Los Angeles herald., 1906-08-05
POPE Plus IS
IN BAD HEALTH
CONSIDERABLE ANXIETY Ex-
PRESSED AT VATICAN
Apostolic Home Reported to Be In
Grave state and Many Walls
Are Threatening to Fall-sep-
GRAFTON Law of France
BY A. W. Pesroe
oo,oi robie 10 The Herald.

speciaI Gable to The Herald
ROME. Aug AIN Catholic circles
a good deal of surprise is expressed
at the silence the pope continues to
maintain concerning the separation
law of France, and whether or not 1T
is to be accepted by the church. There
are two currents of opinion on the
subject of the impending papal de-
cision. Some assert 1t to be absolutely
certain that the pope will refuse to
authorize the formation of public wor-
shin associations on the lines laid down
bv France, whereas others declare he
will not venture to refuse submission
TO the law, seeing how disastrous this
would be to the material interests OF
the church and of the priesthood. The
state of uncertainty has been already
prolonged much beyond what was an
ficipated when the French bishops met
in Paris in congress and expressed
their views on the subject, and it is
hoped that the pope will soon make
public his program concerning the
matter.
tl1fs midsummer gives rise to serious
anxiety. He is much troubl"1 by gout
and in almost constant pain. His holi-
ness is also very depressed. He has
not the iron will power OF Leo Kill,
and he feels the matter of being COM
pelled to remain in the Vatican very
keenly. Cardinal Oreglia, who also
suffers much from gout, recently re-
ceived great relief from a change of
air. When he visited the pope on his
return Plus x said to him: You seem
to want me to die here in the Vatican,
and vet feel if I, too, could only have
a change of air that / would be saved.
But, at the same time, his holiness
mental depression is such that he does
not desire to face such a serious prob
lem as that of leaving the Vatican
would be.
Pope Anxious to Be Away
The pope is anxious to go to castle
Gandolfo, and he has already spoken
of this to DR.. Lapponi. The pope's
nhvsician is too discreet to discuss
such a question with any but the few
famigliari of the pope on whom he can
rely. If, however, his holiness state
should get worse. and it should be DIR.
Iiapponi's duty to put the alternative
before the curia that Plus x must
either leave the Vatican or lose his
life, thesprobIem would be very deli
cate one That a section of the more
broad minded members of the sacred
college favors an understanding with
the Quirinal is certain, but this is not
the section that has the pope's ear.
The ultra-conservative party, headed
by Cardinal Merry del Val, is practi-
cally supreme at present.
The eternal problem whether Cath
oIic sovereign may visit the king of
Italy in Rome has again come under
discussion. The king of Portugal has
never been in Italy. He once got as
far as Paris on his way to the city of
the Caesars, but was stopped by the
Vatican. Now it appears that King
Carlos has arranged to see his cousin,
King Victor Emmanuel, at the Milan
exposition, but this time it is the
Italians who raise an objection. Even
in the senate and chamber of deputies
protests are heard, it being maintained
that ii would be undignified for King
Victor to receive the Portuguese SOW
ereign anywher but in Rome That,
however, is impossible so the whole
project will have to be abandoned.
Vatican Crumbling
A fact of much interest to the whole
world has leaked out, Notwithstanding
great efforts on the part of the Vatican
to keep it secret. There seems to be no
doubt that the apostolic palace is in
grave state and many walls are threat
ening to fall. The other day. while the
noble guard were on duty in the papal
ante chamber, they were thrown into a
state of panic by a shower of plaster,
the fall of which revealed large cracks.
A hurried examination was made,
showing cracks in all directions,
caused by frequent subdivisions which
had been made in the course of CEN
turies without regard to the strength
of the original walls. 1t is estimated
that the expenditure of more than
$3.50, 900 will be necessary for restora-
tions. Fortunately the glorious picture
gallery has already been moved to a
place of safety.
A young Ligurian printer, named
Cava, has invented a method of type
setting by telegraph. He couples the
Hughes instrument with a monotype
composing machine, and instead of the
message being printed on the tape of
the receiving apparatus, perforations
are made on the monotype paper bands
Completely successful experiments
have been made with the new inven-
ton. The newspapers are complaining
that the Italian government will not
allow them to have private wires,
without which they cannot make use
of Signor Cava's discovery.