NEWMAN AND: MODERNISM.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 96, 16 January 1908, Page 4

NEWMAN AND: MODERNISM.

Sir,—Your correspondent', "A Genuine Catholic," is evidently all-that ho claims to be, ' if to bo a. Catholic, implies'absolute submission ; ,to the Pope of Home. If he lived in France,! I think his great confidence would bo less i pronounced, for ho would soo for himself the ■ruin that the Pope's policy is bringing upon the-Church of thai country in his determmation to scatter every shadow of independ- : once. It is nothing to tho .question that ] Nowman, after becoming a Roman, sought to satisfy himself as to his position by such • language as "Genuine Catholic" has quoted. It is but human naturo to seek such satisfaction, and Nowman was welcome to it. What Newman did 60 years ago is not an answer to tho disgraco into which the present Pope has sent him. Tho well-informed Roman Catholic correspondent of the "Church Times," writing from Paris on July 27, says:— "It is not merely tho 'advanced liberals,' as they are called, who are hit by the Syllabus—sortie of the condemned propositions could easily bo extracted from the worKs of such writers as Pore Legrango, Mgr. Battifol, Mr. . Wilfred Ward, Mr. W. S. Lilly, and Dr. William . Barry. And perhaps nobody is harder hit than Newman. Tho idea that there has been any development in Christian'doctrine is condemned by the Syllabus absolutely, and its logical sequence would' bo tho placing of his 'Essay on Development' on the 'Index.' Newman could not have stood this, for he knew that the Church or Roino shows a very large development of doctrine. What ho would liavo done in present circumstances might be vain to speculate upon. Perhaps, as others have done, bo would liavo retraced liis steps. Be this as it may, not a lew members of the Church of Franco, in their present difficulties, have envied the better fortunes of members of the Church of England." The 3ame correspondent writesunder dale of November 20: —"The situation gives the Church of Knglaml u great oppportunity and a great responsibility. Within tho last few days 1 have again and again heard remarks on the good fortune of Kiiglund in having a via media between Rome and Agnosticism. It is now generally recognised here Unit it is tin tli« Church of Knghind that the future of .English religion in (hp main depends. If (may I say il without impertinence;-) you will' all ris« tii (lit! height of your opportunities, you may yet do something to help the cause of religion outside iMigland. Not by a proselytising spirit, or a desire to make capita] out of tlio misfortune of a sister Church , . . . .but by...continuing to give your

support to tlio victims •of Papal despotism, l),v sympathy and prayer, and, perhaps, in ways not vet apparent, hut which timo .will make so. - I Do not'forget that .there'-afo numbers of 111011, here and in other .countries, passing: through terrible , mental anguish; men who, have already separated- from, tho 'Church,' because tlicy felt bound in conscience to do so, but who aro intensely; religious,, and .knpii" not whore to turn; men,who aro asking themselves whether 'they can- honestly continue with Rome '111' fate of her official attitude'; men. who aro resolved' :'to 'stay in tho Church until they are expelled, but who feel that expulsion .caimofc long bo delayed. And remomber that for theso men ther'ois no refuge at nil,' no .other Christian community to which; thoy ; can conscientiously. at-' tsch themselves; they must-stand alone." ' Tho provocations being' endured by tho French Church aro _quito as grievous as those which formerly afflicted tho'Church of .England, but tho. way of escape found • by-tho latter is at present "not yet apparont" to' the French Church.; Still, if some way is,not found, tho ruin .of, tho French Church threatens to bo swift and complete. Let hopo that the-country , will bo spared such a catastrophe.—l am,etc.,, A CATHOLIC (Not Roman). . January 9. THAT DANGEROUS LUNATIC. ' , Sir,—Y on havo. done a public : service by your publication of the narrative of tho unfortunate recently sent from a'certain ho_spital to I'orinia. Of course, I used several pinchfis of .salt ill reading his ' story, arid I am ready to boliove that ho had been exasperating]}- troublesome. But it is a far cry from that to boing a lunatic of tho worst class. . " , Tho law is t supposed tn guard most jeal-. ously against any abuse of the asylums; for they may bo made terrible engines, of torturo and injustice. It seems to me that very stringent rules should be laid down as to the procedure in procuring' tho certificate of comniitmont'signed by two medical men;; Isit right that physician number one, sorely tried, perhaps, by an unreasonable patient, and egged on by an angry young ladv : should send a written statement to physician number two, and that number two should act on that statement? Should not-tlio second' export j test tho case do -novo and at first hand, and bo guided. by his own knowledge only? Again, is it fair that number two should ask tlio man,' who naturally feels that ho is being hardly done by, " Do you think anybody is persecuting you?" To mo it seems that this 'is just like asking, a man, "Have you loft off beating your mother?" Either yes- or no condemn him: If the patient says, " Ms, I think they are persecuting mo," that is taken as evidence'that ho is mad.; If, on' tho other hand, he says,': "No,. I don't think : so," the doctor says, ' Well, then; the accusation is correct." •It is extremely difficult to boliove that physician number two had any evidence that the man was a " dangerous lunatic.".—l am, etc., .... • P. W. FAIRCLOUGH. Wellington, January 15, 1908.