Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1869-11-09
Pere Hyacinthe.

Pere Hyacinthe.
One of the most singular and eloquent
of men has just landed on our Shores
Singular, because being French priest
and a monk, and glorying in the garb of
monastic life, and in the relations o. the
cloister and the temple, he should yet lay
off the one and repudiate the other, rather
than repress in silence the convictions of /
his heart and understanding eloquent, |
because the spirit that IS in him is might |
er than the authorities around him, and |
impels him to utterances that make him |
hated by his own party, and dear to the
heart of humanity. We heard of him afar
off, as a baretooted Carmelite preacher, who
brought to the Notre Dame and the Made
line, rapt and eager crowds to listen to
words which, like the oracles of God,
taught that the human soul was more pre-
cious to God than governments, laws and
churches Report said of him, that in his
person wonder had arisen in the Catho-
| lie Church; that a priest and monk, with
pathos and eloquence more fascinating
than that of Kossuth, whose voice had the
music of the harp of Orpheus, and with
/ force and logic more brilliant and con-
I vincing than that Of Lammenais, was stri-
/ king bold blow for human liberty and
/ freedom of thought, and speaking earnest
/ " for the authority of the word of God as
above that OF Prelates and Hierarchs, and
! that beneath the arches of Notre Dame the
marvel Of Pentecost was repeated, and men
were hearing the truth in the language in
which they were born. We heard of him
rs one to whom God had taught the secret
the spiritual nature of man; as one who
was feeling the pulsations of a new life,
and who was yearning for full liberty to
utter to men the inspiration of Divine love
which burned in his heart. He was not
malc0ntent with his church. He had no
trouble with its doctrine or institutions
He was more than willing to live and die
a good Catholic" He loved his office
his order, his work. But God had touched
his soul with new reverence for His holy
word, with the conviction that the Bible
is the only source Of the preachers inspi-
ration, the grand, blessed, eternal truth
which he was to unfold and illustrate to
men Christ had set him free from the
traditions and commandments of men, and
liberated and enlarged his moral and in
teilectual and spiritual nature to the di-
mansions of the truth he was to speak, and
: inspired his soul with a new sense of his
+ duty, and of the sacredness of the souls
+ liberty He began to speak his ripened
, convictions The French language on his
. lips was infamed with the spirit Of Love,
} Liberty and Devotion. The chancel OF
the French Cathedral radiated through the
aisles and naves, the light and force OF
=. Gods own word, light so pure, a force so
: strong, that il lost nothing by the dense
= mists of superstition, which it penetrated
-, and scattered. and which had settled there
q since the time of Charles the Fifth, and
! the Bartholomew massacres.
t The weight of his themes and the inten-
: sity of his spirit could brook no silence
e He could not stop. The multitude ap-
Y plauded, and admired He touched the
0 key note of their souls. He gave then
= water to drink and not wormwOod. The
e Superior of his order cried out to him, ST
= lence His Bishop commanded him to bt
V still His friends and associates strove t.
n drag him back into his monastic secclusion
It The church tried to swallow up his free
# dom and conscience and personality. H,
tried to obey. He hardly knew what spir
d it it was in him which would not let hin
d be still, and raised his gentle nature up Il
$ such blessed disobedience" He onl,
t. knew that not to speak as the Spirit CAV
h him utterance was to lock his soul in pris
e on, that conscience and enlightened intel
Is lect must speak, that the Word was fir
l. shut up in his bones and must flame out o
Is it would consume him. The spirit of re
ilRIUilS anu CIV IL lltGuOHl Ildu set lilt Val
10 melite monk on fire and the divine idea
t. could not be pent up. With him, trutl
lie and charity Divine wisdom and human
g tolerance went hand in hand. As God
b. Word and the Spirit of Christ emancipate
re him, it taught him that all truth and low
e, were not held in the skins of Romanisn
Ig The new wine that was in him burst tn
. old bottles. Without giving up Catholic
r ism he declared at the Peace Congress tina
" Professionalism was its equal. His hear
lie began to embrace humanity and to see n
lie difference between those who held tn
Word and loved the Son of God. Whe
of he affirmed that his first allegiance wa
he due to his own conscience and the Wor
is of Christ, he began to embrace in his low
o. all who held the same faith The rovin
+ Carmelite startled Paris by declaratio
t. of his joy in the work that Protestantisl
n was doing for God and man. Such SOUND
n were not used to come from monkish liz
re or echo through the arches of Notre Dam,
or But he had large following. His speec
h. touched the popular heart, Why are NJ
in all men, for whom Christ died and VIII
to bear his likeness, sons of God and brotl
i'll ers one to another? they too asked. VIII
n is Romanism any better than Protestan
ism, they replied, except it has more of til
ne freedom and power of Jesus? An instit,
id ton is nothing, but the man is everythin,
of and the system which makes the best me
or is the, best system. Such was the antipht
a. nal service of Notre Dame The prize
he proclaimed the unity of men in jest
o. Christ and the people said, Amen.
On The priest did not forget his faith, h
us Church, or his Order. Heonly made thel
nd subordinate to conscience and the Wor,
ur The garb of the Carmelite, like the sean
to less robe of Christ, covered heart tn:
1T. beat for all men, loved all men and sa
er Gods image in all men, and Christ's in
at age in all who believed on Him. If til
pulsations of that heart could commun
he cate itselfto the Vatican and send its war;
e- blood of life through all the Bishops of th
ed ecumenical council, and bring the churc