The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1897-10-13
POPE LEO AND ROME

working twelve gold mines.
POPE LEO AND ROME
Life and Papacy in the City of St. Peters
and the Vatican.
New York, Oct 12.-Archbishop Keane
writes for the Herald: You ask me to
tell you about Rome; to give You and
the public view Of the Rome Of today
through my eyes II my doing SO will
be OF any interest to the pubic i am hap
BY 10 comply with your request 1 had
had visited Rome several times before
going there last December. In 1873
had the happiness OF q private CONVEX
salon with Pope Plus TX In 1888 l
paid my first visit as Bishop OF Rich
mond 10 Pope Leo XIII. In~1ss6 I saw
him for the second time. having JUS
been chosen first rector OF the Catholic
University OF America. During that
winter l conferred with him frequently
in regard to this important matter.
Again in 1887 and 1894 the duties Of my
office took me TO Rome and gave me the
privilege OF frequent and long confer
ences with the great Pope.
In December, 1896, went to make the
the special request Of Leo XIII. himself.
In this letter to me on the occasion OF
my retirement from the university ne
left it 10 myself either 10 stay in Amer
lea or to come to Rome. OF course
preferred TO remain in my own coun-
t-y. But unforeseen developments, botn
In Europe and America, induced the
Holy Father some months later 70 send
me word that it would be better for the
Interests OF religion that I should take
up my residence in Rome and devote
myself there TO the interests of the
Church IN America. This 1 unhesitat-
ingly did. always prefering TO be guided
by the judgement OF the chief Bishop Of
the Church rather than by views of my
own, and thus it was that Rome became
my future dwelling place.
A place assumes new aspect when
IL becomes ones home. Cardinal Oreglia
gave me his own experience as an illus
tration OF what I might expect in the
Eternal City. He said that when he
came to Rome as a young man he could
hardly induce himself 10 remain, but
after some months, and especially az
ter some yeaors, he could not live any,
where else.
Rome" he said, mas a power Of alb
sorption and assimilation beyond and
other city in the world"
81 must acknowledge that I have al
ready begun to experience the truth OF
his statement. 1 am sure that no city
in the world has about such a fascina-
ton as Rome. On whatever side mans
intellectual nature mas developed he
finds in the Eternal City the environ
ment and the inspiration most congen-
ial TO him. Every one loves TO linger in
tine majestic intellectual glories of the
past, and all of them are, as it were,
forever enshrined in Rome. She inher-
tied all the intellectual glories OF Greece,
and she, by her world wide dominion.
made them the property of the world
forever, and Caesar and Cicero were the
outcome Of Alexander and Demosthe-
mes. The ruins of the forum tell US to-
day Of the grandest achievements that
the ancient world had be1eld in all tina,
sways the minds and wills Of men. That
charm fingers around the Forum still.
I met in Rome last winter a learned
member Of the French Oratory who was
making there his final studies for his
tory Of the forum.
From the level Of the Forum mounts
the ruins OF the palaces of the Caesars.
Standing there one can look. as in the
days OF old, to all the ends Of the earth
feel the thrill OF the universal power
whose mandates went forth from that
hill that hill top. And yet that power
has passed away and those gorgeous
palaces are occupied only by the lizard
and the owl. Far on the opposite end
of the city towers the dome of ST. Pet
er's and by its side rises the palace Of
the Vatican. There dwells the repre-
sentative of the power which replaces
the imeprial power of the Palatine hill,
and, as il to tell how the transformation
was accomplished, between the two lines
the Coliseum, a superb monument OF inn
perial vanity and at the same time Of
all the popular corruption on which Inn
perial power has at last 10 rest It's tot
tering strength.
From these ruined balconies the patri-
clans and plebans of Rome gazed to-
gethe- on the inhuman spectacle which
pandered TO their cruelty and their lust.
and in that arena the disciples OF Jesus
Of Nazareth won the victory OF the cru
Gifted one by laying down their lives
through love OF Him 1t was the power
of love conquering the power OF brute
force and brute lust. Thus twas that
the heather Coliseum crumbled and pas
sed away and that the representative
OF Jesus OF Nazareth took the place Of
the Caesars.
lola in his Rome" meditates on the
Palatine Hill and imagine that the spir-
il OF imperial Rome has been taken up
and perpetuated by the successor Of
Peter. No impression could De further
from the truth. The two spirits are as
far apart os were Nero and st. Peter.
The only Semblance between the Two in
the worldwide universally Of them botn.
Rome IS still the world city. No one
can live long there without recognizing
that /, is tie most cosmopolitan city n
the worl; People nave OF late tried
20 rob il ot is cosmopolitan character
and make i a narrow. nationalistic
city: but in 50 doing they are not only
mar-.ng and distor,ing for the while the
natural character % the Eternal City,
out are running blythe experiment the
nation Of which they had made il cap
ital
I say this in no spirit ot ennlity %
Italy. Pope Leo MIL himself looks
with profound sorrow upon the bank
rup. condition into which poor I;aly mas
has sank deeper and deeper. The ex-
pertinent : no success. Il could no. De.
| because :: Is contrary to' the historic ma
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