The Irish standard., 1900-12-01

On Nov. 10 Mt st. Mary's Cathedral,
Portland, Oregon, an eloquent lecture
on Newman and the Great English
Catholic Movement was delivered be-
fore large and intelligent audience by
Rev. NJ. P. Smith Of the Paulist Order.
The following synopsis Of his address
is taken from the Catholic Sentinel Of
that city:
BY way OF Introduction Father
Smith referred to the perennial in
terest which the Tractarian move
ment has had for the serious reading
public these many years. And this
interest was shown by the immense lit
erature relating to the actors con-
cerned In the movement.
In order to bring the minds Of his
hearers en- rapport with the move
ment, Father Smith briefly skctched
the history Of Anglicansm since its
beginning, showing the two discordant
principles and systems were forcibly
and unnaturally welded in one and
bound together by state control. The
superimpostion Of Calvinistic notions
upon the basis Of the old traditional
Catholic religion caused that eternal
dlscordance evidenced in every page Of
the history of Anglicanism and III each
year Of its annals.
The lecturer presented in an clo-
quent and interesting manner the
state of things religious and political
in England in 1880, at the time the
movement began-the threatening Of
the bishops by the Whig ministers Of
state, the diminution OF their revenues,
the suppression Of ten episcopal sees
in Ireland, the proposed alterations in
the prayer book and Church formulas.
Newman and his friends began a
policy not only of defence for the es-
tablishment, but OF arousing the nation
to these dangers. Unfortunately there
was little to appeal to In peoples
minds, so he began the "Trncts for
the Times" series Of stirring pamph-
lets that had some of the desired ef-
feet. He and the other tractarlans
followed this up by the publication
of more serious works, translations of
the Fathers of the Church, lives of
English saints and trenchant articles
In magazines. Another and powerful
agency was the use the tractarians
made Of the pulpit. Newman's posi-
ton as Vicar of st. Mary's the Virgin
gave him the whole University for an
audience and he availed himself of 1t
with wonderful acuteness and success.
And. now although the matter may
be somewhat dry, being theological,
let us briefly ascertain what was the
purpose Of the movement from its
doctrinal side, what 1t attempted,
wherein 1t failed and how. In Its most
general sense it was an attempt to
Catholicizc the Anglican church. New
man put it thus, the purpose Of the
movement was to uphold that priml-
tive Christianity which was delivered
for all time by the early teachers of
the church-which was registered and
attcstcd in Anglican formularies and
by Anglican divines. That ancient re-
ligion had we'll nigh faded out Of the
land through political changes Of the
last $50 years and it must be restored.
1t would be a second Reformation,
and better Reformation since 1t
would return not to the 10th but to
the 18th century. And again ito
withstand Liberalism it was necessary
to have q positive church theory erect
cd and a definite basis. This took me
to the Anglican divines. But found
it impossible to form any such theory
without cutting across the teaching
of the Church of Rome. The con-
ception and belief that Newman and
his colleagues had Of the Church-a
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. perpetual society
WHICH It's notes of unity, Catholicity,
Apostolicity and Sanctlty,-authorita-
tive, in higher and different sphere
from the state or mere human organi-
zation. His notion was that Unity
was at most, natural, becoming, and
expcdicnt to the Church:-each do
cese being governed by its own Bishop
"a real mutual independence between
it's separate parts, though from dc
tate of charity, there was or ought to
be Il close union between them. 1t
was the union Of n collection of crys-
tails, each similar to the rest; 1t was
capable at least Of formally coming
together in general councils defining
doctrines, condemnlng errors. That
glorious unity that once held was
gone, alas, yet the Church, being d.
vine, lived on-and the various por-
tions had followed their own way. to