Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-10-21

fore tld1ngs OF 1t was received at the, Vail
can. The enterprising correspondent OBJ
tanned admission to the college, and man
aged to station himself near the door OF the
big hall A bell sounded from within. That
was the signal to the rector of the college.
who was responsible for seeing that the
seclusion Of the delegates was not dis
turbed. to open the door. When the door
was opened the correspondent heard the
secretary say: I'VE have as general Father
Wernz" That was enough He dashed off
to the telegraph office, and started the name
of Father Wernz on a lightning Journey
across the Atlantic. 1t was some minutes
later before Father Alfred Maertens, the
procurator general of the Jesuits. left the
college in a cab to tell the pope who had
been elected. He had to drive all across
Rome. and some ceremonial had TO be gone
the pontiff's presence. While he knelt at
the feet of Plus x to deliver his message
printers in various American cities were
putting the news in type.
~
The new general is man of medium
height. with that thickset, sturdy frame
which best sustains the strenuous life. men,
tai or physical. He Is good-looking-might
even be called handsome. But what most
impresses one about his face Is its strength
His clean-cut features are Enthusiastically
those of a man who has mastered the les
son of self-mastery. He Is reputed to DE
who would spare neither himself nor others.
His eyes are clear and alert-they are the
eyes of man who does not study human
nature through books merely. Father
WernZ Is both a profound scholar ard
polished man of the world. Father
Vaughan. the Jesuit priest who has been
dubbed the English Savonarola, and has
been iaying the "smaht set lately, says
that Father Wernz knows the sins and fol-
lies of modern society as intimately as he
does himself. He speaks English without
trace of foreign accent, Italian as 11uently
as his native German, and French and
Spanish with consummate ease. In tie
matter of linguistic attachments the black
pope" as he is called in Rome, presents
striking contrast to the white pope III the
Vatican. no speaks only one living Ian
guage-Italian.
Father Wernz was born in Wurtemberg
sixty-four years ago. AS youngster he
gave little promise of the seriousness and
piety of later life. The ordinary tasks OF
schoolboys were 50 easy for him that he
devoted little time to his studies. But in
other matters he gave evidence OF the
spirit of the lad who is born for leadership.
At a very early age he showed passion to
excel in things that appeal most to
healthy boy, and a contempt for the weak
ness Of the flesh. One day when all the
studies young Wernz was found to be
absent. Later he was discovered uncon-
scious on the floor of the gymnasium. At
that time 1t was great physical strength
WHICH seemed 10 IllH Tie IAOSt uSSifdult OI
all human attainments, and, disregarding
the punishment he was inf1icting on him
self, he had exercised until he fell COM
pletely exhausted to the floor
Whatever he undertook had to be done
Immediately. He did not learn to swim as
most boys do-by slow stages with one foot
on terra firma. One day, when alone, he
boldly flung himself into the stream far
beyond his DEPTH and was nearly drowned
before he managed to struggle back to the
shore. But he had learned to swim and be-
came such an adept at 1t that thrice he res
cued other boys from watery graves. In
these unregenerate days he was not averse
to f1stic encounter, and whatever the re-
suit the other fellow always had a reason
to remember that he had been in fight.
1t was in these days. according to story
which Is told in Rome, that an old gypsy
woman predicted that he would live to be q
greater man than either monarch or pom
tilt. In the past. at all events 1t would
have been held by many that as general Of
for black pOpes" have more than once con-
trolled white popes" and humbled the
pride Of kings. But in these days, In
theory at least, the Jesuit general is a SUBJ
missive subordinate of the representative Of
st. Peter.
1t was probably not at all due to the
gypsy's prophecy-if 1t was ever made-that
thoughts Of becoming a hero OF the lighting
type and entered q Jesuit college His
progress was unusually rapid. He left Ger
many when the Jesuits were expelled. At
the novttiate for German Jesuits at Ditton
Hail. near Liverpool. he spent some years
as professor Of canon law. Canon law is
his speciality. He knows more about 1t. so
1t Is said, than any man living. and has
published four bulky volumes on the sub
tect In 1888 he was appointed q professor