New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-11-04

For both were In the very centre OF the Oxiord
movement; Newman the elder and already COM
handing figure-already. to use more apt woru'
q fascinating fgure.--in the Counter Reiorma'oh'
Oxford. or 50 much Of IT az was concerned III inns
movement lay already under Newmans speh.
Froude's elder brother was one or Ne"iha"
lieutenants Froude himself was at Or'ei CoNese'
where Newman's influence was strongest. HN
was chosen by Newman 10 write one OF MS series
-, lives NJ the Saints and did actually write the
Life of ST. Vivian. | always fancied that such
a task might we'll have hurried Froude along the
road he was afterward 10 travel FOR 10 write
+,a ,i,. OF A Saint, and write it in the orthodox
way man must forego all satisfaction Oh thd'
sn,r,t OF inquiry which leads To the discovery OF
truth. He must give up all notion or strung
stories or testing evidence. He must take the
facts-heaven save the mark.-as they are report
ed to him. as they come down to him in trad'-
+ion 40 they are fabricated for him by the dun
and, devout Imagination OF an ignorant monk or
an ecclesiastical historian OF any sort And ms
dnty is 70 make the dull narrative readable ana
= he fantastic legend once more credible-credbie
,to readers OF the nineteenth century. Against
such a task as that Froudes soul may well nave
revolted.
Whether il did or not. Froude soon saw that he
was approaching the parting OF the ways III
had to give himself body and soul to Newman III
break with him utterly and with all Tor whlch
he then stood. He did break the bond IL heeu
not be thought that in his case, as so garins'S
i'm Newmans, there was any act OF Will fo' III
Froude with all his strong bent 10 purely rei's
ions belief and to the spiritual side OF He tn"re
was one thing stronger still, and that as
said was his loyalty to moral law. lie couid con-
ceiye of morals without religion. or. AT any ra'r'
without theology. For religion or anything '"a'
called itself such, without morals. or "i ""l'"
MOI ais did not form an integral part ne hau
lust adherence. The man who wrote the sci"
terc. ahout the will OF God as evident In the
whole history Of the word.-'a voice Forever
sounding across the centuries the laws Of right
and wrong"-that man cannot have peeh "'"''
than deeply religious in the best sense Of the
word and that man was Froude. Inc s'N''
thread runs through all his writings There -
none of them in which he does not stand ou' aS
the ethical teacher When he passed under the
Influence OF CARLYLE it remained. Carlyle himself
could not convert him to the might IL rgh'
doctrine except in 50 far he was allowed 70
use the word might In the sense Of moral force.
II IS not certain that Carlyle himself did not 50
intend II. He did certainly use 1t with that mean
ing at times and he has more than hint'-i 'nd'
in his mouth the phrase was never atheisu'hl
nor ever immoral. "ilo" do the! hho" '''F
know what | meant" asked the grim old sage
Froude was remote enough from 'arE'e al '"'
time 81 his revolt against Tractarian!sm ana
near To- Emerson. nor ought his relation I" Finer
son ever 10 be forgotten when his relation to
Carlyle is discussed The purity and fervpr ~
Emerson " ,uld have kept him far from TractAfl-
anisu and the fact that Froudr renowned l.
while Emerson was his prophet Is new testi-
monv - thu inspiration u tn" thinker 81 CON
cord Ther- was IN Traciarnnism an element ~
immortality or of what Mr.. Gladstone might 'Ai
non-morality which IL Itself would sufiir" t.
rcpel both Emerson ana MS English disciple"
with or without Emersons help. fi"ud" WN*'
ultimately have freed himself from Newman
VIVA, Emerson did for him was To hasten the
dawn Thereafter he took pretty much his own
way and Jill his own thinking When he turned
I, history. the sixteenth century imposed iis"If
upon him a. subject Tn" Reformation IN
England was - him a. b. said th~ greatest In
cldent in English history. and be- has treated II
a. what # is. Il revolution IN morals a. we'll - -
r.volutlon against authority ana the abuse 80
authority. /, was t. him the root anl source -
the EXPANSIVE. force which has spread the Anglo
Saxon race over the globe and imprinted me
English character and genius on tn" constitution
~ mankind" Again You hear the ethical note
II is everywhere In the book Catholic ~ course
attacked the historian who came % giJrfy Prot
.stantl.m some Protestauis attacked IA" book
ON different grounds. But The public read and
continued - read not only Tor the REASONS IN
dicatrl yesterday. but because TIA" 'onsci'n'" ~
this Protestant nation was touched Il ff'nlr
ma remained ia the grip ~ the Counter kri"rWa-
ton. no .uch book would have been possible.
Huf then. on the other hand. 1t was not possible
for him I, remain I'm tn" grip ~ thu Counter Ref
orinati,n. The one authority which he r"cog-
nized first and last and all the time MAS. | r~-
peat the moral law 81 the Universe. nor did his
scepticisrn prevent him from calling 1t Gods law.
The second fact - which referred ~ tn" De
ginning may hc tod in few words. but dp-
prehen1 that t. those In the habit oi testing chaI-
act4r by acts It Will seem decisive Oh the dues-
ton of Froude's sincerity. When h. began 10
feel that he was drifting away from the Church.
he told his father Ills father was the Venerable
Archdeacon F'rouIe not only churchman. but a
dignltary Of the Church. and something Of a
devotec tn. father naturally sought TO dissuadr
the son. d'rcsrntly he added the weight OF pa
ternal authority 10 his "ntreatles Finding THIS
also Intellectual he told young Froude plainly that
# NJ renowned the Church he must renOunce his
expectations OF fortune. The father was rich,
wealth lay within the sons grasp, poverty was
the price Of resistance. FrOude told the story
very simply. lie never said whether he h"sitat.d.
he only said II gave up the fortune. | thought
could earn my own living and have" Yet when
he threw of the frock he resigned his fellowship
and resigned the head mastcrship Of school
which had just been offered and accepted. and
began life over again man OF letters He
had no income and no certainty Of employment
or Of pay for his writings Success was not In
deed long in coming but few will think that de-
tracts from the homage due TO the loyal courage
with which he faced poverty for conscience sake.
q. W =
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