The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1873-02-17
ST. PATR1cK,s CATHEDRAL.

AAe Vacant Chair of the Late vicar
General-Thc Rule of Faith-Scrmen
10y Father Kearney-Thc Music.
!, The thick fail OF 'beautiful snow" yesterday
yeectually thinned the feminine attendance AZ the
Cathedral which was little more than half hlled'
The stark, empty pews In the middle aisle gave
far idea Of what the heavy grandeur OF the church
would amount to without these pretty ornaments.
The weather had an antthesical effect the choir
in which there was full attendance of silver
tongucd syrens whose vocal organisms seemed to
have been fabricated by the dampness Of the at
mosphere. Madonna's Mass in @, minus the
'GIoria," was sung by Mesdames Chorrie and
Munger, together with Messrs. Ridel and Nochs,
who comprise the regular quartet. After the "veni
Creator" (Dietch) Mr.. Gustave Schmitz, the organ
ist, performed an elegant ertenp0re:.
1.-THE VACANT CHAIR"
On the left hand side OF the altar to the right OF
the Archbishops chair, is that Of the late Vicar
General over it is thrown black cloth pail, and
on the seat Is placed crown OF immortelles-an
anonymous giit-which on Monday last adorned
the catalalque. This crown and the mourning
new Vicar General is appointed. All the mourn
ing drapery has been removed, and the church
Father Schroeder, who came rom the Propaganda
about aweek ago, celebrated mass, which was his
first high mass in America.
THE SERMON.
Father Kearney preached the sermon, which was
founded on the Gospel OF St. Matthew:-"He who
Del1eVeS and @ baptized Will DC saved, Dut ne VINO
does not believe will be condemned" The ohjec-
tive point OF the discourse was TO prove that there
was a rule for faith. The reverend gentleman
spoke, In substance, as follOws:-
There are class OF Christians who believe in the
written Word alone, and another who believe only
partly in the written Word, ana still another who
do not believe in the Word at all 1t is OF the first
and second classes that am going to speak. The
first can never form creed or clan. for each one OF
them who believes in the written Word interprets
It to suit himself, and the result Is that we have
NEST
DELIGHTFULLY."- vARIEGATED coNGLoMERArIoN OF
and beliefs, which even the entertainers them
selves are unable to account for. And the religion
manners and customs Of these people are diametri-
cally opposed to their beliefs. They profess TO be-
neve and obey every word of the Book, and still
they worship God and rest from labor on the first
instead OF the seventh day, as Is commanded. The
other class forms the pregnant womb from which Is
born every year some new-fangled denomination,
VINO dub themselves with q nomenclature almost
twenty months old they become the mothers OF
twins or triplets, and, pelican-like, the original
communion dies to give sustenance to the OH
spring.
BY these parties the body religious will forever
be kept IN an unsettled state. II they had some
rule OF faith laid down which they were to believe
there would be some union and strength among
them but as IL Is they as variable as the winds
and as unsettled as the seashOre sand. In the
Catholic Church we interpret the Word and give to
which, having been determined upon by wise
councils, all accept as the belief OF the creed.
Hence the unanlmity OF belief among Catholics
Catholics, when they speak together, although
strangers, can recognize each other by the stmi-
larity in belief whereas two Presbyterians, two
nation could never tell each others creed for each
man reads and reasons for himself.