New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-08-20

lehman who followed obsequiOusy the Lord
Mavor Of London az a matter Of conscience. And
| they think much worse Of the Pope than l OF the
| Lord Mayor' And he quite as frank IN
regard to the intellectual shortcomings OF Eng
| lsh Catholicism English Catholics" he SAID,
| don't know what education means. Many OF
them can't write English When Catholic meets
Protestant in controversy. it is like barbarian
meeting n civilized man." He used TO t"l
| good story of the routine preaching OF the ola
| time priests Of the day. One Of them hapltnaiW
read to congregation Of poor and lllteratc people
| in an English village TRANSACTIONS from the oiu
| court sermons of Bourdalouc. Ward and GRAFTON
once attended such service. and the former
used 10 descrfe with keen relish the homogeneous
ness OF the discourse delivered 70 small TRACES
men and worngmen stern reouke from l'''
New Testament was quoted and then. with voice
elevated, the preacher read from Bonrialonc:
Hear this. You young voluptuary. Hear TINS,
YOU butterfly of fashion. Hear this yon tha'
love 10 haunt the ante-chambcrs Of the great"
81 looked at Grafton" Ward added. TO see how
we could divide the parts, which was the butter
fy and which the voluptnary. For myself !
didn't think looked much like butterfly.
Which was true enough, az he was large and
very stout man.
Whilc Ward was an Anglican clergyman. he
held. and claimed the right to hold. Roman Cath
Ollie doctrine: and it was ALWAYS grief ~ his
friends in the Anglican Church that h" could
never SEQ any dishonesty in this Speaking OF the
INTERPRETATION Of the ThirtyNinc Articles in Ira''
No 90 he said in later years 81 am as strongly
persuaded az 7 ever tlint those Artlc"S'
wor(led as they arc in the loosest and most
slovcnly way. werc only meant TO make Gr'ao
splash Of orthodoxy TO the outward ear. bnt not
10 rule ANYTHING definite against Rome. ana 50
to ALLEVIATE those subjects Of the king or queen
who had been born and bred in the old faith, ami
chung to il still.
The attitude Of Ward toward the current or
Thought in English Catholicism is described a.
follows: "The acute collision between the wv"
extreme parties U'ltramOntancs and Liberals IN
tho evcntful years preceding the Vatican Council
the comparative disappearance" OF both sine" men,
and the Subsequent renewal, in more permanent
form. of the combination of Ultramontanism with
the cndoavor to find molus vivcndi with modern
thought and modern political conditions. make
undoubtedly turning-point in the history OF con-
temporary Christirn thouoht. In the events sur
rounding this crisis Mr. w G. Ward took. both
directly and Indirectly. an active share.
He represented in politics and theology
tho unqualified opposition 10 the extremes OF
Liberal Catholicism against which Pins KS pont-
fcate w,s n constant protest and in phll'sophy MS
tendency was toward the fusion Of Cltramontanc
loyalty, with sympathetic assimilation OF al
that is valuable in contemporary though'. as the
best means OF pnrcinc il Of what Is dah@cIouS'
As might be expected. this attitude brought MN
into collision with Newman. who If not Liberal,
was certainly not an I1tramontan" Mhch ~
Ward reycrcd Newman. he had no patience with
his tcnuous subtletv Of mind which, indeed ne
could not understand. On the other hand Newman
frequently dissented from the radical posI,lohs
taken by Ward while the latter was Editor
~ " Tho Dublin Review" One Of the questions
under discussion al that time was '"c
DOOM, Of Papal infallibility Whether or
not Newman was disposed 70 miniml7" thlS dogma
there was no uncertainty as TO Wards attitude
tJa was ,nyons 10 prove the spher" 81 inialllb!"
pono1 uttcranccs as largo ne possible, for he saw
in the donna the only refuge and protection from
tho unrest and unhrlicf Of the day. i II" great
thing wo want" said De Mastro. is for the rope
70 settle things one way or another "ard
cordially accepted this view. For man 80
Courageous in every other relation OF me" ne
showed n strange timidity when called upon 10
face the problems Of life and destiny IL" wanten
10 find some one who would settle them all LOT
him ofrhand Most men. in looking for an IN
rallibln authority. would desire 10 rs" their
reason BIT even AZ this preliminary stage.
Ward abdicated the use OF his reason. lie would
not have presumed TO investigate any claims that
might be made in behalf Of the Sovereign Pon'iii
That they were made by the Church proves them
to be divincly true
or course Ward fought liberalism, both IN IN"
Church and ont OF it, He looked upon Oh" whole
movement Of modern life as diametrically opposed
70 the teachings of the Church. He was so con-
G..o lie. .nIa Tnn 81
intellectual culture, because it fostcred spirit
that made il hard to accept without question the
dogmas Of the Church. Liberalism in any form
was the deadly microbc Of religious ncgatlon
lie held it to he impossible 10 cntholciz" Libcr-
asm: therefore he fought bitterly all attempts
TO liheraize Catholicism. While Newman, on the
other hand. formally condemned some OF the
principles Of Liberalism, he approved Of its in
tclectual enlargement Though he preached sub
mission to the Church's condemnation Of certain
conclusion Of scrhce. he refused 10 hold with
Ward that tie man or science should constantly
test his conclusions by their agreement with the
prevalent theological opinion, whatever il might be.
The difference here crucial one. though
perhaps neither Of these men suspected il. OF
the two Ward the more consistent Catholic.
Had Newman carried his minimizing principles
TO their logical conclusion. they would have led
him ultimately ont Of the Church. 1t was AT
once Wards weakness and strength that he was
only able TO one side Of question. New
man always saw. not merely two, but an unlimited
number Of sides to every question that came up
and lie could seldom rcsis: the temptation 10
argue them all out. For this reason his sym
pathies were largely with the small group OF
cultured English Catholics who established The
Rambler whose views Ward opposed with all
his might in The Dublin Review"
We have not the space here to follow in detail
the whole of Wards busy life interesting and
suggestive though it is Whatever may be
thought OF his religious and intellectual attitude
there can be no question Of his intense earnest
ness honesty and singlcncss Ct purpose. Cnthol- |
icism never had truer son than he 10 the end |