MR. MACKONOCLUE AND MR. MARTIN.
[TO THE EDITOR OF THE " EIPECTATOR."1
Sin,—From your review of Mr. Mackonochie's Life, I gather that his biographer has scarcely done justice to the remarkable man who prosecuted him. Mr. Martin had a much closer interest in the district of St. Alban's than is perhaps generally known. He was, I believe, the chief founder of the schools in Baldwin Gardens to which you refer ; but, what is much more to the point, he for years taught in them almost 'daily; breakfasting very early, he used to teach the lads for an hour on his way to his chambers in Lincoln's Inn. He followed the lads trained in the schools in numberless cases in England and the Colonies, and I have often heard him speak of the positions they had gained, with thankful pride. Mr. Martin was a stern man, almost ascetic in his life ; the only recreation lever heard of his taking was the reading of the _Record. I was often with him during the progress of the great trial, and I always used to feel he needed the stimulus -of a party paper to keep him up to the uncongenial task of prose- cuting an active clergyman. He sincerely thought that this clergyman was Romanising the district in which he had himself spent for many years previously devoted labour. He sincerely thought it was impossible for an honest man to remain beneficed in the Church of England while holding Mr. Mackonochie's views. Long may the Church of England contain such Roman- isers as Mr. Mackonochie, and such noble old Puritans as Mr. Martin ! No doubt they thoroughly understand each 'other now, and are thankful that their common mother contains, and by containing tends to draw together, men of widely diverging thought. Membership in this Church should be good training for heaven, the necessary home for all honest and
Previous page
