The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1911-03-12
ARMY OF VATICAN
BEING CUT DOWN.
Pope Plus Is Doing Away.
With Supcrfluous
Attendants
CUTTING DOWN EXPENSES E;
Holy Father FIas Little Sym
pathy With Ancient Ponp
and Ceremony 81
CUTTING DOWN EXPENSES
Especial Cable to The Times. Dispatch.l ~ II

lopeclal NaDIe 10 Inc Times. DISPATCH 80
Rome, March l1.-While reforms are
taking place in all European armfcs,$
Speclal mention OF what is taking
place now in the small, army Of the;
Pope may be interesting.
Ire recent Pope, from tile beginning
Of his. pontncate. showed a marked
disposition to cut down all expenses
that ne considered superiluous. aiming
object the pomp and ceremony Of
State. He began by supressing the
horses which We're kept in the Vatican
stables for. the Noble Guard, In view
of the improbability that the 1;Holy5
Father might one day desire to leave
his voluntary prison for q drive
case he would have to be escorted bx3
this bodyguard. which was origina liyg
formed by the analg ma ton Of Paul
VS. Lancers. with q still older cavalry
The Palatine Guard a regiment Of
militia formed by volunteers Of the
Roman middle class, are now scarcely
seen. as the occa sions on Which they
should be present, such as great func-$
tons in St. Peters, are so rare. The!
gendarmes intrusted with tile policing
OF the vatican are. strange to say,
taken entirely from those who have
served as carabineers in the army OF
Italy, the two bodies being Identical
in organization and also in uniforms
the only substantial difference being
that the Papal gendnrmes have grey
trousers and blue bands and tile
Italian cara5inecrs black trousers and
red bands. Plus \. augmented and
the fire which shortly after his ascension
to the throne. threatened TO destroy!
the Vatican library
Now II is the turn Of reform in, the
Swiss Guard. the institution OF which
dates from the sixteenth century, un-s
der SiNtus w. who chose a regiment
Of Helvetians for their unshakableS
loyalty. 81
Last year the commander OF the
Swiss Guard. Baron Meyer de-
Schauensee died, and in his place Col
oncl Repond, OF F'riburg, was appoint
ed. who. as soon as he arrived IN Rome
having taken orders from the Pontiff
undertook a thorough inquiry in the
organization Of the body put under his
command. The first result OF this has
been the resignation OF lieutenant
colonel. At the same time Colonel
Repond is carrying on strict reforms:
in order to restore this nucleus Of the
tons, insisting above all that the SOL
dIers should really be recruited ac-8
cordins to the rules OF the Swiss army
in switzerland. while for .years,it has
| many OF the Swiss OF the Pope came
from the Albanian hills.
Tile new commander has restored
military exercise. including rifle pr;lc-s
tice, which had practically fallen into
disusc. In the matter of uniforms the.
Swiss Guard has had only one. the
gala uniform. which is SO Well known
to all visitors TO the Vatican. This
II owed to .Michelangelo,,who has thus
preserved to posterlty the Swiss ma 4
tional costume OF his day Therefore
the present Swiss Guard, since this
gorgeous uniform would be unsuitable g.
for doing active exercises, has been in.
the habit of drilling in mufti. The new
commander is now considering TIE
adoption OF an ,lndreSs uniform which,.
while harmonizing with the picturesque
and particolored garments 70 which
guards are accustomed, shall be;
adapted TO modern requirements sSg33