The daily morning journal and courier., 1903-07-25
GOSSIP ABOUT CARDINALS.
THEIR STATURE, LOOKS AND WAYS.
The Etiquette of the curia.

The Etiquette of the Curia.
 Of the cardinals in the Roman Curia the most conspicuous is Rampolla, sec retary of state, archpriest of the. ba- silica of St. Peters and grand prior of the Knights of Malta. The most con- spicuous, but not by that fact the most likely to become pope. A conclave is just as liable to develop dark horse'' as is national convention in this coun- try. But in Rome when you say simply the cardinal" it goes without saying that you mean Rampolla. He officiates at the great ceremonies in St. Peters, thousands of people from all over the globe see him and discuss him, and re- member him after they have left Rome. Ills appearance and manner all contrib ute to this. Emphatically, he has dis tinction. He does things withf an air. Tall, broad-shouldered, straight as an Indian, robed in his gorgeous ecclesi- astical yestments and with his air of weary dignity, he looks the idea prince of the church-a grand seignieu, every inch of him. If he should come into a e1stASJ58 "SaAAtAS IlIlACil ClOtl1CSt | Sllll believe that he would have the instan- taneous attention of every soul in the place. Yet he is anything but hand some man. With his coppery Sfcilian complexion and heavy features, espe- cially the long nose and large mouth with thick lips, he might even be called markedly homely. But a personal fas- cination he has beyond question, espe- cially for women. -
 have known scores of women who were not Catholics, and with whom no religious consideration was involved, who would get up at unhappy hours in the morning and go clear across Rome for the chance of merely catching a glimpse of Rampolla. It may be the fascination of mystery. There is no oth- CT celebrity, except the Grand Llama of Thibet, about whom we know so little. Pope Leo's sayings and doings have been almost microseopically chronicled for years, but no one claims to know anything about Ranpo1la. remember once talking with a court chamberlain at the vatican, the brother of a car- dinal. He. habitually saw Rampolla every day. But, although gave him a very good cigar he vainly spent half an hour trying to tell me what the man was. like at close range and what sort of life he led. and ended by leaving the impression that he himself knew noth- ing whatever about it.. The cardinal has the same power which Disraeli is said to have, that of completely dis charging his face of all expression. As he stalks past in the processions with that long skilding stride of his, the eyes almost closed, the lips rapidly and inaudibly n1umbling sonnet thing-devo- tionss we will suppose-he is utterly Sphinx-like, He may be thinking of the Heavenly City,. or longing for his lunch. You get no indication from his face. You come away with the convic- tion that, if this man should ever be- come pope, he would at least make church history interesting. That is all one feels safe in saying of him.
 The cardinals cultivate invisibility. The etiquette of the Curia forbids their walking in the streets. They must drive in closed carriages and with coal-black horses. Occasionally, in villa gardens or out in the Campagna, they descend to earth and relax their venerable knees. On the Janiculum once saw four car dinals gravely suspend their promenade to watch one small boy trying to get the string of his kite disentangled from a tree. regret to say that he finally broke the string, and their eminencesa went away disappointed. But that in- 'cident was exceptional. As rule, you must go to some church when a fiesta is taking place, To see Cardinal Van nutelli one should go to Santa Maria, Maggiore on Christmas afternoon. At vespers there is procession with relics, the most highly Venerated of which is carried in a richly adorned glass case. It is ,reputed to be nothing less than a portion of the Saviour's cradle. The cardinal archpriest brings up the rear, and is visible from afar. If Rampolla Is tall man, Vannutelli is a giant; and I am convinced that the sediarri (the men who carry the pope's throne on their shoulders) must view with con- sternation even the yaguest rumor of his succession to the, almost incor- poreal incumbent who has just passed away. 7. ~,
 Should he become pope theirs would indeed be strenuous life. Bishops 1nitre and all, he is simply a walking campanile--and this is almost comical- ly emphasized by the square, dumping figure of, Cardinal Matthieu, who for some reason, always insists on toddling along just behind him. Vannutelli has a strong, striking, homely face It is the face of a man who by hard thinking