The Hattiesburg news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1908-1917, 1909-07-08


ing a bearing on the present celebra-
ton. He told of his meeting with
Pope Leo XIII at the vatican, whom
he eulogized as a distinguished states
man and pontiff.
Gov. Hughes and | are going to
spend three or four days delivering
speeches at each other" said the pres
ldent by way of Introduction, "and ex-
pressing opinion to each other in a
way that will enable us to do it when
We get through with great facility.
Gov. Hughes needs no practice, but l
have to have little''
Il would be without that which
makes a man if did not appreciate to
the full the kindly words of your dis
tinguished governor, and if l did not
congratulate the state of New York on
having a governor who represents the
highest ideals. One is almost carried
off his feet before such an audience.
There is something in the atmosphere
that suggests a flying machine, as if
you were all so full of joy that that
element in you raises you up, and
congratulate you that such is the feel
ing.
THE combination of work and pleas
ure, the cultivation of health on the
one hand and intellect on the other,
and of religious faith above all-all
under such beautiful surroundings
are calculated to make everyone en-
thusiastic. I share that enthusiasm to
the fullest.
Il am not Catholic, but I have had
in the last ten years a great deal to
do with the Catholic church. My lot
did not carry me into a part of the
world that made me familiar with the
French explorers, the French leaders
of civilization like Champlain, as it did
into the region of those leaders that
came from Spain-into the Philippines
where the same influence that carried
Nh"ih pam hSiS anu tHe Same lnIlu-
ence that controlled him controlled
men equally as brave and certain re-
spects more successfully. Legaspi,
who came out to the Philippines with
four or five Augustinian monks, con-
verified to Christianity that entire arch
ipelago now having some seven or
eight million souls and then perhaps
500,000-the only community of people
in the entire world today that as a
people are Christians.
Il think We are reaching a point in
this country where we are very much
more tolerant of everything and every
body than in the past. and where we
are giving justice where justice ought
to be given. We are no longer cherish
ing these narrow prejudices that come
from UNCONVENTIONAL bigorty and we
great heroes in religion and Christian
great horoes in religion and Christian
faith and appreciate the virtues that
they exhibited and follow the examples
they have set for us.
Religious tolerance is rather a mod
ern invention. Those of us of Puritan
have been apt to think that
We were the inventors of religious
tolerance. Well, as a matter of fact, |
we are in favor of, if can speak for
Puritan ancestry, in having a right to |
God as we pleased, and have |
everybody else worship God in the |
same way. But we have worked that |
out now and there has been a great |
change. l am sure. and his eminence
he cardinal, will agree with me, even
IN the last twenty-five years. / have
had personal evidence of it in some of |
the work that he had to do in the
Fifty years ago, if it had been pro-
posed to send representative of the |
government to the vatican to negotiate |
and settle matters arising in a country
like the Philippines between the gov
and the Roman Catholic
church, it would have given rise to the
seyerest condemnation and critism on
the part of those who would have
feared some diplomatic connection be-
tween the government and the vatican
contrary to our traditions; but within
he last ten years much has been done,
with the full concurrence of all religi- |
lus denominations, believing that the |
way to do things is to do them di-
rectly, and when a matter is to be
settled that it should be settled with !
he head of the church who has au-
ority to act
And so it fell to my lot and in that
aspect just by good luck, came to
,e an exception, which will perhaps
tand for many years as the sole ex-
option. of being a representative of
lie United States at the vatican. There
had the great pleasure of meeting
lat distinguished statesman and pom