The sun., 1919-09-14

deed. the we'll known wine cellars of
Belgium were the grand prize prom
ised to the German soldiery before
they crossed the frontier. Nor were
, they slow to begin looting them, Soon
began streaming into Germany long
professions of trains-an loaded with
bottles, the store of generations. Car
dinal Mercier, though not a teetotaler,
seldom tastes. either wine or beer. To
his ordinary guests, however. he usu-
ally Sffers the latter. Yet his hos
pitality is most generous, often quite
munifcent.
OF the latter sort the following in
cident gives a touching proof. A
group of working girls from the
"Minimes." Louvain, were entertained
by His Eminence. The occasion was
this. A religious OF that convent
had created the exquisite "Louvain
embroidery" a revival and modern
ization of the oldest OF all artistic
needlework, a thing that fell into
oblivion when modern lace came into
being three or four centuries ago. This
highly artistic revival was awarded
the gold medal at the Worlds Fair
held in Client in 1913. Both employers
and employees were anxious that their
beloved Cardinal should be the first to
possess a specimen OF the industry.
Their hearts in their fingers, they
set to work. In few months they
presented him with a rochet that
looked as if it had drifted out of
fairyland.
Then came an invitation to all the
girls who had brought into existence
so dainty a creation to assist at the
Cardinals mass the first time he wore
their masterpiece. With the invita-
ton came a muniflcently generous
bank note to defray the expenses of
the journey. He celebrated mass for
them in his private chapel, after
which he seated them himself at an
almost sumptuous breakfast laid out
in one of the state reception rooms.
Here again his big tender heart showed
itself. He had said mass in a black
cassock, but wishing those poor girls
to harvest from their work all pos
sible pleasure he came to them after
breakfast wearing their lace over his
scarlet silk robes.
A cry OF delight and surprise broke
from them. They crowded round him,
each one finding out and showing him
the motifs" she had worked-he ques-
toned them as to how they had pro-
duced such a marvel, Never had the
delicate, filmy fabric appeared to them
so lovely as now In the light OF his
admiration. There he stood-a father
with his children, chatting with them,
turning from side to side to let each
one see her section in the best light
Its perfection enhanced by the
beauty Of the scarlet silk.
Then he allowed them to roam
through the house. a State owned
building worthy OF the long line Of
princely prelates IL had sheltered. Lit
tie did: he dream how forgotten they
soon would be I'm the lustre of his own
gloryl Before dismissing the girls,
after their long visit. he gave TO
each his picture. large photograph
on which he wrote her name and a.
blessing for her and her family over
his signature.
Funerals for Poor Babies.
Another instance of his love for the
poor Is seen In an organization he
started shortly before the war. One
day, wandering in the slums of Brus-
sells, he met a little coffin being car
ried to the cemetery without any sem
blance of Christian respect for the
dead. On inquiry, he discovered that
In general the poor Stunned the ex-
pense Of a religious funeral for their
little onea. 1t was short work for the