The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1874-03-08
Another Lecture by Wendell Philips.

On the 10Th of Feb, Wendell Phillips
lectured on the subject of "Street Life in
Europe" in the Brooklyn Academy of
Music for the benefit of "St. Peters Hos
pital," under charge of the " Sisters of the
Poor" Mr.. Philips, on making his appear
ance, was greeted by the most cordial APP
plause. He spoke for upwards of an hour
and half, explaining to the delighted au-
dience, the peculiar customs of the Cont
nent of Europe. The eloquent gentleman
said -" wish to say something about the
the worship and decorum of the Catholic
Church. You know very we'll that the
doors of the Catholic Church are never
shut. Yes, there are doors there that have
not turned on their hinges for hundreds of
| years for, as the crowd comes into the
city to work, or goes home again at tw-
light, hardly peasant passes one day of
his whole existence without going to q Ca
tholic Church, somewhere on his route, to
say prayer. Then, again, the Church is
aristocracy Of pews. Wealth Cannot Dur.
chase a cosy place in which to worship God
alone. 1 have seen the bio I'D royal Of Ma
Piles kneelipg at Gods Altar and its velvet
was swept by the rags of the beggar, who
had just asked for aims at the door. The
slave girl of Havana will bring the cushing
of her mistress, place it where directed
and then kneel, herself at one end and her
mistress at the Other,-equals before God.
The poet Kenyon says:-
~ love Love. the l5;,f free and open door
Ilove tho widespread marble floor
By every foot in freedom trod"
Then, again, there is certain profound
decorum Il will not go any lower, to say
any rate, as you walk through the church
there is a decorum of the place which you
remark. A Tennessee chaplain went to
Kansas to look in the face of John Brown;
and he came home again, and tried to teach
his people, who went in, Presbyterian de-
corum. Perhaps you have gone into a
Presbyterian or a Congregational church,
in the middle of q long prayer, and you
found that one half the congregation turned
roupd to look at you. Well, the Tennessee
chaplain told his people that, if they did
not turn around, he would tell them who
Mr.. A, the great planter he lives far off,
and naturally comes late. Now it is
Madame B. She lives near by, and ought
to be here earlier. And now it is O little
old man with white hair; 1 don't know
who it is; look around, and see for
cathedral in Southern Europe. There
is one counting his beads; and, swarm
ing through the church are travellers,
critcizing the painting and statuary.
Perhaps in that chapel there is a sermon
and in that other there is Mass and, in
duOguClJ COhlc5SlOh5 dE0 DSIDR n6aTU. Yet
there that one kneels and have seen
Queen Victoria's uncle, the Duke of Cam
bridge, brush by him, and he never lifted
his eyes he never turned his head for he
felt that he was greater than the Duke he
was talking with God. You might have
made statue of him and set him up, in
Que half the churches of New England, as
a model of behaviour. The speaker, then
referred to the condition of women in Eu-
rope, and concluded as follows:' Another
thing,-the peoples of Europe, DO not know
black from white. l was in Boston and
saw a colored girl refused place in the
omnibus because she was black Z; and yet
old president Quincy, who was seated in
stage coach, when girl tremblinly asked
to be admitted, --she was colored, aud was
about to be pushed away, when the old
President said IF she don't come in,
go out" They admitted her. went to
London and got into an omnibus and the
spades. 1 crossed the Channel, and was
walking on the Boulevard, in Paris, at the |
most fashionable hour of the most fashion
able day,-five o'clock on Sunday after
noon,-snd saw half a dozen couples,
black and white, arm in arm. 1 went to |
the Tnvalides,' beneath which rest the ashes
of the Great Napoleon; and our crowd was
marshalied to it's place by a one armed
colonel who had fought with him at Aus
terlitz. He was black. went to the
Propaganda College, in Rome, where the
sons of princes are educated for priests and
bishops and the man who took the .hird |
prize was native of Africa, and went out
of the building arm in arm with Duke.
l was at st. Peters, the Cathedral of the
Christian world. l heard the beautiful
Latin service of tho Catholic Church
chanted most musically and, when the
noblest of Rome kneeled round, went
nearer to see whose voice was so melo-
dious. The Priest was black /; and said
to myself-'This must be -four thousand |
miles from Boston, Loud applause fol-
lowed the conclusiun of Mr.. Phillips lee
ture.