Lauder book

A.E. Manier Sr. (A.E.Manier.1@ND.EDU)
Thu, 3 Apr 1997 18:47:31 -0500

My friend and colleague Rev. Ernan McMullin has just lent me a book
recently given him by its author, Rev. Robert E. Lauder, "Walker Percy:
prophetic, existentialist, Catholic storyteller." Fr. Lauder is
Professor of Philosophy at St. Johns University. The book is in paper,
published by Peter Lang Publishing, Inc., NY, 1996. ISBN 0 8204-3333-0.
The forward is by Robert Coles. Forgive me if this is redundant
information for you bibliophiles.

I appreciate the responses to my question which have arrived. I have filed
them all very carefully and if my hard drive doesn't die, they are safe.

I'd prefer not to say anything about them until 5/1. But like the
hovering prof I am, I cannot help but observe that my question is not,
"What did Walker Percy think "tenderness leads to the gas chambers!"
meant?"

My question is what did Dr. Tom More think that meant? I want to hold
open the possibility that More is a Percy foil, not a clone, not a
ventriloquist's dummy.

I'm interested in opinions as to what "tenderness leads to the gas
chambers!" might mean to a romantic naturalist in religious despair.
Fr. S. preaches this sermon "contra gentes", not just to the faithful but
to those he means to condemn. How did he think the condemned would
understand him? or did he care?

I'll be junketing for a while.

Ed