The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1878-01-13
A DAY WITH THE POPE.
How His Holiness Spends His Days-The
Improvement In His Health.
Letter from Rome, December Is ]

On Sunday his Holiness was shaved
and his sparse white locks clipped
this operation put him In gay humor
and every one about him noticed how
much younger he looked. During his
severe illness the poor old Pontifl
showed his age terribly. As q Mon
signore said during the anxious period,
tato IN gnomero." This word g,tomero
is untranslatable it is Roman express
sion that Is used to signify - person that
is nearer death than life, "A gnome. q
spirit, or rather being half mortal and
half dead.
His Holiness liz entirely changed. 1t is
well known that Pus | X has always been
q frugal eater; his table has had on 1t
the simplest dishes. with little or no
seasoning. Now this is changed by
medical order; his diet Is warm and
generous; all the dishes highly sea-
soned with Spices and he Is obliged to
also eat mustard on his meats. At
breakfast good succulent, rare beef
steak Is served As his Holiness bHs a
stomach as healthy as baby's, owing
TO his simple, frugal habits. now when
the n,acchenti, as the Italians call the
body, begins to suffer from extreme old
age, life can be retained by his healthy
digestive organs. Nothing disagrees
with him, he can eat any and every
thing. His former rule OF arising at )
and breakfasting at Is changed that
is, he breakfasts later and the mass is
celebrated in his room. AS nearly as
possible the old rule Of daily life is re-
sumed. After breakfast he has inter
views with his major-domo, Mgr Ricci,
with Cardinal Simeoni, and talks over
household affairs with his Maestro di
Casa, Commendatore Spagna. At 10
o'clock the court mbles. and at
II 80 O'Clock, II be is well enough. he
has audiences. From IL 80 to Q O'Clock
he holds what is called IN cerc0lo, d
conversation with his court, with some
Cardinals, Monsignori aud distin-
guished men in his service, such as
Chevalier de Rossi, Baron Viscopti. etc,
who pay their respects and homage on
certain days. They are all seated, and
the conversation Is quite animated.
This Cerc0f0 used to be held in the
superb Vatican Library Hall when the
Pope was in health now it Is set aside
or held in the Pope's room when he Is
strong enough to bear fatigue. Plus
TX holds to this cercolO 1t is his
greatest pleasure of the day; indeed. it
may be said pleasures, for there have
always been two cercOH, one held at two
hours after Ave Maria, which one has to
be given up now. At 2 O'Clock his Holt
ness dimes. After dinner he dozes q
while. At o'clock he used to take ex-
ercise. Then comes the opening Of let
tiers and papers. This pleasant work
occupies an hour or more, and many
brilliant repartee and clever mot is
made by his Holiness and the accom-
plished gentlemen Of his court, as they
comment on the doiDgs Of the great po-
litieal world. The sarcasms are terrible,
Tor Italians are especially clever in the
keen words that cut bloodless like the
tabled scimetar. How the poor Mar
shall MacMahon must suffer now at their
hands, And the quiet irony over the
reports given of the royal tour through
Europe of an x-Presdent OF model
republic, am told. is delicious. Moth
ing escapes their notice. When we
think of the refinement and scholarly
culture that surround the venerable
Pontiff, we wish there could be some
chronicler among the intimates of the
mail hour to give us q report of the
clever, brilliant and intelligent remarks
that fall all improrjso, like shooting
stars.
After Ave Maria the especial private
audiences with foreign ministers, with
officials, secretaries of congregations,
etc, are had. To this duty Plus IL ad-
heres, even through illness. Every sec
rotary has his special evening, and the
whole twenty-one secretaries of the
twenty-one Sacre Congregations Ro-
mana are required to be punctual and
regular. The Pope listens to their re-
ports and signs their documents. After
his work is through the Pope Is left
alone with his valet and retires to bed.
Tive Stories Of the Dead Letter Office.
A few months ago an application was
received for a letter which had ia
nous history. Forty-two years ago it
missed its destination and landed in the