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Show DAILY Lire Of PIDS X. His Appearance Responsibility Dominant Domi-nant of Features New Story Great Worker Strenuous Life Solving Difficult Dif-ficult Problems. John D. Crimmins, a wealthy and prominent Catholic in New York, writes an interesting article for the Salt Lake Tribune on the life of the present reigning Pontiff, Pius X. He begins : The last door is thrown open to us and we find ourselves in the presence of the Pope. Dressed from head to foot in white, a sturdy, well-knit frame, rather under than over the middle height, of easy and dignified bearing, Pius X would not look the seventy years he carries but for one thing. At a little distance he looks not unlike his great predecessor, prede-cessor, Pius IX, but the resemblance fades as you study his face more closely. On the whole, it i3 not an uncommon type of face, but there is a wonderful wonder-ful blending of gentleness and strength in the curves of the mouth, reflected again in the quiet gray eyes (which a great artist has described as "Irish eyes"), whose general expression is that of kindness and thoughtfulness, but which light up keenly every now and then when he is specially interested. in-terested. It is a good face, a kindly face, a 6trong face, which prepares you at once for the fatherly cordiality of your reception. It is a face that sets you at your ease in a moment, that enables you to accept without embarrassment his invitation to you to seat yourself close to him, and to say out what you have in your heart. But if I were asked what I consider the dominant domi-nant note in the appearance of Pius X, I would answer at once that it is an immense, overshadowing, overshadow-ing, persistent sense of responsibility; those human characteristics which make Pius X the most lovable of pontiffs are, after all, only like flashes of sunshine sun-shine on a deep sea. From what I have seen and from what I know of our Holy Father, I believe that for the last five years and a half he has never for five waking minutes fully forgotten that the whole weight of God's great church is resting on his shoulders and that lie must bear it until his body is laid away in the niche in St. Peter's, which now holds all that is mortal of his predecessors. You have read many anecdotes of Pius X. Let me add another here which has never been published and which illustrates pathetically what I have just been saying. You know that the Pope's two sisters, sis-ters, who have kept house for him all his life, have -followed him to Rome. They lead a very plain life in a small flat, almost within a stone's, throw of the Vatican. When they look out at night from the window of their parlor, they see one light, shining out from the gloom of the great palace of the Pope's, and they do not need to be told that up there their brother is working and praying for the church. But at certain times they are privileged to spend an hour or half an hour with him alone in the evening, even-ing, as they used to do when he was a cardinal or bishop or parish priest. Usually they talk about old times and old friends, but there are times when the visit is infinitely touching. They note at a glance that their brother has had much to trouble him that day, for he looks older and full of care and his smile of welcome has died away almost immediately. And the three sit there together in perfect silence, the simple black-robed women tolling their beads, with their eyes fixed tenderly and sorrowfully on his face, and the white figure between them motionless motion-less in his chair. They say nothing, for they see his mind is not there perhaps they know that the Pope is that moment thinking of France, and he sees the churches there being robbed and profaned, the idea of God being torn up from the hearts of the people, and the figure of Christ,-whose vicar he is, removed from the land. That, gentlemen, is, I think, a subject worthv of a trreat nrtist The privilege of attending the Pope's mass at the early hour of 7 in the morning, in the small chapel adjoining his apartments, and receiving from his hands the sacred host, is occasionally granted to Catholic visitors in Borne. Admission is by card, gentlemen attend iri full dress and ladies in black, with veils as head coverings. The chapel proper is small; the anteroom where the audience is held is larger, contains benches and seats about forty people. The anteroom permits a full view of the altar. You are impressed with the quiet simplicity sim-plicity of the altar and furniture. The Holy Father Fa-ther robes at the altar and begins his mas3. The responses re-sponses are made by his chaplain and two acolytes. At the communion, those who are to receive kneel at two prie-Dieux. The Holy Father with much impre'ssiveness gives the host, reciting in a low and melodious voice the invocation. The two communions, communi-ons, kneeling at the prie-Dieux, rise and others take their place, the Holy Father quietly standing, as the space is narrow and communicants occupy some seconds in passing. The room, with but one window, and the candles on the altar, give a subdued light the draperies prevail, and you realize that you are in a holy place. The mass ends and the Holy Father takes a seat to the left of the allar while his chaplain says his'mass, the Pope making the responses in a clear, distinct voice, abova that of the acolyte, so that it would appear as if his mass was the only voice. I have before referred to the "sense of responsibility responsi-bility which seems to have entered in and become a very part of the Holy Father. And yet this very sense of responsibility which weighs so heavily on him has already enriched his pontificate with extraordinary ex-traordinary achievements, and has filled him with a spirit of labor and energy almost incredible in a man of his years. Most of us were surprised on August 4, 1903 when we learned that the sixty-three princes 'of the church, comprising the most venerable and enlightened en-lightened body of men in the world, Selected a comparatively com-paratively unknown man to succeed Leo XIII, not a theologian like Cardinal SatollL-for Cardinal Sarto has never written anything but plain pastorals pas-torals for his people; not a great man like Cardinal Rampolla, for Father Sarto had concerned himself all his life with the spiritual interests of his parish or his diocese; not a man with splendid famij; txa- ditions to guide him in the task of governing he was the son of a village postman, and he would never have been ordained but for the charity of a good man. Neither as priest or bishop had he done anything to dazzle the public eye. He thought it a good joke when some one said to him in Rome before the conclave: "Take care, your eminence, that they do not elect you," and he replied gaily: "I am not uneasy I have my return ticket to Venice Ven-ice here in my pocket, and I intend to use it." A few days later he was begging the cardinals in terror ter-ror and amazement to desist from voting for him but it was in vain, for they knew him better than he knew himself, or than the world knew him. A week after, this trembling man had become Pius X and was proclaiming to the universe that the aim of his pontificate would be "To restore all things in Christ." , . Six years have passed and what do we see ? Ho has inaugurated the reform of the entire body of church legislation; he has restored sacred music to its true place and dignity; he has laid down a splendid splen-did program for the teaching of Christian doctrine throughout the world; he has infused a new spirit of zeal among the priests and bishops of the church; he has reformed more than one of the Roman congregations con-gregations ; he has made the world ring with his defense de-fense of the rights of the church in France. If we in America, Catholic and non-Catholic alike, have a special veneration and admiration for the character of Pius X; I think the cause of it is, partly at least, in that wonderful energy and practical prac-tical spirit which he has shown, and which we like to associate in a special manner with our own country and our own public men. Practically all of us are busy men, but I doubt very much if any of us would survive very long the strenuous life Pius X has imposed upon himself. The room where the Holy Father transacts routine rou-tine business has the appearance of a working office. There are no decorations on the walls and but few pictures. The desk and furniture are plain. Papers are carefully arranged and in order. Judging from the use he made of it in our presence, his was the busy hand that kept the desk. On it lay his steel-framed steel-framed spectacles, his pens, his sand bottle, which he uses instead of a blotter, and his keys. Back of his desk are cases, one of which he opened in our presence, taking from it a number of special gifts for his morning visitors. The Pope waits on himself him-self in all these mutters, hi3 movements direct, his manner courteous and gracious. He is on his feet at 5:30 every morning, and he is busy with his prayers, his breviary, his mass and thanksgiving until 7:30; a few minutes suffice for a light breakfast break-fast of coffee and a roll, and from then until 10 o'clock he is engaged in his study, examining the great questions that concern the church. At 10 precisely pre-cisely he receives the cardinal secretary of state, Merry Del Val, who has come up from the Borgia apartment with a portfolio, filled with important documents, and with a clear summary of all the important im-portant events in any way affecting religion, which have taken place during the preceding twenty-four hours. The young cardinal, for he is only just turned forty, boasts that he owes all that is good in him to his Irish blood. He is one of the most finished of living diplomats and speaks six languages with as much fluency as if each of them were his mother tongue. He passes his youth in the atmosphere of courts, and he is entirely unlike the venerable pontiff, pon-tiff, but for all that the two meet on the common ground of simple, unaffected piety. He remains closeted for an hour or thereabouts with the pontiff. All questions of interest throughout the world are discussed. It is a very trying hour, yet when it is over the cardinal prefect or the secretary of the propaganda is waiting his turn to acquaint the Holy Father with important news affecting his congregation, con-gregation, or to secure his signature to the appointment appoint-ment of a bishop in America or China. If there are no other cardinals or officials . waiting wait-ing to be received, his holiness admits to private audience a number of bishops or important personages, person-ages, and from them he passes into one of the outer halls where there is a crowd expecting to see him, to kiss his ring, to have a word from him, to receive his blessing. It is after one when he is able at last to sit down with his private secretary, to a frugal dinner. After that, he has a little rest, but at three he is in his study again, writing or reciting his breviary. At four there are more audiences, followed )j a walk up and down the airy loggia with hi3 major-domo, or perhaps a visit to the Vatican gardens. PiusX is as simple and democratic in his bearing bear-ing to his visitors as Father Sarto ever was; in fact, he seems to be more at ease with plain people and little children than with any other class. Shortly after his election a deputation of the Heraldic society so-ciety of Italy waited on him to beg him to confer titles of nobility on his sisters. The Pope laughed heartily. "Why," he . said, "they would be ashamed of their lives if I did anything of the kind; they are quite content to be just my sisters, and I am content with them as they are." The Pope is never so much in his element as when he is preaching to a large congregation of plain people. In the Sunday afternoons of summer, he lets them into a large open court in the Vatican and delivers a sermon on the gospel of the day; for twenty minutes (or twenty-five at the outside) he expounds for them in a powerful but musical voice the simple truths of Christianity. But if he loves the plain people, he ha3 the warmest corner in his heart for the poor, and the very first act of his pontificate was a proof of this The day after his election he called Cardinal Mo-cenni, Mo-cenni, who was then administrator of the finances of anl t0d.im he hed the sum of' 100,000 francs to be divided at once among the neediest need-iest of the Roman poor. The cardinal hesitated there w-as very little money at the moment at his disposal,. 100,000 francs would be a very severe dram. He explained all this to the Pope and asked him to change the amount. "Very wel:," said the Pope, smiling, "if you want me to change the amount I will make it 200,000." Needless to say the cardinal escaped immediately and distributed tne original sum. Certain days are set apart for the Holy Father to receive the children of the convents and parochial schools. As m the United States, the conver ts are Continued on Page 5. c DAILY LIFE OF PIUS X Continued from Page 1. paying schools generally, and have branches in which the poor children are taught. A request was made for an audience for the children instructed l?y one of the religious communities, and a further request that the children taught in the convent should be received in a separate room from those of the parochial schools. The Holy Father's answer an-swer was a polite. "No; they are all my children." And he would make no distinction. When the news of the terrible earthquake at Calabria reached him four years ago, he at once sent for the relief of the victims every cent he could ' ' 1 lay hands on, and when that was spent and the piteous pit-eous appeals continued to pour in upon him, he was seen to weep over his powerlessness to do more. Happily the Catholic world showed its sympathy with him on that occasion, for within a couple of months he was enabled to send three-quarters of a million francs to the sufferers. |