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 LACORDAIRE

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LACORDAIRE

Lenten season of 1838, which were equally successful with those of Notre-Dame. His " M^moire pour le R^tablissement des Freres Precheurs" was prelimi- nary to his reception of the habit at the Minerva in Rome (.9 April, 1839). Next year he made his vows (12 April, 1S40) and returned to France. The first house of the restored order was established at Nancy in 1843; a second at Chalais in 1844; a novitiate at Flavigny in 1848; and finally a French province was erected with Lacordaire as first provincial.

Meantime, in the Advent of 1843, the conferences were resumed at Notre-Dame, and continued with one break until 1852. At first King Louis Philippe endeavoured to prevent the resumption of the con- ferences, but the new archbishop, Mgr Affre, was firm, and merely required that the preacher should wear a canon's rochet and mozetta over his Dominican habit. The interest in the conferences was greater than ever. It was noted that the orator had gained in depth and brilliancy by his years of retirement. And here it will be well to describe briefly the nature of the con- ferences and the causes of the extraordinary interest which they aroused. The old-fashioned sermon — text, exordium, three points, and peroration — dealt with dogmatic or moral subjects, and was addressed to believers. It reached its highest perfection at the hands of Bossuet, Bourdaloue, and Massillon. The clergy in the first part of the nineteenth century went on preaching as before, speaking of the same subjects, bringing forward the same arguments, using the same methods; forgetting all the while that they had to appeal not only to believers but also to infidels. It was Lacordaire's merit that he discerned the necessity of a complete reform; new subjects, new arguments, new methods must be adopted. The matter must be apologetic, and, as apologetics vary according to the nature of the enemy's assaults, it must be adapted to meet the attacks of the day. With the rare insight of genius, Lacordaire began where the ordinary apolo- gist ends. He took the Church as his starting-point, considering her as a great historical fact, and drawing from her existence, her long-continued duration, and her social and moral action the proof of her authority. Thus the first conferences in 1835 treated of the Church's constitution and her social activity. In the second course he went on to speak of the doctrines of the Church viewed in their general aspect. When he resumed the conferences in 1843 he spoke of the effects of Catholic doctrine upon the human mind, upon the soul (humility, chastity, and other virtues), and upon society. Again, before treating of God, he took Christ for the subject of the best known of all the series (1846). From the Son he passed to the Father (1848), proving the existence of God and dealing with His work of creation. From God he descended to man and the doctrine of man's Fall and Redemption (1849-50). The coup d'etat prevented the continuance of the conferences in Notre-Dame, but a further course was delivered at Toulouse in 1854, treating of life, natural and supernatural.

So much for the subjects. The form of the confer- ences was quite unlike that of the ordinary sermon. There was no opening text, or prayer; no firstly, secondly, thirdly; no pause between the divisions. After a short exordium, indicating the subject to be dealt with, he phmged at once in medias res, and let his subject grow upon his hearers. His voice, feeble at the beginning, gradually grew in volume until it rang through the vast vault of the cathedral, some- times breaking out into a cry which thrilled the hard- est hearts. His gestures were graceful and yet fidl of vigour; his dark eyes flashed out the fire that was burning within him. His wonls were the choice of the moment, coming freely to his lips after careful preparation of the matter and the main lines of his discourse; indeed, his most brilliant pas.sages were inspired Ijy some movement among his audience, or

some sudden emotion within himself. We can under- stand the state of prostration produced by such deliv- ery, and how his strenuous efforts tended to shorten his life.

The government of Louis Philippe came to an ig- nominious end in Feb., 1848. In his opening con- ference of that year, delivered while the liarricades were still standing, Lacordaire welcomed the Revolu- tion in language which was greeted with prolonged applause. Now at last he hoped to carry out his old programme of " God and Freedom" — without the youthful excesses that marred the policy of "L'Avenir". A new paper, "L'Ere Nouvelle", was started under his editorship, but he wrote little in its columns. He realized that his strength lay rather in speech than in writing. In the elections he accepted a nomination for Paris, but obtained only a small number of votes. He was, however, returned for the department of Bouches-du-Rhone. He took his seat on the Extreme Left, clad though he was in his Domini- can habit. A few benches below him sat his former friend and master, now his bitter foe, Lamennais. The invasion of the Assembly by the rabble convinced him that liis dream of a Catholic republic was not to be accomplished. He resigned his seat 18 May, and some months later gave up the editorship of " L'Ere Nouvelle". He did his utmost to prevent the Church from becoming identified with the Empire established by Napoleon III. For this reason he refused to continue his conferences in 1852, though urged to do so by Mgr Sibour. His last discourse in Paris was delivered in the church of Saint-Roch in 1853. It was a sermon on the text: "Esto vir" (III Kings, ii, 2), and was an outspoken attack on the new Govern- ment. After tliis it was impossible for him to re- main in Paris. For the rest of liis life he had charge of the military school of Soreze, in the department of Tarn, where he inculcated the duties of manliness and patriotism as well as religion. Though he was de- voted to his youthful pupils, he naturally felt that he was exiled and silenced. In 1861 (24 Jan.) he was called out of his obscurity to take his seat in the Academy — an honour which cast a gleam of bright- ness over his last days. It was at this time that he uttered the famous words: "J'espere mourir en religieux penitent et en liberal impenitent." Towards the end of the year (21 Nov.) he passed away at Soreze, after a long and painful illness, in liis sixtieth year.

Lacordaire was of middle height, sparely but strong- ly built. He always objected to sit for his portrait, but one day at Soreze he submitted. He is repre- sented seated, and absorbed in prayer, with his hands crossed one over the other, for the Elevation bell was ringing in the church when the portrait was taken.

Besides his " Eloges funebres" (Drouot, O'Connell, and Mgr Forbin-Janson) he published: "Lettre sur le Saint-Siege"; "Considerations sur le systeme philosophique de M. de Lamennais"; " De la liberty d'ltalie et de I'EgUse"; "Vie de S. Dominique"; "Sainte Marie Madeleine" (the two last-mentioned works contain many subhme passages, but are of little historical value). Mme Swetchine said of him: "On ne le connaitra que par ses lettres." Eight volumes of these have already been published, in- cluding his correspondence with Mme Swetchine and Mme de la Tour du Pin, and " Lettres a des Jeunes Gens", collected and edited by his friend H. Perreyve in 1862 (tr. Derby, 1864; revised and enlarged ed., London, 1902). Amongst Lacordaire's most celeljrated works are his "Conferences" (tr. vol. I only, London, 1851) ; " Dieu et I'homme" in " Conferences de Notre- Dame de Paris" (tr. London, 1872); "Jesus-Christ" (tr. London, 1869); "Dieu" (tr. London, 1870).

(Euvres du R. P. H. D. Lacordaire (Paris, 187:i); Foisset, Vie de Lacordaire (Paris, 1S70); Chocarne, Le R. P. Lacordaire, sa ric inlime et religieuse (Paris, 1806), tr. The Inner Life of PIre Lacordaire {9th ed., London, 1901). These two Lives mutually