The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1869-05-17
Religious Prosress--Chrissiais and jews In
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I
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The festival of Whitsuntide, observed In the
Christian churches each year in commemora-
ton of the descent of the Holy Spirit on the
day of Pentecost. affords in the order OF Gods
providence an opportunity, as well as the
means, for a reawakening OF the religious SEN
timent with the confirmation Of men In the
faith The anniversary Of this feast occurred
yesterday, and was celebrated from the pull
pits, from the reading desks and on the affairs
of New York and the surrounding citles-no
doubt all over the c0untry-with reveren-
tial devotion and words Of praise conveyed
in 80 many different languages as to recall
to the mind of every attentive worshipper the
glory, beauty and missionary utility OF the
''gift Of tongues" vouchsafed to the apostles.
The spirit is abroad; the harvest gives
promise of much fruit, and 1t is to be hoped
the good results will be abiding. Should 1t
prove otherwise, 1t must only be said, particu-
larly of New York, that the weeds and tares OF
our modern fashionable every day city life
have become so abundant as to smother the
sown daily in the highways and byways by
our Jealous clergy in words Of Scripture teach
Ing, but trampled on, too frequently, by even
members Of their own congregations The
religious anniversary exercises are not
yet concluded. Children are being con-
firmed in large numbers in the Catholic
churches; we shall have here among us during
the week many hundred Presbyterian clergy
men, representing the cold School and
'sNew School, of that denomination two hun
dred Lutheran clergymen have paid their re-
spects to President Grant in Washington, each
one of them insisting on shaking his hand,
contrary to his expressed wish, while ct sun
down on Saturday the Jews commenced the
celebration Of the Feast Of Shabnoth, or
Weeks, which typifes the revelation of the
Law to The people of that race, besides calling
to mind the successful passage of the Red Sea
by their ancestors.
Notwithstanding the ample reports Of the
anniversary exercises spread before our read
ers daily during the week since the 10th inst,
we submit this morning a varied but conso-
nary and extraordinary, which were performed
and delivered In the churches, metropolitan
and rural, yesterday. Rev. Mr.. Cook preached
most useful discourse in the Seventh street
Methodist church Of this city, on the subject Of
the claw of Labor" intoxicating the absolute
necessity Of outdoor work as well as its dig
nifty on the minds ofhis youthful hearers. Bishop
Snow denounced the Church of Rome as the
''old and foolish king" marked in the Bible as
being antagOnistic to the first child, the Re-
deemer, the sons of Zion Church departing in
apparent joy at what they termed happy
pulpit parallel. Reverend Day K. Lee
preached In the Bleecker street Univ ersalist
church ON that inexhaust.ole subject, "The
Pacific Railway and Its Lessons" setting forth
the advantages of the great Continental artery,
material, social and agricultural, in words Of
such force and accuracy as to induce the con-
viction that he had read the letters OF the special
correspondent Of the HERALD from different
points of the line attentivey and with profit.
| The Pacific Railway opens up Q grand field for
| missionary enterprise, which it is to be hoped
will soon be fully occupied for the conversion
alike of Indians and Christian gougers and
lynch-law men. Numbers of Jewish children
were confirmed in the elegant temple of Adas
Jeshurun, Reverend Doctor Einhorn giving
an eloquent sermon appropriate to the Feast
of Weeks at the conclusion of which the young
folk handed him q check for several hundred
dollars. Archbishop McCloskey celebrated
oh Mo- in Dafr oh
ing subsequently on the ''Feast of Pentecost,"
according to the Interpretation of Rome.
Reverend Henry Ward Beecher held forth, in
his peculiar style, in Plymouth church,
Brooklyn, in condemnation of those who dress
for show in churches, as well as of 'brown
we imagine, in his ministerial career.
Bishop Williams, of the Episcopal Church,
was particularly active in teaching, preaching
and the confirmation of the young in Bridge
port, Conn, the clergy of different commu-
mons in that city being animated with similar
| spirit The suburban temples from Bridgeport
to Newburg and Poughkeepsie, N. Y, were
crowded; beauty, fashion and devotion pre-
senting everywhere. Miss Olympia Brown, of
Weymouth, Mass, preached against tobacco
and in advocacy Of personal cleanliness in
Bridgeport, advising her hearers to initiate the
purgations of the Jews.
Washington city furnished brilliant con-
gregations, magnificent church music and
eloquent sermons. The scenes in the
Catholic and Episcopal churches were particu-
larry animating. President Grant, with his
family, worshipped in the Methodist Episcopal
church, while his able aid in another field,
General Sherman, accompanied by Mrs. Sher-
man, assisted him in spirit in the Catholic
temple dedicated to st. Aloysius. The two
warriors may yet conquer the haJitu6s of the
capital from rum to true religion, victory