The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1904-02-13
Peculiarly Fitted to Lead in Endeavor to
Settle Antagonism Between
Capital and Labor.
The Great American Was Much Impressed
With the Personality and Accom-
pishments of Plus X.

Willinm Jennings Bryan. who re-
Gently returned from abroad. tells of
his interview With the Holy Father in
the New York Journal Mr.. Bryan
writes:
The dominant feature of Rome is
it's religious feature, and it is fitting
that it should be so, for here the soil
WAS stained with the blood of those
who first harkcncd to the voice of the
NnZnrcnc-hcrc Il cruel Nero lighted
his gardens with human torches, little
thinking that the religion of those
whom he burned would in time illu-
mine the world
Tho fact that the city is the capital
of the Catholic world is apparent ev-
rrywhcrc. All interest is ccntcrcd in
the Vatican ana st. Peters.
The civil government of Italy cX-
tends 10 the nations borders, but the
Papal authority of Rome reaches to
the rcmotcst corners of the earth.
| was anxious to SEQ the man upon
whom such vast responsibility rests
and whose words so profoundly in
iiuencc millions of the human race.
Lord Dcnbigh. of England, had given
me a letter of Introduction to Cardinal
Merry del Val. the PapaI Secretary of
State. and ARMED with this | visited
the Vatican.
Cardinal del Val is an exceedingly
interesting man. lie was born Of
Spanish parents. but ono of his grand
parents was English, ana he is CON
ncctcd by ties of blood with several
families of the English nobility. Tic
was educated in England. npd speaks
that language flucntly ana without an
accent, as he does French, German,
Italian and Spanish. His linguistic ac-
complishments are almost as great as
those of the famous Cardinal Mczzo-
fanti
Cardinal del Val is an unusually
young man to occupy such an import
ant post-he is not vet forty. He i'm
presses one as man OF rare ability
and he possesses extraordinary versa
tility and diplomatic training that
will make him clnincntly useful to His
Holiness. The Papal Secretary Of
State is tall, slender, distinguished
looking man. His intellectual face is
thin ana oval, his eyes are large, dark
ana brilliant, showing his Spanish
birth.
He received us in his private apart
mcnts In the Vatican. They are among
the most interesting of the 1000 rooms
in that great building and were once
occupied by that famous Pope who
was a Borgia. The ceilings ana walls
down to the floor are painted mngnili-
Gently, the decoration having been
done by the hand of master artist Of
Borgia's reign.
For centuries the suite now occupied
by Cardinal del Val had been part of
the Vatican library. The beautiful
walls were once hidden by a coat Of
rude whitewash, but the paintings
were discovered not long ago and the
pictures restored once more to view
Before visiting the Vatican called
upon Monsignor Kennedy, the rector
of the American College. Mgr Ken
ncdy is learned and exceedingly
agreeable American, and under his cf-
ficicnt management the number of
students in the college has been
doubled within few years. He en-
ablcd me to meet Pope Pius's Maestro
di Camera.
BY the good offices of Cardinal del
Val ana the Maestro di Camera, it
was arranged that ! should have Il
private audience with the Holy Father
the following day, Mgr. Kennedy act
ing as interpreter
Pope Plus received us in his private
audience room adjoining the public
audience chamber, where distinguished
Catholics from all over the world were
collected and ready to be presented
and receive the papal blessing.
The private audience room is a
rather small apartment, simply, but