The New York herald., 1878-12-17
CATHOLICITY IN EUROPE.

4 TRIBUTE TO THE CHURCH OF ROME By
OF HIS CLERICAL BRETHREN-wHAT THE REV.
D. @. POTTER SAW ON HIS TRAVELS.
The Baptist ministers turned out at their meeting
yesterday in large numbers to hear an address by
their secretary, Rev. d. c. Potter on what he called
Romanism he it in Europe. Mr.. Potter
spent four months of last summer the Continent
and he is perhaps the only Baptist minister in the
city who could dare to speak good word for the
Catholic Church. Indeed, his brethren. who after
ward discussed his address, showed that they had
no love for that Church, and could not
show much favor to any defender OF it,
But Mr.. Potter disclaimed at the outset any
defence Of Catholicism as system OF religion
and his remarks were designed rather to Illus
strate how and why that system wins and controls
the masses. He touched on her recognition of the
equality Of all men by instancing the attention paid
to colored lady in Cologne Cathedral. and to O
colored man with wooden leg in a church in Paris
He accounted for the affection Of Catholics for their
priests which he noticed everywhere in this that they
mingle and play with the people everywhere. He saw
college professors playing billiards with their stu
dents what Baptist theological professor. he asked
would be found thus The adaptation Of the Catho-
lie Church to-day the wants of illustrated
in her magnificent church music, which he had heard
at Frbonrg, Strasbourg, Luzerne and other cites In
her provision by leaving her churches always
open day and night, so that the weary and wayworn
may enter and lie down and sleep If they please he
had with muddy feet, shoeless and coatless,
lying on the floor OF the great st. Peters, in Rome,
resting and sleeping during the heat OF the
day. But the same in that condition
would not be allowed to sit here III Union square.
The Church may get money by questionable means
from those people, but when she has built her ca-
ay
schools in Rome and may come here TO collect money
to mainian them but the only real SUNDAY school ~
Rome is that established By the late Plus N aud
carried on by his in the Vatican, in st.
Peters Mr. Potter referred to the great public chari
ties of the Church. such the ST. Bernards Hospico,
the Syrapon and others. Between eighteen thousand
and twenty-five thousand persons are annually fed at
ST. Beruars at an expense Of over GO 900 francs and
only one out Of every sixteen pay for what they get
And this has been done for more than nine hundred
years. And yet nearly every one Of us. Mr. Potter
said would berate the Catholic Church if she should
eat free meal at any Of church tables. He
could think of England but with contempt for having
stolen all her magnificent cathedrals from the Catho-
DR. Fulton--That was right.
OUR DEBT TO ROME.
Mr. Potter continuing believed that very few of US
know or realize how much We are indebted to Rome
for ethical culture She is the patron OF art as
well as of music. Her unity and aim IS to please the
people, and this is the side that the traveller sees
everywhere. The way to rule men in the Church OF
Rome is secondary matter The work Of the future
he believed is be the reformation of that Church.
The better informed teachers OF that Church. he said
teach very little different from ourselves. In heart
church Qaughter). have been always taught, he
said, that there is nothing good in Ronanisn, but
know that is not He referred to the numbers,
devotion and spirit of the Church "a worthy of
admiration and imitation, and said that many OF the
churches Of Chrstendom to-day cannot hold them
selves free from charges OF persecution for con-
sciences sake. Professionalism must not condemn the
Roman Catholic Church until she does for the people
what that Church is doing
ROME NOT SO RosEATE As POTTER PAINTS.
The Rev. Mr.. Symonds was in Europe over a year
ago and he was disgnsted with whit he saw in
bod her RrOt th4r ftpr's
ment was lie or the Word Of God is a lie. lSensa-
tion.) [Mr. symonds afterward apologized for this
Cathedral to the man? Brother Potter has pictured
the services in the churches. but has sald nothing
about the and sins OF the priests and people i'll
the cities. 1t is more of sin in Catholic En-
rope for a man to wear his hat in church than to
swear or get drunk. RevJ Q. Adams saw little OF
Romanism in France and it impressed him as very
puerile thing. The people made fun of the priests
and condemned them wherever he went. There was
respect at all paid to the representative OF the
Church. DR.. j. 3. Smith, OF Peekskill.
in Florence at Christmas time in 1878, and he
saw nothing like the !. crowds that brother other
day there were 800 people; screen was pushed back
and image about the size Of two-year-old baby.
dressed like discarded doll, revealed TO view,
and priests and people fell their knees before it.
He in Rome in January and went with his ladies
to the ceremony OF blessing the horses but his
own pair were the only horses blessed He was dis
gusted with the idolatry. DIR. Hoyt was glad that
Brother Potter opened his eyes SO wde put was sorry
He had two allegations to make against the Roman
Catholic Church The first s that sne puts right In
the place Jesus Christ, and then herself defines
what is right The second Is that she indorses the
deception Of the people by means OF rags
and relics. He himself saw ut Cologne Cathedral
the skulls Of the three wise men who came to see
the infant Jesus. They were skulls picked up
by priests somewhere and palned off as those OF
tile wise men. He favored gathering methods OF
industry from Rome. but not such methods as lately
prevailed in the Cathedral fair i'll this city. zap
plause Brother Potter replied to the structures Of
his brethren He deprecated the spending of Amer
lean money Baptis. missions in Rome and Paris.
In the latter at the principal service Sunday he
found seventeen Frenchmen present; and yet that
mission costs thousands Of dollars annually. In
Rome deception is practsed by multiplying the same
sregation by the number OF services and then
porting the aggregate the number of persons who
have heard the Gospel during tAe year.
SO many brethren desired discuss the great ques
tions involved in Brother Potters address but vino,
though the session protracted until haltpast one
p. M, had not chance to speak, that DR.. Thomas
moved and the Conference accepted the question for
discussion, to Wills the Church OF Rome the
Beast or the Revelation ~ Dir. Sampson is to open
the debate next Monday morning.