The Northwestern standard., 1886-04-10
left and outside the modern senicircu-

t here during the excavations, the re-
mains, most likely. of some, at least, Of
Nero IS victims, OF those whom he clad
in envelopes OF pitch and bitumen, aud
set on fire TO light the games of his cir
4 Gus, or amuse the Roman popuIace, on
whom the spectacles of the Coliseum
fell dull and paliing. One hundred and
thirty-one Popes are buried here. It is
| therefore full Of an awful and indie
scribable solemnity. this spot, where
| Nero's feet trod in Christian blood, and
laughed at the tiendish devices OF his
own inhumanity. Arrived at the cir
cular corridor, we turn to our right and
pass on our way two chapels OF consid-
cradle dimensions extending outward
at right angles to our path. Just oppo-
site these we enter the Chapel of Com
! fession through much narrower pas
| sage. The gem-like altar is above the
tomb. Shining as every portion of this
| beautiful shrine is with the costliest
marbles and the most exquisite adorn-
rnents, cannot now stop to describe.
lie must have but little faith who.
coming hither with the dawn to offer
| up the sacrifice OF his church over the
| very tomb of the Apostles, and almost
| III Immediate contact with their re-
mains, has an eye for outward things
or thought for ANYTHING but the VIC
| tim he is about to offer up on that al
tar, and for the sacred dust Of the TWO
great witnesses to His name From
the great church overhead subdued
noises reach you, as if they were the
echoes Of the great city outside, and
| the music of the church bells Of Rome
comes floating in and dies away in
faint murnurs at the gilded gratlngs
of the crypt, where Canova's kneeling
statue OF Plus vi. seems looking in on
| the tomb of the apostles and praying
| INCREASINGLY for the afflicted church
With what feryor Leo XIII. comes
down here to pray-the living Pontiff
near the magnificent statue of the
| first of the line of these imprisoned
Popes! When the long. weary day,
with its labors. its cafes and its ankle
ties is over, the meek old man in white,
SO like one OF Fra Angelico's sainted
figures, steals in the silence and soil
tude and gloom to lay before God on
the tomb of the great parents of Rome
the heavy burden of his responsibilities
and his fears. And sometimes in the
morning, when piety urges, or some
more thorny care is pressing on his
lhear5, Pope Leo comes comes TO be-
seech the Masters special inspiration
near the remains of those who here
taught His truth, here glorifed HIS
name and bore Him such heroic wit
ness. 70 look on the face of the Pope.
so careWorn, 50 wasted with super
human toll, one would think that such
a man only needed the tenderest watch
ing and nursing to keep the flame of
life from going out. But he is equal to
such fatigue as would seem Incredible
were here TO detail the Iabors of a
single day, which to hlm are the labors
Of every day,
The Significance and Grandeur Of Papaoy.
Papacy is the great question OF the
day. Indeed, the interest and inpor-
tance of the subject can scarcely be ex-
aggerated. Whether viewed histori-
cally, politically, socially or religioasly,
it looms up with grandeur and a sig
nifcance far exceeding all other ques-
tions of the age. Simply as q historl
cal study one would naturally suppose
that an institution that had outliyed
all the dynasties of the world, that had
occupied such distinguished position
in the worlds history and exerted such
a powerful influence ON the destinies Of
nations, would be esteemed worthy of
the deepest interest and most profound
study. Great force is added to these
considerations by the more recent de-
velopement of Protestant thought
throughout the world. The deplorable
evils of divisions among Christian peo-
pie are being pressed home upon every
candid, thoughtful mind with con-
stantly increasing force, and a general
movement has commenced in favor of
union. Indeed, the candid and out
spoken manner III which the evils Of
Protestant seetarianism are criticized
and laid bare by Protestant writer's
themselves, is as surprising as It'll
hopeful for the revival Of Catholic
truth on this all-important subject. In
telligent, thinking men will not always
be satisfied to grope in the dark, to
amuse themselves with vague speeula
5ions and impossible theories of Chris
tian union. The impatient, self-opin-
donated, the skeptically inclined will,
of course develop their individual,
private Judgment theories logically
into infdelity and nnbelief, while, on
the other hand the conservative and
more religiously inclined will come to
see that the only hope of a true and
solid Christian union lies in connection
with the old, historic Church of which
the Papaey is the grand center and dis
feature. Xxx.