The Hawaiian gazette., 1903-07-21
POPE LEO XIII..-AN APPRECIATION
BY HENRY E. HIGn1ON.

The death of Pope Leo XIII will ex
cite the sympathy of the civilized
world, without distinction of race OF
creed. Born March 2nd, 1910, his nam,
was Vincinzo Gioacchino Pecci. Or
his mothers side, he was a descendant
of Cola di RienZi the last of the Ro.
man tribunes. He achieved the high.
est honors in scholarship, and was not
only remarkable linguist. but deep
ly versed in modern science He was
made n priest on December 23rd. 1887
and, within a few years, became the
Apostolic Delegate at Benevento
his uncomfortable firmness and his ex-
ecutive power, by the suppression OF
brigandage. He was afterwards quail
fled to become the Nuncio to Brussels
where his service was principally dip
lomatic and where he deeply studied
those political and social problems, to
which, after his elevation to the Pa
pacy, he attracted such widespread
attention.. linen ne was BiShop OF
Perugia, for thirty-two years, when he
was made Cardinal, and. in 1877, as
Cardinal Camerlingo he performed the
solemn ceremony of lightly tapping the
forehead of his predecessor, Plus TX,
with a silver hammer, and officially
announcing his death, and shortly
afterwards was elected his successor.
This bald outline brings before the
public one of the most fruitful lives
OF the last century, prolonged not only
In years, but in vigor, in fluence and
greatest at it's close. 1t is not my prov
ince to discuss Leo XIII in his capac-
ity of Supreme Pontiff or Spiritual
Head of a great Church that numbers
among its children more than two
hundred millions of human beings, of
every race and living under every
form of government. Nor is it within
my purpose to dwell upon his scholar
ship. which was deep, broad and thor
ough, and ranked him among scient-
lists. philosophers and poets. The CEN
trail point of secular interest i'm his |
wonderful career is his craftsmanship,
which alone would have placed him al
most, If not quite, at the head of the
illustrious men of the Nineteenth Gem
fury. His grasp of the urning aues-
lions Of the day and the luminous In
telligence with which he treated them
would alone have immortalized his
name. His first declarations, after he
had been invested with the Ring of
the Fisherman, proved that, In the
consideration of those momentous Is
sues that affect and control terrestrial
life, he was bent on the suppression
II antagonism and the development
IF fraternal unities. In his first en-
'yclical letter, April 21st 1873, with a
otal disregard of polemics, he discuss
ID the evils affecting modern society, ,
md appealed to the underlying love
II virtue In the human race. In his
econd encyclical letter December 2Sth ,
SIs, he gently but with memorable I
ogic exposed the errors of Socialism,
Communism and Nihilism, and defined
he true relations and reciprocal obli-
ations of capital and of labor, hold
ng with even ham, the balance of
lstce between the two. While re- ]
liking the audacity and the crude !
heories of anarchical parties, he de- a
handed that the rich should help the c
cor and should pay reasonable wages /
Or proper service. In June, 1883, he =
an encyclicai latter on Lib Z
rty, in which he asserted the natural
'eedom of man, ana, as the evidence
his reasoning power. his submission u
} the proper restrictions of govern n
tent. In May. 1891. his encyclical q,
tier on the condition of the working :,
asses appeared, in which he opposed =
Dor contracts for the benefit of the -"
W. defended private property as orig
ating In natural right and affording
rational motive for labor and for st
onomy, reiterated his belief that OF
ages should be proportionate to work, W
ill and surrounding conditions, and 81