tions, and were for public libraries, the shelves of no- LITTLE 

 bility, or rich collectors. JOURNEYS 



Humboldt was judical in all of his statements, ap- 

 proaching every question as if nothing were known 

 about it. He built strong and was preparing the way, 

 throwing up ramparts and storing ammunition for the 

 first decisive battle that was to take place between 

 Theology and Science. In his day Theology was su- 

 preme, the practical dictator of human liberties. But a 

 "World's Congress of Freethinkers has recently been 

 held in Rome. There were present over three thou- 

 sand delegates, representing every civilized country on 

 the globe. The deliberations of the Congress were held 

 in a hall supplied by the Italian Government, and all 

 courtesies and privileges were tendered the delegates. 

 Q The only protest came from the Pope who turned 

 protestant and ordered special services in all the 

 Catholic churches of Rome " to partially mitigate the 

 blot upon the fair record of the Holy City." Forty 

 years ago armed men would have routed this Congress 

 by force, and a hundred years ago the bare thought of 

 such a meeting would have placed a person who might 

 have suggested it in imminent peril. 

 Humboldt prophesied that the world would not for- 

 ever be ruled by religious superstition science must 

 surely win. But he did not expect that the change 

 would come so quickly as it has ; neither did he antici- 

 pate the fact that orthodox religion would admit the 

 facts of science and still flourish. The number of 

 Church communicants now is larger than it was in 



119 



