Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-09-09

voice that cried out in the Wilderness
| while murder, rape. arson and pillage were
rampant in Belgium. Few Americans know
anything of the personality of the church
man who arrives in New York today. I
am among the three or four PhiladeIphians
who have seen the cardinal since the Ger
man hordcs overran King Alberts little
land
| spent the greater part of an afternoon
with Cardinal MERCER at his palace in
Maincs, picturesque town between
Antwerp and Brussels. Bearded German
soldiers. with bristling bayonets, trod the
sidewalks outside the cardinals home as l
entered. They we're there to guard the
primate and see all who entered and left
the big stone building in which he lives
The cardinal was virtually n prisoner. His
famous pastoral letters had aroused the
anger of the invaders.
There were bullet marks on the sides of
the palace, holes in the roof and parts OF
the Cornices had been torn away. The
beautiful cathedral, nearby, was in ruins.
Hungry men, gaunt women. slckly children
idlcd about on the street as l entered the
palace.
l was escorted to the reception room by
young priest Cardinal Mcrcler entered
in few minutes.
The cardinal talked to me more than
two hours. He made lasting impression.
Even when the horror of war was upon
his beloved Belgium the cardinal had
smile for the stranger.
| saw n typical churChman, tall and
ascctiC looking, bright of eye, quick Of
movement, slightly bent by the weight Of
ycars-in n word, the kind of man one
feels better for having seen and heard talk.
The cardinal enjoyed the dilemma in
which he had placed the Germans. His
pastoral letters had told his people 'Our
future is not in doubt. We will win. We
will be free"
I asked the cardinal to tell me SOME
thing of his detention in his palace. He
smiled.
AT o'clock one morning." said the
cardinal 1.-TWO German soldiers and an
officer brought me a communication from
their commanding officer asking me to deny
the statement that | had been deprived of
my liberty. The letter consisted of four or
five typewriter pages. Come back in the
evening and Ill give you an answer, said.
The officer replied that his orders were to
wait in my room until he received the
reply. Go and telephone for other orders,
| then said.
The officer went out, his orders were
confirmed, so he sat patiently while I
considered my reply, which was in effect
that while it was true there were no
manaclcs on my hands, ! was to have per
formed service in Antwerp and was not
permitted to do so, and that for three days
] was restrained in the palace. Two days
later | was asked to modify this letter,
and ] wrote another letter. If the Germans
are clever" concluded the cardinal with a
smile. "they will publish my first letter.
SuIJnn1,- Cardinal Norpinr oil ,nI f'Ta1
me something. please, of how you Amer
leans raised so much money and sent so
many supplies to our suffering people?"
l explained how the states, cities and viii
lagos throughout the United States had
taken up the great charity and pushed it for
the american Commission for Relief in
Belgium. I told him l was the first and
only American who had crossed in one of
the relief ships.
"Wonderful - exclaimed the cardinal.
"Surcy there are rich blessings in store
for the people who have made sacrifices to
help us. The war is still upon us. Our
people are hungry. | fear their hunger
will continue. Tell your people, when you
go home, that we thank them. and impress
upon them that our cry is for more. With
out aid from the outside we will perish
l then asked the cardinal to tell me more
of the treatment of the Germans toward
himself and the members of his household.
Excuse me, please he said. Il do not
want to talk more about it just now.
am keeping record of it all, day by day
and incident by incident. Some day may
make it public. When that time comes
the war will be over and Belgium will be
free.
'"Let us talk some more of your country
and the great men over there, the cardinal
continued.
''Do you know Cardinal Gibbons?" he
asked.
replied that had met the American
cardinal on many occasions.
Hes a great man. said Cardinal Mer-
cier. "I'll tell you little joke about him.
You can relate it to your people, for it
demonstrates the real democracy of the
Americans.
"a year or two before the war began, I
think it was, Cardinal Gibbons stopped here
on his way from Rome to the United States
We enjoyed his visit of a few days. He
has vast fund of information, a pleasing
and uplifting trend of conversation. We
were sorry when his visit ended aud there S
where the joke comes in.
II was not well, and | said good by to
the cardinal in the palace. The carriage had
hoon 0rd""cd to take him to the railway sta
tion. In about five minutes after our
visitor had lett one OF the young brothers
rusned in, almost out of breath. and said,
Cardinal Gibbons is walking alone to the
station and carrying his own satchel.'
II could not understand that 1t was
different l could not imagine Shy he should
walk alone and carry his satchel. ! was
embarrassed. l dispatched a messenger to
inform the cardinal that the carriage was
waiting for him. Then l waited for the
return of the messenger to learn how it all
had happened-Cardinal Gibbons walking
alone on the streets of Malincs!
''When the messenger came back he re-
lated this conversation with tire cardinal:
" The carriage is in front of the palace
to take your eminenCe to the station. Per-
haps you did not see it?'
d" oh. yes, l saw it, said the cardinal,
but did not want it. like to walk, so |
started out. When ] am at home I take
long walks every day. Young man. do
more walking, you will live longer"
Then / was able to assure Cardinal Mer-
cier that Cardinal Gibbons was indeed n
great walker. / told him of the long and
! oI,,oof daily wnlkS that bo