Evening star., 1903-07-21
EUL0G|zEJ5[ATE POPE
Cardinal Gibbons and Others
Speak Reelingly'
SOME OF HIS DEEDS
DEFEAT OF g1sMARcK ON THE
KULTURKAMPF.
Encyclical Against Socialism, Com
munism and Nihilism Regarded
as a Masterpiece.
SOME OF HIS DEEDS

as Masterpiece.
The New York World Of today prints the
following tribute to the late pope by
Cardinal Gibbons: Z
LEO XIII Is dead. The voice which filled
the earth is silent. The lips which dis
pensed knowledge to the nations are sealed.
The heart which sympathized with all that
was highest and holiest in the aspirations
and hopes of men has been touched unto
stiffness; and the hands which but yester-
day were freighted with power and bless
ing are today cold and lifeless.. To the
Catholic he was the vicar of Christ upon
earth, the mouthpiece of the Most High
God. Those who acknowledged him not for
shepherd must recognize his genius and the
example of his noble life. He has been
summoned to rest from his labors. His
works follow him to bespeak the crown Of
Justice: they remain as a heritage for the
admiration and imitation Of generations to
come.
with these works we are at present con-
cerned in so far as they reveal the life
within and are likely to affect the march Of
civilization. Vincent Joachim Raphael Louis
Pecci was born on March 2, 1910, at Car
pinetO little town Graded in a cleft of the
donio Pecci and Anna Prosperi-Buzi, were
both Of noble lineage The character and
influence, however. which come Of kindly
nature were enhanced by the possession of
the rarest gifts Of grace. Under their be-
nign care were planted in the heart of the
future pontif those seeds Of virtue which
gradually unfolded in leaf and flower and
fruit under the eyes of men until the day
when the harvest was gathered into
enternal storehouses. They realized that
the Justices of the Lord are right, rejoic-
ing hearts,. They also knew that the
comma andment of the Lord is. lightsome.
enlightening the eyes,. They were prima-
rily careful that the heart be formed to
virtue. but they were by no means indif-
ferent to the cultivation Of the youthful
mind So faithfully did he respond to their
expectations that throughout his career as
student at the Roman College he was pre-
eminent among his contemporaries for
varie and thorough scholarship. Follow
ing upon his ordination to the priesthood,
on the 23d of December. 1897 came ap-
pointments successfully as apostolic dele
gate nuncio to brussels. bishop of Perugia,
until, on the morning or the 10Th of Febru-
airy, 1873. the cardinal camerlingo was
chosen to succeed the gentle Plus TX, as
supreme pontin. The intervening years
represent to the thoughtful not merely so
many stages Of advance toward the throne
of the fisherman, but they were the school
in which the Providence of God furnished
those lessons of practical experience which
are Indispensable to the ruler Of a world
wide spiritual kingdom.
His Advent to Power.
His advent to- plenary power was the
signal for much speculation both on the
part Of those within and of those without
the fold. In the closing days Of his pre-
decessor the relations Of the papacy with
many Of the European governments had
been subjected to a severe strain. leading in
a few instances to open rupture. Would
this Of nnH thRE5 be and
to attach the nations more closely to the
holy see?
"All doubts however, were soon set at
rest The pontiff decided upon a course OF
cOnciliatiOn. This step was taken In such
wise neither to compromise the dignity
of the apostolic see nor to curtafl Its di-
vine prerogatives. In the famous encyclical
of the 21st of April. 1873, the papacy
showed itself keenly alive to existing evils.
and no less thoroughly conversant with
their causes and necessary remedies. The
evils resulted from disregard of religion
and morality. The church was the divinely
appointed custodian and dispenser Of the
one and the other. The only true remedy
was to be found in a recognition of the
central authority of chriStendOm and in
obedience to it's mandates. This Is the ar
gument in which the theme Sin maketh ma
tions miserable found expression. It's con-
clusion was an invita- ton to the nations to
return to the unity Of faith and practice.
The most captious could not evade the
stern logic of It's march-the most hostile
must admit the evident sincerity and kind
linesS Of its tone
Its extreme mildness and caution may
have been interpreted sign of weak
ness in the author and of decline in the
thority which he represented.
Clash With Bismarck.
BE that as 1t may, the new pope soon
found himself engaged in bitter contest
with one of the strongest European gov
ernments and one Of the most astute Of
statesmen. The recent victory Of Prussia
had resulted In the consolidation of the va
rious German states into empire. Prince
Bismarck had been from first to last the
guiding spirit of the movements which had
issued in such momentous results Flushed
with the first measure Of success, his ambi-
ton outlined larger schemes of aggran-
dizement The logical consequence Of the
policy inaugurated would have been to
make the imperial power supreme both in
church and state. Every movement with
the promise Of success must be prosecuted
under the inspiration OF sufficient motive.
real or imaginary. On taking a survey Of
the field the one and only element in the
problem which. to the mind Of Bismarck.
seriously threatened the desired consum-
nation was the Church of Rome, for she
alone claimed universal and absolute Juris-
diction over the hearts Of men In those
things which appertain to God. Here, then,
was the sufficient motive.
Of national glory. therefore her influence
must be destroyed within the realm. AS
soon as the word had gone forth a series
Of enactments were passed having for OBJ
ject the oppression of Catholic religious
life, the suppression Of Catholic influence
and action and the ultimate destruction of
papal authority. By investing public func-
tionaries with discretionary powers. even
in matters which, pertalned to the internal
arrangements ora religion. an attempt was
made to form and fashion the church after
a model which The statst had been pleased
to create. The eeehurchs SHOULD have such
complexion and action as the state woula
allow. and none other. The contest was
now fairly on between tie Vatican and the
German government. -- During eighteen
years the struggle known as the Kultur-
kampf weighed upon the national heart and
filled the national mind almost to the ex-
clusion Of every other, subject. The ag
gression and high pretensions Of the prime
minister were met by the moderation and
flrmness OF an enlightened pontiff. These
were the weapons which were measured