The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1903-07-31

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paid a visft % LxSeis Philippe, who was
dangerously near his fall
When be got to Rome Pope Gregory
was dying.
Pacci was well acquainted with Car
dinal Eerath, who soon became Plus
TX, and that pope made him archbfsh-
op Of Perugia at the age Of thirty six.
Nearly at the same time the new pope
granted general amnesty for political
offenses and was for time regarded
rs a man Of liberal intentions.
1t was fortunate for Archbishop Pee
Ct that he could retire to q distance
from Rome In the mountains toward
Tuscany and exercise his prerogatives
without becoming involved in the ris-
ing political passions at the Eternal
City, where very soon Mazzini, Carl
baldi and others revolutionized Rome
and formed trtumvirate Of dictators
and had to stand siege by the French,
at the close Of which the pope was so
heartily frightened that he revoked his
liberal dispositions.
Retired to city Of about 10000 peo-
pie, the archbishop Of Perugia, as has
been said, lived there thirty-two years,
or down to the year 1878. He was q
universal reader, and among the wise
saints IN the Catholic age he chose st.
Charles Borromeo as a man to initiate,
the giver OF his riches to aims and edu-
cation. He thereupon gave his mind to
the study Of education In Perugia.
He made up his mind in the first
place TO educate his clergy thoroughly
and to see that their habits were indus
trious and pure Next he set upon the
education Of the upper classes, many Of
whom were contemptibly illiterate.
Finally he came down to the children.
At one time the revolutionary ele-
ments In Perugfa arose, and conflict
took place between them and the papal
troops, who were Of all nations, Swiss,
German, Irish, and even American, and
the popuiace was worsted.
The archbishop surrounded himself
with friends Of like tastes with his own,
favorable to education and sincerely de.
sirous Of seeing morals made voluntary.
He had been received in the city, when
he returned there the second time, with
a magnificent demonstration. Az the
ruler. both ecclesiastic and civil, he In
habited the palace upon the public
square, which had on one side of 1t the
city hall and on the other the cathedral.
In 1854 he was made q cardinal, and
xh!s entitled him to take part in the se-
lection Of future popes
CHANGING back for moment at these
dates, we win see that the pope was
born IN the year after Gladstone, that
he became a full priest near the close
Of General Jackson's administration
and that be became archbishop Of Pc
rugta AZ the time Of our Mexican war.
His habits did not differ at any time.
He was remarkably laborious, Of a
spare frame. with high, capacious
forehead, large mouth, full, long
and expressive nose and an expression
of thorough refinement, purity and
acuteness.
Being nobleman Of the best class Of
Italian descent and Of nation imme-
MORALLY ardent for knowledge and low
ing the arts. he was also destitute of
sourness and had convictions without
being opinionated.
None could impeach his private life
4 He was ever accessible to his priests
and to those people who required him
as a spiritual friend, but he also had
high spirit and when browbeaten dis
4 closed some thing like a military power
~. No fvHf7t ~
wcris. He was too worldly wise to b.
cheated, too discreet to commit himsel1
Y In either word or deed except as hill
judgment and conscience were touched
and after the Italians IN 1860 overral
4 his state they found that he was a DIFF
4 fcult man to handle In that he kept o.
the side Of intelligent public opinion.
In short, he was a pope in spirit, rep
resenting the antiquity and authorit,
Of the church long before 1t was proba
BILE that he would fill the pontifica
chair. He rose to this distinction a
last by having deserved It.
Though It is probable that he wa
mot nnmindful OF the honor and influ
ence of that great Office, he knew to
well that to reach It IN this dangerou
age be must deserve It by a combine
Hon Of character, OF courage and Q
NJ wisdom, 5ss @
In 1855 the French troops were with
drawn from Rome, and the pope wa
left 10 such an army as he could hin
self create. The Italians, however, 81
years previously had oyerrun sicil
and Naples, annexed Tuscany and oil
er states, and finally Venice, and wel
determined to occupy the papal states
AZ this time Cardinal Pecci addresse
the priests III words which should
common TO all churches, saying:
The moral conduct De the priests
the nairrors into which the people loo
to and u model for their own demea,
III. livery shadow, every stain, IL +
marea by the vulgar eye, and Il
mere ahadoE IS enough to make Il
people lose their esteem of priest
ygof II - iInpo asiisle that a prize
Mo lays himself open to such ]
proachaS or suspicious, who has =
naxae az being ssi3 sndsilgent interes
n &, 81 ans III irregular aying, should 81
rfh S1sa4 iragrance of 4 pure life, "a
;. 49,. III <,1g<sT u Christ. which witness