A 'rale of Two Priests

spondent. and he has organised a great number of lectures and concert tours, bringing Catholic speakers and artistes from this country to Holland. He is a cementer of Anglo-Dutch friendship and particularly Catholic Anglo-Dutch friendship. I hope to be with him next Tuesday and so I will return to the subject next week. Meanwhile from us at the office and, I hope, from all readers of this column prayers and congratulations for Tuesday.
An Early Memory
pOR some 45 years now, Fr.
Martindale has remained associated in my mind with a brief moment when, as a small boy. I made my first entry through the Eagle Towers into Stonyhurst. A member of the community was taking my parents and myself around. A tall, thin Jesuit brushed past us. To me he looked extremely old and extremely pale. Our cicerone said: "That was Fr. Martindale. Do you see how thin and drawn his face is? He could fall dead any day." Not surprisingly, I have ever since taken it for granted that Fr. Martindale's life-span was to be measured in weeks or months rather than years. And here he is. still hard at work, writing, among other things, his immensely popular "Scripture Commentary" in each issue of this paper. I cannot remember his ever missing a week, nor being late with his "copy", neatly and accurately typed. The only occasional blemish is a brown
edged hole where his chain-smoked cigarette has touched the paper Wonderful!
Prompt Service
IT is these small things that so often bring out the personality of a man. especially when one does not happen to know that man intimately. Thus, I remember at the time of the excitement about the Temple of Mithras in the City writing to him and asking him for an article on it. This great classical scholar, who scooped all the great prizes at Oxford, answered to the effect that he was now rusty about that kind of subject and had no books near him. But the article soon arrived. Rusty and bookless as he might be, it proved a little masterpiece of knowledge and popularly presented erudition.
Gift for Friendship
riFF and on through over 30 years
I have often seen and spoken to Fr. Martindale, but I must confess that until fairly recently I was always terror-struck by him, feeling the utter inadequacy of anything I might say to him. That this was entirely my fault, not his, is obvious from the fact that few priests have made friends more easily than he with every kind of person, especially the simple and unpresuming who have always adored him for his own genius in piercing to the man behind the appearances and conventions. It is this same gift of getting at the real, at the heart of human action and behaviour, which has made him such an admirable biographer of the saints.
'Ad Multos Annos' Prayer
a priest like Fr. Martin
dale, the question inevitably arises whether so outstanding a scholar did right to use his talents mainly in the personal apostolate and popular writing or whether he should have given the Church of today the great works of scholarship and the intellectual leadership which we certainly need in this country. But the question can never be answered. All we know is that Fr. Martindale has been for nearly 50 years (his golden jubilee as a priest will be celebrated in 1961) one of the very great priests of our time. dedicated throughout to the greater glory of God. Tireless in hi % old age. despite great physical