THE POPE.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXI, Issue 5, 22 August 1911, Page 3

THE POPE.

Pope Pius X., whose health is far from good at present, was horn 76 years ago in the little town of Riese, which is a few miles north of Venice

—“the Queen of the Adriatic.” Unlike his illustrious : predecessor, lie is not of aristocratic birth. His parents belonged to, the working class, his father being in the employ of the Town Council of Riese, his mother a tailoress. He was the second of a family of ten, four boys and six girls. When he had passed all the standards at the school at Riese, lie continued his education at the high school at Castlefranco, which was about five miles from bis home, and to which he walked daily. As he grew older lie saw plainly how very difficult it was for his struggling parents to provide for their large family. In order to economise it, was his custom to take off his hoots and walk barefooted from Riese to Castelfranco, carrying his boots over bis shoulder and putting them on only when in sight of tho high school. The youth, who had a strong desire to study for the priesthood, was brought under the notice of Cardinal Monico, * tile Patriarch of Venice, who gave him a free place in the seminary at Padua. During his college course he was noted for his close application to study. On September 18th, 1858, he was ordained priest. It is, indeed, a strange coincidence that wo should hear of the Pope’s serious illness to-day, as he enters into the ninth year of his Pontificate. The dumber nine has been prominent thi'ofigiiout his life. For nine years he veils hi -schoolboy at itiesc-'j ■ nitte ‘years-Ui’ student in the seminary ; > nine years a curate at ■Tombhhi'; ; 1 1Hii‘$ J yb’. J i I fs 'pi/fislV' pi'iosP’nf Salzofin; nine yonfs 1 Bishop of AlanJulyjl'9o3; a li tills 1 , later Cuiseppe of Venice. His mother was still alive When ho w.W‘ created Cardinal. She died in 1894. 800 XIII. died in July, 1903; a little later Guiseppo j Sarto was chosen liis successor, and crowned in St. Peter’s, Rome, on August 9th of the same year.