Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1873-08-08


By su cA-studeut oc a Roman COLLEGE.
When first saw Plus IN, Iapal Rome
WIS. politically and reisiou~ly. under his
control. The eaudy equipageS Of cardinals
rolled daily through the grand villa on the
pincian Hill. or through the B)rgheSe Park,
the fashionable Cor~o, or the spacious piaz-
za.. Files of students, in couples, arranged
and moving with automatic exactness, dotled
their triangular hats whenever the ecclesias-
tical princes approached. At that time
the autumn OF lS66-eyerything in Rome
seemed -aceri0tal and ausJere. Take into
account that the ' season" had not vet be-
GUN. and the seyen-hilled city, still undis-
turtel by the rush and hustle Of her annual
thousands Of foreign visitors, remained in
her normal condition. The pensiye, humble
iriar was encountered in every direction and
plump parish priests, in broadcloth and silk
kuee-hreeches, strongly attracted the strang
cr'- curiosity. Then the battles of Montana
and Monte Rotondo had not been fought, nor
had any Of the hierarchy Of the Vatican yet
dreamed of the impending fall Of the tenn
p3ral power.
had seen st. Peters. the Pantheon, St
John Of lateran. the old Roman Forum.
the Catacomh>. and the Coliseum; but |
lJuged most Of all TO see the Acknowledged
spiritual ruler Of three hundred millions. for
without disrespect to the venerable high
priest If the Catholic world, regarded Pio
Mono as the prime d" lion of Rome had
been already three days in ihe Eternal City
without seeing his Holiness, and on the
morning of the fourth, assumed the uni
form of the -- college At three in the
4. ILL l.,
ter in the corridors and prepare for the eve
ming walk We were TO visit the Church of
Santa Maria deIq IlU0r3a, and afterward
go in the direction of Porta Pia. Before
we had formed into line after our visit to
the church, Francis H., cx-Kins Of Naples,
and his beautiful queen. passed us Doing
a~ all ecclesiastical people in Rome do, or at
least Us they did ut that time, we gave the
Ianished Bourbon an obsequious salute of
triangular hats We had not proceeded fir
when /, the junior Of oamarafa, was alarmed
Iy the dashing speed of a horseman, in the
distance, with a llumed hat Almost with
one accord, my iellow-students exclaimed.
'' IiH' a papa'
Presently very handsome young cavalier
cantered hy. He wore n cooked nat with
blue feathers, and the uniform Of colonel
of the line. lie was the outrider of the
pope, whose duty it was to give notice of the
clmngof the Holy Father. Then two heavy
and richly adorned carriages. drawn by
black thorough-breds. came down the Porta
Pa road and saw Pope Plus IN. for the
first time
Nearly every one genunected as the car
riaee~ containing the pontifcal escort drew
near. and not far ahead of Us knelt the ex-
King Francis and his queen. That Of itself
was very uncommon episode. for may they
not have been the last mouarch~ who would
ever Bneei in the streets to receive Il papal
bsneliction? TO Catholics it was scene
deeply solemn and suggestive. inaSmuch as
it gave an emphatic example of the pJpe's
supremacy.
With a facial expression Indicative both of
earnest sanctity and paternal disposition,
Plus IN. waved his fingers in the shape of
cross. repeating the words Of the benedic-
tiun. His winning SMILE tlorid complexion
and soft, blue eyes, would have as readily
enlisted me among those who believe him to
hea great, pure. and genial priest. had he
been only the chieitain of an uncivilized
tribe. Unless we utterly disregard the looks
and manners of men as criteria of their ma
ture and procliyitics, Piux IN. must be
ranked among the most eStimabe of our
kind Nor has his record, during reign
the longest since that Of his first predecessor.
helied his native appearance and ways.
About his religious tenets. and his right to
rule over Rome, ] Will make no reference.
Pope Plus IN, when socially considered.
viii be found To bee an ornament to human
nature. SO far as philanthrophy. courage.
wisdom and purity of morals, are capable Of
adorning our common estate And upon
these attributes of the sovereign pontif no
one has cast the least asperSion.
The second time ! had the pleasure Of
meeting this remarkable man was in front of
the Church of ST. John of latemn. The
walk assigned To our oamcrata on that day
was the Portg San Gi0ranai When his
Holiness arrived at the Santa Scola, which
is opposite St Johns, division of little
fellows from the Propaganda College tender
ed him quite a manly salutation. The pope,
over ready to seize an opportunity Of COM
m-uiug with Young folk, intimated to Car
diual patriM. who accompanied him. his de-
sire TO interview the juvenile camrata. The
osH.rea was entirely composed of small
boys from Oriental countries, who were
either aequeathed to the Propaganda bv
their dying parents or sent to Rome recon-
mendei by Asiatic bishops. " QHanfo res
l'r'' said the pope, as the little fellows
drew up in front Of his coach" what lot
ot bishops 3"
" Take care. Holy Father said an ec-
clesiastical urchin. only twelve years old
" because the last Pope, Gregory NNI., once
said the same to a oamcraia of small boys,
and they all became bishous.''
The pope was delighted with the little
fellow : pertness, which an evidence Of good
memory and readiness to reply had rendered
excusable. The boy was Turk
The rector Of the college to which | be-
longed in Rome was presided over by Mon
slgnor Kirby, who also had the honor Of be
ing private chamberlain to the pope. DIR.
hiruy D, the Roman agent of the Irish bish-
ops, and Ills knowledge of many unwritten
eplSodes of the pope'S life was by no means
limited One incident i particularly inter-
e,tng, as 1t proved the pope's fidelity under
all circumstances to the friends and pleasant
asSociatlons Of his early life it was related
TO Us alter dinner one day during our vaca-
ton, at riyoli.
Among the lands of prisoners brought
from the field of Montana bv the papal
zouayes and their French allies. was an old.
hazel-eyed. slim and Sinewv veteran, named
Giuseppe Critoni. He looked more like
bandit than a soldier, and he wore the red
shirt OF the Garbadians He was well
known among the rebels and he was feared
by the papal gendamerie as a very danger
GUS man. He had been in Rome previous to
the disturbances of lS4S, plotting in favor of
the reyolutiOnists, and on many occasions
since that memorable year he had acted the
SPY for Mazzini and Garibaldi. Critoni had
charmed life. 50 far as escaping keen and
crafty policemen is concerned. lie was ar
rested until after the papal victory at Menta-
na. In 1896 he narrowly escaped the
clutches of Alberto Massullo, the shrewdest
detective in the service OF his Holiness, by
putting on the disguise ola mendicant friar.
tjritoni was n native of Niterbo, and in his
boyhood he played with and loved one Mas
tai Ferretti, whom the veteran rebel often in
later years called - II pm ,galtiie'e mobile di
rGgG--i" (the most gentle and noble ofboys)
Critoni and this boy often practised sword
exercise together, and they became some
what familiar with the use of the rapier and
broadsword. Critonis chum being remarked
Tor his devotion to religious duties, his pa
rents had him sent TO an ecclesiastical train
ing-sehool, while Critani himself went to
Aneona and joined his father in the banking
business After the lapse of over a decade
OF years, Critoni revisited his native city