| Show I POPE LEOS DAILY LIFE S MEMORABLE OFFICIAL VISIT TOTE TO-TE VATICAN Car linnl ItnmiioHn anti His Cordiality Cordial-ity to America Records in the Vatican Rceardins1 The Early SetS Set-S tlement in America CopyrIght 1C34 by S S McClure S Limited I BY WILLIAM SLEROY CURTIS Two yeas ago Congress passed a res eluton instructing the President of the United States to request a loan of certain cer-tain historical relics and papers relating relat-ing to Columbus and the discovery o America from the Queen of England the government of France the Queen of Spain the descendants of Columbus municipality of Genoa and the pope of S Rome for exhibition in the convent of Xa Rafolda at the Worlds Columbian exposition 4 A copy a the resolution W forwarded for-warded to the United States legation in Italy with instructions to present It personally at the Vatican with an appropriate ap-propriate explanation and t ask its SaroraT3le consideration But Mr White house the secretary of legation who > was acting as charge de affaires in the absence of the minister was unable to secure an interview with the papal authorities and was compelled to report re-port i inability to carry out the instructions in-structions of the depaptment in Washington Wash-ington No ambassador to the Vatican is ever seen at any function at the palace of the king and on the other hand no matter how loyal a Catholic he may he no diplomat accredited to the court is ever received by or can i communicate with the pope The American Amer-ican minister to Rome being accredited 1 t the curt was not recognized at the Vatican After a friendly conference with Cardinal Car-dinal Gibbous the secretary of state John W Foster sent instructions to POPE LEO XII proceed to Rome and endeavor to approach ap-proach the Vatican through the officers of the American college I was then in Spain where I had been dispatched toy the President as the bearer of the in vjtaltioii to her majesty the queen and the descendants of Columbus to attend I the exposition I I arrived at Rome one Wednesday morning in November 1892 bearing a ipttor from John W Foster secretary I of state enclosing a copy of the resolution reso-lution passed by Congress and requesting request-ing In the name of the President of the United States the loan for exhibition nied at Chicago of all the records books maps and manuscripts in the archives nps and library of the Vatican that related to the voyages of Columbus and the discovery and early settlement of Amer given on behalf 1c An assurance was behal of this government that these precious relics would be conveyed to the United States and returned to Rome at the close of the exposition on a manofwar and that they wou always be under the protection of a ruUtary guard while they were in our cu ody Copies of this letter and my official credentials had been forwarded through Cardinal Gibbons and reached Rome several weeks before my arrival soS so-S that the authorities of the Vatican were fully informed of my coming and the purpose of the visit Upon my arrival in Rome I reported myself at the American college Monsignor Mon-signor OConnell the rector was away havng accompanied Monsignor Satolli to the United States but Father Rook er of Albany the vicerector and Fath or Farelly of Nashville the secretary and executive officer received me with great cordiality They had already arranged ar-ranged for an interview at the Vatican that evening and Father Farrelly kindly kind-ly offered to be my escort and interpreter inter-preter We climbed up the long marble stair trays of the Vatican the largest and one of the grandest buildings in the world passing at every turn groups o Swiss guards whose uniform designed by Michael Angelo is especially picturesque pic-turesque and artistic slashed jerkin C yellow leather over gorgeous colored tunics and trunk hose As we reached the fourth landing a young priest met us as if he had been awaiting our cornIng corn-ing and led us into a large and plainly furnished ante room where a cardinal and an archbishop of distinguished rep utaclon were engaged in an earnest dis cusslu We were informed that this cardinal was in Rome on an important mission and had come to pay his farewells fare-wells It was not long befoie he was admitted and he remained but a few moments so that we were summoned to the audience chamber almost before < we had time to recover < the breath we had exhausted in our climb CARDINAL RAMPOLLA I As the doors were thrown open there i stood before me one of the most majes tic men I have ever seen Mariano Ram polln the premier of the church of I Home the man who next to Leo XIII I is most powerful and Influential XI al the sacred scrd congregations and upon whom the latter leans He is a young man 47 years of age and was cardinal at 39 He occupies the second place in L the ecclesiastical as well a the political politi-cal organization of the church polt I selection of the sovereign pontiff bv I reason of his ability his learning and his wisdom To his influence Is largely I due the present very liberal and democratic f demo-cratic policy of the pope which has aroused against him the bitterest op I I position of the conservative and reac tionary party When I asked a gen a tleman who is thoroughly familiar with the politics of the Vatican whether 1 wheter Cardinal Rampolia might not be the j I successor of Leo XTH he answered j N his views are too broad his I L tcolog is too liberal and fills tenden = fl H vv uemocrawc to permit if besides be ha come up too prnlit He Is in years the youngest man but one in the college of cardinals and there Js just as much jealousy ter 5 heads of the church a among the leaders of any political party Besides 1 i is well known that Cardinal Ram polia has strong democratic oHaa stong deocrtc tendencies tenden-cies in politics and that he admires the government of the United goenuent Unie States Sttes and the constitutions of France and Switzerland more than those of the te European monarchies I believe the u influence of every sovereign In Europe ould be used j necessary to prevent his election as pope But It would b a great thing for the church to Slave a man of his energy and young blood I and progressive Ideas In the pontificial chair It would mean a revolution in Catholicism p Csto Ucs The cardinal stood In the center of a sumptuous apartment tall broad erect and vigorous with a cordial smile of welcome and extended his band Accepting the rule that people wtoo go to Rome must do a Romans ROp Rotl J j C c j 4 do I knelt to kiss his ring but placing this hand over it to prevent me he raised me from my knees and shaking my hand in the manner of Americans led me to a sofa and asked me to sit down He wore the usual long black robe which made him seem taller than he is and on his head was a cap with a cardinals button Across his breast was a sash of broad scarlet watered ribbon which was knotted at his as and fell in streamers down his side Around his neck were several loops of golden chain with a crucifix crucfx lhanging upon his breast The statli ness of his movements was heightened by his dress and I do not remember ever to have been in such an imposing presence A his eminence speaks and understands under-stands English Imperfectly Father Farrelly acted as interpreter and In formed him that I ilm tat bore credentials from the government of the United States and a letter from the president containing request upon the hply father Ait this I handed him the doc uments He glace over them and re narked I have received cnntpe nf th eo > n am ready to give you the holy fathers reply I had been on errands for the gqv ernment of the United States to more than twenty countries and had sub mitted matters of business to kings and queens and emperors and presi dents but this priest was the first frt man I ever met on official errands who had his answer ready I supposed of course this meant a refusal and was congratulating my ongatulating 1y1 self upon having at least the satisfac tion of an interview with so handsome and eminent a man when he requested Father Farrelly to ask me if I reuested pre pared an inventory of the books and manuscripts that were desired I re plied that I could not furnish such an inventory for the reason that we did not know what documents and books and maps the archives and library of i the palace contained but that it was i hoped that the holy father would send to Chicago an exhibit including every thing under the roof of the Vatican Vaticn tat related in any way to Christopher Columbus and the discovery of Ameri ca I explained to him that fhfm n e a universal anxiety to know and see what was to be found in the records of the church prior to the first voyage I of Columbus that bore in any way upon the discoveries of the Norsemen or upon any theory or any knowledge of the existence of the western world I alluded to the controversies alude that had been going on for more than a century on this subject and the repeated re fusal of the church to permit the files to be searched and that searche expressed the hope anniversary I we were about to commemorate which was a important and significant to religion as it was to history might be celebrated by an in vestigation that would settle forever sette the doUbt whether the alleged disco nr Hu A 0 5 j < ouu uLuupauon or tne American Continent by the Scandinavians was known to the officials of the church and whether it were possible that Columbus might have received in formation from that source that 5n any way detracted from the glory of his achievements Slory I also asked that all the I al maps and printed volumes relating to AmerIca made or published prior to 1525 might b loaned for exhibition I described to his eminence the plan of exhibiting these articles in a reproduction of the old Monastery ofLa Rabida with its historical associations and wih is dition and repeated the scre man of war to transport and a military guard to protect the articles which his holiness might be good enough to send THE VATICAN CORDIALITY TO THE CHICAGO EXPO TTnT I TV hen Father Farrelly had finished the 4 interpretation of interpretaton my remarks the cardinal replied that the holy father idesired desired to do everything evelhing within his power to promote the success and add to the glory of the exposition that he was thoroughly informed of the plans and prospects and that he te a pro found interest in the historical collection which it historcl pro posed to gather there The ex tent to which the church should i contribute to this collection had been t the subject of serious reflection and frequent consultation and he had been instructed to say that while it would i not be possible for whie reasons to I remove from the files of the church any original documents he would be glad to offer an opportunity to search the archives for sear aroives any correspondence or records that related to a preiiistoric knowledge of America and would i cheerfully consent to furnish fac similies of such papers as might be found of sufficient interest to add to the value of the collection He that under the instructions of added the pope he was glad to offer 1e an any printed I books or pamphlets in the lbrary printe I any mans or charts 0 T TI n n it j there might be and alluded jji kUlCS particu Ulclt larly I to the famous Ribero p3rtcu made I chart for the information inforation of the pope by te I order of the I king of Spain at Seville i in 1529 as one of the most interesting and valuable interesthr historical objects in the Vatican library I thanked the cardinal for his gen erosity and 1is thoughtfulness and for his compliance with the request of the president te preIdent of the United States and particularly for his promptness in giv ing a promptnes reply as It was necessary for gV i to sail me sai for home on the following Sat jurday fOlowng He remarked that it well to designate some tat person might to be repre sent the rpre department of state in mak ing a search of the files and the libra fes II ry and to assist the librarian Jbra te of the Vatican lbrarian in te Vatcn selecting such documents as i should be photolithographed I books and photolhogaphe and such maps as should be sent to Chicago I responded that the depart J ment would appoint I any person he I might suggest but he peron to make any recommendation After a mo I meats lelly I consultation asked if It would with be Father Far I to the holy father if we should agreeable I I nate J C Heywood as S0uld desig representa tive of the department I departent and he an swered promptly that prompty no better selec tion could possibly 0 made Mr Heon f nn uu originally from mi iuierican citizen 10rignalY Philadelphia who has spent most of his life in Rome He is a rare scholar a profound student and for years his investigations have led him into the political history of the church He has taken much interest in the efforts to secure efort a historical ex hibit from the Vatican and being one of the chamberlains of the Vatican en vatcan joys the complete confidence of the pope and Cardinal Rampolla and had doubtless been called into consultation upon the matter we were discussing I was arranged that Mr Heywood and the librarian of the Vatican should make a search of the files and secure such articles a they deemed worthy of exhibition exhibion Whatever belonged to the actual official records of the church was to be photolithographed in fac simile but we were to have the orig inals of everything else CARDINAL RAMPOLLA ON AMERICA AMER-ICA Having accomplished the object of my visit so satisfactorily I arose to make my adieu when the cardinal de I tamed me inquiring if I was not the person who had carried the invitation from the government of the United States to the Queen of Spain to visit the exposition I replied In the affirmative affirm-ative and told him I had arrived only that very morning from Madrid He asked me i the queen was going to Chicago I replied that I feared i was Impossible because of reasons which prevented her from leaving her dominions I then remarked that when the resolution of Congress Inviting the Queen of Spain and the descendants of Columbus to attetid the Exposition was being prepared at the department of state Mr Blaine had suggested that an invitation be extended to the Pope of Rome also but that his name had been stricken from the resolution because everyone recognized that his age and health would prevent him from coming and that the suggestion might be seized upon by demagogues j i < Q T 1 I in Congress a an excuse for a political politi-cal debate as the Catholic church was I supposed to control a great many votes at our elections The cardinal brightened bright-ened up at this and exclaimed that I would be a glorious thing i the holy i father could visit America breathe the pure air of its prairies and the spirit of its progress and live among the liberal and enlightened institutions I that have given the United States its greatness its prosperity its influence and the happiness of its people Then speaking with great earnestness and rapidity he compared the condition of the Catholic church in America with that in portions of the old world and grew enthusiastic over its intelligence Its enterprise and progress and its power which he believed was due to I i the independence and freedom of our I people The minds the consciences cnscences and the judgments of men he said must necessarily be broader and more keen and accurate in the pure atmosphere atmos-phere of America than they could be I among ruins and decay Ii I His words were delivered with an impetuous eloquence that is difficult to describe and being in the Italian must have lost much of their force when filtered through even so accomplished an interpreter Father as Farrelly WHAT THE VATICAN LIBRARY DISCLOSED REGARDING THE EARLY SETTLEMENT OF AMERICA AMER-ICA Mr Heywood and the librarian of the Vatican began their search at once and 12000 volumes of manuscript writ ten partly on parchment andpartly on paper in the archives of the Holy See were searched with great care These I represented the papal registers or letter let-ter books and contain all of the letters I received and issued by the popes and i other high officers of the Vatican from I I the time of Innocent III in 1198 to the 1st of January 1493 All the records of the Vatican prior to that date were destroyed by fire about the beginning of the thirteenth century The examination of these records disclosed several documents of great Interest and importance but did not show proof of any knowledge on the I part of the church that voyages were I made from the eastern to the western continents prior to the memorable I cruise of Columbus in 1492 I was demonstrated however by numerous letters addressed to and written by the several popes that a bishopric of the Catholic church existed in Greenland Green-land at the date when these records began that is the year 1198 AccordIng Accord-ing to the theories of Scandinavian scholars the Norwegians discovered and occupied what is now New England Eng-land the latter part of the tenth cen tury and it is known that in 1055 a bishop was sent to Greenland This was the fit bishopric established estab-lished in America and the correspondence correspond-ence which was discovered and of which Inc similes were exhibited in the convent of L Rabida at the Torlds Fair was conducted between that bishop and his successors and the several popes These letters contain interesting information regarding the condition of Greenland in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries and show that America helped to furnish money for the crusade On the 13th of February 1206 Pope Innocent III addressed a letter to the bishop of Gardar in Greenland giving him some instructions concerning them the-m of affairs in that distant country and in 1276 Pope John X calls upon the diocese of Gardar to furnish its share of the funds necessary neces-sary to pay the expense of rescuing the holy sepulcher from the infidels The archbishop in reply informed the pope that it would take him five years to vjsit the inaccessible and unknown country to the westward which formed part of his diocese that it furnished no convenience for transportation or shelter that he would have to live out of doors and subsist upon such food as he could gather and that even with < 1 hardships and difficulties it would be impossible to collect tithes of any value because the people were savages with to barbarous no fixed abiding place given up barous rites and excesses and having no property whatsoever But the pope persistently called for contributions He was then informed that the people could offer nothing whatever for the expense of the crusade but the skins of animals and the teeth and soper O adds that whales and the good bishop the people are so poor and so deprived of the ordinary food and necessaries of life that they do net raise even wheat and grapes enough to furnish bread and wine for the celebration of the eucharist In another letter the bishop of Greenland tells of the invasion of his country by the heathen who killed or carried Into slavery nearly all the inhabitants in-habitants of a certain section of the territory burned their inhabitants and terriory burne buildings and left only nine churches I In the diocese which were in the least accessible region Some of the captives cap-tives having escaped and returned to i their own country begged him to apply ap-ply to the pope to proyide them with priests and means for restoring their churches Pope Nicholas V t who received thjs I letter empowered the neighboring bishop of Iceland to supply the pious desires of the Greenlanders I seems I however from subsequent records that this letter of Nicholas did not reach its destination or at least failed to effect ef-fect its purpose for in 1492 just about the time Columbus was setting out upon his voyage the Greenlanders themselves addressed a petition to I Pope Innocent VIII setting forth that for about eighty years since the heathen invasion they had been entirely en-tirely deprived of priests and places to worship As a consequence many had lost their faith and to them who were constant the only memorial of Chris were exhibited in the convent of L Rabida and have since been presented to the new Chicago museum The historical importance of the Investigation In-vestigation can scarcely be overesti mated and although the disclosures did not offer much satisfaction to the Scandinavians they terminated a long and serious controversy While they did not disprove any of the theories that had been advanced from time to time concerning preColumbian discoveries dis-coveries by the Welsh the Irish and the Norwegians they at least demonstrated demon-strated that there is nothing in the I archives of the church that could have been of any assistance to Columbus because he sought no new world or unexplored un-explored and savage territory but desired only to find a western and a shorter passage from Spain to the lands of opulence so gorgeously described de-scribed by Marco Polo I POPE LEO The world concedes that Leo XIII is one of the ablest and most remark lY < f t1i t j1 i 1 r j t J t f I t I V 1 I aAr i i j L I t t r I i Iiir r nil iJ t I l tlI r f j1R9i 1 II < t = r 1 i 1 J I Ii Hn I t f i ri r I frl iIa llLL t lJ1ifrffi I 1 fm 1 N l Fji 1 ff J I I t M I l 1 r i n 1 r S 1 II n ri k 1 t 1r TIE VATICAN tian worship remaining was a chalice I in which nearly one hundred years before be-fore a priest had consecrated the blessed sacrament and it is related in the petition that once every year this holy and venerable relic was exposed to the view of th people There were several other letters of equal interest discovered and produced pro-duced including some correspondence between the pope and Ferdinand and Isabella concerning the discoveries of Columbus the letter of the pontiff transmitting the famous bull of demarcation de-marcation which divided the New World between the Spaniards and the Portuguese There was also a letter I from Pope Julius I recommending Bartholomew the brother and Diego I the son of Columbus to the kindest consideration of King Ferdinand who I had fled from Spain and was then living liv-ing in Naples There were also the instructions I given to the first missionaries aent to I the Nir7 World and the credentials of I the first bishop who was established at Darien The facsimiles of these documents 1 < I 1 able of the whose men century grasp j I is firm enough to govern successfully the most powerful and extensive organization or-ganization that exists and whose broad sympathy has embraced the entire en-tire field of human aspirations and interests in-terests The condition in which he found the church the embarrassments under which he has labored the obstacles ob-stacles he had to overcome measured besides its progress since he assumed sovereignty in 1878 proves him to be one of the greatest masters of politics and diplomacy as well as of religious propaganda Few have had propaganda men a keener l appreciation of the political tendenciea of these times and no leader of men has conformed more skillfully to the worlds advancement and the constant evolution of thought discovery commerce and government He is the most liberal and democratic i of all the pontiffs that have been and his sympathies are with the party of progress everywhere I The holy father is a man of exceedingly exceed-ingly frail frame and small stature I am told that his attendant picks him up and carries him about the Vatican as if he were a child His health I has always been delicate and the strongest argument offered in the conclave con-clave against his election to the papacy was that he could endure the cares and responsibilities of the office but a few months But Fra Antonio Marchl who had known him from boyhood said I twenty Nonsense years Leo wlllteign as pope for I I He ha survived for sixteen and has seen many strong men die around him but now passing into his eighty fifth year Europe would not be surprised sur-prised at any time to hear of his death A few months ago the pope sked a physician to tell him frankly how long his frail body might last Holy father replied the physician unless some acute cjisease i should attack at-tack you I should say that you might live five years ionger Five years exclaimed Leo XII I shall then be 89 the age at which a good Franciscan brother prophesied that I should die During the past winter he ha suffered suf-fered from the grip or influenza and on an occasion recently shortly after receiving the crown prince of Sweden and suite with unusual ceremonies he fainted from exhaustion and it was i feared he would never revive I THE POPES DAILY LIFE His life is an exceedingly simple one He occupies a single room on the top floor of the Vatican and sleeps upon a narrow iron bed The only furniture furniure in the room is a rug upon the tiled floor a plain washstand a wardrobe a table and a few chairs A gentleman genteman who has seen it tells me that the furnishings fur-nishings are a plan and simni aa those of a peasants home arid that a hundred dollars would replace the whole He has a single attendant a man named Centra who was born upbn his ancestral estates at Carpineto and was his body servant for years while he was still a cardinal This man II bathes and dresses him attends to his meals often wheels him in a rolling chair about the corridors and rOlng mag nificent gardens and supports him I when he walks He is at once his but ler valet and nurse and allows alows no other servant near the person of his master The holy father spends much time in prayer and reflection and some days his habit is to sit for hours in a plain and oldfashioned but comfortable chair before the window of his room which overlooks the walled garden of the Vatican with his eyes closed and his thoughts upon the policy and the business of the church At those moments mo-ments he is never allowed to be dis turbed Centra always comes to awaken and dress him at C oclock in the morning after which he attends mass in a nrivate chapel adjoining his apartments apart-ments Often he hears a second imme dlately after which he calls his mass of thanksgiving celebrated by one ofhis chaplains At 7 he has a simple breakfast break-fast of milk and coffee and cold bread and then such official correspondence as requires his attention is laid before him by his secretaries to whom he Indicates In-dicates what disposition shall be made of the various matters involved He speaks and reads and acts with great deliberation although his latter life has been a remarkable exhibition of nervous energy and endurance At 10 oclock he always receives Cardinal Rampolla the Papal Secretary of State his most trusted and able lieutenant lieu-tenant and thought by many to be the greatest man in the church today Afterward such other officials as the Vatican as may have business with him This generally occupies the time until noon when a frugal dinner is eaten and then a siesta is enjoyed THE POPE MUST DINE ALONE I This dinner Illustrates his severe simplicity I consists always of some I sort of nutritious soup maccaroni a i slice of roast beef or mutton a single I i vegetable and fruit He drinks freely I of a light red wine which has for years I been furnished him by a convent of I I nuns in the south of France and never uses any other He takes his dinner I leisurely to encourage digestion and I i while eating usually reads the newspapers news-papers or chats with of wih some one the household although ettiquette requires him to eat alone When his brother the late Cardinal Pecci lived in the I Vatican he often sat for company while the holy father eat his noonday noon-day meal and sometimes when the latter lat-ter insisted upon sharing his food the cardinal would accept a portion but insisted upon sitting at a separate table adjoining that of the person to I whom he always referred with great reverence as My brother the Sov eign Pontiff The pope cannot have a friend to dne with him but often asks a Roman prince or one of the cardinals or some other distinguished personage to join him at supper which is Invariably lim I < 1 ited to glass of milk or a cup of broth with a cold roll and a glass of wine After his siesta which is taken in a I chair the pope devotes the remainder of the day to the reception of visitors Tuesdays and Fridays being devoted I exclusively to foreign ambassabors and to rest and recreation About 4 oclock on pleasant days he goes for a walk or drive in the garden where there Is a winding carriage road about a mile in length On stormy days he takes his exercise in the corridors of the Vatican being usually accompanied accom-panied by Monsignor Marzollnl the pontificial master of ceremonies whom he has known from a child and educated while he was archbishop of Perugi The pope formerly used to do much writing of evenings in his study preparing pre-paring pontificial decrees and letters of state but since he has left the weight of age he retires early and Marzolml reads him to sleep The greatest honor the pope can pay a friend or a stranger is to invite him to mass in his private chapel and receive the sacrament from his own hands This is reserved for kings and emperors distinguished for their fidelity fidel-ity to the church and for favored prelates pre-lates as a reward for acts of devotion eminent service LEOS FAVORITE PASTIME The favorite pastime of Leo XIII as it has been of many of his predecessors is the composition ofLatin poems but of latehis strength has been equal only to the official demands upon I His poems will doubtless be collected for publication after his death and will fill a considerable volume In January last he composed an ode in the honor of the ninetieth birthday of Cesare Cautu an eminent Italian historian who has been his friend from youth in which he compares his hero to the setting sun During his formal audiences whhh he continues to give with Seat gojcl nature several timas a wesk he sits in an antique highfaackeii chair with leather upholster uile a scarlet canopy clad in a robe of white with a scarlet cloak thrown over his shoulders shoul-ders but wears no urivn bat his silver hall His hand tremjes with aijs and nervousness when he extends i in blessing and the pallor of nis fate is painful but the brilliancy of his eyes and his clear deep vuicv > fbrnsh a striking contrast He speaks slcwly enunciates clearly never attempting to conceal the humor and human interest inter-est that have been among his strongest characteristics He uses French Italian Ital-ian or Latin habitually and can understand under-stand some English although he does not speak It Not long ago a beautiful American girl whose Protestantism was stronger than her sense of propriety was among the visitors in the popes audience chamber and to her surprise found herself expected to kneel and kiss his ring Instinctively she resisted Not a motion or even a thought of the girl seemed to escape his holiness who addressed said her with a pleasant smile and Come come my dear an old mana blessing cannot possibly harm so beautiful beau-tiful heretic as you I THE POPES RARE APPEARANCE IN PUBLIC The pope appears in public very un frequently and then only to participate partici-pate in some magnificent ceremonial in S1 Peters which io attached to the Vatican and as all know is the pon tiflcial cathedral On these occasions politics are generally forgotten and even the most rigid adherents of the civil authorities are willing to resort to any recource to obtain tickets to the tribunes from which the spectacles maybe may-be witnessed 81 Peters is so vast that hundreds of thousands of people < can be sheltered by its dome out 01 what these comparatively few can see transpires about the altar No man is admitted to the tribunes unless he comes in evening dress Even a black cravat is sufficient to exclude him although al-though he may have a card of admission admis-sion and all women must wear sombre black without bonnets The foreign ambassadors accredited to the Vati can however appear in their splendid medieval costumes and r gala the military officers of the Papal Guards wear their gorgeous uniforms and the dignitaries of the church their digniaries robes of scarlet and purple their chains of gold their jeweled decorations decora-tions and other insignia that indicate their honors and their rank but among the crowd that fill the remainder of the temple one finds soldiers and priests and peasants men women and children of all races and colors and casts mingled indiscriminately who can hear the sublime music but can see nothing The holy father enters from the Vat can in the centre of a procession A passage is cleared for him by the guarda nobile a it is called an escort of princes and nobles who accompany him on all ceremonials and are appointed ap-pointed to that honor as a reward for some gift to or some service performed for the church Following them come a I band of musicians sounding silver o trumpets and next the college of cardinals car-dinals gorgeously apparelled with their long scarlet trains borne by pages in livery The famous triple crown with its jewels worth millions of money is now too heavy for the slender strength of the pope to bear so it is carried before him upon a scarlet cushion by some distinguished noble usually the high chamberlain of the palace The holy father is seated upon the sedia gesta torla or pontifical throne of scarlet and gold which stands upon a platform carried car-ried by long poles upon the shoulders of stalwart guards while over his head is a canopy of white and gray silk supported sup-ported by the sixteen chief canons of the church On either side of him are borne the four celebrated ostrich feather feath-er fans mounted in red and gold and embroidered with the papal coat of arms His shrunken frame is wrapped iff i along a-long white robe hcnvJJy embioidereJ with gold and a cloak of scarlet satin lined with ermine falls from his shoulders shoul-ders A mitre of cloth of gold presented pre-sented to him by Emperor William of Germany now protects his head and outside the white gloves that cover his transparent hands can be seen the pontifical pon-tifical ring which has been passed down from twentysix generations Upon his breast hangs a cross of superb diamonds dia-monds and he carries in his hand a jeweled sceptre a symbol of authority Behind him follow a group of ecclesiastics ecclesi-astics and another detachment of the guarda nobile and as the procession passes through the church he turns from side to side extending his hands in blessing over the kneeling multitude As he passes they rise and shout Viva I papal Viva ilpapa Viva Leone As he enters the large square space before the altar the guarda nobile forma form-a cordon around him and the occupants of the tribunes kneel The cardinals aro seated in rows of chairs each one with a page kneeling before him holding his scarlet hat hat The pope formerly offciated at mason mas-on these occasions but he now sits silently ently upon his throne through the ser I vice leaving it only to participat in the elevation of the host and at the close cose of the celebration to kneel upon a golden gold-en cushion and ubter a prayer of thanksgiving for the prosperity of the church and the prolongation of his lifo An attendant then usually brings him a cup of bouillon to sustain his strength for he has taken no refreshment refresh-ment before mass At the close of the ceremony the procession is reformed in the same order and returns through the crowd to the palace At the statue of St Peter i pauses for a moment and the hbly father arising from his throne extends his arms and invokes a blessing upon the multitude This is followed bV a tremendous burst of applause from every voice and the pageant disappears in the corridors Although the people of Italy are nom inally Catholic neither the civil nor the ecclesiastical authorities would deem i prudent for the pope to appear upon tho streets of Rome Political prejudice ia sO fierce and the Italian charaoter so stormy that while no violence might be offered him his presence would certainly cer-tainly provoke a riot and perhaps a revolution rev-olution The faithful would receive him I t 1 > with applause and surround his carriage car-riage to seek his while the rage hs blessing whie opponents op-ponents of the papal prerogative would undoubtedly show their resentment at such a demonstration and d collision would ensue The political and financial condition of Italy most severely felt In Rome is the cause of the gravest apprehensions and a spark from the Vatican might kindle a conflagration that the civil authorities au-thorities could never subdue Men of Impartial minds even among the opponents oppo-nents of the papacy are willing to admit ad-mit that the antagonism between tho quirinal and the Vatican Is the source of the greatest weakness to the state and one that will be felt when the impending Im-pending crisis occurs The pope insists that Roe is his and that its occupation occupa-tion by the king is a invasion of his sovereign rights and acession of the city is the first principle necessary to harmony and peace The adherents of the papal party although suppressed and silent would seize any opportunity offered by a political revolution to en force his claims to possession and their sympathies are sunnnsprl tn ho with the radical party which Is always conspiring con-spiring for the overthrow of the throne and the establishment of a republic like that of France I is the conviction of the most intelligent and impartial of the foreign residents of Rome that this event must come soon ° r or later and that its culmination wil be the restoration restor-ation of papal supremac in the Eternal city |
