The Irish standard., 1902-02-15

or course would not con,lcSccnd to re-
hukc her rudcncss ana smiled in Il
benevolent way. Deceived by his
gentle courtesy, she proceeded to Ice.
turc and hold forth her opinions with
great freedom.
Then she drew from under the
black veil which all women must
wear in the presence of the popc. n
large photograph Holy father she
said, If YOU will write your name OH
this picture l will keep it as Il pre-.
cious souvenir OF this audience Now
that was violation of the strictcst
ceremonial rule of the Vatican, for it
is forbidden for any one to ask any,
thing personal of the Pope that re-
Guircs his signature. "My daughter,'
said the Pope, 'if you will place the
portrait on the table here, will sign
1T and send it to you in a manner
b'iittlng your rank Three DAYS
after the empress received a splendid
case containing the photograph on the
back Of which the Pope had written
in clear hand: Leo MIL, to those
who walk in darkness and the sbndow
OF DEATH
lhat gives YOU the key to the char
hctcr of the great teacher want to
say that while l was with him lie
made me forget that men could be di-
vidcd on geographical lines, or on any
line except that which divides good
from evil and light from darkness.
AS statcsman--,nd there is not a
government in the world that is not
to his holiness, not even ex-
ccpting our own, Il fact of which l
have had very strong personal evil
ncncc-aS n statesman he divides all
things into light and darkness A
man is not in darkness because he is
u Protestant, but because he happens
not to be Christian in spirit. When
my newspaper work brought me into
contact with the Pope, more and more
| began to realize the greatness of the
great liberal statesman who sits In
the chair of ST. Peter.
'"rhe Emperor Of Germany ut that
time had summoned the nations to
Berlin to find some plan for reconcil-
Ing the growing differences between
capital and labor, and it was at that
time that the governments Of the
world confessed their absolute inabil-
ity to work out that problem. 1t was
then that I sought an interview with
the Pope, and l wish l had words to
tell you the seeming hOpelessness Of
carrying profane American journalism
into the very presence of the vicar Of
Christ And yet, why not? But it
was hard. A thousand years Of un-
broken tradition stood between me
and that great throne room. tramp
ed the streets of Rome, l went from
one end of Italy to the other seeking
for some one to help me. l wish l
could give you even a dim sense OF
what it meant TO a young American
newspaper man ut that time to inter-
view the Pope.
81 confess there was no spiritual or
reverent purpose in my work. 10 me
to see the Pope was simply copy for
my newspaper-somcthing new in the
way of journalistic achievement, and
as my passion grew with each defeat,
| began to lose all sense Of the grand
eur Of the scenes through which l
walked, until one day, through the in
tercession of Cardinal Hohenlohe, 1
received a summons to the Vatican.
My blood tingled, my brain was on
fire. Already could see in my news
paper in New York the magnificent
headlines, and I was to be the hero
Of it ALL
"No man can make that journey
from the famous bronze Of the Vati-
can into the presence of the imprison-
ed monarch, whom 2OO,OOO,OO0 human
I beings hail as the vice gerent Of
heaven and earth, without being
thrilled from head to foot. care not
whether he be Protestant, Catholic,