The New York herald., 1871-03-19
A Jesuit Thundorer-Fa.her Damcn.


her fate?
Jesuit Thundorer-Fa.her Damcn.
To the list of eminent divines in the United
States, whose words in the pulpit merit more
than momentary celebrity, Father Damen,
of the Order of Jesus, must be added. He is
Belgian by birth, and just sufficient of for
eign tinge remains in his accentuation Of Eng
lish to denote that fact. We need not repeat
what the world already knows of the profound
scholarship Of these disciples militant of the
soldier-priest, Ignatius Loyola, except to state
that Father Damen is worthy representative
of that wonderfully intellectual brotherhood
His permanent residence is at the house of his
| Order, in Chicago, but for some weeks pas.
he has been conducting missions, as they are
called, in this city and Brooklyn.
Elsewhere in our columns we give a
sketch of one Of this learned fathers
dscourses delivered few evenings ago at the
Church Of st. Lawrence, in East Eigdty-
fourth street. He seemed to direct his logical
batteries especially against what he calls his
separated brethren"-that is, all the non
O'eboAiS cSSt5 W PioNAS sutt VIC O'phC
could not be the essential basis of Christian
religion. Some idea of his style will be gath
cred from his sermon. 1t might be said that
the mental characteristics of the man are
written in the outlines of the tall, solid form
arrayed in Jesuit black; in the large, firmly
balanced head crowned with silver hairs in
the high, square brow, clear, gray eyes, and
| the full face resting on a firm chin. There is
| a solidity and cumulative force in the direct
! ness of his arguments which one would expect
| from broad-shouldered, broad-minded man.
! One can discern nothing of the nervously
emotional either in his bright frank
/, face or his rebtoric. 1t is the impact of hard
logic you feel, and not the brush of an angels
| wing. 1t is Augustine, not Lacordaire.
Withal, he is never dry, but rather humorous
| in his Illustration, and in this lies the success
of his predication, for there is nothing in his
| explanation of the most occult theology which
the meanest mind cannot grasp. OF course
these sermons are the result of the lifelong
concentration of powerful mind upon the
problem Of the Cross, always starting from the
absolute infallibty Of the Church, and fore
ing all arguments back to the same point
again. This, however, does not affect the
value Of his reasoning; it is only question
Of motive, which is of no account in pure logic.
Sophistry is the term the unenlightened or
prejudced will apply but the unbroken argu-
ment confronts them still.
| SMALLPOX on DAvIDs IsLANp.-It appears
/ hot arc, ~,
able extent among the troops on David's
| Island, so much so that General Mcdowell has
placed it under quarantine. We remember
that the yellow fever made its appearance
among the Uni!cd States soldiers on Cover
nor's Island last fall, but the patients were
promptly sent by DR.. Carnochan to West
Bank Hospital, away off in the lower bay, and
| thus the contag gion was removed from the city.
| We hope that General Mcdowell will be
equally successful in restraining the spread of
5, the smallpox. But, Notwithstanding the pre-
valence of this disease on Davds Island, it is
satisfactory to know that it is declining gen.
orally in our vicinity. Even the cases which
arrive on ships from Liverpool and London,
| which the Health Officer carefully sends to
| West Bank, are not as general thing of q
| very dangerous type. There need be no fear,
| therefore, Of a spread of the disease under
proper quaranti ne and sanitary management
| GOVERNOR HoFFMAN's VRTo of the bill to
increase the expenses Of the police courts by
the appointment Of additional clerks, which
would add fifty -four thousand dollars a year
10 the taxes of the city, is generally approved.
| Ii he would only electrifv the State bv vetoin0