(See front cover)
The Gods, Goddesses, Saints and Celestial Powers about to exert their benevolence last week at the opening in London of the Five-Power Naval Conference were of two kinds, Christian and Pagan: Christian
First the Most Holy Trinity, consisting of God the Father, Christ the Savior and the Holy Ghost, with the faith of Protestants and notably Quakers centered in the Savior, Prince of Peace.
Second the Most Blessed Virgin, Mary, Mother of the Savior, upon whose intercession with Him most Catholics, but especially those of France and Italy, placed their chief reliance.
Third the various maritime and naval Christian saints: Christopher, Erasmus, Nicholas, Andrew, etc. Pagan
First the Shinto Sun Goddess, Amaterasu O-Mikami, Divine Ancestress of the Son of Heaven, the Emperor Hirohito of Japan. His Majesty stated that he communed with Her at length before imparting final and inspired orders of the Japanese Delegation.
Second the Supreme Avatar Buddha of Japan, by no means always in sympathy with the aims and aspirations of the Sun Goddess.
Third the Venerable Pantheon of more than 500 Buddhist saints, more than 100,000 Shintoist saints.
Mobilization for Peace. Earth dwellers took the following steps to mobilize the Heavenly Hosts:
In London the Most Reverend Father in God, Cosmo Gordon Lang, Archbishop of Canterbury, Primate of All England, postulated: "The success of the Conference closely concerns the advancement of the Kingdom of God on Earth. It claims, and we are confident it will receive, the earnest and united prayers of all Christian people." In harmony with the Primate's appeal the congregations of all British Protestant churches, and all those represented by the Federal Council of Churches of Christ in America, and many another, resolved to pray simultaneously on the eve of the Conference.
At Rome the Supreme Pontiff, His Holiness Achille Ambrogio Damiano Ratti, Pope Pius XI, addressed to the Most High in the hearing of Catholics a great and fervent prayer, after performing the Supreme Miracle of changing bread and wine into the body and blood of the Prince of Peace.
In Kyoto, ancient and sacred seat of Shintoism, the priests and acolytes of the
Sun Gods observed mysteries and worked wonders, quite as holy and astonishing in the eyes of Japanese as those at Rome, but secretly. In the temples and before the enormous bronze image of the Great Buddha, the Just and the Compassionate, humble Japanese were prostrate.
If there was among the Delegates at London any bad or evil man, the Gods of two hemispheres were alert to damn him according to his faith, or to blast him should he have none.
Candidate for Blasting? A very good man according to his friends, and a very bad one in the estimation of his enemies, is Prime Minister Andre ("L'Americain") Tardieu of France, curt go-getter. More than any other Chief Delegate this square-jawed little Frenchman in a suit as angular as Ambassador Dawes's, held the fate of the Conference between his fingers— short, nimble fingers which he has a trick of snapping once as a sort of jazz accompaniment to his jaunty shrug.*