Page:The World's Parliament of Religions Vol 1.djvu/110

80 HISTORY OF THE PARLIAMENT. and of goodness and of charity, then we listen to what will surpass infinitely whatever the most learned or most able men can tell us of material things. Those men that have come together will tell of their systems of faith, without, as has been well said by Dr. Barrows, one atom of surrender of what each one believes to be the truth for him. No doubt it will be of exceeding interest, but whatever may be said in the end, when all is spoken, there will be at least one great result ; because no matter how we may dif- fer in faith or in religion, there is one thing that is common to us all, and that is a common humanity. And these men, representing the races and faiths of the world, meeting together and talking together and seemg one another, will have for each other in the end a sincere respect and reverence and a cordial and fraternal feeling of friendship. As the privilege which I prize very much has been given to me, I bid them all, in my own name and of that which I re])resent, a most cordial welcome. President Bonney then introduced, amid loud cheering, His Eminence James, Cardinal Gibbons, of Baltimore, explain- ing that it was in spite of illness that the Cardinal had come so far in order to respond to the addresses of welcome. SPEECH OE CARDINAL GIBBONS. Your honored president has informed you, ladies and gentlemen, that if { were to consult the interests of my health I should perhaps be in bed this morning, but, as I was announced to say a word in response to the kind s{)eeches that have been offered to us, I could not fail to present myself at least and to show my interest in your great undertaking. I should be wanting in my duty as a minister of the Catholic Church if I did not say that it is our desire to present the claims of the Catholic Church to the observation and, if possible, to the acceptance of every right-minded man that will listen to us. But we appeal only to the tribunal of conscience and of intellect. I feel that in possessing my faith I possess a treasure com- pared with which all the treasures of this world are but dross ; and, instead of hiding those treasures in my own coverts, I would like to share them with others, especially as I am none the poorer in making others the richer. But though we do not agree in matters of faith, as the Most Reverend the Arch- bishop of Chicago has said, thanks be to God there is one platform on which we all stand united. It is the platform of charity, of humanity, and of benev- olence. And as ministers of Christ we thank him for our great model in this particular. Our blessed Redeemer came upon this earth to break down the wall of partition that separated race from race and people from people and tribe from tribe, and has made us one people, one family, recognizing God as our common Father and Jesus Christ as our brother. We have a beautiful lesson given to us in the Gospel of Jesus Christ —