The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1871-08-07
The Sermons Yesterday.

movements of the denser and liquid ocean.
The Sermons Yesterday.
Among the budget of discourses which we
print to-day there three that deal with last
Sabbath's terrible disaster We are agreeably
surprised at their general tenor. We expected
that this event, like SO many similar ones in
the past, would be ''improved"-to use tho
technical language of the temple-into an illus
traive judgment of the Almighty upon the
sin of Sabbath breaking. We, therefore, in
our yesterdays ISSUE warned the sensational
clergy not to venture upon any such revolving
blasphemy. They have wisely weighed and
followed our counsel. Mr.. Lee came out
squarely and said he could see no visitation
of good God in such hideous calamity.
SIS God so wicked as to torture those
poor people in such way?" added he. "f
so, l would rather believe in no God" We
do not approve the coarse strength of this last
sentence but we cannot quarrel with the SEN
timent that uuderlies it, The God in whom
we beleve-the kind Father who let's not a
hair of our head fall unnoticed to the ground
could never indeed, stain His sway with
cruelty but that is as far as we can reveren!ly
carry the principle. That the government OF
God is good in its general results we believe
firmly; but if we examine its workings as it
affects individuals we soon get lost in maze
of bewildering perplexities, and perhaps
even we are led by foolish logic
into open blasphemy Mr.. Lee goes
on to defend Sunday excursions by poor
people, who are penned up during the week
in dingy workshops and unwholesome tene-
ments; and in this also we cordially agree
with him. But this last position is fercely
assailed by Rev. DR.. Wescott, who says the
victims we're largely not poor people, and,
even if they we're, were much better
at home. The Doctor also growls at the
HERALD because in its graphic eighteen
column report of the disaster it inserted no
word Of reference to the fact that the dead
and wounded were Sabbath breakers. All,
Doctor, if you had but seen for yourself, as
the reporters did, those mutilated forms as they
were drawn, writing in the agonies Of death,
from that ship of death, you would have
been as silent in this matter as they were, 10
letter of the fourth commandment! But is it
not about time that we recognized the fact that
modern civilization has necessarily abolished
the old Jewish Sabbath, though it still
reverently respects the spirit enshrined in
it? Dr.. Wescott denounced the Staten
Island company in few indignant but
deserved sentences. Rev. David Mitchell
ILL., A. IL e l.:
sermon in temper that pleases us better than
the other two preachers we have noticed
He said he did not blame poor people for
going out on Sunday; indeed, they acted
rightly in taking advantage Of all the sunshine
and open air they could get. This is kindly,
sensible practical and progressive nineteenth
century Christianity.
The Rev. William II. Boole discoursed on
the duty Of Christians in regard to municipal
corruption, taking as a text, "When the
wicked beareth rule the people mourn" Mr..
Boole goes further than most other opponents
of Tammany. He denies to its leaders even
the questionable virtues of shrewdness
and capacity. He says they are a
'small gang of small men, and not
up to the average Of intelligence" Mr. Booe
also volunteered pledge that he would not
accept for his church either one dollar or ten
thousand from the linen Of the ring" He
was not 80 much interested in the cause of
carry it forward That s plain language;
but Mr.. Boole is one of those men who
delight in calling spades spades. We have
before announced our dislike of political ser
mons, and we advise Mr. Boole in the future
to choose weekday evening and an uncon-
secrated hall as the time and place for bring
ing forward his views of this kind. Then let
him pitch in as hard as he likes, and may tina
best man and the best cause win.
Among non-secular sermons we have Ia
notice Rev. Father Aubry, Rev. DR.. Brandt
on the TRANSPORTATION and Fathers Glack-
meyer and Wirsch on St. Ignatius Loyola and
the Jesuits. They are all four lucid presenta-
tons of Catholic doctrine. Father Wirsch
pronounced glowing panegyric on the
Jesuits and showed how they had
trumphed over opposition, both within
and without the Church. Rev. DR.. Dixon
preached an admirable discourse on ''How tc
Question Christ" The gist of his sermon was
that it is better to be good man than an acute
theologian. An English visitor, the Rev. s.
NJ AntliHe, also delivered an excellent sermon.
He confined himself to explaining in simple
words the Gospel plan of salvation, and h'
explained it we'll. We wish that we had the
opportunity of reporting more Of this class o.
discourses.
THE ITALIANS CELEBRATED THE UNIFIoA
TON OF ITALY at San Francisco YESTERDAY
with gorgeous procession, and yet offended
no Roman Catholic citizens among the specta-
Ia-. THAR examnle la HIGHLY communicable