The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1910-03-12
DAILY LIFE OF THE
PRESENT PON7|FF
Great Sense of Responsibility
a Dominant Char
acteristic.
No Decorations and Few
Pictures in His Working
Office.
The Trying Hour of the Day
Between 10 and IL
O'Clock.

O'Clock.
John D. Crimmins, a wealthy and
prominent Catholic in New York,
writes an interesting article for the
Salt lake Tribune on the life of the
present reigning Pontiff, Plus x. He
begins:
The last door is thrown open to us
and we find ourselves in the presence
of the Pope Dressed from head to
! foot in white, sturdy, Well-knit
frame, rather under than over the
middle height, Of easy and dignified
bearing, Plus x would not look the
seventy years he carries but for one
thing. At little distance he looks
not unlike his great predecessor, Plus
IX, but the resemblance fades az you
study his face more closely. On the
| whole, it is not an uncommon type of
face, but there is wonderful blend
| ing of gentleness and strength in the
curves of the mouth, reflected again
in the quiet gray eyes (Which a great
artist has described as Irish eyes"),
whose general expression is that of
kindness ard thoughtfulness, but
which light up keenly every now and
then when he I is specially Interested.
But if We're asked what consider
the dominant note in the appearance
of Plus x, would answer at once that
it is an immense, overshadowing, per-
sisting sense Of responsibility; those
human characteristics which made
Plus x the most lovable of pontiffs are,
after all, only like flashes Of sunshine
on deep sea. From what I have
seen and from what I know of our
Holy Father, I believe that for the
last five years and half he has never
for five waking minutes fully forgot
ten that the whole weight of Gods
great church is resting on his shoul-
ders and that he must bear it until
+ his body ig laid away in the niche in
St. Peters, which now holds all that
is mortal ot his predecessors. 4.
You have read many anecdotes of
Piux x. Let me add another here
which has never been published and
which illustrates pathetically what I
have just been saying. You know
that the Pope's two sisters, who have
kept house for him all his life, have
followed him to Rome. They lead a
very plain life in small flat, almost
within q stones throw of the Vatican
When they look out at night from the
window of their parlor, they see one
light shining out from the gloom of
the great. palace of the Pope's, and
they do not need to be told that up
there their brother is working and
praying for the church. But at GER
tain times they are privileged to spend
an hour or half an hour with him
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
there are times when the visit is in
finitely touching. They note at a
glance that their brother has had much
to trouble him that day, for he looks
older and full Of care and his smile
Of welcome has died away almost i'm
mediately And the three sit there
together in perfect silence, the simple
black-robed women telling their beads,
with their eyes fixed tenderly and sor-
rowfully 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 and pro-
famed, the idea of God being torn up
from the hearts of the people, and the
figure of Christ, whose vicar he is. re-
moved from the land. That, gentle
men, is, think, q subject worthy of q
great artist.
| The privilege Of attending the Pope's
mass at the early hour of in the
morning, in the small chapel adjoin-
| ing his apartments, and receiving from
his hands the sacred host, IL OCCASION
ally granted to Catholic visitors in
i