The Opelousas courier. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1852-1910, 1903-07-25
Death of the Pope.

After an illness extending owe
several weeks, which was born
with a foItitude characteristic o
the illustrious pontiff, Pope Lee
XIII died last Monday evening a
1905, in the Vatican at Rome, ant
all nations of the earth are toda,
paying tribute to the memory Of
the truly great man. We extract
the following from an interesting
editorial in the New Orleans
Times-Democrat of the 21st:
There passed away at the Nati.
can yesterday, after a long illness
the two hundred and ffty-seventf
successor of St. Peter, one of the
greatest of the long line of Popes
and one of the most distinguished
and many-sided men of his age.
In nearly a century of activity
and usefulness, and as the head
for more than a quarter of Il CEN
tury of the largest of all the
Christian churches, Leo XIII has
been more before the world than
any of his contemporaries. AL
though shut up in the narrow con-
fines of the Vatican, his jurisdic-
tion extended over the whole
earth. He was called to pass upon
the affairs of every country of
America, Europe, Asia, Africa,
and the islands of the sea, to de-
eide religious, political and indus
trial questions in their relation
to religion. During the long pc
rlod of his papacy he has received
more visitors, delegates and pill
grims than all the monarchs of
Europe together. No one was
better known, and no one COM
manded greater influence and
power than this ''prisoner of the
Vatican," who did not 60 beyond
his own garden. The last few
days of his life drew from the
world the praise and homage Of
all. The veteran of ninety-three
showed a strength and vitality
that could scarcely be conceived
of. That man of his age, and
as desperately sick as he and as
feeble, should be able to stand
repeated and violent surgical op-
erations proved how vigorous
constitution his simple and alb
stemious life had assured him.
AS a man, he has won the ad-
miration and love of all, and not
of members of his own Church
alone, for many have been the
kind expressions and hearty wishes
for his recovery heard in the last
few days from Protestant puIplts
and Jewish synagogues. All re-
cognized in him lovable man,
kindly-of heart, charitable, living
life Of the greatest simplicity, a
student and a scholar, and one of
the best composers Of Latin verse
Of his age. A man of gentle or
igin, son of Count Luigi Pecci,
Of Il distinguished and noble fam
ily Of Italy, he was always the type
of the true gentleman-kind, ,cour-
teous, considerate to all.
Thus, whether we consider him
as the kindly gentleman, doing all
he could for others; the scholar
and poet, the able ecclesiastic who
administered well every charge
committed to him, or as the head
of a Church of over two hundred
million followers, of all races and
all countries, whose duty it was
to look after their spiritual well
fare, we must recognize in Leo
XIII a man of ability and genius,
whose place in the worlds history
will be among the most illustrious,
whose victories were the victories
of peace, and whose work to les
sen doubt, suffering and sin was
most successfully done.
The following is from the New
Orleans Picayune. of the same
date:
Now that the end has come and
Leo XIII has passed to his reward
the world mourns not in the COM
monplace way i'll which the great
of this earth are usually mourned,
but in all sincerity because it has
lost one of it's most brilliant Or
naments, one of its most loving
teachers and most capable of lead
ers. The Pope's death is not
merely a loss to the millions of
Catholics who reyered him as
their spiritual head, but to the
whole human race, irrespective
of creed, because all men recog-
nized in the deceased Pontiff a
true benefactor, an example in his
own life of all the virtues, and
the leading champion, IN this age
of sordid greed and commercial
ism, of the great brotherhood of
man.
1t begins to look like the nom
ination for Lieutenant Governor
| will have to be thrust upon some
one. The Senate musf have y