Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1908-06-19
SPORTS FOR THE POPE
Athletic Feature OF Jubilee OF His
Ordination as Priest.
HISTORIC SPOT FOR GAMES.
They Will Be Held In Vatican Gardens
at Rome Next September-his Holt
ness to Reward the Winners In .
Special Manner.

at Rome Next September-his Holt
ness to Reward the Winners In
Special Manner.
For the first time In the history Of
the Roman Catholic church athletic
sports will form one of the main Tea
lures of the golden jubilee celebration
of pontifrs ordination 10 the priest
hood.
The present pope. who in September
next will be fifty years priest, al
ways has been great admirer OF ath-
letes and athletics and Oh many occa-
sions has expressed wish to see the
performances of some of the athletes
who are at present prominent in the
world OF sport.
1t is IN accordance with this desire
that committee has been appointed
TO draft a programme Of athletic
events for the jubilee. in which all the
amateur athletes of the world are In
vitcd TO take part, says the Chicago
Tribune. OF course the athletes OF all
Catholic countries will he there IN full
force The Gaelic Society Of America
will see that the new world Is repre-
scented 10y Sheridan, Flanagan and
other headiners. while the same body
In Ireland has made preparations for
the sending Of the strongest and best
company of track and weight men the
Old sod ever has produced,
Field days Will be held In Chicago
during the summer by the Illinois Gae-
lie association, ut which the men win
be picked. and many OF those who
form the American team at the Olym-
pie games In England will make the
trip. The Catholic clergy and societies
OF every country are interested In the
project and will accord their support
to athletes wishing TO enter the contests.
The sports will be held In the Vat
lean gardens and will be the first ath-
letiC competitions TO disturb their
Quietness since the destruction OF the
Caligulan circus In the declining days
OF the Roman empire. The gardens
include more than 100 acres and occu-
cathedral, one OF the seven hills OF
Rome. No other spot on earth has as
interesting a history TO the Caucasian
as this field.
Every time the shot leaves the ath-
lete's hand It will alight on the spot
where ancient gladlators fell In their
battles in the circus. Scipio Africanus
found Il grave there. and the cinder
path to he installed will pass directly
over the place where his tomb rested
until its removal to make room for the
circus of the third Roman emperor.
The Vatican hill was the last OF the
fourteen districts into which Augustus
divided the city, and later the gardens
of AgrippinR and Domltiau We're sit
uated there near to the circus OF Callg
ula However, as the power of the
empire waned the outlying district OF
the Vatican slope became deserted and
for many years after the reign of Con.
stantine was considered an abode OF
evil spirits.
This state of affairs lasted until SiS
when Leo ". fortified the hill and
constructed the Leonlne city. For a
number of years the fields were used
as fitting grounds. but toward the end
of the fifteenth century were acquired
by Sixtus ". and became the gardens
of the Vatican palace, situated at the
summit of the mount. Pope Sixtus
had them laid out under his own su.
pervision. and his successors have
made but little change In them. They
have been enlarged some from time to
time, and in 1916 the grounds of the
Hospital of San Spirite, an institution
dating from before the time of the
original I.eOnine walls, We're included
Pope Plus lX. built the walls which
now surround the only territory be.
longing to the popes and In which the
preparations for the papal games are
being made.
The athletic field will be constructed
in what was formerly large flower
field but which during the reign of the
late Pope Leo was allowed to run wild.
To the right of this large open space
of fifteen acres is large wood, and on
the left the ground slopes down to the
Tiber. The field itself is quite level
and will require no great amount Of
work to put it In shape for the games.
A quarter mile track will be installed
and stands erected to accommodate
probably the most distinguished throng
of spectators that ever witnessed an
athletic tournament The whole col.
lege of cardinals will be present. with
thousands of archbishops, bishops and
clergy, besides the representatives of
all the governments of the world.
The prizes to be given the successful
athletes have not been chosen, but will
probably take the form of the usual
medals given in such events. Besides
these, his holiness intends to reward
the winners in a special manner, but
rs yet has not made public the nature
If the honors.