The Portland daily press., 1893-03-20
Rev. DR., o,Conneli.

Rev. Dr, O'COnnSil.
But finally the queries are all soived,
and | have letter Of Introduction wnlch
will effect such purpose. This Rev.
DR.. O'Connell mentioned before is an
important factor in the Great Propa-
ganda at Rome and ever has been an in
formal visitor at the Vatican, and my
Introductory card is to him. He had
sailed with Satolli for America in the
| fall, and when | went to see him he had
at that moment arrived in Rome from
his return voyage. found him very
genial man full of good humor and very
interesting withal. He said he was all
| behind, at that moment, in church mat
tiers, and asked me to call again, promis-
ing if the Pope should appear in any
public capacity during my stay in Rome
| should have the opportunity to see him,
but at the same time he stated that until
after the Jubilee he would grant no pri-
waite audiences to any one.
| After our return from Naples l called
on Dir. O'Connell again. When l had
first seen him and was about to make
known my errand, slight difficulty
arose in my mind. II have come to see
| YOU with reference what should l say?
l could not, as the French do in any con-
ceivable circumstance, say with refer-
| ence to an interview with Monsieur lie
Pope" nor could I, as they do in Ken
lucky when they wish to accord the
highest honor call him Colonel, and
under the circumstances His Majesty
would be hardly the thing, and not hav-
| ing had association during the church
festivities with anything that suggested
holiness" this did not occur to my
mind; and SO, going on, | said, as the
Irishman always says, Il have come to
see you with reference to an interyie
| w tn his Honor, the Pope" Could I
witnessed in this spiritual old man, in
every lineament of whose features and
in every action there are the refnements
of holiness, I should have had no confu-
sion in my mind. and should no doubt
spoken of this sanity old gentleman as
"His Holiness But MOnseigneur
O'Connell, gentleman as he always is,
seemed in no wise scandalized at this
unlocked for Honor applied to his
friend, the great head of the Catholic
church. He did not even smile scorn
fully, but afterwards granted my request,
giving me tickets of entrance for myself
and children to a Identification, the can
onizing of a saint, to take place the fol
lowing Sunday in a new chapel recently
| finished over the vestibule of ST. Peters
room, capable of accommodating more
that three thousand people. 1t is as
cended by the Scala Regia, the same
royal steps which lead to the Sistine
Chapel and Raphael's galleries. The en-
trance from outside is the door under
the arch with pillars at the right of st.
Peters, which also leads by flight OF
stairs on the right hand to the Pope's
| private apartments above.
The Perils of Gaining Admittance.
In order to make the audience more
distinguished, the permit which admits
each person, states that the bearer, if a
lady, must be dressed entirely in black
with lace drapery-on her head, and If a
gentleman, he must appear in evening
dress.-And SO as we looked back ascend
ing the Scala Regia, through the arches
outside we saw the whole of st. Peters
square crowded with a most distin-
guished looking throng.
The chapel is divided off by barricades'
| in the centre, forming "a broad aisle
through which all the church dignitaries
| including the pope himself must pass to
the front, where there was platform
with suspended candelabras above, and
| looking down on which was an illumi-
| mated life size portrait OF the person who
was about to be canonized. The ladies
were to occupy seats at the right, while
| the gentlemen must stand, as in an ordi-
nary reception, only in this case they
looked huddled together like sheep. OF
course the fortunate few who arrived
| first and got seats near the broad aisle
would be able to see the pope best as he
went by and really get the blessings from
his outstretched hands as he passed
along.
And so it came about that a little after
midday people began to assemble for
this reception, which would not take
place until three o'clock and would not
afford sight of the pope until after four
o'clock At first two people presented
their tickets at the first door, then two
more, then six in all, until the two
abreast on each step at the right of the
entrance became crowd which grew,
until the obelisk was like speck in
the clouds which overshadowed the dark
multitude in the square beneath.
Soon the Swiss guard began to harangue
as the crowd began to press forward be-
fore the time. The great door at the first
entrance was covered with huge spikes
which projected like great iron teeth and
it became question how those pressed
against it could escape being mutilated
when the word come to move, for it is no
easy matter for the individuals of crowd
to pass any given angle, especially when
it is a sharp edge with teeth Of iron pro-
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