The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1903-07-24


years the archbishop Of one quiet city.
Perugia, which once belonged to the
papal states, but stood high among the
old italian republics or feudalities for
it's painters and men Of gifts. This re
gion generally called Umbria, pro
duced the highest triumphs of art In
Raphael In Perugia and its province
the archbishop was as distinctly the
foremost citizen or subject as the late
Phillips Brooks undoubtedly was in
Boston or Henry Ward Beecher in
Brooklyn.
He was born at mountain town In
the Apennines, not far from Rome,
called Carpineti, on March 2, 1910. To
this little place of about 5000 people
his ancestors had been expelled from
Siena about $50 years before. They
were mobiles in SienA, but had taken
part against their countrymen when
the Medici of Florence resolved to
conquer and annex Siena. This indie
pendent republic, inspired with pas
sionate hatred against Florence, made
a memorable defense, but the odds
were too strong.
Retiring into the state of the church,
the pope's family, named Pecci pro
nounced PechD, formed new friend
ships, and the pope's father was count
who either volunteered or was drafted
into Napoleon's service when he over
ran Italy The pope's mother was g
countess, who brought property to her
husband.
They lived in what is called Il palace
In Italy, a large building rising from
the rocks, two stories and an attic high.
with flowers and terraces about Its
base. 1t appears that the pope during
ell his life has known no want, but has
enjoyed a private revenue such as q
gentleman of noble descent would be
apt to have in any country who had
kept his estates.
He was born after the French repub
leans had oyerrun Italy and been ey-
erywhere victorious and the greatest
change had taken place not only In the
Italian people, but even in the priest
hood
The pope himself, Plus VII, had been
taken captive from Rome to France
and was only returned to Rome at the
fall Of Napoleon In 1914. He restored
the Jesuits, who were the secular school
masters within the church, but they
had fallen under the hostility of several
of the kings and been for some time
suppressed. Upon their return they
opened schools and gave the city of
Rome something of its old clerical and
literary character.
In 1917 the late popes mother took
her sons to Rome and the next year
put them at school at Viterbo, a city on
a hill but few hours carriage ride
from Rome. This lady belonged to one
of the orders of the Franciscans and
when she died was buried In their
brown cloak and cord Her death was
nearly at the same time with that Of
Plus VII
The next pope, Leo XII. branched
out as an educator. The Jesuits' college
was opened In Rome In 1924 with 1.400
students, and among these were the
two Pecci boys, of whom Joseph was 8
Jesuit He was three years older than
his brother. These boys went home to
their mountain town on holidays, and
the pope was an active hunter and
fowler In the mountains. Rome was to
them like any American city to a fami
" which lived In the neighbortng coun
try and spent the winters In the city.
The name of the pope was Joachim
Vincent Raphael Lodovtco Pecci. He
always went by the name of Vincent
Pecci until at certain period after his
mothers death, when he became gen
orally known as Joachim Pecci.
He became fluent In the Latin and
wrote verses and oratioTs In 1t and
gained prizes. After his mothers death
he lived with his uncle in the Mutt
palace In Rome He somewhat knew
Pope Leo XII. and chose his papal
name with reference to that prelate.
He matriculated tn 1880, graduated II
doctor of theology in 1882, which was
the time that he adopted the name OF
Joachim. and he entered the diplomatic
class in the university called Sapienza
or Wisdom, In Rome. Among his
friends and classmates We're such no
bles as Duke SforZa of the old Milan
lords
He was acquainted with Leo, as well
as with Plus VIII, who lived but a
short time, and then came Gregory
XVI, in whose household he was one
of the prelates
He first attracted special attention
during the cholera in Rome In 1887.
when he was twenty-seven years old
He had nerve in an unusual degree,
and his intrepid services among the
cholera stricken people marked him
among the more tirnid ecclesiastics as
a man who could be of use to them in
the dangerous condition of the country.
Made a full priest In the Church of
St Stanislaus, in Rome. Joachim Pecci
was made ut the age of twenty Eight
governor OF Benevento, a small state IN
Naples about seven miles square and
only days journey from that city
BenevVuto had given the title of Prince
of Benevento 10 Talleyrand. the cele
brated French diplomatist. who in his
early life had been a Catholic bishop
The little state was full of reaction
airy g,lerFtllas and brigands. The youna
ruler went there under the general eX
pectation that he would be the victim
Of violence. Fortunately for him, be
was almost Immediately taken i'll witt
the typhoid feyer, and his death was
supposed TO be certain. This calamity
softened the nature of the people, aDC