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THE LATE CARDINAL MANNING.

The recent death of Cardinal Manning, who may be said to have been the last of the cardinals in England, inasmuch as the aged churchman outlived his great contemporaries Newman, Pusey, and others, causes a void in the ranks of Catholic prelates which will be exceedingly difficult to re-fill. The following particulars of an interview, granted some mouths ago by the late Cardinal to the special correspondent of The World will, in the light of recent events, be read with much interest. It will give our readers some insight into the habits and work of Henry Edward Cardinal Manning. Archbishop of Westminister, and head of the Roman Catholic Church in England

" It was as if wrinkled parchment was stretched across a fleshless skull, out of which, however, kindly blue eyes gleamed brightly, while a pleasant smile gave life and human humour to the features of tho ascetic."

And that is a good description of the Cardinal as he greeted me in his study. If the day is warm, you will find him at work in his plain black cassock edged with red, that marks his rank, and a skull cap draw over his head. If cold, he will have a coat drawn over all. Around his neck is the gold chain and cross of the Holy See. The great sapphire ring on his finger was given him by Pius IX. An old family servant, who has been with the Cardinal for twenty-five years, ushered me into his presence. I passed through the great ball-room where the Guards used to dance, then descended some stone steps, and was in the Cardinal's presence. The first thing that struck me when I glanced about the room was the thought that he is inclined to be an untidy worker. Papers, books, pamphlets and letters are heaped on the floor, on chairs—everywhere in confusion. Nearly a dozen tables crowded the room; all of them covered with letters from everywhere. AN ODDITT. The Cardinal does not himself work at any of the tables. He sits in a great arm-chair in the middle of the room, and when he writes it is upon a small pad that he rests on his knee or in his hand. I was surprised by this oddity on the last occasion, when I was granted the privilege of seeing the Cardinal in his workshop. He noticed this and smiled.

" I have written in this way for fifteen years,'! he said simply, " and it has become a second habit with me."

Then the old prelate, uoting my glance at the litter of letters about the room, again smiled in his pleasant way. "You think my mail mast be large," he said. " Well, so it is. I receive hundreds of letters every day, from almost everywhere—a good many, indeed, from America. I open them all myself, and I assure you it takes not a little time. Some of them I answer personally, and the rest are answered by my two secretaries. It is no small part of their duties, but keeps them at work many hours every day." Here the Cardinal reached a table near by and picked up a small envelope. It had on it an Americau postmark.

"This," he said, " is from au American sohool girl. It is stvau»e that a good many letters I receive come from children. They write me from the United States, from Canada, and eveu Australia, and I take a good deal of pleasure in these letters. Indeed, my greatest friends are amongst the children. Oil July 15 — that is my birthday—they never fail to send me flowers without number. They quite fill the house." The aged man here paused and mused for a moment: " It is a long long time since I myself was young," he said at length. " When one passes four score and three years he begins to feel old and rather feeble, just as I do." STILL WORKING HARD. I suggested that the Cardinal was still doing a good deal of work, despite his advanced age. " Yes," he replied, "I have been used to work, hard work, all my life. I love work : it is part of my life, Besides, there is so much to be done that I do not feel that I can be idle. I have a long day. Beginning at 6 o'clock in the morning, I am frequently still at work at 11 at night. I dine early at 1.30 and have tea at 7.30. In addition to my other work I read the principal newspapers, paying particular attention to foreign news."

Going on, the Cardinal said that since 1868 he had been a total abstainer from the use of liquor, and that of late years he has been almost a vegetarian as well.

It is ou reserd that when at Harrow Cardinal Manning was a famous cricketer, and I called his attention to this, and he laughed.

•'I cannot say truly that I was a wonderful player," he said. " I was in the Harrow eleven, and played against Eton and other schools. But my impression now is that we usually got beaten, I do not remember that 1 played any better or much worse than my comrades. I was in those days very fond of shooting, riding, boating, and athletic sports generally. I had some ambition to be a boatbuilder, and spent a good deal of time carving out rough models. •'I must admit," he said gaily, "that I was a very mischievous boy." BOYISH FRANKS. Then he]went on to tell of pranks in which he engaged in company with Christopher Wordsworth, late Bishop of Lincoln, and Charles Wordsworth, Bishop of St. Andrews. The three future churchmen were playfellows, and entered into a conspiracy to loot the Manning vinery, They did it, too, entering through the roof and eating all the grapes. " There were no grapes for dinner that day," said the Cardinal, with a twinkle in his eye, "and I believe this is theunly case on record where three future bishops were guilty of larceny. We escaped punishment, too, by frank confession and expressions of deep penitence." The talk then drifted to American matters and it was easy to be seen that the Cardinal was much better informed upon them than even great Englishmen are. He is a warm admirer of Cardinal Gibbons, whose views on the labour problems of the day fit his own, and also of Archbishop Ireland, of Minnesota, the " American Father Matthews, as he is called here. The Cardinal was a olose friend of the original Father Matthews, and has a fine bußt of him in a conspicuous place in his house. The Cardinal expressed a high admiration for American institutions generally, and refrained from but a single criticism upon them. This was when he said that in his opinion fewer elections and a longer tenure of ufiice might tend to make public affairs more equable in the United States and business matters generally more stable, THE OLD MAN AROOSED. It was when the Cardinal's attention was drawn to statements that Christianity was not holding its own against infidels, agno«ties and the like that he spoke most vigorously. "I have been in the thick of religious life for more than sixty years," said he, with a flash of his steel-blue eyes, " aud I believe from my experience that faith and religion have enormously grown in England since the time of John Wesley. From the time of Elizabeth to, say 1780, religion had steadily declined. Since the time of Wesley, both in and out of the Established Churoh, it has just as

steadily advanced. There in still a pood deal of reason run to seed in England, a good deal of freethought and inncli spiritual igDOiance among the overworked masses. But we are makiug a steady headway against that. If you could go among; London workingmen as I do you would see this. There arc more than one million five hnndred thousand Catholics in England now, and they are increasing in number. What is more, they teally practice their religion." " Aod the other churches ? " " Ah, my sun," said the Cardinal, smilingly, " I am too old to throw stones. It is no part of my duty to criticise those who are without our lines." TOTAL ABSTINENCE. Then the question of temperance came up. " England sober," said the aged churchman, " is England happy and contented. If we could make the English workman a total abstainer we could settle the most serious of the social problems that confrout us now. I have worked towards this end for very many years and with some success. But it is a fight agaiust odds. The druukeimess and the misery growing out of it here in London make my heart sick at times. But the Catholic Church is against the traffic in rum, and will continue to be, and time will tell many things, _ Here in London our priests are preaching total abstinence all the time and to considerable effect. I am glad to notice the j strength of the movement in America." The Cardinal takes a very hopeful view of the labour outlook, and he is peculiarly competent to speak on the matter. Tn his opinion workingmen and their employers are coming closer together all the time. " When employers extend exact justice to their workmen and vice versa wo shall be through with labour troubles in the main,"he said : "from a basis of common j untie b»th may arise to a better understanding, and I think such an era is approaching. The position of the Catholic Church is plain. Leo XIII. in his old age is givintr his whole mind to these questions. In America, Cardinal Gibbons is doing all he can to improve the relations between labour and capital, and here in England we are doiug the same. Then you will notice everywhere a tendency to arbitrate where it is at all possible. Take it all in all, I see no reason to fear for the future.'' VERY OUTSPOKEN. On the Irish question, as on others, Cardinal Manning's opinions are clear out. He did not disouas porsons, but spoke generally. " I am an Englishman, you know, to the core and I am not a Separatist," lie said, "but I know and love the Irish people. Since the time of Henry VIII. they have been governed by force. Injustice naturally provoked evil passions. Kind and equal laws would long ago have settled the Irish question, and it is only by extending such laws that tranquility will be thoroughly restored to that countiy The Cardinal did not seein to think over much of an Irish Parliament, in it is generally understood. It seems to favour a Chamber that would attend to merely local legislation He was not inclined to di.*cuss the present split in the I vis a party, but contented himself with saying that he tliouirht in the end the Irish would work oat: their own salvation.

He spoke of the educational question, and on it took the ground usually held by orthodox Catholics, and in the end he said in the clear, precise manner that is characteristic of tho man :

" I have no faith ir. an undenominational religion. It. means a " shape that shape hath none.'" At this poiut in our conversation the Carlinu.l seemed uneasy. He had given me a greit deal of time, so I arose to

Permanent link to this item
Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/WT18920220.2.37.6

Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka

Waikato Times, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 3058, 20 February 1892, Page 1 (Supplement)

Word count
Tapeke kupu
1,904

THE LATE CARDINAL MANNING. Waikato Times, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 3058, 20 February 1892, Page 1 (Supplement)

THE LATE CARDINAL MANNING. Waikato Times, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 3058, 20 February 1892, Page 1 (Supplement)

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