A PORTRAIT OF THE POPE.

Waikato Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2254, 18 December 1886, Page 2 (Supplement)

A PORTRAIT OF THE POPE.

Under the title of " Souvenirs dun Jour, n.ilistic Franchise a Rome," M. Henry dcs Houx has just written an interesting book on the ius and outs of the Vatican " prison.'' Heie is his sketch of the Pope himself: " Leo XIII. blesses his audience with a graceful and kingly gesture. He has a merry mouth. His smile does not possess that Voltairian expression found in so many of his photographs. On the contrary, it is rather gentle and paternal. His eyes are very black and brilliant. His features, ascetic and strongly marked, have become benexolent and engaging. He rrmst have had great difficulty to accommodate his countenance, such as'naturo made it, to the august role of Holy Father&hip. Perhaps the soul of a Pope modifies the exterior lineaments in the long run. Like St. Francois do Sales, who wa« born dogmatic choleric, bub who became, by continual self-subjection, an anerel of sweetness, Leo XIII., on being made Pope, must have overcome, or at least subdued, a violent character. His Holiness is still vigorous, in spite of his leanness and senile trembling. His hair is white, and arranged in curls over his temples. His cassock seems t » envelop only the shadow of a body, just enough humanity to hold a soul. He s>poaks very slowly, particularly when he speaks in French. "In Italian he improxies with rapidity, but in French he has to call on his mcnoiy, which is excellent. This slowness eive-> a singular relief to the utterance of Pope Leo. The action precedes ralher than accompanies the word. With his arms extended he .leeui.s co invite the whole uuiver.se to come and receive his thoughts. The oratorical action of Hn Holiness is in reality a cutioiu study. It can hardly lie called classic, but it uives to his .speech an academic ijroadth and nnpa>»-i )in > d vivacity not to bo found in the puntid te\t. Nobody reading his allocution-* would «wr imagine the ettoct they produced <>n delivery, (jnlike Pius IX., who allows! himself to bo can ted a way by his Ikmv f-liquence, and who always nlteml hi-> discourses before they were printed, L>*> Xtllhas little to correct; his sp'«cli.*s ;ire meditated, weighed and leatnol beforehand. I remember being at Bt. Peter's when he addressed several thoimaud Italian pilgrims. I w.i-. too far off to hear what he said. His gesticulation was excessively violent. The next day I e<pected to read a terrible philippic ; it was a honeyed homily, almost an idyl."

There is frozen music in many a heart that the beams of encouragement would melt into glorious song.