Morning journal and courier., 1882-04-05
Pope Leo XIII.
His Personal Eabfts-E4ow He Passes the
Day-His Duties, Etc.

His Personal Habtts--How He Passes the
Day-His Duties, Etc.
From the Boston Journal
Now that there is so much talk concerning
the possible, not to say probable, departure
of the Pope from the Vatican and from that
Rome in which he is no longer master, it
may be interesting to know something of the
way in which he lives, and how his time is
divided in what he is pleased to call his
prison. The present Pope is of rather austere
habits, and his elevation sto the highest Office
in the church has not led him in any way to
relax the rather rigid character. of his per-
sonal conduct. He always rises between six
and half past six in the morning, which in
the soft Italian climate is not SO great sacri
flee as in harsher climes and at half past
six he is dressed by his valet de chambre, ain
old servant named Contra, who has long been
with him. He then says mass in his private
chapel, and shortly HRterward hears a second
said by one of the almoners who is on duty.
He next leaves the chapel and takes very
light breakfast, after which he looks over the
morning papers, and awaits the arrival of
Cardinal Jacobini, who is his secretary of
state and who never fails to appear in Leo
XIII. g rooms at half-past nine exactly. His
visit lasts long time The two confer to-
gether on all foreign affairs which have any
reference to the holy see, and in the intervals
of their conversation the pope gives audiences
to the secretaries of congregations, to mem
bers of the diplomatic corps, and to such dis
tinguished strangers as he pleases to receive.
Toward noon. by the formal order of his ply
sicians, but somewhat against his will, the
Pope goes down into the reserved gardens of
the Vatican, borne in sedan chair. He gets
into carriage, and escorted by two of the
Noble Guards on horseback, takes long
ride if the weather is pleasant after which,
returning to the palace, at 2 O'Clock he
dimes, as all Romans do at that hour. His
favorite dish is boiled beef Only few
privileged persons are admitted to this re-
past none of them taking part in it, as &C
cording to the tradition no one is even al
lowed to take a seat at the holy fathers
table. All that the etiquette of the pontifcal
court allows is for the invited guest to sit at
table, just below that at which the Pope
has his place. One of the Pope's neyhews,
tho Count Camille Pecci is Leo Kills es-
graciously placed at his disposition in the
Vatican. 1t is said that when the Count Ca
mile was doing his volunteer duty of a year,
so obliged to do by the civil laws of his
country, he used frequently to visit the Vati-
can in his uniform of simple soldier of the
italian army, and strangers wandering in the
corridors, were not little surprised to see
the pontifcal guards bowling low with re-
spect, and before a young man whose uni
form represented the supposed tyranny over
the temporal power. After dinner the Pope
usually retires to his private apartments to
work, to give audiences, and to pray. About
an hour before the angelus he takes a little
nap and then short walk in the loggie of
Raphael. At 9 o'clock in the evening, like
all the rest of the Romans, he sups, taking
nothing between dinner and supper except
small glass of Bordeaux wine, in which he
dips biscuit. At II o'clock he goes to bed.
1t is after dinner that most of his real work
is done, either with one of his private secre-
taries or alone. He sometimes greatly sur
prises the ecclesiastics who surround him by
bringing out in the morning some document
| that he has written in the previous afternoon,
quite independent of the traditions or the
advice by which popes are usually supposed
to be guided. In fact he is a highly intel
lectual, spirited and original man, and sorely
feels the oppression of the papaL crown.
Perhaps if he had remained in lower place
his originality would have won for him a
greater reputation than he now seems likely
ever to achieve