The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1903-07-21
THE LATE POPE.

the mild humanities. Fifty years ago
No Protestant preacher-least Of all one
in a Honolulu pulpit-would have dared
pray for the recovery Of the Roman
pontiff. That was a time when NO
Popery" was a rallying cry among the
Puritan and Lutheran stock Of which
American evangelical bodies were COM
posed. To the zealots who inherited
the spirit of Cromwell and of the Monk
of wittenberg, Rome was 1.-The Scarlet
Woman" and the Pope was Anti
Christ" Far be it from them to wish
him well even upon bed Of pain.
But to be just to the stern Protest
antism of the time, it cannot be sald
that the rancor of its attitude towards
Rome was wholly without cause. The
church. sharing the spirit OF Its age
had often been oppressive and unjust
even merciless and cruel: there had
been bad Popes as well as good But
the fault OF Professionalism was In
charging wrongs against the Papacy
"a an institution rather than. against
the times in which 1t lived, times in
which Professionalism itself was proushl
varv low. When Rome was at It's "or9I
estate the world was also at It's WORST
when Torquemada lit the nres OIL the
t-o,fzi,ion. the prosecutions under
Cromwell and the hanging OF WITCHES
a, Puritan New England were about
10 come. But Protestants saw ohiy
the mote in the eye Of Rome; they oiu
m, sion to cast out the beam in their
own eye: and prejudices grew WHICH,
-.t,ua not vet wholly extirDated, are
happily weakening as men OF all iai'i's
grow more civilized. The blessing Vi
Pope Leo was given to many a Fro'-
estant: the last sovereign he recei'eu
=. tho Vatican was one who had pul
lately taken an oath to deteno MS
crown and people against all FoperS'
and Protestants on their side nave ho'
tazitated TO invoke the Throne Oh
Grace TO prolong the life Of the goou
old man who sat for so many years
rpon the throne of Peter. The mean
ing of IL all is that the world is Droau-
ening i'm its mind and sympathies' gam
On tolerance, learning to look for |
the good in institutions and men rather
than the evil-approaching, however
slowly. that millennial age foretoid III
nrophecy. when the lion shall lay down
-.,,,t The lamb and a little child shall
lead them.
Az the Popes of the far past, with all
their faults, were probably better men
chan the purely temporal sovereigns |
-,.,,,, whom they were surrounded, SO |
Leo XIII was an example in dignity
purity of life and sweetness OF char-
acter to his contemporary rulers. Ihere
were none of them fitted to look down |
,,,,o,, him. there were many who, with
moral benefit to themselves, could nave
sat at his feet. IL
The policy of Leo XIII was DrOao anu
wise. 1t used to be said that the
church scooped out the brains Oh us
followers so that it could thlnk iof
them. but Leo, in his devotion TO eou-
cation. gave the church the higher anu
I'D nobler work of moulding the lay
,n,aiIac+ TO think for itself. Catholic
colleges and universities grew up wher-
eyer the PapaI benediction fell; ana To-
5av they are adding thousands OIL euu-
csted Young men to that army of faith
IN, communicates upon whom the ma
terial and spiritual progress OF the
church depends.
As a student of sociological problems
the Pope was deeply concerned over
tha rising spirit of anarchy. He be-
lieved in rendering unto Caesar the
things that are Caesars and so ne
made the church a bulwark OF defehce
for any Christian government against
the encroachments of the mob. For his
services to the French republic in the
time of Boulanger he had but sorry
requitaI; for his services to Great Brit
ain against the malevolent spirits OF
the Land League, England held him in
reverent esteem, while Germany, for
getting Bismarck's warnings, was glad
to get his aid, which was freely gwen
to preserve the Integrity of the State
against the Vaccinations of the Social
Democrats.
Finally the Pope. as became his high
station in the Christian world, used his
great influence to keep the peace of
nations; and he had the happiness, dur
ing his long reign, to see no desolating
war between Christian powers.
Looking back over the career of
the late Pontiff there is nothing for
Protestants to carp at, nothing to make
Catholics ashamed. Thanks to the
wisdom of Leo the church has
grown in power. in spiritual strength,
In wise administration and in that
peculiar influence over the unframed
masses which makes it the most formid-
able and benefcent police power in the