The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1870-01-03
THE VATICAN COUNCIL.
The Opening Ceremonies Imposing
Scenes "A Vivid Pen Picture - En-
thusinsm of the Pope, sc.

Scenes "A Vivid Pen Picture En-
thusiasm of the Pope, sc.
The sketches of the opening of the Vatican
Council al. Rome. December Sth, by cable and
mail, heretofore published, have been SO
meagre and unsatisfactory. that we give the
following account Of the great event, forwarded
as special letter to the New York World from
its Suez Canal correspondent, Mr!sWm. Henry
Hurlbut. The letter opens with the statement
that :the weather was exceedingly bad; the
sky was bitter, black and rainy, such sky as
DR.. Cummings might be supposed to have
ordered" The writer says:
THE RAIN AND THE CROWD.
1t began To rain in tine Noachic fashion
before dawn, and the morning salute OF four
teen guns from the castle seemed to bring
down a fresh deluge, which continued without
any intermiSsion up to this present writing at
5P. NJ. In spite of the weather, however, the
Romans. willing even to be washed rather tnan
lose their holiday, crowded the Piazza di San
Pietro-literally crowded it from The break OF
day on. = .,.. a.,
Long before I reached the Basilica The The
Fathers OF the Council had begun to assemble
in the halls and galleries Of the Vatican Palace
to attend the divine service, which was ap-
appointed to be performed by the Pope hlln-
self, at an altar erected for the purpose In the
upper hall oil st. Peters. Punctually at 8
o'clock the P6ntif appeared, and kneclng oc-
fore the shrine, intoned with that clear sllVery
voice, the sustained vlsor ana sMeeanes5 ,i,o .,
which neither trials can wear down nor Time
make thin. the beautiful psalm of the VGm
Sreator. Meanwhile the deputatons OF the
regular and the secular clergy were assembling
along the royal stairway, and the not less royal
porticos of the Palace and the Basi!ica: BY
very considerate order the Pope had limited
the number of persons OF whom tnese deptlta-
tions should consist, and if we consequently
lost something in the length and effectiveness
of the procession, which they formed as at the
centenary of 1867, to escort the Supreme Pom
till into the temple and the council hall, We
were also spared something Of tedium ana cA-
haustion.
THE GRAND PROCESSION.
By a little after nine O'Clock the procession
rot into motion, and sailed forth in the siSht
of the dense multitude through the colonaded
.semi-circlc of the portico towards the grand
ycstibule of St. Peters. Even under that dull,
gray showering sky, it was striking ana
picturesque sight; butas recalled the magniti-
cent GLOW and spiendor of the oriental scenes
through which I have just been passing, at
Stam6oul and in Egypt, it seemed TO me sadly
to lack both life and color. In comparison
with the glittering vision Of the Sultan,s
caioucs, gold-lacquered and crimso n-canopled,
sweeping up, with wide-glancihS white oars,
over the deep, blue Bosphorus, to the marble
steps of the Mosque of Ali, OR with the fantas-
tic. fIuttering, varicgatedlncs of the Bcdaween
escorts, which had galloped past me SO often
over the yellow sands Of Ismailia, bearing with
them the Empress of the French OF the Kaiser
of Austria, as in sudden whirlwind OF scarlet
and white and steel and gold, this long,
winding, slow pacing procession OF NODDED
monks and cowled triarS, OF black rooca
priests and white mitred bishops, showed
like drawing in chalk by Gustave pore,
beside some sunset-colored painting OF Paole
Veroncse. The way was opened by tie 6uSSc-
laui, the ushcrs ofthe Apostolic Palace, In their
violet surpliccs and girdles After these came in
order the chaplaius, ordinary and eXtraordina-
ry. tie twelve black-scarfcd conSistorial advo-
Gates, whose functions correspond alter a
fashion with those of the Sspublic orators" at
the English universities; thS Cdmerteri dOnore,
or honorary chamberlains, in their violet sur
plices and great sleeveless violet cloaks; the
Cdnerier; Segreti, looking rs If they walked In
"a body out OF Vaudyke's pictures the vie!et-
tasseled singers of the Pontifical Chapel,
whose singular duty it is to cheat Santa Cece-
liz (if she ever listens to their singinS) into
the belief that they are performers of her own
only the four ''prelates of the violet tassels, J"
whose prerogatives point the way directly up
for them into the College of Cardinals, and
who are accordingly allowed to follow directly
after, instead of preceding, the Pope on such
occasions as the present; the Masters OF the
Sacred Hospitals; the Thurifers, swinging
their gilded and smoking censors; the cross
bearers holding high the sacred emblem; the
acolytes in their decent garb of white.
PROFOUND GRATIFICATl0N.
But all these were precursors only of the
great body OF the show which Rome brarcd
Inc rain to see, and kind OF suppressed sob
of qualification went up from the close-packed
multitude as the first file appeared OF the gath
ering mitres of the hierarchy of the church.
The mitred abbots led the array, close followed
by the bishops, the archbishops, the primates
and the patriarchs, the cardinals, and crown OF
all the Pope himself, swaying giddily to and tro
above the undulating line in the Sedtd geStdt0-
ria. the portable throne of the successors of
Peter.
PAPAL SUNSHINE
The Pontilf turned towards the vast shout
ing and Struggling masses Of the crowd In the
piazza his bright, sweet, venerable face with q
smile of which it really is hardly too much to
say. rs it was said of the smile OF the Princess
of Lorraine, that ito look upon ii is like stand
ing In the sunshine" AS had seen him last,
standing on the steps Of San Paolo tuOre dc
Mura, on Il burning day in June, lSG7, so seem
cd the Pope on this dull, driZzng day Of De-
cember, 1869, not one han older, not thought
more troubled, not shade saddencd by the
flight of the moments which are carrying him
forward so fast to the ominous goal Of the
.sycars of Peter" Ii ever there was a man
of whose face one may say, as poor Margaret
Fuller said of the sun, ''hlS own inward
thought makcth him glow" the Pope Is That
man. He, and not another, devised and de-
termixed upon this greats this pcrilouS en-
pertinent of IN Gcumenical Council.
THE PoNTIFF'S TRIUMPH
All the secular personages who, for generous
preserve his position. have urged and entrcaled
him to avoid it. His kcencst-sightcd and
most worldly-mindcd adviser. Cardinal Anto-
nelli, is known 10 have looked upon il from
tic first with disirust and dissatisfaction. and
10 have washed his hlilGs of al responsibility
iur it, Ii is the Ponc's cowncii; tie conSrnl-
nation Of faith which more deeply. alas .
Derliaas, than any or I'LL OF the nyrlats there
assembled about him to-day III st. Peters
place and in 81. Peters church, the simple.
earnest kindly old man chrr!sh2S i'll the reality
ant; majesty OF the ol:icc wilici! he bears. y.
he looked forth over the people liVnl his III
gnlar elevation, his eyes .c!mcd with Il kind
OF siysiicai trii;nip Il: once most curious al.;,
most pathetic to behold. From The singers
lndsing before him went UP steadily The strains
of the ancient invocation, "Nrni Creator.
CROWN. fainter and fainter rs the proces. .on
wrndcd ils.way through the grand vc$i!billc