The Hawaiian gazette., 1891-11-17

SeG near the door. We stood, as others
Old, gaining every inch we could. The
doors were opened at Z o'clock, and a
squad of people admitted; then the
line stopped till word was given for
another squad. We entered by the
bronze door leading to the Vatican,
where the Swiss Guards always
stand. Once through this, the crowd
thin1ed out and hurried down a few
steps to the portico into the church.
No one stopped for holy water, you
may be sure, but rushed for the best
place. We got place nearly opposite
the bronze statue of st. Peter, four or
five rows from the rails which barred
OF passage for the Pope. The pas
sage ran nearly the whole length of
the church, the Pope coming in
through one of the chapels near the
door.
l was once in something | thought
was crowd, but as compared with
this in st. Peters to-day, it was a
small affair. 1 have since heard that
there were sixty thousand people in
the church. For nearly two hours
we stood in crowd, pushing, elbow
ing, jamming, sweating, almost suf-
locating, never for a fraction of sec
ond still. No one was moe expert at
getting through and intoplaces than
the nuns, some of whom nearly got
their wells torn from their heads.
We say "packed like saIdines in a
box" and to-day we were really
packed like that, only we had hot,
bad air, instead of oil. You could
not l,on1c 81 do
So we stood, each eagerly, almost
savagely retaining every inch of adj
vantage he could gain, the stout peo-
pie coming off badly. If one thought
he would like to get out of the crowd
and 20 home, ne gave up the wish in
despair when he attempted to move.
Nothing was harder than staying
where you were, except getting out.
The pope was nearly half an hour
late. Coming in he was preceded by
men whose offices | do not know, but
Immediately in front of him came a
dozen or more in robes of deep rose
red brocade silk. He was carried in
a crimson velvet chair embroidered
with gold, and borne on the shoulders
of four men. He was almost envel-
Oped in robe of white silk with gold
embroidery, on his head his triple
crown, brilliant with gems. Behind
him were CARRIED two white feather
standards, shaped like palm leaf fans,
but not nearly so pretty as the Ha-
waiian kahilis. His entrance was
announced by music of silver trum-
pets. He looked very old and very
feeble, very refined and pale. He
seemed paler and more feeble than
when we saw him ten days before.
With his delicate, white hand, on
which was the apostolic diamond
ring, he blessed the people slowly
right and left, as he was borne with
slow step to the altar. He seemed
perfectly calm, showing not the least
sign of excitement, or the slightest
trace of eagerness. You might say
that he believed he had something
really valuable to give the people,
but gave it with the dignity and de-
liberation of one who believed him.
self the ''vice-gerent of God on
earth" He was cheered from one
end of his way to the other, no one
forbidding though in church. He
was carried around the high altar, at
which alone Il believe) the pope cele-
brates mass, bringing him thus fac
ing the people, the altar being be-
tween him and them. The pilgrims
were in the north and south tran
septs, rallied off for them from the
room where the general public stood.
They knelt during the mass, many OF
them weeping. At the moment of
the elevation of the Host, the silver
trumpets sounded far up in the dome.
But this, and all the rest of the low
mass by the Pope and the following
thanksgiving mass by the Pope's
private chaplain, was lost to the peo-
pie crowded into the body of the
church. During the thanksgiving
the Pope retired to some room in the
church and took his breakfast. After
wards he came back and blessed the
pilgrims.
All these receptions and this rare
mass were creating a real enthusiasm
for the Pope and the Catholic faith,
when a severe check was given by
gross indiscretion of few French pill
grims. Visiting the Pantheon in
which Victor Emanuel is buried, they
wrote in the register kept for the
names of visitors, "Long live the
Pope-King.n They were detected,
and then spat at the tomb of Victor
Emanuel. The Italians present in
the church were greatly excited, and
only the intervention of the police
saved the pilgrims from bodily harm:
The news of the insult to the dead
king and Italian unity, spread like
wild-fire through Rome and all Italy.
A mob went to the French embassy
to find the military before them, then
to the Vatican to find that guarded by
soldiers. The next day seven trains
filled with pilgrims were sent under
guard out of Italy. The train by
which we came to Florence the day
o; the occurrence, brought the news
paper account of the affair. At the
theatre the opera was stopped, and
the orchestra hidden play the ma
tional hymn. The next morning
Florence was decorated with flags as
for holiday, and loyal demonstra-
ton made, and up to midnight men
went past our hotel with loud cries of
'fViva ITALIAN
You will doubtless read about this
in your foreign papers, but they may
not give you an idea of the excite
nent the incident has caused, nor the |
unfortunate endingof the pilgrimages
for the present, at least.