The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1922-01-31


new pope who will be elected In
Rome this week will. be the 260th
in the line descending from Peter
Leo XIII considered that ne was
the 263rd pope, but since his death
five names have been discarded
from the list owing to the doubt OF
their being authentic.
The popes have sprung from all
walks of life. Sixtus V eherded
sheep, Leo K came from a family
who were masters of Florence be-
cause of their riches, Adrian VI
was the son of a ship carpenter
Paul V was a noble, Sixtus Nv was
waif, and Plus X was a peasant
The reign of Plus TX was the
longest of any pope, and that Of
Boniface VI was the shortest The
former ruled for over 81 years, and
the latter but Is days.
Volumes have been written about
the personalities and eccentricities
of the popes. Sixtus V was SO ag-
gressiVe that he changed the face
of Rome and the world in five years.
Plus TX was such chronic
speechmaker that he delivered AL
addresses in little more than four
years+an average of two a week.
Gregory XVI was hard-headed and
opposed the construction of rail-
ways because he believed that me-
chanical industry would deprive
many people of their means of live
lihood. Macauley says that Leo \
occupied himself with canoes, jew
els, antiques and new sauces. Mich
olas V was fond of books and had
passion for building. Leo XIII
was cold, calculating and scholar
ly, and accomplished much by his
masterful diplomacy. The private
character OF some of the popes has
been assailed. particularly that of
Alexander vi, who was in power
when the news of Columbus dis
covery of America reached Rome.
Army Lost In st. Peters.
There are so many churches in
Rome that to visit them at the rate
of one a day would require more
than years time These vary in
size from the small chapel capable
OF accommodating only a few per-
sons, to great st. Peters which
is so large that once when the Ro-
man army went there to attend
mass, the assembled rank and file
fell so far short of filling the vast
edifice that when the general ar
rived he looked about him hastily
and concluded that the army was
late. There are 10000 persons in
Rome who devote their whole time
to ecclesiastical matters.
st. Peters not only dWarfs all
the other churches of Rome, but
ranks as the giant edifice of the
world. A famous author likened
the surprise occasioned by the first
view of its towering proportions to
the feeling one would have if he
met man 40 feet tall. Figures and
comparisons can only partially por-
tray the real magnitude of this CO.
lossus. 1t covers six acres. It's
main aisle is an eighth of a mile
long, and its dome is a twelfth OF
a mile high. If st. Peters were
flooded the largest ship that sails
the ocean could steam up the CEN
trail aisle and it's masts would
scarcely reach above the top of the
high altar. If it's capacity were
taxed to the utmost a congregation
of $4,000 people might assemble
within its walls, and 100000 more
could wait outside within the en-
closure of the colonnades. In the
lofty dome there is mosaic of st.
Luke with a pen in his hand. From
the great height the pen seems OF
ordinary size, but in reality it is
eight feet long.
On account Of its age, and be-
cause it shelters the burial place