The New York herald., 1877-10-15
PHOENIX MCCARTHY.

HIS EXPERIENCE AS LECTURER IN THE LIB
ERAL CLUB-wHAT HF THINKS OF THE
CHURCH OF HUMANITY nd PosITIvIsM.
Tho room IN the University Building which Is de-
voted on Sunday to the uses OF The American Free
Church and during the week to tho proper education
Of the young idea. was last evening filed with an nu
dience OF about one hundred persons. Yet the lin
tied attendance comprised greater variety of &C.
centric individuality than often be found in larger
nssemblages. 1t was rather unhappy COM
bination of the regular congregation and men,
bcrs OF the Liberal Club. For some time before the
beginning of the services this mongrel crowd amused
itself by mutual observance of hers idosyn
Some entered the room with humility and
modsstly took quiet soa while others stared
inquisively about them smiled at tho simplicity Of
the ngcmen,s, and afterward made themselves
conspicuous possible. There Short inconse-
quential heads with asonshingy long hair, and long,
philosophical heads with no hair at all. On one side
of the reporter sat little old man with his pockets
full of hymn books and his mind full OF vcneration.
and on the other was young, hard-braned "libera"
whose undeniable object to scon at the soiem-
mites.
DEBATE WITH LIBERALS
When the Rev. Mr.. Mccarthy entered and surveyed
tho Of his congregation he took very long
drink water gave extra hitch TO his coat sleeves,
convulsvely pulled down his vest and appeared to
think that he bad OF the most i'm portan tasks Of
his lite before him. He hustled to his desk II going
on Change, and read the opening hymn as though de-
termincd TO make an impression ON his sceptical
audience
The reverend gen ntleman took his text (which he
explained was moro as matter of form than any
thing clsc) from Acts xvii, 2S-.In h i'm we 1.-Two and
move and have our being" He announced hts inten-
tion OF reviewing his debate, or ccturo before tho
pated debate, not metes. II he had known the
character OF the opposition he would not
have announced the lecture Ho mad made
mistake, however, and would apologize
therefor both TO himself and his congregation
Hc had heard revelations concerning tho character OF
the organization called the Liberal Club which TO near
would call the banch OF shame TO the faces and tho
Danch OF contempt TO the hearts OF his congregation
THIS statement created quite sensation among the
liberals present. who looked At Mr.. McCarhy and then
at opc another aud smiled incredulously The
which he said be mad reading all the night BEFORE
called "Isis Unveilcd,' tho authoress of which he
compmontcd unstnedIy. From this he proposed
to loriify his arguments against positivism, which
was the creed OF tho so.termed Church OF Humanity.
One OF the speakers on Friday evening had said 10
him that Complies positivism was the Bible OF TINS
Church. Mr.. Mccarthy had read an eDtome Of
Comp,o's work three times, and he prayed that God
would forgive bim for the waste OF time tl.aughter)
He reerod to the personalities evclled at him AZ the
Liberal Club. ann especially condemned she~course Of
ono membcr, whose only answer 10 his argument
against positvism was snccr at the fall OF the scrip
broker Gilman. And yet, SAID nc, this member was
the brother OF man whom positIvism put into a
lunatc asylum. Another speaker at the club nc said
had adopted an anony letter as means OF con-
vcying sentiments which Tie author was ashamed TO
acknowledge in person.
MR. M'CARTmY's CHALLENGE.
Mr. Mccarthy then read, in the form OF a challenge
an arrangement OF positivisni which he would uncer
tako to substantiate only before audience OF male
adults The pollution OF postivsm had been It's best
defence. In this he said the leading mem
bers OF the Church oil Humanity hold views degrad
ing any accepted By the Oneida Community and If
their tcncts were practised neither motherhood nor
wifehood could DO respected. Positivsm he delarod,
"A cage of unclcanliDcss, lechcry ani lewdness.
The liberals began 10 ieci uneasy under this sort OF
thing and one or TWO OF them became 30 demonstra
tive that Mr.. Mccarthy had 10 request them 10 be
quiet. lie then returned To hIs experience in
the Liberal Club aud said he had been accused oil per-
s0naty, but he must DC personal 10 speak The truth
He quoted from Spencer aud Huxley to show how lar
C0mptc's doctrines removed from science, called
him n maniac ana said postivism was cesspooi Of
which could not get full smell without
beng initiated. When the reverend gentleman
ut certain points Of discourse he iomentcd with
Of the Liberal Club, aud IN one Instance,
referring 10 arguments made by member OF tho or
ganization sad that If he were there to repeat thcm
and not a lunatic asy lum, he would sgo through
nm like streak OF lightning through gooseberry
busn.u In another instance wnen he became excited
he began sentence, 'You men here VINO are fathers
and mothers,' which, oil course, produced laugh
my tue liberals. He said he understood the LiD-
eral Club, OF which he was an sociatc member, pro-
posed TO turn him Let them try H." he
claimed; .I'm getting used TO being turned out They
accuse me OF personality, but they have not got to
on c-hali the ensth OF personality that can give
them" At the end OF an hour and bali the rcver-
gent, man had become exhausted, and with dis
traugnt and his Dccktc ornamcnting the back
OF his neck, he pronounced hasty bencdIctiob.