New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-05-05
PADRE ,AGOSTINO.
PRINCE, LOVER, PATRIOT. SOLDIER AND

|
famous Franciscan monk, who was personally up
ponted by the Pope TO preach course OF Lehuh
| sermons in the Church OF San Carlo, and VINO
wound IN the last Of his eloquent discourses on
palm Sunday by invoking Divine blessing upon
King Uumte IT. and upon the Royal House OF Savoy.
| Although but four winters have elapsed since ne
issued forth from retirement OF twenty years
IN the cloister, yet his name Is on every Up iroii
the Alps to the southcrnmost point OF the pehsum'
his portraits are as numerous throughout tne couh
try as thoSc OF the Holy Father, Ming hu"''.iO
and Garibaldi put together, and the Vehera''oh
with which he is regarded by the population almost
| approaches idolatry. All this has been acheVeu
| by the most incompatible elOquence, by sineuin'
! boldness OF expression, by doctrines WHICH, "h''e
intensely patriotic, are altogether sociaiis'c ia
their tendencies, and by the romance Oh LID p"'O
career.
The devout and the sccptic unite in their adj
miration for this wonderful monk. queen 'lar-
gucrite attended almost every one Of his sermons
AT San Carlo although she had the greatest dlHl-
Guilty in obtaining seat in the sacred edihce' ana
on several occasions the very same E>oo which
but few weeks previously had marched through
the streets with red flags flying ana with NOISY
bowls OF &besso II Vaticano' {" Down with the
Vatican actually embarrassed the horse from the
monks cab and drew him home in triumph to his
monastery in the Via Mcrulana. So enormous
have been the crowds which have throngrd the
great San Carlo Church, one Of the most roomy m
the Eternal City, that the ecclesiastical AUTHORITIES
were under the necessity of invoking the services
Of no less than four police conmssarieS, fifty
policemen in uniform twenty detectives and forty
gerdarmcs for the purpose Of maintaining order IN
and around the ediiice. Indeed each sermon has
been rot only popular. but also a social ana
POLITICAL incident and when at the review in honor
Of King lIumbert's birthday, on the l4th OF March,
! | inquired why there 50 few spectators pres
rnt 7 was informed in the most natural manner
DOS sbe by one OF the police duty that IL was
because the Padre Agostino was preaching that
afternoon.
The Padres history is most romantic one.
lie is member Of the ancient and princely family
| Of MOntcfcltro Rich in ancestry but poor as far
ms fortune was concerned. he fell in love with a
beautiful girl OF the great house Of Odescalchl.
Although fully her equal regards rank, his pow
| crty WINS regarded by her relatives as an insupcr-
! able bar TO any idea of marriage. Thoroughly dis
hcartrned and disguised, the young man left Rome
and bctook himself to Sicily, where he Joined the
! insurrectionary forces OF Garibad II" greatly
distinguished himself, fought by the side Of Crspi
and Cluseret, was promoted for conspicuous gal
! lantry to the rank of major, and was wounded ON
several occasions The most serious injury hc
received was at the battle OF VOlturnO on October
| l. 800 when he was struck down by "A rifle bullet
through the chest while leading his battalion in
| q charge on the Neapoitan forces. For long
time he lay between life and death in the hospital.
While there he received news to the effect that the
young Princess Odcscachi had been b"trothcd by
her parents 10 a Florentine Marchese of great
| ealth and that the marriage was shortly to take
place The information seemed TO have the effect
| 81 accomplishing his recovery, which until then
had seemed doubtful, and "A few weeks later,
though still exceedingly weak from the result Of
his wound he left the hospital and fastened with
| all speed to Rome.
On reaching this city he learned that the young
Princess had committed suicide by means of poison
| on the eve Of her wedding TO the Marquis. The
| Young Garibaldian major frantic with grief. i'm
mrdiately challenged the Florcntnc noble to q
duel and almost at the first onslaught ran his
| sword through his rivals throat in such manner
rs 10 sever the iugnlhr vein. Death Of course en-
sued almost Immediately. and brOken-hearted by
the suicide of his Princess and striker with re-
| morse by the equally tragcal death Of his rival,
| he retired TO a Franciscan monastery here and
took the vows Of the order. For more than TWEEN
tvfour years he remained secluded in the cloiStcr,
dividing his time between study and religious PX
crcises. At length, four years ago, his ecclesi
astcal superiors declared that he had sufficiently
eypated his sins, and ordered that he shOLld 60
forth again into the world, and should use his
great gifts for the glory Of the Order and of the
| Holy Church.
| Hence it is that we are now treated TO the
| astounding spectacle Of an ex-Garibaldian major
and man Of princely rank, in the pulpit, pro-
pounding doctrines in which SOcia ism and religion
are strangely and yet most cunningly blended, and
| who combines The profound studies Of four and
| twenty years with the most powerful eloquence
| Of the present century.
| Tall stately and imposing, with ascetic yet
hig bred features and large, fiery black eyes peer
ing rom beneath bushy eyebrows, Padre A2ostino
presents q striking appearance in the pulpit.
| strong silver-toned voice which reminded me
Of John Bright ut his very best, and which aIr
rarcntly without the slightest effort reached
| every corner Of the vast c,lticc, raised
in describing the benign power of tie Almighty,
and now lowered, with incXprcsshlc pathos he
referred to la nostra cara Patria7 {" oar beloved
country Many long day has elapsed since
| words of true patriotism have been heard from the
| pulpit and often when after bending forward II
| nplcss some more than usually striking argument
on the people present, he would sink back H. the
pulpit half exhausted by the rapidly and power
, Of his uttcrAncc, cries Of bravo and shouts Of
| approval would ring through the church such
as never before have been heard in the sacred cdi-
fce The mere sound of his voice seemed to
rouse all the best instincts even OF the most
, aratheuC and the most cynical. can complre
lis effect 20 nothing else than to thar created by
some peculiarly beautiful and inspriting melody
on n musc-loving people. Added to all this, 1t
must hc borne in mind that far from combining
himself to the cut and dried texts Of tn" ordinary
pulpit orator, he launched forth into far broader
and wider subjects. often treating his hearers TO
aphorismS of socialist writers, nor was he afraid
to meet the mrterlahsts on their own ground, and
by the clever casuistry with which he Related
? their arguments lie showed that he possessed IN
Intimate acquaintance with the works OF Rcnnn