Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1883-09-21
THE POET PRIEST.
Father Ryan, the Songstsr Of
the South,
On the Lecture Platform - HIS Talk on
the Relations of the Church With
Modern Civilization.

Father Ryan, in his lecture, last night,
said he was no pessimist. 1t would indeed
be difficult to believe one could be pessi-
mist, through whose poesy shone such
heart and throbbed such brain as through
his sweet songs. Yet he took q rather pes
simistic view Of the present state OF ciYili-
zation. ! was one Of the large crowd that
made up his audience at the Cathedral and
with the others, listened with pleas
ure and satisfaction TO his lecture. He
is a singular and yet q winning and
impressive talker. l imagined, as listen
ed, that it was a reverie put in language;
that thoughts rushed upon him faster than
he could frame them in language; that he
gave utteraDce to what crowded in his
mind, satisfied Of their greater force and
conviction, through sheer naturalnes9 and
earnestness, than through any Of the gilt
tering generalities laid on by so many plat.
form orators. His appearance helped out
in this. Imagine man OF medium height,
clothed in the cassock of his profession;
smooth, round face, blue eyes and light
brown hair sweeping his shoulders give
him flexible, full and even
sonorous voice and easy, eloquent
gestures, and Father Ryan is before your
minds eye. Though he comes from the
South, he has nothing in appeorau or ac-
cent indicative of that land. His appear
ance and ascent both SAVIOR more o. "mer-
RE England"
Having read many of the sweet songs of
poetry he has given TO the world add to
literature, Iexpected In his lecture, at least
d poetic breath. But it was all plain and
practical common sense, clothed 10 words
10 suit, with only an occasional burst into
beautiful language as he was inspired and
rose with the subject. | cannot begin TO
tell what he sand aud shall not try, other
than the merest outline.
He cane into the chancel, accompanied
10y Bishop Kahn, Monsignor Sullivan and
other clergy, but was not formally intro.
duceG, saying he need none such; that q
priest, in the church of his faith, standing
in the cassOCk, required no introduction.
He at once plunged into his theme, the
Church and Modern Civilization" In his
view. the grand and material civilization OF
the nineteenth century sadly lacked the
great spiritual element and showed great
md rapidly increasing divergence from
public religious faith. Everything
had been subUrdinated to one grand
passion for getting rich and money mania
was the disease Of the world. Even since
the war could the deterioration be noticed,
especially in men. 1t was not the good
man who was great or the best who was
prominent. 1t was many votes and not
many virtues made the President OF the
United States. This point he elaborated
at length and then turned his attention to
the so called scientists OF the day, sum-
mUnng them before him aud out OF
heir own mouths eonyicting them.
81 believe" was the correct formula, and
uOt II know" Men do not fight and die
for an opinion, but for a conviction.
Thus, when the Reformation came upon
Europe, civilization was thurst back three
centuries. Convictions were shaken and
unsettled and men had to trust to opin-
ions. The church was driven from Ger.
many, from Switzerland, from Sweden and
frem England, and when we go there we
see the effects. And we go TO New Eng
land and see the effect there; infdelity is
increasing and spreading, beginning with
the individual, spreading to the family and
thence to the locality. And so on.
Coming on to the church, Father Ryan
showed that in it alone lay the redemption.
1t was the purifier, it the salvation. And
he closed his lecture with brilliant burst.