the basin, now filled 
with warm water, at the lad's feet, and girded himself with a cloth 
that lay near at hand. Then he knelt down and very tenderly 
placed the boy's wounded foot into the water. He laved the wound 
gently, with the skill fulness of a practiced hand. In some vague 
way Francis felt that he was in professional hands. Very grave 
and puckered did the ugly old face get as its owner realized the 
nature of the symptoms which made themselves apparent. The 
strange man must certainly be a surgeon. Yet why should a sur- 
geon trouble to wash not only the wounded foot but the other as 
well? For that was what the stranger proceeded to do. And 
then he did a thing that surely a surgeon never did! Taking the 
two hard, brown little feet, he gathered them in his hands, and rais- 
ing them to his lips kissed them first the sound foot, and then the 
very terrible wounded one ! 

" Francis sat up straight. Suddenly he felt better oh, ever 
so much better! The pain had gone, and there came a feeling of 
exhilaration attendant on the exquisite relief. He opened his eyes 
wide, and surveyed the kneeling figure before him with interest. 
After a time he spoke, rather shyly : 

" 'It was my shoon,' he began to explain, in tones of intimacy. 
'They were the first shoon I'd ever had, and I wore them after they 
hurt me 'cause they were so fine like Master John's and a big 
nail ran into my foot.' 

" The surgeon made no reply. He was probably absorbed 
in his task of binding up the foot. He declared later that he had 
no recollection of hearing the boy speak. He may have been en- 
gaged in prayer, for the patient was in a parlous bad way, if the 
symptoms visible there went for anything. As a matter of fact, 
I know that he was. 

" But Francis was quite happy. He continued to gaze admir- 
ingly, and with ever-increasing interest. By the time the bandage 
was adjusted he had dropped off to sleep where he sat. 

" The old man laid him down on the bed, and when John 
returned with the news that the coast was clear, Goody having been 



796 A ROYAL MAUNDY [Mar., 

seen to depart on her way, he found the other bending over the 
boy's sleeping form. The old man raised himself up, drew the little 
silk bag from his bosom, and made the sign of the Cross with it 
over the sleeping boy, Master John dropping on to his knees. 
Then they departed. 

" Early next morning Francis was aroused from his deep, 
refreshing sleep by the return of his errant parent. The latter, 
having heard the boy's story of how he had hurt his foot, and how 
Master John Brayne had brought a surgeon and doctored him the 
night before, became vaguely remorseful for his neglect of the 
child. He had brought some money back with him I won't vouch 
for how he came by it ! and he now proposed to make amends to 
his offspring by providing an orgy to celebrate his homecoming. 
With this intention he set out for the village, where the desired 
luxuries were to be obtained. When he reached it all the place 
was in a hubbub, and for a very sufficient reason. Mr. Whitbourne, 
the Protestant squire of Whitbourne, had arrived at the King's 
Head, in his magisterial capacity, with a commission to discover the 
whereabouts of one Father Giles, a popish priest of the Franciscan 
Order. There being a rumor abroad that Master John Brayne had 
brought a stranger to the Manor a day or two previously, it was 
Mr. Whitbourne's painful duty to investigate the circumstance, 
and ascertain whether this guest was the recusant in question. 

" Interviewed, Mr. John Brayne had deigned to inform the 
magistrate that he had lately entertained a Mr. Jameson, a 
gentleman skilled in surgery, from London. Further details he 
declined to give, inviting poor Mr. Whitbourne to produce his 
warrant and institute a search, if he so willed. But Mr. Whit- 
bourne was a well-mannered gentleman as well as a conscientious 
Puritan, and he shrank from this step until absolute necessity 
demanded it. He hoped first, if possible, to gain some evidence 
from someone who might have seen, and so could describe the 
suspected stranger. This should not be difficult, for the Franciscan 
was a man whose personal peculiarities admitted of no disguise. 
One-eyed, and scarred with the marks of an encounter with the 
king's officers in the old days when he had acted as doorkeeper at 
a secret massing place, the Observant who was wanted for the 
highest of High Treason Mr. Titus Oates had made his misde- 
meanors as clear as noonday was a marked man in every sense. 
Unluckily, however, no one appeared to have caught a glimpse 
of Master John's friend, so the courteously-inclined magistrate sat 



1913.] A ROYAL MAUNDY 797 

on the horns of a dilemma in the inn parlor, deliberating as to 
whether he should put his search warrant into execution without 
further delay, when Francis' father, with his story of how his small 
son had been visited by Master John Brayne and a stranger, ap- 
peared opportunely on the scene. Here at last was the required 
witness. The prodigal father was taken in all haste to the magis- 
trate, but Francis, it seems, had omitted to give a description of 
the personal appearance of the strange visitor in his narrative of 
what had occurred. 

" 'We will visit your son and take his evidence,' the magistrate 
said, when the father, somewhat alarmed, pleaded that the child 
was lame on one foot, and unable to get out of doors. So it was 
that Francis was destined to find himself waited upon for a second 
time in twenty-four hours by visitors of distinction. 

" They set out for the cottage Mr. Whitbourne, his two 
henchmen, and the father of the sick boy. On the way thither they 
chanced to meet young John Brayne. Very suavely the magistrate 
suggested that Master John Brayne should accompany them and 
hear the child give his evidence. Master John made no demur. 
He smiled cheerfully, and displayed all due willingness to hear 
Mr. Jameson's personal appearance expounded. Master John had 
himself well in hand marvelously so for one so young, for he was 
barely one-and-twenty at the time. No sign of perturbation escaped 
him, but nevertheless there was a terrible cold feeling turning his 
heart numb, for after all life is sweet to a lad, and so is liberty, 
and conviction in this case meant loss of the former in all prob- 
ability, certainly of the latter. And there was Mistress Gertrude! 
Mistress Gertrude was at present a guest at the Manor. She had 
been invited over for a special occasion not a dance to form 
one of a 'house-party' of a kind often met with in the Lancashire 
mansions in those days when she set store by the things that matter 
before she learned to grow chimneys." 

The young man from Cottonopolis surveyed the old mer- 
chant who interpolated this comment half apologetically. " There 
is grit as well as grime in Lancashire, though, nowadays," he as- 
serted sturdily ; and most of us recognized the point, and the young 
man from Cottonopolis went up one. 

" Well," our host went on, " as they passed by the great gates 
of the Manor, Mistress Gertrude happened to be walking in the 
drive. Coming forward, she greeted Mr. Whitbourne with all 
cordiality. 



798 A ROYAL MAUNDY [Mar., 

" 'Gertrude/ said young John, 'these gentlemen have a fancy 
to discover certain things about our friend, Mr. Jameson, so we 
are off and away to the cottage at Burnfield to question the little 
lad to whom he showed charity last night.' 

" Mistress Gertrude looked slightly puzzled at first. Then 
she looked from the magistrate at John, and she smiled. There was 
a distinct twinkle in her eye ! You all know the portrait of Dame 
Gertrude Brayne in the gallery how the left eye distinctly twinkles, 
although she is depicted in the act of telling her beads. They say 
that her father, a very pious Catholic gentleman, objected to the 
twinkle, and directed the artist to remove it, but the artist 'sat tight' 
and vowed that the twinkle was nothing but the soul of Dame 
Gertrude peeping out a great big soul it was, too! And he got 
his way, for Sir John backed him up. 

" 'I will come with you, if I may/ she said. 'I am anxious 
to see how the poor child is doing. Mr. Jameson feared that he 
was in a bad way.' 

" The magistrate listened with rather a grim smile. These 
papists had learned to be mighty fine actors all except the little 
friar on whose track they were, whose artlessness had brought him 
within arm's length of the gallows but Mr. Whitbourne was a 
difficult man to deceive. 

" They proceeded to the cottage, the six of them, a curious cor- 
tege. Gertrude chatted pleasantly to the magistrate; Master John 
retained an air of offended dignity. The magistrate admired them 
both. Francis had fallen asleep again when they got there, mak- 
ing up the arrears of a pain-haunted week. He woke up and re- 
garded the magistrate and his retinue with an interest very different 
from the languid manner of yesterday. Mr. Whitbourne sat him- 
self down by the boy's side and enwreathed his shrewd face in an 
ingratiating smile. 

' 'Of course/ he observed blandly, 'the gentleman who came 
last night told you not to say anything about him to me I know 
that/ Francis gave a puzzled look at the intruder. 

' 'He didn't say anything about you/ he said. Then with 
intense interest 'Is he a friend of yours? Is he coming again? 
Oh, I hope he is !' He put the question, greedy for an answer. 

" The magistrate scrutinized the little eager face. He turned 
to his man, who stood at his elbow. Master John and Mistress 
Gertrude stood, side by side, near the bed, the boy's father just 
inside the door. 



1913-] A ROYAL MAUNDY 799 

" 'The lad is honest/ he said, in an undertone ; 'he is speaking 
the truth. We shall learn all we want.' Nevertheless he put his 
next question with all due subtlety. 

" 'He was quite a young man, was he not ?' he remarked, still 
smiling. 

" 'No-o,' Francis said, 'he wasn't young.' Gertrude moved 
perhaps a quarter of an inch nearer to John. There was a dead 
silence as the boy sought for words to express himself. 

" 'He was not young,' he said, 'but he hadn't got old ; he he 
was beautiful!' 

" 'What was he like to look at ?' the magistrate asked, in 
slightly less unctuous tones. 

" The boy thought. He labored to find expression. 'He had 
beautiful eyes,' he said at last, 'and he smiled at me, and his eyes 
were all soft and shining.' 

" 'But he only had one eye !' the questioner gently reminded 
the speaker. 

" Francis laughed. He sat up and stretched out his arms 
in his eagerness. 'Why, no ;' he said, 'he had lovely big, soft eyes ; 
and when I told him that I had worn my shoon when they hurt 
because they were so fine, like Master John's, his eyes got all soft 
and smiling-like, and he told me that he had once had a nail in 
his foot, bigger than mine, and it hurt, too. Oh, he was beautiful !' 

" The magistrate looked across at Master John. He still pre- 
served his air of offended dignity, somewhat accentuated. He 
looked extremely severe. He then looked at Mistress Gertrude. 
She had flushed up and was smiling, and there was a distinct 
'twinkle' in her left eye. Mr. Whitbourne arrived at the conclu- 
sion that Mistress Gertrude Haile was intensely enjoying his dis- 
comfiture. He made the best of the situation; indeed, being a 
kind-hearted man, he was genuinely glad that it had turned out so. 
He rose from his seat and crossed over to young John. 'I am 
satisfied, sir,' he said, 'that your guest is not the man for whom I 
am seeking.' 

" When he and his men had taken their departure, the boy's 
father also making himself scarce for fear of what he might get 
from Master John for his indiscretion, John and Gertrude stood 
gazing at one another. Searchingly the lady's eyes sought her 
lover's. Perplexity was all that she could read there. John turned 
to the boy. What had he been dreaming of? There was no sign 
of lightheadedness about him. The fever was completely gone. 



8oo A ROYAL MAUNDY [Mar., 

" 'May I see your foot?' Mistress Gertrude asked of the child. 

" 'Nay, be careful/ John whispered. ' Tis in a direful bad 
way. 'Twill turn you ill, sweetheart' 

" But Gertrude had already unwrapped the bandage. The foot 
lay exposed. A perfectly healthy place, which had already begun 
to heal, was what they both saw. 

" John uttered an exclamation. Gertrude was regarding him 
earnestly. She said nothing, but her eager face asked questions of 
his inmost understanding. So far he was unresponsive. 

" Then Francis spoke : 'I know who he was like the surgeon' 
he said. 'He was like Jesu Christ.' 

" Mistress Gertrude Haile fixed her bright eyes on him and 
nodded, as one who had heard what she expected. She leaned for- 
ward and kissed the boy, very tenderly and very reverently. Then 
she crossed over to John, who stood gazing at her in dumb amaze- 
ment. She laid her little hands on his big shoulders and looked 
up into his face. 'I guessed at once,' she whispered, 'have you 
forgotten that he was carrying the Blessed Sacrament?' 

" There my story ends," our host said. There was silence for 
some moments. Then one of the children, after the manner of 
children, asked: 

" What became of Francis ? " 

" He became the Venerable Francis Brayne ( for Master John 
adopted him), Franciscan priest, martyred at Tyburn. And Father 
Giles? Poor Father Giles was smuggled out of the country, and 
sent to a monastery in Belgium. He was too ugly to disguise, 
you see besides he had no notion of acting. He died a saint, 
though, if not a martyr, and his prayers wrought many wonders 
even when he was here. You must not forget to ask him to help 
you, young Frank, when you come to think about your vocation, 
for he is a very mighty man of prayer." 



POINTS OF VIEW. 




BY VINCENT MCNABB, O.P. 

AWRENCE SHIPLEY had been a school-fellow of 
mine in the old days at St. Malachy's. He had 
been captain of our cricket eleven and our swiftest 
forward on the football field. Moreover, every 
small boy who got into trouble with a big bully in- 
stinctively claimed right of sanctuary with Lawrence; nor, as far 
as I know, was that sanctuary ever violently invaded. 

He was as keen at his books as at his games; winning equal 
prizes in the schools and fields. Indeed, something of the sport- 
ing instinct of his mind helped him in his studies. To master 
a language or solve a mathematical problem demanded not the 
same but a kindred set of enthusiastic emotions, which made him 
a hero in the playing field. 

No one was so intimate with him as I, who shared nearly all 
his thoughts and dreams. A year or two his younger, I had just 
sufficient boyish worship of him to put him at his ease in un- 
veiling his dreams, and just sufficient boyish jealously to take a 
dreadful joy in finding out what new fields of adventure he was 
minded to win. 

I remember to have heard one of his last and most character- 
istic phrases a week before breaking up. He was bidding fare- 
well to me and to the school, now so beloved in the remembrance 
of our boyish, romantic love. With his eyes sparkling like a hunts- 
man's in full view he said, " Who knows what I may be when next 
we meet, old boy? Commander-in-Chief, or Prime Minister per- 
haps! I mean to play a forward game. Mens sana in corpore 
sano, I take for my motto; and translate 'The head clear and the 
body fit.' Your broken-down folk don't live, as I hope to live, 
by leaps and bounds. They die by inches." 

* * * * 

Some twenty years after, a little pencilled scrawl in the old 
familiar handwriting brought me to the room where Sir Lawrence 
Shipley, of His Majesty's Colonial Service, lay dying by inches. 

His eyes were older and, at first, duller than I had ever 
known in our school days. Sickness had quenched most of their 

VOL. xcvi. 51. 



802 POINTS OF VIEW [Mar., 

fires. Yet from time to time the embers would yield to some 
passing emotion and flame up, as I had so often seen them flame 
before. 

Into the sanctities and intimacies of our hour of talk I may 
not take the casual reader. One phrase alone, with its accompany- 
ing remarks, is the motive of what follows from my pen. 

A loathsome and hideous blood poisoning had made him almost 
a second Job. From the crown of his head to the sole of his foot 
there was hardly a sound spot. I remembered the words of Job's 
comforter, "Curse God; and die." The despairing phrase would 
have soiled my lips if the dull eyes had not suddenly glowed in 
their death embers, as if to stifle my curse with a blessing. 

I could hardly trace a dulling of the new-born light in his 
eyes as he said, " Mens sana in cor pore sano. A clear head and a 
body fit! You may remember my motto. But I hope I am still 
playing a forward game." 

It came as a shock to me that he could almost jest with death. 
I said bitterly, though the bitterness was not towards him, " I lay 
a wager your mind is always clear as clear as when you won the 
school scholarship even when your body is a network of pain. 
You are a clear mind in a stricken body. But that only trebles 
your pain." 

He smiled feebly, as he said with an effort towards mild 
sarcasm, " Wrong again ! Even my head swims. Indeed it some- 
times swims out of my depth. I have to wait patiently on the 
bank till it bobs up serenely." 

Then, recollecting that every deathbed of a great soul is, 
in St. Augustine's phrase, not so much a bed of suffering as a chair 
of teaching, I began the faithful enterprise of asking questions. 
I said playfully, " How can dull brains, duller eyes, and almost 
lifeless limbs play a game? " 

My question seemed to stimulate him, as clever swift bowling 
used to make him take a new grip of his cricket bat. He answered, 
with a suspicion of scorn, " Our schoolboy games were child's 
play. Even the games I played when I was climbing the Colonial 
ladder on the Indian frontier, and carrying my life in my hands, 
were but quiet training for this " 

" This game of death ! " I interrupted. 

"Battle of life," he retorted gamely; and then went on. 
" Our school games were begun and ended in an afternoon, or a 
day. When they were over, we gave our wearied bodies food 



1913-] POINTS OF VIEW 803 

and delightful rest. Now the game goes on night and day. If 
rest comes, I never know when it is coming or when it will go. 

" My opponent keeps no rules. He fouls unmercifully. He 
does not mind hitting below the belt. He seems to take a particular 
joy in putting me down; when I am down, kicking me. He ties 
my hands behind my back, and then gives me stunning blows on 
the head. He blinds me, and ties me and passes me over hedges. 
He guides me and leads me whither I would." 

" What do you expect to do with such a beast ? " I gasped. 

" Why, win ! What else is there to do ? This is merely the 
hardest game I ever played. To win will be the most coveted 
victory. If I win this cup, I win it outright. It is mine for ever." 

I felt he was bent on winning. Yet the old man was so strong 
in me, or perhaps the strain of jealousy I had ever borne towards 
him was so irrepressible, that I blurted out: 

" But there is not a part of your body that has not its point 
of pain ! " 

I rather fancied this last phrase. I felt almost childishly 
pleased when it seemed to reach its mark; though my past jousts 
with him left me wisely expectant. He repeated the phrase slowly, 
as if carefully playing a ball that broke. 

" Points of pain ! Well suppose I grant that meek brother 
body has a thousand points of pain. Yet mounted on the shoulders 
of brother body I see things otherwise than you. To me this 
sickness, which is unto death, has brought me ten thousand points 
of view ! " 

" Points of view," I murmured feebly to myself. He gave 
me almost word for word in the tragic deathbed game of phrase 
making. I had to own he had the better of the set. 

" But is not suffering a cloud ? Is not such suffering as yours 
an eclipse? Is it not shadow and even darkness? How then 
can you state it in terms of light? " 

He replied emphatically, " From a sick bed every man can see." 

" Yes, see his nurse; a row of medicine bottles, and the brick 
walls of the opposite side of the street." This seemed to me, even 
at the time, not an answer but a retort. I was not altogether sur- 
prised when he retorted in turn : 

" When Death lays every man on his back, the man so stricken 
must perforce look up to the stars, the sun, and the eternal hills. 
There is little else to soothe his eyes. Hitherto he has seldom lain 
for long on his back, as artists lie to study the painted roof of a 



804 POINTS OF VIEW [Mar., 

church, or to watch the clouds. Now that sickness gives a man 
no other posture, he must in self-defense discover the stars. Like 
me he must awake one day to a new point of view, even if it is 
a point of pain." 

He was looking up as he spoke from " the master's chair;" and 
I was looking down at the sun shining in his eyes. I felt with 
joy that he was still winning easily from me every set. To tell 
the truth, I was nothing loath that victory should be flowing as 
it did. 

He shut his eyes ; I know not whether through pain or vision. 
Then he broke into a reverie which, in words that add insult to 
his vision, I will here record. 

" Yes, pain is a new point of view. Perhaps as things stand, 
it is the main point of view. The Crucified one day said that 
when He, Who had won hardly a handful of men, should be on 
His bed of pain, He would draw all things to Himself. Pain is 
not the heart, but is at the heart of the world. From that centre 
all things are seen, and seen in their setting; and to it all things 
return as a tossed stone to earth. 

" Men have said that knowledge is power. I have learned 
from sorrow that while time runs knowledge is pain. The leaf 
sickens and dies. Yet it does not sorrow, for it knows not that 
it is dying. The pebble is burnt Jn the kiln. Yet it passes away 
without the cloud of pain, for it is unconscious of its passing away. 
But every shadow and footprint of oncoming death rings within 
us the knell of pain. All pain is thus the pain of death, as all bells 
summon mankind to prayer. 

" How often in the very trough and deep of pain have I dwelt 
on Pascal's noble thought, 'Were the whole world to crush man, 
man would be nobler than that which slays him; because he would 
know that he is being slain.' But at what a price do we buy this 
supremacy over beings that lack knowledge. One who lay like 
me on a bed of suffering spoke of being 'delivered into the hands 
of thought.' There is scarcely any emotion, and certainly no pain, 
stirring on the surface or in the depths of my being that I do not 
know. I have counted every throb of a protesting nerve. I have 
felt the white-hot dagger of pain stab its way relentlessly almost to 
my bones. I have counted every turn of the vise that has fastened 
my brow in a narrowing pressing ring of agony. I have pitied 
my shuddering, moaning self as if my body was a hound that some 
heartless wretch was torturing. I have watched my conscious self 



1913-] POINTS OF VIEW 805 

under the sharp dagger-stabs of pain gradually draw near and fall 
over the brink of unconsciousness. I have wakened up from pain- 
filmed, yea, agony-haunted, dreams to the realities of a body throb- 
bing and quivering with the shafts of disease. 

" Yet have I seen of late that the bed of pain is the Mount 
of Vision. No experience of life has taught me so much as this 
experience of a body manacled with pain. Never have I been set 
down at such a point of view. Laying here on my back I have 
ceased to see the earth; or I have seen it only as a lesser brother 
of the stars and sun. It is too little to say I have seen the 
sun; or even that I have seen God. I have handled the Mystery 
of life. I have felt God's power and wisdom, and the sweetness 
of His mercies, almost as undeniably as you now feel the rays of 
the noon-day sun, or as I felt this morning the agonies of an 
empoisoned body. 

" How human are men, I often say : men who daily praise 
God most, not in the daily alms of sun and stars, but in the daily 
meal. It is not a sacrilege; for the daily bread which God gives 
is a daily morsel thrown to lull the clamorous wolves of death. 
I, too, have thanked God a hundred times for the tender mercies 
of those His lifeless creatures that have lulled my pain and cur- 
tained my mind even in a dream-tortured sleep. 

" I have thanked God, too, that now at length I have the 
meaning of the Apocalyptic word : 'He measured the wall thereof, 
an hundred and forty-four cubits, the measure of a man which is 
of an angel.' I now see that it is akin to the noble hymn on the 
cross. 

Sacli pependit pretium 
Statera -facia. 

Stretched on the earth in the Garden of Agony, He measured 
the world; dying on the cross on the Hill of Death, He weighed 
the world ; measured and weighed it, and found it wanting. 

" Only when the Angel of Death lays man on his back, has 
man the measure and weight of the world. Artists tell us that the 
low light makes the color. The eye of the dying is now for the 
first time level, with the world, into which we shall so soon be 
gathered, child-dust to mother-dust. 

" In the old days of chivalry they made the king's forearm or 
ell the measure of all measures. We, the stricken of Christ, know 
that of all things that pass and joy passes us swiftly as sorrow, 
fame swifter than disgrace the measure is the King's nailed and 



806 POINTS OF VIEW [Mar., 

outstretched arm. And thus I who have coveted, like the men 
of Athens, ever to hear something new, have been granted sor- 
row's supreme point of view; where from I look upon the occupa- 
tions of men, which are but games grown old, through the eyes 
of Christ. 

" Sometimes, too, praised be His name ! there comes to me, 
by His courteous kindness in the very fire of pain, an ecstasy of 
suffering. He draws near me and walks with me in the Baby- 
lonian furnace. I dare not ask of Him to sip the Cup of suffering 
lest, alas! my presumption should go before and prepare a fall. 
Yet when He sends His trusty angel of pain to seal upon me the 
'marks of the Lord Jesus in my body,' I, too, like St. Paul, have 
been lifted up into a heaven, and there in the company of the 
Crucified have heard things which could not well be uttered or 
even understood, except through pain. A fragment of song has 
at these times throbbed through my fevered body. 

Poets vent their soul in verse; 
Saints in pain. 

In that strange ecstasy of joy welling from the heart of 
sorrow and knowledge born of weakness, I have known that not 
Thabor but Golgotha is the supreme Mount of Vision, and that 
even Thabor's joys are only for those who will give ear to the 
Crucified speaking of His cross. 

" I know, now, as I never knew before, that earth has not 
anything to show more fair than the fairest of the sons of men 
stretched out like ivory on His ebon couch of death; nor can eyes 
once seared and sealed by the vision of pain welcome a fairer 
sight until they open new-born in the Vision of Paradise." 
* * * * 

It may have been the mere fire of his old self overcoming his 
stricken body, or it may have been God's gracious visit to His 
enkindled soul, that silenced his last words to a whisper, and ringed 
his shut eyes with a shadow of death. 

I muttered, " Well done ! " He had heard me call it out to 
him a hundred times on the playing fields. Perhaps he heard it 
now. At any rate it was all my stunned soul could find at hand to 
say. Then running quickly from his bedside I summoned the 
Sister, whom he called his " Angel of Life," and went out from the 
shadows of his room into the sun, as one passes from day into 
the night. 



TERTIARY MAN IN ARGENTINA. 




BY JABEZ B. GOUGH. 

T is a regrettable circumstance, not only for the sake 
of science itself, but on the grounds of sane thinking 
as well, that so many scientific men are lacking in 
mental rectitude. Not only is their logical sense 
woefully in abeyance or undeveloped; their ethical 
standards of thought are still more disordered. This mental in- 
competence results, therefore, in the employment of careless and 
slipshod methods, and these in turn discredit real science. There 
is in consequence abroad in the minds of thinking and discerning 
men a well-grounded prejudice against the deliverances of science 
in those fields where she cannot yet claim exactness. They distrust 
the premises, and rightly thereafter discredit the conclusions. 

Against science, as the handmaid of revelation, there should be 
otherwise no prejudice. Science is truth in the natural order. 
It seeks to unravel mysteries which hitherto have eluded the notice 
or the knowledge of our race. The true scientist must, therefore, 
bring to this study of the obscure and hidden things of Nature an 
open and impartial mind without preconceptions, except such as he 
can easily lay aside ; he must follow sane and conservative methods ; 
he must resolutely distinguish between proved facts and experi- 
mental theories ; and in delivering his final conclusions to the world, 
he must bear in mind the ethical responsibilities which they carry 
with them when they trench on the supreme relation of man to his 
Creator. 

To seek, then, to postulate for a mere workable hypothesis the 
value or stringency of an established law ; to bolster it up with facts 
that are not facts, to advance the unproven and call it proved ; to ac- 
commodate the facts to the theory, and not judge the theory by the 
facts ; to be remiss in the logic of sequence and deduction ; to deliver 
cathedratic decisions in matters which lie beyond one's random, or 
to the discussion of which one cannot bring a long and zealous train- 
ing, and, finally, to be wanting the sense of personal responsibility 
for the accuracy of one's conclusions: these are all sins against 
true science, and must discredit the scientist who is guilty of them. 
Most particularly in the matter of anthropogeny to which we 



8o8 TERTIARY MAN IN ARGENTINA [Mar., 

especially address ourselves in this article should the scientist 
guard his rectitude of view and his strict exactitude of proof. On 
account of the difficulties and drawbacks that accompany this study, 
the facility of error and deception, he must be exacting in his tests 
and investigations in its higher and more difficult stages. 
In the consideration of fossil types skeletal remains for 
instance, he must make full allowance for the possibility of rever- 
sion, degeneration, accidental variation in individuals, or some other 
such semi-pathological occurrence; not to speak of strictly indis- 
putable stratigraphical evidence, some degree of fossilization, and 
marked serial somatological distinctions in the osseous structure. 

An eminently illuminating instance of how science can be dis- 
credited at the hands of her votaries, and her just conclusions in 
other fields flouted and decried, has just reached us from South Am- 
erica. There can be no question of the facts, for they come to us on 
no less an authority than the United States Government, through its 
scientific department than which there is not in the New World a 
more authoritative source. The Smithsonian Institution at Wash- 
ington, one of the working departments of which is the Bureau 
of American Ethnology, in its last Bulletin supplies us with the 
facts. They make interesting reading; not only because they dis- 
cover to us the dishonesty of method and conclusion employed by 
many scientists to prove the simian origin of man, but also because 
they afford us opportunity to follow the true scientist in his pro- 
cesses of deduction. Without further ado, then, we will take up 
the story. 

Of recent years reports of the finding of skeletal and in- 
dustrial remains of geologically ancient man in Brazil and Argen- 
tina have been coming thick and fast from South America. What 
between the finds of this- class in the Lagoa Santa caves of Brazil, 
an"d the much more numerous finds of human bones and cultural 
objects in Argentina, South American scientists and anthropolo- 
gists fairly revelled in an overabundance of material, at first glance 
fitted to their theories. They read into those relics not only a 
hoary and incredible antiquity for man, but they saw in them his 
precursor and progenitor; nay, they went farther after the man- 
ner of the Latins and gave him, not an inheritance from the 
anthropoids, but a descent far more deeply specialized in the direc- 
tion of bestialization. Incidentally they renewed the fabled story 
of Atlantis, and proved to their own satisfaction that in the eons 
long past, " before time was," the ridges of that lost world con- 



1913.] TERTIARY MAN IN ARGENTINA 

nected South America with Europe and "the islands of the sea;" 
so that Homo sapiens, taking his origin and descent from the most 
primitive anthropoidal forms in South America, gradually spread 
to and over the other continents. It was at least a patriotic view 
on their part. 

It would be scarcely just to all the scientific men of Brazil 
and Argentina to say that they each individually endorsed these 
interpretations of the evidence at hand. There is considerable 
variance of opinion in the determinations of the geologic age of 
the Argentina finds particularly; but in the attribution of skeletal 
remains to the anthropoidal precursor of man, there is little to 
distinguish the extreme school of Ameghino from the more con- 
servative following of Lehmann-Nitsche. One, for example, 
identifies a fossil femur as a portion of a very ancient forerunner 
of man, which he names the Tetraprothomo argentinus; while the 
other attributes the same femur to " a Tertiary primate, the Homo 
neogaus " or man-of-the-New World. " You takes your choice." 

Professor Florentino Ameghino, as we have said, is the 
most advanced and enthusiastic upholder of the antiquity of man on 
our southern continent. He is, however, more of a geologist than 
a paleontologist or anthropologist; still this fact does not prevent 
him from passing the most decisive and far-reaching judgments on 
fossil remains. On the basis of certain human specimens and of 
certain " industrial vestiges " coupled with the presence in South 
America of certain small fossil monkeys he has elaborated a 
scheme of man's evolution which far transcends anything Hseckel 
ever imagined. 

According to his interpretation of the evidence, Homo sapiens 
or man-of-the-present day is, together with Homo primigenius, 
a sub-species (only a little more recent) in descent from a common 
ancestor, Homo pampaus; Homo pampaus is, in turn, the offspring 
of simple homo man as he emerged from the simian state, and 
from him comes also Homo ater, or the black man, without inter- 
mediate assistance; homo came direct from prothomo, and the latter 
from Homo platensis, and he in turn from tripothomo; from trip- 
othomo has arisen by some slant of descent pithecantropus. There 
appears to be a break in the connection here perhaps to agree 
with his denial of man's simian origin for the Tetraprothomo ar- 
gentinus (the Homo neogcuus of Lehmann-Nitsche) has for de- 
scendants only the pseudhomines (Homo simius, and Pseudhomo 
heidelbergensis). Below him are Hominidce primitivi, from 



810 TERTIARY MAN IN ARGENTINA [Mar., 

which come our anthropomorphida anthropoid apes. Below all, 
and at the very foot of this family tree its roots and underground 
stems are the homunculid, consisting of the anthropops, homun- 
culus, pitheculites, and clenialites. 

We abstain from passing special remark on this elaborate 
scheme of man's forbears in the lower world of animal life. The 
cold disproofs of true science, as applied to it by the scientists 
of the Bureau of Ethnology, will fully wipe it out. 

The Bureau of American Ethnology had for years been oc- 
cupied with the subject of man's antiquity in North America. 
For eight years, between 1899 an< ^ Z 97> its specialists had studied 
the various skeletal remains which were suggested or attributed to 
ancient man in this region, and had amply demonstrated the fact 
that " no specimen had come to light in the northern continent, 
which, from the standpoint of physical anthropology, represented 
other than a relatively modern man." 

When then this landslip of prehistoric fossils, with the ac- 
companying exultant interpretations, fell upon the world, scientific 
interest was at once excited. Occuring as it did in the southern 
continent, northern anthropologists, with the disappointments of 
their own failures fresh upon them, looked longingly to the South- 
ern Hemisphere. Somehow the reports dealing with the finds of 
human remains up to 1907 were singularly incomplete and un- 
satisfactory. Owing to the distance of the fields, it was impossible 
to form a definite opinion as to the merit of the finds. Interest 
reached its culmination when " the apparently epoch-making dis- 
coveries " of the Tertaprothomo (1907), Diprothomo (1909), and 
Homo pampaus (1909) were given to the world by Professor 
Ameghino. 

The American Bureau of Ethnology decided to send at once 
two of its best men to conduct an impartial investigation into the 
value of the finds. And because it would be a question, the solution 
of which would depend almost as much on the geological evidence 
as on the anthropological or biological, an expert geologist was de- 
puted to accompany Doctor Ales Hrdlicka. The selection for this 
service fell on Mr. Bailey Willis, of the United States Geological 
Survey; Mr. Willis was the department's expert geologist in loess 
and related formations in North America and in China. In the 
determination of the age of the pampaean terrane, especially, his 
experience in the vast loess deposits of China would be invaluable. 
It is not necessary to comment on Doctor Hrdlicka's abilities as a 



1913.] TERTIARY MAN IN ARGENTINA 811 

paleontologist and anthropologist. From the Isthmus of Panama 
to North Dakota he had for years carried out the research work 
of the Bureau in this important matter; his studies of the skeletal 
remains of North America had been long and thorough; and his 
final judgment as to the geologic age of man on this continent had 
been decisive as it still is. 

To the ordinary layman it would appear that the Smithsonian 
Institution in sending two such scientists men of recognized ability 
and of tried experience to investigate the true nature of the South 
American evidence of man's geologic age, it had fully provided for 
an adequate solution of the question; but the Institution itself did 
not so judge. In the determination of the age of the various beds 
from which the shells, brought home by the Hrdlicka- Willis expe- 
dition to Argentina, were taken, Mr. William H. Dall, geologist and 
paleontologist of the United States Geological Survey, was em- 
ployed; while the petrographic examination of the rock specimens 
loess, Tierra cocida, and scoria collected in situ by the same 
expedition was turned over to the Geophysical Laboratory of the 
Carnegie Institution of Washington for an exhaustive investigation 
of their physical character and conditions of origin. It will be 
readily admitted, therefore, that the Smithsonian Institution em- 
ployed its most competent scientists to do this work, and spared no 
pains to secure reliable results. 

It can also be taken for granted that no prejudice or precon- 
ceived opinion marred the investigations of the two scientists, to 
whom especially a final judgment was looked for concerning the 
age of those South American fossils. On account of defective re- 
ports, skepticism concerning certain details or finds was of course at 
the outset unavoidable ; work on the ground would lead to more def- 
inite conclusions. 

The conditions essential to correct judgments regarding prob- 
lems involved in an investigation of this kind are so simple as to be 
self-evident. Human remains, cultural or skeletal, of uncertain 
geologic antiquity, must be judged of only from their association 
with geologic deposits, the age of which is well-determined, and 
with the remains of other organic forms, the place of which in time 
and the evolutionary series is known. Osseous specimens are read 
according to their morphologic characteristics, and to the organic 
and inorganic alterations of the bones. Geologically, consideration 
of the antiquity of human remains involves not only unquestionable 
stratigraphic identification of the matrix in which they were dis- 



812 TERTIARY MAN IN ARGENTINA [Mar., 

covered, but preeminently the possibility of intrusive introduction 
subsequent to the formation of it. It should be shown conclusively 
that the specimen or specimens were found in geologically ancient 
deposits, whose age is further confirmed by the presence of paleon- 
tologic remains ; bones should present evidence of f ossilization, that 
is, of organic as well as inorganic alterations; they should also 
very necessarily show morphological characteristics referable to 
an earlier type. Moreover, it is necessary to prove in every case, 
by unexceptional evidence, that the human remains were not intro- 
duced, either purposely or accidentally, at later times into the forma- 
tion in which they have been discovered. 

On the morphologic side there is the difficult problem of dis- 
criminating between the evolutionary characteristic of a certain 
period and those characteristics which are due to reversion of type, 
to degeneration in the individual, accidental variations, or semi- 
pathological variations in general. Moreover, it is no unimportant 
task a task hedged round indeed with many difficulties to deter- 
mine with precision the physical and chemical changes which such 
osseous remains have undergone, and evaluate their chronologic 
significance. 

It is only by the observance of such conditions and criteria 
that anything approaching to a correct scientific judgment of the age 
of a find relating to early man can be arrived at. To accept any 
specimen as representative of geologic man on evidence less than 
the sum total of these criteria would be to build on a foundation of 
sand. Which was what the South American scientists did. 

With the results of the geological investigations of Mr. Bailey 
Willis we are not interested, except so far as he was able to give a 
decided opinion regarding the paleontology of the terrane in which 
the skeletal and cultural evidence was found. The superficial for- 
mations of the pampas and the coast, he says, are of very recent 
origin it is in them that human remains have been found. More- 
over, were the remains as old as the deposits they would be geolog- 
ically recent, but they are younger. Whence he concludes, in agree- 
ment with his colleague, that "geologically ancient man has not 
yet been found in Argentina." 

In like manner, Mr. William H. Ball, of the United States 
Geological Survey, reports on the shells from Argentina, that they 
are all of recent species, that is, species still having living representa- 
tives. The petrographic study of the rocks and scoriae, made by 
the Carnegie Geophysical Laboratory, only confirms the same deduc- 



1913-] TERTIARY MAN IN ARGENTINA 813 

tion from the evidence, viz., the comparatively recent origin of the 
specimens; while a petromicroscopic examination of the bones 
of " fossil " man, brought by Doctor Hrdlicka from Argentina, only 
confirms the doctor's conclusions. 

Having given the conclusions and judgments of the subsidiary 
sciences in this matter of early man in South America, we have 
cleared our terrane, and can now leave the field to Doctor Hrdlicka's 
investigations of 'the various finds, human and industrious, upon 
which such an elaborate and alarming scheme of the evolution of 
man from certain bestial forms was founded. We will be as 
concise as we possibly can. 

It is due to our readers to state, in advance, that in this article 
we do not purpose discussing skeletal and other remains found 
in Brazil. The caves of Lagoa Santa, to which we have already 
alluded, supplied a great wealth of fossil treasure to the eager 
scientists of the country, enabling them as well as some foreigners 
to allot an antiquity of thirty centuries or more to those remains. 
From them Lund, a Danish explorer, infers that the present popu- 
lation of Brazil antedates history; while Lutken, Quatrefages, and 
others assign them a contemporaneity with the extinct mammals 
of the Quaternary period. Our Doctor Hrdlicka, however, icono- 
clastically disposes of all these theories. 

It seems quite evident [he says] that the human remains 
from the Lagoa Santa caves can not be accepted, without fur- 
ther and more conclusive proofs, as belonging to a race which 
lived contemporaneously with the extinct species of animals 
found in the same caves ; and there is no reliable foundation 
in the remainder of the data relating to the specimens on which 
such geologic antiquity could be based. 

Leaving aside as rationally negligible the " vestiges " on which 
Professor Ameghino bases his foundation scheme of the presence 
in South America of the Homunculidce, or small humanoid apes, 
we will at once take up the story of the two bones upon which the 
same authority builds his new, complex, zoo-anthropologic classi- 
fication. In the presence of these two scanty remnants of human 
and animal life, Doctor Ameghino gives his imagination the fullest 
liberty, so that we are not astonished to find him setting aside, as 
henceforth useless, the accepted theories of man's direct simian 
descent. He puts this geological man in a class by himself, 
and calls him Tetraprothomo argentinns. Nor is he alone in his 



814 TERTIARY MAN IN ARGENTINA [Mar., 

enthusiasm. R. Lehmann-Nitsche, leader of the opposing opinions, 
goes somewhat farther in one direction ; for while he styles this find 
Homo neogaus the man-of-the-New World he agrees with Pro- 
fessor Ihering, of Sao Paulo, that during the Tertiary there existed 
a continent connecting eastern Asia with Central America. He 
differs, however, with Ameghino in making the Miocene fauna and 
man's precursors emigrate from Asia to Central America; Ameg- 
hino, more patriotically, makes South America the scene of man's 
earliest existence. 

The bones in question turn out to be the femur, or thigh bone, 
of a cat, and the atlas, or collar bone of a recent Indian. After a 
sustained and critical examination of the human atlas, in which it is 
viewed from every possible and reasonable standpoint, and a com- 
parison made between it and the atlases of monkeys, gorillas, and 
northern Indians, Dr. Hrdlicka concludes that 

There can not be a shade of question as to the human pro- 
venience of the atlas, while the possibility of its belonging to 
an earlier species of man is opposed by the fact that such 
a species is otherwise still a mere hypothesis, that there is 
nothing on hand on which to base the new species except a single 
imperfect bone of secondary anthropologic importance and of 
wide individual variation; that all of the peculiarities of this 
bone fall well within the range of such variation in modern 
human atlases, and that none of its features are more primitive 
than those of the atlases of Indians of comparatively recent 
times. 

Basing his opinion on the structural characteristics of this 
Monte Hermoso atlas, he infers that " it is a bone from a short, 
but by no means dwarf, and probably thickset, relatively modern, 
man." 

He next proceeds to examine, morphologically and compara- 
tively, the tetraprothomo femur, which is also a find from Monte 
Hermoso. He finds it to be a left adult thigh bone, with the upper 
end missing; black and shiny through fossilization and fully petri- 
fied. He illustrates by photographs its similarity with the thigh 
bones of the ocelot, Fells onca, canis mexicanus, and striped hyena; 
its dissimilarity from the femora of the gibbon ape, orang, chim- 
panzee, gorilla, and man. Finally, after an exhaustive study of the 
bone, he concludes that the Monte Hermoso femur " can not be 
other than that of a carnivore, and that, on the whole, it approxi- 



1913-] TERTIARY MAN IN ARGENTINA 815 

mates more closely the femur of the fossil, as well as of the modern 
Felida, than it does any other bone." In this conclusion he is sup- 
ported by the subsequent judgment of Mr. J. W. Gidley, custodian 
of fossil mammals, United States National Museum, to whom a 
cast of the bone was submitted. 

Thus we see that the identification of this Indian atlas as be- 
longing to another species of man rests on the unwarranted assump- 
tion of its antiquity, and of the existence of such a species of man. 
As to the femur, it must be relegated to some ancient branch of 
the cat family. And thus perishes the short-lived scientific 
existence of Tetraprothomo argentinus, or if you prefer it 
Homo neogceus. 

The serial distance between this imaginary Tetraprothomo 
and Homo himself is, from the evolutionary and morphologic point, 
so considerable that Ameghino was compelled to presuppose the 
existence of three intermediate genera: Prothomo, Diprothomo, 
and Tripothomo. Moreover, he was obliged to evolve the charac- 
teristics of these extinct precursors of man from his own inner 
consciousness. This is especially true of the earliest of them in the 
series, Tripothomo; it is distinctly a mental creation. 

For Diprothomo platensis, although a great deal had to be done 
by calculation, still there was some slightly justifying grounds to 
work upon. There was a bit of a skull taken from the harbor 
of Buenos Ayres. As human skulls go, it was not much of a skull. 
It was called Platensis, because it came from the River Platte. 
This calotte, or fragment, of a human skull was taken from the 
oozy bed of the river when the workmen were excavating a rudder- 
pit for the dry dock at Buenos Ayres. In geological age, according 
to Ameghino, it was a remnant from the Lower Pliocene, and was 
carried by a second or premediate precursor of man as part of his 
brainpan. In point of conformation Ameghino makes it surpass 
the famous Neanderthal cranium, so low is the skull-vault; the 
glabella, or bony projection downwards between the eye sockets, 
in unhumanly prominent; while an unusual depression above and 
behind the glabella over the supraorbital arches would afford 
the conception that the face was carried, not vertically as in man, 
but with a decided horizontal cast. 

It is not necessary to enter into a minute relation of Ameg- 
hino's views and description of this skull remnant. We are more 
interested in Doctor Hrdlicka's determination of it. Ameghino's 
description of it has miscarried from the outset, he says, because 



816 TERTIARY MAN IN ARGENTINA [Mar., 

of a mistaken orientation of it. The fragment had been viewed 
in a wrong position. There are two recognized and standard skull 
positions in anthropology, but it had not been considered in the 
indispensable approximation to either. The sagittal line had in 
consequence been given a slope backward, and thus the specimen 
was made to look extraordinary and primitive, not to say unhuman. 
Orienting it then side by side with a modern Indian cranium of 
known provenience, which had the same nasion-bregma diameter 
and a closely related form, he made a thorough study of the frag- 
ment. It is not necessary to follow him through all the techni- 
calities of this investigation. Suffice it to say that he found the 
facial angle to be precisely the same as in a Piegan skull in fact, 
practically the same as in the average Indian; and that the nasal 
notch, or opening, which Ameghino diverted upwards, occupied in 
life the position it would occupy in a naturally-poised head. So far 
from diverging from the facial characteristics, even of the white 
man, Homo platensis might at any time be identified with modern 
man. 

The Buenos Ayres skull fragment [says the doctor] fails 
utterly to reveal any evidence which would justify its classifica- 
tion as a representative of a species of ancient Primates, pre- 
mediate forerunners of the human being, the Diprothomo. 
Every feature shows it to be a portion of the skull of man him- 
self ; it bears no evidence even of having belonged to an early 
or physically primitive man, but to a well-developed and phys- 
ically modern-like individual. 

To banish completely Ameghino's Diprothomo from the pur- 
view of science, Mr. Bailey Willis, after an examination of the 
character of the river bank, finds that he can give no weight to the 
belief that " the unknown workman who found the skull, and gave it 
to the foreman, really dug it out of undisturbed ancient Pampaean." 

In this congenial work of destroying man's animal predecessors, 
it will be seen that unlike Doctor Hrdlicka we are working from 
the depths upwards from the Eocene up to the Recent Quaternary. 
Having then disposed of the immediate precursor of man, we now 
come to man himself not indeed to Quaternary or recent man 
man of to-day but to a primitive being who differs from actual 
man either because he lacked a chin or because he moved with his 
gaze upon the ground. South American anthropologists call them 
Homo pampaus, and subdistinguish him as Homo sinemento or 
Homo caputinclinatus. He is still a Tertiary man. 



1913.] TERTIARY MAN IN ARGENTINA 817 

Homo pampaus is, according to its sponsor, Professor Ameg- 
hino, " the most ancient representative of the genus Homo (possibly 
a species of Prothomo), of which we now possess the skull, and it 
preserves many of the characteristics of the Diprothomo." He 
bases his characterizations on an imperfect cranium, known as 
the skull of Miramar, or La Tigra, found accidentally in 1888, and 
on three other skulls subsequently unearthed. He describes all 
four as presenting the same characteristics : excessively sloping 
forehead, which is not the result of artificial deformation; the ros- 
trum beak, or nose bones much prolonged forward beyond the 
alveolar border; orthognatic denture, that is, teeth perpendicular, 
not projecting; dolichocephalic, with excessively narrow foreheads, 
bulging eyes, and other characteristics. In consequence, " Judging 
from the paleontologic standpoint, Homo pampaus is a species 
very different from Homo sapiens; it differs much more from the 
latter than the Homo primigenius. It is even possible," he con- 
cludes, " that when better known, the Homo pampceus will result 
to be a veritable Prothomo" 

The foregoing summary is not even a bird's-eye view of the 
abundant literature with which Professor Ameghino sustains his 
thesis concerning Homo pampaus; it is the merest quintessence of 
conclusion. Similarly we are not at liberty to give the exhaustive 
investigation conducted by Doctor Hrdlicka into the anthropologic, 
or by Mr. Willis into the geologic, value of Ameghino's conclusions. 
The northern scientists are in strictest accord in their judgment 
of these remains. We will let the anthropologist speak for both: 

If any Homo pampaus ever existed [says Dr. Hrdlicka], it 
is safe to say that his remains have not yet been produced. 
The case fails utterly thus far from the standpoint of geology, 
as well as that of anthropology. If the facts are carefully 
reviewed, it will be seen that geologically no substantial evidence 
has been brought forward favoring any great antiquity of the 
several lots of human bones assumed to represent this human 
species. And as to archaeology and somatology, they both 
demonstrate that the specimens ascribed to Homo pampaus, the 
" earliest human representative if not even a predecessor of 
man " are fraught with no such possibilities, but that they 
point in no uncertain manner to the common American Indian. 
In view of all the facts, Homo pampaus must be regarded as 
merely a theory, without, so far as shown, any substantiation. 

Between Homo pampaus and the Neanderthal man Homo 
VOL. xcvi. 52. 



8i8 TERTIARY MAN IN ARGENTINA [Mar., 

primigenius there was room for a phylogenetic intermediary, and 
Ameghino proceeds at once to fill the gap. In fact, he doubly 
fills it, since he inserts therein two most interesting and almost 
perfect types of prehistoric man Homo sinemento (man chinless), 
and Homo caputinclinatus (man of the bowed head). The skel- 
etal remains of Homo sinemento represent, according to Ameghino, 
a race of very small people, almost pigmies; a slender people, not 
very robust; dolichocephalic; rostrum prognathic or projecting, this 
projection being due principally to the prognathism of the jaws. 
The most surprising characteristic, however, was the union of a 
lower jaw (in which the teeth did not project outwards, but were 
ornathic or perpendicular), and an absolute lack of chin. 

The human skeleton from which Ameghino deduces the species 
of man whom he designates as caputinclinatus consists of a skull, 
of which the lower jaw and the facial parts are missing, and of 
various long bones, ribs, vertebrae, etc. Just one imperfect skull, 
yet this is all the evidence our Southern scientist needs in order to 
create a new race of human beings. He orients the head during life 
as having been carried with skull sloping directly downward. " It 
is for this reason," he says, " that I designate the species, now 
completely extinct, by the name of Homo caputinclinatus" 

Again, both geologist and anthropologist occupied themselves 
sedulously with the question of Homo sinemento. Their reports 
are illuminative, not only regarding the denuded flat, or " playa," 
from which the remains were taken, the presence of comparatively 
recent arti-facts in the cavity, and especially of pigment stones 
(proofs of a belief in immortality), but most especially concerning 
the anthropologic significance of the bones themselves. Two skele- 
tons had been unearthed. The first, consisting particularly of a 
skull and a number of more or less eroded bones, was the skeleton 
of a middle-aged female. The examination of this skull showed 
plainly an average, moderate-sized Indian cranium, not one feature 
points to anything more primitive. The entire specimen shows 
nothing whatever " bestial," or that could not be found in a modern 
female Indian skull, particularly in a woman of small stature. 

The second specimen, on which the species Homo sinemento is 
founded, is a small female skull, probably very slightly deformed 
by artificial pressure after the Aymara fashion. It has been re- 
paired from pieces and partially restored, but the face has been made 
too high in the reconstruction. There is, pace Ameghino, a moder- 
ate chin prominence. This skull is, so far as it can be seen in its 



1913.] TERTIARY MAN IN ARGENTINA 819 

present state of preservation, entirely Indian-like, and there is 
not even a remote possibility that it is ancient. 

We have already seen that Professor Ameghino based his new 
species of man, Homo caputinclinatus, on a single skeleton. It is 
the skeleton of a child, probably not twelve years of age. The 
skull would be small for an adult, but not so for a child. The 
deformation of the vault is due to artificial pressure, and this 
shaping has been mistaken for natural characteristics, and made the 
basis of a new species of man. The remains consist of a few or- 
dinary, immature bones, which show little if any fossilization, and, 
it is safe to say, would not be recognized as exceptional if placed 
with a series of similar remains from, for instance, the graves 
of Bolivian Indians. Such is the conclusion of Doctor Hrdlicka. 
Mr. Willis adds his testimony, too, after a careful examination of 
the ground from which the remains were taken. " There is noth- 
ing," he says, " in the topographic or geologic relations, nor in 
the situation in which the bones were found, to indicate that the 
skeleton is of any antiquity." 

But why follow this ruthless pair of scientists further? The 
whole edifice, so magniloquently announced, but so imperfectly 
builded by South Americans, has fallen in upon itself under the 
touch of their hands. The pampas have lost their antiquity, the 
lost Atlantis is still a fable, man himself has been shorn of his 
short-lived preeminence of years if not of origin. Those de- 
lightful fictions, The-Man-Without-The-Chin and The-Man-of- 
Downcast-Aspect, have dissolved in thin air. No longer will they 
point their ghostly fingers at us, and bid us recognize them as our 
ancestors. We are quit of the whole animal crew, thanks to sane 
science and honest scientists. The New World can no longer with 
impunity be cited to bear witness to man's theroid origin. 

For this specially gratifying result some of us at least can 
afford to be grateful to the American Bureau of Ethnology. We 
can hardly bear gratitude in our hearts, however, towards mistaken 
or dishonest scientists. Their name is legion, and they overrun 
the scientific world at the present time. There is no limit to their 
impertinence, as there can be no bounds set to their infallibility. 
There is now a bare possibility that the set-back which their con- 
geners in South America have received at the hands of our palmary 
scientific institution may restrain their precocity. Still the fool- 
killer may be abroad every day, and yet daily there are fools to kill. 



IRew Boohs. 

MARRIAGE AND THE SEX PROBLEM. By Dr. F. W. Foerster, 

Special Lecturer in Ethics and Psychology at the University 

of Zurich. Translated by Meyrick Booth, B.Sc., Ph.D. New 

York: Frederick A. Stokes Co. 

Those who are familiar with Orthodoxy will remember that 
Chesterton fancies " an English yachtsman who miscalculated his 
course and discovered England, under the impression that it was a 
new island in the South Seas :" and then, in his whimsical way, ex- 
plains, " I am that man in the yacht. I discovered England." .... 
He recounts his " elephantine adventures in pursuit of the Briars. 

I tried to be in advance of the age, and I found that I was 

eighteen hundred years behind it I have kept my truths, 

but I have discovered not that they were not truths, but that they 
were not mine." 

In very much the same way, the author of this volume has 
discovered Christianity. He was brought up (his translator ex- 
plains) in an entirely un-religious atmosphere, and educated in 
unbelief. He made a special study of social questions; under- 
took a first-hand investigation of social conditions in Germany, 
England, and America ; embraced Socialism ; abandoned it as " de- 
ficient in moral and spiritual insight," and finally has become con- 
vinced that " the Christian religion is the sole foundation for both 
social and individual life." This book, as well as his others, Jugend- 
lehre, Autorit'dt und Freiheit, is an uncompromising thesis in defense 
of the ancient Christian sex-morality. 

In view of the modern taste for novelties in the ethics of sex 
(as witnessed by the great vogue of such moral anarchists as Ber- 
nard Shaw and Ellen Key), it might be imagined that Foerster 's 
influence would collapse as soon as the moderns found him working 
his way back to a philosophy of conduct that they have imagined 
obsolete. But not so. His works have had already an enormous 
sale. As many as ten thousand copies of Autorit'dt und Freiheit 
were sold within eight days of its appearance. Scores of editions 
are being run through the presses in quick succession, and we have 
information that Dr. Foerster's lectures in the University of Zurich 
have become, perhaps, the most largely attended of all in Europe. 

It is especially significant that the author has won his way to 
the Christian philosophy by means of insistence upon a study of the 
concrete facts of life. He scorns " the barren modern book philos- 



1913-] NEW BOOKS 821 

ophy," and maintains that " the superiority of serious Christian 
scholars lies in the fact that through Christ their thought is " kept 
in constant touch with reality." His criticism of the ultra-modern 
advocates of a more elastic sex morality is not that they interfere 
with old theories, but that they do not know facts. Of course, 
he does not advocate that a man should study sex problems by 
" passing through all sorts of filth." " Shakespeare needed not to 
be a murderer to create Macbeth." But he does insist that we who 
would philosophize upon matters of morals must first study human 
nature at close range, and neither neglect nor obscure the Briars' 
facts that may be learned by investigation. " The modern expo- 
nents of a 'new morality,' " he says, " Ellen Key, for example, are 
all, unfortunately, suffering from a dangerous lack of knowledge 
of human nature, a pure, complete indifference to what the vast 
majority of people would make of 'individual freedom' in sexual 
matters" (p. 38). This is decidedly refreshing. We Christians 
have been too long suffering under the accusation that ours is an 
a priori philosophy. It must be startling to the moderns to be 
proven theorizers. 

Another particularly important thesis of the present book is 
the necessity of a norm of thought and of investigation. Sub- 
jectivism receives some telling blows in the opening chapter on 
"Anarchy or Authority." Indeed, this chapter is of extremest value 
as an introduction, not only to the question of the ethics of sex, 
but of every moral and philosophical problem. 

We could wish for more space in which to give in detail some 
of Dr. Foerster's arguments, but, lacking that, we have thought 
it well to refer to his work in general terms, confident that the 
readers of this notice will become readers of the book. They will 
find therein an always interesting, forceful, straightforward, and yet 
reverent "discussion of almost all topics connected with the ethics 
of the sex relation " Motherhood and Marriage," " The Artificial 
Restriction of the Family," " Sex and Health," " Religion and 
Sex." Amongst these and other matters of vital, present interest 
is a very sane and satisfactory discussion of the expediency of 
teaching sex hygiene, in a chapter on " The Protective Value of a 
Sense of Shame." 

A HISTORY OF AMERICAN LITERATURE. By William B. 
Cairns, Ph.D. New York : Oxford University Press. 
To Dr. Cairns, of the University of Wisconsin, we are indebted 



822 NEW BOOKS [Mar., 

for a very fair and painstaking history of English literature in 
America. It begins with the amazing Captain John Smith, and 
closes with William Vaughan Moody. Tentative such a work 
must needs be ; but between the Scylla of a loyally uncritical praise 
and the Chary bdis of a cosmic and casual contempt, the present 
author has steered with even hand. His sketch of the early Co- 
lonial writings is not merely interesting, it is candid. It fosters 
no illusions anent the popular myth of Puritan perfection ; and it 
points out very clearly that the once-famous philosophy of Franklin 
fostered " only the prudential virtues." 

Dr. Cairns has undertaken his work with few prepossessions. 
He is tolerant, though by no means enthusiastic, over Walt Whit- 
man; he realizes that Hawthorne, in spite of his mystical insight 
and fine creativeness, was but a " provincial visitor " in many of his 
comments upon the Old World; and he finds Julia Ward Howe's 
celebrated Hymn (as not a few others must have found it!) " in- 
tense but not very intelligible." 

This vein of philosophic detachment dominates the criticism 
of the entire book. Its tone, notwithstanding a certain multiplicity 
of personal detail, is emphatically judicial. Indeed, as we approach 
modern writers, we find this fairness coupled with even less finality. 
As in the survey of Edgar Poe's work, there is an increasing ten- 
dency to push the burden of any conclusive judgment upon other 
shoulders. 

It is regrettable, yet perhaps unavoidable, that such meager 
space should have been meted out to contemporary writers. How- 
ells and Henry James and Mrs. Wharton have done great things 
in making American fiction a force among English-speaking peoples : 
in Robert Herrick's work is a serious attempt to interpret the life 
of America to-day; and we would gladly dispense with pages of 
the alleged " poets " of the Central period for a more adequate 
consideration of for instance Bliss Carman, Louise Imogen 
Guiney, Florence Earle Coates, and that priestly king of the 
" Minors," Father Tabb. 

A MONTESSORI MOTHER. By Dorothy Canfield Fisher. New 

York: Henry Holt & Co. $1.25 net. 

Mrs. Fisher is an ardent admirer of Dr. Maria Montessori. 
She has written the present volume to initiate American mothers 
into all the mysteries of the Montessori method and apparatus. 
The book is more popular than scientific. The author herself 



1913.] NEW BOOKS 823 

calls it " a volume of impressions," and says in her preface that 
she "lays no claim to erudition." She is "neither biologist, 
philosopher nor professional pedagogue." 

The chief idea of the Montessori method is that of self- 
education. Mrs. Fisher insists on this in page after page. 

The first thing that Dr. Montessori requires of a directress 
in her school is a complete avoidance of the centre of the stage 

a self-annihilation She is to keep herself absolutely in the 

background In the kindergarten the teacher teaches, in 

the Casa dei Bambini the child learns As much personal 

liberty as possible must be granted to children A child 

must never be forced or coaxed to use any part of the apparatus 

The prerequisite of all education is the interest of the 

student, etc. 

We do not find all this so wonderfully new. We have always 
thought that Froebel, who seems so antiquated to our up-to-date 
American mother, held many years ago the principles of the free- 
dom of the child and the passivity of the teacher. He was wrong, 
of course, in thinking that the series of gifts and occupations 
which he invented were the only true means of child training. 
The same may be said of the Montessori apparatus. While Dr. 
Montessori, because of her wonderful personality, may have worked 
wonders with her lacing frames, her color boxes and her insets, it 
does not follow that in theory she has spoken the last word on 
the proper method of teaching children. Even if her method 
produce excellent results among very young Italian children grouped 
together in small classes, it does not prove that it will work 
miracles in the schools of the United States. Indeed we are 
very scary of a system which seems to make so little of the 
personality of the teacher and so little of class discipline. Any 
man who thinks at all on the subject can see that there are two 
distinct types of teachers. One dominant mind may so influence 
the children as to make them mere copies of himself, while another 
will cleverly discover the latent powers of the children, and develop 
them by systematic training. 

In the December number of the Parents' Review, Miss Char- 
lotte Mason has this to say on the Montessori method : 

The Montessori method is one effort among many made in 
the interests of scientific pedagogy. What we are saying is 
practically : " Develop his senses, and a child is educated ; 
train hand and eye, and he can earn his living; what more do 



824 NEW BOOKS [Mar., 

you want ? " A child so trained is not on a level with the Red 
Indian of our childhood; his senses are by no means so acute, 
and the Red Indian grew up with song and dance, tale and 
legend, and early developed a philosophy, even a religion. The 
Montessori child has no such chances; he sharpens a single 
sense, to be sure, at the expense of another and higher sense, 
but there is no gradual painting in of a background to his life ; 
no fairies play about him; no heroes stir his soul; God and 
good Angels form no part of his thought; the child and the 
person he will become are a scientific product, the result of much 
touching and some hearing and seeing; for what has science to 
do with those intangible, hardly imaginable entities called ideas ? 
No, let him take hold of life, match form with form, color with 
color ; but song and picture, hymn and story, are for the educa- 
tional scrap heap. 

NEW IRELAND. By Dionne Desmond. Boston : Angel Guard- 
ian Press. $1.00. 

There is little to recommend this book, save perhaps the good 
intentions of the writer. The story itself is uninteresting. Eileen, 
a prosy, tiresome heroine, has wonderful visions of a new Irish 
republic, which she makes a reality through her own labors, ably 
seconded by a devoted lover and a New York Tammany leader. 

The author's style is that of a school girl of fifteen making 
her first bow to the public, and the book itself is commonplace 
in the extreme. And the printers have done nothing to save the 
situation. 

SAINTS AND PLACES. By John Ayscough. New York: Ben- 

ziger Brothers. $1.50 net. 

Monsignor Bickerstaffe-Drew has given us an interesting series 
of Italian travelogues, written, we venture to say, for the intelligent 
and cultured pilgrim, as distinct from the vulgar tourist, " in every 
sense common, who does his sightseeing in a disconcerting suc- 
cession of saltatory glimpses." 

Frequently too frequently our author forgets himself and 
writes with the prosiness of the greatly-to-be-despised Baedeker. 
But perhaps in these cases he deigned to speak out of the mere good- 
ness of his heart to the ever-increasing horde of uncultured world- 
wanderers. 

Seldom too seldom the dry-as-dust guide book piling-up- 
of-facts is relieved by the beautiful word painting of the novelist 



1913.] NEW BOOKS 825 

we admire, as in the author's dreamings at the ruins of Paestum 
or in his all too brief glimpses of Sicily. 

The book is beautifully illustrated. We would, however, call 
the attention of the publishers to a number of misprints, and the 
general lack of uniformity in the number of lines on the page. In 
our copy sixteen pages were missing. 

A SYNCHRONIC CHART AND STATISTICAL TABLES OF 

UNITED STATES HISTORY. By George E. Croscup. 

With a Chronological Text by Ernest D. Lewis. New York : 

Windsor Publishing Co. $1.50. 

It has been said that a map and a chronological table are the 
two eyes of the student of history. This work includes a table 
which combines the two in such a way that, with it spread before 
him, the student has a clear view of the main outlines of the 
history of the States from the first discoveries to the year 1912. 
Taking, for example, the State of Tennessee, by means of a most in- 
genious color scheme, the table shows at a glance that it was the 
sixteenth State to be fully organized; that in 1796 it was formed 
as a separate State from territory claimed by North Carolina, and 
how and when its history merged into that of North Carolina, as 
North Carolina's did into that of the Colony of Virginia. The 
date and duration of its secession period are also graphically shown, 
and all as related to similar facts in the history of the other States. 

This chart forms the most distinctive and useful feature 
of the work. There are, however, a large number of other charts, 
illustrations, and maps, as well as text giving the leading events 
of United States history and of national development. Among 
them a chart which, by the same graphic method, shows the rise 
and fall of the various political parties. 

THE APPEARANCE OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY AT 
THE GROTTO OF LOURDES. By J. B. Estrade. Trans- 
lated from the French by J. H. Girdlestone. London, Eng- 
land : Art and Book Co. 50 cents. 

Every one interested in the miracles wrought at Lourdes has 
read the touching account of our Lady's appearances to Berna- 
dette, which M. Estrade gave to the world some fourteen years 
ago. We are glad to see this excellent little volume in an English 
dress. 

The book is chiefly valuable from the fact that the author, 



826 NEW BOOKS [Mar., 

a tax-collector at Lourdes in 1858, had himself seen Bernadette 
in ecstasy, and had conversed with her frequently at the time. 
He took notes from day to day of the events as they occurred, and 
verified by the most minute inquiries all the facts in the case. 
He sets forth in the simplest language the details of the eighteen 
appearances, the opposition of the civil authorities, the careful 
investigations of the Abbe Peyramale and the Bishop of Tarbes, 
the opposition of the anti-clerical press, etc. He paints a perfect 
portrait of the poor and ignorant peasant girl Bernadette, whose 
short life was remarkable for simplicity, truthfulness, patience 
under suffering, and absolute disinterestedness. We trust that 
some of the sneering readers of Zola's Lourdes will have the grace 
to read this simple but convincing history of the most famous shrine 
of our Lady. 

THE GOSPEL AND HUMAN NEEDS. By John Neville Figgis. 

New York : Longmans, Green & Co. 

We read with interest this new edition of Mr. Figgis' lectures 
on The Gospel and Human Needs. They are written against 
those who would " reduce Christianity to a religion purely rational 
and non-mysterious ; and always appeal to the rational under- 
standing to set aside those elements in the faith which run counter 
to current prejudices." 

His first lecture maintains the necessity of a miraculous reve- 
lation. The unbelieving modernists of our day deny it, not on any 
evidence they can produce, but because " they are dominated by 
sonorous commonplaces about irrevocable law and iron uniformity." 
They forget that "miracles are but the expression of God's freedom; 
the truth that He is above and not merely within the order of nature. 
Disbelief in their reality leads on to pantheism. This natural- 
istic philosophy does not accord with the facts of life, for it does 
not take into account the " freedom of the will." " The idea of the 
miraculous and its content in the revelation of Jesus Christ can alone 
save us from confusing God with the creation which is His Will." 

The second lecture is directed against that unbelieving spirit 
which would " strip the Christian faith of every wonder and 
mystery; which would reject the strange birth as materialistic, 
the physical resurrection as unscientific, sacramental grace as mag- 
ical, and make our Lord's deity disappear in a cloud of phrases. 

It is not to culture, as such, that the Gospel ever can or ever 

does address itself, but to the common heart of common men and 



1913-] NEW BOOKS 827 

women, on fire with life and love, torn with struggle and loss and 
sin, and appalled by death." 

With this in mind, Mr. Figgis gives us not arguments de- 
manded by the dilettante modernist, but the simple argument of 
the man in the street. " He (the plain man) feels that in all 
things there is mystery, and that what is the constant factor of his 

inner being is somehow part of the stuff of the universe 

He knows that, though you may explain the world, he remains 
inexplicable to himself. He feels that there must be reality in 
that love and joy and willing resolve, which are the deepest and most 
real things in his life." 

The third lecture on The Historic Christ shows clearly that 
you cannot expect men to follow out the teaching of Christ, if 
you rob them of the dogma of His Divinity and the fact of His 
Resurrection. " Convince them in regard to the story of Jesus 
that it is not true, but only a symbol of the religious aspiration of 
ages, and men will repudiate either in scorn or in sorrow the claims 
of the Church to be the home of the soul." 

The fourth lecture on sin and forgiveness is most suggestive. 
" It is vain and even silly," he tells us, " to expect to convince men 
of the need of a Savior who are as yet untroubled by conscience." 
The man of the new dogmatism knows nothing of the Christian 
concept of sin. " It is a survival from the animal stage gradually 
and inevitably working itself out; or it is a morbid illusion based 
on a fallacious belief in freedom and fostered by priests; or it 
carries its own forgiveness, provided we eschew a mawkish peni- 
tence and stand upright before God; or it is essentially unpardon- 
able, and all talk of atonement is moonshine." Again Mr. Figgis 
appeals to the man in the street, and shows how he, unspoiled by 
modern subjectivism, believes most firmly in the reality of sin, and 
cries out most fervently for forgiveness. 

Frequently Mr. Figgis asserts that true religion is built upon 
" life " and not upon " reason," and he is constantly referring 
us to the proof adduced from " religious experience." But unlike 
modern pragmatists, whose final goal is an empty subjectivism, 
our author makes it clear that he is merely dealing with those 
various dispositions of the will which help one to believe. We 
know that fanaticism, superstition, and many a false cult have 
been founded on the shaky basis of religious experience, but every 
Catholic must assert the reality of such experience. He has simply 
to read the lives of the Saints. 



828 NEW BOOKS [Mar., 

There are many things in this volume which a Catholic cannot 
accept, although he may be in perfect agreement with the general 
trend of the argument. What a great pity it is that Mr. Figgis 
fails to realize his great disadvantage in his fight against the new 
theology. The Broad Churchmen of his national Church will con- 
tinue to defend their reduced Christianity on the Protestant prin- 
ciple of private judgment. Only in the Church of St. Peter's 
See is there an infallible objective witness to the fact of Divine 
Revelation, to the existence of mysteries in the supernatural order, 
and to the Divinity of Jesus Christ. 

OUR REASONABLE SERVICE. By Vincent J. McNabb, O.P. 

New York: Benziger Brothers. $1.10 net. 

Father McNabb, in these very suggestive essays, endeavors 
to treat some of the deep things of God in a language the age 
will understand. In words that remind one forcibly of Father 
Hecker, he writes : " The duty of every earnest Catholic apostle 
who would Catholicize the modern mind must be to grasp its 
meaning. He must understand it before he can convert it. He 
must learn the language before he can translate his religious ideas 
into it. He must doggedly set about the task of accepting the pecu- 
liar and often barbarous terminology of the men he would in- 
fluence." 

Father McNabb has succeeded admirably in entering into the 
viewpoint of his opponents, and yet there has never been the slightest 
danger of our " taking him for a Kantian, because he did his best to 
understand Kant." Some have criticized his paper on Resurrection 
and Faith. In it he asserts that St. Thomas, with characteristic 
accuracy, rests faith itself in the Divinity of Jesus Christ, and 
he argues against the view that the Resurrection is the founda- 
tion or the main foundation thereof. He styles this common 
thesis of our theological manuals a modern development, unknown 
to the great masters like St. Thomas, Suarez, Bellarmine, and 
Petavius. He disagrees with those who hold that the Resurrection 
is both an object of Faith and a means of Faith. According to his 
reading of St. Thomas it is only an object of Faith. Perhaps the 
most thoughtful study of all is that entitled Logic and Faith. 
As usual he traces back to St. Thomas all that is essentially correct 
in the viewpoint of three modern philosophers who have discussed 
the noetic problem of faith Kant, Newman, and Lotze. 

He writes : 



1913-] NEW BOOKS 829 

What Kant and Newman and Lotze had succeeded in dis- 
covering, St. Thomas had already analyzed from his own 
scholastic standpoint as early as the thirteenth century. With 
sureness of vision he had seen that the act of belief was not 
a mere intellectual act, but included an emotional or volitional 
element. He had been led to this point of view by St. Paul's 
doctrine that " faith without love is dead," and by the Master's 
mysterious blessing upon " the clean of heart, for they shall 
see God." Nor should there be any doubt that this is the solu- 
tion of the difficulty. A thinking mind must come at length to 
recognize that truth is not a matter of one department of the 
understanding, nor even of the intellect in its totality. Every 
afferent faculty is an avenue of truth. 

We would also call a special attention to the comparative 
study of Newman and Spencer. 

Spencer was self-taught. Newman had the stamp of a uni- 
versity education. Each bore through life the effects of his 
earliest environment Spencer's First Principles is as or- 
derly and as clear as a book of Euclid; which means that to 

thinking minds it is as unpersuasive as a nursery tale 

Spencer could hardly help being clear Newman could 

hardly fail to be obscure. The simplest and the most truthful 
man of his day, he impressed men of the type of Kingsley 
with a sense of duplicity, and even of untruth. To him every- 
thing opened up a vista. There was no Law of Nature; but 
countless and indefinitely intersecting laws in nature. Clear 
general statements he shunned. He had little faith in mere 

words Spencer was a master word-builder. The fine 

scorn that Newman heaps on notional ideas, and still more on 
notional terms, had lessons for Spencer had he been capable of 
being taught. 

THE WOMAN HATER. By J. A. H. Cameron. New York: 
The Christian Press Association Publishing Co. $1.25 net. 
Captain Roderick, the Woman Hater, is always proving his 
hatred of the fair sex by overwhelming them with kindness, though 
he himself remains heart-free to the end. He helps the needy ones 
with money without revealing his identity, and successfully con- 
trives to secure to the love-sick their longed-for partners. 

The Captain is a philosopher with an inexhaustible fund of 
humor. He is interesting from start to finish, and no matter 
what his topic of conversation may be with Bill Bones of The 



830 NEW BOOKS [Mar., 

New York Thunderer, he ever manages to hit the nail straight 
on the head. 

In his homely way, he denounces modern fads in education 
and modern styles in hats; he scorns the hypocritical prohibitionist 
and the upstart social climber; he laughs out of court the empty- 
headed English aristocrat and the dishonest, scheming politician. 
He tells most eloquently what kind of a girl a young man ought 
to marry, and warns us never to leave the old friends for the new. 
We were pleased when the old smuggler got his cargo of spirits 
from St. Pierre safely into the port of Halifax, and a thrill went 
through us when he landed his first salmon in the Poodley-Poodley- 
Poo pool. Altogether it is a good book for the blues. 

SPIRITUAL EXERCISES FOR THE PURGATIVE, ILLUMI- 
NATIVE, AND UNITIVE WAYS. By J. Michael of Cou- 
tances, Forty-fifth General of the Carthusian Order, A. D. 
1597. Translated by Rev. Kenelm Digby Best, Priest of the 
Oratory. St. Louis: B. Herder. $1.35. 
At the very time when an iniquitous English Queen was 
torturing and beheading large numbers of Carthusian Friars, her 
loyal subjects, their General was engaged upon a work which, 
one day translated, should be welcomed as a treasure of spiritual 
riches by Religious Communities in England and in English-speak- 
ing countries. None but a saint could have written these Spiritual 
Exercises, which are impregnated throughout with the utmost humil- 
ity and self-contempt joined to the most ardent love. 

An indication of the value of the work may be gathered 
from the fact that Father Baker, author of Sancta Sophia, speaks 
highly of it and recommends it for the use of Religious. 

As all great minds think alike, it is not surprising to find 
similarities of thought and expression in the works of holy men. 
In the exercises of Michael of Coutances, one is constantly reminded 
of the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius. Nor is this surprising, 
since both authors aim at union with God through the purgative 
and illuminative states of the soul. In the book before us, there 
is an almost infinite variety of affections and prayers, which should 
prove of inestimable benefit to the soul when troubled by dryness 
or desolation. Ten meditations, suitable to a soul already in the 
Unitive Way, are given in Latin. Doubtless, the learned translator 
intends these for the favored few, as he states in his preface: 
" those likely to reach it (the Unitive Way) will probably prefer 



1913-] NEW BOOKS 831 

it in the Latin." But even without these ten meditations, the 
book is a vast repertoire of prayers and meditations, and as such 
should find a place in the libraries of Religious Communities. 

IN ST. DOMINIC'S COUNTRY. By C. M. Antony. New York : 
Longmans, Green & Co. $1.60 net. 

This is a loving attempt, on the part of the author, to stir 
up devotion to the great St. Dominic by a description of his sojourn 
in France from 1205-1219; of the various places he visited, and 
of his apostolic labors during that period, when he combated so 
zealously and so successfully the various heresies with which the 
Spirit of Evil inspired the victims of his diabolical suggestions. 
This book will be cordially received by all true clients of St. 
Dominic. The scenes of the Saint's labors and miracles are vividly 
described, and the beautiful pictures with which the book is lavishly 
adorned increase the reader's interest. The author has spared no 
pains to make the work accurate historically and geographically, 
and in an appendix there is an interesting account of the Catharist 
heresy. 

< 

THE BLESSED EUCHARIST: BELIEF OF THE EARLY ENG- 
LISH CHURCH. By the Most Rev. T. J. Carr, D.D., Arch- 
bishop of Melbourne. Melbourne: The Australian Catholic 
Truth Society, i penny. 

The gratuitous assertion of a Melbourne . lecturer, "that the 
doctrine of the Real Presence did not gain a firm footing in 
England till the ninth or tenth century " a statement in which 
he afterwards included the whole of Europe, until the Norman 
Conquest, A. D. 1066 drew forth no less a champion of England's 
ancient faith than the Archbishop of Melbourne. One is grateful 
to the blunderer for having been the occasion of so adequate a 
reply. As becomes the Shepherd of his flock, a watchman on the 
towers of Israel, His Grace, promptly, gave two lectures, in which, 
with masterly precision, he marshalls his cloud of witnesses, 
including St. Jerome and St. John Chrysostom, Gildas the Wise, 
Venerable Bede, and on to the days of King Athelstan, 938, and 
of Odo, Archbishop of Canterbury, 943. Even to a well-instructed 
Catholic, the array of documentary proof is surprising. A facsimile 
of a page from the Stowe Missal (Anglo-Saxon days) and of 
the Roman Missal, as used to-day by every priest, proves conclu- 
sively the identity of belief. The page is part of the Canon of 



832 NEW BOOKS [Mar., 

the Mass, and the Encyclopedia Britannica assigns it to the sixth 
century. 

A HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES FOR GRAMMAR 

SCHOOLS. By Messrs. Thwaites and Kendall. Boston: 

Houghton, Mifflin Co. $1.00 net. 

This book claims to be, and is, a teacher's book. The authors 
have exercised discrimination and sympathy in the selection of 
events and incidents for presentation to children of grammar 
school age. We use the word " sympathy " advisedly, for many 
compilers of school histories seem to forget the limitations of youth- 
ful capacities ; hence the history lesson becomes a running translation 
into simpler language. 

The reviews are frequent and useful, also the questions and 
suggestions at the end of each period are valuable aids to the 
teacher. The subjects for composition are much too prominent, 
but, of course, the use of all is not obligatory. 

The treaties with foreign countries are made very clear to the 
minds of the pupils. The maps are not overcrowded, and, there- 
fore, are explanatory and to the point, but the illustrations are 
not so good or clear. The weight of the book is something of a 
drawback, which is a pity, for its contents are so well adapted 
to those for whom it is designed. 

THE HISTORY OF THE ROMAN BREVIARY. By Monsignor 
Pierre Batiffol. Translated by Atwell M. Y. Baylay. From 
the third French edition. New York: Longmans, Green & 
Co. $3.00 net. 

Monsignor Batiffol's excellent critical history of the Roman 
Breviary has already been reviewed in the pages of THE CATHOLIC 
WORLD. It sketches accurately the development of the canonical 
hours from the beginning to our own times. Many of the changes 
suggested by Monsignor Batiffol have been followed out by Pius 
X. in his latest reform, and perhaps the next few years may see an- 
other suggestion realized, when the old hymnology will resume 
its due place of honor. 

On many points he has modified his original assertions of 
twenty years ago, although, as he says himself : " the main lines 
of my book have been adhered to, the fundamental theses have 
been strengthened, their documentary justification has been veri- 
fied and enriched. I admire," he adds, with that touch of sar- 



1913-] NEW BOOKS 833 

casm which has made him quite a few enemies, " the authors who 
have no need to correct their statements, and never write anything 
that is not absolutely final. For us historians, there are always 
the details to verify, and of these details there are no end." 

The translation is admirably done, and well merits the praise 
bestowed upon it by the author himself. The translator neatly 
returns the compliment by declaring and all will agree with him 
" that of all the histories of the Breviary, Monsignor Batiffol's 
is the best. And in this edition he has very materially improved it." 

A supplementary chapter has been added on the new legislation 
of the present Pontiff, and the conclusion of the French edition 
has been omitted. We need hardly say that the publishers have 
given us a perfect piece of bookmaking. We would advise all 
priests to read, in connection with this scholarly volume, Rev. 
Edward Burton's The New Psalter and Its Use, a work on the 
rubrics of the Breviary published by the same firm. 

HISTORY OF THE ROYAL FAMILY OF ENGLAND. By Fred. 

G. Bagshawe. Vols. I. and II. St. Louis: B. Herder. 

$6.00. 

Mr. Bagshawe tells us in his preface that he has no inten- 
tion of writing a complete history of the English royal family. 
" What I propose to do," he says, " is to give a short account of 
what I may call the private, as opposed to the public, history of 
the several- kings and queens, of their children, and of such of 
their immediate descendants or relatives as have played any part 
in English history, or have lived in England." 

He further on disclaims " once and for all any pretense to 
originality or antiquarian research," and declares that any reader 
of ordinary industry might learn the details he records from " well- 
known and tolerably accessible works." But we feel confident 
that not one man in a million would ever dare attempt the arduous 
task of tracing out so carefully the family connections, legitimate 
and illegitimate, of all the rulers of England from the Norman con- 
quest to the days of Queen Victoria. 

There are a great number of brief but accurately drawn 
character sketches throughout these two interesting volumes. 

Mr. Bagshawe makes no attempt to furnish a complete bibli- 
ography of the works he has consulted, or to give us the authorities 
for some of his extraordinary statements. Still he refers us to more 
than fifty volumes on particular personages, and he is fond of calling 
VOL. xcvi. 53. 



834 NEW BOOKS [Mar., 

to task writers like Miss Strickland and Froude. He frequently 
quotes the historical plays of Shakespeare, and the historical novels 
of Scott, Thackeray, Lytton, and Miss Yonge, at times agreeing 
with their delineations of character, but more often correcting, 
what he terms, their mistakes and inaccuracies. 

Mr. Bagshawe is most untrustworthy, when he discusses the 
divorces in the so-called Royal Caste. He says over and over 
again that though 

the Catholic Church has at no time recognized the possibility 
of divorcing two persons once lawfully married, it must be 
admitted that in the Middle Ages, when a marriage between two 
persons of sufficient rank was found to be inconvenient, it was 
remarkably easy to obtain a declaration that the parties had 
never been lawfully married, and thus practically to obtain all 

the advantages of a divorce As a matter of fact, nearly all 

those who may be called of the Royal Caste were related one 
to the other within the prohibited degree, and it seems to have 
been no one's business to see that, when two persons, however 
illustrious, were married, proper inquiries as to their relation- 
ship were made, or proper dispensation granted. 

Moreover, without the slightest historical warrant, he asserts 
that Pope Clement VII. would have gladly granted a divorce to 
Henry VIII. if Queen Catherine had only consented. 

The author's style is rather careless and slovenly; he fre- 
quently repeats phrases, and seems at a loss how to connect his 
sentences. 

The most valuable part of the work is the list of twenty- 
six genealogical tables, enabling us at a glance to trace the relation- 
ship of the more than seven hundred names which are mentioned 
in the two volumes. 

HOSPITAL SOCIETY ADDRESSES. By Henry Sebastian Boro- 
den. New York: Benziger Brothers. 70 cents net. 
This work contains forty addresses, which were delivered 
at various times, to the London Hospital Visiting Society, composed 
of two classes, the visitors and the assistants, the former who look 
after the patients in the ward, the latter who see them on their 
return home. Naturally, such a Society would have as the majority 
of its members lay persons imbued with a tender charity, and gifted 
with sincere sympathy for the sick and suffering. 



1913.] NEW BOOKS 835 

The preacher, Father H. S. Bowden, of the London Oratory, 
strives to train his audience to the just perception and continual 
practice of those virtues which will be most appreciated by the 
sick and suffering, and will make their charitable visits a source 
of consolation to the visited, and a mine of spiritual riches to the 
visitor. 

But the chief merit of the book is that it may be used as 
spiritual reading by any devout Catholic, as it is by no means 
restricted in its scope, but touches upon such subjects as : Prepara- 
tion for Death; Prudence; Faith; Purity of Intention; Devotion 
to Our Lady; Considerations upon the Passion of Our Lord. 
Each of the forty chapters is complete in itself, and thus the pious 
reader may, with the utmost facility, suit the varying moods which 
often, without any apparent reason, take possession of the soul. 

PENAL PHILOSOPHY. By Gabriel Tarde. Translated from 
the French by Rapelje Howell, Esq. Boston: Little, Brown 
& Co. $5.00 net 

Professor Gabriel Tarde's book on Penal Philosophy is the 
fifth volume in the Modern Criminal Science Series, which is being 
translated and published under the auspices of the American In- 
stitute of Criminal Law and Criminology. The author was a 
magistrate for many years, and later a professor of his subject 
at the College of France. The capable work done by Dr. Tarde 
in his earlier volumes on the Underground Criminal and Compara- 
tive Criminology make it certain that his treatment of the subject 
in the present work will be thorough, practical, and detailed. R. H. 
Gault, Editor of The Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology, 
writes an introduction to the English version. The following ex- 
tract from it will, perhaps, be the best presentation of this book to 
American readers. 

Throughout the present work, Professor Tarde maintains a 
sufficient balance between conservatism and progressivism to 
commend him to those who believe, as the present writer does, 
that in criminology (including penology) we are in our genera- 
tion trying many experiments: that in many respects we are 
wiser than our fathers; that in many other respects we do not 
yet know how much, if at all, wiser we may be than they. The 
event of experimentation will prove. 

There is probably no other volume published in recent years that 



836 NEW BOOKS [Mar., 

will serve to show how unsettled are the views of students of the 
various sciences relating to the criminal and his treatment. 

Yet there is an immense amount of information in the volume, 
and the author has done much to upset all of Lombroso's theories. 
He has particularly emphasized the fact that the criminal type 
has no existence. Now that many photographs of criminals have 
been made, they are found " to resemble ordinary photographic 
albums of one's friends." The head of a rogue, as Topinard said, 
" resembles, as a rule, the head of an honest man." The supposed 
atavistic reversion of the criminal, by which he approaches the sim- 
ian type, is contradicted by further research and deeper knowledge. 
As Professor Tarde remarks, "this simian type has served else- 
where as an envelope for remarkable personages of a high degree of 
morality. Robert Bruce, the liberator of Scotland, had, as we 
know, a skull formed like that of the man of Neanderthal, who was 
the most monkey-like of prehistoric men." 

Everywhere the cock-sure theories regarding social and moral 
sciences, now known to have been built on insecure foundations, 
are now giving way to real scientific hesitancy, and a readiness to 
say " we do not know." 

THE TRAGEDY OF FOTHERINGAY. Founded on the Journal 
of D. Burgoing, Physician to Mary Queen of Scots, and on 
unpublished MS. documents. By the Hon. Mrs. Maxwell- 
Scott. London: Sands & Co. $1.00. 

Whatever judgment one may have about the conduct of Mary, 
Queen of Scots, while actively at the head of her turbulent state, 
one cannot but admire her royal behavior during her long imprison- 
ment in England. The story of those hard years is faithfully and 
sympathetically told by Mrs. Maxwell- Scott, a third impression of 
whose book on the subject has recently appeared. 

YOUR NEIGHBOR AND YOU. By Rev. Edward F. Garesche, 

S.J. New York: Apostleship of Prayer. 50 cents. 

The chapters of this book have already appeared in various 

periodicals, chiefly in the Messenger of the Sacred Heart. They 

were written to point out the common, simple, easy ways in which 

we may make our lives a source of comfort, joy, encouragement, and 

blessedness to those around us. No one who reads this book 

attentively will be able to say that he does not know how to help 



1913.] NEW BOOKS 837 

and sustain others. If he fail subsequently, he will have to con- 
fess that it was through thoughtlessness, or through a temporary 
unwillingness to love his neighbor as himself. What a blessing 
it would be to the world if this little book were scattered broad- 
cast in Catholic homes and carefully read. 

LA LOT T LA FOI 6TUDE SUR ST. PAUL ET LES JUDA- 

ISANTS. Par A. de Boysson. Paris : Bloud et Cie. 75 cents. 

" St. Paul frequently treats in his Epistles the doctrine of 
the vocation of the Gentiles to the faith of Christ. That was 
his gospel, the good news Jesus commanded him to preach. To 
understand his teaching, we must know the circumstances under 
which he wrote, the adversaries he had to combat, and the errors 
he had to refute. Such is the purpose of the present volume." 

An introductory chapter discusses the dates of the New Testa- 
ment writings which deal with the Judaizers, viz. : the Epistle to 
the Galatians, the Pastoral Epistle, Hebrews, and St. James. The 
book itself consists of two parts: 1st, a critical and historical 
study of the various controversies with the Judaizing party from 
the time of St. Stephen's martyrdom until the third century; and, 
2d, a dissertation on the theology of St. Paul in regard to Justifi- 
cation, the Redemption, Merit, Good Works, the Law, and Faith. 

While avoiding for the most part controversy, the author 
refutes the false hypotheses of the Tubingen school of critics. A 
brief bibliography concludes this most scholarly contribution to the 
study of Christian origins. 

'THE ADVENTURES OF FOUR YOUNG AMERICANS, 
by Henriette Eugenie Delamare. (Philadelphia: H. L. Kil- 
ner & Co. 60 cents.) Home life of four young Americans, their 
departure for Europe; their experiences while traveling through 
London, Switzerland, and France; their arrival in Rome, where 
they visit the catacombs this is the theme of Mrs. Delamare's 
latest book, which is thoroughly Catholic, and highly to be recom- 
mended for juveniles. 

AMELIE IN FRANCE, by Maurice F. Egan. (Philadelphia: 
^~V H. L. Kilner & Co. 70 cents.) This pleasing story re- 
counts the adventures of some boys and girls who were shipwrecked 
on their way to Europe, and cast on an island inhabited only by 
an old sailor. Entirely thrown on their own resources, the young- 



838 NEW BOOKS [Mar., 

sters learn many useful lessons, and by fidelity to the teachings of 
our Holy Religion succeed in making three conversions. They 
are finally picked up by a passing steamer, and all ends well. 
The characters are well portrayed, the boys and girls act natur- 
ally, and impress the reader with the idea that they are real person- 
ages. This is a book which should find its way into every Catholic 
juvenile library. 

'TROILUS AND CRESSIDA. One of a series called The Tudor 
Shakespeare. (New York: The Macmillan Co.) Com- 
pleted the series will consist of forty volumes, 35 cents each, of 
which the present is the tenth issued. The volume is of handy 
size, neatly bound, half-gilt, and well printed. A' few explanatory 
notes and a glossary are appended. 

A BOOK OF THE LOVE OF MARY. Compiled and Edited 
^*- by Freda M. Groves (St. Louis: B. Herder. 75 cents), 
tells how the thought and love of our Blessed Mother penetrated 
the hearts and lives of her children, when England was Mary's 
dower. This book, with its pictures of the glories of days gone by, 
should animate all who love Mary to pray that yet again England 
may return to the Faith and become once more " Our Lady's 
Dower." The volume is a companion to The Book of the Love 
of Jesus, which appeared some years ago. His Grace of West- 
minster has written the Preface. 

GP. PUTNAM'S SONS have issued The Second Book of Kings, 
. edited by T. S. Hennessy, which is a part of their publica- 
tion entitled The Smaller Cambridge for Schools. The editing has 
been carefully done, and the notes are exclusively historical, literary, 
and geographical. The treatment is reverent, and the authorities 
quoted conservative. Although the Vulgate is named as one of the 
texts consulted, we have not been able to find one reference thereto. 

'THE HOUSE AND TABLE OF GOD, by the Rev. W. Roche, 
-*- SJ. (New York: Longmans, Green & Co.), is a book for 
children, one that welcomes them to the banquet of the King, and 
guides their earliest thoughts from the things that are seen and 
known to the things that are unseen. It leads the youthful mind 
from nature to nature's God ; from the abundant provision for our 
earthly life to the marvels of grace provided for God's children 



1913.] NEW BOOKS 839 

at His Table of the Holy Eucharist. The charming simplicity 
with which these lessons are unfolded betoken a deep insight and 
sympathy for the lambs of the Good Shepherd. 

A SLIM volume of Sonnets and Songs graceful in form and 
mainly religious in theme comes to us from the pen of John 
Rothensteiner. It is published by B. Herder, St. Louis, at 50 cents, 

MANUEL PRATIQUE DE LA DEVOTION AU SACRfi 
CCEUR DE JSUS. Par 1' Abbe Vaudepitte. (25 cents.) The 
twelve promises of the Sacred Heart are the subjects of as many 
meditations, with devotions for the First Fridays, for Holy Mass, 
and for the reception of the Sacraments. The book is published 
by Pierre Tequi, Paris. 

"\I7E have received from the publishing house of the Razon y Fe 
' ' a pamphlet entitled: De Vasectomia Duplici necnon de Mar- 
trimonio Mulieris Excises, by R. P. Ferreres, S.J., summarizing 
his views and criticisms of Dr. O'Malley's position as to the licitness 
of this operation. The same house has sent us a study on the 
sovereignty of the people in Spain by R. P. Jose March, SJ. 



jforefgn jperiobicals* 

The Origins of the Hail Mary. By Rev. Herbert Thurston. 
The history of the Angelic Salutation in the Eastern Church has 
never been adequately studied; the prayer is substantially found 
written in Greek on a potsherd of about 600 A. D., but it is not 
certain whether this was some antiphon in liturgical use or a form- 
ula of private devotion. In the West it first appears in the Antv- 
phonary traditionally ascribed to St. Gregory the Great. It be- 
came a popular formula in the wake of the Hours or Little Office 
of Our Lady. Before the latter part of the twelfth century the 
combination of the words of St. Gabriel with those of St. Elizabeth, 
the practice of addressing a long series of salutations to our Lady's 
image or altar, and the preference shown for the exact number of 
the Psalms of David, had all become features of general devotion. 
The Month, February. 

Disrceli. By Wilfrid Ward. The second volume of Mr. 
Monypenny's classical biography of Disraeli gives us an invaluable 
picture of the great Prime Minister, and an insight into those char- 
acteristics which made him, once despised as a charlatan, a dandy, 
and a Jew, one of the most striking and successful men of his 
age. Was he sincere? Yes, and no. He was consistent and sin- 
cerely devoted to his own advancement. His success was due, 
before all things, to an avowed and unconquerable ambition. There 
was strength in his convictions, but no great depth of principle, 
with its consequent scrupulousness. He really felt a personal 
admiration for Peel, but he had at least enough contrary convic- 
tions to criticize Peel's triple apostasy on Emancipation, Parlia- 
mentary Reform, and Free Trade, and so to take the practical 
leadership of the party effectively. He had an Oriental love 
of splendor, but only as a visible symbol of success and a stimulus 
to further effort. His literary gifts gave him great facility of 
expression and of mental activity, but were entirely free from 
any sensitiveness to the opinion others held of him. Dublin Re- 
view, January. 

The Irish National Theatre. By Charles Bewley. The dis- 
appointment caused by the present state of the Abbey Theatre 



1913-] FOREIGN PERIODICALS 841 

is due to the fact that Mr. Yeats and Mr. Synge started on their 
careers as Irish dramatists, with ideals born of the literary coteries 
of London and Paris; ideals of uncontrollable passion and brute 
force. They forgot, or could not see, that the most important ele- 
ment in Irish life, as in its history, is the religious element; attempt- 
ing to reduce this to superstition and neo-paganism, they have fallen 
into ludicrous and glaring error. Besides, their retort that they 
are presenting only abnormal characters fails, because they take 
abnormal types and present them as normal. Dublin Review, Jan- 
uary. 

The Mental Deficiency Bill. By Thomas J. Gerrard. This 
bill, which purports to make further and better provision with re- 
spect to feeble-minded and other mentally defective persons, is 
really a Eugenist measure for the elimination of certain classes 
considered worthless to the State. Its good points are: it gives 
the education authorities, who know these children best, the office 
of registering and classifying these cases; it provides government 
support for the feeble-minded, instead of relying on voluntary 
contributions ; it provides against immoral abuses practiced on girls 
and women who have been certified to be feeble-minded. But it 
does not give a suitable definition of what a feeble-minded person 
is; it provides for life-long segregation, and absolutely forbids 
marriage; it applies only to the poor; it contains a loosely- worded 
clause which might be construed so as to allow the questionable 
practice of sterilization; it is based only on natural principles, and 
makes no provision for the religion of those whom it proposes to 
segregate. The Committee will bring in an amended bill next ses- 
sion, containing verbal changes, but substantially laboring under 
the above defects. Dublin Review, January. 

The Revolution in Cuba. By W. M. Kennedy. The writer, 
judging only from personal experience and observation, considers 
that the Church, by upholding explicitly or implicitly the power of 
Spain, has completely lost her hold on the hearts of Cuban patriots ; 
with her have decayed the secondary schools. Corruption reigns 
everywhere. The revolution of last year, which most people 
thought would be but the usual flash in the pan, turned out to be 
a real civic strife, and national unity is gone. Sometime Cuba 
must for her own salvation become American. Dublin Review, 
January. 



842 FOREIGN PERIODICALS [Mar., 

German Charity Congresses. By Louis Riviere. Profiting 
by the unity of the Protestant charity workers of Germany, the 
Catholics decided to merge their many societies into a national 
unit. This was done at a Congress held for the purpose on Novem- 
ber 9, 1897, at Cologne. For fifteen years they have been doing 
a more united work. There are now six diocesan Unions centraliz- 
ing the different societies in each diocese. Each year the National 
Catholic Federation hold what are termed " Charitable Weeks," 
and at these Congresses are discussed the various ways of alle- 
viating the sufferings of the poor. The past year the Congress 
was held at Metz, and an effort was made to continue the great 
work of the past. 

Twenty-five reports were made at the Congress, which was 
divided into French-speaking and German-speaking sections. The 
rest of the article is devoted to a resume of work done at this 
Congress. Le Correspondant, January 25. 

The Synoptic Question, by Father Ferdinand Prat, S.J., treats 
of the date and character of the Gospels according to St. Mark 
and St. Luke. The order of succession of the Gospels was settled 
in the third century. While papyrus was in common use, i. e., 
until the end of the third century, our four Gospels were written on 
four separate rolls, and there was no need to assign an order 
to them. When the books were finally arranged in order, it was 
done chronologically in the great majority of manuscripts. 

That the order is chronological seems the only reasonable 
explanation why St. John's Gospel should be placed last, while St. 
Mark's is given second place. St. Irenaeus' testimony on this 
point is most important. As to the date of the Gospels, tradition 
is not precise. Nowadays practically all critics admit that the 
Synoptics were written several years before the fall of Jerusalem, 
a return to the traditional belief prophesied by Harnack. The 
internal character of the Synoptics agrees with that given them by 
tradition. .St. Jerome said, a propos of the Epistle to the Hebrews : 
" It is of little importance who wrote it, since it is read as Scripture 
in the universal Church." Nevertheless, questions of authenticity, 
date, etc., cannot be indifferent to anyone interested in the origin 
of Christianity. Etudes, January 5. 

The Little Sisters of the Sick. By Joseph Thermes. Pere 
Serres, called in his lifetime " Le Bon Pere," was touched with pity 



1913-] FOREIGN PERIODICALS 843 

for the sufferings of the poor peasants in sickness. He asked 
Marguerite-Marie Lachaud to visit them; he supplied food and 
medicine. This was in 1859. Five years later five young ladies, 
including Mile. Lachaud, bound themselves to this work, and took 
the religious vows for a year. This was the beginning of the Con- 
gregation of the Little Sisters of the Sick. Other communities, 
organized for the same purpose, came into existence in other parts 
of France within the next decade. In the recent expulsion of the 
Religious Orders from France, the Little Sisters were not molested. 
Etudes, January 5. 

Christian Heroes. By Adhemar d'Ales. The heroes of 
Christianity have no equal in history, either in the height of the 
ideal followed, in the generosity of effort expended, or in the simple 
grandeur of a virtue which always found its joy and recompense 
in the gift of oneself to God. 

We are indebted to the Acta Sanctorum of the Bollandists for 
most of our knowledge of the early heroes. About the tombs of 
the martyrs a local cultus usually developed. The Western Church, 
full of respect for the inviolability of the tombs, and the integrity of 
the bodies of the saints, abstained from touching their remains; in 
the East it is customary to open the tombs and distribute the relics. 
In the fourth century the finding of numbers of bodies of saints 
gave a new impetus to the veneration of relics. Etudes, January 20. 

The Tablet (January 25) : President Poincare: Hope for 
prosperity and real liberty in France is seen in the election of M. 
Poincare to the presidency, despite the great opposition of Radicals 
and Socialists. While the new President cannot be convicted of 
bias towards the Catholics, still, judging by his recent utterances, 

the position of Catholics will be improved. The Address of His 

Eminence Cardinal Bourne at Birmingham: Considering the ex- 
pansion of the English-speaking races and the part of Protestantism 
therein, the Cardinal first showed that Reformation was not the 
cause of this growth of population, but that it was instrumental 
in preventing the enormous good that this growth should have been 

to the world at large. Chaos in the Commons: The greatest 

Reform Bill of modern times is to enfranchise certainly three mil- 
lion men and perhaps thirteen million women; it abolishes the 
nine seats now given to the Universities; does away with plural 
voting, and allows no representation to property. It reduces the 



844 FOREIGN PERIODICALS [Mar., 

electorate of the city of London, the commercial and financial centre 
of the Empire, from 31,000 to 3,000. The bill as a whole will 
have the entire force of the Union Party against it. The Cabinet 
is Divided: Mr. Asquith is opposed to Woman Suffrage, but his con- 
victions are not strong enough to make him resign if it is granted. 
(February i) : The cause of Woman Suffrage lies now in 
ruins. In the bill proposed, the Speaker decided that the adoption 
of any one of the amendments giving votes to women would so 
transform the purpose of the Franchise Bill as to constitute it in 
effect a new bill. It had, therefore, to be withdrawn. The Prime 
Minister offers facilities for free votes on a new bill, but it is not 
certain that such a measure can be properly forced through under 
the operation of the Parliament Act. The greatest harm to the 

cause, however, is now being done by the advocates of violence. 

Shane Leslie describes the realism, the mysticism, the sorrow, the 
religious consecration of the paintings of El Greco, the Spanish 
artist, and especially his " Burial of Count Orgaz " in the church 

of St. Tome in Toledo. Quaint Reminiscences of London 

Churches is a resume of anecdotes by James Pellor Malcolm, F.S.A., 

published in 1803. Sir Roger Casement, in the Manchester 

Guardian, pays a high tribute to the work of the Jesuits in Para- 
guay, and uses it for a ground of hope in the Franciscan mission 

just established for a similar purpose in the Putmayo. A new 

college is to be inaugurated at Frascati, near Rome, under the 
Salesian Fathers. The money has been wholly provided by the 
Pope. The first pupils will be youths orphaned by the earthquakes 

of 1905 and 1908. The care exercised by the Holy See in 

securing Welsh-speaking bishops and clergy in mediaeval Wales, 
has been brought out during a controversy on the use of the 
national language in modern Welsh missionary work and religious 

services. The Roman correspondent notes the serious rumors 

of the approaching confiscation of Church property, the condemna- 
tion of newspapers published by the Unione Editrice Roniana, and 
the programme of the Catholic Popular Union. 

The British Review (February) : The Conferences of St. 
James gives surmises on the outcome of the late Peace Conference. 

Recent events have given the answer.- Francis McCullogh, the 

noted correspondent, writes as A Prisoner of the Bulgars. 

Father Keating, S.J., treats of the ethics of resistance to law. 

Hilaire Belloc discussed English Fiscal Reform. J. Godfrey 



1913-] FOREIGN PERIODICALS 845 

Raupert presents some private letters to throw light on the mystery 

of evil. More Medieval Byways, by L. F. Satzmann, proves 

that human nature is always about the same. Vox Populi says 

our present trouble is that there is no audible " vox populi." 

The National Review (February) : The Unionist Party and 
Preference is discussed by Austen Chamberlain. Sir William 
Rubimond, in A Great Artist and His Little Critics, gives an ap- 
preciation of Alma-Tadema. Portugal under the Republic is 

described by Aubrey F. G. Bell. The writer asks the question, 
" O democracy, whither are you leading us ? " !< To lawlessness 
and anarchy," seems to be the present answer for Portugal ; unless, 
indeed, the more moderate men, represented by Senhor Antonia 
Jose d'Almeida and the Evolutionist Party, can be induced to come 
forward from their retirement and make it clear that they, and not 
the clumsy imitators of French Jacobinism, are in a majority. But 
so long as the Republic remains, as it were, a Lisbon monopoly, has 
not the real control of affairs, and is unable to prevent persecutions 
and outrages of which it most certainly disapproves, there is no 

hope that either Portugal or the Republic will prosper. A Balkan 

correspondent, Frank Fox, gives extracts from his diary. We add 
one of them : " It is a curious fact that in all Bulgaria I have 
met but one man who was young enough and well enough to fight, 
and who had not enlisted. He had become an American subject, 
I believe, and so could not be compelled to serve. In America he 
had learned to be an 'International Socialist/ and so he did not 
volunteer. I believe he was unique. He should be engaged to 
lecture by British Radical Societies. With half the population 
of London, Bulgaria has put 350,000 trained men under arms. 
But there was in the nation one good Socialist who knew that war 
was an evil thing, and that it was better to sit down meekly under 
tyranny, and give up your women folk to violation, than to take 
up arms." 

The Month (February) : The January number contained an 
article on Father Gerard, late editor of The Month. It presented 
the main facts in his life, and gave a general estimate of his char- 
acter. The current issue, under the caption Some Further Notes 
on our Late Editor, gives a fuller and more intimate appreciation 

of his character and achievements. Rev. J. H. Pollen tells of 

his Research at Simancas, near Valladolid, into the documents re- 



846 FOREIGN PERIODICALS [Mar., 

garding the doings of the ambassadors of King James I. of England 
to counteract the negotiations of the ultra-Spanish party for a 

Spanish succession. Are Divine Laws a Social Necessity? by 

the Rev. Sidney F. Smith, reviews the report of the recent English 
Divorce Commission, which maintained that its findings warranted 
them in affirming that unless some scheme of divorce be conceded 
to the weakness of human nature, worse evils are sure to follow. 
Father Smith attacks this contention, and shows that in the Catholic 
portions of the country where divorces are fewest, the moral tone 
is by no means inferior. 

The Church Quarterly Review (January) : Rev. J. S. Pringle 
discusses the assertions " that Christianity was brought to Japan 
in the seventh and following centuries, and has been substantially 
preserved there ever since. The article on The Royal Commis- 
sion on Divorce gives an analysis of the reports, minutes, etc., of 
the Commission, as presented to both Houses of Parliament. The 
writer investigates the evidence which favors certain proposals 
for altering the law of divorce in England; and who shows that 
the grounds for extending divorce are really impossible, as well 

as inhuman. Its Rise and Course, by Rev. Herbert Kelly, S.S.M., 

is an historical sketch which endeavors " to explain the nature, 
at least, of scholastic thought; to show what it could do and what 
it was trying to do; what were its powers and its limitations." 
Only the " broad general characters " and the work of Abelard, 
St. Anselm, St. Bernard, and St. Thomas are here dealt with, 
usually in terms of praise. Edwin Holthouse describes the in- 
debtedness of Dante to the book of Ecclesiasticus. 

The Irish Ecclesiastical Record (February) : The O'Keeffe 
Cases, by the Archbishop of Dublin, describes actions for libel 
brought by the Rev. Robert O'Keeffe, of Callan, County Kilkenny, 
in the years 1869-1875, and gives an illustration of the working 
of the law of England in relation to matters of Catholic ecclesias- 
tical discipline. The Economics of Nationalism, by T. M. Kettle, 

M.A., notes the rise of the National Economists in the nineteenth 
century, and describes the effect of the national and organic point 
of view, as against the individualistic, in regard to Free Trade, 

cattle jobbing, and railways. Past and Present, by Rev. P. M. 

MacSweeney, deals with a work entitled Cardinal Manning and 
Other Essays, by Mr. John Bodley, a close friend of Manning. 



1913-] FOREIGN PERIODICALS 847 

The first essay will correct in part at least the distorted impression 
left by Purcell's Life. Mr. Bodley in his second lecture, Decay of 
Idealism in France, strives to prove that the International Socialism 
of Marx, Catholicism, and the progress of mechanical invention will 
ultimately sweep away national characteristics. Father MacSwee- 
ney rebuts these sweeping, pessimistic, and illogical views. In his 
third lecture on The Institute of France, Mr. Bodley, as a corre- 
sponding member of the Institute, gives a lucid account of its origin 
and growth. 

Dublin Review (January) : Mrs. Hamilton King treats The 
Religion of Mazzini, but the Editor takes pains to say that he ac- 
cepted the article without endorsing all of Mrs. King's views. 
Mazzini was opposed to the temporal power, and asserted it was 
the great obstacle to a united Italy, but Mrs. King says that religion 
was the very breath of Mazzini's life, and that many in Italy now 
calling themselves his followers are acting with an animosity to- 
wards Christianity and the Church which was far from his own 
thought. Under the heading The Teresa of Canada, Mrs. Max- 
well-Scott reviews the life of Mother Mary of the Incarnation, an 
Ursuline nun who came to Quebec in 1639; was a friend of the 
famous Jesuits Jogues and Lallemant, and did a wonderful work 

among the Indians. Mrs. Warre Cornish contributes a study of 

Digby Dolben, the poet whose death by drowning in 1867 P re ~ 
vented his being received into the Catholic Church. The recent 
Memoir by Mr. Robert Bridges, with its fifty poems, gives evi- 
dence that his poetical ability was unusual and distinctively Catholic. 

Le Correspondant (January 10) : An article entitled Frederick 
Ozanam, by Eugene Duthroit, reviews the life of Ozanam, and then 
takes up the study of the great cause which he made the one ab- 
sorbing thought of his life. E. de Geoff roy deals with the 

methods of modern warfare, dreadnoughts, submarines, mines, can- 
nons, etc. Frangois De Witt-Guizot writes of the new law by 
which France takes under government control the investigation 
of the management of public contributions made to private bene- 
factions, such as orphanages, hospitals, etc. This law seems to be 
closely allied to those others of religious discrimination which have 
preceded it. 

Annales de Philosophie Chretienne (January) : J. Vialatoux 



848 FOREIGN PERIODICALS [Mar., 

argues that M. Durkheim, the head of the Positivist sociologists, 
has in his recent article, entitled Judgments of Value and Judgments 
of Reality, abandoned his wholly materialistic attitude, and smug- 
gled in some idealistic teachings. He now admits that experience 
postulates something outside of itself something that experiences. 
There must be a unity of thought and a spiritual centre of thought 

that synthesizes and regulates experience. Bernarde de Sailly 

continues his vehement attack on the apologetics of P. Gardeil and 
P. de Poulpiquet, charging them with misunderstanding the system 
of Blondel. The articles by P. de Tonquedec, reviewed in the 
magazine section, are also declared to be a total misapprehension 
of Blondel's thought. 

Etudes Franciscaines (February) : P. Raymond continues his 

defense of Scotism against the charge of Modernism. P. Ubald 

answers in the affirmative the question whether P. Rene of Modena, 

a Capuchin converted from Judaism, had really been a rabbi. 

P. Cuthbert gives a detailed analysis of the Regula Prima of the 
Franciscan Order, showing the additions made between 1209, 
when the really primitive rule was orally approved by Innocent III., 
and 1221, the date of the more complete and legislative as well a,s 
Scriptural and poetical document. 

Revue des Deux Mondes (January 13) : In his analysis of 
Le Chanson de Roland, M. Bredier proves successfully that the 
famous epic is not a collection of ancient songs and legends. He 
holds, on the contrary, that in its literary construction we find in- 
disputable evidence that it is the work of one man, although its story 

existed long before the official date of the poem. Emile Faguet 

discusses, in his usual charming style, symbolism as represented in 
France by the young poets of about 1885. The most distinguished 
exponent of this school is Maeterlinck. 



The statement made last month that M. 

France. Poincare was a Republican of so strong a 

type that he would not even receive the 

support of Monarchists if it were offered, was made upon the sup- 
position that he would be consistent to the declarations which he 
made when he formed his ministry. It seems, however, that as 
a candidate for the Presidency he did not feel himself bound by 
the same conditions as he accepted when forming a government. 
In fact, not only did he accept the support of the Royalists and 
Bonapartists, but he could not have been elected had these parties 
voted for his opponent. This is not said as throwing blame upon 
him. For a President is in a somewhat different position from the 
head of a ministry, since the latter has to secure legislation and 
manage the everyday affairs of administration. The fact that the 
Monarchists voted for the one to whom they looked as likely to serve 
the best interests of the country, and did not act along with the 
extremists of the Left, may be considered as an indication that a 
better spirit animates them than was the case in the early days 
of the Republic. They then not infrequently threw in their lot 
with those whose main object was to throw the country into con- 
fusion. 

M. Poincare's election was a great defeat of the party which 
is animated by bitter hostility to religion, and which has been chiefly 
responsible for the attacks that have been made upon the Church. 
It is the strongest single party of the many into which the French 
Parliament is divided. M. Combes is its leader, and he, with a 
number of the prominent men in the party, tried by every means 
to prevent M. Poincare from becoming President, going so far even 
as to make a personal appeal to him to withdraw. To this appeal 
he refused to listen. 

It is to the credit of M. Poincare that he would not yield 
to the wishes of the Radical-Socialists, and to that of France, that 
it refused to elect a President from among the members of that 
party. Strength is considered his special characteristic. Not long 
ago this would have been a bar to his election, for the Republic 
was weaker then than it is now, and a strong man might, it was 
feared, become a dictator. To-day the Republic has ceased to 
dread the phantom of dictatorship. M. Poincare is a native of 

VOL. XCVI. 54. 



850 RECENT EVENTS [Mar., 

Lorraine, a province the patriotism of whose children is even keener 
than that of the rest of France, it having suffered mutilation as 
the result of the war of 1870. He has always refused to serve 
sect or party. But when a crisis came, in consequence of the some- 
what scandalous proceedings which brought about the fall of the 
ministry of M. Caillaux, he was able to form a government which 
embraced in its ranks the ablest of the men now taking part in 
public affairs. Owing to the confidence felt in the integrity of 
his character, his Cabinet, although most heterogeneous on account 
of the various parties from which its members were drawn, proved 
itself the strongest that has been formed since what is called the 
Great Ministry of Gambetta. 

It is not only in the sphere of politics that M. Poincare has 
attained distinction. He is one of the Forty Immortals of which 
the French Academy consists. He is also an author, having written 
three volumes, in one of which he sings the praises of Joan of Arc, 
who was also a native of Lorraine. His views on politics, as 
found in one of these works, may be cited here : " The founda- 
tion of all politics is ethical. Politics are founded on the belief in 
goodness, in justice, in the love of truth, in the respect for human 
conscience, in the destinies of our country. Politics, which are 
worthy of the name, cannot live from day to day on empirical 

measures and contradictory expedients With the party of 

agitation, of violence, of disorder, no political understanding is 
possible. A government which would seek it would abdicate its 
authority, and would itself defy the law. A government which 
would submit to it, or which would not repudiate it, would be 
swept away by its own hypocritical and equivocal policy." 

Being a man of so strong a personality, while there is no reason 
to fear his aiming at a dictatorship, it is looked upon as possible 
that he may not consent to act as a mere figurehead as former 
Presidents have done. The Constitution of the Republic gives to 
the President executive powers almost as extensive as those pos- 
sessed by our own. Hitherto they have not been exercised, and it 
is to be hoped, for the sake of peace, that M. Poincare will not 
attempt any mere innovation. But in case of its being necessary, 
for the well-being of the country, the existence of these powers, and 
the knowledge that the President is a strong enough man to use 
them, will give additional security. 

M. Poincare's election rendered it necessary to form a new 
Cabinet. This was entrusted to M. Briand, who had been the 



1913-] RECENT EVENTS 851 

Minister of Justice in the former Cabinet. It will be remembered 
that he resigned the Premiership about two years ago, because he 
could not rally to his support a sufficient number of Republicans. 
This was because he had declared that the days of political warfare 
between French citizens were over; that every Frenchman, even 
though he were a Catholic, was entitled to justice. M. Combes 
and the Radicals would not accept such a proposition. Now that 
M. Briand has returned to power again, he found little difficulty in 
securing co-adjutors. It is remarked, however, that there are very 
few men of marked distinction in the new Cabinet, and that the 
most conspicuous of his colleagues in the ministry of M. Poincare, 
such as M. Delcasse and M. Bourgeois, have retired. It is not con- 
sidered, however, that it is from any desire to combat M. Briand 
that they have so acted. 

The programme of M. Briand's ministry includes the con- 
cession to trade unions, and other associations of the working 
classes, of the right to act in a corporate capacity for the purpose 
of industrial cooperation, and for the acquisition of property. 
Strange to say, the Revolution of 1789 placed severe restrictions 
on the right of workingmen to form associations for their mutual 
benefit, and it is only recently that those restrictions are being 
relaxed. The government, in pursuance of this policy of relaxation, 
intends to submit to Parliament a group of legislative proposals 
which will form, as it were, " the Charter of the General Organiza- 
tion of Labor." Another promise is the long-deferred measure 
for regulating the status of officials and employees in the govern- 
ment service. An Amnesty Bill, the Income-Tax Bill, now before 
the Senate, and the Electoral Reform Bill form part of the pro- 
gramme. The " Ecole Laique " (the secular school) is declared 
to be one of the living forces of the Republic, the abandonment of 
which would be equivalent to the repudiation of the Republic itself. 
Fidelity to alliances and friendships will remain an unalterable 
principle of the foreign policy of the government, a declaration 
which indicates its intention of holding fast to the Russian alliance 
and to the entente with Great Britain. 

This programme was somewhat coldly received when it was 
laid before the Chamber, the Socialist-Radicals and the Social- 
ists frequently interrupting M. Briand while making his speech. 
When, however, the question of confidence came to the vote, the 
Ministerialist majority was three hundred and twenty-four to 
seventy-seven. A conflict, however, has already arisen on the 



852 RECENT EVENTS [Mar., 

Electoral Reform Bill between the Government and the Radical- 
Socialists. M. Briand stands firm in support of the bill as it passed 
the Chamber. 

Prince Napoleon took the opportunity afforded by the Presi- 
dential election to issue a manifesto. He expressed dissatisfac- 
tion with the existing constitution, because it did not give free 
scope for the expression of the people's will. The election of the 
President ought to be by a plebiscite, not by the Senate and Cham- 
ber, for these bodies were a mere oligarchy. " The name of Napo- 
leon," he proclaims, " means the organization of the Democracy, 
political, religious, and social pacification, and the fusion of all 
parties for the highest good of the nation." He deplores what he 
looks upon as the present state of confusion in French public life, 
and the personal rivalries which run the risk of diminishing the 
strength of the country confronted by an armed Europe. If all 
patriots would agree to renew the Napoleonic tradition, to unite 
authority with democracy, and to establish upon that twofold 
basis a government of concord and of action, the prospects of the 
future, in the Prince's opinion, would be brighter. This opinion, 
however, is not shared by many of the French people. The memory 
of the Imperial regime is too vivid. 

The Ambassador to the Quirinal, Herr von 
Germany. lagow, has been appointed to succeed the 

late Herr von Kiderlen-Wsechter as For- 
eign Secretary. He is said to have accepted the post with no little 
reluctance, not only because of his attachment to his surroundings 
in Rome, but also because the new position which he is called upon 
to fill is one of considerable difficulty. The German Emperor 
is in reality his own Foreign Secretary, and leaves nothing in the 
way-of initiative to the nominal holder of the office. The Chan- 
cellor of the Empire, too, has the right to be consulted. He is in 
fact technically responsible, and not infrequently takes the reins 
into his own hands. 

Armaments and ever-increasing armaments are the order of 
the day. What was looked upon as the final settlement of the 
strength of the army was made two years ago, but it is now an- 
nounced that a further increase is rendered necessary by the dan- 
gerous position in which the Empire is found to be. No less a 
sum than twenty-five millions is asked for. As a consequence the 
Minister of Finance is engaged in the search for a new tax, and 



1913-] RECENT EVENTS 853 

the Conservatives are becoming apprehensive that their property, 
on this occasion, will not succeed in escaping its share of the bur- 
den. The Imperial taxes and local rates are becoming intolerable. 
On the other hand, it must be stated that the past year has been 
exceedingly prosperous ; so much so that hopes are entertained that 
Germany will soon become economically and financially independent 
of foreign countries, and be able to stand upon her own feet. 
It is this desire, shared by so many Germans, that renders the 
prospect of peace being maintained more hopeful; for the economic 
life of the country, to use the words of the Prussian Minister of 
Commerce, rests on the shoulders of peace. 

The Reichstag has recently exercised for the first time the 
right of passing a vote of censure upon the government. Last 
May a new standing order was made allowing a debate upon an 
interpellation, to be followed by a division expressing agreement 
or disagreement with the policy of the government. The Poles, in 
accordance with this new procedure, proposed a motion that " the 
permission of the Imperial Chancellor for the expropriation of 
Polish landowners for the purposes of the Prussian settlement 
Commission is at variance with the judgment of the Reichstag." 
This motion, after two days' debate, was carried by two hundred 
and thirteen votes to ninety-seven. In its favor, the Centre, that 
is, the Catholic Party, united with the Social Democrats in support 
of the Poles; the opponents were the Conservatives and the Na- 
tional Liberals, while the Radicals abstained from voting. In the 
course of the debate expropriation was condemned on the ground 
that it would make Poland the Ireland of Germany, and the govern- 
ment was said to be making the same mistake as that made by the 
Young Turks in their attempt to Ottomanize the various races in 
Turkey. 

The fact that the Centre voted on this occasion against the 
government is looked upon as a sort of challenge, and as a warning 
that further rebuffs may be in store. The immediate future will 
furnish a number of opportunities. Over the new army bill there 
will be a parliamentary struggle, as well as over the new taxation 
which this bill will necessitate. 

The remembrance of the Kopenick incident, which caused so 
much amusement a few years ago, has been revived by a similar 
proceeding on a much larger scale. The whole of the garrison 
of Strassburg, some twenty thousand troops, were called out by a 
notice, purporting to come from the Emperor, that he would inspect 



854 RECENT EVENTS [Mar., 

the soldiers within a few hours after the receipt of the notice. 
The Emperor, in fact, was one thousand miles distant. The Em- 
peror is said to have recommended to the general in command a 
more diligent perusal of the newspapers. 

So great has been the improvement of late of the relations 
between Great Britain and Germany that those well able to judge 
declare that a year ago such a thing would have been judged im- 
possible. It is rumored, indeed, that an agreement has been made 
between the two countries determining a definite proportion of 
ships which each Power is to build. 

A remarkable change has, within the last 

Spain. few weeks, been effected, or at least initiated, 

in the methods of Spanish parliamentary 

rule. The normal course of political action for many 
years past, and one formally adopted by the leaders of the 
two chief parties, the Liberal and Conservative, was for each 
party to remain in office for a definite period, somewhere about 
three years, and then to give place to its opponent. This arrange- 
ment did not conduce to progress, but it preserved the amenities 
of political life, and sprang rather from the natural courtesy of the 
Spaniard, than from that pursuit of the spoils of office which was, 
and still is, the characteristic of the system as practiced in Portugal. 
The ill-omened execution of Seiior Ferrer led to its abandonment, 
the Conservatives having been so exasperated by the Liberals joining 
hands with Republicans and Socialists in condemnation of that 
measure. 

The ministry of the late Sefior Moret, which succeeded that 
of Sefior Maura, accepted the support of Republicans, and on this 
account was, after a short time, somewhat unceremoniously dis- 
missed from office by the King. Sefior Canalejas, who was there- 
upon made Premier, although a Radical, seems to have reverted 
to the old methods. On his death, his successor, also a Radical, 
received the support of the Conservatives for a time, owing to 
the exigencies of the situation. But when it became necessary 
to constitute a definite ministry, and it was expected that the Con- 
servative leader, Sefior Maura, would, in due rotation, have been 
sent for, to the surprise of all, the King entrusted its formation, 
without even consulting the Conservatives, to Count Romanones, 
the Liberal successor of Sefior Canalejas. His Majesty's reason 
for thus departing from long-established usage was that he thought 



1913-] RECENT EVENTS 855 

it was the wish of the country, and that it was more likely that 
the Liberals would be able to do the work of which there was need. 

Thereupon the leader of the Conservatives, with more than 
fifty of his followers, resigned their places in Parliament as a 
protest against the King's action, thus threatening the complete 
dissolution of the Conservative Party, to the great joy of the 
Republicans. The Liberals, however, viewed the situation with 
ill-concealed anxiety. The car of the Spanish monarchy, they felt, 
was two- wheeled ; should one wheel collapse the other would become 
useless. The dangerous consequences to the country which seemed 
so probable, led Senor Maura, at the earnest request of his followers, 
to reconsider his decision, and in the end he withdrew his resigna- 
tion. 

The revival, however, of the old arrangement of the rotation 
of the two parties is in all likelihood given up, and war to the knife 
between the two parties is anticipated. This is the more probable, 
as the King has taken a still more unusual step. He has gone so 
far as to call into consultation the leader of the Republican Party. 
If there were a party of Monarchists in this country, few would 
expect our President officially to recognize their leader. Indeed 
it is more than likely he would be sent to prison. But this is 
what King Alfonso has done. What led him to take such a step 
is not quite clear. Perhaps the public sympathy shown by the 
Republicans for his action in the formation of the new ministry 
may have influenced him. For one of its leaders declared 
at a great meeting that Republican parties had no reason 
for existence in England or Italy, and that if Spain should enjoy 
the blessings of the English or the Savoy monarchy he would not 
be a dissenter as regards forms of government. He went on to say 
that the actual regime in Spain, as maintained both by Liberals and 
Conservatives, necessitated a conflict, on account of the want of 
justice, and of the favoritism which existed in matters of adminis- 
tration. A few days after this declaration the King's summons 
came to the leader of the Republican Party. The Ministry now in 
power assumed responsibility for his Majesty's initiative. 

The official explanation given for this tremendous innovation 
was the desire of the King to be informed of the work of the 
Institute of Social Reform, of which Senor Ascarate is the Presi- 
dent. Whatever may have been the King's reason, the visit of 
the Republican leader caused an immense sensation, and is looked 
upon as marking an important point in the political history of 



856 RECENT EVENTS [Mar., 

Spain. At the least, it is considered a flattering tribute paid by 
Royalty to modern methods of education and social reform. But 
it may involve still greater political potentialities, as it is a definite 
admission of Republican cooperation in the sphere of government; 
a full recognition of the fact that the being a Republican does not 
any longer involve exclusion from the councils of the nation. 
It is also a strong rebuff to the leader of the Conservatives, Senor 
Maura, who had just before denounced cooperation with Repub- 
licans as " undermining authority and occasioning enormous sacri- 
fices to the nation." It marks a great advance in the mind of the 
King since he drove from office Senor Moret for having accepted 
that cooperation. 

The Spanish Press in general applauds the policy of thus 
opening the door to all parties. His Majesty, a leading organ 
says, has thereby indicated the road to peace and the restoration 
of Spain. As the Republican Party includes among its members 
men distinguished as jurists and students of political and social 
questions, and of moderate views, the course which the King has 
taken may result in avoiding the revolution which has so long been 
threatening. A peaceful solution and remedy for existent evils 
may have been found. 

By the death of Senor Moret, which took place a few weeks 
ago, the Liberals have lost a prominent but not very judicious 
supporter of their cause. His career was a long one, for he entered 
the Cortes in 1864, and held office so long ago as 1870. His success, 
however, was by no means conspicuous. It may have been that he 
was too honest, for he had a tendency to think aloud, which tended 
to lead him to blurt out damaging truths. 

Catholics in Spain have to suffer, as is sometimes the case 
with Catholics in other parts of the world, from the utterances 
and proceedings of extremists that exist in every large body of 
men. Such an extremist in Spain went about preaching that no 
Catholic could conscientiously belong to the Liberal-Conservative 
Party. Fortunately, in this case, a way was found to put an end 
to this perverse exaggeration. For when it was brought to the 
notice of the Holy Father, the attention of the ecclesiastic in ques- 
tion was called to various documents issued by the Vatican which 
he had either overlooked or ignored documents declaring in effect 
that every Catholic in Spain has a right to his own political opinions, 
and that those are not to be used against him in his religious life. 

What is called in Spain the " Padlock Bill " has been pro- 



1913- ] RECENT EVENTS 857 

longed for a further period of two years. This bill was passed 
to prohibit the establishment of religious communities until an 
Association Law should be passed definitely regulating their status. 
As this has not yet been done, the period is prolonged. Negotia- 
tions with the Holy Father are being resumed. 

An unpleasant incident has recently taken place on account of 
a Protestant soldier in the Spanish army having refused to kneel 
during Mass. This has led to the issue of a Royal Order from 
the Ministry of War, by which non-Catholic soldiers are in future 
to be excused from attendance at Mass on Sundays and Feast 
Days, although they must still be present at religious ceremonies 
which the troops have to attend under arms. 

Perfect harmony between France and Spain has been secured 
by the Spanish Parliament's acceptance of the Treaty with refer- 
ence to Morocco, which had been concluded by Senor Canalejas 
before his death. As sometimes happens, it is only after the event 
that it has become known how near to a rupture they came in the 
course of the negotiations. It is said to be due to the intervention 
of Great Britain that this was avoided. Considerable doubt, how- 
ever, is felt by many in Spain as to whether it will be to the advan- 
tage of the country to avail herself of the privileges conferred by 
the Treaty, inasmuch as these would involve considerable expendi- 
ture. 

In Portugal the state of affairs is so bad 

Portugal. that almost anything may be looked for 

except real improvement. At the beginning 

of the year there was a long-protracted crisis, resulting in the most 
undesirable of settlements. The Premier for the preceding six 
months, Dr. Duarte Leite, a man of independent means, moderate 
views, and a certain dignity of character, and, therefore, more 
respected than the professional politicians, who are the curse of 
the country, got tired of the struggle with their malign influence, 
and refused to remain in office any longer, although the strongest 
efforts were made to induce him to alter his decision. 

The Republican Party in the Chamber is now divided into 
three sections, the two extremes of which are so opposed 
to each other that no cooperation was possible. The Conservative 
Party is in favor of granting an amnesty to the Royalist prisoners, 
and to the Clergy who have refused to accept the Law of Separation. 
It is also in favor of the amendment of that Law. The Ultra- 



858 RECENT EVENTS [Mar., 

Radical Party, of which Senhor Affonso Costa is the leader, the 
violent methods of which had led to the resignation of Dr. Leite, 
would consent to none of these proposals. The President of the 
Republic having done his best to prevent the resignation of Dr. 
Leite, entrusted the formation of a ministry to Senhor Antonio de 
Almeida, the leader of the Evolutionists this being the name of the 
party which holds Conservative views. His efforts, however, to 
form a government proved futile, and the President was then 
obliged to call upon the extremist Dr. Costa, the author of the Law 
for the Separation of Church and State. 

Dr. Costa's Party forms nearly half of the Lower House, and 
having succeeded in obtaining the support of the Independents and 
Unionists, he was able to form a Ministry. This means that the 
Law of Separation is to be rigorously enforced; that there is to be 
no amnesty for the Monarchist political prisoners, and no pardon 
for the bishops and priests who have been expelled from their dis- 
tricts. A bill, however, has been introduced to expedite the trial 
of the Royalist prisoners, some of whom have been in prison for 
more than one year. The treatment of these prisoners has been so 
cruel as to excite indignation throughout the whole of Europe. Even 
the President of the Republic had to make an appeal on their behalf. 

Liberty, as she is understood in Portugal, is a strange thing. 
Press telegrams, in order not to be mutilated by the Censor, have to 
be sent by letter to Spain. By a decree of the government, the Pope's 
message to the clergy has been declared to be an attack on the 
State, and its distribution prohibited, and all copies are ordered 
to be confiscated. The real power in Portugal seems to be in the 
hands of a secret society of Carbonarios. As is so often the case, 
bad government has driven many to seek refuge in underground 
methods, and thereby given scope to the worst elements of the na- 
tion. The ramifications of the Carbonarios in Portugal extends far 
and wide. By delation and espionage it has terrorized the moderate 
elements of the community. It is thought that the Radicals now in 
power are dominated by fear of the action of this society rather 
than by the conviction that the course it has adopted is for the 
best interests of the country. So great is the dread in which it 
is held that no one dares express his opinion. Fear of outrage 
has driven many into exile. 

The rural districts of the country have suffered so much 
from unjust taxation that the population is emigrating in large 
numbers. This evil is so great, resulting as it has done 



1913-] RECENT EVENTS 859 

in large districts being left uncultivated, that every effort 
is being made to prevent people from leaving the country. 
Being unable to escape by the ports, large numbers are passing over 
the frontier into Spain. Representations have recently been made 
to the Spanish government on this subject, calling upon it to carry 
out the agreement to suppress the secret emigration of the Portu- 
guese people. Bad, indeed, must be the government, when its 
people are thus seeking to leave so beautiful a country as Portugal. 

The hopes that, through the collective action 
The Balkan War. of the Powers which was brought to bear 

upon Turkey, the war would not be resumed 

were dashed to the ground by the Revolution effected by Enver 
Bey and his following of Young Turks. Kiamil Pasha had ac- 
cepted, with slight reserves, the advice that Adrianople should be 
surrendered, and the ^Egean Islands placed at the disposal of the 
Powers until a permanent settlement could be made. By this con- 
cession the Young Turks declared that Kiamil and his ministry 
had proved themselves traitors to the Empire, and that, therefore, 
they were no longer fit to hold power. By a coup d'etat, which had 
rather the appearance of a brawl in a saloon than of a measure of 
State, the ministry of the elder statesmen of Turkey was sup- 
planted by one made up of Young Turks. Within a few days the 
war was resumed, the Allied Balkan States being unwilling to nego- 
tiate with a country so disorganized as no longer to have a trust- 
worthy mouthpiece. Both parties seem to have taken measures 
so effective to exclude the presence of newspaper correspondents, 
that the intelligence which has come to hand is of the most meager 
description. It seems fairly certain, however, that the Bulgarians 
have been successful in their attack in the neighborhood of Gallipoli, 
while Enver Bey has been frustrated in his plan for outflanking 
the Bulgarians. On the other hand, Scutari, Yanina, and Adria- 
nople are still holding out, to say nothing of Constantinople itself. 
It will be a long time, even if peace were to be made at once, 
before the numerous questions connected with the Balkan States 
and Turkey will be satisfactorily settled. The Powers affected 
a deep concern for the well-being of Turkey in Asia. They urged 
that if the war were continued even these possessions might be 
endangered. Already rumors are being heard of the aspirations of 
France to an increase of influence in Syria, while Germany is 
anxious about the railway to Baghdad, which has been so long 



86o RECENT EVENTS [Mar., 

under construction under her auspices. Russia, of course, is Tur- 
key's neighbor, and is always interested in borderlands of her Em- 
pire. The Kurds and the Arabs are showing signs of insubordina- 
tion, while the Amir of Afghanistan has for sometime beeen mani- 
festing a desire to supplant the Sultan as Khali f. Considerations of 
this kind influenced the former government to accept the terms of 
the Allies: and it is thought that upon further consideration the 
Young Turks will appreciate their force, and will be glad to accept 
the terms which they at first repudiated. 

The one question which seems to be settled, and even this is 
by no means certain, is that there is to be an Albania with a defined 
boundary. What that boundary is to be is still under discussion. 
As to Bulgaria and Greece, there have been ugly signs of disagree- 
ment, as was shown upon their joint entry into Salonika. Between 
Rumania and Bulgaria the differences are acute, and it is not certain 
that they will be brought to a peaceful settlement. Austria-Hun- 
gary and Russia have still their armies upon almost a war footing, 
but there are signs that the tension has been somewhat relieved. 
How close is the union between the Great Powers in their views 
upon the ultimate settlement of the many questions in which they 
are interested, no wise man would venture to give a definite opinion. 
The most that can be said is that there is still reason to hope that 
the threatened war between the Great Powers will be averted. 

The greatest ground of uncertainty is the fact that there are 
strong financial interests backing Turkey for fear of the loss to 
themselves that would be entailed by its collapse. The Jewish press 
of Vienna and Berlin has been engaged in endeavoring to bring 
about a breach between the Triple Alliance and the Triple Entente. 
It is even said that funds had been found for the recent revolution 
by banking houses in Germany and Austria, and that this it was that 
made the Young Turks hopeful of success. There are scarcely any 
limits to be placed to the baseness engendered by financial greed. 



With Our Readers. 

MANY letters of appreciation concerning the papers by Lionel 
Johnson, which we were able to publish in " With Our Readers," 
have come to us. The revival of interest in the poet has led us to 
publish in this number of THE CATHOLIC WORLD the paper by Mr. 
Elbridge Colby, which will be followed by an appreciation of Johnson's 
prose work in the April CATHOLIC WORLD. 

It is worth while, we think, to give here a brief sketch of the 
poet's life: 

Lionel Johnson was born at Broadstairs, Kent, in March, 1867, 
the younger son of Captain Johnson. He was educated at Winchester 
and at New College, Oxford. After his graduation with honors from 
Oxford, where he had formed a close friendship with Walter Pater, 
he removed to London and lived from 1891-1901 at Clifford's Inn, E. C. 
He was received into the Church on St. Alban's Day, 1891. During 
the year 1901 he was taken seriously ill and prevented from working. 
He recovered slightly late in September, 1902. On the evening of 
the 29th he went out for a walk ; next morning he was found in Fleet 
Street with a fractured skull; he was carried to St. Bartholomew's 
Hospital, where he died early in the morning of October 4th. 



IT is some little comfort to know that the people and legislators of 
the State of Nevada are no longer able to bear the shame of 
Reno and its lax divorce law. Reno, for ten years past, has been the 
premier divorce colony of the United States. All that was necessary 
to break the matrimonial bond was a residence of six months. This 
farce was even defended by some as a necessary cure for matri- 
monial ills. Of course, it was nothing but legally sanctioned immorality 
and licentiousness. The time has been extended to one year, which is 
not a long step in favor of public decency, but it is something, and 
better still it is another evidence of the nation-wide protest, which 
is now growing stronger and stronger, against the evil of divorce. 
It is instructive to note that in Reno during the last two years 
1,281 suits for divorce had been filed, and Reno has a population of 
only 12,000. It is estimated that there are now 600 divorce seekers 
in the city. 



IN the April number of THE CATHOLIC WORLD we will publish, 
a propos of this question of divorce, an important paper on the 
reports of the English Royal Commission on Divorce by the Reverend 
William H. Kent, O.S.C. In the same paper the author will treat 



862 WITH OUR READERS [Mar., 

questions of the Church and divorce in the Middle Ages. The teaching 
and rulings of the Church in this very matter are constantly mis- 
represented, and we have had occasion in this number of THE CATHO- 
LIC WORLD, when reviewing the History of the Royal Family of Eng- 
land, by Fred. G. Bagshawe, to call attention to just such errors of 
ignorance and misunderstanding. 



O ISTER TERESA of the Child Jesus, known as " The Little Flower 
O of Jesus," is a familiar name to many of our readers. It is but 
seventeen years ago that she died, a Carmelite nun, at the age of 
twenty-four. But as early as 1910 the Process of her Beatification 
was begun. The first step in this process ended in December, 1911. 
The tribunal had held one hundred and nine sessions, and had heard 
the testimony of expert medical authorities and the depositions of 
forty-five witnesses. The general rule, which requires that documents 
of this nature should be left unopened for ten years, was lifted, and 
it is very probable that in a short while this servant of God will be 
declared Venerable. 

The autobiography of Sister Teresa has been a very popular 
book in her own language French. It has been translated into almost 
every European language, including Dutch, Polish, and Russian, and 
is now being translated into Chinese, Japanese, and Armenian. It is 
a simple, straightforward story of spiritual growth that will be helpful 
to all, no matter what one's state or manner of life. This autobi- 
ography has been republished in a cheaper edition by the Discalced 
Carmelites, 1236 North Rampart Street, New Orleans, Louisiana. The 
price is twenty cents, postpaid. The same Monastery has published 
the Shower of Roses, in cheap edition (30 cents, postpaid). The re- 
ceipts from both publications will be devoted to the expenses of the 
Cause of Beatification. 



THE Methodist journal, The Christian Advocate, sends out an 
early battle cry to its partisan followers. " Keep Your Eye on 
Washington," is the bold face caption to one of its latest editorials. 
Look out for the machinations of Rome. The Catholics are again 
about to undermine the government. The first step is the appointment 
f Joseph P. Tumulty as private secretary to Mr. Wilson. The 
Advocate does " not intimate that Mr. Tumulty would ever conscien- 
tiously engage in dishonorable conduct," but " his education was en- 
tirely secured in the schools of the one sect which assiduously and 
adroitly cultivates its interests through political channels." Mr. Tu- 
multy, therefore, in spite of every self-determination to the contrary, 
compelled necessarily, so to speak, by his training in adroitness, may 



1913.] BOOKS RECEIVED 863 

propose to the President " a trifling and apparently impromptu sug- 
gestion, a vague and indeterminate hint, a cautious and apologetic 
query, that may have far-reaching results." 

A faithful Catholic cannot be a loyal citizen and an open-minded 
patriot. Long training from infancy up has saturated him with the 
notion that he must further, at all costs, the welfare of the Roman 
Church. At least, we are so informed by the truly Christian Advo- 
cate. " Very delicate questions are constantly arising at the capitol 
on account of the never-ending efforts of the Roman Church to secure 
such official recognition or favor as shall give distinction to the 
hierarchy in the eyes of the American public." A faithful Catholic 
belongs to " an institution which is primarily political, and which has 
indoctrinated its constituents with the notion that its political activities 
are inherently religious." That he must scheme, and plot; that he 
must make the welfare of his country subservient to the welfare of 
the Catholic body ; that he must push forward the "interests" of Rome 
at all costs, is beyond question, according to the open-minded Christian 
Advocate. " If the man who, of all his advisers, is nearest the Presi- 
dent day and night, happens to be an ardent Romanist, it lies within 
the possibilities of the case, and we say nothing stronger than this, 
that the atmosphere which he creates will tend to Rome's advantage 
in matters involving the interests of all the people regardless of relig- 
ious faiths." 

The Christian Advocate, therefore, gives notice that with regard 
to the new administration and all affairs into which Catholic interests 
enter, or all appointments of Catholics to office, it will know neither 
honesty nor fair-dealing nor justice. 



BOOKS RECEIVED. 

BENZIGF.R BROTHERS, New York: 

Life, Science, and Art. Translated from the French by E. M. Walker, so 
cents net. Vocations. By H. Hohn. $1.75 net. Spiritual Progress, ft. 
From Fervor to Perfection. From the French. 90 cents net. The Roman 
Curia as It Now Exists. By Rev. Michael Martin, S.J. $1.50. Tolerance. 
By Rev. A. Vermeersch, S.J. Translated by W. H. Page, K.S.G. Their 
Choice. By Henrietta Dana Skinner. $1.00. 

P. J. KENEDY & SONS, New York: 

Practical Manual for the Superiors of Religious Houses. By Father Costanz* 
Frigerio.S.J. 40 cents. The Divine Educator. By F. M. de Zulueta, S.J. 
50 cents. Sceur Therese of Lisieux, the Little Flower of Jesus. Edited by 
T. N. Taylor. $2.00. 

LONGMANS, GREEN & Co., New York: 

Our Lady in the Church, and Other Essays. By M. Nesbitt. $1.50 net. Car- 
dinal Manning, and Other Essays. By J. E. C. Bodley. $3.00 net. Shakes- 
peare, Bacon, and the Great Unknown. By Andrew Lang. $3.00 net. 

APOSTLESHIP OF PRAYER, New York: 

The Heart of Revelation. By Rev. F. P. Donnelly, S.J. The King's Table. 
By Rev. Walter Dwight, S.J. 56 cents postpaid. The Fountains of the Saviour. 
By Rev. J. H. O'Rourke, S.J. 



864 BOOKS RECEIVED [Mar., 1913. 

UNITED STATES CATHOLIC HISTORICAL SOCIETY, New York : 

Historical Records and Studies. Vol. VI. Part II. Edited by C. G. Herber- 
mann, LL.D. 

THE MACMILLAN Co., New York: 

Poor, Dear Margaret Kirby, and Other Stories. By Kathleen Norris. $1.30 net. 
THE SENTINEL PRESS, New York: 

Month of St. Joseph. From the writings of Ven. P. J. Eymard. 35 cents. 
CHRISTIAN PRESS ASSOCIATION, New York: 

The Temples of the Eternal, or the Symbolism of Churches. By Rev. James 

L. Meagher. $1.00. 
G. P. PUTNAM'S SONS, New York : 

Mishnah ; a Digest of the Basic Principles of the Early Jewish Jurisprudence. 

Translated and annotated by H. E. Goldin, LL.D. $1.50. 

NATIONAL LITERARY COMMITTEE OF THE HOLY NAME SOCIETY, Waterbury, Conn. : 
Books by Catholic Authors in the Silas Bronson Library of Waterbury, Conn. 

Pamphlet. 10 cents. 
FRANK ALLABEN GENEALOGICAL Co., New York : 

The Journal of American History. Volume VI. No. 3. $1.00 a copy; $4.00 
annually. 

THE RURAL PUBLISHING Co., New York: 

"The Child." By "The Hope Farm Man." 
GINN & Co., Boston : 

A Textbook of the History of Modern Elementary Education. By S. C. 
Parker. $1.50. Guide to the Study and Reading of American History. By 
E. Channing, A. B. Hart, and F. J. Turner. $2.50. 
SMALL, MAYNARD & Co., Boston : 

Our Book of Memories. Letters of Justin McCarthy to Mrs. Campbell Praed. 

$4.00. 
JOHN MURPHY Co., Baltimore : 

The Psalms. By F. P. Kenrick. 75 cents net. Quotations in Poetry and Prose 
Culled from Speeches and Writings of Irish and Irish-American Authors. 
By Mrs. E. Murrin. $1.00 net. 
YALE UNIVERSITY PRESS, New Haven, Connecticut: 

The Meaning of God in Human Experience. By William Ernest Hocking, Ph.D. 

$3.00 net. 
JOHN JOSEPH McVEY, Philadelphia : 

The Catechist's Manual. 75 cents. 
H. L. KILNER & Co., Philadelphia: 

Columbanus, the Celt. By Walter L. Leahy. $1.50. 
B. HERDER, St. Louis : 

The History of the Popes from the Close of the Middle Ages. Volume XI. 
From the German of Dr. Ludwig Pastor. Edited by R. F. Kerr. $3.00. 
Betrothment and Marriage. By Canon de Smet, S.T.L. $2.25. The Missal. 
Compiled from the Missale Romanum. $1.50. The Theory of Evolution 
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Discourses, 1812-1912. 75 cents. Trilogy to the Sacred Heart. From the 
French of Rev. A. Gonon. 20 cents. The Soliloquies of Saint Augustine. 
By L. M. F. G. 60 cents. Christology ; A Dogmatic Treatise on the In- 
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60 cents. Stanmore Hall, and Its Inmates. By the Author of " By the 
Grey Sea," etc. $1.25. 
THE BROTHERS OF HOLY CROSS, Notre Dame, Indiana : 

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E. SILVAN, Sacramento, California : 

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By E. Silvan. 75 cents. 
W. P. LINEHAN, Melbourne, Australia : 

Corinne of Corrall's Bluff. By Marion Miller Knowles. 2 s. 6 d. Gordon 

Grandfield, or The Tale of a Modernist. By Rev. J. J. Kennedy. 2 s. 6 d. 
BLOUD ET CIE, Paris : 

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L'Ere du Drame. Par Henri-Martin Barzun. 2 frs. 50. 
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