People

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXX, Issue 12, 20 March 1902, Page 10

People

A new story is being- told of the days when Mark Twain was a hackwriter in San Francisco on a weekly salary representing but one figure, Bret Harte and Joaquin Miller serving- on the same staff with like pay A woman of means who patronised Bohemia ana gave the impecunious strugglers many a good dinner, saw Mark Twain thinly clad and imperfectly shod, standing with a. cigar box under his arm and looking hungrily in at a confectioner's window. The patroness of letters asked what was in the box. ' Oh,' drawled the humorist, ' I'm moving again.' A remarkable cure for cancer of 120 gears' growth has been effected in San Jose, California, by means of the X-wxy, in the case of Father Comerlield, H." 5.v oars old. The cancer was of the lupus class, or skin cancer, and had been gradually spreading over the priest's face Prominent physicians of France America had pronounced it incurable. Three months ago Father Comerford placed himself under the caro of Dr. J. S. Hall, of San Francisco, who had just returned from a two years study in Europe. A daily treatment of 15 minutes under the X-ray was commenced. After the 20th treatment it could be seen that the cancer was healing. From that timo up to the 30th treatment the affected parts healed rapidly, until the cancer has entirely disappeared, leaving only a scar. Reviewing a book on Cardinal Newman, tho ' Athenaeum' speaks of the convert as ' the greatest religious force and one of the greatest intellects and most fascinating 1 personalities m tlu> 19th century.' In another pait of the same issue of the 'Athenaeum' another reviewer, speaking of Newman, says that ' the magic of his name continues and sheds interest on all the lesser stars who twinkled in his orbit.' Mgr Seton, who recently resigned the pastorate of St Joseph's chinch, Jersey Cit.v , with the intention of making his residence in future at Koin<\ is a member of a noble Scotch family which traces its ancestry back to the Norman Conquest. Pougall do Say-toun, of Norman parentage, was of the Knights of Scotland in the beginning of the 12th century. Later in the same century his descendant was Sir Christopher J)e Seton, and two centuries later a Lord Seton appears From that period the Setons and their relatives, branching into most of the noble families of Scotland, played an important and prominent part in Scottish history down to modern times. Mgr. Seton has compiled the record of his people in a recently published genealogical work entitled ' An Old Family ; or, The Setons of Scotland and America.' The book is dedicated to ' A dear

and honored kinsman, Sir BruceMaxwell Seton, of Abercorn, baronet.' Among the American members ol the family was tho late Mother Catherine Seton, who was one of thu first received into the Order of Mercy f when it was established in New York" by Aichbishop Hughes. Counsellor Francis CJarvey. a gentlonian known to till the members of the legal profession within the radius of more than 100 miles from St. Louis, died recently. He was m his H.">th >eai. Bom in Roselevm at the old family home of the (.Jarveys, ni'cii WestpoLt, County Mayo, Ireland. Francis (larvey graduated from Tiiiuty College, Dublin, and no man had a more admirable love for country and college. The themes were always on his tongue to the greatest delight of his listeners, who never seemed to tire of their recital. After graduating he took up the sliuly of law, becoming a barrister in tlie \ear 1 ft."? 6 He practised for some years in the Dublin and London Courts. In 1565 he went with his family to the United States, and after spending some time in New York and Chicago he eventually settled down m St Louis, where he engaged in the practice of his profession. He retired about 12 years ago They say that Pio Centra, the Pope's v ale! , receives a greater quantity of letters than any other man m Europe Hut Pio Centra takes less notice of the letters he finds every morning in his breakfast tray than any other man , for he simply takes little bundles of them while lie is drinking his chocolate ,iihl throws them into the tire without even looking at the addresses on tho envelopes Pio Centra lives w ith his family in a small pavilion in the Contre San Damaso, which is in the Vatican itself. He looks so distingue, with Ins clean-shaven face and Ins large, beautiful, gra\ eves, that those who do not know him take him for a Monsignor, and a high-born one. and when, as eaily as ."> a m , he crosses the yard which leads to the Pope's apartments, those he meets honor him with a deep bow These honors he receives with great dignity, and as if they were duo to him At six o'clock lie enters the apartments of his Holiness, whom he helps to get up and dress. Then lie assists at the ]\lass in the private chapel, kneeling behind the master, attends afterwards to the light collation, consisting; of toast and chocolate, and practically never leaves the Holy Father during the day To Pio Centra alone Dr Lapponi gives minute directions about diet, rest, or exercise, and the amount of sleep or work. More than once the Cardinals and high dignitaries have been horrified to see Pio Centra snatch a cup or glass from his master's hands, or gently compel him to sit down or coax him into a little walk.