The Topeka state journal. [volume], December 29, 1900, LAST EDITION, Editorial Section, Image 10

About The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980

Image provided by: Kansas State Historical Society; Topeka, KS

                
Scenes in the Lower and . Upper Houses Taken at Washington During the Past Week After the Opening of Congress,
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THE PRESENT CONGRESS OF THE UNITED STATES IS REMARKABLE IN MANY "WATS; OF THE THREE HUNDRED MEMBERS OF THE TWO HOUSES WHICH HELP TO
MAKE THE NATION'S LAWS DURING THIS SESSION. OVER TWO HUNDRED OF THEM HAVE SERVED BEFORE. MANY AND GRAVE ABE - THE QUESTIONS
WHICH ARE TO BE DISCUSSED THIS YEAR. AND ALREADY T HE VARIOUS COMMITTEES ARE AT WORK UPON THE BILLS WHICH MUST BE PUT THROUGH THE
SENATE AND HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.
THIRTY TONS OF RARE TREASURES.
The Vatican at Eome Contains Uore Gold Than Has Ever Been Found in
the lies ions of t he Klondike.
There Is one place In the world
svhere more gold is to be found than
las so far come out of the Klondike.
And, stranger still, in the same place,
:ht-re are more diamonds and other
;ems than the total output of the
fouth African diamond fields. This
srmt. rich as the mythical wealth of
Aiaadin's palace, is the home of a
:h:!J!e:s old man, whose feeble- -life
creeping: daily to its imminent close.
Who can he be; this solitary man,
whose possessions are as vast and
valuable as those of Monte Cristo?
He is no loss a person than Pope Leo
XIII., born Hhicomo I'ecci, of a noble
out poor family of Carpineto, Italy,
ivho entered upon his pontificate with
ilmost nothing of worldly possessions,
ini still lives the life of a reciuse,
matins sparsely, and whose bedroom
s furnished more humbly than the
aome of many a day laborer in this
country. His home, however, is in
the Vatican, a palace that contains
1,000 rooms, and within which are
stored treasures that eclipse the
wealth of the Klondike.
It would be difficult to estimate pre
cisely the total weight of gold in the
Vatican, but is is safe to say that
;here are at least thirty tons of it,
worth :n the neighborhood of $20,000.
KjO at the present market price of the
anwrought metal.
Of this huge amount of sold, there
Ib probably not a single pound of the
metal that remains in its virgin state.
Nearly e'ery ounce of it has passed
through the hands of skilled artisans,
who have w orked it into countless
forms, thus adding perhaps a third
or a quarter more to its value. Nor
Joes the alloy that is usually employ
ed by the goldsmith to give a dura
ble quality to objects made of the pre
cious metal enter at all Into the com
position of the treasures of the Vati
can, which, being almost entirely na
tive offerings to the Sovereign Pontiff,
re literally of solid gold.
Here, therefore, is an isolated cor
ner of the city of Rome, about ten
acres of land, which are perhaps rich-
er than any similar amount of terri
tory in as much of the universe as haa
ever been explored.
HIS PERSONAL ESTATE.
The Vatican treasures may be prac
tically considered as the personal es
tate of the Pope. He Inherited many
cf them when he was elected to the
Holy See. He is required to give an
account of his stewardship at his
pleasure. To a large proportion of
these treasures his personal right is
indisputable, for to him, Leo XIII..
were presented at various times, and
more particularly on the occasion of
his jubilse in 18S3, enough gifts of pura
gold to ransom a kingdom.
The golden chalices alone that are
kept in the storehouses of the Vati
can would probably represent a value
nearly as 'great as the sum total of
the Klondike's product. Quite two
thirds of these were In the Papal pal
ace when Leo was elected to the chair
of Peter in 1878, and the precious
stones in most of them magnify their
value many fold. They were for the
most part gifts of sovereigns or na
tions to the reigning Pontiff. The
treasures inherited by the present
Pops also embraced archiepiscopal
and pontiflcial croziers and pectoral
crosses of gold, studded with gems;
various altar ornaments used In tha
exposition of the Blessed Sacrament
that shine like the sunlight, and tha
vestiments for the celebration of the
Mass, each and every article heavy
with the gold employed in its fabrica
tion or decoration.
The Pontificate of the present ven
erable Prelate has added inestimably
to the treasures of the Vatican. Jan.
1, 18S3, Leo recited the Mass in St.
Peter's in Rome, In celebration of the
fiftieth anniversary of his ordination
as a priest. The preliminary cere
monies of his Golden Jubilee began
about a week earlier, and continued
for more than a month in the new
year, during which time an exposition
was opened in the vast Pontifical pal
ace for the display of the presents
that had been sent to the head of the
Christian Church from every corner
of the world.
Before the exposition was opened
tons upon tons of gold poured into the
Vatican, beginning early in December
of 1SS7, and continuing without inter
mission until after the expostion had
been closed in March of the following
year. ' There was scarcely an object
received in which the metal universal
ly appropriate to .the fiftieth anniver-
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FOP?irIj?2:IlIrI;'5ITG TAKEN UP TO HIS ROOM IN THE ELEVATOR
2JH VATICAN THIS IS THE HANDSOMEST. ELEVATOR IN
JFJURD' BEING MADE OF RARE WOODS SKILFULLY
CARVED. AND HAVING MOUNTINGS OF SILVER AND GOLD.
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IN THE DECLINING YEARS OF HIS LONG AND USEFUL LIFE HIS HOLINESS INDULGES IN ONLY
ONE AMUSEMENT AN OCCASIONAL GAME OF CHESS. THIS IS PLAYED UPON A TABLE PRE
SENTED TO THE POPE BY A EUROPEAN RULER. THE TABLE IS MADE OF MOTHER-OF-PEARL
INLAID WITH FINE GOLD. FATHER GIULIO, WHO PLAYS W.TTH HIS HOLINESS, IS HIS ONLY
OPPONENT, AND HAS ENJOYED THIS DISTINCTION FOR NEARLY A QUARTER OF A CENTURY.
sary did not figure 4 n some form and
proportion.
At the Jubilee Mass alone $3,000,000,
in gold, the most part in coined money
were presented to His Holiness. There
were audiences of pilgrims from the
various countries, and those from
France alone presented to the Pope.
$100,000 in gold V?oin, besides many
other objects In wrought gold.
The Duke of Norfolk, Envoy Extra
ordinary from Queen Victoria, pre- j
sented to His Holiness on behalf of
the Catholics of England, a massive
basin and ewer of solid gold. Her
British Majesty personally presented
an altar ornament of gold worth many
thousands of dollars. The Emperor
of Russia sent a mammoth crozier of
solid gold, inlaid with precious stones,
and the Emperor William of Germany,
a gold mitre that blazed with dia
monds and rubies.
ROYAL GIFTS.
The Emperors of Austria, Turkey,
China and Japan and the lesser mon
archs or chiefs of state of Europe,
America, Asia and Africa paid tri
bute to the venerable Pontiff, in price
less articles wrought of the rare met
al. Don Pedro, , of Brazil, sent a pec
toral cross sixteen Inches long of the
purest gold ever mined In his em
pire, and huge diamonds added to tha
weight of the massive gift.
The total value -of the Golden Jubilee
gifts to the Pope was estimated at
?14.ROO,000, of which $2,800,000 were In
I gold coin.
TITLED BACHELORS
AT THE CAPITAL
Famous Cipl om its of the Old World
Who Would Lay Their Hearts at
the feet ot Fair Americana.
Why do American heiresses go
abroad to capture European titles
when such an excellent opportunity to
become duchesses, countesses anu mi
onesses lies close at hand?
In the diplomatic corps in Washing
tnn them are scores of titled gentle
men, some of them scions of the most
aristocratic houses of the contment.
1 1 ia raiiahlp thev are no
averse to selecting American damsels
whose papas are well provided with
the treasures of this woria.
In fact there is a tradition that the
4irlnmntn of the old world prefer
American wives. They believe them to
be more clear-sighted, snarp-wmea
and self-reliant than theh- European
sisters. American girls hold some of
the highest posts of honor in the old
world courts. But two need special
m,ntinn ttio wife of COUIlt VOn Wal-
dersee, the German Field Marshal late
ly chosen to command the internation
al troops in China, and Lady Curzon,
the wife of the Viceroy of India.
t WaBhlnsrton some of the most im
portant missions are In the hands of
Hninmats n-ith American wives. .. The
Spanish Minister has a charming wife,
who was Miss Virginia Lowery, of
nrov.ino-tnn The Minister from the
Netherlands, Baron W. A. F. Gevers,
who during the past winter trod a slip
pery path owing to the intense feel
ing In this country regarding the
Boers, is the son of that Dutch Minis
thirtv vpara who married Miss
Catherine Wright, of New Jersey.
TITLED BACHELUKS.
r'v!.xrfniir nations now send Am
bassadors or Ministers Plenipotentiary
to .Washington, the largest number
ever yet attained. In this resplendent
procession there are -scores of bachel
, Thnaa who make social problems
a study say that these young diplo
mats are sent for the purpose oi eii-
(T,r international alliances. Ev
ery year there are marriages between
members or the foreign coi pa aim
belles of American cities. But the sup
ply is equal to the demand.
y- t-ha. ambassadorial corps are two
distinguished gentlemen who have re
belled Cupid's darts the representa
tive of His Majesty Wilhelm II. of
Germany, Herr xneoaore von nunc
ben, and the envoy of the Czar, Count
Arthur Cassinl. Both are past sixty
and even the most hopeful must hesi
tate before counting them among
Washington's matrimonial eligibles.-
They are very interesting in oiner
i,na-mir. and they hold much
power in their hands. . It is encourag
ing to know that Count Casslni is an
admirer of American women. He be-
ieves in the efficacy or tne oonu u
on Russia and America which re
sults from such marriages.
In' the Russian Embassy are three
bachelors, Messrs. Alexander Zolenoy,
Pierre Rogestvensky and M. Routlcow
sky, who though they have no titles
are considered first-class diplomats,
and to succeed In this great art means
wealth, name and fame when you are
serving the Czar.
Two years ago the First Secretary of
the Russian Embassy, M. Gregolre de
Wollant, . married Miss Helen Tisdale.
of Washington. This marriage, as
Count Cassinl says all RuBsian-Amer-lean
marriages are, has proved happy,
and the De Wollants are among the
most sought after people at the cap
ital. Dr. von Holleben, although at Held,
elberg he was the hero of many af
fairs of the heart and bears on his
face the red badge of courage obtain
ed through .them, is not an advocate
of matrimony. But If his attaches in
sist on. getting married he gives them
the advice of Hiawatha's grandmoth
er. "Choose a maiden of your peo
ple." Futilely, however, for the Ger- t
man Embassy haf furnished many of
the latest international romances.
Baron von Ketteler, who was murder
ed in China, was formerly a secretary
to this country and went from Wash
ington to represent Germany at the
Chicago Fair, where he met his fu
ture wife. Miss Ledyard. Count von
Goetzen was military attache of the
Washington Embassy when he married
Mrs. William A. Lay, of Philadelphia.
Mr. Adolph von Breuning met and
married Mrs. Cordon McKay while
serving the Kaiser in Washington.
SPLENDID CATCHES.
The German Embassy possesses sev
eral of the most desirable parties. Fore
most is the brilliant Baron Speck von
Sternberg, who acted as German Com
missioner at Samoa and who is now
Charge d'Affa'res of the embassy. He
was formerly In the German navy.
Baron von Sternberg belongs to an
old family which boasts of castles and
broad, estates. Owing to the discovery
of salt mines on their lands the Von
Rternbergs are among the wealthiest
of the German nobility.
Baron von Herman, the handsompt
member of the corps, has talent and
wealth. Count von Haacke is a prime
favorite in Washington drawing rooms.
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BARON VON STERN
BERG. WHO IS WHOLE-HEARTED,
FANCY FREE AND POS
SESSES BOTH FAMILY ESTATES
AND TITLES.
and the young woman on whom he be
stows the title of Countess will not re
ceive an empty honor.
Three continental Ministers are
bachelors, the Envoys, from Sweden
and Norway, from Denmark and from
the Netherlands. Mr. Constantlne
Brun, who comm from the land of the
sagas and the Norse K'"1m, as accord
ing to rumor ouccumhei to the charms
of a pretty Washington debutant,? nnl
his marriage may be one of the fi-a-tures
of the coming winter.
Baron Gevers Is a clever diplomat
whose American mother has Innplred
him with devotion toward our land.
This gentleman has bfi-n in America
but a few months, so matrimonial ru
mors -fRarding him are premature. II
Is attached to his mother, w horn ho
calls the queen of women; perhaps ho
Is hopeTul of finding her counterpart.
An envoy from Nicaragua in a bach,
elor. Dr. Luis F. Corea. Ho hns dpont
his entire diplomatic career In th
united Mates, corning first as 8eoun1
Secretary of the Greater Ilepubllc of
Central America and afterward uctinjr
as Charge d'AITaires.
In thti British Embassy Kir Charles
Eliot, the British Commissioner to Sa.
moa. is a notable figure, lie is young,
talented and handsome, has n pood in
come and is able to bestow a title on
the lady cf his choice. His career haa
been almost meteoric, and there Is no
doubt that before many years he will
be at the head of one of the Important
diplomatic pouts of Great Britain.
Mr. Gerard A. Iowther .eriKs ti
the famous family of which the Earl cf
Lonsdale is the head. Mr. Lowther
may succeed to a tllle should his eldert
brother die childless.
Mr. W. G. Max-Muller In a bachelor
secretary of Otent Britain and so Is
Mr. Herman C. Norman, the "best
dressed man of three capitals."
France has an array of bachelor all
welcome additions to drawing ror.tns
and clubs. M. Eugene Thlel.aut. the
Charge d'AfTairs, lM somewlmt delicate
and does not- accept manv Invitation
M. Oliver Taigny is a brilliant voun
diplomat famous for hla bon-mot an l
comic songs. A new member of th
Embassy Is M. Antoine de Godfrov.
whose mother wns Miss Catherine
Biggs, a daughter of the WnshlnRton
banker, George A. Rlggs. Thia mr
ricge to the Minister rrom France
during the civil war was one cf th
notable events of the times. M. G,.rt
froy was born In I'-kfnir while bis
father was Minister to China.
Kins Unml.erfH Fortune
The late King Humbert haa left
very handaome patrlmonv, which is es.
tlmated at from $4,00.000 to $.000.0'0.
In the twenty-two years of his relen
King Humbert put aside at least
JXi.OOO a year from his civil list the
greater pmt of which he spent In ac
quiring vast estates In Piedmont, and
aiso in the neighborhood of Kunie and
Monza.
These estates are the best cultivated
In Italy, for the King was nn agricul
turist of the first order.' His prlvnte
domain at Monaa can compare with t!ie
finest in the world.
The King's object la passing the hot
test months of the year in Monza
(which has the hottest summer ell.
mate of any town In Italy) was to de.
vote himself to the care of his model
farm.
Xv,t tec- yH;.
COUNT CASSINL THE RUSSIAN AMBASSADOR TO TIIT3 COUNTRY.
HE IS ONE OF THE FAMOUS BACHELORS OF THE CAPITAL. AND
HAS A BEAUTIFUL NIECE. WHO HAS RECENTLY BEEN M.ADU A
COUNTESS BY THE CZAR OF RUSSIA.
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