The New York Herald Newspaper, January 17, 1875, Page 13

NEW YORK RELIGIOUS INTELLIGENCE. Ministerial and Church Movements. . Antagonism of Science and Religion—Divine and Human Education Contrasted, pt PROGRAMME OF SERVICES TO-DAY. The Rev. W. P. Abbott will preach this morning and evening in Washington square Methodist Episcopal cburch, Miss Elia Gibsowill entertain the Spiritualists in Harvard Rooms this evening. “Moral Insanity” and “The Prodigal Son’? will e@ccupy the Rev. George O, Phelps’ attention in Allen street Presbyterian church at the usual hours to-day, In All Saints’ Protestant Episcopal church the Rev. W. H. Dunnell will preach this morning and evening. At the South Baptist church the Rev. Dr. A. 0. Osborne will preach at the usual hours to-day. “Obristian Work in Soul Saving” will be con- sidered this morning and “The Deadly Sleep” this evening by the Rev. W. H. Thomas in Beekman Hill Methodist Episcopai church, In the Church of the Epiphany the Rev. U. 1, Tracy will preach this morning and evening. “The Church’s Faith and Sinners’ Salvation” will be preached this morning to the Berean Baptist church, by the Rev. P. L. Davies, who in the evens tog will preach a sermon to inquirers, The Rev. David Mitchell will minister to the Canal street Presbyterian church this morning and afternoon. 4 Dr. Moran will occupy the pulpit of the Church of the Strangers at the usual hours to-day, preach- ing on “The Goodly Heritage” tn the morning, and on “Lying Words” in the evening. Revs. Gregory and McClelland and Mr, B. Col- gate will address the City Evangelization meeting this evening in Bediord street Methodist Episco- pal church. In the Church of the Disciples of Christ the Rev. D. R. Van Buskirk will preach morying and evening and immerse candidates after the evening service, “Night Scenes of Christ,” will be presented this evening by Dr. Armitage, in the Filth avenue Bap- tist church. The Rev. W. T. Sabine will oMciate and preach for the First Reformed Episcopal church at the usual nours to-day. ‘The Rov. W. H. Pendleton will preach morning and evening in the Fifty-third street Baptist charch. Preaching in the Free Tabernacle Methodist Episcopal church at the usual hours to-day, Rev.. L. A. King, pastor. In the free Church of the Holy Sepuichre the Rey. J. Tuttie Smith will preach this morning and evening. The Rev. W. W. Page will preach morning and evening in the New York Presbyterian church. In the Pilgrim Baptist church this morning the Rev. J. 5S. Kennard will discourse on ‘Receiving Onrist,” and in the evening cn “War in Heaven.” The Rev. Mr. McKee will preacn tis evening in. the Morning Star Mission chapel, West Twenty- sixth street. The Rev. W. H. Boole will mintster in the Seven- teenth street Methodist Episcopal church tbis morning and evening, at the usual hours, This morning and afternoon, ta the Scotch Pres - byterian church, the Rev. S. M. Hamilton will preach as usual. Dr. R, M. Palmer, of New Orleans, will preach in the Madison avenue Reformed church this morn- ing. Dr. Cyrus Dickson will preach in the Presbyte- rian church in Forty-second street, near Seventh avenue, this morning and afternoon. The Rev. H. W. Knapp will minister in the Laight street Baptist church at the usual hours to-day. The Rev. Dr, J. R. Wilson, of Wilmington, N.C, will preach in Madison square Presbyterian church this morning. Miss Neliie Brigham will lecture for the pro- gressive Spiritualjsts this morning and evening, im Republican Hall, West Thirty-thira street. The Rev. T. R. Stratton, of New Jersey, will preach this morning ana evening in the Seventh street Methodist Episcopal church. In the Tabernacle Baptist church the Rev. J. B. Hawthorne will preach this morning on “Be Not Weary in Well Doing,” andthis evening on “Behold the Lams ef Goa. The Rev. Joun N. Galleher will minister to Zion Protestant Episcopal churth this morning and afternoon. Tho Rev. W. B. Merritt will preach a sermon to young men this evening, in the Sixth avenue Union Reformed Dutch church. “The Episties to the Seven Churches” wilt be examined this evening, by the Rev. M. 5S. Terry, in the Eighteenth street Methodist Episcopal chureb. * Divine service in the English language this morning in the Russian chapel, the Rey. N. Bjerring, priest. ‘The usual Sabbath Oay and everjng services will de held in the Sixteenth street Baptist church, the Rey. D. B. Jutten, pastor. “Christianity and Public Morals” will constitute the toric of Dr. Tiffany’s discourse this evening, in Christ charch (Protestant Episcopal). * at the Anthon Memorial Protestant Episcopal church the Rev. R. Heber Newton will preach this Morning and afternoon. In Trinity Baptist church the Rev. Dr. Holme ‘will talk this morning concerning “Power from On Bigh,” and this evening on ‘Christ, the Way.” Messrs, Alkinson, Day and Crandall will enter- tain and instruct the Church of Humanity in De Garmo Hail to-day. In St. Bartholomew's Protestant Episcopal church this evening the Rev. John N. Galleher will Preach the anniversary sermon of the Home for Old Men and Aged Couples. The Rey. John Thompson, D. D., will address young men in Association Hall this evening. Divine service will be held at the usual hours to-day in the Church of the Atonement, Rev. C. OC. Tiffany, Rector. In the Church of the Resurrection the Rev. Dr. Flagg will officiate and preach’ at the usual hours to-day. Dr. Porteous will talkin All Souls’ church, Brook- lyn, this morning on “The Papal Power and Modern Progress” and this evening on “The Battle of Creeds.”” The Rev. Dr. Miller, late of this city, will preach his opening sermons as pastor of the First Baptist church, Greenpoine, to-day. . Dr. Rylance will preach io St. Mark’s Provestant Episcopal church this morning and evening, The secord lecture in the course to young people will be delivered this evening by Rev. S. H. Tyng, Jr., D. D., at the people’s service in the Church of the Holy Trinity. The Kev, H.R, Nye will, this evening, in his church in Brooklyn, review Dr. Fuiton’s recent lecture, and demonstrate that “Universalism is the Plain Doctrine of the Bibie.”” The Rev. Mr. Sweetser will also present the “Statistical and Social Status of Universalism,” this morning, in the Third Universalist church. in the evening he will speak about “Our Criminal Clasees."" In the Unurch of the Heavenly Rest the rector ‘will preach this evening on “The Lost Christ.” Dr. Potter, of Grace church, will preach before | the Young People’s Association of the Church of the Holy Aposties, in the house of the latter, this evening. In the Fifty-third street Baptist church the Rev. ‘W. 0, Lock wood will preach this morning and even- ing on the “Master’s Care for His Perishing Ones,” The Rev. W. R. Alger will preach this morning and evening in the Church of the Messiah. In St, 'gnatius’ church the Rev. Dr. Ewer will oMiciate and preach at the usual hours to-da, At the Church of the Discivles the Rey. George H. Hepwortn will preach this morning on “The Mysteries of Prayer,” and in the evening a ser- mon to young men, “Thoughts tor Troublous Times” will’ be uttered by the Rev. J. M. Pullman this morning, who will also present “The Moral and Regenerative Powers of Universalism” this evening im the Church of Our Saviour. ‘ BIBLE MIRACLES—ANOTHER PHASE OF MODERN SPIRITUALISM, To THE EDITOR OF THE HERALD :— Now that the exposure of the Katie King and other “Spiritual” humbugs has shown tnat *Mod- ern Spiritualism” is nothing more than mesmer- ism, clairvoyance and trickery, tt 1s @ good time to demonstrate to the popular religionists that the ancient thaumaturgy upol which they base their faith has no better foundation, and must be handed over te the admiration of such ignorant, stupid and credulous people as are determined to gulp down these fish stories at all hazards. In this letter, then, I will go in a rambling, nasty’ way over all the principal manifestations of the Bible that are analogous to those now occurring, and show that they can ail be explained away, with the help of our modern knowledge of the human body and its sur- roundings. I can do this more readily because twenty years ago I read the famous Bvok ail through and marked and classified all its “spirit- ual plenomena” under such heads as are fur- nished by the nomenclature of the mesmerists, biologists, &c. I do not propose to follow in the lines of criticism adopted by the Voltaires, Humes and Paines, Strausses, Rénans, &c.,who mainly con- cluded that the strange events narrated never occurred, We know, from seeing similar things happening now, that many of these stories were founded on facts and were in accordance with laws of nature then unknown. Well, -to begin:—I find a singular confusion of ideas in the Old'Testarhent as to tne personality of the manifesting “spirit.” Whoever appeared was called “the Lord.” Take Abraham’s case—And the Lord uppeared unto him in the ptains of Mamre as he sa¢ in the tent door in the heat of thé day; and he lifted up nis eyes, and lo! three men [in buckram ¢] stood before him.”” This was a strong case of materialization, as the three “did eat’ the veal cutlets and johonycake which Sarah made ready, and then (in different verses called ‘he’? and “they” and “the Lord’) made wonderful prophecies, You see our orthodox friends find themselves in an “Eddy” as soon as they begin to read with their eyes open. Genesis, Xxxil.—Jacob wrestles, “collar and el- bow,” ali nignt with a materialized spirit, who gets no advantage over him until he takes an unfair hold and puts the patriarch’s thigh out of joint. ‘This, like many of the others, ougnt to be counted outanynow, as it was ajdark séance and there were no Witnesses. This spirit was “nowhere” as soon ag the light was turned on, Genesis, xliv.—Josepi puts nimself among the ordinary ‘Eqyptian “diviners” by sending after bis divining cup. Divine, nota bene, that all these an- ctent wonder-workers only claimed to “go one eee in the same lines as the ordinary magi- cians. All through “the plagues of Egypt” we find that when Moses changed rods to serpents, turned rivers to blood, brought up droves of frogs, &c., “the magicians dia so with their enchantments.”? He “stumped” them first on the plague of lice. Then they gave up beat, But he gave them a fair chance and did not scorn the competition. The reason of this'1s that they were the orthodox diviners of that time, and he had to show his haud or “go hang.” Exodus, Xxx1.—In the Sinai manifestation there was “slate writing’? on a large scale, but Moses got angry and broke the first stone tables, and he was forty days behind the cloudy “curtain” before he produced the second set. . Numbers, xvil.—Aaron’s rod buds. Anycunning Magician can make plants grow “miraculously.” it will be found that most of the wonderful things spoken of as seen and heard by tne old prophets were encountered by them when in the condition described by Bataam, Numbers, xxiv.— “Which saw the vision of the Almighty, tallinginto @ trance, but having his eyes open.” Take away the dreams and solitary trances and commonplace clairvoyance and the “miracies” become very few. In Joshua, Vi., is recorded the greatest ‘tipping’? Manuestation in history. It took the Jews seven days to “prepare the magnetic conditions” tor tipping over the walls of Jericho. The whole peo- ple formed @ circle alt around the city on seven Successive days, They concentrated their will, power and magnetic force upon the wall as one Inan. Then “music was callea for,” and the priests tooted on the ram’s horns. Instead of singing a dismal song like a modern spirit circle the whole lata shouted with a will. No wonder the wall fell (if it ever did), though no mention ts made of sappers and miners, judges, xv.—We find Samson at the rope and cabinet trick. He had himself tied successively with new cords, green withes and new ropes: but every time the “committee” approached the medium to examine the knots, the stupid fellow, instead of shipping the ropes off, broke them by main strength and awkwardness. At his last séance, though his eyes were bandaged, he smashed the caoinet and the affair broke up in a row, with many sore headg. L kings, xviil,—Kiijah called down from heavena fire that consumed a sacrifice, a stone altar and the water in atrench. Weil, they say that an old woman up at the Eddy’s made a fire burn by Fouring water on it. Shall we believe the old story sooner than thenew? “Do gray hairs make folly venerable?! ll. Kings, w.—There ts commotion in tne Syrian Court, because “Elisha the prophet that is in Is- {and many miles away) teileth the King of Israel the Words that thou (Syrian King) speakest in thy bea chamber.” Very simple clairvoyance. Some of the ‘seventh sous” who advertise in the HERALD can equal it. ‘IL Kings, xxX.—Hezekiah {gs magnetized into thinking that he sees ‘the shadow brougiit ten Gegrees back In the dial of Anaz,” 1, Chronicies.—David produces plans and specifi. cations for a temple, and says, like many a mod- era writing and drawing medium. “All this the Lord made me understand, i writing by bis hand upon me—even all the works of this pattern.”” Daniel, v.—We find Israel's great prophet, Daniel (in accordance with a previous statement), gratefully receiving the position of ‘master of the magicians, astrologers, Chaldeans and sooth- Sayers,” and ever ready to beay them at their own games. & In the same chapter we read about “the part of the hand”? that wrote on the wail; but no expert, like Olcott, handled that hand, “finding no arm behind the wrist,” or looked for a hole in the plaster. Can we trust the old test more safely than the thousand new materializations? ‘Turning to the New Testament and conning over the stories there, So variously rehearsed by the different apostles, the story of the miraculous feeding of 5,000 persons fs seen to stand out most prominently. If the statement is to ve credited at ali modern science shows us that the most likely expianation is that the 5,000 were magnet- ized into a belief that they were being fea. I the modern materjalizing of all sorts of things by spirit power were credible we mignt suppose this fooa concentrated from the atmosphere; but, as that is out of the question, and as we fra such men as Mr. Beecher able to convince even an audience of 5,000 of anything, the first theory seems the right one. ‘The “Transfiguration” scene, and others where Unearthly lights appeared, seem capable of a natural explanation, after reading the writings of that great anti-Spiritualist, Baron Reichenbach, ‘ho showed that alight called by him “odyie,’ emanates from magnets and from the maguetic poles of the human body. A reat accumulation of this by will-power might be visible in the day- ume. Tue stories about the healing of the sick are nearly paralleled in our day, without making muca impression on the generai public. A few years ago the wondertul healing power of the Zouave Jacob, of Paris, brought such crowds around hi that the priests became tearful for their goddess Disna, and the government was induced vo force hts withdrawal from the business. We hear fre- quently of paling mediums”? in this country, whose offices are thronged for months by such crowds as no doctor draws; but we ail know that this is only the result of the fact that the creduiity of the people has been aroused by the uncommon power of a mere magneti: The perception by Jesus that a certain man would be willing to have him keep tne Passover in the upper chamber, his seeing Nathaniel under the fig tree, his knowledge that the owner of @ certain ‘foal of an ass” would pat the same at his service, his perception of the treachery of Judas and Peter are of the same style of “clearseeing” as Vhat everywhere practised, with varying suc- cess, by fortune tellers, astrologers and clairvoy- ants in this city. Nobody but simpletons pay mach attention to these phenomena now occarring about us; why will the religionista make such & other about similar things said to have occurred thousands of years ago, at atime when scientific tigation Was impossible, ye in, the miraculous draught of fish. clairvoyance could show the seer juss when an where to order the net dropped, as certainly a8 an “Inside view’? can show a Washington omMcial when to telegraph to his Wall street pal to “go in” on ic Mail or Union Pacific, Acts. vil.—The spirit of the Lord caught away | Philip, and he Was found at Azotus, miles away. So now, we have so-called well authenticated stories about Home and other, mediums being hoisted long distances through (ne air; and what sort of beople are they who swallow these yarns? Yet many of our solidest men really seem to believe the old stury. Acts, Xil—It 18 thought a wonderfal thing that ® lighs shone in Peter’s prison and his chains fell of, There certainly have been some queer con- centrations of Magnetic light around some of the |. mediums, and they have a queer way of shaking off handcuffs; but if we find so many ways oi ex- Plaining these phenomena on rational prveads, why make such a time about the bare possibility 0 one Peter having had the same experience 2,000 years ago? Thave thus suown how readily these old stories HERA LD, SUDDAY; JANUARY 17, 1875--yuAVKUPLE SHEET. can be put in the same boat with the new ones, U any ol the D. D,'s “cry for more,” 1 am ready. SL ROCUU, A RATIONAL VIEW OF CATHOLOCISM—REPLY TO “PROTESTANT.” To THe Eprvor oF THE HERALD:— Your paper being, in one sense, a universal me- dium for the conveyance of truly Catholic knowl- edge—for all truth ig Catholic and some truth is found everywhere—tit is proper that those millions who cannot go tochurch for their Sunday religion should receive, through your widely circulated paper, some spiritual food which they can leisurely digest. Hence, your correspondents on religious topics, although so widely variant, are generally entertaining. Such was the character of a com- munication signed “Protestant” in a late Sunday issue of your paper. Church, not, indeed, in the style of Gladstone, but upon grounds which ho believes to be held as doc- trinal by members of thut Church. With your kind permission I proceed to point out to him his misapprehension of the truly Cathoiic position, This I undertake the more willingly as he appa- rently Delongs to a very numerous class of sincere minds who love the truth. He begins by taking to task an expression used by “Pradentius,” another able and interesting cor- respondent of your valuable paper. This person, speaking of the presence of God or Christ in the Church, says, “In her tabernacies alone doth He truly dwell evermore.’ ‘This language, of course, must be taken figuratively, for literally itis not true. God ts really present everywhere, as weli where there is but one human soul or no human soul, as “whore there are two or three of you gathered together in my name.”? “Prn- dentius’’ is not the man to believe that He is cir- cumscribed by @ limited organization of a few million souls to the exclusion of the great body of the human family, or by a material building, or by the literal tabernacle of the altar in Catholic places of worship. £ven the real sacramental presence of Christ, if this is meant, is often borne through the streets of our city and in the rooms of the sick by the priest. It would be unkind to debar tne use of figurative or poetic language to theologians or preachers, who are in so much greater need of it than others, who have only bare tacts and not philosophical entities to deal with. Second—The celibacy of the clergy being a matter of mere discipline its utility or necessity can never be au object of divine faith. No Catnolic 1s required to believe that it is in any way con- tained in the Word of God, and oniy What is re- vealed in the Word of God can be, made an article of divine Catholic faith. Why does not ‘Protest- ant” insist upon the many old maids and young bachelors 01 our city marrying? sias not a priest. a8 much right ag other folk to live in single biiss- fulness without being written about 10 the papers? One would think thatit was more of their busi- ness than that of anybody else, and if they want to take a wife we see that they do it whenever they like. The newspapers have recently given us tuis information. Third—He accuses the Church of commanding us to pray to Mary to “have mercy on us.”’ Taere is no such expression in any authorized, or, to my Knowledge, in any Cathouc book, Mary is not the source O01 mercy, but a mere intercessor. In Vatholic books of plety there are many torms of oxy ronson: which are merely figurative—such a3 “Mother of Divine Grace,’ becuuse she gave birth to Ohrist, from wtom ail graces proceed; she is called the ‘Gate of Heaven,’ wuen we know that, literally, heaven bas no gute; she is invoked as the “Morning Star,” when we need no argument to convince us tiat she is quite a different crea- ture from that resplendent planet. Besides, fourthly, no one 18 obliged to pray to saints or to give them any religious veneration. The Council of Trent declares it tobe good and useful, but nowhere fs it au(noritatively taught to be oviigatory in order to gain salvation, So, too, the reverence given to relics and images 1s not necessarily of a religious nature. There is no doc- trine of faith about it, strictly speaking, and Catholics may velieve that they can go to heaven without ever praying to a saint or ever seeing an image or relic. ‘Tnis 1s entirely a matter 1 taste. Even the Church does not clatm infallibility in de- claring that such or such & person lived the iife of & saint. This would depend entirely on human testimony, whicn can never be made the.basis of anarticle of divine Catholic faith, And, fiftnly, “Protestant” will find auricular coniession practised, with the apostles in Acts; Ged ake How cau & ‘person hear except auricu- jarly Stcth—Almost ail Christians admit that Christ was God in some sense; aid as Mary was mother of Uhrist, mmsomuch as she was His mother, she was mother of God. No Catholic beueves that she gave birth to the Divinity or to the Godhead. And as to the pronibition of our Lord that we should call no man on earth Father, “but only our Father in Heaven,’ why does he (‘*Protes- tant’) allow his children to cull him father if he is not celivate or if his marriage is not barren ? Why didhe call his parent father? ‘lhe fact is, if rou take the Scriptures literally, without proper Interpretation, there 18 no absurdity that cannot be gathered irom its pages, no false or pernicious theory that cannot be defended by numerous and apt texts, As to the eighth point urged against the Church—t. e., the triple Pontifical crown as op- posed to the humility of Christ; the Papal sbirri; the temporal power, with its mantiold abuses, &c., &c.—all that need be said in reply is that these or the like are by no means exsential er doctrinal. ‘They are mere matters G3 human opinion or expe- diency, and no Catholic ls bound to accept human opinion as part of his faith. Perhaps they might be altered with good results; perhaps not, Dr. Manning, in saying that the spiritual authority of the Pope has gained by the loss of his temporal sovereignty, Clearly implies ‘that the toss was a gain. But Tam sure that “Protestant” will agree with me in saying tbat it is not just to argue Against the essentials of an institution and adiiuce only the evils, and even these questionable, of i accidental concomitants to prove it substantially wrong. We must remember that there is a human as well a8 a divine clement iu the Crurch. The iatter is unalterable in itsel, and on @ rational principle of doctrinal development | consistently adaptable to all forms of numan soci+ ety, subject as this 18 to periodic or philosophic change and progress. Catnolics tustructed in their | faith do not place much importance in variable homan or ecclesiastical concomitants of the divine deposit contained in the Word of God. They may use their reason and not make a fetich of that ancient volume calied the Bibie, whose pages are made an arsenal of falsenood, superstition and contrauictory opinions commonly foisted upon so Many honest minds in the place of truth by the varying ingenuity of defective human reason. Possessing the unchanging faith of Christ in its entirety, the Church asfords at the same time ox- tensive flelds of speculation and unlimited regions of free inquiry to the noblest representatives of human intellect. There reigns within her empire perfect harmony between fixed, determined doc- trines and the utmost liberty of free thougnt and “diversity of opiniov. In this respect the Church resembles the universe, where we find unalterable law andorder coexistent with that wonderful va- riety of endless motion and apparently opposite tendencies of all composing force, amid whose in- comprehensible complications the wise man sees the design of an all ruling Power, while the unwise can behold nothing but chaotic disorder. CATHOLIO. THE AMERICAM CYCLOPEDIA AND PAPAL INFAL- LIBILITY. To THE Eprror oF THE HERALD:— In the last volume issued of the above men- tioned usefal work there 1s an article on “Infalli- bility.” I 18 understood that all religious supjects treated of in the ‘Cyclopedia’ are un- der the supervision and censorship of a Catholic theologian. He i# known to be the same reverend gentleman who writes ably” for the HERALD over the signature “Prudentius,”’ The editors of the “Cyclopedia” have justly con- sulted Catholic feeling in constituting this censor. ship, and intended to give their publication a char- be discovered in any other work of the same sort in our country. They would have attained that position had thelr confidence in the accuracy and orthodoxy of the ecciesiastical censor been well placed. But todem?” Who 1 to vouch for the faith- fulness of him who guards this treasury of knowledge just lasued to the public? Lf his trust has been to infuse @ Catholic tone into articies dealing with Catholic questions, to give a Catho- Me ring to the metal he mouids, thom he has be- trpyed his trust. In the articie on ‘Infallibihty” he states—first, “That Popes have encouraged heretical opinions;” second, ‘That Pope Honorius lent the whole wélght of Ms authority to the sup- port of the Monothellte heresy, and was solemuiy excommunicated by a& ecumenical council tor 80 doing. The frst proposition (an indefinite one) is ins definitely iaise and strictly neretical. The second is historically false and doctrinally heretical in each of its parts. in the mterests of sound Catholic teaching T brand his statements thus, and chalienge him to prove them. personal authority on such sub- jects is as good at least as his, while I have the advantage Of thinking With betier minds than lis or mine. My reasons for calling attention to those state- ments should be obvious, The statements are false, They are made in a notable compilation ane very provably, to be spread throughout ‘vis land and to influence taought in many quare ters where no correction may be at, hand. tHav- ing assumed the oifice of religious censor for such @ Work the censor “lends the whole weight of nis authority” to disseminate an error, a libel and & heresy, He should, therefore, be called upon to renounce the judicial character he bas assumed and subject his future edsays ou religious subjects to better informed and sounder theologians than himself. Their discovery would cost him nothing, except, perhaps, an internal pang. 1 confine my- self lor the present to a contradiction ot the state- ments made in the “Oyclopedia’’ on the subject of inialhbility, aud unreservedly declare them hereti- He arraigns the Catholic’ “Quis cuslodiet ipsum cus- | | cal. My reasons shall be forthcoming whenever demanded. The subject has been so thoroughly discussed in all its points that I regret the neces- | sity of reviving it, but itis a necessity. As such be It, not welcomed, but accepted. PROSPER. INFALLIBILITY AND CIVIL ALLEGIANCE-—CORRE- SPONDENCE WITH MR. GLADSTONE—THE PON- TIFICAL AUTHORITY FROM PETER DEFINED. No, 33 UPPER WELLINGTON STREET, DvBLIS, Ireland, Dec. 19, 1874. To THR EpiTor oF THE HERALD: Will you be so kind as 10 give enclosed corre- spondence, which took place between Mr. Glad- stone and myself on the Vatican decrees, a place in your columns? 1 have always admired the bold- ness a8 well as the firmness of your pronounce- ments on ali topics, and I have only to thank you 48 an individual Catholic for the manliness and straightiorwardness in which you have vindi- cated our unassailabie rights. Coupled with the fact that I am an Iyisb-American, you will feel an interest in publishing my ietter with the ex- Premier's reply, that my coreligtonists, as well as my friends, on your side of the Atlantic may see Iwas not lacking in my duty as an inatvidual Catholic. Idid not reply to Mr. Giudstone seria. tim or dwell upon his propositions tor the “Home Policy of the Fuiure,’’ but answered on Scriptural authority. L based my argument ipso facto the Pope betng the successor of St. Peter, and in the capa city of Chrisv’s Vicar on earth 1s therepy entilied to be infallible. Having it then decreed by the Council makes tt binding on us to betieve him in- fallible. Civil allegiance evidently gave great irri- tation to Mr. Gladstone; but if Mr. Giadstone wold only let bis mind go back to the days of Lord Melbourne and Willlam Pitt he would easily find out whether the Pope exercised any author- ity or not. The University of Valladolid, without speaking of the other five colieges, gave a direct answer to Pitt, which was to the effect that the Pope exercised no jurisdiction. Mr. Editor, you can see by the short reply of Mr. Gladstone he 1s evidently resolved to stand by the expostuiation; he, however, paid “attention” to my letter, which, as I beforehand assured him, came from the bandas of an Irish-American, With great respect, your obedient servant, RICHARD GEORGE WATERS, THE LETTER TO MI. GLADSTONE, To the Right Hon, W. K. GLADSTONE :— Sm—I have read your pamphlet treating of the Vatican decrees, their bearing on civil alieziance. {t was with an ardent interest I perused 1~—the ardor any Koman Cathouc would evince when he found tne dugmas of bis Churet assailed—assailed. ina manner, which, were it broucht before even that Council by which it was decreed, wonlda not be palliated for the moment but altogetner re- futed. [tis @ very unwise tung to ult with Papal infallivility, Tie laws of my Church are so firmly estabushed, the decrees of if when given are never given unless it receives the assent of the congregatea bishops, aud then, as ali Roman Catholics wno are devoted to the doctrines o1 the Church adhere to its precents they accept tae pew obligation thus imposed upon them. ‘Those Who proiess to be true Catholics and who have never shrunk from thelr duty as members of that religion will never find any difficulty either in believing in tue iniailibinty or the bearing of one toward their sovereign, For ty part, while i address you ths letter, | do not veuture upon theological grounds; but I may put one question to you, wich mzy ina sense dispose of 1niallivti- ity. 1 am a Roman Catholc; as suc I submit to all the decrees of my Churecn, When the Ecumenical Council held its sittmes at Rome Was told oy my religious advisers the Immaculate Conception was to be declared and the Pope to be {ntallible, 1 never argued with my religious su- perior. Isubmitted, and recdlled to my mind the words of Our Lord when He addressed St, Peter, “Peter, on this rock thou sualt build thy church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against 1t.” Who was Peter ? Does not Scripture tell us Peter was Christ's Vicar on eartiy The successors of Peter wete the Popes, and the successor of these heads of the Churca is our Holy Father, Pope Pius Xx. When our Lord spoke thus to Saint Peter, dia He not speak to him as one competent to represent Him on this earth? In speaking so did not Christ vest In Peter a certamm autnority—a spiritual au- thority, to be exercised only withio the domain of his large flock? The Catholic Church—as [ take the matter upon Scriptural grounds—has never been found to err. Just reflect for one moment aud recollect that he who represents Christ represents the Lord God Jehovah, who created tuis earth out of nothing; created the sun, moon, stars, the Glouds above and the waters below; created all things which have their being. Our Holy Father represents the Almighty, and are the man who you questions the authority of, Christ’s Vicar onearth, The idea being 80 preposterous, is only exceeded by the audacity of the act, ‘Ine infalli- bility dogma Ican dispose of on Scriptural an- thority, without resorting to theology or bringing up those “humdrum” arguments which bring one back to the days of Pompei! and when Ajax towered above the Greek hosts. To come to the sam of my question itis tnis much:—Pope Pius IX., being the successor of St. Peter, Christ’s Vicar on earth, representing as he does the Omnipotent God, Tanks above and Is pre-eminently above all other human beings, consequent upon the heavenly trust Teposed in him. We suvmit to him, to our holy Church, and accept whatever doctrines tts coun- cilg may define, I, therelore, as an articte of faith, beueve Pope Pius IX. to be infallible through his being Christ’s Vicar on earth. Mr. Gladstone, it strikingly reminas me of what our Lord said when He beard of St. Thomas douoting the crucifixion, “He must see to believe.” So by you. You must Ce the infaliibilixy before you can give credence 0 Ite Having ended the infalltbility question I wilt now revert tocivil allegiance. During tie strag- gle for Catholic eMiancipation there were many uncalled for modes resorted to in order to enable the government of that day to find if in reality the |. Popé exercised any authority otherwise than spiritual Over the subjecis of His Majesty. After the examination of the bishops mr. Pitt, to further the objects of the party, put the question to six universities on the Continent, and the answer he got irom each of those colieges was to tne ellect that the Pope held no jurtsaiction over any sub- jects, be they in principanty, State or kingdom. My allegiance to my sovereign is inno way shaken by my being a Roman Catholic; on the contrary, itis Only strengthened, as it is one of the main duties of our station im life and as members of the Church of Rome. be, sir, your obedient ser- HARD GEORGE WATEK: MR. GLADS B'S REPLY, Srr—Allow me to thank you for your letter and its enclosure, which | have not fatied to peruse With that attention which 1s its due. Your faithful servant, W. &, GLADSTONE. HAWARDEN CasTLE, Dec. 11. MINISTERIAL MOVEMENTS. METHODIST. Fort Henry has a new Methodist Episcopal church, costing: $18,600. The Indian work tn California is under the charge ofthe Methodist Episcopal Church, to which ae- nomination the agents belong. On the Round Valley Reservation over nine hundred names of | Indians are entered on the books as candidates for church membership, There are as many Methodists in Africa, China or India now as there were in this country a hun- dred years ago. ‘ The Margest Metnodist Episcopai Conference in India is that of Rohilcund, with 563 members and 426 probationers. At a recent conference meeting mofe than 200 partook of the sacrament, the | largest number ever gathered for that purpose in Rohileund, The new church at Katonah will be dedicated January 21, with preaching in the morning by Dr, | acter for exact and universal truthfulness not to | Foss and in the evening by Dr. Ives. The Second Methodist Episcopal church at Bath, | N. Y., will be dedicated next Sabvath. The new Methodist Episcopal church at Warren Centre, N. Y., wilt be dedicated January 20; Rev. W. Keatly pastor. A new church has been organized in Lowell, Mass., making the fourth Methodist church in that city. J. W. H. Clarke has been appointed to the charge by D, Dorchester, P. KE. Dr. Adam Miller, formerly a member of the New York Conference, has iocated in Denver, Col., and 1s practicing medicine. Rev. John Poisal, ».D., has again acceptea the editorial chair of the Baltimore #*piscopal Method- ist. The paper is already much improved under his management, Dr. Poisal ts ae brimiull of de- sire for Method fraternization how as when he was at Round Lake and Sea Cli last summer. A new society was anized at Wollaston, Mass., on the 4th inst., consisting Of seventeen memoers and sixteen probationers, They have commenced the erection of a which has been Ii T. L, Flood, P. B., o “of Concord district, N. H., has been obtiged to leave bis work on account of ill | health, At Galbert’s Mills, N. Y., arevivalin progress has resulted thus fur in 100 conversions; Rev. OC. Harris, pastor. Bishops Foster, Harris and Wiley are all in the South presiding over annual conierences there. | Bishop Haven is to be in Nashville, Tenn, to-day and (or a few days, Bishop Bowman was in Carbondale, Pa., last Sunday at achurch reopening. He is to spend to-day in Boston, and on February 7 he ts to dedi- cate the new Methodist Episcopal church at Bloomington, In, Dr. Dashiell, the Missionary Secretary, was in Washington, b.C., last Sabbath. To-day he wul Spend in Steubenville, Ohio, — next Sunday in Evansville, Ind,, advocating t mussiouary Cause ew church, the corner stone of | | among the churches. Dr. Reid, bis associate in | the mission office, bas gone to Washington. pigg Over seventy souls have been converted on | Cameron Circuit, Central Liinots Conference; twenty-five were added to the Methodist Lot copal church at Fairhaven, N. Y., last month; 140 conversions are reported in the Clinton street Methodist Episcopal church, Newark, N. J., since the revival began there tnis winter;’ thirty coa- versions are the result of meetings at Ap Spotswood, N. J., is about to have, for the first time im tts history, & Mcthodist church, A large jot has been given to the Methodist Mission Sun- day school of East Orange by Dr. Vail for the pur- | Poses of a chapel. ‘The new church of Blairstown will be dedicated on January 23 and 24. The Lutheran Methodist church at St, Louis has sonie trouble just now, growing out of the refusal of the Presiding Elder, Dr. Leftwich, to hold bell, pastor—till said chapel 13 deedea to the | church, As result the society has withdrawn its | aliegiance to the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, Dr. Campbell continutng pastor. Last Sui day Dr, Campbell preached a sermon denying in doto tne doctrine 01 the atonement, EPISCOPALIAN, The Rey. Dr, Eames, rector of St. Paul's church, Concord, H., sailed for Bermuda on the 7th, ace companied by ais wife, They expect to spend a | remainder of the winter, returning to Concord | Jusc betore Easter, The Rev. F. 5, Haviaden has | charge of the paris during Dr. Eames’ absence. | _ Dr. Scarborough is to be consecrated Bishop of Southern New Jersey on February 2 prox, The Rey. Samnei RK. Fuller, of Christ church, Ansonia, Conn., has been calied to Trinity churca, Pawtucket, R. 1. The Rev. John S. Solvold has resigned st. Peter's chareh, Westlcld, N. Y., wud entered upon his duties as rector of St. Mark's church, Newark, Wayne county, N. Y. ‘the Rey. R. A. Poole assumed the pastorate of St. Peter's church, Ellicott City, Md., last Sunday, The Rev. T. L. Randolph, of Syracuse, has been elected rector of Christ chureh, Sherburne, N. Y. ‘The Rey. V. H, Berghaus has resigned the rector ship of Christ chureh, Lykens, Pa. ‘The annual Diocesan Conlerence of Central New York is called to meet in St. Paul’s church, Water- too, on Wednesday and Thursday, 27th and 28th inst. ‘The Protestant Episcopal Church Almanac gives the statistics of the denomination for 1874 at 48 dioceses and missionary jurisdictions, with an in- crease of 13,554 communicants during the year, an increase of 45 clergy and ot 12 churches conse- crated, and of 2,621 senolars in the Sunday schools, The contributions of the churehes decreased $427,190, its ministerial candidates decreased 137 and Sunday School teachers 3,783. The Rev. Collier Hughes, from the University of the South, is in New York city, having been ap- pointed by the authorities of that institution to preene its needs to all iriends of Christian educa- fon throughout the Caurch. Rev. Arthur Brooks, of Chicago, brother of the Rev. Phillips Brouks, of Boston, has been called to the rectorship of the Church of the Incarnation in this city. A spectal service in commemoration of the Rev. Dr. Montgomery, late rector of that church, {s to be held to-day. The Rev. W. 0. Prentiss, having resigned the rectorship of St. Luke’s church, Obarieston, will take charge very soon of the three contiguous pubes of North Santee, Waccamaw and Pee ee. torship of St. John’s, Wiunsboro’, and will suc- Charleston, Rev. Dr. Dudley will be consecrated assistant Bishop of Kentucky in Christ church, Baitimore, on Wednesday, January 27. The venerable Bishop | of Maryland will not be able to present Dr, Dud- ley because Dr. Dudley has been married twice, and a DunOR must be the husband of one wile! Rev. Dr. Dyer will accompany the Bishop of Del- | aware on his missionary visit to Mexico on the | 30th inst, Rev. Dr. Riley has already sailed to make preparations for the arrival vf Bishop Lee, who will be met in the city of Mexico by delega- tions irom all the missions. PRESBYTERIAN. The Rev. Alexander Nesbit, for ten years pastor of the Tremont (N. Y.) Presbyterian church, died last Thursday week of pneumonia, He was ao | native ef this city, and was brought up under Dr. Hatileld’s ministry. The Rev. £. P. Hammond has arrived in Call- fornia with a view to iabor there as an evangelist, The evangelical ministers of San Francisco, Sacra- Mento and other places have welcomed him. The Rev. Robert Sloss, of this city, has received eae mone the Titusville (Pa.) First Presbyterian churen, The Rev. H. M. Curtis, of Willoughby, Ohio, has | taken onaree of the Presbyterian churen at Oleau, Y., and Dr, Anson Smythe, of Cleveland, suc. eds him at Willoughby, The Rev. T. H. Quigley, of Batavia, has taken charge of the Presbyterian church at blba, “4 The Rev. Dr. J. A. Priest, of Quine: been called to the First church of Newton, N. J. Immanuel Presbyterian church, of Milwaukee, Wis., was dedicated on the 3d inst. by Dr. Patier- son, 01 Chicago. Rev. G. P. Nichols 1s pastor. The cost of the edifice and furniture is $150,000, ‘The Presbyterian Caurcn has foreign and Indian missions, connected with which are 135 mission- arics, 5 missionary physicians, 2 superintendents of mission presses and 3 male teachers; also 106 wives of missionaries and 56 unmarried ladies. It employs 120 native Reaciers and 450 native teachers, colporteurs, &c. The twenty-fifth anniversary of Dr. J. D. Wells’ Reeeens was celebrated last week by the South ‘nird street Presbyterian church, Brooklyn, E. D. Of the 155 memvers in the church twenty-five years ago only fourteen remain, and but three of the original twenty-seven who constituted the first society there. During these twenty-five years 907 adults have been enrolled as members, au an- nual average of thirty-six; and of this number 321 came into communion on confession of faith. This inakes the aggregate membership of the cnurch, from the beginning, 1,078 ‘The present adult membership is 400. Mr. Edgar L. Williams, of the Chicago Theologi- cal Seminary, was licensed to eas the gospel by the Presbytery of indianapolis, on Januury 5. The Rev. Dr. J, B, Snaw Das been pastor of the Brick Presbyterian charch, Rochester, N. Y., thir- ty-five years. 2,464 persons, protession. The Presbytery of New York at its last meeting recommended to the churches under its care to take up coliections every ihanksgiving Day for the | benefit of the Presbyterian Hospital tn this city. ‘The United Presbyterian Mission Board expects to send two new missionaries to Kgypt during the month of February. The Associate Keiormed Synod at the South, which proposes to co-operate | with the United Presbyterian Board, have ap- pointed a female missionary to enter into the work. has of whom 1,529 were admitted on ROMAN CATHOLIC. The annual collections for the diocesan semi- | maries in the Archdiocese of Baltimore having | been paid up are now reported at $2,895 65. ‘Yhe death of the Key. A. L. Hitselberger, 5. J., which took place on Friday morning, January 8, | wt Boston College, Boston, Mass., 18 Inade a cause of sorrow in the Catholic papers, The Parisian Catholics are very much occupied now in the construction of a church to be dedi- cated tothe Sacred Heart of Jesus. It was Mgr. Guibert, Archbishop of Paris, who first conceived the idea of this temple. The new temple will overtower the city of Paris. It is estimated that | the cost will be from 20,000,000 to 30,000,000 francs, | Two militons have already veen raised. Very soon the first constructions wili be begun, All France will subscribe to it, ‘The decease of the Rev. Annet Lafont, of St. Vincent de Paul’s church, New York, last week has elicited from the local Catholic pi very cu- | logistic remarks on his life and labors. He was a | pastor here for thirty-two years. The death of the Rev. J. A. Kinsella, on the 6th inst., in Westches- ter, is also the subject of comment Bishop Williams has issued a circalar setting forth the urgent needs of the Carney Hospital, Boston. From this institutton there 18 no exciu- | sion on account of class, creed or color. It 18 sup- porred by alms, and is $30,000 in debt. er onnk | 1, 1869, 1,744 patients have been admitted, of whic! | number 925 were received gratuitously. Father Garland, of St. Patric! church, Pitts- burg, Pa., whose life was despaired of a week | since, is recover! | _ St Andrew’s C: lic church, Avondale, Obto, is nearly completed, and will be ready lor reiigious exercises by the end of the present month, | Rev. Father P. J. Baty, jately stationed at St. | Peter’s cuurch, in Lowell, Mass., has been catled | by the Bishop to a new mission at Father Grifin’s | church, Boston Highlands, ‘The Very Rev. Father Gartner, the Procurator of the Sclavonic Catholic churches in the United ‘tates, having retired in consequence of 1!I health, | the Rev. J. Moliton will provide, by invitation of the Bishop, for the Polish and Boneinian Catholica 1 Chicago. The Right Rev. J. B. Miege, Bishop of Leaven- worth, Kansas, and of Messenia in partibdus, and | Vicar Apostolic of the Indian territory east of the | Rocky, Mountains, has resigned his episcopate, owing to iil health. He was consecrated in March, 1861. His covdjutor, Bishop L, M. Fink, assumes all the duties of the episcopate thus vacated. The Catholics at Jasper, Ind., are building @ handsome church. It will be entirely of stone and 145x965 feet 1n Biz, ANd Will Cost about $100,000, The Rev. Father Plerz, formerly a devoted mis- sionary among the Indians near Leech Lake, Minp., and now in,Europe, is not expected to live. ‘rhe town of Pierz, in Minnesota, Was named in honor of this ploneer missionary. rather Albert Della Corona, 0. 8. D., Prior of St. lerson, | quarteriy ineeting !n St. James chapel—Dr. Camp- | month in Bermuda, and then go to Nassau jor the | ‘The Rev, W. H. Campbell has resigned the rec- | ceed the Rey. Mr, Prentiss as rector of St. Luke's, | He bas received into the church | Mark’s, Florence, has been created Bishop of San Miniato, and has gone to Rome'to be consecrated, 13 ———- lege, Newark, has been Sppointed Superior of 8% Malachy’s Monastery of the Benedictine Order, now In course of ereciion at Creston, Union county, Jowa. The reverend gentleman 1s 8 atthe | college by the Rev. R. M. Googman, | * BAPTIST. _.The Baptist denomination thi out the United States has gat in the year 1874 63 | 990 churches, 756 ordained ministers and 13%, members—making the present grand totals o> associations, 21,510 churches (with sittiags for | 4,000,000 persons), 13,354 ordained ministers and 1,761,171 church members, of whom 102,496 were received by baptism the past year. In 1840, little more than a generation 20, Ba) | Ust church members were as one to every of the whole population; they are now not less than as one to every twenty-three of the popula- | ton, Little less than a fith of the whole people | Ol this great country are now, by membership or sympathy, identified with the Baptista, Rev. L. G. Brown, woo has labored among the | Weak churches of the Black River Baptist Assoce- ation, Northern New York, has removed to the St. | Lawrence Association, and taken charge of the churehes at Hermon and Russel. ‘The Baptist churches at Carthage and Pniladet- plia, Jefferson county, both good fleids and able | to susiatn pastors, are vacant, and looking fer | undershepherds, The feeble churches at Great | Bend, Evans’ Mills, Harrisburg and Copenhagen, are also destitute. The Baptist charch at Camden, N. J., Rev. C. He | Johnson pastor, 1s enjoying a work of grace, Nine | have recently been baptized and others are await- ing the ordineuce. The meetings aad imterest oua- ; tinue. At Claremont, N, writes the Rev. C. A. Pid- dock, the Church been remarkably blessed. | Forty-tive have beon added, the work 18 deepening | aud converts are coming in every month. { ‘the rededication services of the First Baptis¢ | church of Andover, Y., will take place om Wednesday, January 20. | ‘The new Baptist church of Sennett, N, ¥., wae dedicated on Thursday, January 14, Rev. Dr. D. H. Miller, of this city, has accepted | the cali from the Greeapoint Baptist church. He closed his ministry with Plymouth cuarge lass punday night. ‘The Rev. W. C. Van Meter writes from Rome to the Baptist Weekly tuat the Vatican chapter of St. Peter's have opened an opposition sc! te | his Bible and day schools, and distributed circu- jars among the people calling upon them to send their children to the New school, instead of to nis. But on the day alter this school was opened he had three new scholars, aad tue number has since increased, instead of having diminished. His mise sion is meeting with remarkable success. ‘fhe Rev. A. H. Burlingnam, D. D., pastor of the Second Baptist church, St. Louis, is lying in a vi critical condition from an atiack of typhoid te The Rey. C, U. Bitting, D. D., pastor of the Sec ond Baptist church, of Richmond, Va., baptused two persons in the river Jordan during the month of November. He 1s LUW On the ocead, on his re- ; turn home, Rey. A. M. Simonton has accepted a call to the Pastorate of the Blanchester and Pieasans Plain (Olio) free Baptist churches and has entered on his labors. ‘rhe oid Seventeenth street church, Rev. Robert Cameron, pastor, have purchased a church prop- erty on Twenty-ninth street, near Nrth avenue. By this purchase they get @ comfortable caurch, better than the one they sold, in a better location, and have $30,000 leit. MISCELLANEOUS. The controversy on the Congregationalist-Unt- tarian question continues. All parties t te have their say on it, and the more they say the more they appear to leave unsaid. Some of the Congregationalists frankly admit that they have modified their views to some extent on such ques- | tions as the inspiration of the Scriptures, endless unishinent and the conditions of salvauen, aad justify the change. ‘The Lucknow Witness reports a revival among the Mohammedans 01 Lucknow. Deserted mosques have been repaired, some attempts at strees preaching have been mage, and scuools in which ‘heir religion is taught have been opened. Tue same paper states that the worsuip of the Hindeo goddess Darga has been introduced into the city. cathe Rey. Joel Schwartz, D. D., has received and accepted a call to become the pastor of the Mes- } slan Luchern church of the city of Philadelphia. |. As the Orst iruits of the late revival in Nasnua, | 387 members were received ito the different churches last Sunday. The Ciristian Woman's State Temperance | League will hold 1ts second Convention in Brook- lyn, February 3 and 4. Headquarters at the rooms of tue Young Men’s Caristian Association. Rey. J. C. Duncan, of the St. Louis Conference, Methodist Episcopal Church, South, has joimed the Congregational Caureh, fs LEXINGTON AVENUE SYNAGOGUE. | Gop'S METHOD OF EDUCATION AND MAN’s— NO REAL ANTAGONISM BETWEEN SCIENCE AND. RELIGION—-HUMILITY NEEDED IN APPROAOH- ING GOD--SERMON BY DE. HUEBSOH. | The Rev. Dr. Huebsen lectured yesterday tos gooaly congregation at the Temple Anavath Chesed, on Lexington avenue, trom-the text’ Gen- esis, Xvi, 27—“Behold now | have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord, who am but duat and ashes.” These words, the Doctor remarked, were j uttered by the patriarch Abraham at the ume when he stepped boldly forward to plead for the doomed cities of the plain and to argue right and justice with Him who errs not in judgment. The foundation of his morai courage was his spirit of humility before God. Conscious of bis own weak- ness he became strong in the Intercourse waich he heid with his Maker. The language which he uses here conveys more truth and im formation as to man’s attainment of pertection than volumes of subtle philosophical research could do, It traces out a simple way, a way easy to follow, and yet certain to lead to «high and glorious end. To the way of religion I might, said. | the Doctor, apply the words of the Biblical philoa- opher, “God hath made man straight, but they have searched out for themselves many complica- | tions.” Many a young mantis allured away from his | religious moorings by the antagonisms of super- ficial or so-called science. But is not science the product of the human spirit? How could it, then, be adverse to religion uniess the latter beno bet- ter than superstition ? Consider the vast amount of knowledge with which our century has been en- riched, and how can the past vie with the present ? How can the old traditions stand against the discoveries? This ts the argument by which ch assailants of religion are guided or misguided. | Blessed are those who stand ou the fleld and labor | honestly to REAP THE HARVESTS OF TRUTH which have been sown. ‘They are not biessed be cause they labor to fill the granaries oi knowledge witu stores for future use, but because they fur- nish @ preseut supply to the hungry souls. Sct- ence is the corn whose proper and salutary influ- | ence on the mind nourishes it and bullds tt up im truth and Knowledge, And by its beneficent in- fluence upon the soul must the work be meas- ured. ladmit that great men of the past knew less than those of the present day in respect ww many departments of knowledge. But in one thing they far surpassed the scientists of our time—the littie they Knew they converted into practical wisdom. They made their knowledge Bubservient to one absorbing idea—namely, the moral elevation of mankind by means of a spirit ual system of religion, No doubt the prophets. of old could not claim the detailed knowledge that our astronomers, naturalists ana other scientists possess, Nevertheless, many a description of nat- ural phenomena preserved in the prophetic writ- ings speaks to our minds and thrills our hearw With more grandeur and joy than the most minute analysis of the greatest savant of modern times. Why ts this? ause the sublime idea that ani- mated them that GOD WAS ANYWHERE AND EVERYWAREE shed a divine lustre on all their investigations and, meditations, If aman in order to become rel- gious were obliged first to wander through the whole region of science and to ask of eaca | branch, “Po you approve of my God? Where must I'search jor Him? Where can I find Him Such wandering would be fruitless, for the earte, ould say, “He is not here; the deep knows im not; He dwelis not with the stars,’ But it 1s not necessary to search for God im | that way. He comes near to every one of us. He | gives us religion, the bread of the soul, and He gives it to every man mt the same way. He deals | With us all as children, and without Him we should perish in & moment. This is what gives Strengin to our will and humility to our heart. Bus | this will must be educated, The Doctor here drew @ paraliel between Goa’s education of us as His children and our education of our own offspring. He seeks not the destruction of the will, but ite education and dizection into proper channels and modes of manifestation. We should study God's Methods in the traming and education of our children, Achiid witha perverted willand one Without a will are both blanks in the pages of hu- manity. Ifa child has weak muscles we | don’t ‘cut those muscles out | Insert ones, but we | Weak mu: 3 proper exercise and direction, and | thereby tend to make them strong. in like man- ner we must give proper exercise and direction to | the will of the child, and thereby bring it under | holy and strengthening influences. ‘The Bishop of Rodez, one of the poorest dioceses | Of Our own, but, rather, that our of France, 18 at present in Rome and hag pre- accord with His, And ‘for this par’ He gives sented His Roliness With the eum of 150,000, an Ei) os ae fred, ‘noe | te Archolsnop oF Te jointed owt the influence of example at Hocese . Ite object is the extensi id prop- agation of the faith all over the world undor tie invocation of Mary lost Holy and of Sainve Foy. ‘This association, Which has been dissolved for many centuries, dates from the days of the first crusade. Mg Ray California steamship for San Prancisco took from this port six Paulist Fathers, who design to remain seven months in Caltfornta, giving ‘miasions”’ in different places. ‘The Rev. Father Phelan, 0 St, Benedict's Cou The Archbishop of Toulouse ts gotng to petition the Pope to consecrave the entire Charch to the Sacred Heart. He takes the imittation in this | Matter because he is the director general of the | Apostolate of Prayer and of the Ligue du Owur de Jesus, which societies have their centre in ome apon children, and gregation desire to have their children Ww uP in the fear of the Lord, they themselves should so walk before God that the Almighty could say of them as He said of Abraham :—“I Know him t he will command his children and his house! | after him, that they may walk in the fear of the Lord and in his commandments.” DECADENCE OF ORTHODOX CA« THOLICISM IN RUSSIA. A Parts correspondent of the Baltimore Mirror writes concerning the State Cnurch in Russie that it is dying out very rapidly, He does not pretend to fix the date of the ruin of that church, but every (adication sugwathatitis near, The @uurce