The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1914-02-14
WILFRID WARD AND
CARDINAL NEWMAN
SOME ASPECTS OF THE RECENT
BIOGRAPHY OF THE GREAT
CARDINAL.
written for The Catholic Bulletin by
Cecil UnderWood.)

Wilfrid Ward, the present editor of
the Dublin Review, enjoys the dis
tinction of being the foremost Cath
olic writer in England. In publishing
the biography of Cardinal Newman
work issued little over one year
ago-he has earned the gratitude of
the whole literary world, irrespective
of country or creed.
Quite recently the prohibitive price
of thirty-six shilling placed upon both
volumes was reduced to sixteen shell
lings, thus bringing the work within
the range of the average purse.
Doubtless in time it will sell at a
still more popular figure.
1t would be unfortunate if the
wider circle of Newman's admirers
and friends had not an opportunity to
read this biography, for the most care
less student cannot fail to be charmed
by the sweet magnetic personality
revealed in the ample space of two
bulky volumes. Throughout these lib
eral pages one who is familiar with
the Cardinals writings, will find
confirmation of any favorable opinion
previously entertained respecting the
"Oxford Plato" For the Cardinal is
allowed to tell his own story by means
Of letters and private journals. On
more than one occasion Newman de-
clared that the best part of mans
life is in his letters. And the reader
of Wards Biography is struck at once
by the number Of private letters, run
ming into the hundreds, which are
scattered throughout these volumes.
Private Correspondence.
Along with the letters which New
man wrote-many of them now pub
lished for the first time-the reader
meets with mass of correspondence
from relatives, friends, and co-work-
ers in the vineyard. Antagonists, too,
like Kingsley and Gladstone supply
! large part, so that an English His
tory for the century might almost be
compiled from the richness and varie-
ty of this material.
A cloud of witnesses are produced
to show the strong religious bent of
his character. AS Father Neville
writes of him: "His was a life of
prayer. The works and ways of God,
the mercies of Christ, the real pur-
pose and uses of this life, the unseen
things of the spiritual world, we're al
ways uppermost in his mind. His
speech showed it. It pleased God to
show to all around him the state of
his heart and spirit by the graces
and the direct righteousness of his
conversation. Yet he never spoke for
mere display-he was quite unaffected
and showed his deep religion quite
naturally"
Not a Perfect Portrayal.
Here we come upon the great de-
feet of Wards volumes considered in
the light Of true biography. The
author does not report the conversa-
tions-the table-talk and intimate life
of Newman. Such conversations
are quite as necessary as letters and
diaries in order to complete a biog-
raphy and disclose the Man in his
full human stature. If Wilfrid Wards
father-George Ward-had undertak-
en- the task or some member of the
Oratory who had lived with Newman
as, for example, Boswell lived with
Johnson, then we might expect COM
pleteness. The picture would be
rounded out, and we would have New
man clothed in his habit as he lived,
real Newman of flesh and blood,
not geometrical ghost or intellectual
abstraction. 1t is true that these let
ters and diaries help to reveal the
personality of the man; but an init
mate personal knowledge with
wealth of conversation and anecdote
such as Boswell had at his command
is still more essential to perfect por-
trayal. And such intimate knowledge
is nowhere exhibited for the simple
reason that Mr.s Ward did not possess
it. Accordingly his work howsoever
meritorious in other respects, cannot
take the highest rank in the realm of
biographical literature.
Nevertheless the student of his
pages will CLEAN much that is impor-
tant-much that will illume the dark
and devious path which the genius of
Newman followed, nay, was forced to
travel, as his passed ex umbris ct i'm
aginibus in veritatem. And If we miss
the living portraiture of Boswell, there
are pages over which the reader may
linger with proft-pages that thrill
with tragedy as deep and dark as
any evolved by the Muse Of Eschylus
or Shakespeare Not indeed the
tragedy of the CORY plain, but that
inner and purer tragedy Of suffering,
OF which Hamlet and Clytemnestra
and Job are the classic examples.
Providence seems to require that the
wood be charred before he can linn
with it." The mortal destined for
immortality in this sinful world must
be broken on a wheel OF fire!
Newman's Darkest Hour.
Ward thus sketches the darkest
days in Newman's life: "The years
between 1859 and 1864 may be called
the low-water mark of Newman's life
story; they were years Of great sad
ness and dependency. Every work
Continued on Pages