New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-11-06
CARDINAL NEWMAN.
HIS RELIGIOUS PROCESSES.
CARDINAL NEWMAN. by Richard H. Hutton. lcmo.


CARDINAL NEWMAN. by Richard II. Hutton. 1:mo.
DID, 251 Houghton, Minlin Co.
Mr. Hutton's essay was written before the death
bf Cardinal Newman, but it is not of character
70 be affected by that circumstance. II IS
compact, careful and sufficiently detailed cxamlna-
ton of the mental and religious processes, and their
oral and literary manifestations, by and through
which Cardinal Newman came to accupy the
position he did The attitude of Mr.. Hutton is
that of q frank apologist His views upon the
RELIGIOUS questions concerned are, while in some
respects broadly separated from those OF the
Catholic Church. yet sympathetic enough to
enable him to do full justice to the honesty
and single -mindedness Of the Cardinals arguments.
He takes strong ground against what may now be
called the popular Anglican tradition OF Cardinal
Newmans subtlety and tortuousness of reasoning;
q belief which Mr. Hutton holds to be quite
INCOMPATIBLE with the true character of the man.
II is not improbable that some readers may demur
TO the considerations advanced in the first chap
Ter of the book, to demonstrate that Cardinal
Newman was O great man. Such DIRECTORS will
be ant to challenge the assertion that the Cardinal
exercised widespread influence upon mems minds
during his generation. They will aver that so far
as the Tractarian movement was concerned, he
probably did much more harm than good; THAI
his preaching, while admirable in some points OF
view, was at once too mystical and austcre 10
take much hold upon the average intelligence:
that his Catholic career was too recluse ana
cloistral to be of high exemplary value: ana
that his later literary work, however delightful
from purely literary point of view. represented a
line of thought far too widely separated from
the dominant current of nineteenth century IN
tellisence to be seriously regarded while 1t was
los,, narln
the cultured classes who are least likely 10 "
moved by such arguments and appeals
As regards what Mr.. Hutton terms the no.
bility. intensity and steadfastncss of his work"
comparison with other illustrations OF the same
qualities is so easy that the test of this KIND
of greatness may be applied without difficulty
That Cardinal Newman was born believer Is ap-
parent from every fact in his life. That what
he believed he held with little or no reference
to its antecedent probability or hnprobabiii'y or
to the evidence for or against H. Is hoe 'o''
apparent. That his devotion to his peileis was
perfectly genuine, sincere and thorough cahiioV
be contested. That he gave up all hope OF ma
terial advancement in abandoning che Anglican
Church is obvious, though the elevation TO TIE
Cardinalate subsequently is liable to affect tms
consideration somewhat in certain class VI
minds His possession of literary powers of
be granted; but in the opinion of many these
lifts were seriously shorn Of their benehcent
boteutialitics by the absolute conservation of them
10 n single use The personal character of Cardi-
nal Newman, it might be said. was unquestionaDiy
beautiful Unselhshness self-sacrifce, picty. mod
esty tenderness, were its leading qualities Yet
how confined the area upon which these Virtues
and graces shone and how entirely that cohhhe-
ucnt was his own work and will! distinguished
man, if YOU choose, these directors might say, Dut
hardly a great man in anything. like sober and
judicial estimate of his career.
Mr. Hutton's analysis Of the Cardinals writings
is much the fullest of which we have knowledge
1t is also much the most appreciatNe.
The essayist indeed finds it Impossible 10
60 all the way with his subject, but IN
the matter of easy belief he appears 10 ex-
perience few more difficulties than Newman
did himself. This is unfortunate in one
respect, for really complete analysis Of New
mans character demands special examination OF
inst those elements in 1T which, in Mr. Hutton's
ewes. arc so natural as not to call for any comment
at ALL Judged by the Zeitgeist" Cardinal New
man hardly belonged to the present century at
ALL and it is interesting to note that the turn OF
his mind which most strongly influenced his
career was manifested before he was sixteen.
From this early age ne was convinced upon the
fact of Divine revelation. That is quite clear
and very significant. But what MIR. Hutton fails
to elucidate land for the reason above stated that
it does not strike him as necessary is precisely
the most interesting point of all to Sclentihc
observer, namely, how in after life he, while
recognizing and addressing himself to all manner
of minor difficulties and doubts, never once. SO
far as can be perceived faltercd in his faith upon
this fundamental and assuredly not easy tenet
onA hot ar6in nary.
or an inferior mind might assume such a position
and maintain it thereafter Stubbornly, for this is
done every day. But Newmans mind was not an
ordinary, and still less inferior, mind, and his
gertrude upon this question is not explained in
the present essay, nor in any of his owa writings,
in such a way as to make it Ineligible.
Perhaps the nearest approach to solution of
this interesting psychological problem will be
found in Mr. HuttOn's observation that what
ever he has thought that he ought to believe, he
has always found the means, not only to believe,
hut to interpret to himself with unique vivacity
and intensity Of conception" And elsewhere the
essayist says: His first practical conception OF
what he ought to believe was anything In
culcated by Scripture; his xext was anything
inculcated by the catena' of Anglican divincs,
in whom he supposed he had found the living
voice of the Anglican Church. The last and
present test of what he ought to believe is what
the voice of the Roman Catholic Church imposes
on him; and it is obvious enough that none of
these tests unless it be the last, is very distinct
in outline, nor any one of them that admits of
off-hand practical application How far he was
capable of going in the acceptance of beliefs Mr.
Hutton shows in his analysis of Newman's SER
mons on the worship of the Virgin. wherein he
contends that Catholics ought to believe a
legend. for which particle of evidence exists
either in or out of Scripture. Mr.. Hutton CON-
ments on this with something like severity
observing: / know no passage in Newman which
SO thoroughly bewilders the Protestant magma
tion in it's unwillingness to accept vague tradition
Of the most distant and uncertain origin as
evidence for historic fact, as that in which he
deals with the death of the mother Of Christ. "
And he concludes his criticism on the passage by
saxnn " Is il not true that the Roman Catholic