St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1896-01-19
TWO GREAT DIVIuES
CHATS WITH GIBBONS AND TAI
MAGE ON LIVE RELIGIOUS
MATTERS.
A UNIVERSAL CATHOLICISM
IS THE HOPE OF THE CARDINAL
YIS ANSWER TO CARE PRIESTS
HYPOCRITESV
A UNIVERSAL CATHOLICISM
| UNIVERSAL CHRISTIANITY.
suits of His Travels Among
the Missionaries.

WASHINGTON, Jan. 16.-I give you
today interviews which I have just
had with two of the greatest leaders
of religious thought in the United
States. I refer to his eminence, James,
Cardinal Gibbons, Of Baltimore, and
the Rev. T. Ee Witt Talmage, of Wash
ington. Cardinal Gibbons is the broad
est and the biggest man in the Catho-
lie church. DR.. Talmage is the broad
est and one of the greatest of the
Protestants. My interview with Car
dinal Gibbons took place in the car
dinaPS house at Baltimore. This is
q big gray-stone building of many
rooms, situated in the heart of the
city, just back of the cathedral Pass
Ing UP wide stone steps to the front
door, you press an electric button. The
door opens and you are confronted by
negro boy of a gingerbread hue, who
takes your card, puts it on a silver
platter and carries it In to the car
dinal. In the meantime he directs you
to one Of the audience parlors, and
you wait your turn. Cardinal Gibbons
is the head of the Catholic church in
the United States. He has many call
crowds almost equal to those of the
president at the White house. My
meeting was by appointment, and after
few moments 1 heard the swish of
the skirts which announced the ap-
proach of the cardinal. He was dressed
in gown Of dark cloth, embroidered
with red. which fell from his neck
to his feet. A skull cap Of bright red
covered the crown Of his head, and up
on his wedding finger, the third finger
Of the left hand, he wore the great
sapphire ring which is one of the en-
blemS of his clerical rank He offered
me his hand, and led me to a seat
near the window AS he talked 1 had
good chance to observe his features
Cardinal Gibbons has a ver-- strong
face. His forehead is high and mar
row, reminding you somewhat of some
of the pictures of Napoleon Bonaparte
taken during his boyhood His eyes
are blue and kindly, his nose large
and straight, and his mouth strong
out gentle. He is slender, rather than
portly, and his form is the personifica-
ton of nervous activity. He is now
sixty-one years old, but he does not
look to be more than fifty. He is a
man of ideas, and is full of plain.
practical common sense. He is a pa
triotic American, anC no one can talk
with him without being impressed bv
the humanity and brotherly love which
shows out in his features. Our talk
was more Of a chat than set inter
view, and I give it much as it oc-
CURED.
A UNIVERSAL RELIGION.
My first question was as to whether
his eminence thought there would ever
be universal religion
He replied: Il hope SO, but when it
Will come 4 cannot say. The world is
becoming more Christianlike every day.
and we are, L hope, gradually nearing
the time when there will be universal
Christianity"
| here asked whether he thought that
this universal religion would be the
Catholic religion. He replied with the
same answer, IT hope So" and in re-
Spouse to my questions gave me some
reasons of the wonderful growth of the
Catholic religion. Said he: "Of course.
l believe the Catholic religion to be the
best OF all religions. 1t is adapted to
all the needs of mankind and man II
is fitted for the elevation Of his so,,l
for the guidance of his conduct, and for
the satisfaction Of all his spiritual
wants. tits fitted for the poor as well
as the rich. We welcome the poor. I
think, more than do other churches
and there is no difference in the treat
ment Of them in the church. They
kneel at the same confessional. and as
far as possible, they are on the Same
footing in the church. 1 do NOT
mean to say that there is not much
good in the Protestant religion. but 7
think that nearly every other church is
lacking in some particular The Catho-
lie church is complete. It has the good