The daily morning journal and courier., 1902-07-10
FRANCISCAN RESEARCH
WORK OF THE ITALIAN SOCIE.
 TY

For the Propagation of the Aims of the Roman Catholic saint-Tributes to Paul sabatler.
 On June 1 Assist was en fete Peas ants in the early morning were throng- ing to San Francisco for the festal ser vices of the week of Corpus Domini in the famous basilica, and after the mass the little theater of the city was crammed from roof to pit with it's full complement of five hundred people. to listen with breathless interest to a great Italian orator, Luigi LuzZatti, Signor Luzzatti, the Italian financier. who has done more than any man of his time to help forward the system of ag- ricultural and commercial thirst, had left his laboriouS parliamentary work at Rome to be present, in the spirit of a true Franciscan. at the inauguration { of the International Society for Fran ciscan Research. He showed that the spirit of St. Francis, to which this in- ternational society would minister, was destined to be not only the help of the laborer throughout Italy. but the re- form which would unify classes and turn anarchism and false socialism into channels of national prosperity and content; and he ended by well-de- served compliment to M. Sabatier. whose work in making St, Francis live again among us would entitle him to one of the names upon the golden roll of Italy's true reformers, and thanked him in the name of his country for thus uniting in bonds of fellowship and love, France and Italy.
 In the afternoon the inaugural meet ing of the International society was held in the new municipal library. Canon Zampa, representing the Cathe- dral Church of Assist, was in the chair. The Padre Custode Of San Francisco was unavoidably prevented from com ing at the last moment. The chairman, after welcoming the society to Assist, called upon the Syndic, Count Alexan- der Fiumi, lineal descendant of the family of St. Claire, to deliver an ad- dress. In a graceful speech the latter then made allusion to the English mem- bers of the society, warmly eulogized the public spirit of M. Sabatier, and ended by reading the following tele- gram from the meeting to Queen Mar gherita: "The International Society for Franciscan Research, assembled for the first time. begs to send it's respect full and enthusiastic homage to her Ma jesty Queen Margherita, it's august pro- tectress."
 Canon Rawnsley, who is we'll known in Assist, next delivered an address on the life and teaching of St. Francis, which was warmly received by his hearers. He spoke of his life and work as new reading of the life of Christ, and showed how to-day, more than seven centuries ago, men are able to appreciate the courage and indepen- dence and unifying spirit of the great reformer, and how now, more than then, the civilized world was impatient for his coming again to help the na- tions to peace, the workmen to joy and the churches to love. The selections he made from the life of St. Francis and the local alIusions to illustrate his ad- dress were eagerly listened to by an en- thusiastic audience. and he ended with sonnet which spoke of St. Francis as alive and among us to-day. Referring to M. Sabatier, he said that Englishmen felt debt of gratitud to him which they could not pay. for his great love of the saints life and personality, and his wish to share that love with all the world, for his devoted research, and his clear and instinctive judgment
 M. Paul Sabatier, who was received with great enthusiasm, then rose and explained the aims and work of the In- tarnational society. Not only would it collect all works and manuscripts bear ing on the life of St. Francis and the Franciscan movement in the new libra ", but it would help all students who came to Assist to understand the his tory, art and archaeology Of Umbria, and would put in communication with each other all those throughout the world who sought for special informa- fion in Franciscan study He empha- sized the fact that it was to be a socie- ty tor work ad workers The Francis can movement, though it was centered in Assist, was for all peoples. Its roots were so deep that there was a guaran- tee of future development. Italy, with all her faults, had, mere than other na- tions, the gift of idealization. In Ital- ian air St. Francis was destined ever to live and move and have his being.
 Signor Luzzatti then rose and gave expression with great eloquence to the feeling of the whole meeting. He spoke most sympathetically of England. "We are Franciscans," he said, "because we are practical workers in the field of loce. But no nation can practically succeed unless it be a spiritual nation also. I ask which is the most practical nation on the face of the earth to-day. answer, it is England What is the secret of her bower? It is that she has not forsaken her spiritual ideals; she is practical because her spiritual in- stincts are not deadened."
 The audience rose to it's feet with cheers as he concluded: ''So this soci- ety, destined to unify thought and as- piration in far-off years, was born to the sound of the gaspel of love and good will" We passed out of the library on the old hill of St. Francis heart to take our part in great religious procession from the Upper Church of San Frances co, through the city and back again, and to bring memorable day to it's close with lights flaring from the tow CTS of the Municipio and the castle, and bejewellng the ancient arches of the monastery. Bands played in the blue twilight, and a happy throng passed backwards and forwards through the