Happy Birthday Hilaire Belloc!
Well as I promised in a previous post, I managed to make a post today dedicated to the 135th anniversary of the birth of the great Catholic writer and political thinker Hilaire Belloc. Sadly due to numerous issues that have unexpectedly come up in recent times, I will not be able to devote as much as I had hoped. A very good introduction to the man and his work was written by Brother Anthony Brown for the Angelus titled "Hilaire Belloc: The Man, His Time, and Ours". Another good article is Frederick D. Wilhelmsen's "Hilaire Belloc: Defender of the Faith".
Hilaire Belloc's devotion to the Catholic faith simply cannot be understated. As he stated in "A Letter to Dean Inge":
"One thing in this world is different from all other things. It has a personality and a force. It is recognized and (when recognized) most violently loved or hated. It is the Catholic Church. Within that household the human spirit has roof and hearth. Outside it, is the night."
Belloc did not see Catholicism simply as a matter of individual belief, but the spiritual building block of culture. In many of his historical writings, he praised the Church for its immeasurable role in preserving the rich Classical heritage of Greece and Rome beyond the age of antiquity and well into the Middle Ages and further. The Catholic faith inspired the creation of much of the greatest art the world has ever known. Under the influence of the Church, a more just economic system governed people, a system that needed to be recovered in the face of the double threats of Capitalism and Socialism. It was the Catholic faith that built Europe and gave its people their identity, and only by returning to the faith could Europe revive its glory.
Sadly Belloc has received less attention nowadays then his compatriot G.K. Chesterton. This probably has to do with the differences in their temperaments. Chesterton was far more jolly and humorous while Belloc was not. Their styles of debate were just as different. As Brother Anthony Brown explains:
"One of the differences between Belloc and Chesterton in defending the Faith was that Chesterton did a lot of fencing, but Belloc drew real swords and real blood. Before engaging in battle, he would clearly state his objective, plan his campaign and examine his weapons. He would note what good there was in his opponent and then clearly state the evil he was about to attack and then attack it. 'Without wounding and killing,' he said, in criticism of Chesterton, 'there is no battle.'"
Belloc was clearly more hostile and harsh than Chesterton, and that certainly helps explain why he's not as revered. Chesterton's writings are also on average more easy to understand, while Belloc's require far more depth in thought to fully understand.
Defending the faith and the truths inherent in them was a full-time effort on the part of Belloc. He exhausted himself completely in protecting the Church from any and every foe. As Whilelmsen concluded: "He wielded a mighty sword...But the sword of Hilaire Belloc was buried with him. I gravely doubt whether we shall see his like again."
So three cheers for Hilaire Belloc! May your efforts never be forgotten!
Hilaire Belloc's devotion to the Catholic faith simply cannot be understated. As he stated in "A Letter to Dean Inge":
"One thing in this world is different from all other things. It has a personality and a force. It is recognized and (when recognized) most violently loved or hated. It is the Catholic Church. Within that household the human spirit has roof and hearth. Outside it, is the night."
Belloc did not see Catholicism simply as a matter of individual belief, but the spiritual building block of culture. In many of his historical writings, he praised the Church for its immeasurable role in preserving the rich Classical heritage of Greece and Rome beyond the age of antiquity and well into the Middle Ages and further. The Catholic faith inspired the creation of much of the greatest art the world has ever known. Under the influence of the Church, a more just economic system governed people, a system that needed to be recovered in the face of the double threats of Capitalism and Socialism. It was the Catholic faith that built Europe and gave its people their identity, and only by returning to the faith could Europe revive its glory.
Sadly Belloc has received less attention nowadays then his compatriot G.K. Chesterton. This probably has to do with the differences in their temperaments. Chesterton was far more jolly and humorous while Belloc was not. Their styles of debate were just as different. As Brother Anthony Brown explains:
"One of the differences between Belloc and Chesterton in defending the Faith was that Chesterton did a lot of fencing, but Belloc drew real swords and real blood. Before engaging in battle, he would clearly state his objective, plan his campaign and examine his weapons. He would note what good there was in his opponent and then clearly state the evil he was about to attack and then attack it. 'Without wounding and killing,' he said, in criticism of Chesterton, 'there is no battle.'"
Belloc was clearly more hostile and harsh than Chesterton, and that certainly helps explain why he's not as revered. Chesterton's writings are also on average more easy to understand, while Belloc's require far more depth in thought to fully understand.
Defending the faith and the truths inherent in them was a full-time effort on the part of Belloc. He exhausted himself completely in protecting the Church from any and every foe. As Whilelmsen concluded: "He wielded a mighty sword...But the sword of Hilaire Belloc was buried with him. I gravely doubt whether we shall see his like again."
So three cheers for Hilaire Belloc! May your efforts never be forgotten!
posted by Perun at
1:21 PM
2 Comments:
Indeed! Thank you for the post on Belloc, one of my favorite writers and a great inspiration to those of us who hold dear the Distributionist vision of the social order.
My favorite book by Belloc is The Servile State, followed closely by The Great Heresies. A wonderful writer -- strong and aggressive as you point out, but then again there are times for strength and aggression!
Well an anonymous fan of mine brought this post to the attention of the Chesterton and Friends blog in their post celebrating Belloc's birthday
http://chestertonandfriends.blogspot.com/2005/07/happy-birthday.html
I have a copy of "the Servile State". Ive also read "Europe and the Faith" along with "Survivals and New Arrivals". I havent read much of "the Great Heresies" yet, but I will once I get a chance. I just ordered Pearce's biography of Belloc "Old Thunder", Im looking foward to receiving it. :)
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