Omaha daily bee., 1883-02-28
Pope LEO XIII.
What He Dimes On-Bis Daily Work
Always Grave and Solemn.

eff oial position. His place is then
taken By the cardinal secretary Of &C.
clesiastical affairs and by the congrs-
cation of cardinals, each CT which has
Its Fixed day. The several councils
generally occupy the whole morning,
until one hour after midday. The
pope's dinner: A potage, n dish Of
meat and nome cheese; q few minutes
suffice for It's consumption. While
he takes the air In the
afternoon generally in his car
riage-he usually reads the bishops
reports, all of which come direct into
his own hands, the dispatches from
the nunoiatures, and especially any
news from Belgium. This little king.
dom, which has broken its diplomatic
relations with the holy see, is parti-
cularly near his heart. For 1t is there
that he himself was nunnio from 1843
to 1916, and there that he studied at
close quarters a great politician, Leo.
pold L. Towards 4 o'clock the pope
gives his private and public audiencer,
and the evening hours are devoted to
tho reception of bishops. This long
day over Leo XII, regains the solitude
of his W closet. Then at last he is
able to begin work.
Tall, thin, spare, with his pale and
deeply.lined fscs, the pope usually
has delicate health, of which he takes
small care. His a1sterity Is extreme.
The spiritual sovereign Of 200, 600, 600
Catholics does not spend 1C0 francs q
month for his table, The energy of o
strongly developed nervous system
alone enables him to resist the fatigue
Of his labor and vast responsibilities.
At times those about him perceive O
moment of exhaustion and collapse;
but a little happiness, q piece of good
news or q pleasant telegram restore
the life of his worn frame. Suddenly
well again, he takes up once more hi.
heavy burden, and betakes himself tc
that work of reconciliation and peace
making to which he he's devoted him
self.
He is always grave, or rather sol
emn; always the pope. The Italian
call hiu manners and surrounding
ceremonious. Gravity is inherent il
his nature, as those aver who hav,
known him from his earliest youth
He never abandons himself, laugh,
rarely. He might be thought sterr
did he not temper his severity by thu
patient attention with which he listenl
- without interruption-to all whc
speak to him. His audiences are ia,
less frequent than we're those Of Plu
TX but for that very reason they
take up more time. He haI
not the brilliant side so noticeable
In his predecensor, the general base
the fine good humor which endured
Notwithstanding the surprising vicis
STUDIES of the last ponti6cate, nor the
frank, bold and genial speech, full o.
witty and happy wordr, thrown off Ii
that sonorous voice which Plus TX
retained in Ills extreme old age. LIE,
XIII. Is as slow of speech as the arch
bishop of Paris. But If neither tn,
pope nor the cardinal has received
the orators gift, each has been en-
lowed with the authors. Perhap
this similarity explains the specia
sympathy and esteem which the pop
entertains toward Mgr. Gilbert.
The pastoralsin which the archbish
op of Perugia (this was Cardina
|, Peoci's cfie9 before his election a
pope) was wont to demonstrate tn
harmony of faith and reason, of relig
lon and civilization, "growing like tn
flower and fruit from the root Q
Christianity" were much noticed b
italian pubiicists. The priest love
, to treat the question of the day and @
modern society. The lllustrious Bon
. ghi said to him that his was zone q
the most finely balanced and vigorou
of characters" that he was ga ma
who had realized the ideal of q cal
.. dinal suoh as St. Bernard conceive
Q It," Since the eighteenth century
since the time of Benedict XIV. an
. Clement XIV, Rome has not see
q pope of 80 cultivated o mind
: SO accomplished in Latin an
. Tuscan verse, 10 familiar at once wit
!: classic and with contemporary letters
|, At the present time, the two qualitit
which Leo XIII most prizes, and atm
most constantly in securing In h
writings, are simplicity and moder'
! ton. His letters, his enclycllcals, "a
: are submitted to the sacred college
Nothing is more admirable than tn
manner in which he elicits opinion
t audlweighs objections. He has hes
known to completely rewrite, aft
8 grave debates, ~encyclioals which b
had already completed. As he SD
fers from sleeplessness, 1t is general
In the night hours when he compos
!, his most immortal works.
. 1t is by this active life, the mono
ony of which would brighten mar
statesmen, that the holy father Is alb
to manage directly, In all their in
mensity Of detail, the affairs of Il
" church. Those affairs have multiple
y greatly since the early part of the Gel
fury. More than one hundred bishoI
r. rios have been founded In Amerio
ID Plus TX. wrote little; he inspired Il
writings of others. Leo XIII has b
r. own hand in all, sees all with his ow
eyes, and directs all. Moderation
4 which, with austerity, 10 the dominal
note In the sovereign's conduct, on
which he has made into law for hir
self, has borne It's fruits. At Il
time Of his accession the diplomat
~ corps accredited to the Vatican was +
duced to about two ambassadors
q, those of France and Austria.
o present he receives the ENJOYS or IL
n. ambassadors of all the powers, sa'
% only Belgium and Italy. With r
CARDS to these two countries, the
~ are no signs of any possible unde
Of standing, but the reestabllshment
of diplomatic relations between the no
al sec and almost all states guarantee
no for tho nrnsant tina pxlstepca. of ri