New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-01-12

4
sions to the Anglican Church. that are blemishes
even from the literary and artistic point OF View
But. as whole. the work is so well done that
we are not disposed to dwell on it's faults. 1t
will have a permanent value, not so much be-
cause II records the life Of Manning as because
in doing so it necessarily records some part, at
least, of one Of the most remarkable recrudescent
movements in the history Of Christianity
Henry Edward Manning born of sturdy
English midde-class people. His father was a
man OF wealth and position, and a member OF
Parliament The religious views OF the family
were strictly EVANGELICAL and in those plin-
ciples the boy trained. He soon developed
a despotic temper strong self-w!ll and a, love of
power He became something of dandy at
Harrow. though in after years when Card-
nal he got bravely over that fault, and was at
times almost slovenly. Ills unconscious concet
I'm youth was shown by his silence in regard to
his school companions while he always talked
about himself He lived egotistic life in
which what he thought. said and did seemed TO
ID the pivot around which everything centred.
As boy he was die. indoent and clever ana
none Of his schoolmates can remember that he
ever distinguished himself in anything. On the
other hand il Is the testimony of all that his
life as a boy and young was singuarly free
from offences against the moral law.
At oxford he soon made mark ready and
graceful speaker at the famous Union Debating
Society and he then decided that he would go into
politics. and become the greatest statesman of his
age Ii was said Of him in those days that he
was self-conscious even in his nightcao, and
that he possessed the fatal gift of omniscience;
but at the same time. he was magnetic i'm
pressive and conclatory. He did not become a
great student in oxford. but he developed some
Of the finer qualities that did so much to shape
his after career-will power, tenacity OF purpose,
self-confdence and self-control. readiness Of re-
source and rare capacity Of making the most OF
his abilities and opportunities. 1t was said OF
him that he the idlest hard-reading man
and the hardest-read ding idle man in the uni
versty The oldest thing he did there was to
hire notorious puglst to teach him the noble
art Of sef-defence'-an art which he does not
ever appear to have employed.
Strangely enough. he took no interest at that
time in the Anglican system of religion. He
believed in baptismal regeneration as specu-
lative dogma. but had only a vague conception
Of the Church. and knew nothing about orders
or apostolic succession He was not one of the
band of earnest young men" who used 10 meet
in Newmans room at Orel and he left the
university with no suspicion that ii held many Of
the actors in a movement that was TO stir the
Church Of England to its depths. Mannings
heart was in the Union. and to talk or teach
politics to admiring disciples was his constant
delight.
When he left oxford he looked forward to a
political career but his fathers bankruptcy
made 1t Impossible for him to enter politics, and
for time he became a supernumeraiy clerk in
the Colonial Office. This only stop gap,
however and his friends all told him that the
only thing for him to do to take orders.
Nobody not even Manning himself, thought that
he had any divine call" TO the ministry, or even
any special qualifications. But when he became
conviced that no other career was open 10 him,
and was assured Of IAN agreeable curacy' he
decided nevertheless, 10 take orders. In after
years he declared that he was called by God.
but this declaration Is not borne out by his
letters written at the time. In fact, the thought
OF being q clergyman was positively repulsive to
him. But Manning never failed 10 adjust him
self to circumstances. And so he found little
difficulty in adjusting himself to the agreeable
curacy" OF Lavington. and to a Merton fellow
ship even though they did involve Holy orders.
Judged by the standards of the time, he deserves
no special reprobation for this: for greater men
than he was have entered the Anglican ministry
from the same motives.
He fell easily and naturally into the pleasan,
ways of a country parson. He was most ex-
cmplary in the performance Of his clerical duties.
He married the daughter Of the previous rector.
and succeeded to the rectorchip. His short mar
RED life appears to have been ideally happy but
In later days he never referred 10 his marriage.
and many English Catholics never knew that he
had been married. According to his bograph
his reticence due to his belief that his in
fuence as priest would be lessened If the fact
Of his marriage were known. He would not let
even the nobest passion that ever possessed him
stand In the way of his ecclesiastical success
All this time his religious views were Of
hazy evangelical stripe. He was proud OF tine
blessed results Of the Reformation" Though
the oxford movement was born almost under his
eyes, he took no note Of II at first His personal
piety was beyond question, and, indeed, his
whole scheme of religion rested on the evangeli-
cal dogma of personal piety. 1T was pictur-
esque sight" says a friend. Ito watch the Jealous
and stately rector. vested in surpl.ce, himself
toliing the bell. while in the gray of a winters
morning the struggling villagers hurried to
morning prayer before going out TO their daily