He joins the "Rambler"
thoughts about the Rambler, and the manner in which I purpose to carry out what you have entrusted to me. I have thought and read a good deal upon political subjects, and have read a great lot of the famous writers, to try to find out a clear view which I could rely on in public life. I will endeavour to turn these studies to account and to pursue them farther in the service of our common undertaking, (1) Now the first point about it is that I am very far from agreeing with any of the more famous Catholic writers, or with any of the political parties in England. But I think that there is a philosophy of politics to be derived from Catholicism on the one hand and from the principles of our constitution on the other a system as remote from the absolutism of one set of Catholics as from the doctrinaire constitutionalism of another [the Correspondent[1] etc.] I conceive it possible to appeal at once to the example and interest of the Church and to the true notion of the English constitution. I am not on this account an admirer either of all Catholic governments or of all constitutional governments, but I think that the true notion of a Christian State, and the true latent notion of the constitution coincide and complete each other. In this way it is possible to obtain a singular repose and confidence in judging
- ↑ The Correspondent was founded in France in 1829, as a bi-weekly journal. The words of Canning, "Civil and religious liberty for the whole world," were adopted as the motto. After many vicissitudes as a journal, it was enlarged and adopted as Montalembert's organ in 1853. His influence gathered round him some of the most celebrated writers of the time, including such men as Mgr Dupanloup, MM. Foisset, Albert de Broglie, de Falloux, etc. Montalembert's programme was to advocate the union of Catholicism with liberty rightly understood.
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