The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-05-10
4 study of saint Augustiu.

translated from the French by Vincent
OSullivan. Lives of this one and per-
haps the most eminent and important
of the four great Latin fathers of the
church abound. Unfortunately all but
this one or almost all have been written
from the Theological rather than from
the human point Of view. And this
although the Confessions" which is the
great mine of biographical information
upon its subject * so much more human
than II is theological, and reveals the
author as a man of like passions with
the rest of us as frankly as the Com
fessions of Rousseau, written thirteen
centuries later. 1t is the human side OF
Augustln with which NJ. Bertrand exc.u-
sively deals. treating the theological con-
troNersies in which his subject was en-
gagged. or which have been engaged
about his subject. only AZ material to
exhibit ~ personality. The treatment is
that of modern French scholar and
critic. such treatment as might have
been expected from Ernest Renan
whom indeed 1t Is rather odd that the
African saint did not tempt as a sub
ject. The book may be called COM
mentary ON the Confessions" 1t i'm
plies an unusual range of knowledge
and appreciation on the part of the
commentator For the character cannot
be understood without an understanding
OF the environment. which mas become
so strange and foreign Ia us. hut
| which il is the biographer's business to
, reconstruct and realize for us. The
scenes are Carthage after Carthage
had for centuries become an appanage
| Of Rome. Rome when the Roman En-
,,fr l,.., 4
| north Italy in the shape of the Milan
| of the fourth century. and rural north
| Africa. in the shapes of Thagaste wnere
| Augustine was born and to which he re-
turned from Italy after his conversion.
and Hippo in the bishoprlc of wAich he
| lived nearly half of his seventy five
years and in which he died.
There could hardly be any period
more interesting than that which In
| cluded the sack Of Rome by Alarlc no
| period more interesting to us, for, as
NJ. Bertrand strikingly says. I'VE are
| the wreckage OF the empire" But also
| there could not we'll he a subject in
volving more labor. Not only are there
III the first place the enormous folios
or the more manageab BILE and more nu-
merous volumes of the modern editions
| of the saints own writings to Ice gone
| through in search of human traits. The
| biographer must know his history also
and his geography. This latter by actual
| observation as well as by reading
More than all he must be a keen and
! subtle psychologist TO commend the re-
i suits Of his labor and his analysis
NJ. Bertrand has all these good gifts
and has accordingly produced IA volume
| not only of interest but of charm The
| sketches which the Confessions" con-
tain Of the choleric father Of the saint
| Of his technically as well as Conyen-
tionally "sainted" mother. Monica. and
of the rest Of the household at Thagaste
| ARE elaborated into "A picture Of the
/ family life which has veriSlmilit ude
| elaborated with modesty enough and
likelihood to lead it," And so of the
! life in Carthage which the saint In his
old age and his sanCtlty SO bitterly de.
| plored. but which seems to have beer
rather better than worse than the ordi-
nary lives Of young men and students
about town in Carthage in the fourth
century. The mistress whom Augustlr
caves so vague. in spite Of his long
liason VITA her and It's result In tn,
person of Adeodatus. is perforce lef
vague here also though the hiogra l,hei
plausihly characterizes as heroic hel
conduct in taking herself out of tn
way of her lovers future and though
the recital of the parting Is the mos
pathetic passage in th' Confessions.
But equally llfelil>e with the picture OF
the early home Is that Of the life To-
gether OF widowed mother and widowed
son when the Christian mother ha,
had the wish of her heart in seeing III,
son not only converted to Christianit,
Nut vlsibly destined to a high place II
| ,ho church.
There is much here. as for that mat
Ter there is in the Confessions" ahou
| hc Manichaan hercsy which has beer
81 long extinct that II is really hope
'css To try TO rcsuscitate any interest IL
I. 1t takes Il great effort To realz,
| hat Manlchuanism and o-platonisn
| lid in thos" early centuries reall,
threaten Catholicism. But Manichaan
SIN maintained it's hold on Augusta
| % firmly and 81 long that one canno
| 'ondcmn the apportlonment of space
here receives. Nevertheless one find
| himself more Interested in the accoun
| If the hcros progress in the curriculum
I of what was recognized In the fourtl
century as the higher education thai
n that Of his spiritual struggles if hi
entanglement in the Manlchman here's,
| md his cXtrlcatinn from il can he SAT-
20 lhavc been spiritual struggles, when
| : fairly evident that they affected onl
his intellect and did not come near hi
heart, as Christianity So wonderful
did.
His proficiency IN his studies is q
| concern 10 rs. while his Involvement
he Persian suhtlctlos of the Manichee
: of none whatever For II Is as
result of those studies that the pri2
u Dupil IN rhetoric of Carthage snS tn
professor of the same at Milan ha
been able to send his voice across Ia
sixteen centuries which divide us fror
! him. In the face of such literary
= success one Is surprised at comm
upon NJ licrtrand's averment that Sair
$ Augustin was not in the least
, | stylist." How else could NE have 20
= possession of what Lowell calls "Fame
treat antiseptic"? hut indeed IN
Q | bographer seems to use the term In a
esOterlc sense a. referring II to III