The record-union., 1892-01-21
CANoNIzATIoN AT ST PETERS.
The Church So Large That Suicide
Attracted Little Attention.

NO one can IOrIa any auequ ate lQea
of the power and importance Of the
Church of Rome until he has attended
one of the great religious functions at its
headquarters on the Tiber. Then, as at
the headquarters of an army while bat
tie Is in progress, YOU see the representa-
tive officers of the mighty host; all in
the uniforms of their various ranks; all
engrossed i'll the business of their depart
ments; all working together like parts of
immense machinery, and all full Of en-
thuslasm for the good of the church.
During the canonization of the Japan
csc martyrs there were more than 100, 900
priests in Rome. The Roman people
called them ''black beetles" because
they swarmed all over the place. The
Roman people have very little respect for
the religion which takes its name from
their city, believing it to be inimical to
Italian patriotism. Perhaps, too, they
are influenced by that familiarity which
breeds contempt. At any rate, / have
never heard more virulent sneers at re-
ligion than in Rome itself, and the most
pro!ane stories ever told to me We're at a
reception in the palace Of one Of the Car
dinals.
The beetles that swarmed up and down
the seven hills Of Rome were not all
black. Some priestly uniforms were
scarlet; others purple; others brown !;
others white. The comparison with an
army was constantly presented. To see
clergYmen whom / had met in America
promenading or driving about in The
robes which were reserved at home for
ceremonial occasions was, ut first, sur
prise to me. Bishop Rosecrans, the
brother of General Rosecrans, aptly eX
planned it by the military simile: "We
are officers reporting at headquarters"
said he. land, of course, we wear our
dress uniforms
+lo,, l.; rcl, -,
favor with the Holy Father A delega-
ton had brought him model of the
yacht Henrietta, filed with gold dollars.
The Pope was as fond of a pun as of
billiards. He weighed the Gift in his hands
and smilingly observed: Non Udp0rc.n
which may mean IN OF steam vessel"
or Not all vaporingr' That / was one
of the Henrietta party was thus an excel
lent introduction to his holiness. When
Cardinal Antonelli showed him copy of
the Herald containing my cabled account
of the cauonization, he sighed and said !:
why cannot we have such newspapers
in Rome ?" The Cardinal smiled grilnly,
and, Of course, no allusion was made TO
the Roman censorship Of the press.
Imagine al these hundred thousand
priests and thousands more of worship
erS and simhtseers streaming into ST.
Peters and assigned by the attendants to
their respective positions on the plat
forms or pavement Of the aisles which
| form the cross in the center Of the edi-
/ flee, all within sight or sound of the high
! altar. My Amercanism had secured me
q good seat, next to a venerable abbot
from the south ofFrance, who kindly ex-
| planned to me the points of the service
| Imagine the donse masses of black vest
ments, relieved by the glitter of Jewels
and bright colors of flags and banners,
and fringed by crowds of gaudily dressed
! the size of st. Peters. Even when you
see marked upon the floor the relative
! length of other cathedrals, as st. Pauls
| and that at Cologne, you fail to estimate
! its grandeur. But see it filled with more
! than 100000 persons, and then find that
the portions Of the editice outside of the
| main aisleS are completely deserted, ex-
cept by few kneeIing nuns, and you be.
gin TO realize its magnificent magnitude
The church officials, as shrewd as they
| are learned, understand the impression
made by st. Peters, and kindly aid the
imagination. Vast as the crowd seems
| the space under the dome is kept clear
and across it, at regular intervals, march
| companies Of the Noble Guard, in Splen.
did uniforms and flashing accoutrements.
This is stage effect which wonderfully
| enhances the scene, giving movement
and color and dash and KALEIDOSCOPE
change amidst the solid mass of specta.
tors. When the Pope appears, borne
| alOft in state, the whole congregation
kneel together as at a word of command
| Remember that the most of them are the
best-trained soldiers of the Papal army
the regulars, the veterans, from all thu
! Catholic camps on earth-and you Cal
conceive the vim, the unanimity, the pre-
cision with which they give the responses
l am not Catholic, but Ingersoll himsel
could not keep his feet in that magnetic
multitude.
AS the Pope entered, tossed like an an
mated feather above the crests of the hui
! man sea, the music began. An organ anC
choir over the great door were answered
by an organ and choir behind the altar
! Then, far up in the dome, as larkS sins
in the sky, were heard the silver voice!
of the cdStrdti, so pure, SO sweet, so TN
earthly that to the streaming eyes turned
| upward toward the invisible source o
this delicious melody it seemed as if tn,
gates of Paradise had been left ajar and
celestial brightness accompanied the an
gelic choruses.
Inthe midst of the service the veneer
able abbot whispered to me that Their,
had been a death or murder in tn
church.
How do you know, sire? ?" 1 asked
trying to see through an opera-glas
whether the crowd was disturbed in any
part of the edifce.
because a church must be recOnSe
Grated when blood has been shed within
its walls" said the abbot, land you OBJ
serve that his holiness had Just interpo
lated the ritual OF recGnsecration into tn
! canoniZation serVice.p
l had not observed any such interpola
ton; that was the abbot's French polite
ness; but he had observed it, and b
knew what it signitied. So ] at once pre-
pared to push through the crowd and dis
cover what had happened. But though
stopped me.
''Ah, yes! But how did his holmes
, know OF the bloodshed ?"
f 1T was teiegraphed to him by som
one Of the officials" replied the abbot
and bent again to his prayers.
A telegraph line to convey news fron
the front of a church to the clergyman
officiating at the atari Now you can re
alize the magnitude of st. Peters.
} The side aisles, as l have already men
toned, We're quite empty, and | hurrie
along, looking for some trace of blood
shed, and pushing now and then into tn
main body of the congregation to put a
anxious inquiry. At last I learned tn
facts. A handsome, stalwart, middle
bravery, had listened tremblingly to th
angel voices from the dome. Their
drawing his keen knife, he exclaimed
Never shall l be so close to heave
again! Pll leap for it ~ and in flash h
had cut his throat from ear'to ear. TIL
crowd parted, the attendants picked u
: the body, telegraphed TO the Pope
mopped the blood, and in few moment
the incident was forgotten. L obtaine
from the police some clew to the man
identity to make an item in my cable