196 FAMOUS LIVING AMERICANS tion of Labor, ' ' which is still popular with all persons deeply interested in this great social question of our day. Of his many achievements the cardinal himself is proudest perhaps of his part in the papal conclave which elected the present Pope in 1903. His is the honor of having been the first American to share in the selection of a Soman pontiff. The humble Patriarch of Venice was very averse to assum- ing the responsibilities of the office, and it was primarily by the effort of the American cardinal that he was at length in- duced to consent to his election. It is altogether impossible, of course, to estimate the effect of the cardinal's teaching on many subjects of vital concern to the public, but the attention that has been accorded him throughout the nation and for so long a time, together with the fact that his credit has grown steadily with his years, is proof that his influence is intensive as well as extensive. For very many the word of Cardinal Gibbons is decisive, his sanc- tion or condemnation sufficient direction for conduct. It is given to few to enjoy so much and such thorough confidence in the minds of the people. Several of the presidents of the United States have cherished his friendship .and sought his counsel in great matters of national policy. The officials of his city and state have repeatedly and profusely declared the value of his precept and example to the common weal. The cardinal has constantly employed his great strength against the evils that threaten our national life, particularly divorce, Socialism, race-suicide, and corruption in politics. Always a lover of peace, he was the first prominent American to make an appeal for the establishment of an international tribunal for the settlement of disputes among the nations. The cause of temperance has received his strong support He strenuously and successfully opposed the attempted in- troduction of foreign nationalism into the Catholic Church in this country. He has always insisted upon the absolute necessity of religious education for the welfare of the indi- vidual, the home, and the state. He has rendered another important service in that he has done more than any other single person to dissipate religious
