Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1903-07-23
LEO, THE GOOD.
Eloquent Tribute to the Pope by
Rev. Dr. Hills.


Rev. Dr. Hills.
Rev. DIR. Newell Dwight Hills,
successor of Henry Ward Beecher
and Lyman Abbott as pastor OF
Plymouth Congregational Church,
Brooklyn. writes as follows In the
NeW York World, of July IA, 1903
Among those men who are the
glory of their time the world has
already made a large place for Leo,
the Pontiff. The first Leo is known
to the world as Leo the Great be
cause he founded the Papaey, bui
TIE last Leo. who conserved, purfii-
ed and strengthened what the first
had founded will ultimately be known
as Leo the Good.
by reason OF the majesty and
beauty of his character he was re-
vered by Protestant and Catholic
alike during his life, and now that
he is dying the Protestant world
mourns for him as it has lamented
no prelate since the death of Cardi-
nal Newman. From every view
point Leo appeals to the sense OF
universal admiration.
He is the spiritual ruler of more
than 100, 900, 900 of men, and yet
power never made him pzoud or ar
rogant.
He is a great scholar, wise to-
ward all books and libraries, but he
is neither impractical nor a dreamer
for he is known as one Of the most
practical of hnen.
He is annually in receipt of treas
ures of gold SO vast as to make the
income of princes contemplate, yet
80 the end he lived in three rooms
furnished to the point of baroness
and poverty.
He is held in universal rever-
ence because he stands for the great
simplicities, those universals of
Christianity, called love, peace and
good will.
AMBITION FOR THE CHURCH.
/ His ambition was one of the mob
lest possible to the mind of man,
namely SO To sPiritualize his church
as TO make ftworrty rorUnrrUt the
destiny of the millions who followed
him. Above all else, to use the ex-
preston of the prophets, He was a
man who feared God, being of good
ness all compact.
And now the world beholds Leo
standing forth in the form of a man
without admixture of meanness or
vice or crime, but clothed with just
ice and virtue and goodness as with
garments. We can say of Leo as
was said of Bernard, We thank
Thee, Lord that Thou hast counted
the world worthy to have had him
so longl
Because of his achievements for
the church all scholars have already
given Leo place among the great
stof the Popes. Strictly speaking,
the giant Popes are six in number.
1t was the glory of Leo the Great
that he founded the Papacy and or
ganized that vast system whose lines
from Rome, web-like, stretched out
over all the earth. Then came Greg
ory-the Missionary Pope-who in
$50, sent his teachers TO the inhos-
pitable shores of England, where
they won over the savage ancestors
of Shakespeare and conquered King
Ethelbert by their plea for immortal
ity. Later came Hildebrand, that
Gregory who was not content that
the Pope should be the equals of
kings and princes. 1t was his am
bition to exalt the spiritual power
above all temporal power. Empe-
rors, kings and queens must be sub
iect to the worlds spiritual ruler.
He denied to Henry w of Germany
the right of investiture of bishops
and when Henry insisted Gregory
accommodated him, for
bade any of his subjects to serve
him.
TRIUMPH OF HILDEBRAND.
I'm that hour Hildebrand proved
that the Pope was king over oil
emperors, ruler of all temporal
monarchs, and from that day Greg
ory was master and Henry sub
ject. All the servants in Hen
rvs palace fed. The monarch had
fuel, but no one 10 kindle a fire !:
flour, but no one TO make q loaf !:
horses, but no one to tend them.
When the King appeared on the
streets all men fled, and every
shop door was locked in his face.
At last Henry took a staff and made
his way to Italy, but the Pope re-
fused TO see him. For three days
and three nights, barefooted and
bareheaded, amid the blasts of win