Hattiesburg daily progress. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 18??-1909, 1903-11-03
THE POPE'S SIMPLE LIFE
Stories of Plus x. Showing His
Love Of Plain Living.
HIS ELECTION UNEXPECTED BY HIM

Pope He Replied, 81 Shall Remain
the Same sartor-Often Found Him.
self without Money-How He Once
Dtsobeyed Leo xIII.-His Love For
Music.
Many stories illustrative of the char.
acter of Pope Plus x. have been cur
rent In Rome since the conciave or car
dinals chose the patriarch OF Venice as
successor to Leo Kill, says the New
York Evening Journal. They show
alike his independence and his mod
esty, the simplicity Of his tastes and
his love for the beautiful, his love FOR
the common people, from whom ne
sprang and to whom he has given so
much that often during his life he has
had to struggle against poverty.
Giuseppe Sarto always has been
Democrat and a commoner. Sarto
might have been raised to the papai
nobility had he so desired, but he pre-
ferred to remain as he was.
Plus Y. Is q friend Of King Victor
Emmanuel, as he was Of the late King
Humbert. His utter fearlessness and
independence were well illustrated dur
ing the reign of Humbert. When Hum
bert last visited Venice he gave gala
court function. Pope Leo fntimated TO
Cardinal Sarto that he would be wise
TO remain away.
Sarto disobeyed the pope's tacit In
structions and paid his respects in per-
son to the king. The cardinal made
Humbert aware also that his visit was
In opposition to the wishes or Leo.
This so pleased Humbert that he gave
orders that the cardinal should there
after be admitted to his presence in adj
vance of all others. The cardinal paid
q second visit later, while Humbert
was holding an audience. Sarto would
not permit the audience to be inter-
rupted. however, but waited until IT
was over.
Since chosen pope he has given nu-
merous instances of his simplicity ana
lack of ostentation. The other day he
fatly refused to be carried in the sedia
9estatoria on the way to and from
the Sistine chapel, and it was carried
behind him. AS he was walking he
said humorously to Mgr. Bisleti:
"T shall never voluntarily get into
that box"
After he reached Rome Mgr. Strait
morovich, a Venetian prelate, who ac'
companied Cardinal Sarto to the capital,
took leave Of him at the Vatican. Be-
fore going. as they parted, Stratimor
vich said:
MAY you be chosen pope"
"No no." replied Cardinal Sarto.
laughing "No fear for me. Give me
the number of your telephone, though,
and 1 will let you know quickly who
receives that honor"
The prelate gave the number. True
to his promise, the first thing the car
dinal did after his election was to call
ND the prelate to give him the promised
information. He found, however, that
the Venetian had already learned the
news and was hurrying even then to
the Vatican.
When in the past the people of Ven
ice asked Cardinal Sarto what he
would do If made pope, as they fire.
uuently did, he would reply laugh
ingly:
81 shall have white robes instead Of
red ones. That will be the only change.
I shall remain the same Sarto as ever"
His love for Venice is like the love OF
a child for its mother. He recently re-
ceived the Princess Beatrice, daughter
10 nf q
the princess:
eve are from the same town. Your
father is my friend, and have not for
gotten his amiability in coming to see
me of at the station when | left fol
the conclave. l little imagined then
that l should never see my beloved
canals again. 1 hope your royal father
will soon visit our court"
Plus X. likes not only to walk in the
country and to look at the sea, but he
Is a mountain climber as well. A few
days before he left Venice he climbed
to the top Of Mount Grappa, an altitude
of $500 feet. Outdoor life Is constan
delight to him.
His greatest pleasure is In music
Lorenzo Perosi, director of the pontif
zeal choir, is a great friend of his, hav
ing formerly been maestro at st
Marks in Venice. Perosi is In fac
chiefly indebted to Plus x. for hi
musical career.
One story which may account for tn
liberality of the new pope is that he wa
originally inclined to be a freethink
or. He became a protege Of Carolina
Parocchi, however, and his view
changed.
In money matters the new pontif IN
always been extremely modest. A
patriarch Of Venice his income wa
about So, 400 year. The greatest par
Of this he gave away, and he was ofte
pressed for funds for his personal ne
cessities. 1t Is related of him that nc
long ago he was called suddenly
Rome, but had not cent Of read
money. He was compelled to borro'
500, and he was In a perfect feve
until the debt was paid.
Tsi Ans Latest Move.
The empress of China is trying
nvorcono the national prpil1dice again