The Hawaiian gazette., 1891-11-17
HAWAIIAN PILGRIMS IN ROME.
Audience of the Pope at ST.
Peters.
ROME, Oct. /, 1891.

My DEAR - You will have
read in your foreign news of the pill
grimages of people from different
parts of Europe to Rome, and the
reception of the pilgrims by the
Pope. 1t has been our fortune to be
i'm Rome since the 18th of September,
and to have seen a good many OF
these pilgrims, and to have Joined
those from France i'll the audience
given by the Pope on the 18th of Sep
TENDER You must have card OF
admission if you wish to 90 to an
audience. / do not know whether
they are hard to procure or not. We
mad a card of introduction to Mon
signOr OConnel, and, on receiving it,
he called at our hotel, bringing us
tickets for the reception.
The dress to be worn is prescribed.
Ladies in black dress and veil with
out a honnet), and gentlemen in even
ing dress. 1t is also understood that
ladies shall wear no gloves, but gen.
tlemen must. We were advised by a
Roman that we must go in good sea-
son or we should not be able to secure
good places. The audience was
to be at IL o'clock. We left our
hotel about 10 A. NJ, driving to st.
Peters in a carriage, one of long
string of them full of pilgrims. Our
driver skilfully got TO the head of the
line, receiving the excavations OF
those he crowded out of the way in
his haste. But we were by no means
the first at the church. When we
arrived. early as the hour was, a large
crowd had already assembled and
stood watching at the closed doors OF
st. Peters. 1t was u strange and
curious crowd, and very picturesque,
too. There were nuns in every con-
eeivable pattern of head gear-brown
frocked, belted, bare-footed, bare
headed friars; priests in black with
under-robes of white; priests in black
with crimson sashes; ladies in black
with pretty wells, gentlemen i'll full
dress and others in more ordinary
attire. Almost every pilgrim had a
handful of rosaries for the Pope to
bless.
The crowd was not solemn, mol
even reverent. The people stood
talking and laughing, with patience
waiting till the door should be
opened, but each one alert. was
cautioned by stranger to beware OF
pickpockets.
At a quarter to II the door was
opened, then there was rush. Each
had to show his ticket here. The
people fairly ran through the left
aisle, to the door though which one
passes in ascending the dome We
walked quickly, but with delibera-
ton itself, compared to some OF
the people. / shall long carry
in my mind a picture of the
young monks, as, throwing parts OF
of their robes over their arms, they
scampered up the stairs two steps at a
time. The audience was in the Hall
of Concentration, which is the room
over the portico, where you see win
dows in the picture of st. Peters. 1t
is a high, long and narrow room, not
so large as Kawaiahao Church. 1t is
plain, with a stone floor. The pope's
throne was Just opposite the middle
window and was a small platform
raised three or four steps and covered
with scarlet carpet. On this was
his crimson and gold chair. A large
white awning was stretched high
above his chair, to act was told, as
a sounding board. The fantastic
Swiss guards were on duty in the hall.
There were no seats for anyone, eX-
cept the high officers who took part
in the ceremony.
The pope was fifteen minutes late
in arriving. Immediately before his
entrance his guard of mobiles came in,
the cardinals entering little earlier.
As soon as the pope was seen, he was
greeted with the most enthusiastic
HVivas.u One could not help feeling
concern for the effect that so great an
excitement must have on so old a
man. He was dressed in white, with
his little skull cap on his head. He
was brought in crimson chair, car
ried hv f0ur stout men. He blessed
the people as he was carried along.
Two of the officers of his household
helped him up the stairs. As soon as
the cheering was stopped, french
nobleman read an address. He
was followed by another who read
another address, both, OF course, too
long. They were about the labor
question. At the close of these adj
dresses, the Pope, putting his lace
handkerchief on the arm of his throne,
rose to speak. He stopped, like any
man of his great age, but his voice
was surprisingly clear and strong.
He spoke in French, addressing the
pilgrims as "my very dear friends"
His address was half an hour In de-
livery. He used many gestures, max
ing which he threw himself back
with yigor. He did not seem nearly
so feeble as one might believe from
reading the papers. AT the close OF
his address there was more cheering:
The leading pilgrims were presented
and kissed the Pope's hand, ana,
it seemed to me, his foot also but l
do not know. Then cheer followed
cheer till it seemed the people would
never stop cheering. The Pope rose
in acknowledgment of the ovation.
As he stood to give his blessing, many
knelt to receive it. Then he was
carried out in the same manner that
he came in, the vivas again breaking
forth and following him as he passed
along. When he had passed from the
room, the people slowly followed, the
cheering suddenly changed to sing
ing. and hundreds of voices sang the
Magnificat. If the children OF Israel
had followed Moses, singing to Pts
.-lI ;,ooOipo that SinOinp