The examiner. [volume] (Louisville, Ky.) 1847-1849, 1847-12-25
Plus IN.

Il
Pope, June 10th, 1916, and assumed the
title Of Plus X. He at once entered upon
course the reverse OF that which his prede.
cessor had pursued. He went through the
streets on foot, which the five. preceding
PopeS had never done. He preached,
which no Pope had done before for three
hundred years. He sought the society of
men Of talents and information, and spent
much time with them, and with the officers
of the government, discussing projects Of re-
form. He gave audiences without the ordi-
nary ceremonies, and appointed days on
which the meanest subject could have free
access to his person. Nor were these mere
tricks to gain popularity, but the fruit Of an
honest desire to be acquainted with the wants
Of his people, that he might relieve them.
A common soldier brought to him a loaf Of
miserable bread, and said it was a fair sam
pie Of their rations. Plus took the loaf,
and laid il on the plate Of the minister OF
war, whom he had invited to dinner; and as
the astonished functionary turned pale,
charged him with the fault. After that he
went through the barracks, found 1000
loaves Of SIMILAR character, which he dis
uibuted to the poor; he degraded the minis
ter, imprisoned the bakers, and gave each
soldier money to buy bread for himself.
On the 10th July, Just one month after
his elevation, appeared the first great pub
lie act Of his administration, in decree Of
amnesty for political offences, which rsstor-
ed to liberty, their country, their homes,
and the rights of citizenship, the victims OF
previous tyranny, to the estimated number
Of 5000. Many Of them were in great
poverty, and a subscription was started in
Rome for their relief Marini, Governor
Of the city, represented to the Pope that a
dangerous political motive had prompted the
movement. The Pope called for the sub
scdption paper, put down his own name for
100 and Marini's for 10 scudi, and ordered
it to be handed around amongst the nobility.
Renzi, the leader of an Instruction at
Rimini tho previous year, called on him to
return thanks fol the restoration Of his lib
erty, and was received as son rather than
a rebel, and during long and afectionate
conversation Plus took from his desk a
copy Of Renzi's revolutionary proclamation.
and said that although parts Of it were
wrong, il contained many useful sugges-
tons of which he should avail himself
Galetti another rebel leader, who had been
in prison three years, presented him me-
moir on the reforms which were needed in
the law of mortgages, and received in re-
turn a medal Of honor. This conduct
showed that he sympathised with the mo-
tives and actions of the political offenders,
as well as with their sufferings. He in
fact put himself at the head OF the reform
party, and set himself busily at work to
bring about those very changes which a
few months before il was treason to think
of. "My people," said he, laying bis
hand on the New Testament, "may expect
Justice and mercy from me, for my only
guide is this book"
He sent out circulars to the governors Of
the provinces, requiring them to investigate
and report upon the temporal and religious
condition of the people, and the methods Of
improving them, and especially with regard
to the diffusion Of education, and the estab-
lishment OF a military school for poor boys
at Rome. With the same object, he re-
Instituted board of education, which had
been first established by Leo X, but never
called together since his time. He appointed
a number of committees, partly ecclesias-
ties and partly of learned laymen, each
charged with the investigation of some sub
iect which concerned the public welfare and
the drawing up Of plans for meliorating the
condition Of the people. Among these sub
iects were The following: Reform Of the
municipal organizations--Reform Of the
criminal ard civil code, the commission on
which have already reported in favor of a
trial by iury--Suppression of vagrancy-
Improvement of forests and rivers--Con-
struction Of raiLroads-The condition OF
the Jews IN Rome-The tariff on impelrts-
The duties upon salt and other articles Of
home prodiction-The sanatory condition
Of towns, and the erection Of gas works.
He proposed also to his council the aboli-
ton Of capital punishments, and tho 'secu-
larizing Of the State Offices, which had