The age-herald., 1901-03-17

states, and the present Pontiff Is very different. Very little of Leo XIIIs in- come Is ever expended by him upon his own person, in fact his present hobby Is economy, and only a short time ago he greatly astonAhed his chief gardener by ordering that all the produce and fruit raised in the immense grounds surround ing the Pontifical palace should be sold In the public market of Rome, so as to obtain the money necessary for their im- provement.
 In another way the present Pope's ex- penses are less than were his immediate predecessor When Leo XIII was elected each of the Cardinals received salary of $400O annually from the Vatican. One of his first acts was to issue a decree providing that only those Cardinals who resided in Curia aadz yshe did got enjoy the revenues of diocese were to draw this allowance from the Fapal treasury. Under the present administration many other economical measures have been in troduced. The salaries of a great number of prelates have been reduced. the num- Der of Vatican employees greatly dimin- ished, and the contributions for schools and colleges In the Pontifical states and in Rome reduced. For this latter purpose Leo XIII has commanded the more wealthy religious orders to furnish funds. It Is for this reason that the Carthusian monks pay $200,000 a year out of the in- come which they derive from the sale of the famous Chartrouse for the support of the French college of Santa Clara in Rome, and the Benedictines have been obliged to build and support at their own expense the new university of St. Ansel- mo, in the same city.
 Leo is Frugal.
 Leo XIII has certainly succeeded in saving more money than Plus TX left at his death, and it is estimated that at the close of the Holy Year the contigent fund of the Holy See amounted to at least $30,OO0 OO0 This immense fortune Is carefully protected against any claim that might be advanced by the family of the Pope after his death. This is nec- essary, for at the death of Pope 1t is customary for his nearest blood relations to take possession of all articles of value found in his apartments. Another fac- tor Is the Italian government, which Is said to be ready to lay hands upon what ever Pontifcal property it can, even as 1t did upon the property of the religious or ders.
 The Pope has, however, personal for tune which is derived from the gifts pre- sented personally to him by his admirers Large additions to his private income are occasionally made by the sale of all pre- cious articles which accumulate from time to time. In 1889. when Leo XIII celebrated his Episcopal. jubilee, many thousand dollars worth of Jewelry and other precious articles were presented to him and shown to the public at an ex- hibition in the Vatican. All the magnifi- cent church vestments, chalices, mon- strances pixes and sacred vessels of sl yer and gold have since found their way to poor churches and convents but the numerous articles of jewelry and loose gems have been disposed of by Monsignor Marolini, the Pope's confidential secreta- ry, at private sale.
 The proceeds of these sales went to increase the private fund of the Holy Fa- ther. It was formerly his custom to keep his personal money hidden in a wooden box behind the book-shelves in his private study, but not long ago $62- 900 which he had placed in this box mys- teriously disappeared This led the Pope to realize that more modern methods for the care of his money were advisable and burglar-proof safe, of which he alone knows the combination, has recent ly been installed in his apartments.
 Other Resources.
 Although I have spoken only of the actual money that comes into the control of the Pope, 1t does not follow that it represents the whole of his resources, Leo XIII is really the absolute master of all Catholic church property all over the world In English speaking countries in the name of the bishop, who has the power to sell, mortgage, exchange or do whatever he wishes with 1t. However, he dare not do anything without per- mission from Rome. as he holds his po- sition solely at the pleasure of the Pope. whose hand is actually the controlling one In Catholic countries, like Italy. Spain, France and Austria, ecclesiastical property is generally held in the name of the municipal corporation, but even in such places the Holy Father exercises a power that places him at the real head of affairs. The property of the religious orders is held as rule in the name of their generals at Rome, but the generals can be removed by the Pope, so that in the case of the orders also, the Pope Is the real controller of the property. In this way the present Pontiff is the mas ter and practical owner of property worth hundreds of millions of dollars, the legal holder of which he can appoint or remove at his pleasure. It is therefore a safe statement that no man in the world controls so vast property as Leo XIII, and, old man though he Is. he weilds financial power that is unsur- m seod