Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1884-05-27
ROMAN CARDINALS.

Cardinals are still princes Of the Church
and wear the purple, but the terms which
once meant 50 much have lost most OF their
significance. The pomp and circumstance,
the splendor and the power OF the Sacred
College have been almost destroyed, SO far
as eytcrnalS are concerned. The Cardinals
dignity crows daily less mundane AMI more
| ecclesiastical. Those who lived in Rome
twenty years ago will not have forgotten
the ma"nii;cence which then surrounded
| their cminences. The streets were filled
| with the ,p!c4dor Of their presence.
| THE red ;...;i purple seemed everywhere y
u iii;' narrow lanes. the palaces and the
churches Rome bowed down before them
4 lh"y ruinb|ed past il their crimson
| Coaches, and heir very servants had a
certain majesty attached to them, such as
the best powdered tlunkey in King Hum
| hcrt's palace will never attain. All this
has changed by the breach in the Porta
| Pin. The crimson coaches roll by no longer:
| the Cardinals have been shorn Of their
| grandeur, ami their retainers have cychang-
ed their scarle; and gold for plain black
| broadcloth.
an their home life the cardinals of this
| generation are simpler than many shopkeep.
ers The higher you go in the Roman
| hierarchy the less is the ostentation. Pope
| Leo himself sets the example and with few
exceptions his venerable brothers and 'be
| loved sons all initiate him. Cardinal Jaco-
| bui, I'apal Secretary Of State, lives i'll an
apartment nj which a New York merchant
would scofl--wcre il not i'll the Vatican.
Cardinal Billo's rooms and Cardinal Lucas
| in the Palace Of the Cancelleria, were SO
shabby and vulgar that they would have
| called smile 10 the lips Of the most indul-
u fn,x- -,IrI-
ness of the late Cardinal Hassoun's furni-
| turc passes description. 1t was worthy of .
cheap Coney Island boarding house. Car
dnal Howard As becomes scion of his
house, does affect some luxury. Yet even
here It is seen chiefly in the form OF costly
books and pictures. His Emincnces table
| is mor., liberal than some others, his wines
are older, his linen is finer and there is Il
stately comfort in the heavy drapery and
well stuffed arm chairs which adorn his
apartment But compared with the home
| of most wealthy Americans that of the aris;-
tocratic archrriest Of st. Peters appears
| very ilupretending. Mr.. Vanderbilt, no
doubt, would think such an interior poor
place TO entertain in. Nor would ii Inspire
| much respect in the minds Of many well-to-
| do English squres.
:Even more striking than the poorncSs of
|
| the bad taste and indifference To beauty
| which stare you in the face i'll nearly all Of
them. The wall papers, the chairs, the
| tables. the curtains and the carpets would
| make q very pork butcher weep Mr. Mat
| thew Arnold's hair would grow prematurely
white if he had to live in such an art dmbi-
cntc as Cardinal Simeoni's for y single fort
night. The tiger pattern rugs and mats OF
our crandfithers are still in favor in the
reception of the ecclesiastical princes.
! The furniture pictures Of the Hotel Drouot
are interesting besides some of the portraits
and sanity allegories at His Eminence So
and Sos One might forget or admire the
| cheapne:s OF the haugings were they not so
| gaudy But who can forgive magenta da-
mask or bright yellow rep, slipper, pattern
Berlin wool work, all Of which. alas! are
decorative commonp!aces at His Emlncnce
A Cardinals post is no sinecurc. From
morn till nighifall the bell at his door rings
! ccaselcssly. Grievances have to be redress
| ed. cases Of conscience to be inquired into,
| visitors to be given audience and visits to
| he returned. Then there are meetings to
| attend at the Vatican, and other meetings,
maybe at the Propaganda, to say nothing OF
tho routine obligations of all bishops, the
praying, preaching, pontiticating and CIV
ING OF benedictions. How some emincnccs
find the time for all their work is constant
marvel 10 the writer. And the strangest
part is, that not only do they do the work,
but they someeoW manage TO be gracious.
good tempered and polite in doing it, A
Roman Cardinal, take him for all in ali,
is one of the finest gentlemen breathing.
However early it may be, or however late,
if YOU have any serious claim upon his time
and attention you are sure OF courteous
i toi,, chn nF IL
ference, Of course, between the courtesy eN-
tended to one visitor and another. but the
humblest gets more civlity than one dares
to hone tor at the hands of Italian govern
ment impicgatj, telegraph clerks or custom
house officers The approach to His Emil
nence is usually made through three ante.
rooms. The paper on the walls IN room MOL
NAV be Prussian blue, No. 2 will perhaps be
papered with yellow ochrc, and No. with
nice quiet magenta. According to your urimportance,
YOU are ushcred into the first, second or third
room The last one THAT nearest to the audience
room proper being reserved for very high dlgni-
tarics-prnccs. ambassadors or bishops. The
fourth room, in which you will probably find HIS
Eminencc is likely TO be furnished with very loud
.ilt and crimson. 1t invariably contains bad
portrait of His present Holiness and often anoth-
CT Of His late Holiness Plus IN: II you arc j
Catholic you kueci to the Cardinal and make p
shap: oe kissing his iiugcrs. If not the obe1sanc'
is dispcnsed with. and His Eminence usually gives
YOU his hand with pleasant smile. Strict ctl-
uuettc requires that you should not depart TIL ).
hint of dismissal has been given you. and you
NAV roughly know what estimate has been set
npon YOU by watching whether His Emnence
escorts you to the door on leaving OF simply bids
YOU farewell where he happens to be sitting.
In the afternoon the cardinals generally get a
little rest But the hour of the Ave Maria hringS
the bell ringing aud the visitors again. OFTEN
when vulgar nortals, having dgested their am
ncrs are drowsily thinking OF bed His Emihcnc'
is still sitting iu his crimson audience cha"iher
faint and weary, longing for the last tcni"a:
caller to go, and wondering whether after all he
would not have been happier without the purple