Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1908-09-18

italian eyes at ell. They are just the
sort of eyes we have in Ireland Well
said, 1 am glad you like them. And
.ey make us brothers. don't they 2"
Joking With Monks.
In regard to sitting In the pope's
presence an amusing story is told. A
company of monks called on Plus Y.
one day. and he begged them to take
seats. Knowing the old custom that
none was to be seated in the holy IA
theirs presence except cardinals, they
seemed timid and hesitating. Observ-.
ing their reluctance, he said brusQuely,
but not unkindly:
.'You do not. 1 suppose. expect me
to draw your chairs forward for you?"
In his youth Giuseppe Sarto was
called by the affectionate diminutive
"Beppo." name that his family gives
him 10 this day. When in school Bep-
pc found an old friend bedridden and
in danger of starvation through power
ty. The young student had no money,
but out of the slender ration supplied
him at the seminary he gave the in
until the old man died three months
later. His sisters found 1t necessary
to lock up their meager supplies in the
kitchen to keep him from giving his
and their food away to some poverty
stricken beggar.
One morning after Giuseppe became
parish priest he rose at his usual
hour of 5 o'clock and finding the sac
ristan was still in bed opened the
church for an early worshiper. The
unaccustomed act shocked the worship
er, who proposed to call the sacristan.
| .No, no! Let him alone" said the flu
| ture pope. Don't you think l am
able to open q door myself? When
shall be old and i'll he will open the
door and l will stay in bed"
Notwithstanding his simple living
and abstemious habits Pope Plus is
bothered with govt One of the old
fashions of those calling on the head
Of the church was to kiss his foot
This custom the present pope has dis
continued along with others of similar
nature. When one delegation asked
for the old privilege of kissing the
papal toe he replied. mo. it is H.
Stopped Old Customs and Graft.
| But Plus KS democratic tendencies
do not stop merely with abrogating
old customs, but enter into his policies
For hundreds of years there has been
in connection with the church an acad-
envy for noble ecclesiastics. None out
side of the nobility was eligible to adj
mission 10 this exclusive school, 1t has
furnished the church with all her dip
lomats for centuries. Many popes and
ether chief men of the Catholic world
have been trained there. Through the
operation of this institution a diplo-
matte career and other high church
positions We're closed to all not of blue
blood. The pope decided to shut up this
institution forever and to throw open
all positions to the sons of the poor
and untitled as well as to those of
wealth and family. Not only so, but he
has named for many of the hief sta
tons under him those of pc can't orr
gin, like himself He has ] ted the
policy of Capitalization. He as stop
ped graft. One notable ms ace was
shown in the gifts of insight of Office.
Happening to ask the price Il one of
these ornaments, Plus was ,truck by
the eXorbitance. On inquir, he found
that twice as much was asl Id for the
articles as they were worth. He traced
the dishonesty to its source and found
it originated with middlemen. He
thereupon ordered that in future the
jeweler should deal direct and there
should be fixed scale of prices.
This most democratic of the pontiffs
smokes, jokes. says if he were young
he would ride a wheel, is reputed to
have been freethinker in his early
days, freely expresses his opinion that
the church should have little or moth.
ing TO do with politics, but should
concern itself with spiritual affairs
shows an unbounded interest in Amer
lea, is a friend of the king and many
statesmen of modern Italy, with whom
all popeS are supposed to be in &
deadly feud, upsets moss grown Vat
lean rules, makes his visitors treat
} him like a man rather than like 8
monarch. loves games and plays them
! from chess to bowls, and generally
, conducts himself like a reformer an6
man of the new age.
. The power of the pope is generally
overrated. He is subject to his car
dinals, just as a president of the Unit
/. ed States is subject to the senate II
some things, however, he is supreme
; and his influence is potent every
, where. Should Plus X. be spared {
!; few years longer it is believed he vii
| take still more advanced steps.
Beloved by the People.
From the days when he was a hum
BILE parish priest until the presen
! Giuseppe Sarto has had unboundet
popularity. a When he was advance,
, from his first charge men gave hin
an ovation and women wept to Sc,
, him go. While he was cardinal AM
patriarch of Venice his popularit,
grew till it became fad In the SAM