New-York tribune., 1903-07-21
IRELAND EXTOLS LEO.
Says Pope Understood America as
No Other European Statesman.

st. Paul. Mimi. July 2O.-On hearing the news
Of the death of Pope Leo. Archbishop ireland
paid the following tribute to the dead prelate:
In Leo a truly great and good man passes
from earth. The extraordinary. the unparalleled,
interest with which the wor this last fort
night kept vigil around the Vatican. where the
old hero battIed dramatically with grim death is
the magnificent tribute TO Leo which nothing
could ever have evoked, unusual grandeur
Of soul and unusual feats. the offspring of that
grandeur.
In the death OF Leo. humanity realizes that
an orb Of light, such as is seldom to domi-
nate the high skies of its moral and intellectual
armament. has fallen. making a mighty void
which soon again may not be filed. Great and
good Leo truly was. fashioned so by nature and
by grace divine What mind! Lof lest 1t was
In vision. reaching out to vastest hor IONS. soar
Ing upward TO highest req of thought and
truth. To have sat at his knee and heard him
tell of the sights he saw. of the dreams he
dreamt of purposings, Of plannngs begotten
of his sights and dreams. was to be made to
forget for a moment earth's common limita-
tions and to behold human life and destiny as
prophets behold 1t
Greatness includes goodness, or at least
without goodness greatness is boon to hu-
manity. Leo was q good man; he shoe in every
virtue; his life was unsull ed. he was deeply
InDueQ Win the spirit OF La1tn. he nVeQ and
worked purely for God and for men Most high
minded disinterestedness of purpose, most abso-
lutte ordering of self to the du les Of his exalted
office characterized all his thoughts and acts
He made to win the hearts Of men. He
was simple and loving ch Id In S intimate
relations with people who came into his pres
ence; considerate and tactful, sweet of temper
and kindliest Of word. He met kn-s and peas
ants. men of highest social rank and of lowest;
all bowed before his graciousness anG whis-
pered to him words of affection and devotion.
"A great man requires. besides his native
greatness, greatness in setting. greatness in op-
portunltles. All this was given in superabun-
dance to Leo. There is other post of honor
and duty elevated. so sublime. as the Roman
Pontificate Into that ponuficate Leo entered;
in it he reigned as only two Of his predecessors
reigned. quarter of a century-Ieav4ng poster
ity to say. he closes the last pages of his
record. that in him the Catholic Oh-rLh has had
one of the most wondrous of her wondrous
sovereigns and humanity one of is noblest
thinkers and highest exemplars OF fidelity TO
God-given duty.
"Leo's services were, of course, primarily to
the Church Leo made the Church known to the
modern world as she wished 10 be maue known;
as she has not before been known. By dint of
wise words and acts he sh eds the thick
veils of prejudice and misunuers .andir~ which.
as the sequence of strifes and controy ersies of
centuries. had been hiding It's features from the
eyes of millions of the non-Catholic world. he
brought close to the church the new age Of
humanity. and put beyond all dOubtng the fact
that the most cherished aspirations OF the age
not only received countena..ce from the Church
but had grown out of its spirit and teachings.
Liberty. civil and POLITICAL ind. .vidual rights.
education. the progress OF science and of dis
covery, the material comfort OF the masses-all
this Leo is the name Of the Church blessed and
advocated. To-day the Catholic Church uni
versaly admitted to be in the van of Aumanlty's
forward march: and for this Leo is TO be
thanked
Said he to a bishop from America one day:
oh. America! 1t is the future. Leo'S clear
vision of things TAR away in tine well as N
space had enoeared America him. AS no
other statesman in Europe Leo unders tood
Amerca-its possibilities and the meaning OF us