The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1908-10-10
POPE'S GOLDEN JUBILEE.
CONTINUED from page IL

carry smile through all the struggle must have
a strong and optimistic soul.
There are many stories about the pope and little
savings by him that illustrate his qualities better
than can be done by mere description. For exam
pie when his Venetian friends asked him what he
would do if he were made pope he laughingly re-
joined:
Il shall have white robes instead of red ones.
That will be the only change. [ shall remain the
same Sarto as ever"
After he was inaugurated in the Vatican some
of the cardinals were scandazed to see him carry
ing cheap nickel watch, the sort we buy in this
country for dollar They therefore bought him
magnificent gold watch and presented it with i'm
pressive ceremonies To their surprise he gently
waved aside the gift and said:
GAS long as / live / shall wear my nickel watch.
1t is souvenir from my mother"
''The Irish painter Mr.. Thaddeus once made
portrait of the pope.
"When 1 came to paint his eyes" says Thad-
deus, II could not help exclaiming: Why, holy
father your eyes are not Italian eyes at all They
are lust the sort of eyes we have in Ireland.
"EWell,' he said, 4 am glad you like them. And
they make us brothers, don't theyp"
In regard to sitting in the pope's presence an
amusing story is told A company of monks called
on Plus x one day and he begged them to take
seats Knowing the old custom that none was to
be seated in the holy fathers presence except cardl
nails, they seemed timid and hestating Observing
their reluctance, he said brusquey, but not I'M
kindly:
"You do not, suppose, expect me to draw your
chairs forward for you?"
In his youth Giuseppe Sarto called by the
affectionate diminutve "Beppo" name that his
family gives him to this day. When in school Beppo
found an old friend bedridden and in danger of
starvation through poverty. The young student
had no money. but out of his slender ration sup
piled him at the seminary he gave the invalid the
larger share and kept this up until the old man
Il L e.,
essary to lock up their meager supplies in the ktch-
en- 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 o'clock and,
finding the sacristan was still In bed, opened the
church for an early worshiper. The unaccustomed
act shocked the worshiper who proposed to call the
sacristan.
mo, no! Let him alone" said the future pope
Don't you suppose [ am able to open door my
self? When I shall be old and i'll he will open the
door and | will stay in bed"
Notwithstanding his simple living and Austen
ious habits, Pope Plus is bothered with govt. One
of the old fashions of those calling the head o
the church was to kiss his foot. This custom tn
present pope has discontinued along with others o
similar nature. When one delegation asked for tn
old privilege of kissing the papal toe he replied
"No; it is i'll"
But Plus KS democratic tendencies do not sto
merely with abrogating old customs, but enter int
his policies For hundreds of years there has beel
in connection with the church an academy TO
noble eccesiasts. None outside of tho nobility wa
eligible to admission to this exclusive school. l
has furnished the church with all her diplomat
for centuries. Many popes and other chief men 0
the Catholic world have been trained there Throug
the operation of this institution diplomatic ca
reer and other high church positions were closed t
all not of blue blood The pope decided to shut u
this institution forever and to throw open all posi-
tons to the sons of the poor and untitled as we
as to those of wealth and family. Not only So bu
he has named for many of the chief stations unde
him those of peasant origin like himself. He ha
halted the policy of Capitalization. He has stoppe
graft One notable instance was shown in the gift
of insignia of Office Happening to ask the prize
of one of these ornaments, Plus was struck by tn
exorbitance. On inquiry he found that twice a
much was asked for the articles they were wortl
He traced the dishonesty to its source and found
originated with middlemen He thereupon ordere
that in future the ieweler should deal direct an
there should be a. fixed scale of prices.
This most democratic of the pontiffs smoke
Jokes, says if he were young he would ride whee