fields of theological specialization:
the liturgical movement, the Old
Testament, the posthumous Fourth
Gospel, the subtle inquiries into
the borderlline between theology
and sociology. Unfortunately, their
names cannot be reproduced here
although Mr. Eliot lingered long
and affectionately over everyone
of them. They represented the gal–
axy of stars in the firmament of
the English Christendom, eclipsing
by their brilliance the two or three
minor lights in the non-Catholic
ranks which Mr. Eliot credited ra–
ther condescendingly with at least
good intentions and a certain de–
gree of professional competence.
Late in the evening, there oc–
curred an interruption which in–
troduced a slightly jarring note of
disharmony into Mr. Eliot's pres–
entation of his credentials. A young
student from a local university rose
in the front row and asked im–
patiently: "Mr. Eliot, why are you
opposed to a secular, rationalist
society?" Recovering quickly from
the unexpected protest, Mr. Eliot
replied briefly, with an undertone
of irony: "I proceed on the assump–
tion that the Christian idea is a
true idea; and that it is better to
embrace a true idea than any other.
Of course, we might push the in–
quiry further back and question
these assumptions; but I dare say
this is neither the place nor the
time for such an inquiry." He was
right. The Chairman called the
meeting to an end and requested
that the benediction be pronounced.
The audience rose. Mr. Eliot
bowed low.
Such was the record. It was a
long and impressive documenta–
tion of Mr. Eliot's credentials
as a member of the "Commun–
ity of Christians." Yet those who
were strangers to this commun–
ity-and they were a majority at
the Parish House that evening–
those who were strangers to th1s
side of Mr. Eliot's universe of dis–
course and the auspices under
which he spoke were strangely
moved by the incongruity between
this performance and their own
frame
of
reference. And their ques–
tioning surprise was reinforced by
the after-image of the man: tall,
gaunt, of pallid hue, and tensely
withdrawn from anything remin–
iscent of the flesh, did he not he–
long more rightfully in a monastic
order than in the Fellowship of
the respectable, upper-class citizens
gathered in the Parish House of St.
Thomas's Church? In a monastic
order there would be no irrecon–
cilable conflict between mystic,
poetic ecstasy and the practical
Librairie Lipton
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