The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1874-02-01
Father Giesen's Lecture.

Last Monday evening st. Alphonsus'
Hall was thoroughly filled with the crowd
that assembled to hear the lecture an
nounced to be delivered by the Rev. Father
Giesen in favor of the Sisters of Mercy.
There was not spare seat in the Hall, and
all available places for standing were filed
with auditors who could not find chairs,
while many left from inability to effect an
entrance. The very high esteem in which
Father Giesen is held in this community
and the anticipations based by the public
on his reputation as q speaker were amply
attested by the audience which, on this oc.
casiOn, greeted him Notwithstanding the
dogmstic character of his subject and the
general antipatby of New Orleans public
to lectures. Many of our esteemed clergy
were ON the platform, among whom could
be observed the RI. Rev. Bishop Elder, of
Natchez, and q number Of our most intelli-
gent Protestant fellow-citizens were no.
ticeable in the audience. The enduring
affection of his former parishioners was
plainly manifested by the emotion exhib-
tied at the moment of his appearance.
Long as had been the separation, the
memory of his zeal and his affectionate in
terest in all that concerned the spiritual
and temporal welfare of his hock, was still
vivid, and brought tears of joy to the
eyes of many.
Difficult as was the subject for treat
ment in anything of popular style, the
Rev. lecturer held his hearers spell-bound
for over an hour and half by the charm
Of his eloquence, while discussing it. He
| limited himself in it's consideration to three
points, first, the possibility of transubstan-
| tiation second, it's recognition as q doc
| trine in all ages; and third, its relative
necessity.
It would be rash in US to undertake from
| memory, even a synopsis of this learned
| and brilliant discourse. Without attempting
| it, we merely add that its style was marked
| by the varying traits of familiar illustra-
ton and profound learning, of racy humor
and noble dignity, of amusing anecdote
and genuine pathes. One illustration used
in the first division of the subject was
drawn from the transmutation Of food by
the digestion of animals. 1t is very pos
sible, said the Rev. lecturer, for God to turn
into flesh and blood the food which we eat,
for this is done through the agency of our
stomachs every day. If thus God can, in
the course of four or FIVE hours, transmute
bread into living human flesh and blood, by
the natural laboratory of the stomach, why
can He not do it instantly and without the
agency of the stomach7 And if you every
day see the former operation and do not
wonder at it, though perfectly incompre-
hensible, why wonder at the latter and call
it impossiblef
The second branch of the subject called
forth many learned and beautiful historical
allusions. Poetry, painting, sculpture,
architecture, music, were in turn called up
to testify how genius had always chosen
for it's highest effort the commemoration
of the wonderful mystery of transubstan-
tiation. To doubt it's prevalence through
out Christendom as q doctrine, were to
deny the existence of all the master pieces
of every art in all ages.
The necessity of the doctrine was shown
in the facts that otherwise the Jews would
have been more favored before the coming
of the Messiah than Christians have been
since; that the great anticipations of a
glorious legacy to be left by our Lord
| SO OlLcu 6Hu 81
raised by His own promises-would have
been totally disappointed in getting nothing
but a bit OF bread and q sup of wine and
that the highest and sweetest proof of His
burning, Unsuitable love of man would have
been wanting.
We can only regret that it is beyond our
power to give something like condensed
sketch of a discourse which must have
made an ineffaceable impression, on all
who had the good fortune to hear it.
CoSCppT ST ToEIN,a NuTrpcu rao6.