Life and Letters of Thomas Thellusson Carter. Edited by the
Ven. W. H. Hutchings, M.A., Archdeacon of Cleveland. With Portraits and other Illustrations. (Longmans and Co. 10s. 6d. net.) —It is conceivable that to the inner circle of Canon Carter's intimate friends Archdeacon Hutchings's Memoir may be in a measure a disappointing book. It is so obviously a too brief record of an unusually long and full life. On the other hand, to the general public this brevity is an advantage. It readers the book more readable, and, by preventing excessive elaboration of particular episodes or special aspects, makes the presentment of the character and the life as a whole more impressive. In the case of Canon Carter this result is especially important. For while he was doctrinally and practically connected with the • Anglican revival as initiated by the Tractarians and carried on by the Ritualists, his special contribution to the movement was essentially one of" character,"—a truth distinctly appreciated by his biographer in the "summing-up" chapter that comes near the end of the volume :—" Some regard the subject of this Memoir as an ecclesiastical firebrand; others, as a great student ; others, again, as an unapproachable ascetic. He was really none of these. He was, it is true, mixed up with many controversies, in some taking the lead; but he hated prominence and disputes, and loved unity and peace." How little he was by natural inclination "a firebrand" is best illustrated by his action in resigning the living of Clewer because he did not see how he could honour- ably allow hie Bishop to go on defending him from prosecution while he disapproved of the practices which Mr. Carter could not conscientiously discontinue. His own letter to Bishop Mackarness _tendering his resignation, and the Bishop's letter of thanks to him for an explanation given in the Times of his action, make golden pages in the history of ecclesiastical differences and incompati- bilities. Indeed, one is inclined to apply to the general temper revealed by this biography the words used by Dr. Mackarness in regard to the resignation of Clewer : "it gives a fairer prospect of peace and spiritual life in the Church than anything which. hes come under our notice for many a weary day." For as Mr.' lilutehings goes on to explain, if Canon Carter was not the close student of books some would imagine him to have been, it was because his spiritual sympathies drew him into close relations of friendship and counsel with an immense number of individuals, whose lives and characters interested him even more than literature or theology. And he was never an "unapproachable ascetic," because he was gifted with great natural powers of enjoyment which were wonderfully preserved --possibly by the help of his asceticism—to the end of his long
life, making him at all times the most genial of companions. But his distinguishing mark was an intense spirituality, that lifted him above the controversies he was obliged to enter hate.
And one feels the effect of this higher atmosphere ot thought most especially when reading his judgments of people and books of which he found himself obliged in some measure to disapprove. There is always a current of keen sympathy with the good intention, or the element of truth, or the fine insight that he detects amid the opinions he is protesting against. And the sympathy is not of the condescending kind that irritates ; it is rather of the nature of an irrepressible wave of generous goodwill. "I do hope the good in it will be done justice to ! is the dominating note of his criticism. As is so commonly the case with persons of quick spiritual insight, Canon Carter had great common-sense, and was remarkable for the sound balance of his qualities. He showed himself a man of action rather than theory in the leading part he took in the founda- tion and development of the Clewer Sisterhood, more correctly described as the Community of St. John Baptist. The story of this—the great work of Canon Carter's life--makes, indeed, the* heart of the book. The chapters occupied by it are singularly interesting as well as instructive. From the beginning it was Canon Carter's idea to use sisterhoods for what is conveniently called "penitentiary work,"—" to counterbalance the power of evil by a collection of pure, devout, dedicated souls, from whom would emanate a victorious power for good"; and while giving most careful attention to every practical detail of organisation, he never lost sight of this mystical ideal as the spiritual raison d'Ure of the work. A peculiar interest attaches to the pages devoted to the question of vows. It appears from them that Canon Carter was at first against the insistence upon vows being considered perpetual. Vows were not thought of when the community was first formed, but they crept in through "use and wont." His own view was that a sister, when dedi- cating herself, would naturally intend her dedication to be for the whole of her life, and that if she meant less, her service would be of little worth, but that should a change of circumstances or a chaugc of mind occur, it was right that she should be released. The creeping in of the principle of perpetuity was the gradual result of subtle forces within and influences without. But to this day, as we understand, a sister may be released from her service in a House of Mercy to meet a real family claim and need, though she would be expected to continue faithful to the spirit of the rule. Among the "letters" a good many are interesting merely as records of travel and observation of general life. Altogether, -the biography is one that deserves a very wide welcome among many kinds of people, and that should help to remove prejudices from the minds of readers whose ecclesiastical bias is not that of Canon Carter. One of the best stories in the book is that of Dr. Julius, who initiated a prosecution against Canon Carter without knowing him personally, and meeting him afterwards in the house of a common friend, said: "Had I known him earlier, I would not have acted against him."
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