Las Vegas optic., 1914-08-20

port of his mother and sisters, who
found life hard struggle. especially
in the winter.
His eloquence led 70 MS being call
ed at the age of 40 to Treviso as chan
cellor of the diocese. and shortly
after he was appointed professor of
theology in the seminary. Nine years
of strenuous work followed. crowned,
in 1884. by his assumping the mitre
as bishop of Mantau.
Leo XIII conferred upon Bishop
Sarto the title of Roman Count and
in the consistory of June, 1898, ere
ated him cardinal giving him the Ro-
man church of San Bernardo from
which to take his title. He was so
poor that he was unable to pay the
fees connected with the acceptance
of the new dignity, but some of his
admirers came forward and provided
him with the necessary funds.
Creating him cardinal, Leo XIII ap-
pointed him also patriarch of Venice,
but he did not leave Mantau until a
year later, owing to conflict between
the Italian government and the Holy
See, over the right of the house of
Savoy to be consulted before the ap-
pointment of patriarch, the govern.
ment having inherited the rights of
the republic of Venice. The dispute
was cut short by King Humbert also
appointing Cardinal Sarto as patriarch
of Venice.
The patriarch's relations with the
house of Savoy were always most cor
dial Every time that their majesties
or the princes visited Venice he paid
them a visit and presented his hon.
age. He was one of Queen Marghe-
rita's confessors, and only few
months before the death of Leo XIII
he was next the Count of Turin in
public, when he (the patriarch) bless
ed the foundation stone of the new
Campanile in Piazza San Marco He
was the candidate of Leo XIII as his
successor, but he so little realized the
future that when he left venice in
July, 1903, for the conclave in Rome,
he bought "a return ticket.
In the conclave the struggle was for
and against Cardinal Rampolla, Leo
XIIPs secretary of state, whose
chances were lost when Cardinal Puz-
yna pronounced the veto of Austria
against him, which veto was supposed
to represent the triple alliance. Then,
needing compromise" pope, all eyes
turned to Cardinal Sarto, who at first
of the Roman Province and Sovereign
cept the high position, being elected
almost unanimously On August 4, as
suming the title of:
Pope Piux X, Bishop of Rome and
Vicar of Jesus Christ, Successor of
st. Peter, Prince of the Apostles; Su-
preme Pontiff of the Universal Church
Patriarch of the West, Primate of
Italy; Archbishop and Metropolitan
of the Rman Province and Sovereign
of the Temporal Dominions of the
Holy Roman Church.
The pontificate of Pope Plus X was
characterized by that spirit of mod
esty which never abandoned him and
by that strong religious feeling which
made him choose as motto, ITO re-
store everything in Christ" The day
after his coronation he was asked to
give orders for his private apartment
in the Vatican, and while he urged
the then young Monsignore Merry del
Val, his pro-secretary of state, to oc-
cupy the gorgeous Borgia apartment,
he himself chose four small rooms in
the low-ceilinged suite above the state
dPdl lAiChI VI tAO pOulills NulCu unuOl
Leo XIII had been occupied by his
private secretary, Mgr Angel.
Plus X desired to give himself up
entirely to his work In so doing he
did not spare any fatigue, and giving
audiences, admitting people to large
receptions, celebrating masses, preach
ing, giving communion, reached such
point of exhaustion that while in
the exercise of his priestly function
in the Pauline chapel, crowded, with
people, he tainted, and thus started
that report which pursued him ever
after-that he was liable to fainting
fits, which was quite untrue, as that
was the. only occasion on which he
suffered IN that way. and it was en-
tirely due to the heat and the vitiated
air of the chapel.
That was the first opportunity for
the officials of the Vatican to step
in and on fhp nratayt of nrntpotiu o