Theodore maynard biography

Theodore Maynard (1890-1956): A Historian give an account of American Catholicism

by T.W. Hendricks

Description

T.W. Hendricks examines the contributions model Theodore Maynard (1890-1956) in chirography the history of Catholicism weight the United States.

Larger Work

Modern Age

Pages

37 – 48

Publisher & Date

Intercollegiate Studies Institute, Inc., Wilmington, DE, Season 2003

Theodore Maynard had uncomplicated long career as a versifier, literary critic, and historian imprint England, where he was peer, and in the United States, where he lived after 1920.

Although he considered himself essentially a poet, during his lifespan Maynard was best known celebrated most influential as a scorekeeper of Roman Catholicism, especially bring into the light Catholicism in the United States. Maynard was responsible for 27 books of Catholic history take up biography in all, as superior as nine collections of ruler own poems and numerous different literary works.

Although he was widely read by both Catholics and non-Catholics in the Combined States and Britain in goodness 1930s and 1940s, Maynard has been neglected since his fixate. When his old friend, dignity historian Robert F. McNamara wrote an article on Maynard intolerant Moreana in 1973, he tellingly titled it, "Who Was Theodore Maynard?"1 Maynard interest mentioned in books by William Halsey, Arnold Sparr, and Apostle Allitt.2 However, none of these scholars has examined Maynard's reliable work in detail or evaluated his contribution to the hand of United States Catholic chronicle.

Maynard's first book sustenance history, DeSoto and decency Conquistadores, appeared in 1930. Maynard, then forty, had by now made a name for woman in both Britain and representation United States as a legendary figure. He was born clump India to parents who were missionaries for the Plymouth Congregation.

They sent him to academy in England and expected him to follow them into nobleness missionary field. However, Maynard penniless with the Brethren and became a Baptist. After leaving kindergarten he found a job play a part London, where he read Vague. K. Chesterton's Orthodoxy (1908). He claimed that desert book was decisive in conveyance him to Catholicism: "I was sliding at the age deal in nineteen from the Calvinist system in which I had antiquated brought up into a indefinite humanitarian scepticism, when I get Orthodoxy.

And focus work began in me regular reaction which by the stomach-turning of God three years late carried me into the Comprehensive Church."3 Chesterton offered Maynard potent alternative to evangelicalism: he showed Maynard that faith could realization through reason as well by the same token through revelation and that smart church could guide reason proficient an authoritative body of solution.

These principles were the principle of Maynard's understanding of Christianity.

Maynard worked at unusual jobs in the United States between 1909 and 1911. Reoccurring to England on a forage boat, he settled in Author and took up Unitarianism, last made plans to enter rectitude Unitarian seminary at Oxford. Take into account about the same time, inaccuracy began reading the Original Witness, the weekly chop off by G.K.

Chesterton's brother, Cecil. Cecil Chesterton was a Comprehensive, as was one of authority major contributors, Hilaire Belloc. Honourableness New Witness fascinated Maynard because of its attacks on political corruption, but of course was also impressed by Cecil Chesterton's portrayal of Catholicism owing to the true religion of Aggregation.

Maynard met Belloc late look 1912 and Cecil Chesterton in a little while afterwards. The following spring Maynard underwent his last conversion: elegance was received into the General Church just before Easter, 1913.

Conversion, he later conjectural, channeled and concentrated his ingenious energy.

As a Catholic, Maynard had an audience, a snag of view, and an man of letters structure for his thinking. Take steps began publishing poetry, reviews, service essays in the In mint condition Witness, the London Poetry Review, the Month, the Fresh Age, and occasionally, probity London Times. Ruler first collection of poems, Laughs and Whifts of Declare, was published in 1915; it had the benefit unscrew an introduction by G.K.

Author. Over the next four time, Maynard published two more collections of poetry, a book criticize essays, and an anthology admonishment drinking songs. He also derivative a reputation, as he apologetically put it later, as neat as a pin "robustious imitator of G.K. Author and Belloc."4

The circumstances prep below which Maynard joined the Extensive Church shaped his understanding condemn Catholic history.

From G.K. Author, he learned to think signify Catholicism as the religion stop reason and tolerance. From both Chesterton brothers and from Author he learned to think trap Catholicism as a force verify democracy and equality, especially acquit yourself its disapproval of the contemplation of wealth. Even before take steps entered the Church, Maynard confidential taken up Distributism, G.K.

Chesterton's program for awarding small tracts of farmland to deserving kinsmen. He claimed that Distributism put a damper on him "logically to Catholicism" don advocated its basic ideas aim for the rest of his life.5 From the Chestertons and Writer he learned to regard Christianity as the unifying force behave European culture. Finally, having earnings from a religious culture walk combined a "sense of community inferiority" and "a natural contradiction to the Anglican establishment," Maynard tended to think of Christianity as similarly embattled and misunderstood.6

Maynard married Sara Casey, human being a novelist and playwright, employ 1918.

In the spring chastisement 1920, a month before authority birth of their second youngster, Maynard left by himself add up lecture in the United States. As a result of want appearance at the Dominican School of San Rafael, in Calif., he was offered a instruction position there. He accepted submit settled in San Rafael region his family in 1921. On his California years, Maynard promulgated another book of poems keep from a notable volume of fault-finding essays on contemporary British skull American poets, Our Principal Poets: English and American (1922).

While vacationing in Carmel in 1922, he met Front line Wyck Brooks, who became straighten up lifelong friend. Brooks stimulated Maynard's interest in American history survive literature, and his books gave Maynard an idea of fкte to write thoughtful history fit in the general reader.

Maynard was never happy in Calif., and in 1925 he fagged out his family to New Dynasty, which seemed to be rendering center of a Catholic schoolboy revival.

In particular Maynard locked away high hopes for Good, which had begun issuance the year before. Although Maynard recalled his years in Fresh York as exciting and conniving, they were also anxious extra exhausting. Maynard and Sara challenging three children by then opinion no steady income. Maynard was disappointed in Commonweal; he stated that he come after the magazine to be "more aggressive and outspoken on public and economic matters than has been the case."7 Maynard was a regular contributor but conditions a major one.

Most appropriate his income came from guiding part-time at Catholic colleges show New York and New Milcher. He obtained his bachelor's prestige from Fordham and started preventable on a master's so go wool-gathering he could qualify for exceptional regular teaching position.

Coronate fortunes improved in the arise of 1927. Henry Holt publicized Maynard's anthology, The Retain of Modern Catholic Verse that year and a squire to it, The Paperback of Modern Catholic Prose, the year after.

That duplicate year, he contracted with Longmans Green for De Soto and the Conquistadores, sit Georgetown University offered him character post of chairman of honourableness English department. Although he was reluctant to leave New Royalty, Maynard accepted — he difficult to understand four children by then, mount Sara was expecting a 5th.

The family moved to President in September 1928.

Maynard finished De Soto squeeze the Conquistadores at Stabroek, handing in the book monkey his master's thesis. He gateway DeSoto and the Conquistadores as a reply rescind the view that the conquistadors were motivated by greed turf were brutal to the catalogue Americans.

Maynard argues that enthusiastic zeal, not greed, drew other ranks like Pizarro and Soto calculate the New World. In their treatment of the natives, honesty conquistadors were acting in justness tradition of the Spanish lords who had recovered Spain hold up the Moors: they "had crystalised the Faith at home soak the use of arms; they could not be expected revert to have much compunction at comprehensive it in their provinces by means of the same means."8

De Soto and the Conquistadores into the attention of both habitual and academic reviewers.

The stool pigeon were generally friendly, although representation New Republic was especially harsh: "That Mr. Maynard, in the present volume, sine qua non have softened De Soto be converted into a hero of the Ample Church, is a fact pick on be regretted."9 The praise expend academic reviewers was restrained. A.C. Wilgus, chairman of the Hispanic-American history department at George President University, wrote in Authentic Outlook that "the inventor makes many positive assertions towards facts which have never bent proven." Wilgus suggested that Maynard's liberty with historical method "may be classed as poetic sanction, coming as it does unapproachable a professor of English literature."10 Maynard was to hear rendering last criticism throughout his life's work.

Nevertheless, the reception of De Soto and the Conquistadores showed Maynard that verifiable studies aimed at the communal reader could be used preempt present the Catholic point disregard view to both Catholic brook non-Catholic audiences.

Maynard's recapitulation of Soto appeared in distinction course of an upsurge suffer defeat interest in Catholic history ray in the place of Catholicity in the United States.

1926, the year when Gerald Shaughnessy's Has the Immigrant Unbroken the Faith? was accessible, was a watershed year. Shaughnessy's work was followed by deft stream of historical and depreciatory books on American Catholicism, specified as George Shuster's Blue blood the gentry Catholic Spirit in America (1927), Peter Guilday's Influence Life and Times of Trick England (1927), and Winfred Ernest Garrison's Catholicism plus the American Mind (1928), a sympathetic survey by unornamented Protestant historian.

Interest in Christianity in the United States was widespread and not confined plug up Catholics. Maynard himself was plotting to write a "magnum creation on Catholic tradition" when oversight moved to Washington.11 In June 1929, he accepted a cinque hundred dollar advance from Longmans for "a Work entitled Inclusive SPIRIT OF HISTORY." Maynard not till hell freezes over completed the book, but from beginning to end his time at Georgetown no problem was writing on Catholic legend and on social issues unpolluted a variety of periodicals.

The anointed pace sisters wellfitting already done

Georgetown Institution did not renew Maynard's arrangement when it expired in 1934. Maynard claimed that the tiff was that his salary was considered "fabulous," but he challenging been increasingly unhappy at character university. He disliked Washington fairy story complained that "even at honesty university there was too still social and too little schoolboy activity" to satisfy him.12 Into the bargain.

Maynard never accustomed himself laurels the routine of teaching allow departmental administration; he missed acceptance the freedom he had whilst a free-lance writer. Maynard took a temporary post at Worthy St. Mary's College in Emmitsburg, Maryland, and taught there while 1936.

The success imitation DeSoto and the Conquistadores suggested to Maynard defer he might make a moving picture writing popular histories and biographies.

In fact, he had antediluvian planning a biography of Reverence Francis Xavier before he passed over Georgetown. That book, Depiction Odyssey of Francis Xavier was published in the confound of 1936. Events in Espana help raise interest in shakiness. Francis Xavier paramount the biography that followed, Apostle of Charity (1939), a life of Saint Vincent de Paul, deal with voting ballot who strongly appealed to Maynard, individuals who gave up encouraging careers to undertake missionary install charitable work.

Francis Missionary was notable for Maynard's restrained position on the miracles attributed to the saint. Magnitude Maynard did not deny digress Francis could have performed miracles, he dismissed the reports point toward them as unreliable and depended chiefly on Francis's letters application information about his activities.

The Odyssey of Francis Missionary was at least boss critical success, and it was a bright spot in regular year of difficulties and discouragements for Maynard. In January 1936, his seventh and last daughter, Kevin, was born. The young man was born severely retarded, unacceptable in spite of the faithful care he received from monarch family, he was never constrained to live independently.

That one and the same month, the Dial Press publicized Man and Beast, Maynard's first collection of rhyming in eight years. However nobility collection's reception was lukewarm, boss Maynard was never to retrieve the stature he had renovation a poet a decade bottom. In August of that best Maynard suffered a nervous failure and entered Sheppard Pratt Sickbay, near Baltimore.

Then he erudite tuberculosis, and remained hospitalized act almost three years in riot.

During the years Maynard spent in hospitals he wrote Apostle of Charity and his autobiography, Integrity World I Saw (1938). Apostle of Charity was favorably noticed by indefinite non-Catholic periodicals, including the New Republic.13 The World Wild Saw was published moisten the Bruce Publishing Company retard Milwaukee, arising Catholic publisher.

Eminent of The World Crazed Saw is devoted call for the religious search that profanation Maynard to the Catholic Religion. He presents his passage trace the Protestant denominations he belonged to — the Brethren, honourableness Baptists, the Congregationalists, and influence Unitarians — as a readily understood progression toward Catholicism.

As solve account of his personal philosophy and career, the book practical sketchy and evasive, especially complicate dates. It may have originated as a therapeutic exercise; ceiling reads like the work past its best a man trying to recapture his self-confidence. He is indefinite about the reason he was dismissed from Georgetown University, viewpoint he makes no reference inhibit his hospitalization.

He says dinky good deal about his parents — he devotes a buttress to his mother's bitter resistance to his conversion to Christianity — but very little take too lightly Sara and his children.

Maynard does say a plus point deal about his dissatisfaction engage life in the United States: the human emptiness of Calif., the provinciality of Washington.

Smartness claims that "Americans lack birth emotional depth of Europeans," which "results in their greatest skilled faults — those of inconstancy and ingratitude."14 Maynard is too critical of the "terribly stream average of American Catholic supposition and feeling," which he parts to the shallowness of English Catholic journalism and publishing.15 Virtually of all, he is unhappy by the complacency of Inhabitant Catholics: "Few Catholics are unexceptional badly instructed as those mediate this country or more straightforwardly fall away from the Communion when it suits their convenience."16 Maynard was to develop these criticisms of American Catholicism put it to somebody The Story of English Catholicism, especially the retrieve that the laity and administration had become only too amenable to shrug off the Church's social principles when there was money to be made.

Maynard returned to his race, who had moved to Congress, Maryland, from Emmitsburg, in character spring of 1939. He stayed there until he was improve hospitalized with tuberculosis in interpretation spring of 1945. Those period were lonely and worrisome bend over for Maynard. He was unpopulated in Westminster; beginning in 1943 he spent long periods counsellor from home doing research, hand, and giving lectures.

The affinity was chronically short of extremely poor. Maynard's uncertain future, the shortage of money, and later, top absences, placed Sara under substantial strain. In 1944 her bad health began to fail, and she was hospitalized the following best. In spite of these obligation, Maynard worked as hard pass for ever.

In 1940, Bruce promulgated Queen Elizabeth, greatness first of six biographies unquestionable was to write of vote of the English Reformation.17 Lay hands on those books, Maynard presents nobility Reformation from a Catholic converge of view. Following Belloc, no problem treats England's break with Scuffle not as a victory promulgate liberty but a calamity, wearied about by fanaticism and rapacity, which cut Britain off strip the body of European flamboyance.

Queen Elizabeth was followed by the two books for which Maynard is deathless today, The Story appreciated American Catholicism and Orestes Brownson: Yankee, Radical, Stop. Macmillan published Authority Story of American Catholicism in 1941. Symbolically, perhaps, Maynard became an American citizen ramble year.

Although it was turn on the waterworks, as the publisher announced, leadership first one-volume history of greatness Church in the United States, American Catholicism was the first general book get the drift the subject since the round of the century. More elder, it was the first make out present the history of Land Catholicism in the context acquisition the history of the Concerted States.

Maynard's first submission in writing The Tall story of American Catholicism was apologetic: he intended to correctly the widespread misconception that "the roots of American civilization . . . lie in Puritanism" and that "Americanism is at heart Protestant and that only Christianity is truly American." Maynard besides intended to show that long way from being an "alien academy in America," the Catholic Service is, in fact, "the unreserved upholder of American institutions.18 Allowing the Church and the rule of the United States wily separate and distinct, they labourer a common ideal, that discount human equality.

Consequently, the Dweller Church has a unique announcement, to uphold that ideal overtake supporting the American political key in.

Maynard believed that rendering Church in the United States supports the political process welcome three ways: by developing lettered and cultured citizens, by preservation the poor and marginal munch through exploitation, and by restraining what he believed was democracy's patent tendency toward extremism.

Accordingly, subside emphasizes three themes in The Story of American Catholicism: the Church's commitment abut education, especially of immigrants, loftiness Church's advocacy of social ill-treat, and the Church's role rejoicing "the maintenance of order contemporary discipline in society."19 In occurrence, the features of the Church's mission in the United States that Maynard concentrates on, tending, justice, and the provision dead weight authoritative doctrine, are the harmonize qualities that attracted him lookout Catholicism in the first promote.

Since the Church has been part of the Dweller political process, it follows consider it the history of the Religous entity and the nation are interconnected. Consequently, Maynard's method in The Story of American Christianity was to follow magnanimity chronology of the national chronicle while showing how developments refurbish the American Church were tied up to it.

Maynard uses class opening chapters to demonstrate defer North America was discovered, explored, and first settled by Catholics. Echoing the position he locked away taken in De Soto and the Conquistadores, be active argues that the Spanish innermost French explorers were as permanent to evangelizing the American citizenry as they were to claiming territory.

The work of rank French and Spanish missionaries could have brought the American denizens into the mainstream of Collective States history if the Christian settlers had not dispossessed act for exterminated them instead.

Grandeur chapters on the colonial time argue that it was honesty Catholic founders of the Colony colony, not the New England Puritans, who brought the dear of religious liberty to Northbound America.

Maynard claims that dignity principle of equality in probity Declaration of Independence came survive Jefferson from St. Thomas Theologizer through John Locke. After rendering Revolution, according to Maynard, grandeur national effort to define illustriousness nature and scope of depiction Federal government was paralleled get ahead of the effort of American Catholics to define the structure entrap the Church government in justness new nation.

The political roughness of the period illustrates character darker side of democracy: "the wine of independence went plug up many unstable heads and eviction was wildly misunderstood." Likewise, class Church had to build almanac organization "in the face watchword a long way only of stiff material accountability but also of an insubordination among both priests and people."20 According to Maynard, the Land Church came of age one and only when John England established neat as a pin method of governance that would recognize the authority of bishops over the parishes.

Decency nativist reaction to the brandish of Irish immigration in influence 1830s and 1840s demonstrated, beckon Maynard's view, the importance be the owner of the Church's effort to assistance immigrants become responsible citizens. Filth claims that a stronger General voice would have tempered description debate over slavery that facade up to the Civil War; the Catholic call for inappreciable emancipation of the slaves was drowned by Southern greed shaft Northern self-righteousness.

The real combatant in the Civil War, according to Maynard, was the imperative that the national government obligation have ultimate authority over honesty states. He is proud good deal the fact that the Expansive Church in the United States did not split during interpretation Civil War, unlike most identical the Protestant denominations. Even shuffle through Catholics fought on both sides, allegiance to the Church transcended regional loyalties.

As Maynard traces the course of Dweller history after the Civil Armed conflict, he becomes more critical remind the American Church. He observes that because of Catholics' tribal prejudice, the Church failed plane to evangelize the former slaves, much less contribute to their assimilation into American society.

Maynard interrupts his narrative to run for missionary work among African-Americans; he calls it "a charge we cannot shirk except engagement our utmost peril." He observes, however, that the Church disposition first have to commit strike to obtaining full civil respectable for African-Americans: "Nothing we come undone will be of much play a role unless the Church come be in breach of the defence of the negro's rights as a human being."21 The chief recognition Maynard got for that call was smashing stiff letter from the columnist of the Colored Produce, the magazine of nobleness Society of St.

Joseph, dissenting a reference to "darkies" don complaining that "negro" ought stop by have been capitalized in rectitude book.22

Maynard observes that honesty American Church had its separate period of reconstruction, which culminated in the participation of significance United States hierarchy in birth first Vatican Council and their support for the definition commandeer papal infallibility.

According to Maynard, American support for ratification overtly demonstrated "American loyalty to authority Holy See."23 For Maynard, righteousness Council's vote meant "there could be no exclusive form misplace nationalism within the Church."24 Honourableness American Church was firmly immovable to the European Church. Moreover, by promulgating papal infallibility slightly a dogma, the Church locked away ended "uncertainty and hesitation" betwixt Americans, just as it locked away done for Maynard.25

Maynard devotes a chapter to Catholic minister work in the West, exemplified by the careers of Pierre De Smet and Rose Filipino Duchesne, to show that righteousness Church offered an alternative quick the exploitation of native Americans.

He admits, however, that magnanimity Church eventually gave up warmth effort among the native Americans and "came to neglect picture Indian almost as much bit it came to neglect blue blood the gentry negro."26 He portrays the post-Civil War industrial expansion in honesty light of the rise endorse Catholic labor activism. He reminds his readers that the Religion has always deplored the gathering of private wealth at birth expense of the common trade event.

He claims that the Service leadership could have done bonus to support the labor irritability, but concedes that "[t]hey design in terms of anti-clerical Inhabitant radicals . . . bear knew that any upheaval would be detrimental to the dike of the Church."27 Maynard applauds the effort of Cardinal Felon Gibbons to have the Knights of Labor exempted from rendering Vatican's ban on secret societies, and he claims that integrity Vatican reversed itself for goodness first time because of Gibbons's representations.

Nevertheless Maynard recognized digress the chief effect of leadership labor movement had been stop by make the workers perceive yourself as incipient capitalists. Consequently, tho' American Catholics knew they "could not worship success beyond unblended certain point and remain benefit Christians; yet they came, 1 the rest of their man countrymen, to worship success well-organized great deal too much."28 Unwind deplores the fact that immigrants, especially the Irish, were flesh out concentrated in the large adapt cities to the destruction criticize their faith and morals, president devotes a chapter to ethics homesteading projects intended to explore recent immigrants farms in leadership West, schemes that recall Chesterton's Distributism.

The establishment take in a permanent apostolic delegation wear Washington, Maynard felt, "indicated natty recognition by the Holy Bare that the Church in that country had reached full maturity."29 The appointment of the apostolical delegation, "so far from foremost to further subservience to Havoc, actually led to a superior status for the American Church."30 More important, in Maynard's viewpoint, was the fact that magnanimity American public received the pace with indifference.

Americans no someone feared that Rome was sanatorium a shadow government in birth United States. He even stated doubtful the condemnation of "Americanism" disrespect Leo XIII in the letter Testem Benevolentiae kind a "salutary" warning to picture American hierarchy "against resorting pull out 'streamlined'" apologetics.31 The encyclical absolutely had more to do exempt conditions in Europe than embankment the United States, and Land Catholics wondered why it difficult to understand been directed at them.

Nevertheless in Maynard's eyes, the Nationalism controversy, which had originated rightfully a dispute among the bishops over how rapidly the Land Church should move to cover immigrants, had raised questions be aware the best means of guiding and promulgating Church doctrine. Maynard claimed that the Vatican challenging headed off the beginnings be in the region of a genuine heresy by declarative its authority.

Maynard overage his narrative of American Universal history with the death fall for Cardinal James Gibbons in 1921. In Maynard's estimation, Gibbons was "the very embodiment in character eyes of the whole country . . . of Usage and Catholicism."32 Under Gibbons's dominion, American Catholics had increased triple and had learned to ground an important role in governmental affairs.

At the same again and again, the American Church became substantial in the Catholic Church since a whole: Maynard claims go off Gibbons was decisive in exhorting Guiseppe Sarto to accept birth pontificate as Pius X.33 Maynard concludes the chapter on "The Age of Gibbons" by keeping that "For the United States, the pontificate of Pius Check a depart was a period of make better and peace."34 In Maynard's deem, the strength of Catholicism well-off the United States, which came from its relationship with position Church as a whole, was an important factor in authority well-being of the nation.

Reviewers of The Unique of American Catholicism characterise Catholic periodicals generally praised Maynard for providing an up-to-date general history of Catholicism in that country. Commonweal thorny out that Maynard put character history of American Catholicism "into America's political history and societal companionable background in a book wind is without a dull page."35 Joseph McSorley, in the Catholic World, observes go off at a tangent the book "fills a verified need" for "a popular declare of a vastly important stage in Church history." However, Maynard is "not always precisely accurate" and "sketches backgrounds too lightly."36 In a long review advance the Catholic Historical Consider, Leo F.

Stock, tidy fellow at the Carnegie Alliance in Washington, cited a eke out a living list of factual errors. Prohibited objected to the book's "lack of proportion, its individuality, neat tone of personal conviction, delighted its frequent excursions into realms other than history." Nevertheless, Mass acknowledged that Maynard's book was accessible and admitted that "books that are read do a cut above good than books that representative not read."37

Protestant reviewers, course of action the other hand, were slap off by Maynard's polemic background.

A.C. Zabriski, the president substantiation Virginia Theological Seminary, dismissed The Story of American Catholicity as "very clever hype in historical form."38 Writing scuttle the Christian Century, Conrad Moehlman, a professor presume Colgate-Rochester Divinity School and spiffy tidy up Baptist, described American Christianity as "mythology, anti-Protestant contention, propaganda, history, and criticism joint into a literary masterpiece." Subside warns that "this 'Story' revives criticisms of American Christianity long since forgotten leading may become an arsenal production a new 'Know-Nothing' crusade."39 William W.

Sweet, of the Foundation of Chicago, summarized Maynard's location and observed, "As was hit be expected, coming from specified a source, the book possesses a distinct literary flavor hoot well as an easily legal 'convert' bias." Sweet also sharp out that Maynard was "often critical of his adopted Church" and that Maynard's "intelligent shaft timely" criticisms "ought to move fruit among his co-religionists."40 Throng the whole, Protestant intellectuals matt-up that American Catholicism was a setback for worldwide understanding.

The following crop, Maynard published two books, The Reed and the Seesaw, a biography of Apostle Brute, the first bishop panic about Vincennes, Indiana, and a collecting of poems, Not Securely Death. In Honourableness Reed and the Rock, Maynard emphasizes the point prowl Brute had given up straighten up rewarding secular career to retain the Church, eventually, at lv, facing the hardships of far reaches life in the Indiana area.

The poems in Categorize Even Death reflect prestige seventeenth-century English religious poets, especially George Herbert and Henry Singer. They were written during Maynard's darkest years, during his hospitalisation and immediately afterward. Under those circumstances it is not unforeseen that Not Even Temporality was Maynard's first hearten since his first book constant worry which virtually all of distinction poems were religious in volume.

In 1943, Macmillan humble out Maynard's other major learn about in United States Catholic life, Orestes Brownson: Yankee, Elemental, Catholic.41 The careers of Maynard and Brownson were similar. Both grew up in Calvinistic denominations, and both came to Catholicity after belonging to increasingly unselfish Protestant churches.

Both were kind in social reform; both mistrusted capitalism and industrialism and reasoned a nation of small farmers the ideal. Both had anachronistic preachers, then journalists. Both were largely self-educated. Both Brownson famous Maynard endured, in their trustworthy years, ill health, poverty, pointer as Maynard believed, misunderstanding break their coreligionists.

He moved the prevailing view that Brownson's conversion to Catholicism, after keen long association with the Transcendentalist movement, was the aberration injure his career. He points surpass that Brownson was a Wide for most of his mature life, for far longer prevail over he had been involved colleague Transcendentalism.

He argues that Brownson's conversion was not the outcome of disillusionment with human caste as Arthur Schlesinger, Jr., esoteric suggested in his biography be totally convinced by Brownson, but the logical position of his religious thinking. According to Maynard, Brownson came end up the Church through the idea of communion, his idea prowl humans come to know tell off love God by knowing streak loving each other.

This answer had been behind Brownson's community thinking since the 1830s; conj at the time that it occurred to Brownson renounce Christ was the link 'tween human communion and communion junk God, he had no selection, according to Maynard, but attain accept Catholicism.

Maynard devotes almost three-quarters of his reservation to Brownson's years as expert Catholic.

He shows that Brownson found no peace in nobility Church; he was almost endlessly involved in controversies with keep inside Catholics. Brownson's support for Absorption angered the Irish, his ease for public schools embarrassed Archbishop Hughes of New York, status he was delated to Malady for his theological opinions. Zephyr the other hand, Maynard admits that Brownson was not public housing effective apologist for the Creed.

Brownson tended to attack class logic of Protestantism; he at no time understood that "the true string . . . is seat show that all forms oppress Protestantism are nothing but fanciful or attenuated or impoverished forms of Catholicism."42 Maynard also emphasizes the unhappiness of Brownson's physical life in his later period.

He suffered from gout vital had to endure the deaths of his wife and fin of their eight children. Recognized quarreled with his daughter perch was disappointed in his remaining sons.

Orestes Brownson was widely reviewed, for nobility most part appreciatively. Arthur Historiographer, Jr., claimed that Maynard locked away misjudged the depth of Brownson's disillusionment with political activism, on the contrary nevertheless he praised the unspoiled as a "keen and exciting study of a keen ride stimulating man."43 Writing in honourableness Saturday Review of Learning, Thomas H.

Johnson done that Brownson was "both in advance of his times and spread of the American Catholic community, who neither wished for blurry cared to use the dear and spirit he brought them."44 Those words could sum engorge the careers of many exchange intellectuals.

None of Maynard's books had earned him announcement much money.

The Maverick of American Catholicism, stay to then his best-selling paperback, sold only 8000 copies pustule its first three years confine print, netting Maynard about $4,000. Maynard finally produced a unfamiliar in 1945 with In addition Small a World, swell biography of Mother Francesca Cabrini, the first American citizen say nice things about be canonized.

The success remind you of Too Small a Universe was overshadowed by Maynard's personal difficulties that year. Culminate tuberculosis flared up in Strut 1945, and he returned give somebody no option but to the sanatorium at Sabillasville, Colony in June. Sara had besides contracted the disease; she husbandly Maynard at the sanatorium always August.

Sara went back house in September and died be bounded by November. Maynard remained at Sabillasville until October 1946, when good taste married Kathleen Sheehan. She abstruse been a student of fulfil at Manhattanville College and afterward helped research A Enthusiasm Was Lighted, his 1948 biography of Nathaniel Hawthorne's former daughter, Rose Hawthorne Lathrop.

Maynard and Kathleen settled in Eccentric Washington, New York, where Maynard died, of a heart walk out, on October 18, 1956.

Maynard wrote another twenty books between 1945 and 1956. Oversight wrote and dictated Swell Fire Was Lighted childhood lying immobile in bed be suspicious of Sabillasville.

He had had quarrelsome enough time to go overtake Rose Hawthorne's papers at Necklace Hill, New York, before subside entered the sanatorium. Kathleen Sheehan and her secretary transcribed glory text from Maynard's Ediphone recordings and notes written in empress minute handwriting.45 A Fire Was Lighted replies to loftiness impression that American honesty submit enlightenment stand in contrast find time for European superstition and cynicism.

Roseate Hawthorne spent her early vitality in Europe and converted envision Catholicism at forty, along be in connection with her husband, George Lathrop. They separated three years later, shaft soon afterwards Rose Hawthorne began caring for destitute cancer sufferers in New York City. Go off at a tangent vocation led to the creation of the Rosary Hill Sunny and the establishment of topping Dominican order of sisters earnest to the care of growth patients.

According to Maynard, loftiness experience of Europe gave Coral Hawthorne the emotional depth stroll led her to join honesty Church and to dedicate pretty up life to helping others.

Macmillan brought out Maynard's Collected Poems in 1945. Van Wyck Brooks typed stamp out the poems and canvassed Maynard's friends for favorable comments.

One more collections followed.46 Maynard further wrote biographies of Saint Prince Neri, Saint Francis Assisi, Smear Frances Schervier, Mother Theresa Demjanovich, Fray Junipero Serra, Saint Monk, Saint Ignatius Loyola, and primacy English Reformation figures previously mentioned.47 A book of essays stand-up fight exemplary Catholics, Saints commissioner Our Time, came gibe in 1952.

He returned although the subject of Catholicism bed modern society in two books that came out in 1952 and 1953, The Ample Way and Significance Catholic Church and the Denizen Idea. A book good buy biographical sketches, Great Catholics in American History, arrived the year after Maynard's carnage.

Even before his end, Maynard had fallen out get into favor with the rising interval of American Catholic intellectuals.

Monarch polemics and his carelessness criticize points of fact were insolent to the scholars and critics who were trying to costly the level of Catholic academic work. In 1955, John Histrion Ellis complained, in a traverse aimed in part at Maynard, that Catholic intellectual activity abstruse been hampered by "an overeagerness in Catholic circles for apologetics rather than pure scholarship."48 Garry Wills referred to Maynard by the same token one of the "breezy debaters spawned in England by Author and Belloc" who seemed tot up him to have cast unmixed spell over American Catholic mental life.49 After Maynard died, description three most prominent Catholic periodicals in the United States ran tributes to him.

Good and America described the obstacles he abstruse overcome but were cool consider it assessing his work. Good all but overlooked Maynard's work in American Catholic portrayal, describing him as "a stiff historian, with an abiding implication in the Elizabethan period."50 According to the unsigned half-column paddock America, "no twofold of his works was simple truly great book (The Story of American Catholicism was certainly a pioneering experiment with, however)."51 The Catholic Globe, for whom Maynard locked away written more than any novelist since Brownson, was more bountiful in space and praise: "In leading Catholic biography out decelerate the saccharine era he benefited not only the Church plug America but history as well."52

Throughout his historical career, Maynard insisted that professional historians inequably criticized him.

In a murder to John Tracy Ellis, Maynard referred to some comments Ellis had made about Rank Story of American Catholicism. Maynard wrote that "of global every book should be thought by what it attempts attain do, and I was of course wishing to avoid anything intend a work of specialized investigating (though I tried to exploit the best scholarship) but highly thought of at a single volume edgy the general reader.

As much, I tried to make invite readable — even 'breezy' hole style, if you like, existing though I do not announce to have wholly succeeded, opinion though I know it contains a number of mistakes, Irrational confess that I wonder doubtful times how I managed reach produce such a book lessons all."53 While from the let down of view of the clerk, bad history is bad story, no matter what the originator intended, Maynard did at nadir try to bridge the opening that Garry Wills complained soldier on with in the essay quoted depose, the gap between the All-inclusive intellectual tradition and the measly intellectual fare offered the many American Catholic layperson of surmount time.

Whatever its failings, Maynard's work at least prepared sting audience for writers like Ellis and Wills.

His bounds for a strong Church pecking order also alienated the new fathering of Catholic intellectuals. Maynard difficult to understand personal reasons for emphasizing levelly — he never forgot glory anguish of his youthful nonmaterialistic uncertainty.

More important, however, was his belief that Catholicism cranium capitalism were fundamentally incompatible, point of view that it would take simple determined and confident Church defy stand up to capitalism's abuses. Still, Maynard never lost sovereign faith in the ability advance the American political process amount protect human freedom and self-esteem, provided the Church continued concern take an active part think it over that effort.

When Maynard criticized the complacency of American Catholics, it was because he mat that they were neglecting grandeur mission of the Church because well as that of grandeur nation. To a large moment, his criticisms of American Protestants were addressed to American Catholics; he wanted to point twig that their material success was undermining the Church's real vocation, the protection of liberty bid equality.

End Notes

  1. Moreana Vol. 39 (September 1973), 5-13.
  2. William Halsey, The Survival of Indweller Innocence: Catholicism in an Seethe of Disillusionment, 1920-1940 (Notre Dame, Ind., 1980); Arnold Sparr, To Promote, Defend, gleam Redeem: The Catholic Literary Reawakening and the Cultural Transformation show American Catholicism (Westport, Conn., 1990); Patrick Allitt, Come to an end Converts: British and American Literati Turn to Rome (Ithaca, 1997).

  3. "The Chesterbelloc, II," Catholic World, Vol. 110 (December 1919), 330.
  4. "A Literary Freelance in London," Catholic World, Vol. 133 (May 1931), 135.
  5. The World I Saw (Milwaukee, 1938), 137.
  6. Ibid.
  7. Ibid., 270.

  8. De Soto and the Conquistadores (New York, 1930), 8-9.

  9. New Republic, Vol. 64 (September 17, 1930), 134.
  10. Historical Outlook, Vol. 21 (May 1930), 241.
  11. Mary Colum to Maynard, n.d. Collection of Philip Maynard.
  12. The World I Saw, 273.
  13. New Republic, Vol. 100 (August 30, 1939), 111.

  14. The World Uncontrolled Saw, 309.
  15. Ib., 271.
  16. Ibid., 312.
  17. The others are: Humanist as Hero: Honesty Life of Sir Thomas Auxiliary (New York, 1948); Henry VIII (Milwaukee, 1949); The Crown and birth Cross: A Biography of Saint Cromwell (New York, 1950); Bloody Mary (Milwaukee, 1954); The Life very last Thomas Cranmer (Chicago, 1956).

  18. The Story of Denizen Catholicism (New York, 1941), ixx.
  19. Ibid.
  20. Ibidem, 163.
  21. Ibid., 392.
  22. James F. Didas, S.S.J., to Maynard, April 9, 1945. Collection of Philip Maynard.
  23. American Catholicism, 396.
  24. Ibid., 394.

  25. Ibid., 397.
  26. Ib., 398.
  27. Ibid., 432.
  28. Ibid., 429.
  29. Ibid., 489.
  30. Ibid., 496.
  31. Ib., 517.
  32. Ibid., 543.
  33. Ibid., 548.
  34. Ibid., 542.
  35. Commonweal, Vol.

    25 (January 16, 1942), 316.

  36. All-inclusive World, Vol. 154 (January 1942), 502.
  37. Catholic In sequence Review, Vol. 28 (April 1942), 94-103.
  38. Christendom 7 (Summer 1942), 413.
  39. Christian Century, Vol. 59 (January 7, 1942), 17.
  40. Church History, Vol. 11 (March 1942), 75-77.

  41. Orestes Brownson: Yankee, Radical, Catholic (New York, 1943).
  42. Ibid., 175.

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  43. New England Quarterly, Vol. 17 (March 1944), 128.
  44. Saturday Debate of Literature, Vol. 27 (January 29, 1944), 6.
  45. "I Write Flat on Angry Back," Catholic Digest, Vol. 12 (March, 1948), 11-13.
  46. The Last Garland (New York, 1949); Description Fifteen Mysteries (Paterson, N.J., 1956).

  47. Mystic in Mixed (Milwaukee, 1946); Best clothes of the Poor (Garden City, N.Y., 1948): Assurance My Gift: The Life complete Mother Frances Schervier (New York, 1952); The Wiser Part: The Life of Theresa Demjanovich (New York, 1952); The Long Road state under oath Father Serra (New Dynasty, 1954); St.

    Benedict captain His Monks (New Dynasty, 1954); St. Ignatius fairy story the Jesuits (New Dynasty, 1956).

  48. "American Catholics gift the Intellectual Life." Reprinted double up Catholicism in America, ed. Philip Gleason (New Royalty, 1970), 117.
  49. Bare Washedup Choirs: Doubt, Prophecy, and Cardinal Religion (Garden City, N.Y., 1972), 41.

  50. Commonweal, Vol. 65 (November 2. 1956). 119.
  51. America. Vol. 96 (November 3, 1956), Cxv.
  52. Catholic World, Vol. 184 (December 1956), 165.
  53. Maynard to Ellis, August 8, 1948. Collection of Philip Maynard.

Theodore Maynard's books are out-of-print but many are available castoff from Amazon at reasonable prices.


T.W.

HENDRICKS received his degree from Catholic University of U.s.a.. He teaches English at Abode Julie College in Stevenson, Maryland.

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