Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1883-10-12
An Audience With Pope Leo.

Canon Barry of Cashel, in Roman Newspaper.
Leo XIII is now seventy-four years Of age.
He is tall, thin and bony. His face is of an
ivory tint, and his eyes and lips are very express
sive and smiling. He looks very firm. Simeoni
says he resembles Voltaire. but Leo XlII'ssmil
is totally different from Voltare's smile. The
pope wears his age well and walks remarkably
straight. He has snow white hair and very
1nely-marked eyebrows. His eyes are wonder
fully intelligent-looking, and his voice is ex-
tremely harmonious. He speaks several Ian
guages as well as any professor Of languages.
He never says foolish thing nor does foolish
thing, like poor PIus TX, whose policy was fatal
to the pope's temporal power. He rises very
early, aad spends the first hours Of the day in
prayer and generally in his bedroom. At6o'clock
he says mass. At O'clock he breaks his
fast with cup Of chocolate. reading
his correspondence all the time. At 9
o'clock he receives Jacobim and those
chiefs of religious societies who may demand
audience. At noon he receives those Roman
patriarchs who have remained true to him and
the ambassadors At 1 o'clock he dimes, his
dinner rarely costing more than two francs or
half dollar. Once upon time popes were
great eaters and drinkers. and were given to
every kind of extravaganza: but Leo XIII is
nothing of all this. After dinner he takes
little walk in the Vatican grounds, or he
visits the museum. galleries. etc. Some
times he is carried in a chair quilted with
white satin. He is very fond of the garden,
and likes to play the gardener at times. He
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
garden: When l went with the pilgrims he was
preceded by three noble guards, and at his side
was Mgr. Macchi, his secret chamberlain. He
wore wide-brimmed hat and a large red cloak
We were presented to him one by one. He
looked at us and scrutinized US well. I saw
he recognized me, but he treated me like the
others-as if he saw me also for the first
time. care you all Irish ?" he said. 81
am happy to receive the faithful Of that nation"
He then looked again at us. as if he would have
read into our souls. Your bishop" he con-
tnued, drought me offerings from a people
pressed with poverty" Then, seeing me still on
my knees, he offered me his hand to raise me-
81 had thought" he continued, ''that the offer
ings would have decreased, but it was not so.
We live on charity" (and here he smiled sadly,
'fOr all we had has been taken from us. Oh!
these prosecutions" he cried with a loud voice.
They purify US even when the leaven is pure
and immaculate" / seem to see him now. His
head looked like relief on the blue sky. The
sun was setting. and he looked up to the sky,
as If seeking an inspiration there 81 have
heard,"' he then said. ''that, notwithstanding
the general state Of anguish in Ireland, the
churches are full Of people. May the Lord be
praised and blessed, and may my prayers bring
peace on the people! Lord, hear our prayers
and judge u.s." He then blessed u.s. and the all-
dence was finished. l have never seen so much
power united to so much simplicity. At o'clock
the pope resumes his official audience in the
Vatican. AT O'Clock only he takes a little rest,
but at o'clock he returns to work in his private
rooms, where he remains until 10 O'Clock, when
ne retires for the night, not always to sleep,
though, for it Is during the night that he reads
and writes for his own pleasure, his favorite sub
iect being the " Science OF st. Thomas" and
essays on the works of that saint, which he re-
ceives from every part of the world.