It is curious that in many of the letters I receive Mr. Robert
Blatchford’s name is mentioned. With some minds his writings have
great power and influence, probably I imagine because of their real
sincerity of purpose. It is the more cheering to know that an honest
effort to render the Incarnation increasingly credible to the man in
the street is not without reward. It is as difficult for me to
disbelieve in the fact that Christ was God as it is difficult for Mr.
Blatchford to believe it. Where one man sees a landscape the other
sees only a map. But there are, nevertheless, a great many people who
deny the Catholic Faith because, while they desire to retain the name
of Christians, they are unwilling to accept the obligations of
Christianity. And while looking about for something to believe, a
necessity of the human soul, they either find it in Mrs. Eddy and
other false prophets, or finally join issue with the editor of the
_Clarion_.
An author’s letter-bag is always full of surprises, and such a
correspondence as I am privileged to receive often entails a vast
amount of extra work. But it is almost impossible not to reply to at
least two-thirds of the letters that reach one, and though reply
sometimes leads to a lengthy interchange of letters all are helpful
and encourage one to continue, while some are full of the most
illuminating suggestions.
Of this the following letter from one of the Canons of Durham
Cathedral is a typical example:--
“DEAR SIR,
“In your coming story I hope you will lay stress on the fact
that our ‘higher’ education is practically a Pagan one. All
University honours, fellowships, scholarships, prizes are for
proficients in Pagan literature; interesting (for some people).
Beautiful in language as this literature is, it lacks the
spirit and power of the Christian Faith. The common rooms smell
of Plato and Aristotle. There is no cross in a Don’s life, as
such, though a few rise above the normal standard.
“This system filters through the public schools down to the
smallest private schools, in most of which the daily bread, the
upholding of Christ as Saviour, teacher, master, example and
king is left out.
“At Eton, where I was myself, religious teaching did not exist.
We had Sunday questions of which one specimen will suffice,
given to my nephew the other day.
“‘Of what judge is a curious incident recorded and what was the
incident?’ The result of this is far-reaching and deplorable.
“In Parliament the members assemble by troops to hear about
some personal scandal, but when the happiness of English
girlhood is in question there is hardly a ‘house.’ And so with
other questions that concern the personal holiness and
happiness of our men and women and children.
“Forgive me for this taking up of your time, but your pen may
do what I feel myself unable to do.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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