St. Landry democrat., 1878-06-29
FREE THOCGHT AND THE.
OLOGY.
Herbert speoer Cardinal Maoo'n2 and
fatne. Newman.
Londonjetter to the Baltimore Sun.


eatne: Newman.
:Ton;onte letter to the Baltimore Sun.
This n0fn [ was at meeting Of
literary men, who are considering the
best meaps OF cooperation with Victor
Hugo and Edmund About in reference
+ the great international literary cone
CESS, to be held in Paris, from June
b the 10Th At this meeting the chief
bns of literature in London were pres
at. propose to allude to them all in
Ge season, in associations appropriate,
low, I simply select one by way Of con.
tast to the central figure in the g,oup Of
} biological doctors and their disciples
5erein described afterwards.
This man, Herbert Spencer is un-
: boubtedly the foremost leader of " free
thought y in Europe, | must confess to
j very small knowledge of slave thought,
and therefore, am not boisterous de-
4claimcr about an imaginative novelty
termed "iree thought" for / never
knew when thought was anything else
out free. Il they mean free expression
for O. free thought" I am with them
clearly. In this group, composed of
that literary galaxy which embraces
Lord Houghton, Mr.. W. E. Gladstone,
Prof. TyndalI, Prof. Fawcett, Robert
Browning, Canon Farrar, Robert
Lowe, Prof. Huxley, Sir William
Lawson, Mr.. John Walter, Mr..
Thomas Carlyle, the duke Of Argyle,
Alfred Tennyson, Edmund Locker,
Wilkie Collins and Charles Reade, the
character of Herbert Spencer stands out
in bold relief. In his varied writings on
Especial philosophy" or his disquisi>
tons on the "principles of psychology,
to say nothing of his marvellous essays
on the "principles of mortality" he
stands unapproached by any European
" free thinker" of his age. That sad
face of his locks as if he were saying con,
stantly to himself, "No God? What
lies beneath these first principles them
selves? From what region come they?
What is the unseen foundation on which
the superstructure rests The same sad
face answers, "The unknowable," and
whispers, "Some essential verify must
be losked for" A sad man, typical of
queer phantasmata and fallacies; of con-
tradictions OF Kant, of speculations OF
Sir William Hamilton, of German me-
taphysical puzzles and "incoherent
heterogeneity." Yet how .emlnently
interesting is his sadness and that blank
which says, /" No God ?" interesting
because painful, painful because erro-
neous. Cardinal Manning. This is his
reception day. The entire of the bishops
Of the Roman Catholic church in Eng
land are at this reception. The majority
of the patrician Catholic families of
England are at this reception. It is an
interesting gathering. What legion of
brain What q roll of blue blood!
The vast saloons are thronged. There
is an animation and guilelsss a4ability
which iupresses us forcibly after leaving
the iceberg fornality around the literary
lions named above. In this great group
the figure of the cardinal stands out ike
8 painting of priest Of the medieval
times. There are few men in this city
who have SO firmly and fairly grasped
the entire counsel of God as manifested
by the incarnation OF His son, and few
men who have so tenaciously held the
single place on the rock OF Peter as Car
dinal Manning. For this reason his
clear and luminous style of preaching,
guiding and protecting under the agency
Of God in every walk of moral life, point
ing to that kingdom of which e there
shall be no end" For this reason we
see Jew and Gentle in eager silence
within the reach of his voice every Sun
day in this great world of London.
The whole mien and appearance of
this great divine gave me the impression
Of an earnest man of high moral feeling,
purity of purpose and Intensely religious
sentiment. Of clear intellect and mar
7elous mental reach, yet as simple as
child, he is a joyous courtier, a ripe |
scholar and cardinal prominently. |
BE is tall, thin man, worn by much |
asting and many vigils. His head is
arge; his forehead broad, prominent, |
lard and dry looking. His face is long
md angular, perfect type of the ascetic
non>phys1ognomy. His complexion is
# dull and dry sa)low; his eyes of that
changing color that at one
is deep gray and next dark
'rown. Yet how little of sadness is
here about this man who knows there
3 God! The light of Oxford. The
Very Rev. DR.. John Henry Newman
Ills place in the history of England of
o-day, and as his life draws towards its
atural term this place becomes more
rominent. The widening and deepen>
az of the current of his later life is now
nere visible than ever and in its flow
1ore healthy and potent in its influences,
9th with laymen and clerical men of all
reeds and civilized countries. ALI
Iasses of intelligent readers and writer's
recognize the strength and