New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-08-01

rell. lSl-1SS4. Arranged, with supple
ments, by NJ D. Petre Volume II. Life
of George Tyrrell from 1884 to 1909. BY
NJ. d. Petre. illustrated. Svo, Pr. XVI,
2S0: NJ, 5l2. Longmans. Green q Co.
Fifteen ears ago Father Tyrrell had
come to e conspicuous among English
Jesuits as a writer and speaker, and,
whether addressing undergraduates at
oxford or serving as director at re-
treats, he was proving himself a help
er of many in the life Of the soul. As
for his writings, it is not too much TO
say that to numerous priests and lay
men in the English-speaking world the
publication OF his essays, Nova ct
Vetera" and Hard Sayings consu-
tuted a spiritual landmark. What in
the eyes Of cultivated Catholics gave
TO the volumes their chief worth was
the blending of elements not always
found together: intellectual generosity.
philosophical penetration, fervor of as
celtic devotion and felicitous utterance
"bordered with the pale edge of fire"
These books and their successors
brought the author into correspondence
with many priests and other friends
unseen, to whose inquiries or encour-
agements he responded with the heart
mess OF q man endowed with capa-
cious faculty for friendship. II now
and again in the Jesuits deliverances
there sounded an intrepid note show
ing that he welcomed the notion that
one could hold TO the Catholic verlties
and be at the same time docile toward
whatever Of new truth the new ase
might have to teach, the authors ven-
turesomeness did not at the first stand
in the way Of obtaining the Official
imprimatur. Not with. any exaCtness
could he have been called their spolles
man, yet his fellow Jesuits seemed 10
take a fraternal pride in the effective
ness Of his labors. Indeed, their
strong influence awaited, in those
earlier days, TO protect him against
annoying inhibitions from Rome.
With the passing Of time George Tyr
rel was TO make the discovery that,
| in devoting the strength OF his days
to the service Of the Society of Jesus.
he had, 81 he phrased ii. embarked
on the wrong ship; while, on their
part, his superiors in the order were
| TO find that their patience had It's
term. BY February of 1906 the bold
had been broken. Father Tyrrell died
| July 10, 1909, and to his body was de-
/ MED burial in consecrated ground. or
! the volumes before us, the first gives
us the Jesuit's account Of himself up
! 70 his fortieth year. In the second we
have Miss Petre's competent and I'M
Outstanding biography dealing with
activities Of the later period ana trac-
| ing the expansion OF his philosophy.
| Tyrrelps father. journalist. for A
while Irish correspondent Of The
London Times" had died before
Georges birth. which occurred in Feb
! ruary, 1861. There were three chill
dren and only small annuity, but the
widow managed 10 get a fairly good
schooling for the two boys. The older
| brother died IN early manhood. As a
! family the Tyrrels were Protestants,
members of the then recently disestab-
! lished Church. a section of the Angli-
/ can communion so Puritan, not TO say
Calvinistic, in temper that a moderate
High Church man and ritualist like Dr.
Maturin was an apparition in the Dub
/ lin Israel. With whimsical way
wardness perhaps never completely i'll
allowance, and doubtless with degree
of honest preference, Tyrrell as a lad
espoused a High Anglicanlsm against
what he deemed a more sombre cast
| Of churchmanship. to find himself at
| eighteen bordering whether to one
who desired TO serve the Ideal inter
ests OF mankind the Catholic Church
did not afford a wider scope than the
| Church Of England could offer. 1t was
! his friend Robert Dolling, soon to
achieve a name as an Anglo-Catholic
priest, who counselled Tyrreil to spend
some time in London among members
of various religious orders in both
communions before taking final step.
Fevars "Jesuites," perfervid eulogy
| of the Society, had been Of influence
in turning the youths mind toward an
| order which he felt TO be committed
with a militant energy to the cause Of
Catholicism and Faith.l There was no
| little searching Of heart before an IN
terview with Father Christie abruptly
marked the parting Of the ways. His
confession being duly made, and his
reception accomplished, the youth was
asked what he thought Of doing with
himself Shyly he ventured on saying
that he had once thought of priesthood,
and Father Christie promptly gave the
convert encouragement. AS 1t APP
peared in Tyrrelrs "reminiscences:
/ He was not shocked at my audacty, as
| | had anticipated he would be- for so
/ ideal were my notions Of the priesthood.
derived from pious books. that ] thought
Z II most likely that my past sins would be
an insupcrable impeachment. Not at all:
and was / thinking of the secular or the
! regular state? Well. rather OF the regu-
| lar And of any particular order? Well.
| possibly Of the Society of Jesus. Moth
ing SIMMER. / WAS TO have note of in