434
 

The   Record  and   Guide.
 

April 3, 1887
 

silver dollars coined monthly. It was this addition of seven or
eight millions to our currency at this time which was one of the
main factors to prevent a stringency of money toward the end of
March. The national banks and money-lenders generally wished
%o see money tightened up, so that they could charge higher rates
for their loanable funds. So far the silver coinage has been a
splendid thing for the business of the country.
 

Our Prophetic Department.

On-Looker.—^You discoursed on a very practical subject last
week. Sir Oracle—namely, the future of New York. I would like
now to hear your opinion on a larger subject—to wit, the future of
religion, more especially the prospects of the Catholic faith and
polity in this free country. You have treated on this subject in
an incidental way in former conversations, but the extraordinary
McGlynn ovation at the Academy of Music last Tuesday night may
suggest to you some further remarks.

Sir Oracle—The subject is rather a large as well as a delicate
one to treat m a secular paper. People who are believers of any
creed are apt to be over-critical when a religious topic is being dis¬
cussed by an impartial outsider. Yet the particular question you
propound ia an exceedingly intersting one, and I am tempted to
indulge in some vaticinations as to the future of the religious
creeds in this country, and more particularly what may happen in
the Catholic Church.

On-L.—What general drift do you perceive in the course of our
religious history?

Sir O.—I think I have before discussed that special point. At
the close of the revolutionary war there were practically no
Catholics, Episcopalians, Methodists or Baptists in this country.
There were members of those sects, but they were not factors of
any account in the religious faith of that day. The churches
which were in authority and which influenced public opinion were
Republican in form and Calvinistic in theology. That is to say,
each individual church was a local Democracy of which the pastor
was the head, while the doctrines in vogue were stern and rigid
and ardently believed in at the time. One hundred years has wit¬
nessed a remarkable change—Calvinism is no longer the dominant
faith. Creeds have been and are being discredited. Hell is now
ignored very generally as a cardinal doctrine by all the orthodox
churches. One now rarely hears of total depravity as a central
religious truth. Our current religions are emotional rather than
intellectual; hence the popularity of the Methodists and Baptists.
Instead of Congregationalism we have Presbyterianism, in which
the synod instead of the Church is supreme. Then we have the
aristocratic or hierarchical churches—the Episcopalian and Roman
Catholic, which are also ritualistic. The old new England meeting¬
house would not tolerate the use of an instrument in a church
service. A paid quartette would have been regarded as an abomin¬
ation, and ceremonial worship was looked upon with abhorrence.
How remarkable has been the revolution since then. Home Rule
is no longer permitted in the churches. They are all great cen¬
tralized organizations, while, the doctrine is of less account than it
was; the emotions are cultivated by rituals and music.

On-L.—There probably is a great deal in what you say, but what
bearing has this on Dr. McGlynn and the Catholic Church ?

Sir O.—In former conversations I ventured to advance the
opinion that our daily newspapers failed to take into accounfc the
significance of the case of the ex-pastor of St. Stephens. Both
our secular and religious Protestant Church organs have taken
sides with Archbishop Corrigan against the deposed priest, yet the
latter is undoubtedly the most popular clergyman in the Catholic
Church and has an immense following of non-Catholics. Look at
the wonderful enthusiasm of the vast throng that greeted him last
Tuesday evening, as well as the unexpected applause that was
given him at the Davitt meeting in the Madison Square Garden.
Bear in mind that the newspapers were all but unanimous in say¬
ing that Archbishop's Corrigan's fiat had put an end to Dr.
McGlynn's career; thafc he would never be heard of again. A sig¬
nificant feature at the Academy meeting was the presence of other
Oatholic priests on the same platform with Dr. McGlynn.

On-L.—I don't quite see the point you are driving at. It is quite
satural that the populace should sympathize with a man who has
been persecuted for opinion's sake, even though the opinion itself
was unsound. Surely there is nothing vital in the issue presented
in this case.

Sm O.—^My point is this. The Catholic Church in the United
States is surrounded by a different environment from that which
influences its action in Europe. While the tendency is toward a
greater centralization of authority in the bulk of the Protestant
sects our free institutions develop a spirit of personal independence
which has shown itself in the case of Father McGlynn. I think ifc
is safe to say that thousands of Catholic priests sympathize with
him; not indeed in his views on the land question, but in the claim
he makes that while he must obey the Church in religious matters
he is atill an American citizen, entitled to his own opinions in
 

political matters. This is why Cardinal Gibbons has taken up the
case of the Irish American workingmen, and then it will be
noticed that the Tablet, the official organ of the conservative
Catholics, which at first approved Archbishop Corrigan's action,
now says:

Cardinal Gibbons was bound in conscience to make known at Rome
that in political matters, in social mafcters, and in all things not properly
within "faith and dogma," the masses of the American Catholics will not
tolerate unreasonable and oppressive IntrusiTeness by individuals on either
side of the ocean. The pasfc has contained too many incidents, which,- to
quote Cardinal Gibbons, had the effect of "driving the sons of the Church
into rebellion againsfc the Mother."

Then note the latest utterances of Cardinal Manning. He backs
up Cardinal Gibbons, and significantly says:

Who can know the temper of America, England and Ireland as they who
have a finger upon the pulse of the people? Hitherto the world has been
governed by dynasties; henceforth the Holy See will have to deal with the
people, and it„ has bishops in close daily and personal contact with the
people. The more clearly and fully this is perceived the stronger Rome
will be.

He further favors workingmen's guilds, and inferentially coun¬
tenances the Knights of Labor. This great English prelate is wise
enough to see that the common people and not the kings and nobles
are to rule hereafter.

On-L.—What, then, is your general judgment of the whole
matter?

Sir O.—That the Catholic Church will make concession to the
McGlynn sympathizers and may reinstate him, although he con¬
fessedly holds views on the land question which are not in
accord with those maintained by the Catholic Church in its past
history. Old Mother Church is supposed to be very rigid in its
doctrines and discipline, yet really that great organization in all
ages has been forced to tolerate differences of opinion within its
own fold. Every order within the Church was a departure from
the general custom which had to be tolerated. We attach entirely
different meanings to the word Jesuit, Jansenist, Molinest, etc.
Look also at the great number of different kinds of nuns and
monks organized to meet differences in the outward activities of
the Church. It was an eminent Roman Catholic who uttered that
noble sentiment: "In things essential, unity; in non-essentials,
liberty; in all things, charity." Hence I am inclined to believe
that the final victory will be with Priest McGlynn and not with
Archbishop Corrigan, and I also judge that the Catholic Church of
America has taken a new departure ; that hereafter the priests will
have more liberty and the prelates lees authority. But, of course,
it does not follow that the Church as an organization will ever
countenance Henry George's theories about land which seem to
have bewitched Father McGlynn.
 

A New Departure on the West Side.

The large holders of west side property are wisely making
provision for the future. Mr. Cyrus Clark recently sold twenty-
seven lots on West End avenue, between Eighty-ninth and Nine¬
tieth streets. He pledged himself to the purchaser not to build
more than three houses on the Riverside avenue front in the rear
of this property, so that the residents of houses on West End
avenue and the streets should have an unobstructed view of the
river.

Owners on Riverside avenue, between One Hundred and Six¬
teenth and One Hundred and Twentieth streets, are combining for
the purpose of definitely settling the character of that portion of
the drive. It is proposed not to build more than three ediflces on
any one block fronting the river. If this plan is adopted by the
principal owners on Riverside, it is believed it will make the prop¬
erfcy exceptionally valuable; in fact, the most desirable residence
real estate in the city. In this particular region C. R. Roberfc
owns 200 feet front, Fleming Smith 100 feet and H. N. Taber a
parcel of the same dimensions. Among the other owners of River¬
side property are C. P. Huntington, the Astor and the Goelet
estates. The property of these gentlemen is variously situated
from One Hundred and Eleventh to One Hundred and Fifteenth
street.

Still another project is under way, calculated to largely enhance
west side property. The design is to purchase two or more vacant
blocks and to build detached houses and stables on the street inside
lots, leaving the avenue or Boulevard fronts vacant for the present.
The improvements are to be of so important a character that they
will make the adjoining property held by the syndicate extremely
valuable.

All accounts agree that there is a very hopeful feeling about real
estate. As yet therejhas been no speculation in vacant property.
But it looks as though it is about to come. The number of choice
lots east of the Central Park are now very limited, and those who
desire costly houses in the future will be crowded over to the west
side, or, more properly, the northwest side of the Central Park.
The law permits the formation of land and building associationsj
and owners of real estate will find it to their advantage to combine