The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1869-08-29
Preaching in the Roman and EalsliaA uaarsAs.,

Preaching in the Roman and English Churches
The Pan Nall Gazette has long article
with the above title, a few extracts fiona
which we append. The writer contrasts
Catholic and Protestant preachers The
latter he describes as bold in the absence
of opposition--who refutes the shallow
infidel, and Stays many d man of straw.
He is the gentleman from Oxford, with hair !
parted Ia the middle, who asks You to I
believe in himself and be saved. He
breaches fair sermon in manuscript sronal 4
one text, or, armed with the Bible, turns
out a dozen texts, and preaches dozen
little sermons as he goes along. La the
English Church a.man of real eioqnence
rarely thinks it worth while to ssndy for
the, pulpit, or a man of great learning who
thinks il worth while to preach. Hut Says
If We tnrn to France tho 81 iferenee strikes
us Mt once. We find 1T atrne, less intereEt
in religion, and much less freedom Of
speech, but Paris can always boast of some
preacher who is known throughout the
Catholic world; and is sure, moreover, to
have been heard by thousands of English
men and Americans. Not that the acoif~s
fereneesn at Metre Dame are to be upheld
as models for all sermons, but it cannot be-
doubted that such discourses greatly tend
to preserve the Church's intellectual dignity
and to promote efficient preaching. Some
years ago, the Archbishop of Parts, alarmed
ut the contempt into which the Catholic
faith had fallen amongst the educated
classess. summoned .oLacordaire to the
pulpit of Notre Dame. Ravignon, Felix,
and Hyacinthe are amongst his iiIustriOns
successors. Crowds of men have been in
the habit of attending these conferences
but then the preachers were ali remarkable
Some of them were ardent politicians as
we'll as divines. Their experience of life
had been wide and varied, and what IL
more to the point, all of them possessed
great oratorical gifts. and had employed
all the resources of study, time, and OPP
portunity in bringing them TO perfection.
The Church had signaled them cut and SET
them aside; she had charged herself with
their training, and offered them every adj
vantage and facility. At stated times they
might retire to lonely inconsistencies, eur
| rounded only by a few poor cottages, and
there submitting Themselves TO the-auetere
rules of monastie life, revive something Of
the fervor and the complete garb of the
old monastic orders. Once or twice yeur
they were summoned to Paris, where they
were called upon to deliver from the
cathedral pulpit those conferences whichit
had taken them so many months of labor
ami meditation TO -preparesZ0ue of zd.oees-
lately delivered by Pere Hyacinths, lie now
lying before us. It very title seems TO
separate it from our general conception of
sermon-"OfCivil Society in its Relation
to Domestic Society"
1t will be easily inferred that this kind
of preaching is not merely emotional or
moral, bat has some pretensiUns to be
called philosophical. The necessity of
establishing certain premises In each c0urse
! puts the Orator into direct ard satisfactory
| relations with mis- audience. Titus 0s55
great evil of our seFmons is avoided--we
| never quite know what the preacher starts
! from. He has O large number Of question:
! able and unqaestionable doctrines, and he
mixes them all up together, and flOunders
I about in them fer half an hpnr. THE is
called q sermon on q text. Bat che philo"
sophicaI form of the conference fOrbidA
this. From the beginning tue premises are
stated. What is assumed aud what Is not
assumed is equally clear; and, although you
may not agree with single sentinsnt, yea
can listen with interest, because you
understand where the preacher starts from
and you are able TO folfoy him 10 the close.
! The Church Of England produces no
Lacordaires, Ravignons, Felixes, and Hy-
acinthes, and tho reason is plain. IL we
look at the lives and trainiugof her clergy,
the wonder is, not thsf we have no great
national preseheEs within her pale, bat that
| we have any good preachers at all.
ISsrrrUT ST.. CH4RLEs.--The opening of this