For several years after his wife's death, Manning was occupied
with these new activities, while his relations with Newman
developed into what was apparently a warm friendship. 'And now
vive valeque, my dear Manning', we find Newman writing in a
letter dated 'in festo S. Car. 1838', 'as wishes and prays yours
affectionately, John H. Newman'. But, as time went on, the
situation became more complicated. Tractarianism began to arouse
the hostility, not only of the evangelical, but of the moderate
churchmen, who could not help perceiving in the ever-deepening,
'catholicism' of the Oxford party, the dread approaches of Rome.
The "Record" newspaper an influential Evangelical journal-- took
up the matter and sniffed Popery in every direction; it spoke of
certain clergymen as 'tainted'; and after that, preferment seemed
to pass those clergymen by. The fact that Manning found it wise
to conduct his confessional ministrations in secret was in itself
highly significant. It was necessary to be careful, and Manning
was very careful indeed. The neighbouring Archdeacon, Mr. Hare,
was a low churchman; Manning made friends with him, as warmly, it
seemed, as he had made friends with Newman. He corresponded with
him, asked his advice about the books he should read, and
discussed questions of Theology--'As to Gal. vi 15, we cannot
differ.... With a man who reads and reasons I can have no
controversy; and you do both.' Archdeacon Hare was pleased, but
soon a rumour reached him, which was, to say the least of it,
upsetting. Manning had been removing the high pews from a church
in Brighton, and putting in open benches in their place. Everyone
knew what that meant; everyone knew that a high pew was one of
the bulwarks of Protestantism, and that an open bench had upon it
the taint of Rome. But Manning hastened to explain: 'My dear
friend,' he wrote, 'I did not exchange pews for open benches, but