The Irish standard., 1904-01-23
EARLY DAYS OF Plus X.
Fascinating Story Told of the Present
Poutitf's Youth.

Fascinating Story Told of the Present
Poutitf's Youth.
In those days there lived in the ham,
let OF Riese, little to the northwest of
Trevise-not mighty lord and his
beautiful lady-but a village postmas-
ter and humble seamstress. They
married and settled down in small
one-story whitewashed cottage, with
a garden in the rear. The household
was their own; and with small patch
OF land, it was all they had, says La
Croix, Paris.
They had to work hard for living,
but work had no terrors for either OF
them. The atmosphere they breathed,
a religious atmosphere, was as pure
and healthy as the breezes that swept
over the Asolan hill from the fertile
cisalpine fields. Around them at work
in the fields was population Of hon
est peasants; simple, virtuous people
that filled the village church on Sun
day; and even on weekday mornings,
except in harvest time, in goodly num-
bers. assisted at the holy sacrifice.
The morning OF their wedding, he
had hung up over the nuptial bed a
picture OF the Holy Family and, few
days later, she placed directly in front
picture OF Saint Francis, for she be-
longed to the Third Order.
The happy household increased little
by little, and Gian-Battista Sarto had
his troubles and anxieties. The first
born, Joseph, wide-awake OPEN
faced young fellow, soon donncd the
Gotta blanca and was serving mass in
the church. The CITRATE, Don Luigi
Orazio, taught him little Latin.
Now, Don Rito Fusarini, archpriest
OF Rlcsc, was not a little interested in
observing the rapidity with which the
child mastered the rudimcnts of. gram
mar; and, at the same time, Mar
garita Sansome had not failed to not
ice how her little Joseph was wont to
entice his youthful companions to the
sanctuary OF Cendrolc, where for ages
back statue OF the Madonna had
been honorcd with an especial vencra
ton Joseph was qucstioned; and he
betrayed longing, the origin of which
he could not we'll determine God had
marked him for His priesthood; it was
around the altar that his soul found
the elements on which to thrive.
They say that Clan Battista Sarto,
with all his robust and lively faith,
saw difficulties ahead, and was heard
to give utterances to some objections:
Joseph was the eldest! and who knows
what might happen to the bread-wirl-
ner before the others could look out
for themselves.
The good man was, however, per-
suaded; and Joseph was sent to the
college Of Castclfranco. He was eleven
years old when he began to make his
daily pilgrimage to Castelfranco. In
the summer time he went barefoot,
according to the custom OF the land;
he carried his shoes slung over his
shoulder, with little bundle contain
ing his portion Of polenta and a piece
OF bread, his spare MONDAY meal He
would put on his shoes before coming
into the village. In winter he kept his
shoes on all the way.
During the two years that he went
to Castelfranco he ate his dinner at
the house of the village tax collector,
Pinazzi by name, and, to tighten the
burden OF his parents, the thirteen
year-old student taught reading, writ
ing and arithmetic to the children of
his host
Nor was his good nature affected in
the least by the roughness OF the path
along which he Travelled in order to ac-
quire an education. "He always met
u.s. relates Mgr. Peizzari, archpriest
OF Godego, who was cassmate of
Plus X at Castelfranco, with a bright
eye and a smiling face; he was the
unchallenged head OF the class, and
held over his companions sway of
kindness and sympathy that was never
broken And his old professor, Don
Giuseppe 1nnocente Armada, who
taught him in his last grammar year,
draws this picture OF the young STU
dent: do l remember him! Why, he
was the life of the house! Prompt
and elastic in all his movements, his
mind possessed the same quality of
alertness and grace. Bastava spiegare
lie cose una volta-one explanation was
enough for him; he graspcd the sub
ject at the onset"
Clan Battista Sarto had no reason
to repent his decision to allow his son,
Joseph, to aspire to the priesthood.
And it was, no doubt, not without a
little pride that he thought how he, as
we'll as his two brothers, Angelo and
Antonio, would give priest to the
Church.
Joseph Sarto finished his studies at
the seminary of Padua and was or
dained priest the 18th OF September,
1853. A short time after he was sent
to Tombola, at that time village of
1900 inhabitants. The pastor OF the