Evening star., 1903-07-22
CAMERLENGO'S POWER
AN IMPRESSIVE FIGUREHEAD
FOR NINE DAYS INTERREGNUM.
Striking Personal and Intellectual
Contrast Between Cardinal Oreglia
and TIE Late Ponuf Leo.
Tr M Tie New York Times.

| Cha.0n IT, World TO-DAY looks t. Louis
or",llt III : ut" Steiluo For nine DAYS TO
cone. and dafius whatever time the con-
! 1--we might hr i5 session. he is to be the
I dh"r.l.E i'.-.,'tr 1T ny which the laws of
/ the church. eu.,iHiug the proceedings to
! the-'uifur.~t detail should be complied
| with Nitta lha prescribed limits his
! rowo. ot enforcing the laws is absolute.
AT ceremonies lie is to he the chief figure.
| II IS Ire WHO viii preside over the conclave.
| count the ballots cast there and announce
the result. Finally he Will clothe the new
| i"i," in the robes Of office at the meeting OF
| tie cardinals. and then. as a mark of his
| return t" IL" accustomed WHY'S of life first
| max" "btiSancc To the new head OF the
! church
I In all this ;har- is the appearance OF
| power. as IN may ceremonial W hen the at
/ tentiou "a con. .utr.t"d upon "A single indi-
Nldlih as T"i re~"niins "A great organization.
! li'lt II Is sU =ppeHr tnce only. From the
! iirst act to the list there ia a requirement
! laid down. and Il is not the office of tho
| c-fn"ri"nEo to Coud;.ct a funeral and "A con-
Cl.tNc. tut L. conduct the funeral and tho
Cou"laNo that have been appointed for such
| a t!in" hv the laws of the church. The OBJ
s"fNtii'"s ot those nine days are the OBJ
S"rvt1t"eS that have marked the passing of
| Other pores. and surely a nine days ruler
/ may NOT depart from them. In the con-
! ctvc II Is possible that change may loo in
! tl"tur"d- hGt tins change Is only at the
/ q
| possibility "l its Introduction is determined
! w!r'n thh seal IS broken on his private pa
| per%
Another Limitation
such tleH. is the first limitation OF tho
power OF Cardinal OreEia camerlcneo and
! dem OF the : cred College. to WON tho
world looks ~ head of the Catholic church.
| TEcr" is another limitation. OF more far
rcs.rliuE Importance. that comes through
H.. fs,. or t.,..tl .arppini-upnts la Col
l,e- al Cardinals. In effect. the activities
OF tie various congrcgat!ons or depart
m"niS arr ~si=rrud"d from the time
pope DIS uuu! another is appointed, unless
( Sotu" emergency arises. In that II is
Tie ruur" college. acting as a deliberattvs
/ h"d', and not he camerlcnso, that deter
mines policy "Id arranGes for its execution.
The CameIl"!.SO. therefore. Is a great
h&GI"n"#!. inI r"ssiVe because of the or
Eauizati"n he represents. but tigurehead
! nrE"Tt IclcS~- brought into little power
/ for Httle tiIpc. then to pass back into the
rai.Hs to t,k9 az whatever work may 10
! assigned by tie real head OF the church. a
| new pope
1t happens That IN the present tnstanse
| this i!lsurohraI Is both inpres ssive anG pic
tui"sgu". and = made the more picturesque
! by II combination OF circumstances with his
| own personality When Joachim Pecci was
! unu"r discussion IN tie couclave following
! tie death Of Pope Plus IN. Oreglia
/ open partisan Of Cardinal Bilpt. This was
because br"Riin and P"CCi stood for radi-
| Cally different conceptions of things in gen
eTal. Eojll. To- br -tr", weLa of gentle birth.
/ Both wereui scholarly attainncnts and pos
| SeSsed OF an eIu" jt!on that their birth
corded them, aud which differed somewhat
| in that country, from the ciGcatiOn attain.
| able by one of lpWli"r antecedeutS. But
| Oregia and P"rct had accumulated differ
ent standards. III" one WIS a pttrician of
| the patrlciirlS, believing most inSistenlly in
| the precedence of class the other if not
| then actually democratic, at least of demo-
! cratic tendencies that would develop with
long
| was conservative OF the conservatives re-
dictionary. almost. Pecc. WAS a liberal and
| most progressive.
Oregiia and Peccl.
| Oreclia. eighteen years the Junior of Pope
| Leo, had been cardinal for five years when
! the other. IN the twanty-fifth year of his
membership IN tn" college. became the sue
cess2r Of ST. Peter. Pecc had been idcnti-
fled with important events: Oreglia then
one Of the younger cardinals, with none
such. Therefore, bearing In mind the diff
fe!"uccs in temperament 1t IS easy to ur-
deTstand why in the Subsequent activity OF
Leo oresl3 should have hut small part
Tie r"sLlt that after the election
OrcIlia retired to his study, appearing in
public only on the most important occa-
Sinn@ aud when II was necessary for him
70 appear III connection with his personal
appointments, first as bishop Of Palestrina,
| then a. bishop of Porto and Santa Rufina,
ana later as Bishop OF osiia and Velletrt.
| MS more !l!t mate ptilceS we're arChChan-
celIor OF the koH1n University and prefect
OF til" congregation of cc.e c.emonieS-both
| positions iitted 10 his persDntl tlity and at
tainments in a r"ign such as that Of Leo
Mi.
He went SELDOM t. the Vatican and II
was this fact that gave rise few years
ago, to the famous story attaching to his
visit when an operation WIS performed on
Pope Leo and the pontiff's life was held as
in L balance. Then oreg!ia summoned,
that he might be on hand TO perform his
important duty ctmerlingo In case tho
pope shoula de, and the story went out
that he came inio the apartments adjoining
those whore the pontiT lay bearing tho
| traditional silver hammer with which he
WAS to strike the forehead of the dead popo
when calling him by name.
II was said that when Leo. recovering
heard Of the Incident. the feeling that had
existed between linn and Oreglia became
Intensified. hut little credence is given ths
tale for t." double reason that the silver
hammer which preslia might have used in
the ceremony remained always IN tho
Vatican. and that no cardinal. no matter
what his feeling. would allow himself to 10
guilty Of discourtesy TO a dying pope.
A Probable Story
Another story OF Oreglia come s with mora
claim to belief. That is that when news
Was brought him of Leo's recovery from
the operation he exclaimed:
when we elected him we thought that
We were choosing a Loly father but 1t ap-
pears that We chose an eternal father
Personally Cardinal orcslii is exactly
what imatSina lion would picture him Tall
Ind bent by his SeVeHtI IKE years, his lean
figure suggests ti!c lifelong student and as
c.tic. In facial appearance the picture IS
carried out. Said who not long ago
met oreglia and dm"d at the cardinals
house:
He IS every hit the patrcian Published
prints oi his face AaIGl; do him justice
hEn forehead. even before age made it
bald combines with his del set eyes and
the fine lines OF his lower face to convey
the impression of 4 man auStere. of the ut
most picty, OF great learning. deepest con-
seivatism. but withal perfect gentleman
of the old school.
"W hen din"d with Cardinal Oreglia,
found him charming in conversation and
most Interested IN America and American
things, although his standpoint very
different from that OF the holy father. He
is In brief the recluse the student, who,
finding his ideas of the old-time church
manship out Of tune with views of more
modern thought, Withdrew from the world.
although he watched closely its course. only
TO emerge, when his solemn office called
him for a little time into the light. That
n+t;.a ,,.rfn-,p.l he Will return again. and