The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-05-02
rornE DAME AND ms PREACHER.
The Most Famous of Partisan Churches and
the Successor of Pere Hyacinthe.

the Successor of Pere Hyacinthe.
D. WI. Hayaie. In San Francisco Chronicle.
It is Of Notre Dame. its preacher and his SER
mon that l am going to tell you to-day. The
church was commenced in 1l63 1t took more
than 200 years to build it, and the fourteenth
century was nearly over before it was COM
pleted. Notre Dame is not building that be-
longs exclusively to any distinctly characterized
epoch; it is neither Roman nor Gothic, but rath-
or a transition from one to the other, and each
succeeding generation has left on il a distinct
stamp Of their times. The facade must former
ly have been of much greater majesty than 1t is
now. With the accumulated dust of ages, the
level of the surrounding streets has so arisen as
to force the removal of a flight of eleven
steps that once led up to the threshold
The two square towers 204 feet high,
and contribute largely to the simple
proportions of the front, which possesses an ele-
eance that seems almost inspired by some vague
xeminscence of Greek art A magnificent chime
Of bells once hung in the towers, but they were
sent to the melting-pot in 1872 to be cast into
cannon only the famous bourbon was spared
and for awile whenever the excited Parislans
heard its deep voice booming over the city, they
snatched I'D their arms and hurried to the Hotel
Gle Vile to take a hand in the row which it was
the signal for. To prevent this it was taken
down in 1874, and was not replaced until eight
years later. The form Of the cathedral is that
Of Latin cross, 800 feet long from the threshold
to the wall of the apsis and 144 feet broad from
the door of the north to that of the south tran
sent The vaulted roof of the nave and choir is
104 feet above the pavement, and from the double
aisles which surround nave and choir open
Twenty-Five chapels. a baptistry, treasure
house. sacristy and chapter-room.
In its primitive state the cathedral doubtless
presented a much more grand and savage aspect
Its doors were then heavily gded. the statues
III front were painted with bright colors. the
vaulted ceiling was blue and studded with golden
stars. the pillars covered with frescoes and
the light streaming through the stained glass
windows fell in many colored rays on the rich
robes of the clergy officiating at the high altar In
the midst of the throng of PROSTATE worshipers
all around on the walls were monuments or the
departed great ones of the nation and over the
galleries hung flags captured by French warriors
from foreign foes. The Merechal De Luxem
bourg captured so many of these that they liter
ally covered the walls When he came to attend
the TIE Deum sung in honor of his last victory
the Prince De Cont met him at the door and ex
claimed, turning to the crowd, place, Messieurs!
laissez passer le tapissier de Notre Dame" But
great changes have taken place within the last
century, and with the exception of the
occasional priest, muttering an obligatory
mass in some out-of-theway chapel, and whose
voice is lost amid the forest of pillars and re-
echoing areades, through which, like some lnys-
ferrous bat, the ghost of the hunchback
Quasimodo seems to be ever fitting hither and
tEither in search of Esmeralda, the great house
of prayer, excepting on such rare occasions as
the lenten or advent sermons of some famous
pgeacnefs belongs TO Sle0Ce, 10 SOlLUue, TO the
past and to the ubiquitous tourist. 1t Is nothing
more than an historical monument, a witness to
testify to the faith Of generations long since
passed away and forgotten. Still, if these pill
lars had voices they would be able to tell US
pretty much the whole story of French history
from the days of Philippe Augustus down 10
those of Jules Grevy. They have re-echoed the
voice of st. Dominick and heard that of Ray
mond VII kneeling barefooted and in his shirt
20 abiure his heresy. They saw Henry vi of
I'D e Gx1o
later Charles VII coming to return thanks for
she recovery of his capital.
Last Sunday when entered Notre Dame
found its aisles and nave packed with crowd
numbering many thou ,ands, come like myself to
hear Pere Mousabre preach his last conference
for the ienten season of 1885. At the door men
were selling the preceding Sundays lecture and
Offering US, as We passed, the Semaine Religeuse
In the same tone and with the same accents that
had heard on the preceding evening the same
fellows crying journals ON the boulevards. AL
most in the vestibule was a frame in which were
exhibited photographs of the preacher in pretty
much the same way as those of pretty actresses
and popular comedians are displayed in the YES
tibule Of theater To enter the nave had to
pay three cents. but this also entitled me to a
rush bottorfied chair. Those who wished could
occupy standing room in the aisies without
paying, and as only men are admitted to
the nave the ladies were banished to the gal
leres. The dense mass of black coats which
filed the nave were. evidently, for the most part
on the backs OF believers, and there was a thick
sprinklng of seminary students in ugly black
gowns and white bands From the high altar came
the voice of the priest informing the mass; then
that of the chorister chanting the prayer, SAT
tende Domino, ct Miserere, quia peccavimus
tibi, which seemed like that of bird singing in
/ the midst of a stone forest; then more voices
took up and repeated the refrain, and presently
half dozen high ecclesiastical dignitaries and
thirty odd priest filed into the incosed space of
reserved seats directly in front of the pulpit,
Sthe opposite side of the wide nave.
Preceded By the tall SUISSE or beadle, in gold
laced coat, red small clothes and white stock
ings, who wears a plumed cooked hat on his
head, sword at his side and punctuates each
stride with ringing blow on the stone pave
ment from drum majors gold-headed cane, the
preacher, Pere Mousabre, makes his appearance
and traverses the twenty or so yards that sep
arate sacristy from the steps of the tall pulpit,
in which he presently appears and kneels for a
few seconds in silent prayer, while everybody
coughs, or blows his nose, or makes other prep
arations for giving attention to the sermon.
This is Mousabres fourteenth lenten season at
Notre Dame, in pit where his predecessor
was Pere Hyacinthe--now plain M. Loyson.
There are some who assert that he is marquis,
and that he became priest in obedience to
family tradition which requires all males of
the race to be either soldiers of the state or
of the cross and there is certain arstocratc
ring about his name. But there are others who
say he is of obscure bourgeoisie family of
Blois, where he was born in 1927. He was edu-
!, Gated by the Brothers of the Christian Doctrine
at the village school of Cour Cerveny, where his
,aimpish tricks are still remembered by those who
used to predict that he would certainly come to
no good end. For while he was vicar Of a
country parish, of which his brother was cure,
albnd then he became monk of ST. Domnick
Ind is now one of the most famous orators of
chat celebrated preaching order. Besides his
ecclesiastical duties, Mousabre loves music and
poetry. He will turn off an acrostic or fill I'D q
ri me- "a a he on
every conceivable instrument or composes pref
~ little morceaux, which are not always of q
religious vein.
81 He has strong jaws a square chin, large
mouth, and the head and his Short thick-set
powerful body those of a robust peasant but
the face is not without beauty, and is we'll set
of by the black hood of his Inonastic gown as
are also the large but shapely hands by the wide,