"iltrer
PERTH, SATURDAY, JANUARY
11.
1936.
PRICE THREEPENCE.
Veteran Dominican Author and Preacher Honoured
Catholic Celebrities at Father McNabb's Jubilee G.K.C.'s REMARKABLE TRIBUTE
Lunn v. Haldane: A Debate 1 40040-41411--411N4.-4141-141-41411-41
LETTERS ON SCIENCE AND THE SUPERNATURAL Mr. Arnold Lunn—we almost called him the Irrespressible Mr. Lunn—is obviously a born controversialist, and he has specialised in a particular method of controversy, that of an exchange of letters with a particular person on a "particular subject." s Two of these "correspondences' The have already been published. first was with Fr. Ronald Knox; the second was with Mr. Joad. Now we have a third volume, "Science and the Supernatural: A Correspondence between Arnold Lunn and J. B. S. Haldane- (Eyre and Spottiswoode, 10s. 6d. net). In the fist series, Mr. Lunn, not (; K. LAIESTERT()N AND FATHER VINCENT NI,.N.VW a Catholic, attacked the Catholic then Kneeling alone at a prie dieu in much as to walk to Rome would have position. In the second, he accepted on refectory the round walk to been the centre of the sanctuary of St. a challenge from Mr. _load to defend Dominic's Priory Church, London, his knees and kiss the feet of all. Christianity. In this third series, he walked have to He would have liked Fr. Vincent McNabb, champion of undertakes the defence of religion in Vicar the of feet the kiss to to Rome the home and the peasant and the general, against the modern rationMr. ARNOLD LUNN poor, gave thanks on the 3rd ult. for of Christ, as a profession of his faith alistic attack. to-day test great the as in Jesus Christ, his 50 years as a Dominican. Mr. Lurui's own abilities to detect cant that in a subsequent letter Prof. is not, as before, devotion to the At the altar, Fr. Antoninus Mother of Christ, but devotion to His weak points in an opponent's case Haldane says he is "willing to conMaguire, Prior of St. Dominic's, was Vicar. need no advertisement. Hence the 31 cede the existence of God," "provided celebrating High Mass, assisted by the letters printed in this volume provide we leave it open whether the word Referring to 6.c presence of Belloc Prior of Oxford, Fr. Hildry Carpen- and Chesterton, Fr . Vincent said he us with a brilliant spectacle of thrust defines a person, the principle of contee, and the Prior of Newcastle, Fr. hardly dared call them his friends. In and counter-thrust, of attack and de' cretion, the goal of our striving, or Adrian English. The Provincial, Fr. this life there was little time for fence, of clever accusation and equally something at present undefined (p. Bernard Delany, preached. friendship, but only time for fighting: clever retort. MS). Roughly one half of the book is Bishop Butt, too, was present, and there was an eternity for enjoying Here, surely, was a point that accupied with a discussion of the attiat the end of Mass he kit the choir one's friends. have been taken up. Why does should towards scientists most of tude special a Vincent Fr. arms. in give stalls to They were his companions blessing. Great battle-men, great champions, Evolution in general, and Darwinism the Professor make this corein particular. Here it is of interest to and on what grounds? He miges. Famous Catholic laymen had come fighting with him for liberty. "I love note that Professor Haldane says: "I have been challenged to produce le have to than to attend the Mass and offer thanks liberty, to give it rather Darwin . . . was on the its support areruments as convincing think with and for Fr. Vincent, among them it,- said Fr. Vincent. "I would be whole that right, though he was certainly as the Thomist proofs 1-tG. K. Chesterton, Hilaire Bello:. and content to be a slave that others could wrung on a number of points.- But, ence which he rejects. Maurice Baring, and afterwards they be free. like most scientists, Prof. Haldane's -Scsis of Thunder" attended a luncheon in his honour. But at least it is worth recc. "These two great sons of thunder terminology is not always very precise. that, by the admission of this eminent On leaving the church for the Take for. instance the following, priory, Mr. BeHoc and Mr. Baring have given me so much. They have from p. 137: "It is an historical fact, .•opponent of religion, there really is the at stood , defenceless the d defende placed and lit candles in the candlea person, the principle of concre demonstrated by geology, embryology, stends—Mr. Belloc before the altar of door of the home, the psychological and so on, that evolution of sonic kind tion, the goal of our striving, oi St. Thomas Aquinas (whom Fr. Vin- defence of freedom. They are the has occurred. I take it that you do something at present undefined" Catholics dunk it more rational cent so otfen refers to as "my mas. symbols of the great Catholic body." Fr. Vincent recalled that he was not dispute that this is highly prob- talk of this Being as "the Lis:: ter"), Mr. Baring as the statue of St. born in the land of Patrick, Columba able.- Mr. Lunn might well have God." And as for the Thomistis Teresa of the Child Jesus. at and Columbanus, and that like them asked the Professor how a "historical arguments, Mr. Lunn defends them At the luncheon in the refectory, fact,- "demonstrated,- could be merea table bare but for the flowers placed he was an exile. ly "highly probable.- But we hasten very ably, given the space at his discountry, this in "I am one not born before Fr. Vincent's place, the Bishop to say that Mr. Lunn misses very few posal. aed Mr. Chesterton sat on either side but one ready to die in it, even to die chances. The whole trouble, in our view, . of the jubilarian, and next to G.K. sat for it." The second portion of the volume is due to the fact that Prof. Haldane Vincent Fr. hailed Chesterton Mr. Mr. Belioc. man devoted to a discussion of the Thomist really incapable of grasping Fr. Delany gave the first toast to Fr. McNabb as "almost the greatest proofs for the existence of God. every in physical arguments--a defect is who hian a time,our of heroically, McNabb. Valiantly and It is strange that Prof. Haldane is shared by so many others. have hardly would "I heroic. to e up sens lived Vincent Fr. he said, had does not seem to realise the force of recog th.• promise he made fifty years ago become a Catholic if I had not great St. Thomas's argument that a series Lunn does his best to get these meta few physical truths over. very the of one him in Preachnised when he entered, the Order of added of dependent entities, whether finite y,But lest it be thought that the Christianit of heroes historic ers. or infinite, requires an independent correspondence is dry and dull, ss,' . privChesterton was Mr. it when that recalled He Dominican Fathers from all over Being in order to account for its very will quote from Mr. Lunn an incid pcsed to celebrate the silver jubilee of community existence. He seems to allow (p. 301) in the life of Kessler, an astronornei ths late Fr. 13ede Jarrett, Fr. Bede England joined with the jubilee. that -causal series are only intelli- related by himself: Vincent's Fr. had put his foot down. It was not in celebrating Mr. gible by means of universals,- but were -Yesterday, when weary with guests lay the mong very much to a priest's credit, Fr. A merely urges that "universals are not ing, and my nund quite dusty S. T. Mr. K.C., , O'Sullivan d he if Richar jubilee; Bede had said, to keep a recent convert members of the series." considering these atoms,I was calleu had done his job properly he would Gregory-, a notableCount Beningsen we have think, Mr. Lunn should, supper, and a salad I had asked for , Methodism from have died long ago. from the extract Pro to endeavoured had who was set before me. 'It seems then,' Russian a Lievez., Prince fault and Well, it wasn't Fr. Vincent's only fessor exactly what was meant by said I aloud, 'that if pewter dishes, Church the o ir received done been had He he was alive to-day. "universals- here. And it is signifi- leaves of lettuce, grains of salt, drops • ously. everything that one might expect -1 few days prey of vinegar and oil, and slices of egg, would have terminated his life, but he had Y been floating about in the air from OF MERC S SISTER THE lived on in spite of himself. all it might at last happen TAKEN OVER THE eternity, VE HA to walk to wanted Fr. Vincent had by there would come a there chance L Rome to mark his jubilee, but his HOSTE ' GIRLS LIC ATHO C salad.' on sukserior had refused permission 175 GUI/ERICH ST., PERTH. " 'Yes,' said my wife, 'but not so account of his affection for him. F,-)r Tariff Particulars apply to the SISTER IN CHARGE nice and well dressed as this of mine Fr. Vincent, replying, remarked s.II .11 ' Phone: l33554. i that what he would have liked just as