The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1898-02-11
POPE'S LENTEN PLANS.
At SS He Has Conceived Valuable
Idea for Feeding the
VerV Poor

Italy, Jan. 12.-Popc Vincen, Joachim
Pecc, though full of ycars--he will be,
SS in March-is one of the most PROGRESS
i've and mentally active men of the age.
His lightweight years sit SO lightly up
on him that he is foremost in mental re-
source and invention, and many of the
brilliant acts of the church come direct
| ~ from his brain: acts that are not strict
ly churchly. yet are nevertheless for the
spiritual good Of the people,
1t Is coming on Lent now, and each
year as the season approaches. the good
Pope's thoughts full of his people.
His sympathies are with the very poor
! those who would be good if they could,
and whose goodness means TO them
self-denal such as they are often not
bodily fit to bear.
AS every good churchgoing person
knows, there are days when the Pope's
! people must abstain from food. Meat is
often prohibited during the Lenten sea-
son. yet to 70 without it means much to
| certain classes Of the Popc's people who
! cannot purchase substitutes.
TO guard against too great absti-
! hence the good father has this year gone
| into bit Of commercial enterprise which.
while it may not be great pecunary
| success will be enormously profitable On
| the spiritual side Of the balance sheet Of
the heavenly ledger.
! In Commachio. Italy. there il sec
! ton in which lie broad lagoons. For
| several years past the Pope has owned
| portions Of these lagoons and has kept
the waters we'll stocked with cells and
| fish Of all kinds. This season he has in
| creased his possessions in Comma chic
| and has become the owner of a great
! number of small lakes which afford
highly profitable supply Of fish food.
Apr II,
cause these fish to be distributed among
| the poor Of Italy-such as need them
and will allow others to 80 and fish in
his waters. and. as Il large supply Of
! fish will still remain. these vii! be sold
and the proceeds turned over t. the
Pope for use among the poor.
| There are many interesting stories
which the Pope conducts his lagoons.
or fish farms. The method is something
like this. Each lagoon is divided into
! sections by the islands that dot these
| lovely stretches Of water and each eec-
! ton has its laborerS The workm+n or
farmhands are placed upon these isl
andS to live and do their work They
fish in their own portions of the water
| and ship their catches to certain deInts.
| where the fish are sent to their further
| destination.
| 1t is said that the cells from these la
| goons are specially valuable. as they are
brought in from the .Adriatir in large
numbers. and fattenrd. In Commachio
there is an enormous kitchen belonging
to the Pope. Here the fish are cooked
by the ton and distributed to the poor
or sold to thos" who can buy them. The
best of chefs handle the tinny produce
and though it is considered a charity to
buy the fish at Commachio. the purrha<-
trs thereof are i'll no way cheated: They
get their full moneys worth. This Is
only one Of the many practical ways in
| which Pope Leo benefits his people It
is said that he is interested in certain
branches Of manufacture: and that there
is scarcely a trade in which he is not
influential in a moneyed way. putting
the vast funds at his disposal to every
possible good use.
Each season Of the Pope has its OWL
industry. and at this time. when there
comes the er"rmouS demand for fish
throughout Italy. his lagoons are filed
with the swimming beauties and his la
borerS stand ready to pull in their nets
like the disciples of old. and find them
filled to breaking. Warren 7. Welch.