The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1910-02-26

the Pope and vilify the Catholic
church.. Its penchant for loud and
namooyant posters is remarkable even
In Rome, where dead walls are unusu-
ally eloquent. The grotesqueness Of
its proclamations attracts general at
tentlon for their strange medley of ex-
IRENE Catholic piety with the most
aoomlnable Protestant blasphemy. We
remember one summer reading a poster
that announced celebration of the
great feast of the Beloved Madonna
on the 18th on August. A procession
was to add glory and attractiveness
to the ceremony. What the ceremony
consisted Of we cannot say, but the
srandfloquent praises of the Blessed
Virgin were astonishing. They have a.
hodge-podge service that is calculated
to deceive unsuspecting Catholics who
are accustomed to a great variety of
rites in Rome. The activity of these
gospel hoboes has attracted the no.
tice of the Vatican, and the Holy Faith
er some time ago published letter
to the Romans complaining of the in
decency. Mr.. Fairbanks went to Rome
as an American citizen, and when he
asked the favor of an audience of the
Holy Father it was all the more readily
granted as the gentleman had occu-
pied the high position of Vice Presi-
dent of the United States, ind was as
ISOLATED with Mr.. Roosevelt m an adj
mtEtstration that was very fair to
Catholics. The Methodists wished to
take advantage of his coming and
played him as a trump card in theis
attack on the Church. They covered
all the dead walls of Rome with
posters and Uttered the streets with
dodgers, announcing that ex-Vice
President Fairbanks would preach III
the Methodist Church on the following
Sunday, and inviting all the people of
Rome who were friends of free Cos
pei and enemies of superstition and
priestly tyranny to come to hear him.
There was but one thing for the vati-
can to do, and that to cancel the audi
ence. People who are received by the
Sovereign Pontin must be vouched for
as decent and must so conduct them
selves while in Rome. This was an
indecency that any living man would
have discovered, save and except ou-
gentle friend aforesaid from Indiana.
He, too, knows it now.
The only person we feel sorry for il
Piux X. He is very kind to ALL and
especially to Americans. The stupid
conduct of Mr.. Fairbanks placed the
Holy Father in a very embarrassing
position. Whatever he would do in
the matter his conduct would be criti-
cized; but he did not hesitate to pro-
tect his self-respect even at the risk
Of offending the great American ma
ton. Catholics everywhere will hear
tily approve his course in the circurn-
stances; and thinking Protestants
must acquit His Holiness of any in
tention to reflect upon their personal
attitude towards the Church. While
he has the contempt felt by the Church
for the i1eresy, he has all the kindness
of the Church for heretics. The Meth
odists Of Rome are celebrating the
event as great victory and lfonizing
Mr.. Fairbanks as the hero Of the oc-
casion. The Protestant papers of the
United States will grow wrathfully
eloquent over this new proof of Cath
Ole, intolerance and complain bitterly
of the favors extended to Catholics by
the government, especially within the
past few years. But the tempest will
soon blow over, and will not have any
more lasting effect on the public mind
than that produced by the Quebec faux
pas and the unconcealed highballs of
the Taft dinner. Blunders are often
worse than crimes. but Mr.. Fairbanks
are not of that sort.