Vicksburg weekly herald. (Vicksburg, Miss.) 1868-1883, 1877-09-14
John Henry Newman.
THE MOST LEARNED CATHOLIC IN THE
WORLD AT MASS.

II. D. Conway in the Cincinnati Com
mercial.
! have Just been near two miles away,
and before in the morning, 10 attend
mass. II was through desire to look
upon the face of John Henry Newman.
Three ladieP, who were also desirous
Of seeing him, went with me, and we
found the famous father Just beginning
10 celebrate mass with the assistance Of
two neophytes. In the spacious Gothic
chapel Of the Oratory there was but
one auditor, ayoung girl of some six.
teen summers, meekly kneeling, all |
alone. Besides her the most learned |
Catholic in the world had for his audi
ence four Protestants. The altar at |
which he officiated was at a corner Of |
the building. There was only one can
die, and that had been lit simply to
enable him 10 read. On the upper wall |
above his head was large crucifix,
and beneath ton level with his
tace-an oil picture Of ST. Veronica
about to place the handkerchief on the
face Of jesus. The famous man, far
away in his corner, with his silvery
head bent and his voice murmuring on,
swiftly in q monotonous feminine tone
presented picture not likely TO at
tract or impress many in the enterpris.
ing city. It was indeed painful visit
TO the ladies, One OF them a church
woman, threw herselfon her knees with
her back turned 10 the altar, and she
said she found herself unable 10 endure
the sight. Another, when she came out
declared with burning face, that she
felt overwhelmed with shame that a
man of such intellect would perform
such hocus-pocus. found It difficult
to persuade the church-womsn that
her trouble was Illogical, or the others
that Il was far nobler sight we had
witnessed than II we had seen DIR.
Newman in the House of Lords, where
he would have been II he had not pre-
ferred veracity TO self. There 10 no
: doubt that the general mind and feeling
OF England have been in some way
borne so far from the ancient religious
: atmosphere that each person views with
surprise and disgust every pious cer-
emonial except their own. Every ser.
vice requires special training and
$ habituation ito all others II seems TO be
: some kind of necromancy, and the
: horror of IL in many seems to amount
Q 10 superstition. Father Newman is 8
. man OF strange visage. His forehea
: appears extremely low (partly from
i the way his impaired hair falls over il)
= the top of his head seems Aattened thu
o mouth bears an expression Of uncon
y scious pain the chin is large and jut
u out the nose is very prominent, like tha
D OF Wellington. When the features ar
t' fore.sh ortened, in the front view, an
:, the clear, luminous eyes bent down
q ward or nearly closed as prayers ar
&c uttered, the face has the appearance o
i that of an extremely aged woman, an(
Q one nearly imbecile. Another turn
0 bringing q half side face, an open eye
Q an upraised head, aud the effect is on
Il that seems to call for an Angelo 10 port
n q ray. There was at another part Of th
wall picture ofan old saint with claspet
Is hands, a saint-Francis d'Asisi, per
10 haps-in ecstacy. Just after lookinl
70 OF that my eyes turned to Father New
Is mar, whose head was halved by th
ie candle beyond II, and be seemed TO b
Il the successor ofall the saints who live
~ in days when saints could be real. Blu
* Il required an effort OF the histcrica
., Imagination to place the good father il
~ his proper environment, Birmingham
70 echoed her invocaiions with earl
ln steam.whislles. The sounds OF a
G. awakening city stoleln with the morn
le ing light. At s o'clock the aged ma
gathered In his arms his books an
other articles, quite load, and wit
faltering tread on the altar steps pass
Of cd out to bis mysterious but certainls
re hard labors. Il Is bat too plain tha
be Father Newman is quite feeble, NOR
VI 60 than can be accounted for by hl
I'D years. have been told by person !
100 the neighborhood that the other priest
ry at the Oratory have several times ha
n to interfere in order 10 check ascot
be tendencies in the interest of his hesltl
&c and heard also that lately they ha
y, persuaded him to give up to others Il
ON Office of waiting at tabl', an occupatio
Of which the brethren fulfil in turn. d
'r- Newman. it was saiO, yielded reluc
to antly 10 their entreates. He preach
ily in the Oratory pretty regularly on SUI
er day morninga, but they who go to hei
th, him out of curiosity or in expectatiC
in of O grand discourse are invariab
rsl disappointed. Some acquaintance
ng mine who went to hear him last East
ct. Sunday told me that the discourse "
he such as might have been addressed
he Sunday.school children not yet
ice their teens. It amounted only TO as
ira ing them If they would not be We
,li- much surprised If q person who
he funeral taey had attended was 10 me
en- them, alive and well. After saying
The various ways that they would certain
At be very much surprised, he related 4
in story Of the resurrection in the langua
of of the Testament, and so ended. B
Of there are very few except the poor al
ing ignorant who ever attend, and possib
ex' Father Newman does not associate ca
ern happiness with much knowledge as
0. induce him to disturb the contentme
Of his lowly auditors. At any rate,
. far as l can remember, it is now ma
"A years since any pulpit performance