Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1903-07-21
LIFE OF POPE LEO.

Has Been in Service of the Church
Since 1887.
His late Holiness was born at Carpi-
neto in the diocese of Anagni, in the
papal states, on March 2, 1910, being
chrlstened under the name of Vincent
Joachim Raphael Louis. The name
Vincent was given him by his mother
who had great veneration for the ia
nous dominican missionary saint, Vim
cent Ferrieri, bishop of Val
ence, but after her death he
used the name Joachim, which
he kept The Society of Jesus, which
1T was afterwards the first care of his
pontificate to restore to it's ancient po-
sition in the councils of the church.
was entrusted with his education,
young Pecci being sent at the age of
eight years to the Jesuit college at vi
berbo, where he remained until his
fourteenth year. At this time his
mother died and he shortly afterwards
proceeded to Rome to continue his
studies at the Jesuit college in that
city. When he was eighteen years OLD
he secured the first prize for cher1is-
try and physics. His aptitude for ma.
tural science, however, in no way in
terfered with his taste for literature
and classical studies, and even in
those early days he was rem arkaDle
for the elegance and purity of his Lat.
in, which subsequently found notable
expression not only in his encyclicals
and ecclesiastical work but in the high
er plane OF poetry. He obtained, in
1881, the degree of doctor of divinity
and entered the Academy of Noble Ec-
clesiastics to study law and diplomacy
and thus qualified himself for joining
what may be termed the Papal Diplo-
matte service and become conversant
with the system of the spiritual gov
ernment. 1t is from the ranks of this
official body that, in these days, new
pontiff is almost invariably chosen In
1887 Joachim Pecci received the sub
diaconate and diaconate and on March
IA of the same year Gregory XVI made
him a domestic prelate, his first pro-
motion, with the title of monsignor.
On December 23, 1887. he was ordain-
ed priest by Cardinal Odeschalchi say
ing his first mass in the chapel Of ST.
Stanislaus at the Jesuit Noviciate of
st. Andrea. Early in 1888 Mgr. Pecci
was named governor of the Papal col
ony of Benevento, and, like SiXtus V,
busted himself with the suppression of
brigandage. In connection with this
work the following story was told OF
Mgr. Pecci: A certain marquis called
one day to protest against what he con-
sidered the interference of the COVER
nor and informed the latter that he
was just starting for Rome to procure
his recall.
Have you considered the step well,
Marquis?" asked Mgr. Pecci
Yes, monsignor,'' said the other,
'and I'm going at once"
To this the governor rejoined:
Resolutions of this kind should be
we'll considered at leisure. You will
do me the honor of staying here for
the present.
That same night the marquis castle
was surrounded, and twenty-eight brig
ands OF whom he was patron and
chief, were arrested or shot.
Transferred to Perugia.
From Beneyento Mgr. Pecci was
transferred to the governorsh1p of
Perugia, where he remained for year
and half. The young ecclesiastic,
in 1843, was called to exercise his tai
ents in more important post, being
consecrated bishop of Damietta in Par
THUS. and sent to Brussels as papal
nuncio. 1t was as Representative nf