The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1898-11-12
THE POP['S PERSONALITY.
What Justin MCCARTHY, the
Historian, Says Of the
Character Of Leo
XIII.
ABOVE ALL AN oPTlMIsT
How His Days Are Passed.
What He Has Effected
Among the Churches.
ABOvE ALL AN OPTlMIST

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Justin Mccarthy has written the life Of
Pope Leo XIII. In it he says
Il have tried to tell the story of his
life as one might tell the story OF the
life Of any other prince or statesman,
surrounding it with no halo of mere hero
worship or saint worship. But it is hard
indeed not to grow enthusiastic as one
studies the records of such a career.
Craftsmanship and philanthropy are COM
bi1ed In 1t. each at its best and highest.
There ave been political Popes and
theological Popes, but Leo XIII. is above
all things a philanthropic Pope. It is
only just to Leo XIII. to say that no cry
of a wounded soul " reached him that
did not arouse his compassion and his
best efforts to give relief.
I'm one remarkable instance he was in
vited to express an opinion as to the
claims and course of action adopted by
an association formed in the United
States and Canada which took the name
of the Knights of Labor
THE Pope referred the whole question
finally to the Sacred Congregation Of
Rome. 1t is not unreasonable to suppose
that Leo XIII. was. for himself, much
more sympathetic with the purposes of
the labor organizations all over the
world. Several pilgrimages of French
w-orkingmen waited on him during the
time of his sacerdota1 jubilee. To all of
these Populations the Pope spoke with
sympathy, with encouragement and with
affecfion.f
1.-THE Pope is, above all things, an OPP
timist. His whole mind seems to be filed
with the Just idea that the more the
physical benefit of the hard workers and
the poor is advanced the more will their
hearts be lifted toward a better mode of
Gfa.
HE will understand tha in the poorer
| regions OF the crowded cities the miser-
able conditions of the hard struggle for
daily living tend to shut out all giimpses
Of a higher world, just as a dun and
dirty window shuts out all view of the
sky.
.gThe years of Pope Leo are growing
on apace. He has already surpassed the
| average age and length of reign of the
Roman Pontiffs. The story goes that
| some fortune teller announced to him IN
his youth that he was destined to live to
! be ninety. and the Pope was said to have
believed in the prophecy.
1T is commonly said that the Pope has
| not changed hts manner of life since he
was a simple Bishop. He is. indeed, Q
mar who could not easily change either
his habits or his opinions. for he is of
hat enduring, nlelancholic, slow speak
ing, hard thinking temperament which
makes hard workers.
There has not been his equal i~ntellec-
tually for a long time, nor shall We
| presently see his match again. lie was
born and bred in the keen air of the Vol
scian Hills. a Southern Italian, but Of
the mountains, ard there is still about
him something of the hill people. He
has the long. lean. straight, broad Shout
dered frame Of the true mountsineer, the
raaryellously bright eye, the wei knit
growth Of strength. traceable even in ex-
treme old age.
.1Iis bearing is erect at all times, and
on lays when he is well his step is quick
as he moves about his private apart
ments. II Papa CORE sempre" Ghe Pope
always runs is often said by the guards
and faniliars of the antecaamber.
When the weather Is fine the Pope gem
orally walks or drives in the garden, be-
ing carried out to the gate in a sedan
cI1alf, WHERE LIE SdEA idES or@iNo mat
1.-THE Pope sleeps little. not more than
four or five hours at night, though he
rests a while after dinner. After mass
he breakfasts on coffee and goats milk
milk supplied by goats kept in the Vati-
can garden. At 10 he takes q cup of
broth. At 2 he dimes, eating most alb
stemiously.
He enjoys walking about directing the
work n improvements II the gardens;
he likes talking to Vespignani the arahi-
tect of the Holy Apostolic palaces, going
over the plans of the works he has
ordered. He also takes pleasure in talk
ing about flowers and plants with the di-
rector of the gardens. In the evening he
attends the recitation of the Rosary, and
then retires to his room, where he stud
les, reads, or writes verses, and about
10 he takes a slight supper.
pope Leo also loved the working peo-
pie and the poor, and strove increasingly
with an his power TO tighten their bur-
dens and TO brighten their lives. He
showed to others the best and most
practical way to the accomplishment OF
such objects. He spread the light Of ed
ucation all around him.
GAS a great leader of men, endowed
will unrivaled influence, he made it his
task to maintain peace among his neigh
bors. Better praise no nan could have
earned; a better life no man could have
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