Robert Elsmere, Vol. 1
Mrs. Humphry Ward
(Forgotten Books, Jan. 25, 2018)
Excerpt from Robert Elsmere, Vol. 1Ship within Catholicism, the steady advance of the new Christianity throughout Europe, Catholic or Pro testant, is assured; although, for centuries to come, the new and the old may still live and interact side by side. And what is worth notice is that 'modernism,' in its Catholic form, is a movement starting not from the laity, but from the clergy; it is affecting the cen tral teachings and the accredited teachers of the Church; and' its followers are so certain of their ground. That they have no idea of leaving the communion they love, and spend their whole energies in reform ing it from within. Twenty years ago, in endeavouring to trace the effect of critical thought on an Anglican clergyman, it seemed to me-that an honest man in Elsmere's position could only depart and renounce. Fogazzaro, in 'il Santo,' has with great beauty and force pleaded just the opposite thesis. The Santoz does not carry his Modernist denials and affirmations out of the Church; it is the passionate aim of his life of sacrifice and/love to naturalise them within it. And, the religious novel which still remains to be written: for ourselves will take the same ground. The Mod ernist Anglican parson of the future will not go the struggle will arise and develop and be fought out, within the Church; and, only then, through the kind ling of that fire, will the Church of England renew its. Youth, and regain its bold upon the nation.About the PublisherForgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.comThis book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.