The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-08-30
PULSES OF HISTORY

The reason why Cardinal sarto as- sumed the name of Plus X is not known at present, says the Kansas City Star. His predecessor took the name of Leo in memory of the pope of his boyhood. whose character had impressed him pro- foundy. Whether the newly elected pontiff, himself a Venetian, was im- pressed by the celebration three years ago of the centenary of the seventh Plus who was elected in Venice, or whether he wished to express his admi- ration for the amiable Pic Mono is a matter for speculation. It may be sumed. however, that the pontincate of some one of the Piuses of history had favorably impressed Cardinal sarto.
 The name itself is the Latin word plus, meaning "dutiful" 'pious," "devout" Readers of Virgil will remember that the hero of the epic was referred to as Plus Aeneas. Tradition assigns the first pope of the name to the middle of the second century. The second, who reigned from 145S to 14G4. was one of the most interesting characters of the Ital- ian renaissance. and was the author of the life of Frederick III and of several other volumes. His nephew. the third Plus. reigned only twenty-six days Plus " was an unimportant figure, also. But Plus V had the distinction of ex- communicating Queen Elizabeth and of being the last pope to be canonized. Plus VI who reigned for the last quarter of the eighteenth century. instituted re- forms in the papal states and drained the pontine marshes. But he was car ried to France by Napoleon and died in captivity.
 His successor, the seventh Plus, had n o1ff1fac ct sa- tat Napoleon in Nortre Dame. but soon came into conflict with the emperor by refusing to annul the marriage of Jer- ome Bonaparte to Miss Patterson. He was imprisoned and spent several years in captivity, constantly bulied and badgered by Napoleon. He was finally released and lived to see the fall of his oppressor. Cardinal Wiseman, who met him in his later years. expressed aston ishment at the sweetness of his temper and at the absence of rancor over his past treatment. At the same time he remarks that the pope was "not pos sessed of genius, nor of over-aVerage abilities"
 The pontiheate of the testy Invalid, Plus VflL lasted only twenty months He was succeeded by Gregory XVI, at whose death in 1S4G the choice fell upon Giovanni Maria Mastai- Ferretti who
 
 in history under the name of Plus K
 Personally Pic Mono was one of the most genial and sympathetic of men. He had the quality of personal charm in far greater degree than had his much abler whom. by the way according to the testimony of Cardinal Manning he thoroughly disliked. This ability to bind men to him blinded his friends to his faults and led to the most diverse n Tb,tc at his death Cardinal Manning predicted that his pontifeate would be regarded as one of the most glorious in the annals of the church. Whereas. 1t is generally looked upon today as having fallen far short of its possibilities and as having been in many respects failure.
 For Plus K, in spite of his noble ideals and fine personal traits, was lacking In the qualities of intellect and will needed for the times in which he lived. Elected as a liberal he made a futile attempt to combine absolutism and constitutionaI- ism in the government of the papal states. Then when his refusal to recog- nize the inevitable movement toward a popular government for united Italy sent him fleeing for refuge to Gaeta, he fell back upon the armies of foreigners to maintain him in Rome. The loss of the papal territory to the king who em- bodied the new spirit of nationality was the natural sequel and the fiction of the vatican imprisonment appealed to the world as a sort of anti-climax to a career which opened with splendid prom ise
 Under the pontlicate of Plus TX the papaey suffered a marked decline in prestige throughout Europe. It was the work of his successor to restore in large measure the moral authority belonging