The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1897-09-21

Vel WIAtICl =
which is much in these unclean. decad-
~ent times.
Mr.. C. X. Shorter, an English man or
letters. thinks the Victorian literature
fs eminently Of the preaching kind. OF
h pulpit type. He fortifes his con-
tention by many examples In essays,
poetry, etc. The moral has been the
: thing sought by the chief writer's. Col
erJdge, Wordsworth, Tennyson, Brown
ing. Mrs. Browning, Matthew Arnold.
? h Brontes, Dickens, Thackeray, Geo.
!. Eliot, Charles Kingsley, Reade, Bulwer,
Carlyle, Ruskin, Froude, Macaulay,
Freeman, Seeley, Grote, DR.. Arnolo,
Green, all taught moral lessons or hLled
the historic pulpit. It is very noticeable
that so many Of the English Establish
ed clergy became so distinguished as
historians, producing works OF decided
excellence and perhaps permanent value.
Bishop T%hirlwalrs Greece is an admfra-
lie work, though less notable than
eGrote's elaborate work. DR.. Arnold's
= work on Rome has many strong points
Z and will hold a place among histories
i. of Rome for many decades to come we
Dean Merivale has surpassed
DIR. Arnold's work in the NATL OF
scholars. Then Dean Milman wrote his
History of Latin Christianity" a
work of real historic excellence that Is
still rated high. Dean Stanley wrote
- 49, -ro-y~ port10y fh0O1OO1nQl
and semi historical of value and gen
x,zne entertainment, especially his book
on the Cheek Church. Dean k1tchln
has published a History of France"
pronounced by MI. Shorter to be a very
reading, but little short OF
another work by a clergyman, he says
b. Green's Short History of the English
People" We do not know Dean
Kitchin's work, but we nave regarded
Green's work since we read 1t o al
ter publication as a production of real
genius, the very best one volume his
tory Of any country, we must believe,
that has ever been written. In concep-
ton, plan, execution and style it Is
wrought with mastery results. When
this writer came so near undertaking
a one octave volume history Of North
Carolina in 1~S75-being within three
days Of beginning and then forced by
circumstances to abandon a cherished
and planned historic project requiring
-four or five years to execute 1.-THE had
selected Green's masterful volume as
the model upon which to construct his
- own attempt in so far as the differences
would allow in English people and the
people of North Carolina.
But this is not by n means all that
the Established clergy have done since
Victoria assembled the throne. Many OF
them have published volumes Of verse.
some of it very good; others have writ
novels of genuine excellence and
power, as some Of Rev. Charles Kings
: ley's, two or three Of which are indeed
OF q high rank. We regard westward
Ho!' the best historic novel since Scott
Laid down his pen and 'fell on sleep"
Some of them have written biography
with success. The most noteworthy Is
doubtless Dean Stanley's capital and
: elaborate life Of his distinguished
teacher, DR.. Thomas Arnold, of Rugby.
Dean Church wrote on Spenser, n
some others Of the clergy AVE engaged
in similar work. The historian Stubs
is a distinguished cleric-a bishop. His
historic works stand high for certain
important qualities. What has been
said is not an attempt to be exhaustive
to cover all the ground. Bishop
Creighton has produced one or more
histories. We have availed ourselves
amainly of those mentioned by Mr..
Shorter in his paper, but with most Of
them we are more Or less acquainted,
having read more or less Of their writ
fnB. What has been said is quite
enough to show the literary and schol-
axfy industry as well as h high gifts
: q some of the writer's, during the long
reign of the best Of English queens.
THE clergy of the English Establish