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Show STORY TOLD OF POPFS BOYHOOD ;Ardent Mountain Climber, i He Once Saved Guide Hanging in Crevasse LONDON, Keh. 7. Proceeding ro Deslo, a short dlstxnce from Milan, where the new pontiff was born, the Milan Correspondent of the London Times found the population In the I strSeta commenting excitedly on the! news of Cardinal Ratti's SlSCtloU as pope, while the bells of the church j were pealing. A crowd of peasants, women and Children, gathered In front of the two- I Storied house where Plus xi eras born. His father. Francesco Rath, director of a nilk factory, is not a rich man, but of comfortable mean I The pope was the third Of six chll- dren, oi whom, beeldea himself, only i j two are living. The I'ope passer Ills boyhood In j I Deslo, where he attended school In, the spring nnd summer, the teacher, I ETather Voluntary gave lessons r.j:-j loora In the arcade, cohered with Iv Which Is still well preserved. Tha. ' the new pope was always fond of hfl native place Is well known. Ho visited vis-ited It every summer, and last Se i-tenibet i-tenibet before making solemn err. . Into Milan, having been created car dlnal, ho passed a few days In hia ' nattVS Village at the house Of a! friend, a i "tired solicitor. WON i LIMBING HONORS "Achllle and myself," ;he solicitor told the correspondent, "were chut i. 1 could tell vou a lot about our game and escapades. Since a boy the new pope has been noted Tor his love of books and mountains, and I assu.c j you It would be difficult to say which he loves the most. At the nge of 10 we used to go on excursions over (he hills, and he distinguished himself .y his ability und endurnnce. "From our hills he turned to the Alps and became a great mountaineer Of his climbs, three arc particular", important Cerrln (ICattsrhorn) Mont Blanc and Mont Rosa. He w Si I the very first to reach the summit of ; Mont Blanc from the Italian side. and the road which he was the first to traverse Is still known by his name and that of Monslgnor Orasselll, his companion. Ho was the first to cross Zumsteln Peak, on Mont Rosa, nnd this ascension he described In a bulletin bul-letin of th.. Italian Alpine club, of which he wax a member. "We were often together on th s.. excursions and I never saw a more enthusiastic and deliKhtfiil rmher. Ho constantly carried his prayer book with him, and would occasionally re:-t and read a few sentencesL What was tho most extraordinary to me was his perfect calm, oven In ' difficult moments. I remember OIICS on the glacier Paradise our guide fell Into a crevasse and would have perished had It not been for the presence pres-ence of mind, skill and strength with Which Rattl held the ropes. Then nine oy nine, no succeeded In dra-lng dra-lng tho guide back to safety. "Even at tho age of fiO he made some good eiimbs, but then went to Rome, far away from his bHov.d Alps. I remember when he left Milan In 1913. I told him: You are going away with a black hat; you will return re-turn with a red hat, and in time will arrive at the white hat 1 His reply was 'This Is a tremendous prophecy." " SISTER IN TEARfi At Milan the correspondent called on Slgnorn Camilla Rattl. aged about 50. Tho sister of the pope lives at Milan In a modest flat. She was In i i r.s. "I am pleased." she said, "at the great honor bestowed on my famll. but am sorry to lose a brother who was always good and kind to me. I am afraid I shall seo him very little lit-tle now." Asked what her brother told her when he was leaving for the conclave, she r.-plied. My brother is a vcr reserved man. he does not like talking! about himself. He told me. however, that ho hoped he would return to his beloved Milan " |
