Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1907-12-18


No place in the world is an object
or more solicitudc to the relgning
houses or Europe than the Vatican.
Their anxiety in the matter Is not
concerned entirely with the safety OF
the Pope ana the welfare with the
safety OF the administration of the
Roman Catholic Church. 1t Is due
largely TO the fact that In the arch
ives OF the Vatican are contained SO.
crets of vast dynastic import. the rev.
elation of which would In some cases
shatter the foundations of thrones
and gravely affect the status of many
of those families which now enjoy nc.
tual or honorar ysovereign rank. III
Is well known that the Vatican has
for Il number of years past come in
for a large share of attention on the
part of the leaders to the day when
they will be able to storm the palace
of the Popes and to plumber at their
Will the treasures with which II is
popularity supposed 10 be filed In
fact. it is common saying that there
is no building in the world that can
boast of such boards of wealth of
offerings and the trilnte of the faith.
full from all quarters OF the globe,
and which have gone on Accumulate
ing there for centuries.
So well does the italian govern
ment realize the extent to which the
Vatican is an object of cupidity to
the anarchists that in all cases of
popular unrest and disturbance in the
Eternal City troops are at once mass
ed. not around the Kings residence
at the Qurinal, but about the abode
of the Pontiif, for the purpose of pro
tecting 1T against any coup on the
part of the Reds; and 1t is note
worthy fact that on each manifesto
ton OF any weakness on the part of
the Italian authorities in dealing with
popular resipgs, anarchist leaders
have FASTENED to the Eternal City,
not only from different parts of E,i-
rope, but even from this side OF the
Atlantic.
Among these anarchists who yearn
Tor the opportunity OF lootng the Vat.
ican-an opportunity which they are
convinced Will come sooner or later
are number of men of exception.
nj learning. The most dangerous and
the most fanatlcal of this cult of
crime against our present soclay sys.
TEN In planning the capture of the
great stronghold and Headquarters OF
Roman Catholicism, are prompted,
not by the lust of the ordinary riches
which the palace may contain. but by
tho idea of being able to secure nos.
session and to lay bare those secrets
OF history which are known to be pre-
served In the Papal archives.
Profound study often ends lw blunt.
Ing moral sense to the extent of cans.
ing men to invoke the use of crime in
Order to augment their store of know.
/ ledge. 1t is therefore not in the least
surprising that those who have de-
voted their lives and fortunes TO the
research of history, and who have
been baffled at many points by obsta
Giles In the shape of insoluble myster-
les, should revel in the notion of hay.
ing these secrets ut length revealed
to them and should be ready to pro.
mote them to attain such an end.
Storms of Protests.
HOW important are the secrets con.
tanned among the archives of the Vat
ican is demonstrated by the attitude
OF the various foreign ENJOYS accred
tied to the court of the Pone whoso
principal mission seems to be to prc
vent students from obtaining access
TO any material that could affect In
the slightest degree the prestige and
the interests OF the family M the
monarch whom they represent In
lact, when some fifteen years ago Leo
XIII proclaimed his intention of p,
ciilatihg the access of the Students
Oh history to the archives of the yati.
can storm of protests went I'm from
the various ambassadors and enyovs
10 lend an ear, and which resulted in
lne issue of a rule that no document
OF less than a hundred wears apo
coul0 be shown TO visitors. More.
over 1t Is thoroughly understood by
nose in charge of the archives that
iiothihg even anterior to a hundred
years ago, and which relates in the
hshghtest degree to any of the soy
ereign houses of Europe. can be
SHOWN without the full consent of the
diplomatic representative of the mon.
archy concerned
nese archives go lack for thou
sahd years, and some even to still
more remote periods. During all that