Omaha daily bee., 1883-05-25
SEEING TIE POPE,

ROME. 1t was Thursday morning,
the 10th of March, and the annual
ceremony Of the exchange Of cardi-
malls hats had been announced to take
place at IL o'clock In the sals regla of
the vatican.
From 8 until 10 the crowd, more or
less patient, had knocked their heels
together In their efforts to keep warm
at the beginning Of the scala regis,
the gentlemen in full evening dress
with opera hats, and the ladies' at.
tired In sombre black, with q black
lace affair for the head. Everybody
looked cold and hungry, and for my
part l had about concluded to make
for my hotel and discuss the warm
breakfast I had unceremoniously left.
Some two weeks before the service
had been performed In the presence of
his holiness, the pope, In the Sistine
chapel, II being the fifth anniversary
of his succession to the papsncy, and
for the first time since 1871 the pub.
lie were admitted without the formal.
ty Of tickets. Unlike Plup TX the
present pope Is rather averse to meet
Ing strangers, and many q recent trav.
eler to the Eternal City Is aware of
the impossibility of obtaining cards
for an audience, either public or pri-
vate. Therefore, since the annual
blessing from the balcony of St.
Peters has been discontinued, not one
visitor In q Thousand has had an op-
portunity of seeing the reigning Pom
tiff. But one audience has been given
during the past year, and that a priv.
ate one on Feb. %.
For all services In the Sistlne chapel,
or Ssla Regia, 1t has been the custom
to Issue q limited number of tickets
but this, of late, has been dlscontin.
ued, as 1t Is said many dignitariee
were offended at the partial
manner In which these were distrib.
uted.
Returning from Naples the early
part of the week, a friend informed
me of the ceremony which was to take
place, and l Immediately resolved tc
be present. This custom, of the ex.
change of cardinals hats, SO far I was
able to learn, Is merely one of cour-
tesy and signifies a renewal of good
ieeling and brotherly love among the
participants. Every one at all ia.
miliar with Rome knows that from
the colonnade at the right of St.
Peters ascends the rcala regia, OF
royal staircase to the sala regia, next
to the Slstine chapel, with which II
communicates. 1t is In this hall tina,
ambassadors and other distinguished
~parsonages were received when the
temporal power remained with the
vatican, and 1t Is still used for all I'm
portant ceremonials.
As Don as the guards were removed
a grand rush was made, and an Eng.
lish friend was among the first to
reach the entrance of the hall, where
two men we're stationed to see thai
each visitor was dressed according to
regulation, and that no coats or shawli
we're taken in. Once inside the
ladies we're ordered to one side and
the gentlemen to the other. Two
lines of Swiss were drawn up extend.
Ing from the doors by which the
pope was to enter, to the opening in
the rail which divides the room In the
center.
REPRESENTATIVE AMERICAN.
l passed to the opposite side and
placed myself in the line directly be.
tween two of the guards, and there ]
stayed.
81 should say you Americans neve,
did get left" my English friend re-
marked when l alta Cards met hin
at a cafe In the Corso. 81 was shoves
back into q corner and couldn't see
thing. I don't think a person In tn,
room had as good a place as yourself
Pardon the question, but are all Yam
KEGS as cheeky az you2"
At the end Of the hall, which Ia,
should judge, 100 feet In length by 81
wide, ON a raised platform and shaded
by q superb canopy, was the Papa
throne, a heavy gilded, finely carvet
arm chair, and in front was spread
very handsome rug. On either side
back of the rail, a small gallery, re
served for distinguished guests, wa
hung with maroon-colored velvet, ant
one at the backf to which the public
were admitted, was also decorated.
The crowd kept pouring II until tn
space reserved for the peblio was com
plete!y filed. The side galleries wer
soon occupied by Ambassadors an,
other dlgnitaries, each In full cour
dress and decorated with orders an,
medals; gaily dressed officers, wit
clsnking swords and jlngllng spurz
strrtted back aud forth between tn
lines of guards; priests soberly clad il
black, or In the more snowy red O
purple, according to their orders, qul
city sought places from which to Sc
the coming ceremony, and ~eyerythin
was In readiness for the aged Pontiff'
entrance.
'If his holiness was as cold as
am, I think he would not keep u
waiting very long" somebody at m
elbow remarked, and those In hi
vicinity echoed the sentiment.
Eleven o'clock tollea from the bel
fry of a neighboripg church and for
moment the buzz OF conversation wa
hushed as the huge doors leading t.
the private apartments Of the vatican
swung back and five elegantly equippe,
officers with drawn swords marched il
aud took their places at the entranc,
to the rsiled-off space.
Fifteen minutes later, attended b,
three pages, appeared the MAggior
domo Monsignor Ricci Paraccisni II
full evening dress, having around hi
neck a massive gold chain to whicl