Prose Remains of Arthur Hugh Clough Author:Arthur Hugh Clough Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: 141 :I I LETTERS. FROM 1849 TO 1852. LONDON. To tlie Rev. ' January 4, 18(9. My Dear Sir,—After a good deal of thinking and some advising, ... more »I.find that I have only to repeat what I stated at your house. I do not feel myself competent to undertake the conduct or superintendence of any prayers, nor can I in any way pledge myself to be present. Any attendance I might give would simply be that of a private person—no way official ; it would be as that of a junior member of a family at domestic worship ; it would be a matter of conformity, not of individual choice ; my own feeling, meantime, being to leave it, as I understand the Quakers do, to spontaneous emotion ; and so I confess I should prefer any arrangement which would make my absence not unnatural, as might for instance be the case if prayers were combined with a Greek Testament lesson not given by me. Meantime, I am sure I should have every disposition to facilitate devotional arrangements. In fact, I should not unwillingly concede that it might be better that your Principal i After resigning his Fellowship and Tutorship at Oriel, Clough had accepted the Headship of University Hall in London, and this letter was written in consequence of a request which had been made him by the authorities. should be one who could officially join in them, as indeed it might be best could all your students be expected to attend. But, whether better or worse, I had conceived your institution was to be one on which this maturer fonn would not be fixed, one which would offer a locus standi and a home for Theology and other subjects excluded from the College, and would aspire to encourage moral and religious sympathy, but would nevertheless leave all this to free, quiet and spontaneous development. I confess I see...« less