The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1874-06-02
A Remarkable Lecture by a Catholic
Priest,

A HemaIKaDlc LectuTe Dy CathOlc
Priest.
tProm the Chicago Tribune OF FrIdayl
That highly conservative institution,
the Roman Catholic Church, has devel-
oped in this city new theological hero,
whose radical ideas on Biblical matters
transcend anything advanced by the most
ultra Of the rcformers among the so.
called hereticsl churches. This new light
Is the Rev. Father Terry, Of st. Patrick's
Church, gentleman not more than 80
years oi age, OF low stature, strongly
marked Celtic countenance, emphasized,
SO to speak, by Jet black eyebrows, dark,
cleaning eyes, and long, flowing hair,
dark as a ravens wing, Father Terry
lectured before the Union Catholic Ii
brary Association, In their society hall,
last night, on
1.-THE POETRY OF GRNRsIs."
Most OF his auditors were Irish, and
among his hearers were very many
ladies. The lecturer was introduced by
the President, Mr.. 0nshan, and, as he
proceeded in his reading, astonishment
was strongly depicted in many Coun-
tenances Of q severely orthodox stamp.
The whole world knows that the Irish
Catholics cling to old traditions with q
fond fidelity eQualed by no other people.
The young preacher, however, managed
To shake conservatism to its centre In the
minds Of his auditors last evening. He
took away their breath, and, save at the
close, so wrSpt was tho attention, he did
not receive a single round of applause.
REVELATION AND sCIENCE.
The lecturer opened by saying that
revelation and science were two distinct
principles, and ono did not necessarily
lean upon the other. At the same time,
when the subject was closely scanned,
revelation did not contradict science, nor
did the latter falsily revelations. Greed
did not change, but schools and systems
and theology did. The cardinal doctrines
OF religion remained, but the theologiaus
were never at rest, and were constantly
raising storm around the churches &c
which they belonged. Science had beer
prosecuted, sought to be obstructed-
not by the Church, but by certain theol-
ogiAns who set themselves up as guar
dlans Of revelation, and, In order thai
their narrow ideas might be preserved
intact, insists upon interposing theil
opaque opinions between humanity auC
tho truth.
This spirit 1t was that led the persecu
tlon Of Calico In the sixteenth and o
Louis Agassiz in the nineteenth century
The one had asserted the principle o
astronomy Antagonistic 10 the Bibllca
idea; the other had asserted the truth
ofgeological research, which were equally
opposed to the traditions Of Genesis. Sci
ence came from God and could not err
Revelation came from God and It coulC
not err, but each force acted independent
of the other. Thus, in Genesis, 1t wa
set forth that
THE SUN AND MOON AND STARS
were placed as so many lamps in tn
heavens 10 shine upon the earth, and 70
the sole purpose Of giving 1t light; 1t wa
inferred that the moon was larger thai
the stars; aud the ancient idea clung 4
the belief that the sun, fiery ball, warm
ed the earth by day, and, In the evening
sunk down q fiery mass into the sel
Joshua believed that the earth was
broad, Aat surface, He had no idea OF Il
ephGrical shape, nor did the revelation Q
the planetary system dawn upon him
Yet despite this Ignorance, there Was n
reason why the genuineness Of Moses In
gpiraton should be doubted, Or wb,