Dr. Newman gives a graphic picture, in one of his
lectures on " Anglican Difficulties," of the advantages resulting to the Church from the foreign character of the Papacy, and its perfect independence of the domestic influences of every separate Catholic State. He has now, however, some reason to complain of the special operations of these beautiful provisions in his own case. If we may trust our contemporary the Chronicle, which speaks with authority, Dr. Newman has twice been requested to take the Catholic Mission at Oxford. The first time the negotiation was broken off because those who distrust Dr. Newman appealed to the Holy See. When it was again renewed, Dr. Newman was expressaly entrusted with the work of raising subscriptions for a Catholic Church at Oxford, because he could elicit support which another might fail to obtain,' and this, though there was at the time a condition unknown both to Dr. Newman and the contri- butors, that so soon as he had built his Church and established his Oratory he should be removed, and not allowed to give his personal superintendence ; the excuse being that Dr. Newman's
name would tempt Catholics to Oxford, where they would be exposed to great temptations to heresy. There is no objection to trying to keep men Catholic whose parents are headstrong enough to send them to Oxford ; but the Catholic Church disapproves of sending them there at all, and wishes to give no additional attrac- tiveness to the practice. In the meantime, the Church does not object to use Dr. Newman as a catspaw for getting subscriptions on false pretences. Would it not be better for the Catholic: Church if it had a little deeper insight into the English sense of honour, and -were not quite so far removed from our national view of good faith ? Of course, Dr. Newman, on finding out what his position was, declined to lend himself to so unworthy a stroke of this Jesuit sleight-of-hand.
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