After other conciliators--
among whom was the Bishop of London-- had given up the task in
disgust, the octogenarian Cardinal worked on with indefatigable
resolution. At last, late at night, in the schools in Kirby
Street, Bermondsey, he rose to address the strikers. An
enthusiastic eye-witness has described the scene: 'Unaccustomed
tears glistened in the eyes of his rough and work-stained hearers
as the Cardinal raised his hand and solemnly urged them not to
prolong one moment more than they could help the perilous
uncertainty and the sufferings of their wives and children. Just
above his uplifted hand was a figure of the Madonna and Child;
and some among the men tell how a sudden light seemed to swim
around it as the speaker pleaded for the women and children. When
he sat down all in the room knew that he had won the day, and
that, so far as the Strike Committee was concerned, the matter
was at an end.'
In those days, there were strange visitors at the Archbishop's
House.
Careful priests and conscientious secretaries wondered what the
world was coming to when they saw labour leaders like M.r John
Burns and Mr. Ben Tillett, and land-reformers like Mr. Henry
George, being ushered into the presence of his Eminence. Even the
notorious Mr. Stead appeared, and his scandalous paper with its
unspeakable revelations lay upon the Cardinal's table.
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