New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-01-14
= DEAN CHURCH.
THE BIOGRAPHY OF A LIBERAL HIGH
CHURCHMAN-HIS CHARACTER AND
WORK HIS VARIOUS EST1-
MATES OF VARIOUS MR..
CIADSTONES


London December a.
The late Dean Church very considerable
figure among ecclesastics. and this book presents
him also as an interesting one. HIS daughter Is
in part his biographer In greater part ne Is him.
self his biographer. 1t Is the letters "iic"
fill the most pages They are good letters. from
which the character OF the man comes out ne
passes many judgments upon men; and each as
Emerson SAYS, IS also a judgment upon himself
or a means by which others may judge him'
There Is light upon many famous persons Inc
view Is necessarily that Of a churchman, but the
good Dean was that and something more Ihere
Is n long eulogy upon him by Canon Scott fi"'-
land. overstrained and excessive IN tone ou' "
gives us at least the cathedral view o. us rum
the cathedral Of ST. Pauvs, of which Mr.. Glad-
stone made him Dean.
He was kindly ruler. with abundant author
fly over others. reformer and suppose inc
man TO whom the present religious emergency o.
the great metropolitan church is more que tn"h
TO all others He found ii a stagnant pool ne
left it a living spring. He was schoiar' Il man
Of delicate FIBRE a recuse by CHOICE quil'ihs HIS
Somersetshire parsonage. Whatey WIN re-
,uc,ance plunged into the turmoil of a great or
ganization and of greater reorganization lie
had to deal with sluggish If not refractory
and all kinds OF barnacles with those rights
which are derived from incrusation In his
nath stood as Canon Scott Holland well enough
nuts II obstructive traditions and solid blocks
of resistent sloth. He hated conflict, but he set
himself dauntlessly to the work and carried 1t
through as much, judge. by force of personal
character anything else. The slothful had
TO bestir themselves, obstructives TO take them
selves out of the way. He had the help or two
remarkable men. Gregory. then Canon, now his
successor in the Deanery. and Lddon, a great
spir,tual and rhetorical force; of Lghtfoot also,
the first scholar In the Church of England.
ut took years." says the Canon Ito work
through the whole scheme: it involved new stat
utes, new men. new buildings. 1t left upon him
the memory Of sharp anXieties and rough per-
sonal conflicts TO which he could hardly bear to
refer in later days. and then only with ominous
shudders" But it was done, and the ST. Paurs
of to-day is the result,-and a result of the an
comparable authority Of Dean Church, softly as
serted and the more irresistible because of the
gentleness Of method which firm VIII 1ound
sufficient. Says his eulogist:
II was impossible to bring before him anything
shabby, or ungainly or raw. or unseemy, or care
less. His presence held in ii capacity Tor re-
buke which acted as perpetual cheek NO one
could venture on taking the Dean lightly. Any
thing done under his eye had perforce to be done
at the best level that the conditions permitted
His approval was recognized. at once as
conveying sanction-as disposing OF doubts ana
hesitations His dissatisfaction was final obJec-
tion the matter must drop. All this would nap
pen almost in silence; certainly without much ar
rlIment 1t was If a verdict went out
from him by sheer necessity-that inevitable YER
dict which is the note of spiritual mastery and OF
discjnuned excellence . In spite of his in
s.,nct ~ selfeffa cement in spite OF mis- elastic
svmpathies in spite of his quiet gentleness in
spite of his innate reserve, the nnehess OF MS
judgment told instantaneously, Ike the Keen
edge OF knife
The worthy Canon has, as you perceive. an am
bilious style and too much emphasis but what he
saws is probably, on the whole. true account OF
Dean Church 1t explains his success in revolu-
tionizing the cathedral-life Of St. Paurs and II
makes the judgments upon other men. Of which
his letters are full, interesting. The Dean has
much to say, for instance, Of Mr.. Gladstone. who
was his friend. will begin by quoting an anec-
dote which shows how high was his general esti-
mate OF the late Prime Minister:
During Mr. Gladstones last tenure Of office
clergyman whose only opportunity OF knowing
him had been through the not too trustworthy
descriptions Of hostile critics. happened TO say In
the presence Of the Dean that he believed MT
Gladstone was a thoroughly nsincere man. the
Dean was sitting in his chair when the remark
was made but ne instantly rose. his race even
paer than it usually was, and he said, evidently
with the strongest suppression OF personal leeIns:
'Tnsncere! Sir. tell you that 10 my kno%ie s
Mr. Gladstone goes from communion with God 10
the great affairs of State" 1t was high testimony
to be given to any man. but highest OF all when
We remember who gave H.
The authority for this remnscence is the Rev.
DIR Barrett. It may recall to some readers
very different account Of Mr.. Gladstones rea-
tions to his Maker of which Mr.. Labouchere is
the responsible author.
Very much earlier than this. at the end OF
Dr AGA
professor with whom the Dean corresponded long
and frequently occurs this:
We have lost Palmerston. The great interest
Is TO see how Gladstone will comport Himself IL
is an awful time for him. The heart OF an
Israel is toward him." He is very great and
very noble He has been the one man who has
done any effective work in Government lately
But he Is hated as much as or more IMAM ne Is
loved He is fierce sometimes, and wrathful ana
easily ;rritated: he wants knowledge OF men ana
speaks rashly. And look on with some trehi-
bling TO see what will come or this. MS nrst az.
tempt to lead the Commons. anu prove hi'ii'eii
fit to lead England.
Five years later in 1870. the Deans opinion OF
his friend has not changed except for the better
He writes. again TO Dr. Gray:
Certainly no man we have ever had has
matched Gladstone in the grasp and daring.
combined with thorough detailed knoWledee. OF
his great legislative constructions; Doup,.e ,'s
there are powers stronger than he. But we nave
not known what a really strong Minister is all
the time between him and Pitt. Peel was very
nowerful from his very caution. combined with
thorough political integrity; but he had not
genius and holiness Gladstone's weak point -
Chat is most amiabe in him, his strong vein Of
continent 1t is the spring OF what Is MODEST
about his impulses; but IT is a perilous quality
too.
That was penned not many months after Mr.
Gladstone had uprooted his upas-tree. and over
thrown the Irish Church. an enterprise in which
he had the rather unexpected support Of Dean
Church He had then been tried for the first
time by the full responsibilities OF power The
traits on which his clerical friend comments, or
at which he hints-his impulsiveness. the strain
OF sentiment In him. and the danger which arose
out OF the application of sentiment TO politics and
the business of statesmanship-had become visi-
Ill doali racxa