The daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1873-1877, 1875-06-22
An Everyday Religion--The Ever
Open Door of the Catholic
Church.


D. N. Richardson, Esq, of the Daven-
port Democrat, has gone down east to see
his parents, who reside in Orange, Orange
county, Vermont. He went via Montreal
and when he got up into Groton Gap, in
Vermont. he wrote thusly about one of the
nany Catholic churches in Montreal:
There are numerous sights to see-really
interesting sights in Montreal About the
first in importance is the French Cathedral
the Notre Dame. 1t is of great size and
full of interest 1t is the largest church
edifce in America-can seat ten thousand.
ing is IS feet above your head. Its twin
towers mount 260 feet into the air-up
which you climb by a series of three hun
dreds steps, and gain most uncommon
view from the giddy height-all for a
quarter. Catholic churches are about the
only churches worth seeing inside-high or
Interpretation or humble. Coming in
and away from the din and roar of the
street, the general clatter of commerce, you
push through the listed door of this grand
church and stand within an atmosphere
which ought to be sacred to thought and
religion-if one had any. There sat a
score of men and women-principally the
latter-people who had stolen a moment
from the concerns of the day, as they were
passing; but, had there been o hundred
persons, still would the place have been
the most solitary and secluded imaginable
A corps of artists were upon their scaffold
ing frescoing the ceiling-hut they are
eighty feet above, away up among the
Massive capitals of the massive clustered
columns that support the roof. We wall
down the main aisle, along past the listlesi
neutrality-suspicious. who sit and those who
kneel. You notice that they neither OBJ
serve you nor each other; the artist wht
passes with his pot of paint, the carpenter
with his saw and hammer, the richly dress
ed lady, the meanly dressed cartman, the,
who come in the coarse garb and coarse
manners of the country, and they whose
bearing indicates city life and training
alike becross themselves, alike bend the kne'
before the Crucifed, and the holy mother
Will you live to see the day when the Pro
testant churches will keep open house al
the week and the year around, when tn
reverent Baptist, the devotional Presbyte
rian-when all who labor and are heav,
laden will step from off the busy street t.
within the quiet church for a moment o
secret confession and spiritual consolation
Our churches are not left open. We dar
not leave the doors of these temples of tn
Most High even ajar lest they should b
profaned. just one poor once in all tn
week-once or twice the hinges creak, tn
sunlight glares in, the bustling congregs
ton is seated on downy cushions to hea
downy sermons, and see which of tn
neighbors are out, and how their wives an
daughters are dressed. Verify the tex
5 the sermon-each and all of the actua
rites of religion-minister and all-are tn
, least part of the performance. More
the purpose-more to the heart, more
the soul is the everyday church-whos
e door opens In from the crowded marts an
0 is kept open day after day. 1t is til
church of everyday life; the shrine of thu
more perfect religion that leads men mol
in the way they should live than 10 the wa
they should die. Everyday churches al
the churches for this wicked world. Vel
. prim and neat, and often attractive in GU
o ward appearance are those whose doors al
sealed six days in the seven; but it is ii
inward use, the inward appearance, the il
ward purpose that must avail in this lor
> day by day, step-by-step journey OF lit
If churches be salutary to souls, bul
+ them close by the crowded way-side whe
g the crowd most PUSHES; leave their ope
g ing free to all that may enter, and wi
= neither priest nor pastor within the temp
: of God, communicate all alone with t
10 Ever Present-the Father OF ALL