Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1874-05-16
FATHER RYAN.
The Poet Priest Of the South Makes q
Sensation in New York.

Sensation in New York.
New York Sun, May II
The poet priest, Father Ryan, of
Mobile, preached in st. Stephens r.
G. Church in Twenty-eighth street at
10k A. NJ. yesterday, and the usual con-
gregation who listened to hisieloquent
and logical sermon returned to the lee
ture IN the evening, reinforced by at
least a thousand more persons than
were in the church in the morning.
AS soon as the church doors were open
ed the throngs who were waiting surg
ed into the edifce, and as fast as the
tickets could be taken they were ac-
commodated with seats. until every pew
in the body of the church and both of
the side aisles were filed.
Respectful and music-loving as Cath
Ole congregations are, that in st. Ste
phen last night, showed signs of i'm
patience that the floods of melody
from the organ loft should cease, and
permit them to listen TO the orator; and
when at last Father Ryan made his APP
pearance with DR.. McGlynn, the futter
of expectation became audi bic, and as
he assembled the pulpit, many rose from
their seats and stretched their necks to
catch better view of the small, un-
graceful, unpretending man that stood
before them. He looked neither the
poet nor the orator But when he had
finished reading from tina eighteenth
chapter of the Gospel of st. John, the
account of Pilates last interview with
Jesus, IN a ringing, sOnorous voice,
that penetrated ike a sharp bell
to all parts Of the building, and stood
silently gazing on the multitude after
uttering the words, what is TRUTH"
the singular power of genius held his
audience spell bound even before he
broke forth IN clarion tones that cleo
trifed them, "Pilate, Governor
of Judea, did you ever forget the
pale face of the poor prisoner that,
bound and shackled before you.
looked back into your face with his
sad eyes? Did you ever forget his low
whispers when he answered your inter
rogatory? Did he haunt you to the
last day of your life with his poor, pale
face that on that Friday morning gazed
into yours? Did it torture you to the
end? a man bound and fettered,
without one friend to sustain him and
say to the Governor, He is true, and
therefore innocent" Poor, powerless,
friendless, ne stood before the ruler
and answered, and ere his answer could
| be heard. PLATE returned to the multi
tude without who clamored for his
| blood. Before Plate he stood in the
| guise of a malefactOr, and he, the
| naughty Roman whose banner had
| flashed In victory In every quarter of
the world, asked a man fettered and
| bound, care you king?"
For an hour and twenty minutes he
! held his auditors enchanted by a sue
cession of alternate logical points and
flowers of poetic metaphor and symbol
ism, mosaicked in stream of pure and
elegant English.
As soon as he began speaking his
form and face glowed with the fire OF
| eloquence, and every movement and
gesture was full of impassioned grace
and beautiful in expression. Hissmall
and well-formed hands are as expires.
sive as his face. His concluding words
were: Ever since that Good Friday
/ truth has become a coronet linked with
a sorrow. They nailed his feet to the
cross, but instead Of stopping them IL
their pathway it made them strong tc
travel through ages with his children
Roses fade, but thOrns endure through
years and ages. Truth was Graded be.
fore the human race was Graded anC
earth and humanity viii die before Its
de profundis Will be sung. Truth never
wears a perhaps. 1t is an ever
lasting yes. She Is as intol
Grant of uncertainty as arithmetic and
geometry are, They laugh at your eff
forts to make twice two three or Il
make the three angles of a triangl,
equal to four right angles. Rut Will,
truth is intolersnt of falsehood she mus
be tolerant of those who fall in false
hood, but do it unconsciously of tn,
mistake they are making. Smile NO
at the Druid who clasped an oak think
ing he had found truth. Honor hin
rather that he pursued her though ht
worshipped an error. But we have no
a shadow of the truth but truth itself
Not a CLEAN OF heaven through a rift
IN a cloud, but the full blue and the
cleaning sunlight of truth to lead us
J to the sunlight of eternity.