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LETTERS OF

JOHN D'ALBERG ACTON

1ST BARON

1858

Letter I

Lord Acton becomes associated with Mr Richard Simpson in the management of the Rambler His desire that it should not be the organ of any one party or school of thought The activity of Catholic theologians in Germany Need of educating English Catholics as to the true notion of a Christian State Proposed series of articles by which this may be done His desire to review works carefully

February 16, 1858.

I will, please God, admit into the political department [of the Rambler] no writings of men who are the devoted followers of any single school, least of all the followers of a writer so dazzling, but so little to be trusted and less to be imitated, as Count de Maistre, for whom indeed I have the deepest respect; but it is no good reproducing ideas, and I will try to find men who think for themselves and are not slaves to tradition and authority. This leads me to speak of the new shareholder. I presume you will not allow direct influence to anybody but Meynell^[1] and ourselves, now that Ward^[2] is not a fourth. Unanimity and

1. The Rev. Charles Meynell, D.D., born in 1843; educated at Sedgley Park, Oscott and Rome; professor of Philosophy at Oscott 1856-7; died at Caverswall, Staffordshire, May 3, 1882.
2. William George Ward, the distinguished Oxford convert; born March 21, 1812; died July 6, 1882.