The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1914-08-21

LEAvISG VENICE THE HABIT T1A2M had strongly intellectual face, with piercing eyes, but his smile was full of good will. sFe
 sI admired principally, however. his ereat simplicity of manner and his air of absolute sincerity. His democratic tendencies appealed to me. The pope declined to permit me to kneel to him, as IS customary, but took my hand in the American manner and gripped it cordially.
 sEThe impression received from my long conversation with him and the walk through the vatican was one of deep regard for his well developed artistic sense. He had an intense and deep appreciation of the beauties and glories of the art treasures of the Vat ican, and his observations and com ments were not those of a mere anna teur, but. of trained connoisseur of art
 We talked of religion in our coun- try. and was pleased to find that the pope was fully cognizant of the condt- tions in the United States. He twice remarked that Americans were very good Christians."
 The first man to gain the privilege
 
 X.. was Henry J. Thaddeus, British artist, who is native Of Ireland and Catholic.
 .I was staying in Rome at the time of Leo XIE.'s death," said the artist after the picture was finished, ''and as soon as his successor was chosen I sent in my application for permission to paint his portrait. Fortunately had a friend among the cardinals, and through his influence, after many weary days of waiting, I was told that the pope. would be graciously pleased to see me and give me some sitttngs. It was then the middle of August and Rome was almost unbearably hot. I hardly know whom pitied the more. the holy father. swathed in his heavy pondfcal robes, or myself, dressed in evening clothes and sweating gallons at every pore. really believe could have Wrung the water out of my suit.
 Patient and Kind.
 ssThe patience and kindness of the pope during thes four sittings were re- markabie, especially when one consid- CTS how worn out he was with attend ing toeecclesiastical affairs, which oc- cupied him nearly every moment of the day. Yet, in spite of all the. worry and strain of having to receive so many delegates and discharge so many pressing duties, he never exhibited the slightest degree of impotence Cor fa- tigue- He took the hveliest interest in the progress of the picture. 'eI was especially anxious to get the color of the eyes correctly, as I be- Heve that portrait painter should
 
 than any other part of the face. The eyes are tE.lly the windows of the soul and the keynote of the portrait. l Why. father.' I said one day after taking careful look at him, your eyes are blue, like an Irfshman's.s "'Suomo fratelli-we are brothers,' said the pope. smiling. Unlike the ma- l 1ority of Italians, Plus x. had a very keen sense of humor, and no one en- i 3oyed good joke more than be- In fact, he often shocked some staid and 1 pompous old cardinal by laughing at 1 some trivial incident which the lesser l churchman regarded as merely annoy ing. Do you know he told me one day, that is one of the great disad- vantages of being pope-you have to be so solemn, to take yourself so serf- ously all the time. do not think God meant us to be sad, and yet if laugh my cardinals are all scandalized.' i .Tn that respect. as well as in a good l many others. there was wide differ 1 ence between Leo XIII. and Plus x. 1 Leo XIII. was. like the rest of his coun- l. trymen, utterly lacking in sense of 1 the ridiculous. He smiled almost con- tinually. to be sure, but it was be | nignant. kindly smile. not a humorous one. Plus X. did not smile so often he was too oppressed with the cares and-weight;zo of -posiHon-hut he