Books in Brief: Cardinal Manning

Cardinal Manning, by Robert Gray (St. Martin’s, 366 pp., $20)

Robert Gray’s biography of Cardinal Manning attempts to restore the reputation of a great man. At the time of his death Manning was highly esteemed both among Catholics and in English public life. His memory, however, suffered considerably at the hands of a biographer anxious to portray him as a power-hungry hypocrite. Although the portrait is clearly a caricature, its effect has been lasting. Mr. Gray sees Manning as a much more admirable figure: very capable, quite ambitious too, but with a strong conscience that helped him to master his ambition. In his youth, Manning appeared destined for an excellent career in politics. The collapse of his father’s business put an end to those hopes and precipitated a period of soul searching, which culminated in his spiritual conversion and his ordination in the Anglican Church. Given his ability and zeal, Manning could easily have risen to a position of prominence as an Anglican ecclesiastic. The year he took orders, though, was the same year that Newman published the first of the Oxford tracts. Although a strong Evangelical, Manning was impressed by the argument that religious fervor must have a firm doctrinal basis. For years thereafter he struggled with the questions raised by Newman. The latter’s conversion to Roman Catholicism proved to be a turning point for Manning. When the Gorham case revealed the established church to be in some sense simply a department of the state, he abandoned Anglicanism. The following year he was received into the Catholic Church. Although Manning’s subsequent career is often presented as an effortless rise to power, the truth is that he faced even more suspicion than Newman did. Manning was not indifferent to this hostility, but he did not allow it to dissipate his energies. He established an order of diocesan priests to work among the poor and fought to ensure that Catholic children would receive a Catholic education. His accomplishments as Cardinal Archbishop of Westminster are even more impressive. Manning’s drive and energy were a good part of the human element in getting the First Vatican Council to define papal infallibility. He took firm stands on the difficult political questions of the day; at the age of 81 he personally intervened in the London dockworkers’ strike to help obtain a fair settlement, and time and again he urged justice for the Irish. It would be too much to expect a biography to be worthy of such a subject. Mr. Gray’s tone is too often flippant and mocking, and he is too quick to pass judgment. Nevertheless he provides a fair sketch of Cardinal Manning. The reader will come away from this book inclined to agree with Belloc’s assessment of Manning—“the greatest Englishman of his time.”

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Robert P. Rooney

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Cardinal Manning, by Robert Gray (St. Martin’s, 366 pp., $20)

Robert Gray’s biography of Cardinal Manning attempts to restore the reputation of a great man. At the time of his death Manning was highly esteemed both among Catholics and in English public life. His memory, however, suffered considerably at the hands of a biographer anxious to portray him as a power-hungry hypocrite. Although the portrait is clearly a caricature, its effect has been lasting. Mr. Gray sees Manning as a much more admirable figure: very capable, quite ambitious too, but with a strong conscience that helped him to master his ambition. In his youth, Manning appeared destined for an excellent career in politics. The collapse of his father’s business put an end to those hopes and precipitated a period of soul searching, which culminated in his spiritual conversion and his ordination in the Anglican Church. Given his ability and zeal, Manning could easily have risen to a position of prominence as an Anglican ecclesiastic. The year he took orders, though, was the same year that Newman published the first of the Oxford tracts. Although a strong Evangelical, Manning was impressed by the argument that religious fervor must have a firm doctrinal basis. For years thereafter he struggled with the questions raised by Newman. The latter’s conversion to Roman Catholicism proved to be a turning point for Manning. When the Gorham case revealed the established church to be in some sense simply a department of the state, he abandoned Anglicanism. The following year he was received into the Catholic Church. Although Manning’s subsequent career is often presented as an effortless rise to power, the truth is that he faced even more suspicion than Newman did. Manning was not indifferent to this hostility, but he did not allow it to dissipate his energies. He established an order of diocesan priests to work among the poor and fought to ensure that Catholic children would receive a Catholic education. His accomplishments as Cardinal Archbishop of Westminster are even more impressive. Manning’s drive and energy were a good part of the human element in getting the First Vatican Council to define papal infallibility. He took firm stands on the difficult political questions of the day; at the age of 81 he personally intervened in the London dockworkers’ strike to help obtain a fair settlement, and time and again he urged justice for the Irish. It would be too much to expect a biography to be worthy of such a subject. Mr. Gray’s tone is too often flippant and mocking, and he is too quick to pass judgment. Nevertheless he provides a fair sketch of Cardinal Manning. The reader will come away from this book inclined to agree with Belloc’s assessment of Manning—“the greatest Englishman of his time.”