The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, September 13, 1903, Page 6

THE SUNDAY CAL INCIDINTS -2~ HUMDLE POTHCLY L] +* > “Not Beppo? Not That Little Rascal?” Exclaimed an Ancient Neighbor on Hearing of His Election—Angelo Sarto Is De- lighted, as He Believes His | Brother Will Now Buy Him a | Mule and Cart and Enable Him | | to Become a Local Magnate. | His Sister Is Certain He Will | Die in 1912, and Gives Strange | Reasons for That Belief—His ‘ Holiness Is Not Altogether | Happy as Prisoner of the Vat- i ican. - Oh, what a mis- or Beppo, who so mfortable ch Who = t sery he will go hrough iat prison there in said with tears h Maria, sister that he news the and they epitomize ut this ele- one of the to ns on earth, humble, has never will ve no am- as yet, ever be rs b and, to count on what His only er Pius X's piazzi Venice, lord- ants ahd ta Pope” but humble an he subsided I must owe & never have on eould but which cer- vi and make more or less brilllant mar- riages That Sarto Boy Stole Cherries. The Pope's early tralning was all sgainst fitting him for his new position. His younger years were spent in a coun- try village emid the most dire poverty, his days passed in helping his parents and sisters in their work or in trying him- self to earn & few ceonts from time to time; often hungry, aithough not really lacking the necessities of life. The win- ter was the hardest period, as cold pene- trated the walis of the little two-story house, clothing was insufficlent and he hed to wear shoes and stockings, which be hated. Bchool was not even mentioned. Education in those days, sixty years ago, was certainly not compuisory, and even his parents thought little of it, for many peasants then, as now, could not even sign their names Beppo (diminutive for Gluseppe), how- ever had the fortune to attract the at- tention of the parish priest, who taught him the letters and set him on the road to learning, and, once started, he went on by himself. An old farmer of the district, now near- ly % years of ege, when told that Gilu- seppe Sarto had been made Pope, ex- claimed: “Not Beppo? Not that little rascal? Many are the cherries he has taken off my trees, me underneath the tree with a stick and he bidding me deflance and pelting me with the stones. The last time be @id 1t I caught his boot and a merry dance we had about that fleld. But he was & good chap. When my old woman éied end he was already Cardinal he for- got his dignity and heilped me not only with money, but with prayers. If I was not so old 1 would go and visit him at the Vatican!” Bishop Monaco toock & fancy to the bright boy and sent him to school, where he was head and front of all the mis- chief. He then took orders, and thus the career which was to end on the pinnacle ©of earthly success was Inaugurated. At the age of 23 he was assistant to the par- fsh priest of Tombolo and here was firsf ®een’ the characteristic which was later to distinguish him. Give, give—has al- ways been his motto, give with one hand &nd then with the otber, and if neces- sary with both together; but never cease. Robbed Him of His Soup. So far has he carried this precept that to go without his dinner while another ate was too common an occurrerice to cause remark. Once, In those days, when he €old his little horse to pay some debts contracted by his family, he came home half dead after a tramp of miles to the deathbed of a man who proved to have little the matter with him, and sat down to a steaming plate of soup. “This is good,” he exclaimed, when the spoon was arrcsted half way to his mouth by the appearance of a young person who came in at the door, sat down at the table, reached over, took his soup and calmly ate it all to the last spoonful. She then rose, dropped a courtesy to the epelibound priest, and as she left, sald Jauntily: “It was very good; they told me you lived on bread and water to serve the poor, and I wanted to prove that it was a lle.” Such was all the thanks this was the only time o his charity was not only in given with a bad grace. His poor old mother adored him, but re- with him when he rose to on of parish priest. my dear,” she sald, “I was born Riese, and here 1 shall die. Go , enjoy your good fortune and linen to me when it needs he got, and record when luntary, but fused to live the splendid p mending Unsuited for Luxury. And with this blessing she sent him out loved son. ry shrewd, and when ave liked to live with what was considered the brililant of sister w0 a parish priest, she o, daughters, you stay where you re you will put on airs and so married, while here you are 1 are, and the boys will take you * which proved true with three The other three, after the er, lived in the Arch- t the Cathedral of St. with thefr brother, their to wife life being to make him omfortable; hence the lament h this article begins. . rather hard. As 1 give them noth- will much care. As rch of Venice they which the e Patr hav ered society and taken a 1 fon; but they took no a life and positively re- Il overtures. What can Plus X Only make life easier by giving m mc which they do not want, while in being elected Pcpe everything for which the poor ladies, no longer young, cared for has been removed at one blow. Beppo! he is thelr world, and is now practically dead to them. Even if they came to Rome they could not see him, unless they formally asked an audi- ence, while the comfortable talks and gos- sips, the loving doing of little services, the family meals are all a thing of the past. He Is Pope, they are peasants, and 1o amount of love can bridge the chasm. Strange Coincidence. These three ladles, itke all women of their class, are superstitious and have made up thelr minds that Beppo's election to the chair of St. Peter has set a limit to his life. “If it had been next year the charm would have been broken,” sald Maria, “but now there is positive proof that he will die In 1912. Whenever the perlods of 9 come I expect a change, and no one can say without reason. At 9 years of age he began to study serlously; he was nine vears parish priest, nine years vicar gen- eral, nine years Bishop, nine years Car- dinal, and, of course, he will be nine years Pope. And after that there is noth- ing but heaven to attaln, so, of course, he will leave us.”” And nothing would or could persuade her to the contrary. Meanwhile the Pontiff, for his part, is not altogether happy in his “prison.” 8o far his entire time has been absorbed in giving audiences and making appoint- ments, but the confinement has already told on the strong, hearty man who does not look much over 60, and he misses the care of his feminine relatives. A button comes off, and there is only a man to sew it on; his rooms are not well dusted, and there seems to be no one to complain to; his meals are dalnty, but not prepared as he is accustomed to having them; his spiced wine does not taste as it should; his bed has lumps, or his bath is too cold. Unhappy in the Vatican. These little woes are felt acutely by one who has never even had to think of such things. Above all, he misses the sea, his swims therein, and his long walks along the sands. To a famillar who was with him In the Vatican gardens he exclaimed: “Shall 1 always have this longing for the country and for the sea? It is rather an aggravation than otherwise to look at the promised land, which is in this case the sea (Mediterranean) from the obser- vatory, and not be able to go near it. I want to walk, climb, run if need be, any- thing to make my blood circulate.” After which outbreak he seemed to feel better, and he went on laughingly: “Do you know my temper is even de- teriorating, 1 who used to never let any- thing trouble me!" This should not be taken, however, to mean that Pius X is not proud of his new’ position, with a deep appreciation of his responsibility and privileges. He is an interesting figure to the outside world, be- cause so totally unknown. He is hand- some and benignant, but not stately; charitable and plous, but not too free- handed. In other words, he is a good- looking, large-hearted, frugal-minded, peace-loving man, made to be even a Car- dinal, if you like, but not the man one would naturally picture as the head of Roman Catholicism, a leader of men and director of a delicate machine ltke the Holy Bee. 1. COCHRANE. WONDERFUL LAND OF UGANDA HE attention of the public being turned, at this time, with so much interest toward the Uganda protec- torate, in Africa, the question nat- urally arising as to its resources for sustaining life to settlers when they first errive in the country should recelve some attention. Its tree and plant growth furnish an ample supply of frult and vegetable dlet end the country abounds in game, while the lakes and rivers are plentifully sup- plied with fish. Although the negroes seem to be Incapable or disinclined to tame for thelr use the wild creatures which live around them, a great number of domestic animals are found, descend- ants, probably, of those brought from the north, from Egypt, importations from Asia, in the distant past. Great herds of cattle and sheep form the chief means of subsistence for the Masal and cer:! other tribes. Dogs, a-few cats, cn(:zl: pigs, fowls and horses are found In great- er or less numbers, but none of the an- cestors of these animals are indigenous to the country., They thrive because of the natural resources of the land to which they have been transplanted. So that be- sides the possibilities of mineral wealth, as yet entirely undeveloped, the excellent pasturage gives promise of unlimited in- come to the farmer and cattle raiser. The natives work for infinitesimal wages and being great lovers of animal food may be depended upon to take excellent care of the flocks and herds. Their wants are few, simple and easily supplied. Some of the Semitic or Hamitic races seem to have domesticated some of the African animals. Elephants are found in large numbers, herds of giraffes, which form a strange feature of & aistant land- scape, many varieties of antelopes and monkeys galore may be expected to come into view at almost any turn, It has been an open question, now set- tled in the afirmative, that chimpansees inhabit the Uganda Protectorate, where they bufld rude houses in the trees. These and the ourang are almost human In their intelligence and are very amusing companions, when trained in the ways of civilization, The Patas monkey lives al- : ost entirely on the ground and has long legs resembling a greyhound. Its head is chestnut on top and the remainder of the body is white and mixed yellow. There are large, dark green monkeys ang little monkeys with white-tipped noses, monkeys to silt the requirements of ev- dishes and the writer is acquainted with & young Spanish woman from South Amer- fca who was found crylng In her room one day because we have nothing decent to eat in the United States She was long- ing for a plece of bakel monkey. The idea seems to come & little too near home with some of us. Zebras are not uncommon In the Uganda Protectorate, and numbers of those most viclous, unsightly, nearly- blind left-overs, the members of the rhi- ,; L Q\ noceros family, are found. These travel in pairs, sometimes accompanied by & calf, but never in herds. As this is the home of the ostrich, it would seem that its cultivation would be a most profitable industry. It may easily be seen that the future wealth of the country will be great. Added to the Incalculable mineral resources is the climate, which is so va- ried owing to its position relative to the equator and the heights cf its oumerous mountains, that nearly ail crops may be cultivatéd and frults raired. The vast grazing tracts afford pasturage and the hillsides furnish sites for health resorts unsurpassed in natural advantages. The bountiful supplies of fish and game at- tract the sportsmen. ‘While labor is so cheap and plentiful here comes the old story of how to reck- on with the present proprietors of the soll, those to whom it has descended from all past ages. It is a foregone con- clusion that history will repeat Itself. Meantime a study of the native tribes is intensely Interesting. The inhabitants of many of the provinces seem nearly allled in appearance, customs and languages, N o~ ciE5E ) 2 oS P oo e 717 § : SOt B e -2 P A\ Az oss - ‘while others are these respects. Some are large, finely de- veloped specimens of the negro race, others, the Andorobo, for instance, who live with the Masal for protection, are entirely dissimflar In SN\ 3. i very small. The little creatures subsist largely on game poisoned by arrows dip- ped in a decoction of leaves and bark. The Masal appear to present as many agreeable characteristics for study as any of the many native tribes, There are thought to be, all told, about 50,000 mem of this tribe within the limits of the protectorate. Of these about 30,000 are semi-nomadlc, ranging their cat- tle from one feeding ground to another. Around the shores of Lake Baringo are about 15,000 more, calling themselves Bya~ rusl. The remainder are colonized at dif- ferent points. “About 50,000 Masal are reai- dent In the East African protectorate. A great many are employed in the construce tion of the Uganda Raflway. The tendency of the tribe seems to be toward decrease. The women wear cloth. ing enough to enable them to present a decent appearance In accepted African good soclety. The men seem to regard such possessions except some trifiing or- naments or a cape of leather or cloth to throw over the shoulders when ex~ posed to cold, as superfluities. Their ears are weighted down with all sorts of trash, even small wooden milk palls being some- times pendant therefrom. Strings eof beads on the neck and anklets are worm. The Turkana and Suk languages are re- lated to the Masal. Those who speak them have the curious custom of comb~ Ing out their hair as long as possible and plaiting in that of their dead ances- tors, which has been cut off and which they inherit from generation to geners~ tion. The huge bag depends m the scalp with an opening behind the nape of the neck. The exterior Is coated with fat and clay and ornamented with ostrich plumes of various colors. At the end a stiff wire curves upward, to which is attached a ball of white down like & powder puff. Within this mass its owner carries his most valued amall belongings. Many other races are found In this rich country, where the labor problem seema solved for years to come. To the BONANZA KINGS THE LITERARY FIND OF THE YEAR. Recollections and Reflections 01 the Men Who Girdled the World With Gold. Ry THOMAS FITCH The Silver Tongved Oralor. Next Sunday’s Call.