National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1885-07-21

ance.
The author of recently published
pamphlet--"We Catholics complains
that contemporary British papists are
unduly given to self.depreciation. In
order to correct that fault he gives q
long catalogue of those of them who
have distinguished themselves in any
sphere Of activity, from metaphysics to
cricket. His conclusion is that the adj
herents to the faith of Rome in Great
Britain not only hold their own, but
come TO the front in a way quite out of
proportion to their Numbers. Whether
this is so or not is question hardly
worth discussing, perhaps, although the
pamphlet has rapidly gone through three
editions The public would seem to
think otherwise What is certain is that
the Catholic Church. ut the present time,
counts among her children some of the
noblest and wisest of living Englishmen
l propose to put before my readers a
sketch of four of them, who may be
called in Emersons phrase, 'Represen-
tative Men" II has been my good for
tune to know these illustrious persons
somewhat intimately for some years. That
indeed, constitutes my special claim to
write about them at all. l shall speak
of them as have found them, in the in.
tercourse of public business and private
life.
THE PREMIER CARDINAL OF ENGLAND.
The first place among English Catho-
lie leaders must naturally be given to
Cardinal Manning. You feel in his
presence that you stand before born
ruler of men. This commanding per-
sonal influence has always distinguished
him. Old Oxford men relate how when
he was archdeacon of Chichester there
was q fiutter in the university if il was
known that he was coming up. Every
one was ON his best behavior. Good.
natured, pleasure-loving dons stood in
awe of him, they hardly knew why, and
with blameless hypocrisy were prompt
to assume virtue if they had it not. The
two-bottle orthodox were then strongly
represented in that ancient seat of learn
ing. And even then deep divines felt
the influence of the future apostle of
the Temperance movement, and for the
time contented themselves with thin po-
tations.
From the first Cardinal Manning has
been of spirit ecclesiastical; ascetic in
his habits, vigorously conforming to his
standard of duty, absolutely self-surren-
dered to the sacerdotal vocation. From
the first he has given proof of that keen
prophetic eye which reads the signs of
the times. Tuning over, the other day,
the pages of o charge which he delivere,
to the clergy of the archdeaconry of
Chichester in 184D, came upon these
words: "a new age is before US. The
church has no longer to deal with par
lament or princes, but with the masses
of the people. Whether we will or not,
this is our work. And in this work we
need new spirit and new law of life.
The refined, gentle, shrinking character
of calm and sheltered days will not stand
the brunt of modern democracy. The
hand has moved onward, and all our
miscalculations and regrets will not stay
its shadow"
THE CHURCH AND SOCIETY.
These utterances must have much
amazed the country parsons of those
times Even the cardinal himself was
somewhat astonished to see again this
passage, which he had quite forgotten.
"Did really say that so long ago, in the
days before the food ?" he observed. In
these latter days the thought thus ex-
pressed thirsty-seven years ago is present
constantly in his mind 1t is Cardinal
Manning's strong conviction that in this
new phase of civilization the part of the
Catholic Church must be rs great as it
was in the old. He is firmly persuaded
that, as she made European society q
thousand years ago, so she must re
make it now if it is not to fall into
hopeless anarchy or to relapse into abject
barbarism. Nor has he thought of fear
as to its competency for the task.
Cardinal Newman, in one of his most
eloquent descriptions of the church of
Rome, tells us 'she is the chastener of
the prosperous, the guide of the way
ward. She keeps mothers eye for the
innocent bears with heavy hand upon
the wanton, and has voice of majesty
for the proud. She is ready for any SER
vice which occurs. She will not take the
easy to indicate more accurately the
spirit which animates Cardinal Man
ming, and which finds expression in every
act of his laborious life. Taking far
higher ground than that of any party, he
appeals from their ephemeral shibboleth
to eternal principles. An Englishman in
every fibre of his being, he is Catholic
first. And so, in Judging of that great
Irish question which touches us 80
nearly, he brings it TO the test of the
divine law. Looking back over o long
life, in which he can discern no deed or
word at variance with the heartfelt 10y
atty of an Englishman, he uplifts his
voice to plead for justice to Ireland.
THE IRISH QUESTION.
In words stern as those of the Hebrew
prophet he warns his countrymen that
the demand of the Irish people for abso
Lutte equality, social, political and re-
ligious, with England and Scotland, is
just He warns them that to refuse it is
certain to incur those penalties which are
the divinely appointed sequence of ma
tional or of individual injustice. The
unity. solidity, and prosperity of the
British empire are dear to him next after
that which is not of this world. But he
knows that the root of national greatness
is loyalty TO truth and right. Even now,
while it is called to-day, he appeals to
England to repent for her centuries of
tyrannous oppression and senseless
cruelty in Ireland, and to make testitu.
ton. His tone upon the condition of
English questions is not less distinct nor
less bold. Sick at heart, he turns from
the shame of mingled luxury and misery
which is spread over the land. "rhis
piling up of wealth, like mountains, in
the possessions of classes, of individuals, "
he testifies, "cnnnot go on, If the moral
conditions of our people are not healed.
No commonwealth can rest on such
foundations"
Cardinal Manning is to be seen every