Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1903-09-04
POPE Plus RELATIVES.
Retain Their Simplicity of Life
Despite His Elevation.
THEY ARE PLAIN PEASANT FOLK.

A Picture of the Home Life of the
Pontin's Brother and sisters-ons
Relative Resigns His Pastorate In
Maryland to Return to Italy.
The Rev. Don Luigi Sartoris, pastor
Of st. Joseph's Roman Catholic church,
Midland, Md, and a relative Of Plus
", has sent his resignation to Cardinal
Gibbons and will retire from active
work in the ministry. says a Baltimore
dispatch.
Father Sartoris' family name is Sar-
to. He is native Of Venice and wishes
to spend the remainder of his life In his
boyhood home. He is now sixty years
OF age. Should he not find life on the
estate in Venice as pleasant as In for
mer days Father Sartoris will retire
into the Franciscan monastery In the
desert Of St. John, near Jerusalem.
Probably no more beautiful and un-
affected simplicity can be found in any
prominent family In the world than In
that Of Pope Plus X, and today the
brother and sisters Of the pontiff are
just what they were half a century
ago, the children of simple peasants,
travelling in the same humble walks as
their parents.
The parents of Giuseppe Sarto were
Venetian peasants, though late in life
thA nnn.,'S fath
in the municipality Of Riese, small
town in the province Of Treviso The
mother Of Plus y. was Marguerite Sar-
son, the daughter Of a peasant She
died in 1894, but lived to see her son a
cardinal, the crowning. Joy of her SIM
pie life. Giuseppe Sarto bore strik-
ing resemblance to his mother.
The Sartos lived in tiny cottage on
a little street In the village of Riese.
1t was but one story high and covered
with vines Of trailing roses. Here it
was that Pope Plus Y. and his four
sisters and one brother were born.
Though the distress of poverty never
assailed this little homestead, there
was no more than enough to clothe and
feed the six growing children, and had
it not been for the benevolence Of the
curate Of the parish Of Riese the peas
ants son would never have been able
to secure the education that enabled
him to rise to the most exalted position
In the church.
Able Tite Tosarni did all in his pow
er to put young Sarto through the in
stitute at Castelfranco, and his efforts
were rewarded when the remarkable
scholarship Of his pupil and ward at
tracted wide attention. After that
powerful influences assisted In the rise
of the brilliant young priest until he
finally became cardinal and patriarch
of Venice
Two Of the pope's sisters are unmar-
ried. In fact, their love for their
brother and their sisterly care of his
comfort have filled their lives, and
now they are preparing to go to Rome
and live near hlm.
There has never been anything Of
worldliness about these two sisters of
the pope. Not until recently have they
abandoned the peasant dress, and even
now, when their charitable work takes
them much Into the large cities, they
wear no other headdress than the veil
that is worn by the women Of the
working classes In Venice.
The two other sisters of Giuseppe
Sarto are married, but their marriages
have not elevated them above the sim
pie peasant life of their childhood.
One of these sisters is the wife Of the
sacristan of the church at Salzano,
where the pope was curate as young
man. The other Is the wife Of hard
ware merchant Of Riese. Today they
conduct little bazaar where they sell
kitchen utensils, simple tableware, pot
terry and other humble merchandise.
The sister Of the pope, her husband,
two sons and daughter still attend
the little white wood tables and wait
on their village clientele, as they have
done for a quarter of century.
The pope's brother, Angelo Sarto.
was for many years soldier In the
Austrian army. In late years he has
conducted little shop and served In
humble capacity in the post Office at
Asola, near Mantoue.