A SURVIVAL OF MA'VI-^VAL CREDULITY. 711 



also to myself." But even this daring dasli of irony, hardly hidden 

 under the gauzy disguise of self-distrust, did not cool the ardor of 

 his admirers, who continued to greet the harlequin with " Evviva 

 Taxil! " His photograph hung among the pictures of the saints, 

 and the mere mention of his name called forth loud applause, where- 

 upon the prince of mountebanks rose and bowed. A few Germans 

 had the good sense and courage to protest against these demonstra- 

 tions, and to doubt the existence of Diana Vaughan and the sin- 

 cerity of Taxil, whose sole object, as Dr. Gratzfeld asserted, was 

 to " lay a snare for Catholics and anti-Freemasons, and scoff at 

 them when they are caught in it." This skepticism created intense 

 excitement, and was severely rebuked by an Italian priest and a 

 Parisian prebendary, who averred that they knew Diana Yaughan 

 personally, and could vouch for her saintliness. A French monk 

 used such violent language in his reply to Dr. Gratzfeld that the 

 presiding officer, although indorsing his views, felt constrained to 

 call him to order. " Any doubt of Diana Vaughan's existence or 

 of the genuineness of her revelations," e!S:claimed*the Abbe de Bes- 

 sonies, " is a sin against the arftimasonic cause ! " The Spanish 

 delegates introduced a resolution demanding that all Freemasons 

 should be legally incapacitated to hold any civil office or military 

 command; the resolution was adopted, with the amendment that 

 " wherever it may be feasible " such laws should be enacted and 

 executed. The manner in which Taxil met the allegations of his 

 opjDonents is highly characteristic. " A priest of the Holy Sacra- 

 ment, Father Delaporte, had often declared that he would gladly 

 give his life for the conversion of Diana Vaughan. She attended 

 mass in the cloister for the first time on Corpus Christi, and left 

 her sacred retreat on the following Saturday. On the very day 

 of her departure Father Delaporte died. And yet there are per- 

 sons who doubt the existence of Miss Vaughan! " The burst of 

 applause elicited by this irrefragable argument proved his accurate 

 appreciation of the logical powers of his auditors, whose minds had 

 been fed on the nutriment which may be wholesome as " milk for 

 babes," but, when persistently administered to adults, converts 

 them into intellectual milksops. 



Although the congress was attended by many of the chief dig- 

 nitaries of the papal hierarchy, and the Romish Patriarch of Con- 

 stantinople sat there in state with a golden crown on his head, Taxil 

 was its ruling spirit. On his motion, it was resolved to estab- 

 lish antimasonic associations in every land under the auspices of 

 the bishops and the direction of national committees, and a com- 

 mission was appointed to investigate the Diana Vaughan affair. 

 A few months later, on January 22, 1897, this commission made 



