New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-02-09
THE clRDINlL ulNNING CONTROVERSY.

rho hitter controversy that has already arls'f
o,.~ purrc,rs life Of the late Cardinal Man
rt,., inst uublish.-l suggests the interesting
,r,.,,on to what cxtrn. Il hiographcrfs justified
,r Jotl,rorin. Il p1pular idol by telling the truth
about him II il not perhaps strictly accurate l"
say that Cardinal Manning was ever popular
u0l III 0ugh re always siroyc iusiinrtiV'y 10 gam
H.. onulausc # men Bur he lid have rcputa-
Ton for moral carncstncss. sincerity ana single
ness ~ nurpo.e And ne was for years great
rrur,. in the ecclesiastical world. rcvercd by
MANI respected by all This being the case
,yho, o,,ch; 10 have been Mr.. Purcel.S course
,,hcn ~ Nauning'S authorized biographies, he
found hlm.cl: In possession II letters and jour
nal. + Mannlng proving lin to b. On many
occasions unscrupulou~. insinccrc and given 10
secret intrigue: Ough he 10 hay' suppressed
them. and thus handed down t. post'r'ty the
fictitious Manning accepted 10y the populac"F Or
was +, his duty 10 publish them. rs ne did. III
order that the world nigh: bccom" acquainted
with the real Manning just as he was!
That is ut bottom the question around which
In. whole If tho controversy evoked by furccL
lo,k turns. What Mr. Purcell says about Man
ping's character and motives counts Tor nothing
with the public. 1t is Manning himself, as re-
v,olcd in his correspondence, who overthr"ws
,he fictitious Manning from the pedestal or honor
and RESPECT on which he had been standing. The
commences If this correspondence Is nowhere
dcnicd nor the fact that 1t was turned over 10
Mr. Purcell AS Manning's accredited blosrapher.
The thing that angcrs 50 many Catholics. espe-
cially those who are friendly To Manning, was
TN, biographcr< failure To suppress everything
,h,t tended 10 put Manning or other dlgnitarlc'
If IN. church in bad light. This Is WIZ Car
dinal Vaughn mpcachcs the accuracy OF Mr.
pur,cll's book and why the executors of the late
Cardinal intend TO have Il new life written. in
which the Cardinal will be depicted as he APP
rcarcd TO the world during his life.
rndouhtcdlv ii i not pleasant for the great
,urrch of which Manning was so eminent
nrclotc 10 have the srimy side of the Cardinals
c,,r,ctcr. and. We may add the Scamy side aNo
of ecclesiastical politics, 80 pitiessly exposed 10
,hc hubble gaze We can understand. and In
measure sympathizc with, the roget OF Catholics
ot such an exposure. No one likes To see his po-
utcn, or religious household put to diScredlt,
ond ro RIGHTLY constituted mind can rejoice
when men who have been regarded with rever-
ence are shown to he in any degree unworthy or
II Possibly Mr. Purcelrs honest revelation of the
reoI Manning may be harmful to the Roman
Catholic Church without resulting in any CORE
snonding benefit to the world ut large. Certain
IL il will give pain to many sincere Catholics,
and to good men Of all other faiths, who would
no clad to believe that Christians Of all creeds
arc living up to the faith they profess
Rut however tar we may go with those who
say that in this special case Mr.. Purcell ought
+, have treated certain incidents in Cardinal
N,nninr's life with more reserve the practice
of srnprcsslng essential facts in mans life can
mot for n moment be accepted as Il canon Of
biography. No department OF history Is more
useful and fascinating than biography; but its
voluc depends altogether on its fidelity to truth
When for any reason 1t fails to state the facts
rs they are 1t becomes 10 that extent romance
interesting. perhaps, because OF It's literary
charm. hut worthless as Il contribution to human
history. The world to-day, more than ever be-
fore insists on knowing the truth about the
men whose lives are deemed worthy Of record
II has little patience with legends, even when
consecrated by time and gloritcd by the genius
Of poetry Still less will 1t allow the lives Of Its
nrosent-day worthless TO be turned into legend
aud myth.
But not to go further into that point here 1t
Is impossible now for the friends Of Cardinal
Manning TO counteract the effect Of Mr. Pur-
cells life. No matter how much they may glorify
the great Cardinal in their proposed biography
and there was much in his character that will
lend itself to such glortcatlon-the world will
continue to form its estimate OF him from the
yoluminous and unlmpeachable letters and
diaries in Purcclls life. 1t Is the privilege, and
perhaps may be the duty. of partial friends TO
Judge leniently whatever may seem dscreditable
TO the Cardinal In these letters and diaries. But