The New York herald., 1873-10-13
ST. CECELIA'S CHURCH.
The Rev. Father Flattery's Opinion of
the Evnngelicnl Acknowledgements
Catholic Doctrines.


The Rev. Father Fiattery's Opinion of
the Evangelical Acknowledgements
Catholic Doctrines.
At the last h.4ss at st. Cecelia's churcn, corner
Of Second and 1O5th street. Father Flattery,
after reading the gospel for the day, which ends,
''For many are called but few are chosen" pro-
ceeded to give his congregation the benefit OF his
minute dissection and analytical examination OF
the Evangelical Alliance, which he pronounced to
be an MANTLE, puerie and etiete conglomeration
or all the raricidal elements of disjointed Christi
anity.
THE SERMON.
In opening the sermon the reverend gentleman
said that, as no doubt all the congregation had
heard that they were about to be evangelized by q
delegation from foreign parts, it would not be
amiss for him to say few words about the giant
movement its votaries, their antecedents and the
issues that were to be worked out on the evangeli
cal plan The sermon was to be divided into three
parts First, the authority OF the Evangelical
body; second, its internal concord a0d, third, It's
objects. In considering the first of these ques-
tions the first thing that strikes one, said the
preacher, is the imbecility or any movement or
council which mas neither the authority to
make laws or change existing rules and
usages This Alliance, which has no
head or director, is actually invulnerable for
the reason that 1t has platform principle that
can be attacked. In the whole Assembly there are
not twenty men who think alike or who could
stand on the same platform OF principle and be-
lief They have no object in common, unless in
asmuch as they call themselves collectively
Protestants, they unite to oppose Catholcity, one
OF the greatest arguments against which Is that
1t Is growing too strong and spreading too far
They read papers to one another and to those who
go to listen to tnem but they have not the power
to say that such a doctrine shall be belief or
whether 1t Is true or false. This being the case
what Is the sense OF their coming together, es-
pecialy to New York, to ventilate their opinions9
Could they not do IL just as well at homer Ger
tainly and better there than in New York, for
their own people might AFFORD them what they
have not here-attentlOn aud obedience. There
Is no
A CATHOLIC, A PROTESTANT, A JEW OR AN ATHEIST
in the whole community who is not wondering
what the meaning OF all this parade and show Is.
Let them wonder on, Tor when the members them
working on. or what results they intend TO accom-
plish, 1t Is hard for the unntiated to divine. In
one Held of thought they are doing mighty work; ;
they are upsetting one another's beliefs, ana the
dav Is not far distant when atheists will point to
the meeting OF this Alliance as an important epoch
in the history OF their realm Of thought. and thank
these jealous Christians for the havoc and devasta
ton they have wrought in the iaith OF many; for,
on cool consideration, those who now think highly
OF the affair Will be forced to acknowledge that It
was an insane attempt to arrive at nothing.
UNITY OF REpULSIoN.
II all the members OF this Convention were called
to write dissertation on certain religious topic
no two OF the papers would correspond, and still
they are brought together and actually held to-
gether for some cause, and what can IL be Is the
cause negative or posltiveP
In gathering ol this kind one would expect to
ma dignity commensurate with the subject un-
der consideration and the character OF those who
participate. Religion, the one and only thing that
the progressive tG0d save the markD nineteenth
exhibited as what is 1t ~ and talked over as
doctor lectures ON anatomy. Its sanctity has
been violated It's ends perverted Meretricious
ralment mas absorbed the place Of simple pety and
the dignity Of themselves and their subject is out
ragged by the vulgar applause which meets every
point they raise and when one OF them
-, GETS OFF HIS LITTLE PoPGUN AT THE POPE,
tne hllarity and mirth OF the intellectual and
iiDera audience is unbounded. One OF the field
uays tne Alliance devoted TO Missi0ns,n OF all sub
lects the most suicidal they could have touched
Gpea dnere was paper presented in which the
compared; but, unfortunately, the writing was
llleglple and the paper was laid over. II the paper
was written by truthful man, the reason Of It's
illegibility Is explained and a knot in the evan
gelica sken Is nnravelled. There is a large field
Tor missionary labors in this country-not In New
iork, tnough. but In Shreveport and Memphis and
as we have been deprived Of the pleasure OF hear
Ing the theory OF missions from an evangelical
STANDPOINT, they might give us little practical
Some OF the members Of the Conference have
unconsciously gwen vent to Catholic doctrines. In
speaking OF missions one said that they were Mt
one Time productive OF great good, nasmucn as
they added 70 and increased our geographical
h or es Mere N s
VINO made our geography what 1t IL.
ONE THOUSAND YEARS AGO
they began 20 pe2etrate into the then unexplored
regions OF Europe and Asia. and In their travels
they snbdued the iconociastic vandals, the aoths,
the 0strogoths and vislgoths, changing them
rom fierce barbarians to meek and
humble Christians, thus accomplishing results results
which Caesar had failed 70 attain.
Then another learned divine, whose ideas were
anything but Catholic, makes some truly starting
revelations about the diflcuity Of performing mis-
sons 10 south America for the reason & oi the pov,
erty and illItcracy OF the people. NOW, every
Catholic knows that these two causes are those
which draw the votarics OF Rome from comfortable
parish seats and away rom friends ana nome TO
work for the enlightenment and enrichment OF
these people. The history Of Europe abounds In
instances where bleak plains have been made fer
tile iarms and busy towns under the direction OF
Christian mssonaries
Another member OF tho Alliance, by the way an
Irlshman, speaks oi the wrongs and abuses OF
an unbrdcd and Icenti0us press. This Is another
bold and bareaced plagiarism OF Catholic doctrine.
Our Church has always held that that al unre-
strained press was O curse and source OF evil.
The sermon closed with hope that the reverend
gentlemen would enjoy their tour through our