The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1883-11-07
POPE LEO XIII.
PERSONAL SKETCH OF THE HEAD OF
THE ROMAN CATHOLIC
CHURCH.

!
fishes conversation which one of its
correspondents had with the Rev. Phil
lip Barry, Canon of the Cashel Cathc.
dral. The Canon is said to have spo.
ken as follows:
cleo XIII is now "A years of age.
lie is tall, thin and bony. His face is
OF an ivory tint, and his eyes and lips
are very expressive and smiling. lie
looks very firm. Simeoni says he re.
senlblcs Voltaire, but Leo XlIPs smile
is to totally different to yoltaire's smile.
The Pope wears his age well, and
walks remarkably straight. He has
sn,ow-vhiSe hair and very fnely-mar.s
ed eyebrows. His eyes are wonder
fully intelligent looking, aud his voice
is extremely harmonious. He speak
several languages as wei! as any pro-
fessoc OF languages. Ike never says q
foolish thing nor does fooling thing,
like poor i'iux TX, whose policy was
fatal to the Popc's temporal power.
He rises very early and spends the first
hours in prayer, and generally in his
bedroom. AT 6 O'clock he says mass.
At 8 he breaks his fast with a cup of
chocolate, reading his correspondence
all the time. At 8 o'clock he receives
Jacobini and those who enter on rcli-
sious societies who may demand audi
ence. AT noon he receives those Ro
man pa.riarchs VINO have remained
true to him and the ambassadors. At
O'clock he dimes, his dinner rarely
costing more than two francs, or so
cents" ''And he keeps so many
cooks" said the correspondent. che
is obliged to keep appearances" an
swcred the canon. Once upon time
Popes were great eaters and drinkers,
and were given to every Kind ofextrav-
igance, but Leo XIII is nothing Of all
this.
|, After dinner he takes little walk
! in Vatican grounds, or he visits the
museums and galleries. Sometimes he
is carried in chair quilted with white
satin. He is very fond ofthe garden.
lie frequently receives visitors in the
garden and talks of flowers to them to
avoid other subjects. The first and
second time | saw him was in the gar
den. When | went with the pilgrims
he was proceeded by three noble
guards, at his side was Mgr. Macchi,
his secret chamberlain. He wore a
wide-brimined hat and a large red
cloak. We were presented to him one
! by one. He looked at us and scruti-
nized us well. I saw. he recognized me
but he treated me like the others-as
| it he saw me also for the first time.
Are you all lrish!' he said; 4 am hap
/ nv to receive the faithful of that nation,
He then looked again at rs as if he.
would have read into our soul. your
Bishop, he confined, brought ne of
feFing from a people pressed with pow
erty.' Then seeing me still on my
knees, he offered ne his hand to raise
me. 4 had thought, he continued,
that the offerings would have decreas-
ed, but 1t was not SO. We live on char
it!y,' (.nd here he smiled sadly), for all
we had has been taken from us. O.,
these persecutions! he cried with loud
voice. They purify us, even when the
leayen is pure and immaculate.'
81 seem to see him now" said the
canon. ellis head looked like a relief
on the blue sky. The sun was setting.
and he looked up to the blue sky as if
seeking an inspiration there Il have
heard, he then said, that notwithstand-
ing the general state Of anguish in Ire
land the churches are full of people.
May the Lord be praised and blessed,
and may my prayers bring peace on.my
people. Lord, hear our prayers and
judge usr He then blessed us, and the
audience was. finished. | have never
seen so much power united to SO much
sympathy. AT 4 O'clock the Pope re.
sGnes his official audiences in the Va
tican. At 7 o'cl OK only he takes a
little rest, bit at 8 o'clock returns to
Hok in his private room, where he re-
mains until 10 o'clock, when he retires
for the night, not always to sleep,
though, for it is during the night that
he reads and writes for his own pleas
ure, his fayorite subject being the Sci
ence of St. Thomas and essays on the
works of that saint, which he receives
from every part Of the world, whenever
and wherever published, /