The Standard has renewed its statements about negotiations with the
Vatican, and even quoted despatches alleged to have passed between Cardinal Maccabe and Cardinal Jacobini. Cardinal Maccabe, however, denies their authenticity, while the Government categorically asserts that there neither has been
nor is any foundation for the rumours. That is final, and we can only regret a decision which seems to us as foolish as it would be for the Indian Government to refuse to com- municate with the Grand Lama, if that spiritual potentate influenced millions of Indian subjects, or with the Shereef of Mecca about the safety of Indian pilgrims. Statesmen must take the world's forces into account, and not say that because this or that force rests on an illusion, therefore they will not see it. The odd fact is that the sceptics, who ought to consider all creeds equally baseless and equally worthy of conciliation, are quite willing to negotiate with the Grand Lama or the Khalif, but cannot think with patience of sending official information to -the Pope. Is it only because he is a Christian, or do they really think, like some English Evangelicals, that Popery is a catching disease, a mental scarlet-fever P If so, why is not Mahommedan- ism, that most propagandist of all faiths P
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