The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-02-27


peculiar interest at this time. One OF
the strongest Catholic laymen IN tho
United States is John D. Crimmins OF
New York. Mr. Crimmins has beer
granted the honor of being received by
the holy father and has prepared fol
The Sunday Tribune IN interesting
story about the pope. 1t follows;
BY JOHN D. CRIMMINS.
Prepared especially for the Salt Lake
Tribune.
The last door is thrown open to us
and VIC find ourselves in the presence
Of the pope Dressed from head to
foot in white. a sturdy, wcll-knit frame
rather under than over the middle
height. of easy and digniied bearing,
Pins Y would not look the seventy years
he carries but for one thing At n
little distance he looks not unlike hls
great predecessor, Plus TX, but the re-
sembIance fades as you study his face
moro closely. On the whole, 1T is not
an uncommon type Of face, but there is
Il wonderful blending of gcntlepess and
strength in the curves Of the mouth,
reflected again IN the quiet gray eyes
(Which great artist has described ms
"Irish eyes -. whose genera! expires
sion is that of kindness and thought
fuIness, but which light up keenly ev-
cry now and then when he is specially
interested II is a good face, a kindly
face, strong face, which prepares You
at once for The fstherly cordiality Of
your reception. lt is face that sets
YOU al your case in moment, that en-
ables Won 10 accept without emharrass-
mcnt his invitation TO YOU TO seat your
self close to him, and to say out wha {
YOU have in your heart.
But if | we're asked what [ consider
the dominant note in the appearance of
Plus y, ] would answer at once that
1T is An immense, overshadowlng, per
sisicnt sense OF responsibility; those hu-
man characteristics which make Plus
y the most lorable of pontiffs are, after
all. only like flashes OF sunshine on r
deep sea From what | have seen and
from what | know OF our holy father,
| believe that for the last five years
and q half he has never for FIVE waking
minutes fully forgotten that the whole
weight OF God 5 great church is rest
ing on his shoulders and that he must
bear IL until his body is laid away in
the niche in St Peters. which now
holds all that is mortal Of ms pred
ecessors
New Story About Pontiff.
You have read many anecdotes Of
Plus X Let me add another here which
has never been published and which
illustrates pathetically what | have just
been saving. You know that the pope s
TWO sisters. who have kept house for
him all his life, have followed him TO
Rome. They lead n very plain life in
n small fat, almost within n stone s
throw of the vatican. When they look
out at night from the window Of their
rarlor, they see one light shining out
from the gloom OF the great palace of
thc pope's. and they do not need TO
be told that up there their brother IS
working and praying for the church.
But at certain times they are privileged
To spend an hour or half an hour with
hlm alone in the evening. as they used
TO do when he was a cardinal or bishop
or parish priest, Usually they talk
about old times and old friends. but
ibere arc times when the visit is in
linitely touching. They note ut a
glance that their brother has had much
10 trouble him that day, for he looks
older and full of care md mis- smile OF
welcome has died away almost imme-
diately. And the three SIT there to-
ecther in perfect silence, the simple
black-robed women tolGng their beads,
witA their eyes fixed tenderly and sor-
rowfIliy on his face, and the white
figure between them motionless In his
chair, They say nothing, for they see
his mind is not there-perhaps they
know that the pope is that moment
thinking Of France. and he sees the
churches there being robbed aud pro-
famed, the idea of God being torn up
from the hearts of fhe people. and the
figure of Christ, whose vicar he is, re-
moved from the land. That. gentlemen.
IS ! think, a subject worthy of great
artist.
Attend the Pope's Mass
The privilege of attending the pope s
mass at the early hour Of in the
morning, in the small chapel adioiu-
ing his apartments. aud receiving from
his hands the sacred host. is occasion
ally granted to Catholic visitors in
Rome. Admission is by card; gentle