Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1885-11-09
AN ELOQUENT DIVINE.
Archbishop Riordan's INSTRUMENTATION
Administered to n Iarpe Glass

Administered to Large Class.
st. Roses Church was packed to its ut
most capacity at the regular service yester-
day by persons anxious to listen to his
Grace, Archbishop Riordan, whose visit at
this time was for the purpose of admins
tering the sacrament of confirmation to an
unusually large number of candidates. At
the conclusion of the high mass Cat which
the choir did itself much credit), and
which was conducted by Rev. Father
O'Connor, the Archbishop assembled the
altar, and read with great impressiyeness
the epistle and gospel of the twC.ltv-third
Sunday after Pentecost His Grace is a
gentleman about 40 years of age, of tall
and slender figure, presence dignified and
commanding, but without q semblance of
austerlty, and a countenance on which is
written the unmistakable stamp of intel
lectual power. He Wore the purple in
sigma OF his rank, being-as is
generally known-the successor of
the venerable Archbishop Alemanv, and
the head of the Church on this
coast. His delivery is somewhat deliberate
his manner quiet and graceful, his Ian
guage forcible and of the purest diction
1t was quite apparent to his hearers that he
had been perfectly trained in the art of
elocution. Indeed, there is a striking sim
llarlty--in voice, manner, facial expression.
choice of language and elegance OF diction
between the reverend gentleman and g,
we'll known citizen of California who has
for quarter of century been recognized
as one OF the foremost orators in the ma
ton.
AN ELOQUENT SERMON.
His text was based on the parable of the
husbandman who sowed pure seed but
later on discovered that an enemy had also
Sown cookies among the wheat Instead
OF abandoning the crop, however he d.
rected his reapers to separate the cookies
from the grain, burn the former and store
the latter III his barn. The reverend GEN
tleman compared the harvest to the hu-
man heart, in which evil passions are easily
implanted, and unless rooted out will in
time destroy all the nobler impulses of
humanity and drag the victim down into
the boundless abyss of sin. He counseled
his hearers to guard well the harvest-fields
of their hearts, to the end that vile and
Aoxious seeds might find no lodgment
therein. He gave clear, eloquent and
logical analysis of what he regarded as true
religion. 1t is not, he said, thing that
appeals to excitement, but to tie reason
the intellectual qualities of humanity.
AiSiC ID nv SICIllcill GInDOulpu III the
Christian religion that will not bear scru-
tiny under the microscope of reason. In
the course of his remarks he referred to the
aforementioned subject of the position taken
by the Catholic Church
TOWARD THE PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM
OF America. He said he die not. like
some others, condemn the system as
vicious, nor as having in itself a tendency
to evil. The objection that he had to offer
was that it fell short of the requirements
of mankind. 1t had been, it is true
powerful agent in the dissemination of
knowledge. 1t was capable of imparting
to the youth of the nation thorough
familiarity with arithmetic, geography.
grammar and other essential elements of
education. But nowledgc-desirable and
necessary as it may be-is not all that
men need. knowledge had enabled man
to flash his thoughts around the circuit of
the globe in amoment's time; it has studded
the sea with white-winged messengers of
commerce, and through its influence the
possibilities of art and science had been
enlarged for the benefit and endowment of
men. knowledge is great as promoter of
worldly benefits, but knowledge in itself
unaccompanied bya deeply-seated love of
God-would be powerless to help one in
the life beyond the grave.
MAN NATURE is AN EMPIRE
Even more powerful than that of knowl-
edge, and unless he receives those early
impressions of the goodness and mercy of
the Creator, upon which alone can be
grounded an enduring religious faith
merely intellectual training will fall far short
of insuring him place among the elect of
God. To give child an education, with
out religious and moral training, would be
like inviting a starving man to repast and
then placing before him dish with scarcely
enough food tor a child. The Catholic idea
is that it profits man nothing to gain the
whole world should he lose his soul. The
welfare of the soul is the one great aim of
the Church, and which she has for nine
teen centuries sought to impress upon her
children. To this extent only, he, as
Catholic, objected to the public school
system. 1t is good as far as it
all-important end to be attained
the instilling into the youthful mind of a
knowledge and love of God, through which
alone one can hope to obtain everlasting
happiness. He drew a beautiful picture of
the careful parent gathering his children
about him on resurrection day, and ex-
claiming 80, Lord these were nv trials.
and cares, and tribulations in life thew
are now my crown of glory and the sources
of eternal bliss" The reverend gentleman
manifested much feeling in his closing re-
marks.
THE CONFIRMATION.
At 3 o'clock in the afternoon the church
was again crowded with the candidates for
confirmation upwards of $50 in number)