Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1900-09-03

Beautiful Hymn Which We Can NOW
Understand

show the real unity of Christians,
whether Catholic or Protestant. But
as a matter of fact the hymn was not
written by Cardinal Newman, nor even
by a Roman Catholic. 1t was written
by the Rev. John Henry Newman, a
young clergyman OF the Church OF
England, twelve years before he went
into the Church Of Rome; and at
time when, as he himself tells. us he
had no thought Of leaving the Church
of England
The hymn is so much part of .Ae
authors life that the story Of the hymn
and of his life must be told together.
The son of a London banker, he was
born, in 1901, within sound of Bow
Bells. He was an imaginative boy
and so superstitious that he used to
constantly cross himself in going into
the dark. He never could explain
what started him in such a practice,
for his surroundings were those OF
Evangelical Professionalism, and his
own beliefs were Calvinistic, including
the opinion that the pope was anti
Christ. At his conversion, when 10
years old, his mind became filled with
that sense of communion with God
which possessed him all his life, and
made outward things seem as nothing
to him. A curious imagination took
hold Of him at the same time that it
was Gods will that he should live
single life. This feeling never left
him.
Newman went up to Oxford, and was
graduated from Trinity college in 1920;
remaining there first as fellow, and
then as tutor, of Oriel. In 1924 he
was ordained, and 1928 appointed visar
Of Saint Mary's church at Oxford.
Then he began to preach those SER
mons, thought by many the greatest OF
the century Meantime, his religious
opinions were gradually changing
under Oxford influences, especially
under the influence of his friend and
fellow tutor, Hurrell Froude. Froude
changed Newman's hostility to the
Church of Rome to deep admiration,
and taught him to look upon the refor-
nation as mistake and a failure.
Gradually Newman came to adopt
Roman Catholic doctrines.
In December Of 1882, anxious in
mind and run down in health. Newman
joined Herrell Froude and his father
in tour to the south Of Europe.
They visited the Mediterranean coasts
together, and at Rome Newman left
his companions, and went to Sicily
alone. His mind was frctting over the
success of what he called Liberalism"
in the church at home. Protestant
doctrine and Guardianship satisfied
him less and less. A conviction took
hold of him that he was "a man OF
destiny" and was called to be leader
in undoing the work of the Reforma-
ton in England, and making the
church to be what Archbishop Laud
had striven to make it. At Rome,
when Monsignore Wiseman expressed
a wish that the friends might visit
Rome again, Newman answered: I'VE
have a work to do in England" In
Sicily the presentiment grew intense,
until he was strusk down by fever.
His servant thought him dying. New
man felt sure he should not die. After
nearly three weeks he was able to get
as far as Palermo. In starting he sat
down in his weakness on his bed and
sobbed violently. His servant asked
what allied him, but in his highly
wrought condition he could only an
swer: 81 have a work to do in Eng
land" He was "aching to get home, .
but was detained at Palermo three
weeks for want of a vessel. At last
he got off in an orange boat bound for
Marseilles. '"Then it was,'' he SAYS,
chat worte the lines, Lead Kindly
Light. We were becalmed whole
week in the straits of Bonifacio. was
writing verse the whole time on my
passage
We can now understand re hymn.
It is a voice of trust from a lonely
traveller at sea. But is much more
than that. 1t is .Ae prayer of one who
feels the call of God to start out on a
path full OF danger and difficulty, and
whose goal he cannot forsee. The
hymn is the answer of LIS whole soul
to that call. He is satisfied not to
know his way. All he asks of God is
light enough to go through the dark
ness step by step. We may think New
man mistaken as to the particular
work to which God called him. 2
came to change his own views about
that. But none the less beautiful is
his trustfulness; not less appealing is
his cry for light
The date of the hymn is June 16,
1888 The after history of Newman S
life hardly belongs to its story. Re-
turning to Oxford, he became the CEN
ter Of very powerful movement to
AIRY the Church Of England toward
Rome But he grew so much out of
sympathy with all that Professionalism
stands for that in 1916 he asked to be
received into the Roman Catholic
church. He continued devout
Catholic, and, in 1879, as made car
dinal by the pope, dying in 1890 1t
was a strange career of a WounderfuIly