Newlight Baptist Journals of James Manning and James Innis ed. by D.G. Bell (review)

446 THE CANADIAN HISTORICAL REVIEW Newlight Baptist Journals ofJames Manning and James Innis.EditedbyD.c.SELL. Hantsport, NS: Lancelot Press •984. Pp.xviii,36o.$:•9.95 cloth, $•4.95paper Let us beginthis reviewwith a poll. How many readersof the Canadian Historical Review agreewiththestatement that'Henry Allinestands unrivalled asthegreatest "Canadian" oftheeighteenth century,thegreatest Maritimerof any age and the most significantreligiousfigure this countryhas yet produced'? That assertion ismadebyBellin theprefacetothisvolume(xiii).I wouldbeverymuchsurprised if readersanswered intheaffirmativetoanyof thethreepropositions. I wouldevenbe surprisedif a majorityof Maritime readersgavetheir assent, exceptperhapsto the lastof the three. Suchan extravagant claimonbehalfof HenryAllinedrawsattention toacoredifficulty withthisbookand itscompanions in the BaptistHeritagein the Maritimes series. The problemis that the bookassumes everythingof importanceis happeningin certain evangelical religiouscircles.Book and serieslack perspective, and the Baptistmovementis not placedwithin the contextof Maritimesociety. Indeed,thereisonlyaminimaleffort madetoplacethisstory inthecontext of Maritimereligious history fortheperiod.The Baptist heritage istreatedasthoughit werein a social vacuum. Butif thereviewendedonthatnoteitwouldbeveryunfair.Withinitsterms of reference,thisis an extremelyusefulpieceof scholarship. Bell'sgeneral introduction and hiscommentaries on thejournalsof JamesManningand James Innisaremostinformative.Painstaking research combined witha sure knowledge ofthesecondary literatureenable himtopiecetogether anuanced andcomprehensive description oftheinternaldevelopments oftheNewLight andBaptist movements from the •79ostothe •83os.Hisdetaileddistinctions amongthe variousdispensations, sects, and churchesthat constituted the evangelical movement in thisperiodare moremeticulous thanthoseof his scholarly predecessors andconsequently willbeofenduringvaluetotheworld of scholarship. The achievement of Bellisallthemoreadmirable because the journalsthemselves are of limitedusefulness. JamesManning's•iournal'isa terseaccountof his preachingitineraryin westernand southeastern New Brunswick fromAugusttoOctober•8o•.James Innis's journalcovers alonger periodof aboutsixyears(•8o5- • •) andcontains a few nuggets of interest, particularlyhis accountof his confrontationwith Theodore Harding. But neithersource compares withAlline'sLife&Journalor withJonathanScott's compilation ofchurchrecords thatcovers theearlierstages ofrevivalism inthe •77osand •78os.It isBell'sidentification of peoplementioned,hisexpert unravelling of theological andpersonal disputes, andhisplacing of these two menprecisely withinthepost-Alline evangelical worldthatbringsthejournal material to life. Whatweneednowisfor thisfreshscholarship oninternalBaptisthistoryto beintegrated firstintoMaritimereligious history andthenintothemainstream REVIEWS 447 of generalMaritime history.We need to know the overallstructureof economy, society, andreligioninthe•79ø- •83operiodtobeabletolocate on thegeneral terrainthesenewcontourlinesthattraceouttheoriginsof the Baptist movement. Oncethatisdone,thewholelandscape oftheperiodwillbe bathedin newlight. •;ORI•ON STEW.•RT Michigan StateUniversity Every Popish Person: The Story ofRoman Catholicism inNova Scotia and the Church of Halifax•6o4-•984. j. Ba•.•N •iAm•m•;Tom. [Halifax]:Archdiocese of Halifax 1984.Pp.272,illus.$18.95 Written primarily to commemoratethat 2ooth anniversaryof the legal establishment of RomanCatholicism in NovaScotia, thisbookmightbetter havebeentitled'EveryPopish Prelate.' The authorprovides a generaloverviewofchurch development withintheprovince butthetextfocuses primarily onthetenmenwho,since1842,haveserved asbishop andthenarchbishop of Halifax.Unfortunately, sostrong anemphasis hasbeenplaced ontheroleand personality ofafewleading clerics thatthereaderobtains littleinsight intothe largercharacter of Halifax Catholicism. The problems inherentin thisbiographical andelitistapproach tochurch history are repeatedly demonstrated in Hanington's book.For example,in describing theeruptionofanti-Catholic sentiment duringthe185os, nothing is saidaboutitsrelationship to ethnicandclass tensionwithincolonial society. Instead,the authorsimplyattributes the crisisto opportunistic politicians, most notably Joseph Howe,aboutwhomwearetoldlittle,otherthanthatthe bishop thoughtHowetobe'themostunintelligent person hehadevermet.'A parallel lack ofanalysis occurs whenHanington discusses thechurch's reponse, earlyinthetwentieth century, totheproblems generated byurban-industrial expansion. Theexistence ofliberal orsocialist opinions amongst eitherthelaity or lesser clergyisignored,presumably because enthusiasm for social reform did not exist within the bishop'spalace.The net effect of Hanington's approach istoleaveunanswered ahost ofmajorquestions abouttheinstitution he haschosen to study. Despite thenarrowhorizons withinwhichit operates, thisbookhasseveral strengths. Aboveall, it clearlyestablishes the Irish characterof Halifax Catholicism. The bonds ofethnicity reinforced those ofdenominationalism in such awayastocreate oneofthemajorpowerbases existing withinVictorian Canada. Nooneexploited thepotential ofthesituation morevigorously than did ThomasL. Connolly,archbishop from 1859 to 1876.This aggressive cleric, whoplayed aroleinthecarrying ofConfederation, creation ofseparate schools in Halifax, and articulationof opposition to the doctrineof papal infallibility at the FirstVaticanCouncil,is the majorheroof Hanington's study. The pitfalls ofhagiography are,however, avoided. Connolly, welearn, ...