Life and Opinions
Along the Road to Frome. By Christopher Hollis. (Harrap, 17s. 6d.)
`LIFE,' says Mr. Christopher Hollis, 'has been to me predominantly the adventure that has brought me to my opinions and that adventure has been predominantly the adventure of anecdote and acquaintance.' If that were all—and it is far from all—he would still have written one of the most enjoyable autobiographies of recent times, the best Catholic autobiography since Chesterton's. Many readers, I believe, will laugh as loud as I did at some of the anecdotes, though (pace Strix and other old Etonian Chroniclers) the original numbering. 'One, two, three, four, five . . . queen, king, ace,' should not be attributed to Mr. Hedlm's section of the OTC.
hist as striking, not so much for the phrasing, but for a strange impressive authority, are some of the dicta—'Religion's assurance of a future life, threat of punishment, or prospect of reward do not greatly affect the young. . . ."The whole picture has been enormously changed with the revival of Protestant belief in the Universities over the last twenty years. .. `The Dons at that time believed nothing.' Nations in modern times have not generally been very happy when they have had to submit themselves to the leadership of vigorous and violent Atheists. . . ."A revelation that reveals nothing is an event, without mean- ing. . .
Mr. Hollis has written many excellent books, but one thinks of his supreme distance as the thousand-word piece, and the bigger his subject the better. If he is to be labelled a super-journalist the comparison must again be with Chesterton. The literary gift, the coherent system in the back- ground, the personal elevation, the hints of mysticism—all these are available for a major treatise. But the creative urge ebbs and flows with the particular topic and draws inspiration from constant changes of scene rather than a consecu- tive journey.
The innocent secularist may feel relieved (or alternatively cheated) that so little propaganda seems to be rammed down his throat. His more suspicious brother will read a deeper guile into the charm and tolerance and readiness to see the other fellow's point of view carried repeatedly to the limit and sometimes surely beyond. (`There are not many situations of moral choice in which
the conduct recommended by Christ would dig greatly from the conduct recommended Socrates or Confucius or Immanuel Kant' italics). 'Criminal statistics are certainly a c(10` test. But for what they are worth and Or ever their reason they would seem to indicate It° Catholics are worse than Protestants.' Not s° not so!) It may well be that Mr. Hollis has asked hitt„ self what service his book could render to tP Catholic cause, and indeed the Christian ca°, generally, for nothing could . be more tenderc" more moving than the references of the bishe son to the Church of England-1 am in 10] ways an Anglican parson manqué.' He is much of an artist, however, to let his case sP!'t his story, and from the angle of fidelity to 1,R1 facts one's only complaint is of an excessi`o modesty. 'There is no one who has less gift I appetite for organisation or leadership than,, I have therefore no, sort of record of achieveil17, to recount to the world.' But this, the beset° weakness of many a middle-aged autobiograP,b! is particularly inevitable in the case of a Christi; gentleman of such genuine humility. How c°11ii one possibly wish it otherwise? The gel, talented, humorous, cricket-loving, slightlY effective figure whom he feels bound to Pret here makes an attractive impression, and standing out of the limelight gives his arguolelt the best of chances. But it is, of course, a qo version of the great champion of the Faith 'w for many years has been performing services '0 religion unsurpassed by those of any layman this country, and has compelled ever-increasll'ei attention, alike by the balance and strength ef his arguments and the calm and selflessness his personal example. PAKENtiAd
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