The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-03-27
OLD OXONIAN COMPARES
 TWO FAMOUS ANGLICANS

seem to be the views held by almost every minister of intelligence Many emi- nent preachers, such as Canon Melville of the Church of England, and Dr. Guth- rie of the Scotch Free church, had ven- tured to cast some doubt on the possi- bility of an endless hell, and the great English poet. Tennyson, In his "1n Me moriam," had expressed hope that not one life shall be destroyed Tor cast as rubbish in the void" when God hath made the pile complete" But 1t was re- served for Canon Farrar to stand up five consecutive Sundays and proclaim to thousands in the nave of the great abbey his earnest conviction that Christ had never taught that there would be time when the door of hope would be closed.
 churchmen of all parties In the present day will be reluctant to give Farrar this prominent place in religious thought. But time and careful investigation will prove my statement. The late dean of Canterbury has brought greater influ- ence to bear upon Christian theology as taught in our schools and in our pulpits than any other man in the age 'n which we live.
 And then let us remember what a re- markable blessing to thousands of Chris tian homes has been his Life of Christi and how much this one work has done to confirm the faith of Christians in sceptical age. In his preface to his ser mons on Eternal Hope" Dr. Farrar says that he was brought up with these nar- row views on the future state which 1t is his determination to refute.
 It Is not generally known that the late dean was the son of a missionary of ths Church Missionary society, in London, a society which represents the low church party. And his early education at King Williams college Isle of Man, and Kings college. London, was carried on under the auspices of that society. He eventually won a scholarship at Cambridge. where he took the highest honors both In clas- sios and in mathematics. He was born at Nassik in the Bombay presidency and not in the Fort of Bombay, as has been stated Although a son and protege of the Church Missionary society in London. he never took the slightest interest In its operation, probably for the reasons which I have already indicated.
 Unlike Dean Stanley, who was of noble birth Dean Farrar was in every way a self-made man. He was brusque in his manner and by no means attractive in his personality. In other words, he was sin gulariy wanting in those graces which made Dean Stanley sit in the presence of kings. But no one ever doubted Dean Farrar's high Christian character and his singular Christian earnestness, and al- though his light seems to have dimmed since he became dean of Canterbury, the pathetic picture of his being carried help less in a chair first to the high altar in Canterbury at the funeral, and then to the grave of his old friend, Archbishop Tenn pie, touched the hearts of many who in years past had thought him "unsound' and somewhat dangerous" as Christian preacher.
 Unlike Dean Stanley, who wrote com parativey few books, Dean Farrar will be remembered in years to come by the fifty volumes or more of works as schol- arly as they are attractive. The Church of England will not see his like again for many a year, and the American vis- 1tor to St. Margaret's Westminster, will cherish sweet memories of one who so truly loved American people.
 B. D. OxON.
 New York, March 23.