The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-12-18
Henry Austin Adams Lectures on
the Great ECCIesiast and
Writer at Mechanics Hall
HIS WRITINGS ARE
UNIVERSALLY READ
Through Him the World Was Al
lowed to View CathoIiCity and
Catholics Saw the World


minister in the church of England, and
now convert to the Catholic faith,
gave the first of a series of four lee
lures in Mechanics hall last evening,
for the benefit of st. Johns church.
Mr.. Adams talked on Cardinal New
man, and his graphic description of
the impressions made upon him by the
life of the celebrated Catholic divine,
gave him complete power over large
audience.
1t was his first appearance on the
lecture platform in Worcester, and his
fame as an orator, which had preceded
him, did much toward attracting the
large audience. Since his conversion,
he has appeared many times on the
lecture platform, and for some time
has been one of the regular lecturers
at the Catholic summer school at
Plattsburg. His lecture was interest
ing and instructive, and showed that
he was thoroughly familiar with the
life of his subject 1t was also the
first public appearance of Rt Rev.
Mgr Thomas Griffin, pastor of ST.
Johns church, since his trip to Europe,
and as Mgr. Griffin arose to introduce
the speaker of the evening, he was
warmly greeted.
Rev. Michael T. O'Brien, curate at
st. Johns, introduced Mgr Griffin, and
thanked the audience for Drawing the
disagreeable weather to salute their
pastor, and also to do honor to Mr.
Adams. A quartet, composed of Mi
chael w. Handlin, Robert Dow, John
F. Mccartney and Edmund Hunt, sang
Cardinal NeWman's famous hymn,
Lead, kindly light" previous to Mgr.
Gritfin's remarks, and were warmly
applauded
Mgr. Griffin said in part: "It gives
me great pleasure to be able to be with
you this evening, and to do honor to
our celebrated lecturer. I would not
have been able to be here tonight had
the original program of my visit to the
old world been carried out Doubtless
the day is coming when the great glory
Of England shall melt before that Of
Ireland, the land that this great ma
ton conquered. Ireland shall conquer
this greater foe, not by deadly war
fare, but by spiritual arms, and the
day is not far off when England shall
return to the Catholic fold Fifty years
ago I saw Rev. Father Spencer beg
ging prayers in the streets of Irish
cities for the redemption of England,
and feel that the day is coming when
those prayers shall be rewarded. 1t
gives me great pleasure to introduce to
you this evening Mr.. Adams and |
feel that we shall all be pleased to
| listen to the history of the author of
that famous hymn, Lead, kindly light,
by so celebrated a man as Mr.. Adams. -
| Mr.. Adams said in part: Ladies and
gentlemen-You must forgive me this
evening II I speak rapidly and abandon
all attempts at rhetorical figures and
flowers of speech, as / have a great
deal to say. to you, and intend to say
1t in as few words and as concisely as
possible.
ut may seem strange, but when 1
accepted this invitation from your pas
tor to speak before you this evening,
he not only sent the request for me to
appear, but he also requested that I
take for my subject, Cardinal New
man..
Everywhere I 20, people want to
hear of Cardinal Newman, even in
places where pastors of churches can
only get together very small audi
ence; it is the first request of all that
I tell them of this great man. We
Americans. We are hard headed, and
always striving to do something to turn
a dollar. We do not have time to con-
slider religion, but for half hour on
Sunday and from that time until the
hustle and hustle from morn to night,
trying to dig out something new and
trying to unravel some mystery that
must be solved
Cardinal Newman, man who spent
many years in oxford university and
who mover heard Of the new woman,
Is revered and remembered by all.
That famous hymn which was written
by him, can be found in any congrega-
/ Z t1n ovid zoI4 =
is sung by the Baptists, the Method
lists, the Unitarians, the Quakers, and
1t is even getting so that now the He
brews sing it.
This great man, Cardinal Newman,
who never hustled and hustled about,
who never engaged in a controversy,
who never did alarming things, is
known the world over and his memory
is a great factor in the history Of the
nineteenth century. He never heard of
a Friday afternoon club and he was not
a<man who believed that by the APP
! pointment of a committee the world
could be converted
| If | had for my subject this evening
Cardinal Manning, what an easy time
| would have to illustrate. to you the
great ability of man to cope with the
worldly problems He was a man who
would go out when the EMPLOYEES
strike and arbitrate between employer
and employee. He would preach this
Sunday in his church on sacramento,
| penance and pew rents, and next Sun
/ day he would talk about sanitary
plumbing, an eight-hour day, which is
the only working day that one Chris
tian could ask another to work; he
would talk of all things of worldly in
terest and hustle about, ever watchful
Of the interests of his fellow men.
! On the other hand there is Cardinal
Newman, both converts and where YOU
can find about the country one man
who knows of Cardinal Manning you
will find 1000 who know of Cardinal
Newman. Cardinal Newman, the man
who took John Bull-the Gibraltar of
ngeableness-by the horns and
made him see something new. Change to
an Englishman is unknown. Take an
! Englishman. He goes about in his tweed
suit his monocle in his eye and his
! guide book in his hand, and wherever
you find him he will never see anything
to change him. He will order the same
meal in India that he ordered in Picca-
dilly, and in the most remote confines
of the universe you will still find him
wearing the same tweed suit, that
same monocle and that same guide book
in his hand If he sees something that
cannot be found IN his home country
and appeals to him, he will simply
exclaim, Extraordinary" We have
| got to respect him for that earnestness
which characterizes him and for his
ability to poke ahead.