The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1872-06-30

The more eloquent the minister the smaller
the importance of his doctrines, is a compli-
ment to human genius which is little less
than fundamental principle in the Pro-
testant Church. This remark has adequate
verifcation in the fact that the prosperity of
Protestant congregations depends almost
entirely on the oratory of the pulpit. The
Rev. MIR. Beecher overcrowds his temple by
the magic of his voice, by the fuency of his
tongue by the flights of his imagination. No
one goes to worship under his roof either
from belief in the doctrines he declares or
from admiration for the undoubted virtues Of
his private life. A similar thing is quite true
of every other successful Protestant clergyman
| in the nation.
This is not the way in the Roman Catholic
Church. Within the walls of Rome eloquence
is by no means whatever either uncultivated
or despised. But within the universal juris-
diction it is not the principal thing Worship
is. With all Catholics the best gifted and the
least learned priest is as much at the altar, as
sacred and as effective in his sacerdotal Office,
as the Bossuits and the Massillons themselves.
The important fact is founded in the dogma of
the Sacrament Of Orders-in the doctrine Of
the Apostolical succession.
The Catholic pulpit Of this city does not, it
would appear, make as much noise, yet it is
at the least the equal in merit Of that of the
Protesta nts.
Dr.. Dix of Trinity; DR.. Ever, of ST. Ig-
IN
Presbyterian church, are unquestionably the
best educated and the best endowed Protestant
clergymen in New York. The former, very
much like Catholic priest in person, has very
noble talents and excellent learning the Sec
ond, with figure and face, some say like Savo-
narola, is decidedly gifted with eloquence and
well versed in Puseyite-Patristic theology the
third, athletic, farmer-like looking Irish celt,
has no superior in the Presbyterian pulpit Of
the United States
With these distinguished ecclesiastics re-
spectively we compare Father Dealy, S. j.,
of st. Francis Xaviers, West Sixteenth
DIR. McGlynn, of st. Stephens, East Twenty
ninth, and Father Preston, of st. AIMS,
East Twelfth street.
Father Dealy is an Irishman. Nature has
given him quite good looking person. He is
tall, fair-haired and very fresh in the face.
His appearance in the pulpit is exceedingly
engaging. He presents to his hearers an ad-
mirable blending of modesty, dignity and
authority. He never uses the manuscript
But that he comes well prepared cannot be
doubted, for, although rapid and glowing in
his delivery, he never uses inelegant language;
never makes an unfinished sentence
never omits graceful illustration never pre-
sents the links Of his reasonings but in the
most sklful and telling way. The s. J. we
have put to his name declare Father Dealy to be
Jesuit The excellent completeness of his
sermons would, of ITSELF be quite enough to
indicate this for, whatever talents nature
may confer on Jesuit, be they great or not
great, the training he gets in the Order never
fails to make him able to give completeness to
every duty that may be imposed upon him.
There can be no doubt that DR.. Dix is quite as
well endowed with talents as Father Dealy,
and he is an older man. But evidently the
rector of Trinity has not made the studies of
the son of Loyola, and, in consequence, he is
really inferior to him. We have often heard
each of them. DR.. Dix comes with fine
essay, and he reads it very well, and when he
is done you admit him to be an elegant scholar
in the English language and in the Protestant
pro-Catholc theology. CDR. Dix is very much
of Roman Catholic.) On the other hand,
Father Dealy has no mere fine essay written
out before him, but genuine, glowing, admi-
rably constructed sermon Of which he never
wrote a line. As he proceeds he proceeds with
the most decided and admirable eloquence and
vigor, and when he is done you are satisfied
that you have been listening to a priest of in
disputable piety, of noble gifts, and of learn
ing of the highest class in sacred matters.
Were DR.. Dix Jesuit he would be luminary
of the Order. Were Father Dealy the rector
of Trinity he would be, by general acclaim, the
first in the line for the next vacant Episcopal
liam bishopric.
Between DIR. Ever and DR.. McGlynn there
is as preachers good deal of contrast. Both
are Americans by birth, but both are Celts,
each being of Irish descent. But this is the
strongest similarity that is between them.
He ioinhei 10 Ill oAoiueHt, AhPaooioheu, ch-
thusiastc ritualst, who acknowledges no re-
ligious superior in the world. The latter is
also eloquent, impassioned, enthusiastic; but
his tongue, his passion, his enthusiasm are
regulated by submission to his great Church,
and hence, while DR.. Ever is frequent in
quarrels with vestries and bishops, to the dis
edification of many and the amusement Of
M, MnG1 70 aud iv,h ovN,
ness with all mankind. OF the two it is GER
tain that DR.. Ever is the better gifted man.
But in study, in education the pastor of st.
Stephens is undoubtedly in the first place.
DIR. Ever is nothing better than rhetorician
in his logic, than rhapsodist in his theology,
than much misguided, over conceted man in
historical reading. DR.. McGlynn was edu-