The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1908-07-14
POPE |PlUS X
Continued from Page One.


selves of these amiable sentiments
the ladies then profit by the occa-
sion to solicit the popes blessings
on themselves their families ana
their friends. known or unknown.
Then he must also bless the hun
dreds of medals, beads and images
which they produce out of all sorts
of pockets.
Then perhaps will follow In close
succession a group of American la
dies, high officials OF the secretary
of states office, prelates of different
countries, and even Jews and inf
dels.
"No previous pope has shown the
same consideration for Jews as the
pope. When bishop of Mantua, he
was once que,tioned by Pope Leo
KIN as to the moral condition OF
his diocese, and his reply was: "The
only Christians In Nantua are the
Jews.
THE pope's tastes In the direc-
ton of food are just as simple as
ever they were. His favorite dishes
holiness has contracted the habit OF
eating very rapidly and so in order
to check his tendency he often In
Wltes guests the most frequent of
whom are his sisters.
One morning the pope woke up
feeling not very well and he was
recommended TO try a bottle OF To-
kay which the emperor OF Austria
had presented to his predecessor a
hundred years ago. The pope took
glassful and felt better, and the
servant removed the botDle. At
lunch, however, the pope asked that
the bottle be brought back. The
lservant hesitated and stammered,
/ then told the. pope that it was not
the custom in the vatican to serve
again anything which the pope had
already tasted His holiness In
sisted on having the bottle back and
at las the servant was compelled
to confess that 1t had been quick
ly emptled in the servants hall.
Since then Plus X invariably takes
away with him after any meal any
unfinished bottle of good wine. He
locks 1t in a sideboard in his room
and finishes II when he feels in
clined.
"After lunch his holiness smokes
|n cigar and goes to bed for a
short nap.
"When he was archbishp OF Ven
Ice the pope was in the habit OF play
ing % game of cards every evening
with his secretary and the prefect
and the chief of police. It is not
Sertain whether Plus X Htdll fol-
lows this innocent custom of the pat
riach of Venice, but many people say
that he does.
"Vatican conditions do not permit
of the pope taking long walks. in
fact Leo KILL never walked In the
gardens at all without a guard OF the
Swiss troops, and usually drove. The
present pope, when he desires, walks
and insists on strolling through the
nc iltltlolt
use of a secret staircase to leave the
vatican. The first time he did this
there was panic in the vatican-the
pope was missing and not 20 be
found. The alarm was given and
the Swiss guards turned out. All
the horses were got ready for search
parties when someone saw the pope
hidden behind shrub, quietly en-
joylng the scene.
But Plus X Is not altogether the
dreamer that some people like 10
imagine him, While still at SAL
zano he heard one of his compan-
ions at game of cards, swearing
like a trooper because of mis- bad
luck. The future pope allowed him
to go on for while. but in the
end he lost patience and at last got
up and cuffed the poor man about
"And even after that the enemies
Of Plus x think him incapable of
an energetic policy"