The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1903-08-18
THE P0PE'S SIMPLE LIFE
Stories Of Fius x. Showing His
Love of Plain Living.
HIS ELECTION UNEXPECTED By HIM

HIS ELECTION UNEXPECTED By HIM
When Asked How He Would Act as
Pope He Replied. III Shall Remain
the Same Sarto"-Often Found Him
self without Money-How He Once
Disobeyed Leo XIII.-His Love For
Music.
Many stories illustrative OF the char
tcter Of Pope Plus \. have been cur
rent in Rome since the conclave Of car
dinals chose tile patriarch OF Venice as
successor to Leo MIL, says the New
York Evening Journal. They show
alike his independence and his mod
esty, the simplicity of his tastes and
his love for the beautiful, his love for
the common people, from whom he
sprang and to whom lie has given SO
much that often during his life he has
had to struggle against poverty.
Giuseppe Sarto always has been a
democrat and a commoner. Sarto
might have been raised to the papal
nobility had he SO desired, but he pre-
ferred to remain as he was.
Plus X. is a friend of King Victor
Emmanuel, as he was of the late King
Humbert. His utter fearlessness and
independence were well illustrated dur
ing the reign of Humbert. When Hum
bert last visited Venice he gave a gala
court function. Pope Leo intimated to
Cardinal Sarto that he would be wise
to remain away.
Sarto disobeyed the pope's tacit In
structions and paid his respects in per-
son to the king. The cardinal made
Humbert aware also that his visit was
In opposition to the wishes Of Leo.
This SO pleased Humbert that he gave
orders that the cardinal should there
after be admitted to his presence in adj
vance of all others. The cardinal paid
a second visit later, while Humbert
was holding an audience. Sarto would
not permit the audience to be inter
rupted, however. but waited until it
was over.
Since chosen pope he has given nu-
merous instances of his simplicity and
lack Of ostentation. The other day he
fatty refused to be carried in the sedia
gestatoria on the way to and from
the Sistine chapel, and it was carried
behind him. AS he was walking he
said humorously to Mgr. Bisleti:
II shall never voluntarily get into
that box
After he reached Rome Mgr. Strait
morovich, a Venetian prelate. who ac-
companied Cardinal Sarto to the capital,
took leave Of him at the Vatican. Be-
fore going, as they parted, Stratimoro-
vich said:
May you be chosen pope"
mo, no." replied Cardinal Sarto,
laughing. NO fear for me. Give me
the number of your telephone, though,
and will let you know quickly who
receives that honor"
The prelate gave the number. True
to his promise, the first thing the car
dinal did after his election was to call
up the prelate to give him the promised
information. He found, however, that
the Venetian had already learned the
news and was hurrying even then to
the Vatican.
When in the past the people Of Ven
ice asked Cardinal Sarto what he
would do if made pope, as they fire.
,quently did. he would reply laugh
ingly:
* shall have white robes instead Of
red ones. That will be the only change.
l shall remain the same Sarto as ever"
His love for Venice is like the love Of
q child for it's mother. He recently re-
ceived the Princess Beatrice, daughter
of Don Carlos. of Venice. He said to
the princess:
"We are from the same town. Your
father is my friend, and l have not for
gotten his amiability in coming to see
me off at the station when left for
the conclave. l little imagined then
that l should see my beloved
canals again. hope your royal father
will soon~yisit our COURT
Plus X. likes not only to walk in tho
country and to look ut the sea, but he
is a mountain climber rs well. A few
days before he left Venice he climbed
to the top of Mount Grappa, an altitude
of $500 feet. Outdoor life is a constant
delight to him. s.
His greatest pleasure is in music.
Lorenzo Perosi, director of the pontif-
ical choir, is a great friend of his, hav-
ing formerly been maestro at st.
Marks in Venice. Perosi is in fact
chiefly indebted to Plus x. for his
musical career.
One story which may account for the
nberality of the new pope is that he was
originally inclined to be a freethink-
er. He became a protege of Cardinal
Parocchf, however, and his views
changed.
In money matters the new pontif has
always been extremely modest. AS
patriarch of Venice his income was