centuries only if his work had been to philosophy what Dante's Divina
Commedia is to literature.

The subject of scholastic philosophy now more or less claims attention
here, since the coming to our country of the most distinguished exponent
of Neo-scholasticism. Cardinal Mercier before becoming a prince of the
Church, held the chair of neo-scholastic philosophy at Louvain where he
made his department so distinguished for deep scholarship that pupils
came from afar to sit under his instruction or to prepare themselves for
a doctorate of philosophy whose requirements at Louvain were perhaps,
more exacting than at any other modern university.

In 1889 Bishop John H. Keane engaged in the task of getting together a
faculty for the Catholic University at Washington went to Louvain to see
Dr. Mercier. "I want you to go to Washington and become head of our
school of philosophy," said the visitor. "I am perfectly willing to go,
nothing could please me more. But we must first get the permission of
the Pope," answered the Belgian scholar. Bishop Keane went to Rome and
presented the matter to Leo XIII. "Better leave him where he is,"
replied the Pope. "He is more needed in Belgium than in the United
States." So it was owing to the wisdom of Pope Leo in keeping the right
man in the right place that Belgium's strongest man was held for his
country against the evil hour to be a terror to wrongdoers and an
inspiration and object of reverence.

The World's War revealed Belgium's Primate not only as a great lucid
thinker who shattered the subtilities with which the philosophy of might
tried to confuse the mind of the world, but also as an undaunted leader
who could not be frightened or defeated by all the forces of militarism.
To my mind the secret of the dominating influence working upon Cardinal