Silver Jubilee Of The Pope

Mrs. Armstrong of Washtenaw avenue, received word Monday from her son in Rome, that Thursday, June 25, he attended the audience of the Pope. It is probably the last audience the Pope ever held.

Mr. Henry H. Armstrong is well known to Ann Arbor students as holder of the Fellowship given by the National Archaeological Society, which gave him a year's study in Rome.

March 8, Mr. Armstrong writes from Rome of the Pope's Jubilee.

People came from all over the world to attend this and would have been glad to purchase with large sums of money the necessary ticket of admission, which he sent to his mother In little Ann Arbor, as a souvenir of the great event. On it is printed the requirement that the laity must dress in black suits. Seventy thousand tickets were issued.

In his letter, Mr. Armstrong writes, alter describing his way to the Vatican:  "The doors of the basilica had already been opened, so there was no crowding, and we passed between the files of 'government' troops drawn up in front of the steps, in the gate and door to the left, where our tickets were looked at and a handsome tear made in each to show it was used - then into the great church.

"The walls were covered with the usual red and gold hangings. Back of the altar was a space curtained off in front of the tribune, while the first three chapels nearest the door, on the right, were also curtained off, Since the Pope entered here and proceeded from the back to the front of the church. In the front of the church at either side were tribunes reserved for dignitaries, for which special tickets were necessary; of course, we weren't there. The whole length of the church from the front door to the high altar, was a passageway perhaps 20 feet wide, reserved for the procession, lined with wooden barriers, on each of which, covering the nave and overflowing into the aisles, stood the bulk of the crowd, some 30,000 people. where we were.

"We took up the best place available, less than half way up the church. on the left side, four rows deep from the central passage and stood and stood for the next five hours. We had something to entertain us, for up the middle aisle kept passing and repassing the high dignitaries of the church and others, a most picturesque sight. There were bishops and archbishops in purple robes and ermine capes, officials of the Papal court in their medieval costumes of embroidered velvet with Elizabethan ruffs, soldiers of the Swiss Guard magnificent iii their state dress of bear skin shakoes, red coats and skin-tight white breeches, monks and nuns of the different orders, choir boys and finally, ordinary people, the men In evening dress, the women in black and veiled.

'Our crowd was quite different, On the right side of the passage way all pilgrims of many nationalities, on our side a great mixture of theological students in their many colored gowns, the great Italian masses of many stages of cleanliness, and the tourists of all nationalities.

"Van Buren and I whiled the time away by repeating all the poetry we knew in any language we knew, but that was not sufficient to fill up the three hours before the Pope arrived.

"A few preliminary arrangements took place at intervals. For example, the Palatine Guards formed a line on each side of the passageway inside the barriers; after awhile also, the electric lights in the panels of the great vaulted ceilings were turned on, a thing entirely useless as St. Peter's does not possess that dim religious light. Finally, about eleven, the trumpeters took up their position in the loggia over the door and the Swiss Guards came trooping up the aisle. A pause followed, when suddenly the trumpets blared, a choir began to sing and, with thundering applause, the great procession issued from the chapel by the door.

First carne a number of halberdiers in full armor, then the chiefs of the different monastic orders, then bishops, archbishops and cardinals, among them Rampolla. But at the last named no one looked, for, carried high in his chair of state, his fan-bearers on each side, came the Pope. He was dressed in the white robe only he can wear, with gold and white over it; on his head was the triple tiara. The first sight of him was the occasion tor increasing cheering, the waving of handkerchiefs, and cries of "Viva il Papa," with an occasional "Viva il Papa Re." His old face was gray and seamed with lines, and his slight form looked feeble and worn out; still he kept stretching out his hand in benediction, and rose to his feet several times for a few seconds, though with great effort.

"What happened when he had passed out of our range and exactly where he stayed, I cannot say, except that the newspaper reports say his throne was in front of the chair of St. Peter. All I know is we stood for two hours listening to the beautiful music and the chanting until the crowd grew so oppressive, we had to get out of the press.

"One thing was different from the ordinary mass. When the Host was elevated, the soldiers of the Palatine Guard grounded arms and kneeled, While the trumpets played softly from the gallery of the dome.

"After getting out of the jam, we walked up and down one of the aisles a few minutes, but then got into the crowd near the door, and listened to the rest of the service. The responses in the miserere were chanted by all he congregation who knew it, and made thunderous music. When the Pope got up to give the benediction, the cheering began again, and only stopped when he reached the front of the confession, where he gave it. He was so Iow down we could not see him, but the church was so still that we could hear his voice over all.

"Then finally, at half past one, the procession came down the aisle, the cheering broke out again, and as the back of the chair disappeared in the chapel, we rushed for the door, caught a car, and reached home at two o'clock. We had seen the second 25th anniversary in the history of the church since Peter. Pius, the IX, and Leo the XIII, being the only Popes who ever exceeded the traditional 25 years of Peter, that prophecy once said would never be exceeded, and had seen the Pope in the greatest church in the world. and were satisfied - but oh, so tired and hungry."