Show 6 asas sia giitl t t I 1 HE reports from rome show that recent anti clerical demonstrations are leading to more and more vigilant caution on the part of tho popes household the alth of february the fifteenth hundredth anniversary of st john chrysostom should naturally have been the occasion of splendid ceremonies in st peters but a that largest christian church on earth easily holds ome people at once and a crowd of that size would be practically uncontrollable in case of any sud den act of violence the services were not held there at all but inside the vatican palace where attendance was necessarily limited so that cards of admission could be given out with much more strict knowledge as to who would uee them the precautions deemed to optimistic people quite needless but events reported within that week seemed to show that they were merely prudent the annever ann lver nary of the execution of Gl orando bruno be was put to death in rome in 1600 for teaching unorthodox views was made the occasion of impassioned speeches by socialist and revolutionary orators in the square where the execution took place 41 Is a mile or so from the vatican but italians know italians pretty well the government took no chances of letting any excited throng move over towards the papal palace troops were sta at various points to head off any attempt at in demonstrations in that line and at the vatican itself extra guards were detailed for duty the vatican the greatest palace in the world has cean in times past its share of exciting experiences amt it is not actually likely that it will see any more of 6 tho same tragic sort american tourists in rome have bad pointed out to them a certain long covered passageway a sort of walled bridge leading crookedly down from the papal palace to the ancient fortress by the tiber known ns the castle of st angelo in the middle ages when the popes took a hand in european politics more than one of st peter s vicars found that long protected passageway passage way a useful path to the safe shelter of the citadel but today to day all Is different nobody outside half civilized russia dreams of killing off heretics and on the other hand the pope no longer controls european politics it would be only a stupid piece of brutality for una fanatic to attempt personal violence against the present head of the catholic church all the same since one good way to avoid trouble s to be prepared for trouble the papal household in the vatican Is admirably organized for the security of the great palace and its treasures and ita occupants and as at least one in ten of all the people of the united states sends money every year to the vatican not directly but through church offerings it Is of interest to know something about the maintenance of the vast establishment out there near the western limits of the historic city of rome As most people know the palace la actually not one building but a huge rambling group of buildings the adjoining park Is surrounded by a high wall which once upon a time formed part of a system of fortifications but which at present merely looks imposing it could in fact be demolished without the slightest difficulty it a body of men wanted to make trouble outside the main entrance to the palace on st peter s square one sees a few italian policemen ordinarily no great display of protection but lust enough to remind the passerby that the spot has special importance and curiously enough those roman policemen are practically frontier guards tor the vatican itself and its grounds are not a part of the kingdom of italy at all but under the separate sovereignty ot the pope inside the vatican doorway the king of italy has technically no more au dhority than kaiser welhelm or the president of the united states 1 e no authority at all on the threshold and in a spacious corridor beyond are always stationed certain defenders of the palace household the famous swiss guards they are gayly clad indeed their appear anco suggests a pageant rather than a battlefield but it would not be safe to infer that they are mere stage supernumeraries they have ebern traditions of heroism to live up to in 1527 a band of just such guards wearing lust such gorgeous held their ground for six hours against invading enemies fighting till the very last man of their gallant number lay helpless or dead on the palace floor still another organized body for the armed defense 0 the precinct is that of the palatine 1 e palace guards a small regiment of special militia living in the barracks on the premises ordinarily their functions are nothing more serious than those of police ready to keep a crowd in decorous stillness or decorous movement when any large number of outsiders attend a service like that in honor of SL john chrysostom already referred to but political enmity and political mob violence are not the only dangers against which the vatican must needs be guarded commonplace vulgar thievery has to he for besides being the strategic center of the greatest organization on earth the catholic church it is the repository of art treasures of immense import ance and practically incalculable value we have heard much within the last few years about thefts of superb canvases embroidered vestments and the like from other italian palaces the vatican library and its galleries of sculpture paintings tapestries and other valuables would be a mine of wealth almost beyond a vandals dreams were it not tor the act that the most valuable things of all are likewise so famous that they could by no possibility be sold to any appreciative purchaser with out instant detection to otter for sale the codex vati banus the oldest existing MS of the bible or ra chael s transfiguration or the apollo Beh edere would bo a good deal like negotiating the sale of london bridge but any of these priceless things might be damaged belond repair by a malicious fanatic or a mad man it is partly to prevent such a possibility as this that the palace maintains a body of police known as carabineers carabi or gendarmes gen darmes they are likewise splendid to behold especially on a full dress occasion when they appear with white buckskin trousers and towering hel mets of black bearskin like the drum major in an ameri can street parade one enemy there Is who absolutely cannot be kept oft the premises but who must be perpetually followed scholarship shrewd knowledge of human nature and de and watched that Is father time the vatican build ings were all solidly constructed in their day but ahw most modern part of all the eo called new wing ot the library Is nearly a hundred years old and some of the buildings had stood tor centuries before columbus die covered america cardinal azevedo who alvee in the palace has charge 0 the immense pile of buildings as regards their material repair and preservation he keeps a small army ot workmen continually busy restoring this remodeling that and in general fighting the versal tendency of mans handiwork to fall to pieces his responsibilities are well met too at least every part of the vatican to which an outsider Is ever allowed access Is kept in excellent order and even steadily am proved in point of modern convenience like all italian palaces of mediaeval media eval construction it was originally built with no provision for winter heating except an occasional fireplace but the apartments used for residence by the pope and his household are now heated by a modern system of pipes and radiators and lighted by electricity with speaking tubes and telephones galore the scrub women who keep the place clean are all men so are of course the cooks the chambermaids all the long train of people doing the housework of the palace no women enter the palace except aa guests to attend some service or as devout pilgrims to kneel tor the papal blessing the pope s sisters though they often call to see him live in apartments some distance in the days of plus IX about 2 people lived in the vatican and did more or less work of one sort and an other old pope leo XIII cut down the number and plus X reduced it still more but even now the list la necessarily long and a schedule of the functions of the various individuals would be impracticably complicated the most important member of the whole household as regards the causing of enmity or the maintenance of peace with the rest of the world la the papal secretary of state cardinal merry del val he la one of the most brilliant young diplomats in europe through him the papacy shapes and conducts its exceedingly delicate relations with all the worlds political powers on his broad fateful problems in nearly every country in the civilized intent molicy depend at present to a great extent world just how far his strong personality and the equally strong though very different personality of the pope pull together in these matters nobody knows or if anybody does know he la most unlikely to tell many people are inclined with or without reason to believe thit his excellent Excel leno merry del val Is personally responsible n great measure tor the tragic doings in france last year when the conflict ot church and state reminded outsiders of the old problem what would happen it an irresistible force should meet an immovable object the answer was concussion of course it Is not to be expected that a household of such a size should be quite free from doi those in a position to tell interesting tales ID this line are too discreet to bring their scandal up ta date but it does no harm to repeat gossip of plus X imperious predecessor As gossip goes the mayordomo malor domo of the vatican in office at the time leo XIII was elected had never been a friend to the great man during hi cardinalship it was however the majordomos major domos duty to present to the new pope the papal skullcap skull cap of white silk which replaced the cardinals cap of red it had long been the custom tor a new pope at this point in the ceremony to give the acting mayordomo majordomo major domo the discard ed red cap as a hint that he would soon be promoted to a cardinalship but pope leo on accepting the new cap of white calmly pocketed the old red one saying the pope forgives but does not forget it the story be true it goes to show that as artemas ward used to sayi must folks are human the officer of the household with whom ordinary trav elers and pilgrims have to do at least through correspondence spon dence Is monsignor billett Bi the master ot the chambers who receives and passes upon all requests for audiences and interviews with the pope himself he of course has to have a secretary of his own for the work of department Is not only perplexing in its delicate responsibility but oftentimes enormous in amount on the whole though individuals are bound to be disappointed now and then be manages to give an enormous number of people from every part of the earth non catholics as well as catholics the desired opportunity to look directly into the kindly face of the spiritual father of souls plus X himself Is singularly tree from any sort ot cheap desire to glorify his own personal dignity aa most catholics and some protestants know his recent issuance and insistence on autocratic edicts in the field of theology are strictly in his official and technical capacity as head of the catholic church any great emphasis on his personal greatness bores or even pains him once in a great while on special occasions of ecclesiastical state the pope puts aside his own preference for plain by allowing himself to be carried into st peters in a splendid chair of red velvet and gold borne on the shoulders of ten stalwart chaar berrera Sc daril likewise superb in red and gold A swarm ot obsequious body servants he would frankly regard as a nuisance but naturally an old man with an immense amount of work to do ought to save bis time and strength for what Is most important so he does have a personal attendant a valet to do little things for hia personal convenience such things as a wife or daughter might do if he were just a nice old gentleman la modest american home in any case even it he walks with democratic matter on his own feet his appearance before any large gathering of people la always accompanied by that of a number of the noble guards these are some of the most distinguished figures to be seen at any papal function there are 60 or 70 enrolled though not all are on duty at once every man is the son of a noble italian family a man of independent fortune who pays all his own expenses and lives in his own home but gives volun teer service as a matter of personal devotion to the church the men present a fine soldierly appearance and in their stunning uniforms with helmets of steel and gold bands across their breasts br pasts they form one of the most picturesque parts of a papal pageant E S MERRIAM |