The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1913-02-26
OF
CONSTANT Tine YEAR
Catholics from All Over the World
VIII Make Pilgrimage to Rome
This Year to be In At
tendance.
FIRST FROM TOLEDO, o
Mayor Nathan's Challenge of Thre,
Years Ago is Answered by Vail
can Which Will Enjoy
Revenge.
FIRST FROM TOLEDO, o.


ent of the United Press.l
ROME, Feb. 26.-The official pro-
gram of the various ceremonies Which
will mark the vaticans celebration OF
Constantine Year has been made
public by the committee in charge.
On the surface, this celebration,
which will last throughout the entire
year, is supposed merely to be a fit
ting remembrance of the adoption by
the Emperor Constantine, following
his victory over the pagan general,
Maxentius, just outside OF Rome, OF
christianity as the official religion Of
the state. No secret, however, is
made of the fact that back Of the
celebration are two other motives.
One of these is that the commem-
Grafton shall serve as protest
against Italy's celebration two years
ago OF the fiftieth anniversary of its,
unification-a unification, which ac-
cording to the vatican. took from the
hopes their temporal power and the
official recognition which had been
given them by Constantine. The other
motive is that in the countless thous-
come to Rome from all parts of the
world to attend the various cerer
monies, the vatican will show how
much greater its power is over that of
/ the new kingdom of Italy as demon
strnted by its anniversary exposition
/ of two years ago.
/ In short, the Constantine celebra-
ton this year is to be the direct an
swer of the vatican to the challenge
that was laid down by Italy when 1t
/ decided to celebrate its unification.
This challenge was sounded in the
somewhat famous address made by
Mayor Nathan, of Rome, three years
ago, on the anniversary Of the taking
CT Rome by the italians, in which he
declared that the coming anniversary
i exposition would demonstrate to the
4 countless thousands which would be
4 attracted to it from all parts of the
world the astounding manner in
i which the new Italian government
had redeemed Rome and Italy from
the centuries of misrule, bigotry and
repression on the part of the popes.
This challenge on the part Of Mayor
Nathan caused storm OF protest
from the vatican which declared that
the speech was violation Of Italy's
law of guarantee in which 1t assured
to the person of the pope the utmost
respect and protection Of the govern
ment.
In a way the vatican had almost i'm
mediate revenge, for despite the mag.
nificent scale on which the two ex
positions at Rome and Turin were
carried out, scarcely anyone came
from abroad to visit them. In fact
as strong clerical paper at Rome
stated, instead Of the countless thous
ands which Mayor Nathan had prom
ised, there came scarcely anyone OF
anything during the anniversary veal
except the cholera, Italy's war with
Turkey, and the census, which provet
a triae disappointing.
It was Immediately following THU
failure OF Italy's jubilee, that thu
vatican decided to celebrate Constan
tine year. and as has been stated, M
secret was made of the fact, that ths
two motives mentioned above, wer'
most influential in bringing about thu
decision. With the intention there
fore, of demonstrating to Italy tina
the pope. despite the lack of his temp
oral power, can still bring to Ital
more people than the new Italian GOV
eminent encourag cement has heen 2