New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1884-05-30
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
TIE LIFE OF MAURICE.

- Cor .ba long DELAY in its publication. The
advantages of such delay, however. IT IS not 80
easy 10 perceive Most of the topics when are
prominent in the Memoirs would have exclted
much more vivid interest shortly after Maurice
death twelve years ago. than at present. BESIDES
n large number of his contemporaries VIM
would have reviewed his career with speciai
s,mpathy, or antpsthy, as the case m's't
be. have passed away. Still it Is PROOF
of the real claim to attention and respect whioh 'n0
subject OF the biography possesses that "i'o' w"
thirds of a generation have elapsed Inc roooiu VI
his dongs and experiences is so heartiv "oi'o"'
by numerous readers. Maurice is commonly oo"s'u-
cred As the Corypheus of the Broad Chuich parry
in the Anglican Establishment. lie was lno s",'',
philosopher and friend" OF Charles h'igsieS an" "
not a few other conspicuous representatives OF INC
modern lattudnaran school. Yet as 10 theoioN9'
,horo : one man. Thomas Erskine, of Linlothen
,,ra ohscure name whose influence III thls
direction was earlier. and by whom Maurice OWN
vay of thinking was sensibly affected. Moreover,
Maurice never liked the appelation Broad
Church. nor was he ever willing 10 be ldentiheo
with those who were ready to be thus ciasSiheu
Ue was never like Dean Stanley and other dsclpleS
of Arnold, an Erastian in his idea OF Church anu
State Probably he was quite as near to Colerldge
IN his views of the Establishment as he was to
Arnold and his following. Hence in the later days
Of Maurice. Stanley who always looked up to nm
with reverence and cordial esteem. came TO he the
recognized leader of the Broad Church school III
truth Maurice was inpatient OF the limits OF any
school or party. His genuine honesty ana h"e-
pendence and freedoms from partisan feeling, pre-
vented him from acting uniformly with any par
ticular section of the Church. He had points OF
svmpathy with each: although he was as far as
possibIe from being neutral as regards any OF the
important theological and ethical debates which
RACED i'm his time. In his early days the oxford
School hoped to find in him an able ally His tract
In favor OF subscription excited their warm inter-
est But it was quickly obvious that the grounds
on which he rested his opinion were quite diverse
from those which influenced them. Hence they
turned against him with all the more intensity OF
opposition in consequence of the disappointment Oh
their homes In the contest which arose, in 1864,
over the decision of the Privy Council. acquiring
of heresy the authors of the" Essays and Reviews
Pusev went so far as to say, in letter to The Lon
don Times that he and Maurice worshlpped diner
.,nt Gods" In his TejOnder Maurice, otlnstlgated
by resentment. but III spirit of righteous ndlgna-
tio at what he considered an attempt to coerce the
rural clergy into the support OF an lntolerahl
CLIQUE, wrote: 81 accept Dr. Pusey's statement,
tremendous as il Is. | say that the COD whom we
are adured to love under these penalties is not the
God of whom have read in the Canonical Scrip
tures. not the God who declares that he abhors
robbery for burnt Offering" There was In Maurice
a curions mingling Of Christian charity, OF an
almost sanity spirit. with an energy OF 1eelhg
which not unfrequently blazcd out IN language OF
fiery vehemence. His courage and chivalry never
failed He was always ready to espouSe any cause
or the defence of any person, however unpopular
that cause or person might he, If he saw that truth
and iustice were with them. Hence, his embarrass-
ment and distress very marked when, as IN
the case of ColensO. his mind was divided between
an unwillingness to join with the many against one
whom he thought right in his intentions, but with
whose opinions he had no atilatlon.
The early chapters of the biography present a
very entertaining picture of the domestic circle III
which Maurice born and reared. The separa-
ton in religious belief between his father, an old
fashioned Unitarian minister OF the Belsham
school and the other members of his household,
who. one by one adOpted Evangelical views, Is
strxngly depicted Then. as always. Maurice
eviaced that tenderness almost fastidiousness, of
conscience and that depth and warmth of affection
which distinguished him through life His early
association with Julius Hare was followed by
family connection and lifelong intimacy. Ster-
ling was his brOther-n-aw. Trench was one OF his
intimate friends. The notices of his intercourse
with these men, with BunSen and with other inter-
esting persons forms an attractive feature of the
narrative With Charles Kingsley his intimacy was
very close, as the readers of Kingsey's biography
are aware 1t was great triumph for Maurice
when after he had been dismissed from Kings
College, where he was Professor for holding That
"eternal" does not signify everlasting y after
having been denounced heretcal by the news
paper organs of the Evangeliss and the Oracles OF
the Tractarians; after having been suspected and
naiQned for his inceSsant and effective labOrs IN
behalf of cooperation and of the Christian eleva-
tiop of workmen he was at length. under crcum-
stances aattering to him. made Professor of
at 4 higher
tribute to his noblcness of character ard dslnter
estedness was paid in the expressions of honor and
love that flowed in upon him in his later days and
in the spontaneous offerings of honor IN connection
with his obsequies The pages of this biography
which touch on his efforts for the improvement of
the workngmen-in the movement called Chris
tIan Socialism bring out his personal traits in
strong relief. II is singular yet quite applicable
fact that although 50 kindly and devOut a man,
he was almost continually in battle His ardent
nature forbade him to keep silent whenever wrong
was to be redressed, public injury prevented.
Yet however burning his indignation it had in it
nothing of bitterness prejudice. Mr. Gladstone
has recorded his perception of Maurces fastidlOus-
ness of conscience a writer" profound sense of
responsibility regarding anything that he might
put forth in writing; preference for destroying
any amount of work rather than allowing any to go
forth which might be mlschievousP
The very lOftinesS OF hs anger maze 1t the more
scathing to those who incurred it. His son says:
There were times when he could nake his words
sting like a lash and burn like hot iron. The very
nature of his appeal always to mans own con-
Science. to his sense of right within the scope in
which the nan himself clearly dlscerned what was
right and what was wrong, the full recognition of
ability when he complained that II being
abused. the utter absence of any desire TO dictate
in details or to require any conformity to his own
opniOns-seemed, as II were, when he spoke ndig.
nantly to carry the man addressed, then and there
unhOuseld, disappointed unaneld," before the
tribunal with which rests " the ultimate and highest
decision upon mems deeds, to which all the unjustly
condemned at human tribunals appeal, and which
weighs not the deed only. but motives, temptations