The Irish standard., 1918-11-09
bid them rise and stand at their

to DID them rise ana STAND at their
ease.
First impressions are sometimes diff
ficult to analyze. Mine for once were
not. They were in three distinct
stages. First, the purely physical,
without any mental effort, that of sur
prise at the smallness of His Holt
ness's stature. Somehow from his pic
lures had imagined him to be fair
ly tall man, and now he scarce seemed
to reach over the shoulder of the Car
dinal who accompanied him.
My second impression was His Holi-
ness's (almost) sanity meekness and
humility of manner, and third, and
most lasting impression of all, was
the force of character expressed in his
face.
In vain sought in it trace of the
clear cut, somewhat severe, cast of
countenance Of Leo XIII. Nor could
see any of the melancholy touch that
marked the features of the aate Pope,
Plus x. And, although his jet black
hair does not contain a suspicion of
gray, yet the face of Benedict XIV is
that Of an old man. In it are lines
that give evidence of the strong soul
beneath. l fancy Napoleon must have
had much such countenance..
His Holiness, whose name is Giaco-
mo della Chiesa, is one of the young
est pontiffs that has ever occupied the
throne of St. Peter. Unlike the late
Pope, Plus X, who belonged to the
peasant class, Benedict XIV is a NOM
Der of an ancient patrician family of
Italy. In May, 1914, he was raised
from an Archbishop to the CARDINAL
ate of Bologna, and four months later
"a month after the outbreak of the
war and the death of Plus X-he was
elected supreme Pontiff, assuming the
title Of Benedict XIV.
AS His Holiness passed informally
down the line, speaking to each one in
turn, he caught sight of my olive drab
uniform. Evidently the unusual color
American uniforms were not too
numerous in Rome at the time-mis-
led His Holiness, for when re reached
me he said, "Vous etes Belge?" ("You
are a Belgian?") "No, your Holiness"
I replied, american" "Ah, yes" he
said, and, noting the Red Cross on my
collar, "Of the American Red Cross"
For all Italians-and the Pope, who
is devoted to his native land-know
and appreciate the work of the Amer
lean Red Cross in Italy and just how
much it has meant to the nation. For
just when it was the Kingdoms dark
est hour and the enemy hordes we're
sweeping down across the plains
along the Piave then it was that the
Red Cross was able, two days after
the United States declared war on
Austria, to give tangible evidence that
the mighty republic would back Italy
in the struggle for her ideals by send
ing ambulance conveys. to the front
and establishing a special commission
to look after 1taly's needs. And today
scarce town but has felt of the sup
port that the Red Cross has given
from Milan to far off Sicily, and the
Italians know and are grateful to the
Red Cross as we'll as to the United
States for her magnificent regiments
of fighting men.
After all had kissed the great en-
erald ring of Saint Peter that the Pope
wore on his right hand His Holiness
made short address in Italian and
raised his hand to bestow the Papal
benediction.
AS he stood in the midst of the vari-
colored group, clad all in the purest
white, with his hands outstretched in
benediction, he reminded mo strange
ly of the figure Of the dove-symboli-
cal Of the Holy Spirit-s'e dding light
and benediction upon the world, and
this was the impression that carried
away with me and that remains gray
en- upon my memory-that of a dove.
What more fitting symbol than that
the representative on earth of the
Prince of Peace should resemble a |
dove?