The United States and Rome
Prophecy tells us of the Roman power that "all that dwell on the earth shall worship him, every one whose name hath not been written in the book of life of the Lamb."-Rev. 13:8, R.V. And again of this great apostasy it is said, "All nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication."-Rev. 18:3. The Revision has it, "All the nations are fallen." The last great liberty-conserving nation of earth is this nation; but this nation is yielding to Rome, and has been step by step since 1892. Previous to that time this government was held by Catholic writers not "to be any government at all, or as capable of performing any of the proper functions of government; and if it continues to be interpreted by the revolutionary principles of Protestantism, it is sure to fail."-Catholic World, September, 1871. Since the Supreme Court Trinity Church Decision, of 1892, and the act of Congress in deciding a purely religious question, in 1893, committing this government to a union of Church and State, this United States has been by papal rescript "elevated to the first rank as a Catholic nation." This was in 1894. Since that time the rapprochement has been rapid. In behalf of this the United States' place in the Philippines offered favorable opportunity. The papers tell us that Archbishop Chapelle asks the privilege of adjusting to each other the Roman Catholic Church and the Constitution in the islands. A despatch from Geneva, under date of October 14, tells us that Bellamy Storer, United States Minister to Spain, speaks thus of a recent interview he had with the pope:— "Since Archbishop Ireland's visit to the Vatican it is clearly understood there that the best interests of the Roman Catholic Church demand American rule in the Philippines. The United States and the Catholic Church have the same aims there, and hope to work together for order and peace." And in addition to this, Mr. Storer tells us that "the Filipinos had made their attempts to, open negotiations with the Vatican, all of which were refused," which means much more than a surface glance might indicate.