Telegram-herald., 1891-11-02
DR.. lGAN'S REASON WHY
STRENGTH OF TIE ROYAy CHURCH
IL is Ia UaehAsxisg easty-fressstsnt-
lam ~ WsAh saea by its Aansreas
Divisions - The Number ~ ate
ssets an Evids0ce Of kFrsr.

Hiberllan Hall was comfortably
nlied last even-n. 20 Aear or. kraneis
Diiloa,hgas tell why PROTESTANT
munster resasnej - the Roman tsttl-
ols church. f.af. III. {. baeche, "a
saIlsst OF 81. James church, played two
piano solos in excellent style AID the
speaker was introduced by Daniel
lynch.
DR.. Dillon Egan said that he had
been Tor the greater part OF his life
"a protestant, and for many years
protestant minister, and that he was
often asked the reasons for his change
OF belief. He sad: Il draw n iargs
d-ferenee between protestants an pro
testantism, that error Of religion. Man
is a bunch Of preiud.ees as well as
being OF reason, and prejudice Is al
ways obstinate. Many are the cham
pIons OF error because they have been
trained TO reason IN error. Anti-Cath-
Ollie prejudice Is the lie OF protestanlsm
Tho calummies OF 800 years have sat-
ul-ated all protestant literature. This
widespread and deep-rooted prejudice
has made its impress on science, art.
are opposed to the Catholic church
because they do not know what IT Is,
but call il a compound OF priesthood,
contradictions and craft. Children are
lost TO the church through the means
n false system Of education. Popery
Is taught to be the peryers.on of
Christianity; the church OF Rome, the
beast OF ten horns; that Catholic priest
are hypocrit.cal imposters; that mon
asteries and converts arr little better
than prisons OF iniquity; that when
people died the priest sent them to
purgatory so as TO get more money
by saying mass to get them out; that
the church OF Rome was anti-Christian
In which no one could remain with
out the sacrifice OF his eternal saliva
tion.
For myself. believing all this. be-
came n minister OF the protestant Epis-
copal church. ana was quite certain
that the Presbyterian, the Baptist and
all the other sects were in error. The
presence OF Christ in the sacrament
was denied by them all. They looked
upon baptism as merely symbolical
I asked myself why there was so little
unity among them on the matters Of
fundamental religion. l asked for in
formation OF a brother OF my own
denomination and was informed that
the Episcopalians were branch OF
the Catholbc church, refined and puri-
fled from the error OF popery. uhen
began to read the writings OF the An
glican theologians. especially the Ok
ford men. 1 discovered that many
had LETT the Anglican church and had
submitted to the claims of the Catho-
lie church. Why Gid they make such
change? What but solemn convic-
tion OF truth that men cannot resist
without imperiling their own saliva.
tion.
Ag.tated and distressed beyond meas
ure asked why such men as Newman
Wilborforce, Oakly and others had
severed the strongest ties OF social
and religious lives and gone back to
that monument OF error? Various
were the reasons given me; they were
said to be mad. OF weak minds. ambi-
t.ous. The answers were plausible,
but not satisfactory. About this time
/ went from New York to San Francis
co. and soon after / came in contact
with my bishop. At the end OF the
CONTROVERSY I went on with my vitu-
alistic services. hearing confessions.
and going through all the ceremonies
with which the Anglican church has
clothed herself. But God soon awoke
me from my delusEon. had occasion
to write to the Catholic arch bishop
ct San Francisco and he closed his
answer invoking the blessing OF the
only undivided Catholic church. ! de-
termined to answer him, and read oil /
could on the unity of the divided Cath
Ollie church. But all my searching
resulted in my humbly kneel.ng mt
the arch-bishop's feet and asking to be
received into his fold and acknowl-
edged as n Roman Catholic.
My first reason for this / found in
reading my Apostles creed. and the
Nfceac creed. The chief distinctive fea-
ture oi this church Is unity. A gentle
man said to me in st. Louis. ut Is
Rome or Reason" but I answer. 1T
is Rome and Reason" Reason tells
us that enemies cannot be divided.
therefore unity must attack to the
church OF God.
Christ among his apostles said these
words: Holy Father. keep them in
ihy nome that thou hass g M a
they may be one as we also are one"
As he himself by his visible presence
was the manifestation OF God. so he
nv his miracles was one. II must be
inward as well as outward, or 1t
would not be unity.
I hasl been all my life believing In
ono Catholic Church, and teaching all
the time the existence OF several Catho-
rc Churches. i was taught by my
high church teachers that the Anglican
Church and the Episcopal Church were
aIl branches. II I say the Roman
Church Is the trunk. how. I say. can
dead and corrupt tree have living
hranches2 II I say the Anglican
Church IL the trunk. how can IL he.
when IL did not live until the 10th
century. All Protestant churches
claim unity but at the Ecunemical
council of Methodiste in Washington
tho other day. there were twenty-ninc
different branches OF Methodists- The
military figure used by some Protes-
tants 10 prove the unity of that
church II false. because every fellow
in 10 says he IL going iust as he pleases.
without order and discipline. But
there IL great army of 100000. 900
souls. headed by one grand captain.
marching on 20 glory. ] zee inscribed
upon Sta banner IN fcttrrs of living
irht. urfty a. govc~rTne mt. unity of
discipline. unity OF action. and above
al the tals<manic words. nv this sign
from shalt conquer. The unity ~
the church that Christ built upon the
rock wnx never lost. hut men can no
~, rS.-a xsas<,er ar fhe, thev "a, ae~f~o~