The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1897-06-07

| Canterbury, Near the palace in can
terbury stood the ruins of an old church
built by Roman Christians. This, with
the kings help, Augustine rebuilt and
consecrated it to the honor of the
Holy Saviour, our God and Lord"
This was the earliest representative,
several times rebuilt since then, of the
metropolitan church of England, the
cathedral Of Canterbury.
Augustine wrote to Gregory of the
success of his mission and received in
reply from the pope instructions as to
the lines of development of the church
and authority TO consecrate twelve
bishops to assist in the work. Angus
| tine next prepared conference with
the British bishops from Wales and
meeting was held at place afterwards
called "Augustine's Oak" Augustine
proposed that the British should adopt
few Roman customs and aid
In evangelizing the English, but
no agreement could be reached.
A proposition was made to set
| tie the matter of pre- eminence by a
divine judgment expressed In a miracle.
A blind man was introduced and the
British prayed for his recovery, but
without effect. Then Augustine pray
ed and forthwith the man received his
sight. The British, however, whether
! doubling the genuineness of the miracle
or from some other cause were not sat-
isfed and proposed a second conference.
They took counsel of one of their holy
men, an aged hermit as to how they
should judge. The venerable man said
| Our Lord was meek and lowly In
heart If this man Augustine Is
meek and lowly then he beareth the
! yoke of Christ" But how shall we
know this?" they asked. IF he rise to
meet you when you approach be sure
| that he is servant of Christ" When
the meeting occurred Augustine show
ed no courteous humility but remained
| seated, IF he will not so much as rise
up to greet u.s." said they, chow much
more will he despise us if we submit
ourselves to him" When they declared
| that they would not submit Augustine
answered them, IF We will not accept
peace with brethren, We will have to ac-
cept war from enemies. If we will not
preach the way Of life to the English,
We will be punished with death by
| English hands" These words were re-
garded by some as finding fulfilment
when years after of Augustines death
the pagan king of the Northumbrian's
engaged in war with the Welsh. Some
twelve hundred Welsh monks gathered
on hill to pray for the success of their
army. The king seeing them said: IF
these men pray to their God that we
may be beaten it is all one as if they
were fighting against us" Whereupon
the monks We're attacked and slain.
Christianity did rot have unin terrupt-
| ed success in England, Gregory and
Augustine both died in 604 and twelve
years later King Ethelbert died and in
the words of Fuller it soon appeared
''as though much ON Christianity was
buried in his grave" His son and sue
cessor, like the sons of many of the
| holy Hebrew kings, refused to walk in
the holy ways Certain of the mobiles
sought to drive out the bishops of the
church. Millitus and Justus crossed
over to Gaul, and Laurence, the sue
cessor of Augustine, was on the point
of returning when, as reported, he was
detained by vision of St. Peter and a
message from him. The other bishops
were recalled and the work of the
church was continued. The preaching
of the gospel was now carried into other
parts of England. Etheberger, the
daughter of King Ethelbert, married
Edwin, king of Northumbria, and, like
Bertha, stipulated that she should be
allowed the free exercise of her relg-
ion and Paulinus, who had come from
Rome and who had been made a blsh-
OPP, accompanied her to her home A
conference was at length held at which
the king and his counselors debated as
TO whether they should adopt the
Christian faith. During the conference
the high priest of Wooden rose and with
words which revealed his selfish and
worldly heart said: "No one has serv-
ed the gods more truly than |, but
many men are richer and more highly
favored" Thereupon he advised that
they should listen to the men who
could tell of other deities. But one Of
the kings thames or chiefs spoke with
a more noble heart, "The life of man in
this world, 0 king" he said, may be
likened to what happeneth when thou
art sitting at supper with they thames
in the time of winter; fire is blazing
on the hearth, and the hall is warm;
without the rain and snow are falling
and the wind is bowling; there cometh
sparrow and flieth through the
house; she entereth by one door and
goeth out by another; while she is
within the house she feeleth not the
bowling blast, but when the short space
of rest is past, she fiieth out again into
the storm and passeth away from our
eyes. Even so is it with the brief life
of man; 1t appeareth for a little while,
but what precedeth it or what cometh
after it, we know not at ALL Where
fore, if this new love can tell us aught,
let us hearken to it and follow it."
Then the bishop preached the gospel
to them and the high priest himself fled
in the destruction of the temple of
Wooden, and the gospel was accepted in
Northumbria.
But the bishops of Rome were not the
only men who had part in the CONVEX
sion of England. Certain missionaries
from Ireland preached the gospel for
many years in Suffolk and a little later
with that heart of love which Jesus
enjoins when He bids men love their
enemies missionaries from the famous
school of st. COLUMBIA, on the island of
Iona, came into Northumbria to preach
the gospel to those who had been their
enemies and conquerors. One of these