The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1903-07-18
A VISIT TO LEO KILL
Details Of an American Priests
Audience With His Holiness.
OERBMogY sIMPLY ooNDUoTED.

Degree of Formally Audience
Chamber Furnished In Almost SPAR
tan PIainneso-Leo's Kind Recep-
tfon OF a Possible Familiarity.
The Rev. Father Thomas A. Hen
drick, rector Of st. Budgets church, In
Rochester, N. Y, a regent of the Uni
yersity OF the State Of New York and
now prominently before the public as
bishop elect Of Cebu, in the Philippine
Islands, was admitted TO i private au-
dlence with Leo XIII, last August
says tile New York Tribune. With
Father Hendrick at the time was
Richard Kerens Of st. Louis. Father
Hendrick in speaking Of the audience
said:
Both Mr.. Kerens and myself shall
always deem ourselves exceptionally
favored in the matter of our audience
with the holy father It is generally
the case that applications for a per
sonal audience with the pope are sub
feet to delays. sometimes ten or twelve
days passing before reply is received.
Mr.. Kerens and myself made formal
application on Aug. ID and were sur
prised to receive a summons the fol-
lowing day for a personal audience on
Aug. 10. It has always been my opin-
ion that the fact that we were Ameri-
cans had something to do with this
promptness in the consideration of our
request, for another section Of our par
ty which had been delayed at Venice
and arrived in Rome a day subsequent
to our advent was likewise admitted
after delay Of only twenty four
hours.
The ceremonial connected with an
audience is not marked with any great
degree Of formality. We were met at
the entrance to the Vatican by the
Swiss guard in gorgeous uniforms, de-
signed, it is said, by Michael Angelo
and worn by them ever since. We
We're politely requested to leave upon
a table such things as canes. umbrellas,
ard especially cameras. From this hall
we were ushered into a larger apart
ment where our hats were deposited.
| Thence we were plotted through a long
succession Of smaller chambers until
the anteroom was reached. The per-
sons preceding US were cioseted with
bis holiness for a brief period proha-
bly, not more than q quarter Of an
hour Our audience lasted for about
that length Of time. AS / entered the
chamber where the pope was awaiting
our coming | was impressed by its ali
most Spartan plainness, Everything
was Of the utmost simplicity Besides
the ordinary chair Ii which the pope
was seated there was not another piece
OF furniture to be seen. nor even d pic
| ture or d carpet or d rug. Tie outer
/ Office of many d lawyer Oh business
man is palatiai lii comparison to that
little chamber in which the head Of the
Roman Catholic church throughout the
world received his children. But there
was no need Of such things Leo him
| self filled the room with his presence
and magnetic personality. His frame
was slender and shrunken and his skin
like fine parchment, but when looked
in his eyes and felt their brilliant fire
burning through my very mind | for
got all else.
According to the usage, we knelt rev
erently and kissed the silver cross upon
the holy fathers slipper. lie then adj
dressed me in the pure and liquid Lat
in Of Cicero. lie had heard that was
q regent of the University Of New
York and with that power Of grasping
the details Of unfamiliar thine Sc
showed that be understood w4at this
meant
"The cause of education is Of the
t greatest importance to the state Leo
said, and for this reason I bless every
institution under your care. l am much
pleased with the great and generous
American people, who saw fit to elect
you. Roman Catholic priest, to such
a position Of trust. It shows they rec
ogRize the value of a Christian educa-
ton, and because they have recognized
such qualifications in you |, too, am
sure that by you the Christian educa-
ton Of young boys and girls will not
/ be neglected.
Leo impressed me as a man Of great
kindness Of heart simplicity Of man
ner ana tremendous reserve of will
power. There was nothing of ponder
GUS gravity about him. On the con
trary, he seemed the soul of good hui
NOR. He smiled broadly as he caught
sight of d pile Of religious objects had
brought to him to be blessed When I
told him they were for my congregation
be murmured Good, goodr The holy
father speaks with an italian freedom
and grace. Once he threw out his hand
toward me. and i mistaking Ills inten-
ton, took it regerently in mine. He
Esmiled like a father. pressed my broad
or palm firmly and gently and alleyi-
ated my confusion The master Of the
Ichamber, who was standing beside him,
| with difficulty suppressed a smile him
self, but when he saw how pleasantly
the pope received what he probably
considered a familiarity such as one
might expect from Americans his ex-
preston changed Immediately
At the time Of our audience the pope
looked very old and wrinkled but the
wonderful energy of his voice and ges-
lures and the fire in his eyes impressed
the beholder as those Of man still
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