Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1879-03-04
tuesday EvenInr, march 4.lszo.
. PERE HYACINTHE's CHURCH.
A Paris Theater Transformed into a
House Of Worship,

A correspondent of the World,
writing from Paris, says;
Father Hyacinthes new church,
the Eglise CatholiQue Gallieane. was
opened yesterday in a building, { Rue
Rochechouart, formerly known as the
Folies-M ontholon Theater. a fact
which has inspired the Ultra-mOn-
tanes and lie Figaro to dub ii les
Folies Loyson.' AT the extremity of
a court is the church, with q simple
facade inscribed Eglise CathOlique
Gallicane' and s|urmounted bya cross.
1t will seat with some c%rowding about
twelve hundred people, for whose ac-
eommodatiOn plain straw chairs are
provided. At the extremity of the
building is the altar, simply adorned
with four tapers, bands Of ivy and
vases of flowers, with an open bible in
the center and a tabernacle surmount-
ed by a silver cruciix. On the wall
behind is a large cross in pOlychrome,
but without any figure upon it. On
one side is the pulpit, just high enough
to enable the preacher to command
his audience on the other a small
organ. The light comes from above
and the ceiling is painted blue, with
white stars.
" Every effort, it is understood, was
made to prevent Father Hyacinthe
from obtaining the permission Of the
authorities to conduct his services,
such permission being necessary in
view Of the fact that a public gather
lug Of more than twenty persons was
contemplated. The efforts, however,
failed. An immense crowd of sight
seers was in attendance long before
the hour fixed for the service to begin,
and as soon as the doors were opened
the curious thronged in, invaded even
the reserved seats and took possession
of the building. The behavior of
those present was rather worse than
that Of the average French audience
bent on enjoying a sensation the
women cquabbled and fought for seats,
many Of the men remained covered
during the service, there were fire.
quent rows about oy%ercrowding, and
twice there were frequent disturb
auces when Catholics and Free
Thinkers protested against the preach
er's doctrines. The throng Of curious
Catholics and sympathetic Prot
estants was so large that there was
no saying how many, if any, Old
Catholics the preacher had in his fol-
lowing, but common rumor places
their number at fromtwelve to twenty.
Among them we're Nine. Loyson and
her little boy. Father Hyacinthe,
who wore a black soutane. a muslin
surplice without embroidery and a
white silk stole, after praying silently
at the foot Of the altar took the bible.
made the sign of the cross and read
two portions Of scripture then from
the pulpit preached his inaugural ser,
mon, defining and defending his doe.
trine as strictly Catholic, practice,
which he regards as unlawful interpO
lations being rejected. At interval
there was music and singing in Latin
and at the conclusion a collection wa
taken up and presented at the altar
Father Hyacinthe was in excellen
voice and delivered an eloquent ad
dress in spite of the extremely unfa
vorable surroundings. |. is impossi
BILE to say what measure of success, /
any, his experiment will meet with
but the Protestant clergymen VIII
sympathized with him have Tough
rather shy at the critical moment, tn
Catholics deride and donounce hin
vehemently, and the Old Catholi
movement elsewhere in Europe is nc
in a h%ourishing condition at presenI
When, however, as will be the cas-
next Sunday, Father Hyacinthe come
90 celebrate mass, assisted by a prizes
who was not present yesterday, ther
will most certainly be avery large
not a particularly devOut audienc
present.
1t is rather singular that while ].
Figaro is abusing the preacher, in L
Gaulois a chroniQueur, who does ne
usually avoid a theme that is sens;
tional or scandalous, should have nj
dertaken his defense and declare
Father LoysOn a conscientious an
honest man, "a Christian as great
his misfortune as ever he was in h
glory, who deserves something bett,
than abuse.