, 1892-02-13
CARDINAL
From the Spectator, Jan. lGth.]

s stately figure disappears from. England
by the death Of Cardinal Manning, - thu
figure OF ore WHO has probably welded
more influence in turning the genius of lhr
Roman Catholic Church into what we may
call democratic channels, than ANY other
EpgliShnan of hiSday. If the late Cardinal
Newman had far lhotr to do with he intel
ltctual relations Of the Catholic Church IN
Christian fnlth, than The eminent man who
though converted from AugIlcaniNm ak
ytaIs later than he, became Z Prince Of che
Church foui years before him, ,rt unqurs-
tionably Cardinal Manning has tx, rted
much more influence han Cardinal New
man on the practical policy Of the Church
Of Rome IN this country, and over her rehI-
tons with he g,eat social movements OF the
day. An eminent foreigner who had been
very anxious to see him is said to have tx.
pressed his disappointment in finding him
less a Roman Catholic priest, than "tho
skeleton of an Anglican parSon.', AS Tor
the ascetic exterior which WAS, we suppose,
referred to- in THIS ungracious speech, we
are not aware that it has been unuSual for ~
great Roman Catholic dignirary to lead, aud
giyfeyery one he evidence that he leads,
+. an. aNcrtjc life. But that something OF the
oraCular 8,bitrarintSs Of the Anglican Cler-
gyman fingered in Caldiual Manning ia
spite OF his aScpticism. in spite of his vi.
tramOttanism, in spite of his hankeringS
after the medieval philosophy, IN spite OF
his Das 'iUua'e Symp thy with the Inisrries
aid suffrfingS Of the poor. CaInOt, we think,
bt denied. l is not that be bad any of Catdis
nalNewma4 s tendency 10 exa't the ola msdia.
It Is not in The least thar he loved c0mWO-
mise foI its own sake, as SO many English
ClergNmen do still less IA Ii tina; he wished
to STEER 4 middle course between "the Scyl-
Ia and C~harybdts OF Aye and No" On the
contrary, he rather loved to cxaggrrale than
to dtp"ecialp he intellectual authority OF
the Church he had ined. He was Que OF
the most enthusiastic OF The apOlOgists for
the Vatican Council ut 1870, and leaned
much more to the Interpretation OF lnthlIibl-
lity advocated hy the late Mr.. Ward than 10
that advocated Ivy the late Cardinal New
man. Nevertheless, there Was In him al
ways sOme disposition q assert that Kind
Ofclcrical all authority which is not, and dOos
not tven persuade itself that 1t In, final, buA
rather positive and OptniOnative-and which
the lncu nbe of our National Church
have all the more habiiually excrted that
they know ofnD final authority by which they
could he 0verruled. Amongst Roman Ca.
tiolic priests born and bred, we g~ener@lly
see avery cItHI anu SIIOitS QUINN Va uO uI1~
ference between that To which their indivi.
dual opinion incllnes, and that to which the
Church has given th" formal sanction OF
her authority. They speak in one tone OF
what the Church teaches, and in q1it''an-
other tone of their own personal opinion.
The Anglican Vicar or Rector does not make
this diffet encp. He * hahitually consulted
On theological and ecclesiastical questions,
and habituaIly gives his opinion with % con-
flencp. aud vat a vaguenesS Of speech Of
which Mr.. Tr~oIlSpe's picture of Archdeac0D
GRAVITY conveys some impression. The
authoritati veness of his manner is really
very much greater than the authoritative
ness OF his thought. As the incumbent of a
freehold in which it il almost Impossible for
bis authority to be questioned, lO very often
gets into the habit of laying down the law
with an air of what we may call vague alb
MISUNDERSTANDING hardly vsnlnresome-
nesS,-ofaI bitrary authority. The Cardinal
Archbishop of Westminster never aitOge-
Their lost that .uauneg that mir ofkinlly i'm
periousnesS which gave tbs impression: of
caring rather to aubiu" Op4mSlllUS aud
stop controversy, than To clesr up doubts
audi discriminate between settled AMI un-