Evening journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1888-1932, 1890-12-01
ARCHBISHOP RYAN TALKS
OUR CHRISTIAN CIVILIZATION AND
HOW TO PRESERVE 1T.


Founded Must ne Preserved Case
ard Enact OF Christian Civilization
} Compared With Pagsnisra.
Most Reverend p j. Ryan, Archbishop
of Philadelphia. one Of tho most cele
bgated orators in the Catholic Church.
leetured yesterday afternoon In the
Opera House before large audience His
subject was "Our Christian Civilization
and How TO Preserve It." Seated on tia
stage were Bishop Curtis. Thomas f.
Bayard, Judge j Frank Bali, b njamiu
Nields, @ q Rumfocd. State Senator
John p. Donahoe Vicar General Lyons.
Rev. Fathers Fallon. Bermingham Dol
lard. Bradford ana Father 11mmons Of
Chester.
The lecturer spoke for two hours dur
ing which time he held the audience
spell bound by his eloquercs. Afer pay.
ing a suitable tribute to Bishop Curtis
lie passed on TO the eubect Of the even
ing 10 some 1t might appear that
Christian civilization Is priced too highly
to be ever parted with But there Ia
danger Of It's being lost 1t is founded
on doctrines aud principles and IL these
be weakened or removed its beniiicent
effect will be weakened or removed also
1
be preserved by preserving the cause
that produce them. Men of profound |
learning and deep philosophical knowl- |
edge are beginning to ask whether it is |
possible for the frame work to hold to- |
getber without the cohesive force. Chris. |
tianity is theme hard to be defined. n |
is so universal that philosophy cannot do |
without It. infidelify deny 1t, or skepti- |
cism doubt Its existence Edmund |
Burke came near TO defining II when he |
said. 1T Is the spirit OF gentleman, |
the spirit OF society and OF all that is |
brave and manly. 1t is the image Of |
God the spirit that eleystes man aud |
puts him on an equal footing with his |
fellows" 1t unites in us all that is
brave and manly In man, with ali that is |
gentle in woman. We look to man for |
strength, fortitude and bravery TO women |
for sweetness, gentleness, mildness and |
endurance in adversely Now could we
collect all the virtues possessed by msn
kind as whole into one individual, we |
should have then true representation |
Of Christian civilization. Such one was
the Saw lur of mankind He went
through every indignity TO produce this
| civil cation He was strong and brave |
of plastic mould, who did rot fear the
scowls of the scribes nor the ieers OF
Pharisees, but arose with the foundations
of Christianity the model Of a man Let
us go along the pathway of humanity
and see mankind stabbed by the in
humanity of his fellowman Behold
Christs presence in the midst az the
wounded, bending over and administer
ing 20 the wants of suffering strangers,
whispering words of comfort and kind
ness 10 them.
/ II Al
terion Ut good A thug TO bs good must
be useful, hence deformed children were
cast into the river and she banks
Of the Yellow Tlber ran thick with
the bodies Of children guilty OF nothing
but that they had been deformed
Ancient Rome and Classic Greece pro-
dueec everything necessary for Chris
tianity and vet Aristotle tells as In his
historic volumes about the barbarian OF
Z the ancient Greeks Even under the
wise regime OF Scion the bodies of little
! children we're torn BY the dogs, and II
was never remembered that they had an
immortal soul. Ia those days also
woman was but the white slave Of man
polygamy degraded her for man was the
instrument and the slave of passion
but at the dawn Of Christianity Hhr
was elevated, because for nine
| K
moving temple Of the divinity Plato QUE
of the greatest of pagan philosophers.
advocated a community OF wives, ano
this was the highest doctrine OF pagsn-
! ism. Since Christianity woman cannot be
despised, for when the son is Adored the
mother must be esteemed. Even the
fallen woman. who is lost to her kind, an
outcast and 8 wandeIe. from virtue and
society, has many good qualities They
exist in numbers I'm the houses OF the
Sisters OF the Good Shepherd, dead to the
world, but often they eclipse IN charity
the sisters who taught them 70 he viritu-
Gus; so that have often thought OF the
goodness Of the bad people and the bad
ness Of the good.
In Pagan Rome alec, poverty was
vicious aud the poor were cast into the
Tib.r, lest they might become q burden
! to the rich Thus for centuries poverty
knelt a. the feet OF wealth. but Chris
tianty brought wealth 10 the feet OF
poverty. With al its pomp n I'd splendor,
nothing could be more barDarons than AZ
ancient Roman triumph Kings ano
princes. noble warriors and brave men
we're thrown into the arena Of the am
phitheatre 60 be butchered ia cold blood
and the blood OF the victim was passed
around in cups to be slipped By this bar
barons spectators A holy monk who
: sprang into the Arena, protested against
the OsrbaFous act, and lost his life by SO
2 doing. caused the scene never to be re-
7 peated. for all that was good and noble
9 in men rose up in rebellion against the
Z repetition
There is only one way OF preserving
: Christian civilization and that is By pre-
E serving thu doctrines on which Il Is
founded It's defects are but the defects
9 OF mankind. There is nothing to c ,ntrol
or bride our passion except it be the
knowledge that there is higher tribunal
!. which sees mems hearts aud will punish
: them for their misdeeds Honor the
knowledge OF right and everything else
would be sacrificed at the mandate OF
passion. Let us preserve those doctrines
and principles on which Christianity IL
founded and we shall have in time Q new
world. which will eclipse in glory tn.
n splendors OF the old
Misses Refer Jackets