The Rambler was a Catholic journal, begun in 1848, which tried to show that English Catholics were capable of rational discussion. For decades, indeed until the middle of the 20th century, English Catholicism faced the constant challenged that it was both Unenglish and intellectually deficient. The main argument was the degree to which lay Catholics were subject to ecclesiastical control. As a result of its liberal outlook The Rambler faced threats of ecclesiastical condemnation, which indeed occurred when it carried an article by a Catholic schools inspector maintaining that Catholic schools which received state money should welcome government inspectors. This flatly contradicted what was known to be the bishops' position, and to save the magazine from inevitable censure, Newman agreed to become its editor. In an editorial, he apologized to the bishops for any offence caused by the Rambler article, but went on to claim that Catholic bishops should listen to the Catholic laity.
