HERDTRICH
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HERDTRICH
pletion of the " Kirchenlexikon" Hefele began liis
monumental "Conciliengeschichte". The strong re-
ligious revival that set in with the sixties was heralded
by Hettinger's pioneer work, the " Apologie des Chris-
tentums", which set forth the religious teachings of
Christianity to the cultured world in well-timed
fashion, and which, reprinted again and again, and
constantly improved, continues to exercise a potent
influence in five foreign civilized languages even to
this day. The "Apologien" of Weiss and Schanz
were subsequently issued to support and supplement
Hettinger's "Apologie". Of these works the one
contrasts Christian hfe and its historical and cultural
development with a purely worldly knowledge and
the outlook of the age, while the other strives to
harmonize the doctrines of the Church and the results
of scientific research.
The Encyclicals of December, 1864, and the ques- tion of infallibility called forth in the pages of the "Stimmen aus Maria Laach" the comprehensive de- fence of the authority of the pope, as pastor and teacher, while the controversies concerning the Vati- can Council occasioned Hergenriither's masterly "Anti- Janus", afterwards expanded and strengthened in the almost inexhaustible hist orico- theological essays, the "Katholische Kirche und christlicher Staat in ihrer geschichtlichen Entwicklung und in Beziehung auf Fragen der Gegenwart". The "Stimmen", which at first appeared irregularly, inaugurated those re- lations between the house of Herder and the German Jesuits which have proved of so great importance to Catholic learning and Catholic life, and have kept the Jesuits in such close touch with their native country even while they were in exile during the persecu- tion of the Kulturkampf. Of the abvmdant fruits of these relations we may mention the great "Collec- tio Lacensis" of the more recent councils, which dis- plays a Benedictine industry in the collection of materials, and the " Philosophia Lacensis", nor can we forget the vigorous "Stimmen", which rapidly de- veloped into the organ of the current intellectual movement, and its thoroughly stimulating and very instructive " Erganzungshefte" (Supplementary Num- bers), which already number more than one hundred. After the promulgation of the fimdamental decrees of the Vatican Council, the "Theologische Bibliothek" was opened under brilliant auspices with Scheeben's profound "Handbuch der Dogmatik". While the Kulturkampf was threatening to silence every ex- pression of Catholic life, Janssen's epoch-making "Geschichte des deutschen Volkes" began its trium- phant course^ and carried, for the first time, Catho- lic research mto wide Protestant circles. The last ten years of Herder's existence crowned liis life- work. Quite apart from the individual volumes of the various Collections and of the Apologies already mentioned, he produced, among other works, the "Real-Encyklopadiederchristlichen Alterthiimer" by F. X. Kraus, the new edition of the "Kirchenlexikon", Knecht's "Praktischer Kommentar zur biblischen Geschichte", the " Bibliothek fiir Lander- und Volker- kunde", the "Jahrbuch der Naturwissenschaften", Pastor's "Gescliichte der Papste", the "Staats- lexikon der Gorres-Gesellschaft", the "Archiv fiir Literatur und Kirchengeschichte des Mittclalters" by Denifle and Ehrle, and the " Bibliothek fur katholische Padagogik".
Thus Benjamin Herder's activity as a publisher was always a faithful mirror of the Catholic revival in Germany in the nineteenth century, and further- more a powerful lever exerted in favour of the Catho- lic cause. This was so much the more creditable, since Herder was not merely the agent, but also in general the originator of his enterprises. Possessing a clear and profound knowledge of the needs of Cath- olic literature, it was usually he who selected the themes for literary treatment. When he once recog-
nized a project to be right, he clung to it tenaciously
until conditions proved favourable, although decades
elapsed before his scheme could be realized. Almost
always on the watch for competent collaborators, he
discovered the majority by his own exertions, per-
sonal acquaintance usually developing into hfelong
friendship. In no undertaking did he allow material
gain to be the deciding factor; even in times of crisis —
and of such he encountered more than one, beginning
with the Baden uprising of 1848, right through the
wars which raged between 1859 and 1871, down to
the dreary years of the iturturiamp/ which crippled the
resources of both clergy and people — the end in view
alone determined his decision. Thoroughly ahve to
his grave responsibility as a publisher, he devoted
extraordinary care to the training of capable and
conscientious assistants. His partner, Franz Joseph
Hutter (b. at Ravensburg, 25 November, 1840) is-
sued from the ranks of these "pupils". His essen-
tially practical nature happily complemented Benja-
min's idealism, which even repeated warnings had
not been able to shake. New branches were estab-
lished to open a wider market than the older estab-
lishments at Freiburg and Strasburg afforded. In
187.3 were founded the St. Louis (U. S. A.) branch,
under the management of Joseph Gummersbach, and
the Mimich branch under Herder's brother-in-law,
Adolf Streber, and in 1886 that at Vienna, while en-
terprises of even greater promise were contemplated.
In 1863 Herder married Emilie Streber, the accom-
plished daughter of Franz Streber, professor at the
Munich University, and celebrated as a numismatist.
His alliance with the Streber family introduced
Herder to that very circle of men who played the most
important part in the Catholic revival in Germany.
It was also contemporaneous with a more active
movement in the Church, in which Herder took a
notable part. Though handicapped throughout by
great physical sufferings, he bore all to the end
without complaining, striving unceasingly onwards
and upwards.
Lender the new management, conducted by Heh- ii.^NN Herder, a series of collections, chiefly theologi- cal and historical, have been issued, and also a steadily increasing number of publications in foreign languages, principally Spanish and English, while in recent years various annuals have been published. We may here mention the monumental undertakings, the " Geschich- te der Weltliteratur" of Baumgartner, the defini- tive collection of sources for the Tridentine Council, the third, completely revised, edition of the " Kon- versations-Lexikon", which now ranks with the great Leipzig encyclopedias, and Wilpert's superb work on the catacombs. In 1906 a branch of the firm was established at Berlin.
Weiss, Fiinfzig Jalire eines oeistigen Befreiurtgskampfes (Freiburg im Br., 1890); Anon. (Hutter). Barth. Herder und seine Buchhandlung (m.inuscript printed 18S0): Katalog der Herderschen Verlagshandlung (IS01-1.S95); Mitteilungen der Herderschen Verlagshandlung (1S96-1906; new series, 1906 — ); Ausu-ahl- Katalog (1909).
Franz Meisteb.
Herdtrich, Christian Wolfgang (according to
Franco, Christianus Henrique.s; Chinese, Ngen), an Austrian Jesuit missionary in China; b. at Graz, Styria, 25 June, 1625; d. 18 July, 1684. He entered the Aus- trian province of the Society of Jesus on 27 Octo- ber, 1641, and in 1656 was chosen for the Chinese mission. For two years he laboured on the island of Celebes, and after 1660 was in the Chinese provinces of Shan-si and Ho-nan. In 1671 he was called to the Court of Peking as mathematician, and was one of that group of scholarly Jesuits ■nath whom the great emperor Kang-he surrounded himself. He possessed a profound knowledge of the Chinese lan- guage and literature, anrl was a collaborator in the great work; "Confucius, Sinarum Philosophus, sive
