IN MEMORIAM. VERY REV. P. E. MORIARTY, D.D., O.S.A. As we go to press with this number of the RECORD, the mournful intelligence reaches us of the decease of our venerable and valued contributor, Very Rev. P. E. Moriarty, D.D., O.S.A. To the readers of this magazine, whose pages have been enriched so lavishly by the effusions from his gifted pen, we make this announcement with inexpressible sorrow. Yet with our grief is mingled the strong hope and belief that his departure from earth is to him a happy release from sufferings, often amounting to the most intense agony, yet endured with most exemplary Christian patience and the heroism of a martyr. Dr. Moriarty was born in the city of Dublin, on the 4th July, 1804, and at an early age evinced a disposition for a religious life. Under the direction of his friend and preceptor, the celebrated Dr. Doyle, his preparatory studies were pursued at Carlow College and at the noviciate of the Augustinian Order at Callan, in his native land. He was afterwards sent to the Augustinian College in Rome, where, in 1827, he was ordained priest. Shortly afterwards he returned to Ireland, spending several years in Dublin, and, on the elevation to the episcopacy of the Very Rev. Dr. O'Connor, Dr. Moriarty accompanied that prelate to India, where, in the capacity of Vicar-General, he assisted in the management of the Diocese of Madras. After ten years of zealous and toilsome labor in India, Dr. Moriarty returned to Rome, where, at the personal request of His Holiness Pope Gregory XVI, the title of Doctor Divinitatis was conferred upon him by the College of the Propaganda; and as a reward for his signal services to religion and humanity while in India, Dr. Moriarty was at this time proffered episcopal dignities and honors, all of which he declined through a sense of loyalty to his Order. In 1839 Dr. Moriarty was sent to America, to take charge of the interests of the Augustinian Order in this country, which at that time were represented by a single church, St. Augustine's, in Philadelphia. Dr. Moriarty's life, since his arrival in Philadelphia, in 1839, is a matter of history, and needs no recounting here. The results of his giant labors in the cause of Catholicity are made manifest in monuments that will endure for ages to come. They are to be found in the Augustinian College at Villanova, of which Dr. Moriarty was the founder, in churches erected, in converts from Protestantism brought into the true fold, in widows and orphans assisted and relieved from want, and in innumerable other acts of charity. For a number of years the ravages of disease rendered it necessary for Dr. Moriarty to relinquish the more active duties of the preisthood, and to seek rest in the seclusion of the "Hermitage," as he loved to call it, at St. Mary's at Chestnut Hill. A short time ago, when the shadow of approaching dissolution began visibly to impend over him, he removed to Villanova, and there calmly and devoutly employed himself in preparation for a good death, towards which his many and great good works and zealous labors, during a long lifetime, had already done so much. Death did not come to him unexpectedly, so we may also feel sure it came not unprovided. Fortified by all the Sacraments of the Church he calmly met our great enemy on Saturday, July 10th, and at the ripe age of seventy-one passed from time to eternity. To the readers of the RECORD, as to all who knew Dr. Moriarty, or who, not having enjoyed that privilege, knew of him as he stood in public estimation, it is unnecessary to say that he was endowed with rare intellectual gifts, that he was a life-long student, even in the midst of labors which would have rendered study an impossibility to most men, that he possessed a memory of such tenacious grasp that nothing that he read in books, or learned from men, or observed in nature, was ever forgotten. He had a rich and fertile imagination, and was a born orator, having as regards voice, delivery, power of expression, extensive knowledge, and ready command both of ideas and words, all the gifts which make up the orator. To these natural gifts were united the zeal of an apostle and the courage of a martyr, joined to a charity which knew no bounds. Nature and divine grace, therefore, combined to qualify him eminently for his labors as a missionary and an evangelist, as well as for the work in which he subsequently engaged, as a lecturer and a writer. Probably no priest or bishop has ever stood more prominently before the public than Dr. Moriarty. None had more bitter opponents during the time when the fires of the Know. Nothing persecution were raging, yet even then, notwithstanding their bitter hatred, his enemies were constrained to admire his manly Christian courage, his manifest candor, and regard for truth. And now that time has softened those prejudices, and a better acquaintance with the Church has induced a more correct estimation of her priesthood, there is not a man, woman, or child where Dr. Moriarty is known who does not venerate his name and deplore his loss. He will long be mourned and remembered as a faithful friend, a generous benefactor, a learned and eloquent divine, and a most consistent, devout, and self-sacrificing priest, from the story of whose life will never cease to be drawn lessons of Christian charity, of religious zeal, of patriotic devotion, of heroic courage, and of manly honor. NEW PUBLICATIONS. PRACTICAL MEDITATIONS FOR EVERY DAY Before touching upon the merits of this work, we will add here an extract from the title-page which will more fully exhibit the large amount of devotional matter with which, over and above the Meditations, the work is enriched: "Several novenas and octaves, meditations for the first Friday of every month and for the days of Communion; Exercises, preparatory to the renewal of the vows, and for a retreat of eight days; A new method of hearing Mass; and practical remarks on the different parts of meditations; A plan of Jerusalem, with a map of Palestine, showing the different localities mentioned throughout the work; and an alphabetical table of contents and of meditations on the The first volume We gospels of the Sundays." Pope," though not de fide, like that of the white-robed occupant of the Vatican, is nevertheless a matter of devotional credence with a great majority of Catholics. To these recommendations we would presume to suggest two qualities which render these Meditations peculiarly excellent in our own eyes, viz., their brevity in words, but richness in holy suggestion; secondly, the strong vein of practicability which runs through them, the meditative essence of which is, however, so delicately flavored with the tincture of poesy as to render them appetizing to even the thoughtless mind. Neither would we have our readers be frightened with the notice on the title-page: Chiefly intended for the use of religious communities," for there will be found nothing in these books distasteful or unprofitable to the secular or the laic. LINGARD'S HISTORY OF ENGLAND. Abridged, with a Continuation from 1688 to 1854, by James Burke, Esq., A.B.; and an Appendix to 1873; the whole preceded by a Memoir of Dr. Lingard, and Marginal Notes by M. J. Kerney, A.M. Third revised and enlarged edition. Baltimore: John Murphy & Co., 1875. Received through Cunningham & Son, 29 South Tenth Street, Philadelphia. We heartily welcome the new edition of this abridgment, which, we believe, was originally intended as a class-book. It was, however, always too large for that purpose; yet we would like to see the individual who would dare to exclaim: "May its shadow ever be less!" To the contrary, it keeps on increasing in worth and beauty, till, as we look at its present fair proportions, we feel like crying out, with the bewildered admirers of little David Copperfield, "Aint he growed !" said Mr. Pegotty; "Aint he growed!" said Ham. It would seem almost a case of carrying coals to Newcastle, to say anything in praise of the sainted author or his immortal work. How the pigmies, Froude & Co., dwindle before the man whom the best-poised darts of prejudice and malice dare not assail. The veracity of this only history of England is a fixed star in the historical firmament, to which its literary merits are as a setting of bluest sky. Mr. Burke's continuation and abridgment were also intended for those readers to whom the magnitude of the original volumes rendered the whole a sealed book. Burke is Lingard minified, and the compendium is worthy of the original. The great charm of Lingard is in the fact that he is so thoroughly Catholic without appearing it. Even Miss Strickland could not compare with him in an expression of unbiassed judgment and unprejudiced investigation. MARY, STAR OF THE SEA; or, A Garland of Living Flowers, culled from the Divine Scriptures and Woven to the Honor of the Holy Mother of God. A story of Catholic devotion. New York: Catholic Publication Society, 1875. Received through P. F. Cunningham & Son, 29 South Tenth Street, Philadelphia. All works that tend to incite devotion to In our Blessed Mother are eagerly accepted by Catholic readers. To many of them, however, this old standard and valuable book, which was so highly prized by Catholics of one or two generations back, has been an unknown mine of richest devotion. The Catholic Publication Society has, therefore, done a laudable work in reprinting it. deed, we are greatly gratified at the large number of new editions of standard works which are coming in upon us from all our Catholic publishers. It is an appreciative compliment and recognition of the valuable sources from which our ancestors, near or remote, drew that astonishingly vivid faith in which many of their descendants are, with so many newer opportunities, so sadly deficient. This turning again to the old founts of piety, while it by no means disparages the more modern methods and means of devotion, looks almost like an inspired attempt to instruct us by ancient examples as well as modern precepts. Reverence for the past is not a virtue peculiar to these days of "fastness," self-will, and false progress. Why should we not, as Catholics, in acquiring spiritual knowledge, do what all who aim at worldly perfection in secular pursuits ever seek-the study of the old masters? Let their teaching be the foundation of our spirituality; that of the moderns will serve better as an superstructure. Mary, Star of the Sea, was once a very popular book. May it become so again. In its pages the form of a story has been adopted simply as a vehicle for the introduction of a series of dialogues, illustrative of the historical types of our dearest Lady, and an exposition of the doctrinal teachings of the Church regarding her, and the devotion paid to her by all sincere Catholics. ornate 66 Madame THE following books have been received and will receive notice in our next issue :"Notes on the Rubrics of the Roman Ritual;" New York: P. O'Shea. de Lavalle's Bequest;" Philadelphia: P. F. Cunningham & Son. "The Orphan Sisters;" N.Y.: Sadlier & Co. "Hubert's Wife;" Baltimore: Kelly, Piet & Co. "The Lives of the Saints;" N. Y.: P. O'Shea. "Mrs. Gerald's Niece;" N. Y.: Sadlier & Co. " Rosemary;" Baltimore: Kelly, Piet & Co. "The Young Doctor;" Baltimore: John Murphy & Co. "The Catholic Premium Library," first series; New York: Benzinger Bros. THE CATHOLIC RECORD. Vol. IX.- AUGUST, 1875.= No. 32. TENNYSON'S "QUEEN MARY.”* In its enthusiastic announcement of the new poem by Mr. Tennyson, the leading journal of Great Britain declared that Queen Mary possessed more dramatic fire than anything which has appeared since Shakspeare's day; and, inferentially, ranked the Poet-Laureate's drama with Shakspeare's historical plays. Such commendation, issuing from a tribunal believed to apply, in literature, at least, only the purest tests, and to exercise, in æsthetics, a calmness of judgment which national prejudice would be incapable of weakening, naturally raised very high expectations of the artistic qualities of the dramatic poem which called it forth. We say "dramatic poem," for, although the author and his most distinguished eulogist agree in naming Queen Mary a drama, it will be shown, we think, that it is * Queen Mary: A Drama. By Alfred Tennyson. Boston: James R. Osgood & Co. Chicago: Hadley Brothers & Co. 12mo., pp. 284. VOL. IX.-13 not a drama, in the practical sense, nor yet a very good historical poem, but only a medley of history and poetry in a crude and impracticable dramatic form. Mr. Tennyson has written so many pleasing things, of a very flimsy texture, to be sure, but still pleasing, that his understood departure from a graceful and effeminate habit of thought into a dramatic school whose principal characteristics are breadth and robustness, raised an agreeable anticipation of the fruit of his journey, for it was natural to suppose that he would carry there his ability to clothe emotion in the utmost tenderness, and his skill as a workman in the exquisite polish of rhythm. To assure us that the author of In Memoriam and Enoch Arden had written a drama worthy of association with the historical masterpieces of Shakspeare, was to arouse the delightful hope that we were to discover in one product of human endeavor the vigor, the boldness, the nobility, the truthfulness, the majesty of the greatest of playwrights, combined with, and probably softened by, the womanly grace, the delicacy of fancy, the mellowness of color, which constitute the uniqueness of the Laureate's work, and are the chief merits of The Princess and The Idyls of the King. above Tennyson-we venture to predict that Queen Mary, as Tennyson wrote it, will never be enacted upon any stage; and that, as a poem, the deliberate verdict of the Laureate's most indulgent friends will place it below In Memoriam. As an historical drama, its truthfulness to individual character and its fidelity to fact are the first essentials. Mankind are spiteful and malignant to contemporaries; but we all demand that historians shall be judicial, and the fairness of human nature is most candidly exercised toward those of past generations who no longer furnish quarrels even for the worms. Nil nisi bonum is a maxim for the funeral hour; but to speak nothing of the dead that is not true is an obligation resting upon the historical dramatist quite as clearly as upon the historian. Mr. Tennyson appears to have attempted to transcribe one turbulent portion of English history, as a dramatist, in the same spirit of unfrankness which Mr. Froude applied-with what results we are all aware-to another. Of the two, Tennyson is the less blamable; he does not become counsel for each of his favorites, and prosecuting attorney toward every one who is on the other side. That is what Mr. Froude did. Now the booksellers cannot dispose of Mr. Froude's volumes, and the stock can only be gotten rid of, we suspect, by changing its name from "history," which it is not, to romance, under which it would classify better. Mr. Tennyson has not sinned so deeply as his fellow-countryman, but that he has erred, and erred to such an extent as will prevent Queen Mary from being unanimously accepted as historical, will readily be admitted by even his partisans, after comparing, for instance, his Cranmer with the Cranmer of fact and truth. This is the Cranmer of the poem: It would have been better, perhaps, for Mr. Tennyson never to have abandoned his remarkable mannerism of imagination and nicety of diction to try on the armor of a great genius, for he has not the mental stature requisite for ease in the intellectual apparel, nor strength enough to use readily or with effect the materials and the weapons of a giant. When Mr. Tennyson deliberately shut himself out of the library from which he has given to the world the multitude of sometimes obscure, but always pretty, constructions of fancy and labor,— in thanks for which the world has awarded him, in return, a highly respectable place in the second class of poets, he assuredly committed a hazard whose courage we instinctively admire; but when we find him on Shakspeare's stage, measuring the pigmy proportions of his dim and distant heroes, his consumptive swains, and well-bred, melancholy, and dyspeptic women, with the fullblooded living creations of muscle, brain, heart, and nerve which the author of an Othello, a Lady Macbeth, a Wolsey, a Richard III has left in immortal existence, the Laureate's courage assumes a new aspect, in harmony with which our admiration changes to wonderment and pity. In striving to be less of himself, Tennyson has not been able to become more of Shakspeare. To undertake to establish the contrary will be found to have been a waste of very arduous labor. Time is the only absolutely correct test; and— so vast is the height of Shakspeare Thro' many voices crying, right and left, CRANMER. Step after step, |