The New York herald., 1869-06-07
Tho Religious Aspect-President Grant al
Church.

Church.
The daily record of events which we pre-
sented to the readers of the HERALD each
morning during the past week was, as usual,
comp rehensive, diversified, piquant, melan-
oholy in many instances, instructive in all, and
exciting. 1t embraced the history of New
York during period Of seven days, and, con-
sequently represented, to very considerable
extent, the progress and tendency of the coun-
try at large and it's people, as set forth in
our telegraphic reports from Washington and
the metr opolitan centres of outside commerce,
our notices of the dissolution of the Presbyte-
rian Assemblies, our pen and ink pictures of
the scenes and sport at the Jerome Park races,
and our an nouncement Of the arrival of the
elepha nt--a huge fellow of his class-in the
Park. Crime. trade, industry, the labor
question, folly, dissipation and fun were noted
prominently in our pages; but of religion
that grand essential SO necessary to the COM
plete development of the good and so useful for
the correction of the bad in the different
phases of life-we had but little. We supply
that want to-day, presenting society in its re-
ligious aspect as will be seen by perusal of
our telegraph and mail accounts of the church
services and ceremonials which were performed
and observed y, sterday within tangible dis
tances of New York, In the city proper,
and Brooklyn. Fine weather, fashion
able dresses, flowers, pulpit elo-
quence, Bible inspiration, the love of
theological disputation, combined with the
- =.
from the desire of political notoriety and an
ante-mortem acquaintance with the affairs of
the other world, brought crowded congrega-
tions to the churches, eloquent preachers to
the affairs, with subtle metaphysicians, female
and male, to the lecture halls.
Washington was particularly pious, as be-
comes the habitation of justice, legislation,
glory and aspiring hope. President Grant,
with quite number of Senator'S, Congressman
and government officials, were attracted to the
Methodist Episcopal church to hear a sermon
by the Rev. DR.. J. P. Newman on the subject of
The Encyclical letter Of the Pope convening the
council in Rome. The building was crowded
to remarkable extent. The preacher opened
che exercises by offering up prayer invoking
God to grant mental and physical vigor to Pres
ident Grant. Having thus intimated, perhaps,
the requirements of the head of our executive,
he went on to show what the Pope did not
and did want, denying the apostolic commits
sion claimed by the Catholics for Peter and
bis successors for Christ may as well have
used the words SECT behind me, Satan," as
.S'Pster, q rocks" and if he did so, by parity
Of reasoning all the Popes, to the present,
would have been devils. This style of logic,
with the inference, provoked much laughter.
The reverend preacher went on to describe
Plus the Ninth as sovereign beggar," who
could be made much better man by having
Dis tiara torn from his head and being sent out
to preach the Gospel to the ''deluded" Italians.
The Catholic claim Of authority to "bind and
aoose" leads to sale of indulgences to COM
TO the preacher, by breaking up the religious
orders, the marriage Of monks and nuns, and
and in other ways. He would 'reform" the
Catholic Church, but not ''destroy" it. In New
York Archbishop McCloskey spoke against
secret societies, particularly Freemasonry, lay
Relief Association, without regard to religion.
Father Farrell was effective In most able lee
ture The Rev. Henry Ward Beecher was in
bis hsppest and most Christian mood in
Brooklyn, announcing that he had been Sc
aeoted to preach before the graduate cadets at
West Point-a call which would not certainly
have been made on him ten years ago. The
lpnestion of ladies' voting at the election of lay
Representatives of the Universalist church was
treated-and it may be said, indeed, that there
as scarcely requirement of man, temporal or
eternal, which was not referred to, from New
burg, N. Y, to Bridgeport, Conn.,, with the
earnest intention Of convincing the people that
@eir time here is short, while their reward or
punishment hereafter will be eternal.
Southern RaiIroads-Encourasemen to