The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1883-10-03
FATHER RYAN WHITING IionE.
North and SOnth Cont. nsied-The Soutl
Ahtad from Religious Point fFlew.

|
Ahead from n Religious fointofFiew.
Litter to N. o. TiH,ss. DeaOcrGt
Indeed, in the material order, Boston,
and the North in general, are so years
ahead Of the South. Prosperity smiles on
you everywhere. Everybody geems 10 be
In hurry. They talk fast, walk fast, make
money iast-sometimts lose il fast, but just
as fast recover from lis loss. Their mGnia
lis no longer politiCs-it Is money mania.
They have no time Tor politics and its talk
aud troubles and tortuous workings, save
month or two before the elections. But
| Il in material prosperity these Northern
people are so far In advance OF the South,
they a:e behind them in religious point
Of view. Among members Of oil churches,
and even here and there among sub.
ects Of the Catholic Church, you will find
growth OF materialistic opinion and
very much so-called freethinking, great
deal of real and practical in6delity, and
here and there downright, II not an up.
right, atheist Ingersoll has large follow
ing. Young men goaa far as the front Of
the churches just before service closes to
see the ladies' and Escort them home; aud
there are thousands there who have never
passed the threshold OF church. | met
a young lady only in her teens, who told
me she was an atheist. Yet, side by side
with the darker aspect OF the religious
condition OF things, there Is brighter side
OF the picture. stayed with the Jesuits,
and as they keep records OF the spiritual
condition OF their churches was informed
that in their church alone 65,000reCeived
communion dnrinp the wear
Once read in some Southern paper-it
occurs to me it was in New Orleans-a re-
buke to the people for their loose obsery-
ance, non.observance OF Sanday-and the
model Sunday presented to their imitation
was an Anglo.Saxon or q New England
Sabbath. Well, when was in England l
saw the observance Of those Sundays, one
in Liverpool, one in London, and Easter
Sunday in Manchester. The churches were
empty and the people were at home or had
gone on excursions to eDjov themselves.
Que Sunday, while was in Boston, one Of
the journals next day gave statistics in re.
gard to Sunday observance, and stated that
on boats and railroads 10000 people had
gone off to enjoy themselves in the neigh
boring towns and in pleasure resorts, and
that about 1000 more went to spend their
Sunday in gardens, parks, and other places
OF enjoyment. l do not write this for
the purpose OF drawing invidious COMPARE
sons, but merely to show thGt nowadays q
New England Sunday is very much like a
New Orleans Sunday. As long as any class
OF people confines public religious sarvice
to one or two days in the week, can read.
lily understand that they, like some OF the
old, who blamed the Lord and His disciples
for conduct unbecoming the Sabbath,
should hold and advocate exaggerated opin.
ion, in regard to Sunday obligations. Nor
is II my purpose to blame them for such
opinions, for it is clearly none Of my bust.
ness. II al! the churches had daily SER
vices, so that every day would be in a way
AS It is in the Catholic church--a quiet
weekday Sunday, It seems to me that they
would take the same lenient view Of the
Sabbath, as they call it, expressed by Christ,
when he said: "The Sabbath was made
for man-not man for the Sabbath"