The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1870-12-18
The Light Of Science and the Downfall of Ca
tholicism.

This, gentle reader, is the high -soun ding
title of a lecture advertised to be delivered
in Pixies Music Hall last night, by Isaac NJ.
Inman. At eight o'clock the gas was
eleven persons, including three reporters
and loungers at the door. The stage was
furnished with a lecturers stand, water
pitcher and goblet, two upholsterer's chairs,
aud in due season with the lecturer, sir
young man, with dark hair and sallow vis-
age, who introduced himself to his select
audience by saying: "This is just my luck,
ladies and Notwithstanding. Still
don't regard it as failure in fact, it is
success" (Here the ladies and gentlemen
look ed at each other and smiled.) 81 think
the papers did not treat me fair" he con-
tinucd " for every place have been had
large audiences, and l don't think it re-
spectful to you to dismiss you without say
ing something. The title of my lecture
that l intended to deliver is the Light
of Science and the downfall of Catholicism,
and might say that will read you a few
of the points to let you see."
Mr.. Inman here unfolded a little scroll of
paper and spread it out on tho stand, and
then walking from behind to the footlights,
stood for some moments moving his arms
and twitching his fingers as graceful
ly and energetically rs Jumping
jack pulled by string inserted under
the tail of its coat for that special purpose.
These spasmodic gestures accompanied q
string of vapid truisms about the stars and
solar system, the immortality of the soul
and the discoveries of science, as brilliant
and Ineligible as Downey's Proverbs.
Occasionally, during the spinning of the
string, Mr.. Inman would return to the
stand and gravety consult his scroll of
manuscript for a few minutes, leaving the
lapse of dead silence, which was improv
ed by the audience in smiling, and then
resume his spinning. He made good deal
of noise with his feet, and pounded the
stand vehemently with his fists.
Touching the downfall aforesaid, he
really had nothing to say, but charged
generally against religion that it kept the
world in darkness. The Catholic Church
prosecuted, and would have destroyed Cali
leo. 1t was maintained by making people
believe that the priests can forgive sin, but
if only all the money that is required to
keep the Catholic Church going for year
the money that is wrung from poor, ig-
norant and deluded people-if this money
was distributed equally among the Catholic
people, then the world might hope to
see the great superstition crumble away
and the light of science prevail.
And so on for quality. For quantity
there was half an hour of similar drivet,
without a single redeeming Characteristic.
Before the half hour elapsed half of the select
audience glided out of the hall on tiptOe,
and Mr.. Inman killed the other half off with
q "pome" which he asked permission to
read. We would like to lay it before the
readers of the Commercial, but refrain from
transcribing it purely from consideration
for Mr.. Inman, who, like most distinguish
ed lecturers, prefers not to be reported In
full.
Last week we had lectures by an es-
capped nun, this week by an escaped
well, gentleman away from his friends.
What next Gin. Commercial.