Cheyenne transporter. [volume] (Darlington, Indian Terr.) 1879-1886, 1886-06-26

Description OF the once and It's Hon.
ors-Anecdote About the Red Hat.

OFy-Anec0Ot8 ABOUT the he0 How
In view Of the pope's selection OF
Archbishop Gibbons, ofBaltmore, as a
member Of the college Of cardinals, the
following facts about The cardinalate
will be found interesting: The college
Of cardinals Is the senate and sovereign
council of the pope in the governmen,
and administration OF the Catholic
church in Rome and throughout the
world, and is composed Of a number OF
distinguished ecclesiastics. The office
and dignity of member Of this body is
termed the cardnalate. A cardinal car
not, unless invested with the episcopal
character, perform any act that depends
for its validity upon such character,
nor can he lawfully invade the jurisdic-
tion of bishop; but apart from this
his rank in the church Is always, every
where and under all circumstances
superior TO that of any bishop, arch
bishop, metropolitan, primate, OF
patriarch.
Although all cardinals are equa
among themselves in the principal
things, yet in many points of costume,
privilege, local office, and rank there
are distinctions or differences establish
ed by law or custom, the most impor-
tant of which follow from the division
of the cardinals into three grades
namely. of bishops, priests, and dea-
cons. The membership Of the sacred
college is limited to the maximum of
seventy The number is seldom COM
plete. In olden times cardinals were
strictly obliged to reside near the pope.
The greatest act that cardinal can
perform is to take part in the papal
election. When cardinal is living a
long distance from Rome the election
has been known to occur before he had
time to reach the city.
The color of a cardinals dress is red,
unless he belongs to a religious order,
in which case he retains that of his
habit, but uses the same shape of dress
as the others. The red hat and the
beretta or red cap are the most widely
known distinctions of the order. A
good anecdote is told in connection
with the red cap. Pope Gregory XVI.
was a great admirer or certain abbot
in Rome, whose habit was white, and
rumor ran that he would certainly be
made a cardinal. Some time before the
next consistory the pope, with con-
siderable retlnue, went to visit the mo-
mastery of tho learned monk. When
trays of delicious pyramidal iced
creams were brought in as refreshment
the pope deliberately took one of the
white ones and handed it TO the abbot,
and then took a red one for himself
No one, of course, began eating until
Gregory had tasted first, and while all
eyes were on him he took the top of
his own iced cream and put it on the
abbot's, saying, with a smile, as he
looked around him: "How well, gen.
tlemen, the red caps the white" The
abbot was so elated at the subtle sug-
gestion that he bought cardinals out
fit at once. When the news of the
abbot's precipitancy reached the pope
he was SO displeased that he scratched
the abbot's name from the list.
One of the ornaments of cardinal is
gold ring set with sapphire, and en-
graved on the metal surface of the in
side with the arms of the pope who has
created him. The pope himself places
it upon the cardinals finger The
actual value of this ring is only S25,
but for many centuries the newly-elect-
ed cardinal has been expected to give a
large sum of money for some pious pur-
pose. For a long time the sum was
larger than at present, and was paid in
gold. but in consideration of the general
distress in the early part of this century
the amount was reduced to about $3.50.
The last cardinal who gave the full
sum before the reduction was Della
Somalgia, in 1905.
The Roman ceremonial shows the
singular Importance of the cardnalate
by the disposition ordered to be made
OF its members after death. 1t is pre-