A STRIKING PICTURE OF THE POPE.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XX, Issue 27, 22 April 1892, Page 18

A STRIKING PICTURE OF THE POPE.

We (Modern Society) take the following interesting extracts from Eugene Wolff's account of his reception by the Pope :— " I must admit that, despite the red furniture, the red carpet, the red ornaments, and the red covering of the throne, I saw only white colours at that moment. I saw only the Pope ; he seemed to take op all the space, so deep, so powerful, was the impression which he made upon me. Ido not mean anything disrespectful when I say that I seemed to Bee in that first moment only a wonderfully executed wax figure of the real Pope before me, with eyes moved by some strange mechanism. I was speechless in the presence of this white, pale, quiet, earnest, supernatural apparition. My eye was so fascinated by the figure that I must have sat there speechless for seconds. A white silken cap, beneath which the silver locks appeared, covered the back part of the mighty prelate's bead. Over the emaciated body he wore peculiar white cloth, neither flannel nor wool, especially made for the Pope. A cape of the same material covered the shoulders. The white, semi-transparent, delicate hands— which gave that velvet.like soft handshake which heretofore I had only felt when grasping the hands of Anton Bubinstein— -were covered with fine wollen mittens. White, warm wollen stockings were on the feet. Tbe slippers were made of red velvet, ornamented with gold. About his neck, hanging to a precious cbam, the Pope carried a wonderful cross, rich in jewels. On tbe first finger of the right hand was the Papal seal ring, with an emerald the size of a small walnut, stir* rounded by old and valnable Brazilian diamonds. It may be recalled here that each Pope's seal ring, at the wearer's death, is beaten into small bits with a hammer by the oldest Cardinal, in the presence of his colleagues.

" The end of a small snuff-box could be setn above the whitesilken Bash which tht Holy Father wore about bis hips. At timer during the interview he held the box to hia nose with evident pleasure.

" The effect of the sedentary life of the Pope can be seen easily in bis face. The silver locks fall upon the white, thin face, which is almost transparent. The lack of exercise in light and air, in the woods— in short, in God's free nature— is evident in every Hoe of the face. The ears are snow-white and transparent. Although the body of the Pope is weak, his mind is still powerful: The small brown eyes move about restlessly in their sockets. In an ordinary convsrsation they look mildly and sympathetically upon the speaker, but they almost sparkle when a theme is touched of special interest to His Holiness."