The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-10-09

| brother) and / are in this college we
have not seen him. Let me beg Of you
| to send me a Regia Pornassl, so that
1 can learn to write Latin poems. /
thank you very much that you per-
suaded Mr.. Sengalli to visit US. Thank
you, too, for the pigne (cakes) which
you sent by him. We thought of you
often and gladly as we ate them. Let
me beg you to give our love to all our
dear ones, father especially. Pray
! give me your blessing. In all flial love.
| l remain your affectionate son,
"VINCENZO."
Four years later his mother died, and
shortly thereafter he left Viterbo TO
attend the Collegio Romano at Rome.
His letters from this place to his father
and brothers are full of interest. TWO
or three of them deal with the death
of Leo XII QS29), and the election of
| his successor. In one of these, writ
! ten to his brother on March Is or that
year, he says:
LAS l have already written you. the
conclave is filled with doubt and dark
| ness. Each one wishes to elect as
pope at once that cardinal whom he
prefers. from whom he has most to eX-
pect. If all are to be satisfied, we shall
have as many popes as there are cardl-
nails"
March 20 he writes: THE conclave
is no longer for Pocca. De Gregorio
has a good chance; a large number of
cardinals will vote for him and no 9TH
er Cardinals Cristaldo and Capellari
are gaining votes. Some say
the pope will be elected in few days;
others that it may take months, or
even a year, before a choice is made"
But April he writes: AT last, God
be praised, we have a new pope, new
bishop of Rome. 1t is Cardinal Fran
discus Xaverius Castiglione, about 6S
years old" This was Pope Plus VIII,
whose election may give some ideas of
the difficulty to be met in electing the
successor to the present pope. At this
time he writes to the same brother:
MY theological studies keep me too
busy to write you compliments on your
sonnets and such bagatelle; but let me
advise you, whom the muse of Apollo
has so enriched with poetic gifts, to
cast aside as soon as possible mere
flower ballast"
A letter from the young student to his
father, Sept. II, 1929, affords an ex-
cellent glimpse at his ambitions: Il
am most grateful to you for the money
so kindly sent me. I need it very much
for little things am using
nv Door powers as we'll as I can to
prove how grateful I am for all your
care. 1 am glad to tell you that have
taken TWO prizes lHlS year III HdIu
dogmatic theology. 1 need not say
how much labor this has required.
Will you please ask Titta
(short for Baptista) to send me the
lock of the gun I used last October,
so that I may have it fixed" Young
Giacchino, prize-winner in dogmatic
theology. was nevertheless an ardent
sportsman, and when he went on
visit to Carpineto, passed most of his
in he foin
he writes of the election of Gregory
XVI. after the death of Plus VIII, of
his disputation in the college, which
passed off so well that in the College
Record 1t was stated: HE is dest%ed
for higher things" In 1882 he received
the degree of doctor of theology and
entered the Academia del Nobili Ec-
clesiastici. where further distinction
awaited him in a disputation held be-
fore the pope. But he was far from
well. Under date of May 13. 1884. he
writes to his favorite brother, Bap-
tista: Truly this year, the hand of
God has touched me- (John xix. 2D.
am sometimes better, sometimes
worse. of this throat trouble, from
which 1 have suffered for the last nine
months. You would hardly believe
how dispirited it makes me, both by
reason of the pain that I must bear
and the veXation at having gone only
half way to find my knees giving way.
This disease makes all efforts at study
impossible. Since last April it has
grown constantly worse. Neither the
physician nor medicine help at ALL
In 1886 the pope's father died. The
following year was the time of the
cholera epidemic in Rome. His letters
home dwelt upon the horrors of the
plague and the heroism of the priests
On Sept. IA he enclosed his will, fearing
the worst from his throat trouble or
the plague. 1t read: In the name of
God Amen. Ny soul 1 entrust to God
and the holy virgin. May his divine
majesty and the merciful virgin grant
me forgiveness for my sins. All of my
possessions 1 divide into two parts. TO