Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1899-02-23
LECTURE AT THE REW-GENTURy CLUB

awaited him. Before treating OF bis
announced subject he said: come |
tonight under very different cifcum-
stances from when i was last in your
CITY: then our two nations seemed on
the verge of dreadful war: ljestingly
my friends we're afraid | might DO held
as a prisoner over here. Now we seem
on the verge of an intimate alliance
then | was ridiculed in America be.
cause | said. as far as England was
concerned, it was literally beyond the
bounds of possibility that we should 60
10 war with you; that the heart OF the
English people was with you and did
not agree with what our government
had done in the Venezuelan matter,
but VIC thought you had done what was
right. There was in England a cordial,
deep seated feeling towards you OF KIN
ship and fellowship that we had no
means Of proving to you until the crisis
of last year, when tho continental
powers were about to interfere to bring
pressure 10 bear CD you about Cuba,
hut the attitude OF England was such
that all idea Of this was abandoned.
So strong was the feeling that no
government in England would have
stood week if it had interiered with
you.
II don't believe in an alliance between
England and America-not a parch-
ment alliance, or league for offence and
defence; we are the same race with the
same ideas of religion and political
| liberty, and, alliance or no alliance,
treaty or no treaty, if England were in
| danger, or America in danger the two
| branches of the Anglo Saxon race
should help one another to the last.
| Your enemies and ours. the unwise
| statesmen of the last century, who
separated US under George the Third
| are gone, and we are fitting ourselves
for a common destiny. We are now
one republic and should be united in
friendship, not only for the benefit OF
our two selves, but for all the world.
If we agree we can keep the peace Of
the world and advance the kingdom Of
God on earth.
Most OF Mr.. Shaw's audience could
remember the comfort of his cordia
words when in the darkest hours Of
the Venezuelan controversy every Eng
lishman seemed an enemy, and coult
excuse the triumph of his Il told yor
SO.
Retui ming TO the subject OF his lee
ture he said Hildehrsnd was one o
the FIVE or six great men who mad
modern Europe; the master builder o
his age. OF his contemporaries one
half adored while the rest execratet
him and he still inspires either yiolen
dislike or admiration. In ecclesiastical
Billingsgate his name has been trans
posed into Brand of He'll, while hi
apoloeists rank him even higher tina
Gregory FIRST. At least he was on
who definitely influenced human pre-
: | gress. What Caesar did for ancient Rom
! he did for Rome Of the Middle Ages. II
. had the characteristics of Napoleon an
! indeed, both were descended from
. common Lombard ancestor. Hildebran
! sprang from the ranks Of the peopl'
Z his father was carpenter, but tn;
was no bar to advancement. IT
!, medieval church recognized no cla
and set the son of the peasant on Il
4 throne of st. Peter.
. His appearance was unprepossessinl
Z he was OF mean presence, low statu
4 black haired and sallow; in appearant
i much like the vulgar looking ecclesia
tics in Italy today: not profound
!, learning nor of great depth of though
: but of strong magnetic influence. II
! Countess Matilda OF Tuscany, the mo
= notable woman of Europe in 800 year
!. served him with unceasing devote
: and whole-hearted allegiance and co
\ secrated her life and her vast posse
n sions TO making possible his work.
y 1.-THE finer, purer spirits of that d.
: found refuge in the monasteries al
:. when the evils of the time became, U
\ bearable a movement against the
y originated in the Monastery of Clugi
in Burgundy. Its leading idea "
the freeing OF the church from seoul
= authority and Hildebrand was 4
- power behind the throne directing b
whole policy of the Catholic chur,
through the reign of five popes
Rome. He was called the Lord of t
Lord Pope, but in 1918. on the dea
of Alexander ii, he was made Pc
r Gregory VII by the people who wou
N take no denial, crying St Peter wi
i'd It,.
~ .'In the theory Of the Holy Rom
.. Empire the relations OF Emperor a
V. Pope had been left unsettled and
9, distinct, and great struggle beg
L. between Gregory and the Empert
t. Henry ", as to which should have I
ID right of investing bishops and abbo
as whether it should be by spiritual
d. temporal authority. The contestal
or were not evenly matched; the Pope W
L. the ablest statesman in Europe; I
young Empero was destitute of gent
er or craftsmanship and led q /
nd unworthy OF II king who ruled I
es worthiest kingdom in Europe.
d. Gregory forbade lay investiture;
in Emperor deposed him, crying Get Il
MS down; thou art not Pope but ia
'e. monk!' Then Gregory excommunicat
ne him; the son of carpenter forbade
Is. obedience of his subjects to the M
IS. powerful monarch Of Europe. The d
he affection of Henry's subjects was
lr- great that he saw no chance of saw
o. his crown except by having the pop
rs. anathema quickly removed, so acco
N. panied only by his wife ard
ed servants he made the famous JOUR-
to to seek the Pope, who, fearing Her
in his turn, had taken refuge with /
Countess Matilda in her mount;
fortress Of Canossa, perohed like
"A eagles nest among the clouds or
TO craggy peak of the Apennines, l.,
OF feet high. Here for three days, ba
nd foot in the snow and fasting, Hel
to stood knocking at the gate before
m Pope, who was determined he sho
he drink the bitter cup OF humiliation
+ q its dregs. would consent TO admit hi
rs, But the victory of Gregory was pu
nat ed too far: he was unmindful of the 7
ior cept to always make silver bridge
is a retreating enemy;' he had tramp
eek too mercilessly on fallen foe. Til
IN, was still SO much reverence for
We Emperor as the highest temporal pc,
q d on earth that his abioct degradat
be was d shock to christendom; his 81