The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1903-07-21

the man of iron will and almost re-
lentIess disposition, who was to crush
out brigandage in Benevento at twen-
ty-eight and bring 2-iGca R.s---H=a.z
s'to CanoSsa" at seventy. The loss Of
his mother seems to have produced
upon Joachim a deep impression, and
perhaps the melancholy state of mind
in which he long remained had some
thing to do with his final determine
ton to enter the church.
The little money that was at his dis
posa1 Joachim spent on books, but it
is recorded of him that he occasionally
INDUCED in a cup of coffee in the Pr
azza di Spagna. He was an ascetic,
both by temperament and education,
and has remained so throughout life
He was an indefatigable student, Of
keen critical sense, and vast memory,
and he was always master of Ian
guage.
Joachim Pecci celebrated his first mass
On New Years day, 1888, in the little
chapel of st. Stanislaus in the Church of
st. Andrew on the Quirinal. A part of the
letter he wrote to Cardinal Sala on the
day after ne said his first mass throws
some light on his state of mind. should
like the condition of prelate to be second
in everything to that of the priest. which
is by far the nobler 1t is, of course, true
that a man may serve a church in a civil
office in a goVernorship and the like. but
his faculties are necessarily dissipated in
all secular affairs, for these contribute
not little to distract heart and mind from
the sublime object of the priesthood which
consists only in serving the church for the
greater glory of Cod
This letter was written on Jan 2. and
on Feb. Is, when he had been priest only
SIX weeks, ne received notice that he was
appointed delegate-that is to say civil
governor-of the duchy of Benevento.
He determined that Benevento should
no longer be refuge for criminals driven
out of Naples, and as soon as he was re-
covered from d malarious fever caught in
the utmost. The versatility which had
won for the theological student prizes in
chemistry and mathematics. stood the
'churchman in good stead when he was
ordered to turn brigand hunter, and when
Mgr Pecci collected his energies to Crap
pie with the petty anarchy of the little
Southern duchy he was doing on a small
scale what he was to attempt forty years
later in gigantic proportions, when he be-
gan to face and fight tn anarchy of Eu-
rope and the disorder of the world.
Effected important Reforms.
He remained only one year as governor
In the city where so large portion of his
life was afterward to be passed. but the
reforms and improvements he effected in
that short time We're important: He
founded. subscribed for and opened a saw
ings bank at a time when savings banks
were almost unknown in Italy.
AT that time, as it afforded him fur
Their opportunity of advancement, the Of
flee of papal nuncio in Brussels was about
to become vacant under circumstances of
rather peculiar difficulty for the holy see,
and Pope Gregory seems gladly to have
accepted the suggestion of one of his min
listers that it should be filled by Mgr. Pee
CT, who was already looked upon as the
most gifted and brilliant of the younger
prelates. Mgr. Pecci's period of service as
nuneio in Belgium may be regarded as the
end of his apprenticeship. which embraced
as varied an experience of men and things
as could possibly be crowded into so short
a space of time"