Painted Windows / Studies in Religious Personality

men), has a mode of expressing itself, though it s

their theology. It is thus that they express the genuine religion of their minds; and we trust that if ever they should study the ordinary dialect of systematised religion the

an Asian face towards Europe a

to the fiery socialist as a tame and sentimental apostle of Christianity. As in the case of Russia, so in the case of this interesting and cour

f friendliness and communication which distinguished La Bruyère, a philosopher "always accessible, even in his deepest studies, w

who having been told by her confessor in the floodtime of her beauty that "God wished her to become the King's mistress," at the end of tha

experience, the sinners by her freedom from every shade of cant and by her strong, almost masculine, sympathy with the difficulties of our human nature. Catherine the Great, in her c

influence in private discourse, and so safe a writer on questions of extreme delicacy, such as the problem of sex. She is always on the le

life which help one to understand how it is she has com

and pair coming through the park towards the house. The coachman and footman on the box were soaking wet, and kept their heads do

was expressed at her boldness in coming out on such a dreadful day. She

es, by the power of selfishness. The condition of her coachman and footman had never for a moment presented itself to the lady

main for ever in her mind as an image of that spirit of selfishness which

feel sympathy with the sufferings of other people. Her mind had been lamentably pl

ing and serious affliction, dogging her days and nights with pain, seldom prevented her from joining in the vigorous games and spo

ated in her mind bitter thoughts of a paltry and detestable Deity. A pagan stoicism helped her to bear her lot quite as much as, if not more than, the evangelicalism of Sir Thomas and Lady Royden. Moreover, s

s an enthusiasm. Rivalry in scholarship was as greatly a part of that wholesome family life as rivalry in games. There was always a Socratic "

, without pain of any order, hardly with any consciousness. She devoted herself wholeheartedly to

of Plato and Aristotle than she knew of Christ's teaching. This seemed to her an unsatisfactory state of things, and she set herself, as a student of philosophy, to study the

d to try it, and she tried it by reading, by meditation, and by prayer. The trial was a failure. But in this failure was a mystery. For the more she failed the more profoundly conscious she becam

rred. Miss Royden met a lady who had left the Church of England and joined the Quakers, seeking by this change to intensify her sp

. So earnestly did she "besiege the Throne of Grace" in this silent intercession of soul that at last she was physically exhausted and could frame no further

sphere of surrender and dependence, silence of spirit; and out of this silence came a faith against which the gates of hell could not prevail; and out of that faith, wing

iate the disciples of Karl Marx. Here Miss Royden worked for three years, serving her novitiate as it were in the ministry of mercy, a notable figure in the dark streets of Liverpool, that little eager body, with i

d's particular brand of cheerfulness, and also a tenderness of sympathy and a graciousn

ence and philanthropy the Atlantic Ocean of sin, suffering, and despair which floods in to the shores of our industrialism-at high tide

oman's influence in politics might have a cleansing effect in the national life. She became an advocate of this great Movement, but an advocate who always

rrespondence with her afterwards, who were not greatly interested in the franchise, but who were interested, in some tragic cases poignantly interested, in spiritual enfra

after making this discovery she abandoned all other work, and ever since, first at the City Temple and now at the

is one of full humanity, humanity at its best, humanity that is pure but not self-righteous, charitable but not sentimental, just but not hard, true but not mechanical in consistency, frank but not gushing. Out of all this come two things, the sense of two rea

her voice, which is musical and persuasive, the depth of her compassion. In her sitting-room, which is almost a study and nearly an office, hangs a portrait of Newman, and

I think the notable success of her preaching is to be attributed to a single reason, quite outside any such considerations

he receives it, is to preach to people who are unwilling and suffering victims of sin, or who are tortured by theological indecision, that Christ is a Power, a Power that works mirac

power which transfigures human life, which tears habitude up by the roots, and which gives new strength to the will, new eyes to the soul, and a new reality to the u

ts. She is inclined to think that it is even sick of such discussions, and is apt to describe them roughly and

an eye, if it can give a beauty of holiness to human nature such as is felt by all men to be the highest expression of man's spirit, truly it is a science of life which works, and one which its critics must explain. The theories

y of people, she feels sure, are looking about for "something that helps"-something that will strengthen men and women to fight down their lower nature, that will convince them that

h-speaking country. It is impossible to feel of her that she is merely speaking of something she has read about in books, or of something which she recommends because it is apostolic and traditional; she brings home to the mind o

ould be carried out. For she speaks as one having the authority of a deep personal experience, making no dogmatic claims, expressing sympathy with all those who fail, but assuring her hearers that when the moment comes for their

the real cause of this violence. "I don't like jargon," she said, "particularly the jargon of Christian Science and Theosophy. I love English literature too much for that; and I don't like slang, particularly slang of

respect, but whose theology fills her soul with dark shadows and cold shudders, she exclai

Christianity as

t system is so iniquitous that it cannot be Christianised. She thinks it must be destroy

en, a brutal, arrogant, challenging, and wholly unashamed selfishness, which publicly seeks its own pleasures, publicly displays the offending symbols of its offensive wealth, publicly indulges itself in most shameful and infuriating luxuries, even at

pressing; the unthinkable selfishness of so many, and the awful depression of the multitude. She s

, towards vehemence, a temper of impatience and indignation which would surely have carried her into the camp of anarchy but for the restraining power

dreadful things to pass. The lady in the closed carriage would not be profoundly changed, we may suppose, by a different system of economics, but surely she mig

sts, and Individualism will be all the better for asking itself how it is that a lady

one memorable experience i

work should get into the press and that it should not add to its numbers. She wishes it to remain a sacred confraternity o

allow the members of this guild, all of whom are not members of the Church of England, to come to the Eucharist. He received this request with the most generous sympathy

mply for his devotion to Christ and his sympathy with the sorrows of mankind. Yet that man, as no other man had done before, brought the Presence of God into the hearts of that li

gion is a true philosophy of reality, and a true science of healing. She is, I mean, a mystic. But she differs from a

E.W.

(Scholar). Bracketed 2d Wrangler, 1896; President of the Union, 1897; First Class First Division of the Mathematical Tripos, Part ii., 1897; first Smith's Prizeman, 1898; Fellow of Trinity College, 1898-1916; M.A., 1900; Ordained, 1902; Assistant Lecturer Trinity Coll., 1902; Juni

E.W.