The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1904-02-20
The transaction just completed
seems to be satisfactory to all the par.
ties concerned.
Disconnected Preachers.

tire Catholic standard ami Times II
that city. 1t was To the effect that the
late Archbishop Corrigan, of New
York, had received over five hundred
letters from Protestant preac' els
wanting to join the Catholic Church,
provided they could be assured that
their wives and children would be
cared for. Father Gillespie was asked
by reporter for further verfcation
of the statement and replied: II we'll
remember the occasion. 1t happened
about five years ago while I was Civ
ing mission just outside New York
city. Archbishop (then Bishop Far
ley was giving the sacrament of con-
firmation the same Sunday afternoon.
Sensational events were happening in
the Protestant churches about that
time, and our conversation naturally
turned toward them. The reception of
DR.. Briggs by the Episcopalians after
his trial for heresy and the resulting
protest of many of the church men,
bers, and the accusations against DR..
De Costa and his answer to Bishop
Potter, accompanied by his letter of
resignation from the Episcopal Church,
which was published broadcast, had
made troublous times for our separ-
ated brethren. Bishop Farley said
there was nothing surprising about DR..
De Costa's joining the Catholic
Church; that Archbishop Corrigan had
in his possession letters from over five
hundred ministers of various denomi-
nations offering to join the Catholic
Church if only their wives and chill
dren should be provided for. No other
conditions were attached nor further
arguments necessary. They were con-
WINGED. They were ready. They fully
believed that the Catholic Church was
the true Church of Christ and we're
anxious to join. All! to how many of
our separated brethren in the ministry
has this worldly reason proved self
created barrier to entrance into the
fold of the one true Church,
One may at first be startled by this
statement, but when we look about
and see the efforts preachers are put
to to keep their congregations, one
must conclude that they sooner or
later must doubt their position, and if
they are in earnest, they will turn to
the Church with wistful eye! alas!
perhaps only turn, but never make the
step that will bring them to the home
of peace and rest.
Pulpit posings is what recent writ
er calls the ludicrous efforts of many
to draw a crowd to their Sunday SER
mons. Not long ago a preacher adj
vertised to talk on the subject of "a
Kitchen-Crazy Old Maid" and 10 and
behold! it was no more, no less, than
the Gospel story of Mary and Martha.
Rev. Charles Sheldon, OF Topeka,
Kan, who some years ago gained no.
toriety by getting hold OF newspaper
and running it for week in the way
he thought daily paper should be
managed, has lately hit upon the plan
of entertaining his Sunday audience
with feats of jugglery. He took three
oranges into the pulpit and at certain
point in his discourse took them and
began whirling them in the air, and
then presently took big butcher knife
and added it to the trio of oranges, no
doubt to the wonder and edifcation of
his flock. DR.. Parkhurst of New
York, keeps telling his people that the
lid has been taken off of hell and that
New York is the nearest point to the
opening.
Another, an Ohio Gospel expounder,
takes deck of cards into the pulpit
and shows how expert he is i'll shut.
fling them, to illustrate the evils of
gambling, while on another occasion,
wishing to preach against the use of
tobacco, he takes rabbit into his pull
pit and places upon its tongue some
drops of nicotine from a vial and al
lows the animal to expire in the pres
ence of his people. An editorial writer
on a prominent daily suggests that if
Rev. Sheldon, of Topeka, so perfects
his skill as to be able to draw two rab-
bits and a guinea pig out of plug hat,
it is extremely doubtful whether he
will save even one soul thereby.
Save souls? Gracious! these pulpit
Founders are not after souls-they are
after dollars and notoriety. No Won
der some minds outside of the Church
are rapidly growing Disguised and
drift away from all religion and into
indifferentism or open infdelity. Some
time ago, I asked prominent men,
Der OF the Chicago legal fraternity
practical Catholic-what he thought
was the cause of so many lawyers of
his city giving their attention to such
nonsense as Christian Science. His
answer was: "They are disguised
with Protestantism-they will not ex-
anime the claims of the Catholic
Church, for they consider that church
outside the field of consideration, and
hence their Unborn desire for some re-
ligion makes them grasp at any and
every novelty, no matter how full of
folly"