The New York herald., 1879-03-09

"
apostrophizes heathensm. praises Loyoia patroniz-
ingy suspects the Church is at fault. makes his
obeisanee. and lahem y halls from Philadelphia
Rev. DIR. DeJaun Infeiiiyeacer declares that Chris
ti1ns are not IN earnest mostly hypocrites, are
more worldly minded than pagans. and that Chris
ti@nity fails to better them or theirs"
Rev. DIR. stork independentJ-"In the item OF
ecclesiastical gimcraeks Christianity is failure; and
these are leading Protestants Romeward; and these
led my friend, Rev. DIR. Cans. of the Oermsn Re
formed Church, into the Catholic fold. So went
Dr. IVES Protestant Episcopal Bishop OF North Caro-
lima; 20 went Manning. went Newman Even one
Peter Bingly il ON the qui riue. Finding Wesleyan
ism too Ike Antiinonianism UEitariansm too Ike
speak it softly atheism. Romanism too infallibe.
friend Peter ~ now his own pope IN ordinary. is
searching the scriptures. and - swinging around
wit the privileges OF her sex believes Christi ntys
forms and ceremonies will be swept away baptism
with the rest Then the Bopt.h Weekly advocates
less intellect in religion and more heart culture
Good. Next Brother W. 5. White admits "that about
quarter o. the worlds population calls Christianity
failure; fails to touch the heart OF humanity.
and the tendency OF the age is ritualism; 1t has
beea working tor 500 years. and churchism
is failure" Each OF these correspondents
goes further than do the lalleged) failure par
allel. Christs personal ministry brought but about
lzO aiherents TO Christianity. and now there are
1856 $4,000 OF Al least nominal Christians. 10
about l.065, $4,000 non-ChristiIns. And even in
Christs epoch not few of His followers turned
aside from and deserted HIM and HIS cause. Under
God the Father the Jews enjoyed theocracy; under
God the Son, jews and Geniiles alike might
have enjoyed similar government; and we
o: these last times under the gov
of God the Holy Ghost. through
the agency OF all apostolic succession For
when the blessed Lord Jesus left His beloved ones
He failed not send down the Comforter. He failed
not to commission the twelve apostles and the
seventy-two disciples to preach and perpetuate this
same Christianity. Thus John wrote some sixty
ive years after Christ's ascension. One or two Of
the earliest fathers Of the holy Roman Church one
and indivisble. conversed face to face with SAID
John. Paufs initial epistle to Rome. to the
nhrnne ane ,rrnssbe ne of fra
Peter to Leo KILL and before chaste and pious Harry
the Eighths time all the faithful in Christendom
were under ole pontihcal head. and history
repeats itself. But .'shawansbeke.' another
lady be it said. the (alleged) "utramontane
disturbance sieD trifes of the past. dead and
buried beyond all resurrection. We're they ever tan
gibly present? Poor prre Hyacinthe. wee unit
among mighty millions, merely Is forcsworn. and IL
welded as perc Luther long ago.
And lastly, "Catholicus'-E Ia Bra,er His petty
plant Is all anent desiderated canon law, dis
carded ..RoInan collar 20 Piccadilly.l, alleged
priestly punch taking eleemos, nary church 'excur
sjons. and Ia partly valid count unlicensed admit
tance charges. weak showing. truly: ior q
among his intellectual other possibilities
But away with all sectarian prejudices
preposscssions in the contemplation of such
real and vital issues We simply to discover the
causes and apply the remedy to what your editorial
tanity. Paul like anJ like Dean Stanley LET US be
all things TO all men for the saving OF some. Each
individual must needs exhort himself and then his
Dickens when he had expended all the literary force
that in him was, began to repeat himself. the
clergyman VINO DecOuietu As well run dry needs
plenshing adrought sets in in his Church and
Of 1t. Lay exhortation might here in moral
auxiliary and not ass In this regard the State might
make education more compulsory, and many sins
might well be adjudgel crimes. christianity is not
worn out superstition. There is. indeed. rotten
ness in the Church. and there il rottcnness OF
the Church Our politics. our Legislature our Judi
ciary not without corruption. Our art Is not
high Our literature too often snacks Of the gutter
Our science is haughtily irreligious Our law is lax
License IL afoo Our sociology IL epicurean. sybar-
itc. We vast, fast. last. cast, volatile.
frivolous an almost goddess people. and-viva!
eat drink and be merry, for tomorrow ye die"
SO the minister's occupation Is not gone; your
average priest and parson does his work reasonably
well. But. in the Roman communion the min
lister should be man OF men. picked tried chosen.
trained. Then the iaity OF the pews should grow up
more and more rapport with the clergy OF the pull
pits. We should hold up the hands or Moses.
We should pray to be receptive OF the preached
words of the Word of God. thus avoiding SHINING
against the Holy Ghost Alas! under the personal
preaching Of Christ Himself there were too many
bad and unreceptve listeners. Later on tie preach.
ing Of Paul fooishness to the brain-proud
Athcnians. Peter failed equally in Rome. with too
many. And to-day. when the Church ceases to be
the passive reflex of the world the csh and the devil
around about it; when 1t operates upon NAM
mon, instead OF being operated upon by
iea,-waiaea in ne sbeaps % clotsn:-ar sSmmsry
elected from the fold; when the Church visible on
earth would liken itself more and more to the
Church invisible in the heavens: when we of the
pews shall have learned to love creeds less Christ
more and neighbor ourselves Glove thyseR
last" saith the mentor); when our tastes shall have
grown simpler our wants fewer. our wishes palmer.
our hopes higher. our fears greater. our ambitions
holier, loves purcr. hates holier, lives
lowlier. and ever impending deaths cheerier
when get back to Israel In tho wilderness to tent
life to simple village life again, with Wall street
known. Fifth avenue unknown. the Five Points .
thing OF the past the Tonbs used up. and follow
ing; then--but adieu. prolcpsis!
The South Sea Islander. the New Zeaander MA
cauley's patcnt). the Afghan. the Cannibal Islands
aborignee. the Hottentot, the Esquimaux. are hap
PLY ignorant of the vices ercess OF our ultra civil
ization and the Sodoms aud Gomorrahs Of the world
are neither pagan barbarian. How make
ivilzation and Christianity more of q success 2
Faithfully yours. JAMES OWEN OCONNOR.
No. 492 vASDERBILT AVENUE. BROOKLYN.