The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1896-06-27
POPB'S BUSY LIFE.
Visitor to the Vatican Writes
an interesting Account
of the Pontiff's
Work.
IN HOUSEHOLD EXPENSES
No Extravaganza Permitted by
Lee XIII Who Appreciates
the Value of Money.

A recent visitor to the Vatican has
paid careful attention to the daily life
of His Holiness the Pope. The result
of his observation is given in a letter
to a London daily paper and the fol-
lowing is an extract from it,
This is how the Pope spends a day of
his busy life. When the great bell of ST.
Peters strikes seven, Contra, his valet,
noiselessly glides into the bedroom, a
large, square room, simply furnished,
and, opening the windows, wishes His
Holiness good morning. This valet is a
son of a halter of Carpineto, and from
that humble position he has risen to be
after his master, the most powerful man
in the Vatican. If it be true that per-
some nest grand devant son valet, this
saying may be especially applied to Pom
tiffs.
Having finished his toilet with Centra's
aid, His Holiness kneels on a velvet cush-
ion and reeites the prayers ante-missam.
He then passes dnto the next room, which
he has transformed into an oratory, and
there celebrates mass with a grave, ma
jestic voice and gestures full of pa
triarchal dignity. Occasionally some
privileged persons are admitted to this
matutinal celebration, which lasts about
t-hree-quarters of an hour. After hearing
another mass, celebrated by one of his
domestic prelates, the Pope retires to his
study, where the faithful Contra is in
waiting with a cup of consomne and
some chocolate pastilles. After this light
collation. His Holiness goes into the IL
brary, where he receives some favored
pilgrims.
After dismissing his visitors, Leo XIII.
begins the work of the day. His first
task consists in ~retouching and altering
the work of yesterday, for the Pontif
is a great stylist. and polishes his produc-
tons till they satisfy his fastidious taste.
A few pinches of snuff help to revive his
ideas. At ten precisely these literary
labors are interrupted by the Secretary
OF State, Cardinal Rampolla, with whom
His Holiness peruses the political CORE
spondence brought by the morning mail.
After carefully examining the documents
and giving orders to his Minister. the i'm
d~efatigable Pontif attends to his home
affairs, namely, to the administration of
the Vatican. Leo XIII. is not a miser
but he knows and appreciates the value
OF money. The key of his strong box
Is the only n which is not in the faith
1ui Certra's keep. He saves pr11dentlv
tndi ne may give generously. Surround
ea py hundreds of voracious employees,
the Pope must be careful. He is. in,
oeed, a splendid manager. The Vatican
expenses amount to about &. 900 a day.
and IN this sum his personal expenditures
- llE4re nor Is. Tor milk and eggs, for
Leo Kill, ike his more immediate prede-.
cessors, Is extremely frugal. Ever since
the sixteenth century the personal ex-
penses OF the Popes nave been on a scale
y rae, utmost simplicity. Thus, Gregory
Ati. DID not exceed three Roman crowns
tabout 1851 per diem, and Plus TX snant
one crown for his dinner.
Al IL the present Pope takes a simple
a roll ana some of the sheep's mill.
cheese made at his native Carpineto 4
single glass of red wine is drunk during
me meal After taking a little exercise
IN tie Loggia of Raphael, he is carried
IN a portantina of red silk by two stal-
wait bearers dressed in the same fam
1 raTt hyde a,s. through the library and the
ne enters his carriage and drives down
the aileys of oak and lex trees escorted
by an officer Of tie noble guards and two
near the Cascata DELI Aouila, and. lean
ing on his stick. inspects the fine vine
yard, in which he takes more real inter-
est thar in an the marbles of the vari-
CAAA ~ 4Cl9 O,VVV
of excellent wine. The principal relaxa.
ton of His Holiness consists in cuItivat-
ing tea roses and in catching little birds
with nets, a sport at which he was
exceedingly clever as a boy in the woods
ct Carpineto. and of which he is ntill
fond.
Toward dusk the Pontiff leaves his
%retinue. and goes quite alone into the
colossal tower of the Citta Leonina. a
tower whose walls are three metres in
thickness. and which dates from the
time of Chariemagne. No one, not even
Contra. knows what His Holiness does
in that solitary dungeon. and no one has
as yet been allowed to penetrate the mys-
terry. Perhaps the aged Pontiff INDUCES
IN a little. nap; perhaps he meditates
over the colossal projects of his ambitious.
min 1t is certain that much of his
literary work is done in this vast square
room AT sunset he returns to his apart
MS domestic prelates, sits down again be-
fore his writing table, and works obsti-
nately till IL.