The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-02-27

Rome in direct succession from the
Apostle. But in the "Gerarchia Cat
tolicas" or official annual of the Holy
Seat, which has just appeared, he is
set down as the 25Sth Pope. During
the closing years of the reign of Leo
XIII the very active and extensive re-
searches of the learned Monsignor
Duchesne, director of the French
School at Rome, brought to light the
fact that six Popes of the period pre-
ceding the Crusades were more or less
mythical, their existence being based
on legend and tradition rather than on
actual history. They have now been
eliminated, and no longer figure on the
official roster of Supreme Pontiffs of
the Roman Catholic Church At the
same time Plus X has caused the urn
containing the dust of the alleged mar
tyr FortiSSima, who, according to leg
end, had suffered death for the faith
at the close of the fourth century, to.
be removed from the BaSilica of st.
Mark at the back of the Palazzo Vene-
zia, at Rome, and restored to the Cata-
combs of St. Cyriaca, where they had
been originally discovered. The Jesuit
Father Dubuc and other leading Chris
tian archaeologists have all after. dill
gent research come to the conclusion
that there was no foundation for the
story of the alleged martyrdom of For
tiSSima and that therefore there was
no reason for the veneration of her re-.
mains, authorized by a decree of Pope
Benedict XIV, or for regarding her as
either a martyr or saint. If 1 men,
ton this, it is to show the straightfor-
ward attitude of the new Pope with
regard to relics the authenticity of
which is not quite clear.
1t is an interesting and little
known fact that of all the great ma
tons of Europe England is almost
the only one that has no treasure
house of gold to go to when she wishes
to start her great fighting machinery.
On the continent, stored in cellars and
vaults, it is said, there is no less than
6 300,000,000 in gold and silver coins,
always ready to be drawn on the mo-
ment the fat of war has gone forth;
and it is very prudent precaution for
some nations thus to lay by for
warlike day, since otherwise they may
be caught mapping and be placed UNI
der a heavy handicap at the beginning.
About fifteen miles from Berlin stands
the grim fortress of Spandau, and it
is in impregnable vaults in the Ju-
Illus tower of this fortress that Ger
many keeps her war gold and silver.
How many millions precisely it
amounts to is known to few; but we
know that out of the indemnity paid
by France, Germany appropriated
91S,000,00O to her war chest. Germany
has had her hoard of war money ever
since the days of Frederick the Great,
who filled the first "chest" by IMPOSE
ing a high protective tariff on foreign
manufactures; and no doubt many
time his successors on the throne of
Prussia have had cause to bless his
thrift and foresight, says the Chicago
Journal. France Is probably even bet
ter prepared for war financially than
Germany, for she is credited with hav-
ing a fund of no less than 9120,00000O
to fly to whenever she has to set her
vast legionS in motion. OF this gi-
gantic sum 270000,000 is in gold ana
e50,O00,000 is in silver. In the custody
of the Austro- Hungarian bank there
is very serviceable fund of 100000
600 for purposes of war; Italy has q
well-filled war chest, and even penu-
rious Russia has, hidden away some
where, the equivalent of G100, 100000
sum which will keep the war machir-
cry going for a good many months
at any rate. If these figures are cor
rect-and they appear to be generally
accepted-it is evident that something
like eS00,000000 must be boarded up
by continental nations alone, solely as
a preparation for war-a yearly sum
of 100000 approximately thus being
lost to their exchequer.