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Show Pope and King. STRAWS show, the way the ' wind blows. Little things, events occupying oc-cupying but a few moments' c? time, have often marked the turning points in history. Last Wednesday, for the first time in almost unnumbered years, a king of England and a Roman pontiff met in the court of the Vatican. They conversed together for only twenty twen-ty minutes. Not much of great importance, impor-tance, it might be said, could have happened hap-pened in that space of time, but the fact that they met, and met within the walls of the palace of the pope has engaged en-gaged the attention of the whole, civilized civil-ized world. And well it might. Diplomats and statesmen are bound to recognize the unique importance of a conference between the greatest man in all the world, the spiritual director of the consciences of 300,000,000 of people, peo-ple, and the king, of the greatest nation whose subjects, numbering more than 300,000,000 souls, are scattered in every quarter of the globe. As was to be expected, the narrow bigots composing the Evangelical alliance alli-ance and one or two other Protestant bodies have raised an awful howl. They have- reminded King Edward that he is the head of one Protestant church in whose homilies the pope of Rome is called anti-Christ, and of another whose confession of faith is even more uncharitable. un-charitable. These people have been snubbed as they deserved and are the laugning siock or xne general puDiic. It Is better to pay no further attention to them, but to look, at the bright side of things. A- new age must indeed have dawned when a king of England could be induced in-duced to resume friendly relations with the Vatican. The importance of the event lies not in the mere fact that the king was personally inspired with sufficient suf-ficient respect for the aged pope to cause him to pay this courtesy, but that he did so at the express desire of his ministry and parliament representing the whole people of his empire. An English monarch cannot leave England or go anywhere when abroad without the consent of hi3 constitutional advisers; ad-visers; so this visit to. the Vatican was, in a sense, the act of the combined millions over whom he rules. It may, therefore, be taken as a token that the age of blind bigotry and intolerance has passed away so far as the- ruling classes of England are concerned. Pope Leo XIII is indeed worthy of the respect of all men. Twenty years ago three men towered above their fellows fel-lows in power of intellect and influence over the destinies of mankind; Bismarck, Bis-marck, Gladstone and the pope. Today To-day the pope alone remains, the last survivor of a company of giants and an age of great events', the influence of which will be felt through all time. It is as the great diplomat and peace- I maker, probably the greatest in all the long line of saints and able men who have worn the triple crown of Rome, that the pope will be remembered. The mighty struggles in which he has taken a part during his long and eventful reign have been all for peace, for the settlement of disputes, for the restoration restora-tion of their rights to oppressed peoples peo-ples and races. He is the only man who ever won in a contest with Bismarck. Bis-marck. Through the superior diplomacy diploma-cy of the pope, Bismarck was forced to recede from his position with regard to the church in Germany and make "the journey to Canossa." The blessings which are being showered show-ered upon the Holy Father in these closing years of his career are in direct fulfilment of the promise made in the Sermon on the Mount, "Blessed are the j peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God." |
