“How?”

“There’s such an everlasting waste of resources—­such tarnation bad management.  Fact is, I’ve noted that it’s always the case wherever you trust ministers to do business.  They’re sure to make a mess of it.  I’ve known lots of cases.  Why, that’s always the way with us.  Look at our stock-companies of any kind, our religious societies, and our publishing houses—­wherever they get a ministerial committee, the whole concern goes to blazes.  I know that.

“Yes, Sir.  Now that’s the case here.  Here’s a fine country.  Why, round this here city there’s a country, Sir, that, if properly managed, might beat any of our prairies—­and look at it.

“Then, again, they complain of poverty.  Why, I can tell you, from my own observation, that they’ve got enough capital locked up, lying useless, in this here city, to regenerate it all, and put it on its feet.  This capital wants to be utilized.  It’s been lying too long without paying interest.  It’s time that it stopped.  Why, I tell you what it is, if they were to sell out what they have here lying idle, and realize, they’d get enough money to form an endowment fund for the Pope and his court so big that his Holiness and every official in the place might get salaries all round out of the interest that would enable them to live like—­well, I was going to say like princes, but there’s a lot of princes in Rome that live so shabby that the comparison ain’t worth nothing.

“Why, see here, now,” continued the Baron, warming with his theme, which seemed to be a congenial one; “just look here; see the position of this Roman court.  They can actually levy taxes on the whole world.  Voluntary contributions, Sir, are a wonderful power.  Think of our missionary societies—­our Sabbath-school organizations in the States.  Think of the wealth, the activity, and the action of all our great charitable, philanthropic, and religious bodies.  What supports them all?  Voluntary contributions.  Now what I mean to say is this—­I mean to say that if a proper organization was arranged here, they could get annual receipts from the whole round globe that would make the Pope the richest man on it.  Why, in that case Rothschild wouldn’t be a circumstance.  The Pope might go into banking himself, and control the markets of the world.  But no.  There’s a lot of ministers here, and they haven’t any head for it.  I wish they’d give me a chance.  I’d make things spin.

“Then, again, they’ve got other things here that’s ruining them.  There’s too much repression, and that don’t do for the immortal mind.  My idea is that every man was created free and equal, and has a right to do just as he darn pleases; but you can’t beat that into the heads of the governing class here.  No, Sir.  The fact is, what Rome wants is a republic.  It’ll come, too, some day.  The great mistake of his Holiness’s life is that he didn’t put himself at the head of the movement in ’48.  He had the chance, but he got frightened, and backed