The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1870-09-12
ST. STEPHENS CATHOLIC CHURCH.


Sermon by the Rev. Father Grinin.-The Sub
servieuce Of the World 90 Power and
Riches-A Timely Theme.
st. Stephens Catholic church. in Twenty. eighth
street. which by people is considered the aris-
t0cratic Catholic church. par excellence OF the me-
trop0lis was crowded yesterday during the high
mass services. The exceedingly pleasant weather.
combined, doubtless, with good deal OF piety on
the part of the regular congregation, answerabe
for this not Overextraordnary circumstance and 1t
may be that the desire OF the female portion Of the
prayerful to show or their new fall styles lent
an additional weight to the imposed duty OF going
to church. Indeed the really fashionable ladies who
make it a Sabbararlan point never to miss mass at
ST. Stephens when the sun doesn't make the atmos-
phere too warm for devotion, when Boreas doesn't
force ordinarily graceful noses to assume wine
color not over desirable, doubt attended, through
no worldly motive yesterday, for fashionable
women, like fashionable men, often fall into pious
mood when they have their latest styles dis
tract them and
VARIETY OF BONNET AND BRoADCLoTH
to glory in BE that as 1t may, the church well
filed by very fashionable congregation" which
term, OF course, does not include the red
nosed ward politicians and well-todo liquor dealers
who were OF the multitude, with plentiful quantity
Of dye on their mustaches and paste diamonds
vulgar under ten who have votes, and who were
scattered about wherever they were able to get a
comfortable seat. In fact, from one OF the galleries
the conglomeratlon o. ribbons and satins OF every
hue and Color or silks and vevets and OF what not
all that goes to make up the IL fdut ''get upr
OF the pious girl of the perod-resembled very much
D0TterTe OF flowers with the groundwork missing
and few ''weeds'' thrown in here and there by
way OF contrast In the Catholic church, q rule,
those who wear kid gloves and patronize French
perfumes extensively, and who follow strictly the
latest cus" of style and fashion, forget their
sunday duty any more than do the lower classes,
who, after t0iling hard all the week round feel it
consolation beyond price to be able to get at least
one day of rest, when they with grateful hearts,
thank God ervently for the little comfort they have
In this world So II these Catholic iashionables do
dazzle the eye with their briiancy they do not
offend, as many fashionabies do In other churches,
by their frlvOlity and
IRREvERENoE DURING DIVINE SERVICE;
for It is charitable to believe that although they sit
that are made soft as down for p1ety's SAKE their
hearts are as earn est in their devoions and their
thoughts far away from the world rs are those Of
the lowIier ones who boast not OF their money bags
and are by circumstances compelled to kneel and
pray with no softer support than they who watched
and prayed with Him who Taught men to despse
luxury and ease and worldly comfort
The Rev. Father Griffin preached the Sermon ana
took his text from the gospel CT the DAY, beginning
with the twentyionrth verse. PARALLELS, as well as
all the teachings OF our Lord he said must be inter-
preted according to the circumstances under which
the teachings were given or the parallels were told
1t would not do to argue from the texts of the Scrip
their contexts as things to be done absolutely. For
example, the parable, or the gospel just read. might
to justify In taking no thought or ourselves
at all; IN simply STRIVING obey the principle OF
first looking TO the Kingdom OF GOd-that and
nothing more-and believing that God would come
and give us raiment and food OF course it would be
very wrong so to interpret to think. TO be
sure In case where person had used all his exer-
lions TO do well and was left destitute God would
come and relieve him, for He certainly valued the
just more than the birds of The air or the flowers OF
however, that we should be free from all care
solicitude OF worldly matters On the contrary, the
that when the motive Is good the whole is good,
when there Is light in the eye all the body is light,
that where the heart Is there also is the treasure.
He meant to show that when the heart is totally set
upon the things OF this world man could not serve
Two masters-one on earth ana the other IN heaven.
worsnpped material greatness who considered
poverty crime and misery tning to be despised.
IL was this principle of theirs which made Him so
particular telling them that beyond tins life there
was better one, and that all done here below should
be done with reference TO the world to come.
man, In those days when The Saviour spoke, who
achieved success, who rode rough shod over his fell
low an through blood and carnage, put himself on
The people took their god not from heaven but from
among men who mad achieved greatness by acts OF
worldly prowess. Has this principle ceased? Do
we not worship at the same shrine? Let nation be
A NATION OF THIEVES,
its leaders robbers, and the man who rises by crime
is trumpeted throughout the land great man.
Let a man nowadays achieve greatness, no matter
put him forth as our god. Leaving everything else
out OF sight-hOnor, virtue alive honor him be-
cause ne Is ABOVE US Ill power ana wealth. GOD
Las given men the means TO become rich and great
and IL is no sin to become rich great; for 1t
laudable in man to be ambitiOus-to strive for the
first place In MS profession. He aid not prohibit it,
but 1t Is only in becoming slave Riches to serve
them as masters. and to have thought only for
tnem-this Is what Is reprehended in the Gospel.
God is a very patient and kind God and lets go
on in our own way until His time comes; and from
the fact that He does let us go Oh ana does not
interfere with us We begin sometimes to doubt
whether there is God at all. the reverend father
then referred 10 how easily the cries OF conscience
become stifed, little by little, as mans worldly
schemes and plots succeed and then continued 10y
saying that money was thing we can afford to
sheer at yet very few ever refuse II when 1t Ia
offered to them When the poor talk with contempt
OF those who are rich they are sure to tell all about
how they got 1t and give u catalogue OF their
crimes; how they did such ana so. and
and f0rewOre this and that, and affect themselves
to hold money In contempt Yet all the time we
would like TO be in their place. In nnetynine cases
out hundred we would probably use the same
means to get rich; but who OF all the carpers ever
become rich and to be well thought of by the world
God alone can put 1t down. When under, the poor
rail at the rich; but If by turn of the wheel OF for
| tune they should be made rich like them they
forget oil their old principles and contempt for
money. The reverend preacher then concluded by
showing that the Lord did not intend anybody
should live life OF deness, but that every and
woman should work TO use his and her natural pow
ers for seli-preservatiOn, and that everybody, no
matter what his or ler station In life might be- by
fulfilling the duties of that station wen would obtain
| life eternal