New-York tribune., 1903-07-21

At $50 o'clock he receives the Cardinal secre-
tary of State and the other officials of impor-
audiences. On Mondays-and sometimes on
Thursdays-he gives public audiences. for which,
however, he has no prediction, they exhaust
him and consume time He is especially averse
to making addresses on all occasions though he
recognizes the disappointment that this must
otten cause the delegations Of pilgrims that ar
rive from all parts of the Catholic world.
You must not suppose that the Pope is an
ascetic misanthropist or that there is any
thing Jesuitical in his character. He is a man
or excellent sense, with a good knowledge of men
and books. strong, self-poised nature. doing his
own thinking, conscious of what is expected of
him, in his elevated position, and determined to
perform his duties independently and thoroughly.
Immediately after his election Leo XIII began
a number of minor reforms The Vatican was
overrun with pensioners Of the late Pope, nearly
all Of whom were speedily dismissed. The nu-
merous courtiers of Plus TX politely told
that their presence was no longer required, and
in their place appeared grave, modest and
learned men, like Monsignors Anivitti. Cretoni
Ciccolini, and the rector of the College OF Peru
gia- Pope Leo" said a Catholic writer, in
speaking Of these reforms, does not allow any
veneration for the memory of Pope Plus to in
terfere with the reforms which the indulgence
Of his predecessor had rendered necessary in
the household. The Papal administration
the gendarmes, and even. 1t Is said, the Swiss
Guards are soon to be things of the past Cen
thinks good guardapOrtone. single tall hall
porter. will be good a protection TO his resi-
dence army Those soprano singers with
! Ottoman names which disgraced the Papal Choir
more than eighty years since the whitening satire
Of Pavini had driven them from the stage of
the opera have also been packed off. The Pope
Is bent on curtailing expenses to the very bone
He has abolished the bounty of a years salary
that was allowed to the officials Of Dolaria at
! the accession of every new Pope. asking the
monsgnore who presented him with the list
where the money C25.000 crowns) was to come
from; and upon being told that 1t was always
! supplied by the Apostolic Treasury again in
! quiring. where that treasury was The mon
/ signore confessing that it had been closed for
want of effects His Holiness tore up the paper
and said. there was an end of the matter"
LEo's CONSERVATIVE POLICY.
The first allocution Of Leo pleased the Italians
because in it he said nothing about entering on
a struggle to recover the temporal power. At
about the same time he conferred the red hat
upon Archbishop McCloskey of New-York. and
gave a special audience 10 General Grant Dur
ing the early years Of his pontifcate il was
generally believed that Leo had set out to be a
reformer by carrying out the supposed policies
OF the Catholic liberals. Certain it is that he
strongly advocated compromise and conciIatiop
/ IN questions OF policy not fundamental. But he
soon discovered that the passive resistance of
the OItfamontanes was too great to be over
come, and as a general thing he found it bet
! Ter 10 develop policy along conventional lines
/ ana SO the world was spared the spectacle of a
radical reforming Pope. a Pope in these davs
may not DO startling things; it is his duty to
sum up the conventions carefully, to perpetuate
/ an already established mode of tbCueht to F1,I
M rather than to destroy. For this reason the
Fonu1cal encycllcaiS which came from the pen
OF Leo AIIl are by reason of their high merits
OF Aterary form rather to be admired for their
/ beautiful eXpreSSiVeness and for their fine Wav
OF summing up a fixed code Of opinion than To
be wondered at for their modernity or their sur
prlses For Leo took himself wisely and seri-
ousIy as literary man; he had the command
or d sonorous and exquisite Latin, and he wrote
his native tongue with the reverence which ia
nttlng TO a fellow countryman OF Dante Final
~, he undoubtedly proved himself in this re-
sPect modern IN fostering and furthering bv his
public deeds and public utterances the snirir
OF the age-the spirit of philanthropy In his
unique position as sovereign without a kingdoDo
he has with a pathetic authority striVen for
the peace of nations. Leo never made public
intercession to a god of war and vengeance He
saw the hideous hypocrisy OF entreating the
Deity 70 slaughter your enemies and to spare
yourself. Upon Portugal. upon Hungary upor
France upon Germany and Spain he laid a
official career
Plus TX had left the Vatican at war with
almost every foreign power. Leo XIII at once
Get 10 work 10 restore amicable relations with
them all His first task was to bring 70 a
friendly conclusion the dispute known as the
'Kultur Kampf" between the Papacy and the
German Government. His efforts in this direc-
uon were crowned with success, and with few
concessions his own part, he managed to
secure the repeal of all the Objectionable feat
ures OF the Falk law in Prussia.
Diplomatic relations with the Czar which had
been broken off by Plus TX. were renewed,