, if we care to. And," he mused, "we shall elect
him. But, all in good time, all in good time."

"And is that," the Bishop interrogated eagerly, "what the Holy Father
is now contemplating?"

"I cannot say that it is," answered the noncommittal Cardinal-Bishop.
"But the Holy Father loves America. He rejoices in your report of
progress in your diocese. The successes attained by Catholic
candidates in the recent elections are most gratifying to him. This
not only testifies to the progress of Catholicism in America, but is
tangible proof of the growth of tolerance and liberal-mindedness in
that great nation. The fact that the Catholic Mass is now being said
in the American army affords further proof."

"Yes," meditated the Bishop. "Our candidates who receive election are
quite generally loyal to the Church."

"And should constitute a most potent factor in the holy work of making
America dominantly Catholic," added the older man.

"True, Your Eminence. And yet, this great desideratum can never come
about until the youth are brought into the true fold. And that means,
as you well know, the abolishing of the public school system."

"What think you of that?" asked the Cardinal-Bishop off-handedly.

The Bishop waxed suddenly animated. A subject had been broached which
lay close to his heart. "The public schools constitute a godless sink
of pollution!" he replied heatedly. "They are nurseries of vice! They
are part of an immoral and vicious system of education which is
undermining the religion of American children! I have always contended
that we, the Holy Catholic Church, _must_ control education! I hold
that education outside of the Church is heresy of the most damnable
kind! We have heretofore weakly protested against this pernicious
system, but without success, excepting"--and here he smiled
cynically--"that we have very generally succeeded in forcing the
discontinuance of Bible reading in the public schools. And in certain
towns where our parochial schools do not instruct beyond the eighth
grade, it looks as if we might force the introduction of a form of the
Catholic Mass to be read each morning in the High School."

"Excellent!" exclaimed the Cardinal-Bishop. "Your voice thrills me
like a trumpet call."

"I would it were such," cried the Bishop excitedly, "summoning the
faithful to strike a blow which shall be felt! What right have the
United States, or any nation, to educate the young? None whatever!
Education