Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1903-06-25
POPE AND THE PHoNoeRAPH.
How an Enterprisins Expert Got a
Record of the Pope's Voice.

| Letter from Rome in the Pittsburg
Post.-They say that when James
Gordon Bennett got up one fine day
with the firm determination to know
In what corner of darkest Africa DR..
Livingstone was lost. ne simply wired
to MIR. Stanley, and when that cele-
/ brated reporter ran to his appeal he
very calmly asked him, do you know,
Mr.. Stanley, where on earth DR.. Liv-
ingstone may be?" mo, sir,' an
swered Mr.. Stanley. 'All right" re-
Joined the proprietor of the New York
Herald. Then go and find him.
Mr.. Bennett took up again his bust
ness for the day, and Mr. Stanley
went out of the room and found DR..
Livingstone.
A similar scene must have been
enacted some time ago in the
managers Office of one of those firms
which deal in cinematographs, phono-
craps and such like commodities. The
mission on which the young clerk was
called into the ''sanctum" of the
manager could not in the least be
compared to the celebrated voyage of
the American reporter; but to have
Photographic machine pointed out to
you with the brief order to take it
and persuade the pope of Rome to
speak into it, would rather stagger
many hopeful youth who has chosen
as his path in life the bothering of
people with interviews and private
conversations intended for publica-
ton; but it seems that the young
man we are speaking about had been
picked upon among many as Offering
the best chances for success, and, in
deed, he quickly took up his phono-
graphic machine and turned his steps
toward Rome; and, as "all roads," &C.
cording to popular belief, lead to that
city, he soon found himself inside the
walls of the old city.
The young man and his photograph
were absolutely unknown in Rome,
and though from the central station
to the Vatican is only the matter of
half an hours ride in a tram-car, it
would have been quite useless for him
to hurry too much toward the
apostolic palace, as his trip would
have been surely stopped at the
bronze gate by the Swiss sentry, a
worthy son of Helvetia, not at all
familiar with monographs and re-
porters. And so he took the only
road open to him, that is, the shorter
one to hotel where he could think of
the best means to reach his end He
had plenty of what is commonly
called the nerve of war. Ten thous-
and dollars represent a golden key
which generally fits to any key-hole.
The social ladder is exactly like any
other ladder, it has high and low
rounds, and our young reporter was
too clever to attempt gymnastic
feat which would land him at a jump
on the highest step, running the risk
OF fall. He put his foot warily on
the lower round and he was happy
enough to secure at the beginning a
solid grip.
1t is fact that in Rome, as else
where, high personages, like, for in
stance, parents of the pope and
princes, cannot limit their friendships
and acquaintance exclusively among
persons of their exalted rank; their
social circle would be in that case so
narrow as to afford them very little
pleasure in life. For company's sake
they are obliged to bestow their
benevolent attention on persons born
in humber station, who naturally are
quite well satisfied to be admitted into
the intimacy of those an aristocratic
prejudice calls their betters. On their
parts, those persons kindly patronize
humber friends, who, let US assume
for the sake of our tale, belong to the
same station in life as photograph
,drummers
! Having accepted the job of persuad-
ing pope to speak into monograph,
1T is easy to understand that he was
not very much embarrassed in find
ing the first round of the ladder; that
is, the first man to whom to open his
heart about his delicate mission. The
golden key fitted to perfection, and
early opened the way to step
further; that is, to the acquiring of
the good offices of third party be-
longing to that useful class of men,
about-town, who, thanks to the
elasticity of their backbone, find their
way into the highest society resorts.
Once gained to the cause of that,
precious recruit things went on
smoothly. The negotiations, which
till that moment had gone on in
coffee-houses and restaurants, were
continued in one of the first clubs of
our city. Prince Grin let himself be
persuaded to listen to the tale of his
friend, the hanger-on, and after having
pondered little he went to one of his
friends, one of equals now. Count
Pee, to devise the ways and means
to persuade his holiness to the some
what unusual ceremony. Count Pee
has by birthright his right of entrance
into the most secluded rooms of the
Vatican; and he employed his
eloquence SO cleverly that Leo XII
graciously condescended to grant the
request. The door was at last