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Excerpt: ...bill in London, and from going for the winter to Rome, where he had once been Chamberlain at the Vatican, said that he had heard a story repeated by an attaché of the Foreign Office and attributed to Ambassador Gerard, a story which contained a disparaging allusion to the Holy Father
As a Catholic, I would perhaps protest to Ambassador Gerard against this irreverence which he understood had given the Foreign Minister great pain, as, I must know, the German Government is most desirous of respecting the feelings of Catholics. ''Impossible,'' I said. ''Our Ambassador is a special friend of Cardinal Farley''s and he has just sent several thousand prayer-books to the English Catholic prisoners in Germany.'' Thus the story was told.8 It seemed that among the evil New Yorkers with whom the Ambassador consorted, there was an American, named Michael, whose wife went to the priest and complained that Michael had acquired the habits of drinking and paying attention to other ladies. ''Very well,'' said the priest, ''I will call on Thursday night, if he is at home, and I''ll take the first chance of remonstrating with him.'' The evening came; the priest presented himself, and entered into a learned conversation on the topics of the hour, while Michael hid himself behind his paper, giving no opportunity for the pastor to address him. However, he knew that his time would come if he did not make a move into the enemy''s country. ''Father,'' he said, lowering his paper, ''you seem to know the reason for everything that''s goin'' on to-day; maybe you''ll tell me the meanin'' of the word diabetes?'' ''It is the name of a frightful disease that attacks men who beat their wives and spend their money on other women, Mike.'' ''I''m surprised, Father,'' said Michael, ''because I''m readin'' here that the Pope has it.'' It was necessary for me to explain that this was one of our folklore stories, and could be traced back to Gesta Romanorum
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