The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-09-06
THEPOPEDRESSES RICHLY
HIS WARDROBE Is MORE GORGEOUS
THAN THAT OF ANY MONARCH.
Simplicity Characteristic of His Pri-
waite Dress-JcweIs i'm PrOfusiOn
AdOrn the state Garments.

ROME, Aug. 26.-The papal purveyors in
various parts of the world have completed
the vestments. official and private. for the
Holy Father. and the great wardrobe rooms
of the Vatican are once more filled with
beautiful stuffs and jcwcled robes. The
wardrobe of Plus Y fills three immense
chambers in the Loggie of Raphael. adj
joining the apartments of the Maggiordomo
and it's long rows Of carved clothes presses
would even make his German Majesty's in
Vulnerable uniform cases look small, II
placed side by side. AS a matter of fact the
Holy Fathers wearing apparel is more va
riegated and gorgeous than that of any
monarch on the face of the earth, for
though personally the least ostentati0us
and simplest of men. etiquette compe1s Plus
10 be dressed in new garments from head
to foot every day in the year. while his cos
tunes for outdoor, audiences, mass and the
great ceremonies. are all exceedingly elabo-
rate; those intended for the public eye, or
for state occasions. being notable examples
of sumDtuousneSs and splendor.
That the Pope is always dressed in white
is traditional with Catholics the world over.
but, as a matter of fact, only his habit"
is of that color. In the colder seasons he
by hand in the French city of Lille. The
privilege of supplying the Roman p~ontiffs
with dress material has been vested in the
same family since 1866, when Plus V, a Do
minican friar. was elected to the Holy See.
The new Pope decided to continue to wear
the simple habit of his order and appointed
a friend of his, a weaver in Lille, purveyor
to the Vatican. The descendants of Plus
| w.. u-aax,ar fr;aod ~ axraadinU civ riob noo-
pie nowadays. but the head of the family
spends several hours daily at his loom, as
sisted by his wife and children. In all the
3s7 years these people never employed out
side help at the task of manufacturing the
Pope's dress material. neither have they
ever tried to extend their business. or to
make commercial capital out Of it. They
work for the person of the Pope only, and
no amount of money can buy a single yard
of the dress material intended for the sue
cessor of ST. Peter.
KEEP UP A HERE.
The wool is furnished by a herd Of
blooded sheep kept on a farm near Lille.
The herd numbers fifty head and is kept at
that strength year in and year out. The
habit has mother-of-pear buttons in front,
and the buttoholes are sewed with red silk.
At present and throughout the heated term
Plus wears a soutane of white MORE silk,
and 1t is the hereditary privilege of a Ro-
man weaver's family to provide this ma
terial used in different degrees of thickness.
according to the weather. =
The shoulder capes. hat, stole and shoes
still retain the color of the Pope's original
dress, a bright and impressive red. convey
ing an air of richness and magniicence. AT
present, though, Pope Pius's cape is of the
lightest possible make, and he has not yet
had occasion to don the soft red hood, also
Of velvet. The late, Leo wore the hood regu-
larly on his journeys through the corridors
of the palace, when he went to the muse
ums, or inspected the workshops of the mo-
sale artists.
The skull cap is an integral part of the
papal dress; IL is made of white silk of vari-
GUS degrees of thickness. according to the
season. and the Pope removes 1t only at the
most sacred portions of holy mass. and
when he dons his hat. When driving or
walking in the Vatican gardens. Plus wears
a large red hat with a gold cord. resemb-
ling the hat of cardinals; around his Shout
ders he wears, on cold evenings, a great
mantle Of red cloth. adorned with gold lace.
On these outings he also changes his red
velvet slippers for morocco leather boots.
His ordinary shoes for indoor wear are en-
broidered across the toes with the coat Of
arms he adopted when he was made cardi-
nal. On all public occasions, audiences, etc.
the right slipper Is embroidered with a gold
cross which those who visit him kiss, on
taking leave, while the left exhibits the
crest of the Roman Church, crossed keys
surmounted by the tiara and draped with a
pallium. The keys signify power to open and
shut the gates of heaven-the privilege Civ
en- by Christ to st. Peter.
GLOVES ARE ELABORATE.
The Pope's gloves are of white woven silk.
On the back of the hand the gloves have
rich embroidery and fine pearls. represent
ing a cross within a circle, the papal mono
gram inclosed by floriated quatre-foil. or
flower wreaths, enriched by seed pearls. The
material Of the shoes and cape is subject to
change; when the cardinals wear red, it is
Of silk or velvet; when the princes of the
church are gowned In purple. wool is SUBJ
stituted. During the joyous Easter season
the Pope wears white only, his shoes, cape
and stole even being of white damask, like
wise the hood, If he has occasion to don it.
One of the distinguishing parts of the
Il VPC . ViANAdi ulCOo II tHN SlDlt-De Is. III
fact, the only ecclesiastic permitted to wear
1t when not saying mass. In olden times
priests were hidden ito use the stole with
out intermission on account of their priestly
dignity" decree Of the Council of May
ence, s13.) Tn stole is worn over the cape
at all times save when the Pope retires for
a nap, or to his private study within the
Vatican. II he ever should go abroad he
would wear the stole continuously as out
ward evidence Of his dignity.
When giving audiences the Pope Is usu-
ally arrayed in a surplice Of ancient lace.
that an Empress might envy him. Some of
these SUPPLIES are hundreds Of years old,
indeed, there are a few ascribed to the peri
cd of Clement V and John XXI, both Of
whom were Frenchmen. John died in 1916.
The surplice is worn over the soutane and
set of by a shoulder cape of red silk inter-
woven with gold. The material for these
capes was originally obtained from India,
but now It is made in Rome. The capes for
winter wear are very warm and heavy,
while those now worn are of the thinnest
! kind Of satin.
THE POPE SAYING MASS.
When saying mass. the Pope wears, in adj
dition TO the sacred vestments prescribed for
cardinals, a fanone, subcincture and pal
lium The first is a double cape, through
the ~neckpiece of which the ends of the stole
4 y Aro nm urhfln thu rrnnor D.r& a.. n >ol