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Show I POPE PIOS XI IS CONVERTED TO BASEBALL FOR IMPROVEMENT OF YOUTH OF HIS NATIVE LAND an $ ' Pontiff Approves Million Dollar Welfare Project Of American Fraternal Order and Donates Do-nates Ball Lot Near Vatican BY EDWARD L. HEARN. European Coruniis.iorier of Knights of Columbus. (Written especially for NEA Service. Copyright, 1922, by NEA Service.) ROME, June 3. Pius XI will go down in history as the young ! man's pope for he has made it known thct one of his prime con-! cerns is the welfare of the youth of his native land. As European commissioner of the Knights of Columbus it has been my privilege to have the longest private audience accorded so far by his holiness to a layman. I laid before him the plans of the : Knights of Columbus for the establishment and conduct of the $1-C00.000 $1-C00.000 American welfare work which they have undertaken in Italy as a tribute to the memory of Columbus, their patron, and to the i memory of the late Pope Benedict XV, who personally invited the j knights to take up this particular undertaking. His holiness received me cordially. He is a tall, athletically built man, and he speaks English with very little accent, for an Italian He reads it freely, too, often perusing London and American news papers. "I am glad to see you,'- he said, shaking my hand "As the. representative of the Knights of Columbus you are welcome to the Holy See. I salute you. too, as a knight commander of the Order of St. Grerrorv the Great." It Win I 13 o ,1,11 ; The pope seated myself and my bcc- x rotary comfortably. ,ircv. put ot my pocket paporv on gf'- which Hi" report had been carefully JffJj'r prepared. The pope smiled at their bulfc and with a .-sturo Indicated in,,: i proi eed. He heard mo patlent-v', patlent-v', lv, occasionally applauding with tho English equivalent of the Italian iffi?! "nravo" 'good." W"h n i reached the part of the re-no re-no i in which was stressed the im-portance im-portance of athletics as a medium of iifijji' benefit for the Italian youth his face ifKA beamed. ,,, That la tho thing for the boys he declared. They must have these . . nes and 'ho American games are especially fitted for the climate of ffltfri Italy " :JJr ,l ", .,.,. ., XI is famous, amonj his JPf ! human qualifications, lor a fondness for BtrenuouB exercise. That explains Uittli, hi- enthusiasm for the part of the K.'.-f C program calling for the m-iffinfc m-iffinfc Uoduction of baseball. POINTS OUT SITE , j, ,,. not gone tar In explaining its ,. r B ;, health-builder ..ad ay ntal ' at to youth when his holiness ,, juddenly from his chair and ?jk beckoned me to the large window of Wm 'H'e1 "pointed out beyond tho screen jlLf over the dome of St. Peter's to a large ftHkV'l dot of andy turf. iv-n the Knisht of Columbus shall , , ; Bfte cor their field.' he de-red de-red ihat I can seo for myself I , 2 mi Mud window what Progress hey are making here In the heart ot Pffls K'l?1v ns the first time In history that lAhfa n Offer had been made by any ffilp nouC His holiness had evidently de-ned de-ned on this gift of papal land ore l saw him. for he re.u hed to I,;, drawer and drew out a large m-ThlB map will be sent to you." he I . , .1 It will show you clearly wn. ro ( JJ J B, ;lad what its possibilities J :, a.uptib.hty to tlio prugram o . , lfar( ,v(,l k Hi- Knights of Colum bus "'dortake.'' Trnr HKADQl 'ARTERS IN ROfE I then explained that the K of C. had Llready taken up Roman tead-1 tead-1 SSarten at 86 Via Maratte, in the , SB3 the city and readily access - ble to tourists. I informed his ho - I! e that In this headquarters the K !; ofC. had made arrangements to assist , the comfort of the scores of Amerl- ! , ,, uho visited Rome for the great 1 eucharistlc congress during the last week Of May- . ' That Is achievement. said the I nope. "I am delighted. " He then dwelt upon the appropri-I appropri-I ateness of the Knights of Columbus returning to Italy, after their war wel-( wel-( tare work in that country for Amer- i lean service men j "It is very fitting that you undor- J take this task.- ho said, "for It Is no leu important than any other kind cu I , Lief work. You will bring closer the relations between you country and I J'al'i,ave a profound admiration for . tho Idealism of America, which Is none I the less practical and can oe the ad- vantage to domestic morale of the ex- jf tension to other countries nf advan- I taees which America enjoys. 1 ITAJAT IN HARD STRAITS - H(iws "Italy is still struggling from the ) economic disadvantages entailed by I tho war; and in coming to us with f our strength you are bestowing upon H ii? an unqualified blessing H j "Pleaflo," he asked me. before I quit the papal presence, "convey to the su- .,reme knight of the Knights of Co- i lumbus, and to the supreme officers j and the members of the supreme j hoard of directors and to every Indl- i vidual knight and thoir families, my I fervent blessing. Thoir achievement for America have aroused by admlra- I tion. I have for some years watched I their progress as an organization de- 1 voted to practical, patriotic- work, j "I trust their example in Italy will be as effective as it Is meritorious' I The interview had lasted 25 mln- I utea. oo |