The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1878-12-11
THE LECTURE SEASON.
MR. FRANCIS DILLON EAGAN ON THE SPIRIT
OF THE AGE"

MIR. FRANCIS DILLON EAGAN ON THE sPiIir
OF THE AGE
Last evening Mr.. Francis Dillon Eagan, late rector
OF St. James Protestant Episcopal Church. san iran
Cisco lecturcd in Stenway Hall. before consider
able audience. on "The Spirit of the Age. he was
introduced by Row. DIR. McGlynn. of st. Stephens.
lie said:--In reading the history OF the
world We discover certain epochs distinguished
by peculiar characteristics The spirit of tae
present age goddess and is distinguished especially
by its hostility 10 the Catholic Church. The Prot
cstant aud goddess world has been particularly
abusive of Catholic doctrines and of the Popes sya-
bus, in whick he condemns that which is per-
nicious and antagonistc to the Divine mission
OF the Church The Pontif fairly declares
that the Church has been the fostering
mother of civilization. but when there are elements
in that civilization that would conspire to uproot and
destroy the Church of Christ on earth he dcnounces
them. and those elements what take refuge under
the OF progress. liberalism and free think.
ing Among other features in the spirit or
the age is the fanaticsm of secular schools.
Whatever affects children affects society for
good or evil, for ali authority more than human
has declared that whatever man shall the
same shall he reap. Education, according to Plato.
is to give to the body and soul all the development
of which they capable and Plato. though
pagan philosopher, was much more al
vaaced thar. many so-called Christians. ms
morality and religion. and boosted public school
system, at present conducted is fnging away the
blessed lights Of civilization that came TO US from
the Cross of the Nedeemer. Referring to the press.
he said disgraceful had become the parade OF pol.
luton in the columns Of the papers OF America that
it was impossible the public mind could escape
being vtiatcd and such il the depraved spirit OF the
age that but the most sensational sheets can De
made to pay.
The libraries and publishing houses contain on
their shelves multitudinous quantity of contain
i,r.l.s hut he
ply and demand the taste OF the age is fast degenerate
ing. But going up to the higher and moro pre-
able for find such men as Darwin. Huxley, Tyndal
and other infdels striving to overthrow thu, most
cherished traditions Of the Christian world He re-
ferrcd to the prevalence of divorce caused by the
bertinism and mpurity of the tiniss and which was
fast helping to undermine the most sacred founda-
tions of society The spirit of the age is again
in the dishonesty that pervades the COM
nercial and political world and in the progress
arises from the greed for money. 1t il worshipped
god, and the love Of it leads to an internal mae
stroin, in which body and soul are swallowed up So
nordinate has this passion become that mon violate
every principle Of truth and honesty and dread not
power on earth that can stop the tide Of social
anarchy and corruption, and that power Is the
Catholic Church II arrested the confusion tnas
Threatened the destruction of civilization in centu-
rics far back, and it is still strong and lusty enough
to arrest the avalanche of infdelity and irreligion
that appears to imperil Christianity.
MR. BOTAssIO ON GREECE AND HER LANGUAGE.
Mr.. Botassio, the Greek Consul in this city. lee
tured last evening in the schoolroom Of Nine. kochs
academy No 134 East Fifty-seventh street. on the
Language Of Greece and the Influence of tho
He'll enes He gave brief, interesting sketch OF the
history of his native country from the earliest
times. noting particularly the leading events in
ancient times. He claimed that though Rome was
the superior in the material world Greece ruled even
Rome in her liberties and spiritual pleasures. all
the leading characters ancient Greece spoken
Of by the lecturer. At the time Of Demosthenes he
said, Greece like man in the prime OF
life. living rather upon what had gone before
than on ambitions for the future. When the
Greek republics were lost the liberty OF
Greece was gone. but two great yet ap.
peared--Aristotle and Alexander. The latter sought
to rule the materal world the former the Intellectual
The next chief event was the OF Chris
tianity into Greece. Christianity prosecuted for .
long time Hellenic science. Finally the ancient fath
and the reconced in the form of the Byzan-
the lecturer next spoke of the Age Of Darkness.
after Greece had become Turkish province in 1881.
and next the seventeenth century when the Turks
were ussaled He then discussed the Greek language
it is spoken to-day. and said that in time the an
Gent Language would again neepms 5ae lam
was really the ancient one with the addi-
ton OF numbers of words brought in nec-
essarly by the many foreign people with whom
Greece had to cast her fortunes 1t had been said by
some German critics that the modern language was
but acongomeration Of many foreign Languages. just
as they said the people wore congloinerstion Of
many foreign peoples. But still it was fact that
the alphabet aud the photography OF the modern
language were the same in the old. and he knew
that in the mountainous parts Of Greece tho old
beauty of Grccan form to be seen to-day per.
feet ever. In the French colleges at the present
day the Greek language was pronounced as it was in
Greece. and he hoped the American colleges would
adopt similar course II would not take long time
to rid the modern language of all the foreign words
which had become part OF it. The University OF Athens
had been wedding out innovations by degrees and
supplying their places with the old Greek words In
less than haf century the ancient Greek would be
the language of modern Greece. 1t had not taken
fifty years to make such advance that the accom-
plishment of the purpose was assured. In all the
text books of the schools this reform was going
on. and the books OF forty years ago would not be
recognized the language understood by the
scholars of to-day. In concluding MIR. Botassi do
claimed several pieces of modern Greek poetry. writ
the language Of the people and in the ancient
language, showing the contrast between the two.
The University of Athens he said gave no prizes for
poetry written in the language Of the people,