The Savannah morning news., 1901-08-15

he commands them firmly and even
strictly. Accustomed TO command and
having himself always been an exam
pie of regularity in work and in the ful-
filment OF his duties, he insists on being
served quickly and well, and, in case
of need, makes ii known. Recently.
Mgr. Angel, his private secretary. who
is naturally nervous, and for some time
past has been extremely irritable, so
that it is hardly possible to speak TO
him, had the pleasure of hearing the
Pope say to him before every one In
the ante-room: But, Monseigneur,
what were you thinking of when you
wrote that letter? You understood alb
solutely nothing of what l told you.
If Leo kits physical powers have
worn away necessarily with years,
there is absolutely no failing either in
intelligence or in will, and ! may say
that among his personal attendants no
one presents himself before him with
out a peculiar hesitation, for he lets
nothing go by, and his remarks, al
though uttered calmly, are sharp. So,
there is no relaxation. The Pope con-
tinues to be the firm, and severe legate
and camorlengo Pecci. Like Plus TX,
Leo XIII is fond of his snuffbox. He
takes a great deal of snuff and has a
fancy for a brown Spanish snuff that
is almost black. The Holy Father takes
large pinches and let's a good share OF
the snuff drop on his tunic and on the
carpet. Little heaps are found where
the Pope has stayed for any length of
time.
Leo XIII. makes use of yellow and
red-striped silk handkerchiefs which
are given to be washed to the repairing
nuns. These sisters have likewise
charge of his linen and his wardrobe.
TUNES, pelisses, blankets, shawls for
his shoulders in winter, many of these
are gifts. These good sisters take pleas
ure in their work. They cleanse the
woollen garments wonderfully well,
and the linen is marvelously white.
But if. to please pious persons or
through interested motives, these nuns
were to give away any of these OBJ
jects they would greatly displease the
Pope. In the time of Plus TX. that were
a common enough practice, but Leo
XIII. has different ideas.
There is an exception made, how
ever, in the case of the white caps; it
happens sometimes that he will ex-
change the one that he is wearing for
a new one when the persons offering
it are known to him. For instance a
certain American lady last winter
asked and obtained two of these head
coverings. Some time after at an aud
fence, the Pope perceived the same
lady holding in her hand a beautiful
new cap filed with golden coins for
Peters Pence. "Ah,'' said the Holy
Father, laughing. fits for the cap that
you have come; here it is" And he ex-
changed the one he wore for the one
the lady held out to him, after hav-
ing poured out the contents into the
hands of a privy chamber man. Shaw
ing is a veritable bore for the Pope;
methodical as he is he will not set a
day nor an hour for that part of his
toilet. His good Contra, who is also
his barber, has to press him to make
UP his mind.
The Vatican naturally subscribes for
the Catholic newspapers, but the Pope
reads others too, italian and foreign,
which get to the Papal Palace through
an intermediary who subscribes for
them in his own name. To shorten the
Holy Fathers labor, a Catholic jour-
nalist reads a certain number of them
and cuts out the clippings for the
Pope. Some years ago this work was
done in the Secretary of States office.
Many persons will be surprised to
learn that Leo XII still reads without
spectacles; not like long sighted per-
sons, but holding the matter rather
close to his eyes. He prefers in the
evening the calm light of a candlestick
with three candles. although from his
arm chair he has only to touch a but
ton to obtain the electric light which
was introduced into his bedroom three
years ago; but he rarely makes use of
it.
An eccentricity of Leo Kills is that
of having his servant Contra lock him
in when he withdraws at bedtime. If
the Pope needs him in the night, he
must ring and Centra's room is five
minutes walk. There seems to be little
use, therefore, for the two servants who
by turns sleep in a room next to that
of the Holy Father and whose whole
business, in case of need, is to call
Contra. The persons about Leo XIII.
do not like this habit, for in case of
sudden illness they might not reach
him quick enough. Fortunately, the
Pope is perfectly well and his organs
are acting as they should. That d.
minishes anxiety. In spite of the wor-
ry that affairs in France have caused
him for some time the hope of seeing
the venerab BILE old man reach the age OF
100 years is not at all extrava CANT. Such,
at least, is the opinion of his physi-
clans.