Was this Newman's 'best written book'?

From Rev Dr Ian Ker Sir, I was glad to see that in his review of Andrew Nash's edition of Newman's Lectures on the Present Position of Catholics, Fr Sean Finnegan does justice to the editor's excellent introduction and notes (Dec 22).
It is, however, a pity that your reviewer should display such ignorance both of the text and the author. I rubbed my eyes when I read, "Newman . . . rarely employed satire"! Fr Finnegan appears to be unfamiliar with the text of the book he is reviewing, otherwise he would not have described a book which is aimed at the English Protestant anti-Catholic tradition "as openly ridiculing Anglicanism". In fact, much of the virulent prejudice Newman is attacking was equally. if not more, directed at the Puseyists or high Anglicans who were even more hated by their Protestant countrymen than Roman Catholics, since they were regarded as traitorous fifth columnists within the Established Church, seen by the vast majority of Englishmen as a Protestant church. Fr Finnegan does not appreciate that in the mid-nineteenth century only members of the high church wing of the Church of England would have regarded themselves as "Anglicans".
Fr Finnegan regrets that Gracewing should have started their series of popular editions of Newman's works with "such a bellicose" book. However, the choice indicates that those behind this worthy project not only have a sense of humour, but also a sense of the significance of this muchneglected work.
Apart from the fact that it is marvellously funny and, hut for anti-Catholic prejudice, would be recognised as one of the great works of satire in the English language, it is also culturally of great importance as a brilliant assault on the religious philistinism of Victorian England — and, as such, may be classed with Matthew Arnold's Culture and Anarchy. Gracewing is to be congratulated on starting with what Newman regarded as his best written book — one which is rarely read even by serious students of Newman.
Yours faithfully IAN KER Oxford
Teaching the faith
From Dr Mary Thompson Sir, I was rather surprised to read Margaret Smith's letter claiming that undergraduates in the 'Fifties behaved and thought as the lapsed students Fr Finnegan described in his letter do today. My experience is exactly the opposite.
In the 'Fifties I found my fellow Catholic students understood the Faith very well and consequently the vast majority attended Mass on Sunday, went to Confession regularly etc. Mrs Smith will find the official statistics confirm this.
I do agree that young parents and teachers today have not received adequate instruction in the Faith and that this must be put right. However, we won't put it right with adult education as, unfortunately, most youngsters have walked away from the Church by the time they are adults.
Instead, we must ensure pupils receive a sound and thorough instruction in the basics of the Faith throughout the twelve years they are at school. This will mean replacing the present faulty RE schemes such as Here I am and Icons with programmes faithful to the Catechism of the Catholic Church. The result will be young people who know, love and live their Faith as well as their grandparents did and who will be interested in Adult education.
Yours faithfully MARY THOMPSON Cheltenham GL50 4PY From Mr Laurence Cotter Sir, I am as pleased as other faithful Catholics must be to see (Letters, Dec 29) that the Pope has recently given "firm guidance for catechists".
Is it too much to hope that now our bishops will insist that Catholic schools follow this guidance and give children in their care Church teaching on faith and morals, not the dissent at present found in RE schemes?
The letter on the same page from Mrs Omisore describing how she was left ignorant of the Faith at her Catholic school in the 'Seventies and how her daughter is still being left ignorant now, shows we have put up with this scandal for far too long.
The Pope has now given us an opportunity to put it right. We really must grab it with both hands.
Yours faithfully LAURENCE COTTER Rugby CV22 5ET
Moving Christmas
From Ms Kathanne Easton Sir, Is it time to move Christmas? Every year I am saddened by hearing about the excesses of gluttony and drunkenness by nonChristians using the sacred season as an excuse to get into trouble to the extent of crime, families going ballistic with tension from the pressure of enforced jollity and the suicide rate once again soaring.
The early Church had a lot to answer for when it syncretised the date of Christ's birth with the Druid celebration of Winter Solstice and the pagan Roman one of Saturnalia. The Victorians made matters worse by emphasising many pagan elements – trees, mistletoe, feasting etc. – which entrenched confusion.
Mixing conflicting beliefs inevitably results in chaos and this has recently intensified as more Christians become appalled by the orgy of drunkenness and commercialism and so-called pagans reassert their ancient rights to celebrate what they believe.
Moving Christmas Day to Epiphany — as celebrated by our brethren in the Russian Orthodox church — would surely solve the problem. Since the date of Christ's birth remains uncertain, although consensus is getting closer that it was either in April or June, the date chosen has no particular significance. Non-Christians could then go mad in whatever way they chose, on whatever day they chose, without restraints of false piety and a sense of guilt around the year.
By Jan 6 the empty bottles would have been cleared away and essential services like transport and mail restored to normal. Good Christians could then celebrate the incarnation in a dignified and quiet manner very much as we celebrate Easter. A similar separation of Christmas from the secular is surely long overdue.
Yours faithfully KATHANNE EASTON Brockley SE4 2AP
Does Fr Barrett exist?
From M M Williams Sir, Does "Father Richard Barrett" really exist? I don't often try to read this column but when I saw his malicious, ill-informed attack on the Alpha course I began to wonder if he was a Christian, and last month you printed a farrago of rubbish under his name. There was what appeared to be a genuine reader's question about transplantation surgery, replied to by a lengthy and tedious series of 3rd form jokes, making fun of the questioner and never answering at all.
Is this column actually spoof, and am I missing this?
Yours faithfully M M WILLIAMS Bagshot GUI 9 5JL
Must real Catholics spoil their ballot?
From the Revd M. Kelly Sir, There seems no longer any place in British politics for those of us who assent entirely to orthodox Catholic belief. I wonder how any sincere Catholic can any longer vote for the Labour Party. It not only seems to have lost many of its idealistic socialist roots but promotes unjust arms trading and encourages the "culture of death" in most moral, family and prolife matters, most recently the acceptance of medical research on cloned human embryos.
I was a young person in the 'Sixties who was active in Slant,
Catholic-Marxist dialogue and the theology of liberation and I was more concerned with the Labour May Day Manifesto than Humanae Vitae. Age has enabled me to re-adjust some of my earlier horizontal thinking, but not the passion for justice which was at the heart of the matter.
Now the only solution for those whose thinking has evolved similarly to my own will be, I suggest, to spoil our ballot papers in the next election in order to register our sense of hopelessness.
Yours sincerely, M. KELLY.
Parish Priest. St. Augustine's, Leeds LS8 5HR.
Clarity about the truth
From Mr Robert O'Hara Sir, I agree with your correspondent William Newton that society in this country is dying, as indeed it deserves to, because it supports such evils as abortion (murder) divorce (serial adultery) and homosexual practice.
In this situation we need a strong Church which will steer Catholics safely away from these destructive evils by proclaiming the truth about faith and morals, even if this does cause offence. Unfortunately we are being badly let down because truth is not always taught from our pulpits and in our classrooms.
Then society is blamed as the reason so many Catholic youngsters, and often older folk too, go astray.
However, the early Church also had to grow in a pagan society and it succeeded very well. The difference is that the early Church insisted on proclaiming the truth clearly and without compromise. Unless we are prepared to do the same today, the Church will disappear in this country as Mr Newton prophesied.
Yours faithfully ROBERT O'HARA Harrow HA2 5ET