of truth and honesty, must have given an unwonted
pleasure to the worn out, harassed, disappointed old man. "The holy
father," I read, "receiving with agitated feelings so many tokens of
homage, was delighted beyond measure." When the English poems were
recited to him, he called out, "can't understand a word, but it seems
good, very good." He spoke to each of the lads in turn, and, when he was
shown the statue of Washington, told them to give a cheer for their
country, to cry _Viva la Patria_ (the very offence, by the way, for which
ten days before he had put his own Roman fellow-countrymen into prison),
and then when the boys cheered, he raised his hands to his ears, and told
them laughingly, they would drive him deaf. Now all this is very
pleasant, or in young-lady parlance, very nice, and I wish, truly, I had
nothing more to tell. I trust, indeed, that the long abstinence from
food (as a priest who is about to celebrate the communion is not allowed
to touch food from midnight till the time when Mass is over, and in these
matters of observance Pius IX. is reputed to be strictly conscientious)
or else the excitement of the scene had been too much for the not very
powerful mind of the Pontiff; otherwise I know not how you can excuse an
aged man, on the brink of the grave, to say nothing of the Vicegerent of
Christ, using such language as he employed.

"After much affectionate demonstration, the Holy Father could no longer
restrain his lips from speaking, and, turning his penetrating glance
around, spoke as follows," in the words of the _Giornale_:

"One of the chief objects of the most high Pontiffs has ever been, the
propagation and maintenance of the faith throughout the world. Their
efforts therefore have always been directed towards the establishment of
colleges in this sovereign city, in order that the youth of all nations,
who would have to preach the faith in the different Catholic countries,
might receive their education here. In the foundation then of this new
college, he had only followed in the steps of his illustrious
predecessors. It thus seemed to him that he had rather performed a
simple duty, than an act deserving praise. After his Holiness had
pointed out, what a great blessing the faith was, how indeed it was a
true gift of Heaven, the sole solace and comfort vouchsafed to us
throughout the vicissitudes of fortune, he then expressed his extreme
distress, that in these days, this very faith sh