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1 4 SIX THE BULLETIN OP THE CATHOLIC L AYMEN’S ASSOCIATION OF GEORGIA FEBRUARY 29. 1936 J. Carroll Payne Describes Audience With Leo XIII Thirty-five years ago, Mr. and Mrs. J. Carroll Payne of Atlanta and their two daughters on a visit to Rome were received in private audience by the Holy Father, Pope Leo XIII, then ninety-two years of age and nearing the end of his illustrious career; Mr. and Mrs. Payne and their family were accompanied by His Eminence, Cardinal Gibbons, a warm friend of the Payne family from the days of his earliest priesthood, who arranged for the audience at a time when the Holy Father because of his age had practi cally ceased receiving any but of ficial visitors. Mr. Payne wrote an account of the audience to his sister, Mrs. C. C. Shriver, immediately after ward; "the visit made a more profound impression upon me than any one incident in my life,'* he wrote. The account as writ ten to Mrs- Shriver was subse quently extended and appeared in the Atlanta Constitution; the fol lowing account is taken from Mr. Payne’s Reminiscences pub lished for his children and grand-, children; and published with the permission of Mr. Payne given only a short time before he was stricken with his fatal illness. ROME. May 25th, 1901. After receiving this morning an in vitation to be present at a special audience to be given by the Holy Father, we had a visit from Cardinal Gibbons of Baltimore this afternoon. He came for the purpose of telling us, in person, that he had arranged, by virtue of an exceptional favor, for'a private audience. As you know there is a very great difference be tween the two; a special audience means to be presented with a hun dred or more others, at which, of course, you have no opportunity to do more than see the Pope and him bless you as he is borne, or walks, around the circle, of which you are a part. A private audience means a special introduction, a conversation more or less brief, and a full oppor tunity for actual, personal acquain tance, during which special requests may be made by each without re serve. You can imagine our delight when Cardinal Gibbons, told us he had ar ranged for us to be with him the following day at this private audi ence. The only persons present were the Cardinal, his Secretary, his Cham berlain, two priests from the Holy Land (who went out before our au dience began), my wife, the two girls and myself. We did not even have the Pope’s physician present—lie oc cupied the outer room. Of course we were dressed “de rigeur”, my wife and I in full dress, though it was ten o’clock in the morning. We were in structed to meet the Cardinal at that hour at the great bronze gate of St. Peter’s, and we were there when his carriage, blazing with its purple livery, came driving up to the ren dezvous. O- i- THE VATICAN -□ -□ It is impossible to make that jour ney from this splendid bronze door of the Vatican, up its stairways, along its echoing halls, through its magnificent reception rooms, finally to the presence of the great spiritual head of the Catholic Church, the temporal ruler of three hundred millions <jf Catholics, the viceregent of God. without being thrilled with emotion, and greatly impressed with the overwhelming dignity of the po sition and the grandeur of the set ting. It matters not who the person may be, what his creed, or how great his bias, he will be impressed in delibly he will be moved profound ly by the overwhelming suggestive ness of that place, the solemnity of the atmosphere, the quiet dignity of the surroundings. Any student re members, as he looks about him, the wonderful history of the papal dynasty, which alone unites the two great ages of human civilization, the Pagan and the Christian. No other living institution remains amidst the mutation and wreck of time which carries the mind back to that when the smoke of sacrifice fied by the immortal genius of Raphael, the tender colors of whose brush still live and charm, glowing in the soft light with wonderful freshness; still on we went, through the vast hall of St. Clement, with its vaulted roof, where the dominating and splendid figures of Justice, Faith and Mercy look down today with the same mysterous beauty of expresson whch characterzed them when fresh from the creating hand of genius. Through one splendid chamber after another we passed among historic tapestries and princely trappings of former pontiffs, until we reached the throne room. The great golden throne under the royal canopy was the gift of the workingmen of Rome to Leo XIII— above it the triple crown and the golden bees. The tapestried walls of this room were magnificent, repre senting scenes from sacred history. Here the Cardinal left us, he having an interview' alone with His Holiness. While we waited, the Pope’s cham berlain came in, and kindly showed us the Holy Father’s private chapel. It was very small, only about four teen by sixteen feet, exquisitely dec orated with appropriate-frescoes with a small altar and a priedieu where the Pope kneels after Mass. The light in this chapel comes through two high windows entirely covered with yellow silk, so that the general effect is a golden haze, peculiarly soft and effective, as the frescoes are all in very rich colors- THE HOLY FATHER -a Shortly after another chamberlain came and called us to follow him into the private apartment of the Pope, i'nus finally we came to a small, un pretentious room, dhd there behind a,l this pomp and ceremony, this grandeur and magniiicence, sat a gentle old man, whom age had only oeautified and sweetened. There sat tne quiet Shepherd of all Christen dom, and I knew I was face to face with one greater than kings or princes. In a chair of crimson and gold he sat, upon his head the usual lound cap of white moire silk upon his thin white hand there tlasned a priniant and beautiful emerald, it was the iisherman s ring; the sign of apostolic authority, tne evidence of an unbroken line of descent ihrougn ail the centuries from Peter, lie was dressed entirely in white iamb s wooi, except his slippers of red, ornamented with a golden cross. inis audience was a rare favor; ow ing to the extreme age of the Holy Faiher he has ceased giving private audiences save upon excepuonal oc casions. As we entered tne room, tne iloiy father and Cardinal Gib- oons were the only occupants, the Cardinal standing on the Pope s right, the room, lurmsned in crimson and upholstered in c. imson and gold, was iiooaed with a soit white light, as the sun was screened by heavy white sUk cuitains entirely covering each window, thus rendering the light very sott and agreeable to tne eye. THE AUDIENCE -Li hung like a purple veil over the Pantheon; when the policy of the whole world was dictated from the Forum, when to be a Roman citi zen was greater than to be a king. What pride of race and lineage can equal that which goes back to the dawn of history? The proudest and oldest royal houses are but of a night in mushroom growth when compared with the unbroken line of Supreme Pontiffs. We read where Pepin was crowned by the Pope in the eighth century, and the great Napoleon in the nineteenth; but be fore France was, the august dynasty of papal rules dictated the policy of the world. Unbroken and unchang ed, it extends back until lost in the tv/ilight of history—it saw the com mencement of all governments now extant, the birth of every existing institution today in the world. Such were the thoughts which came un bidden to me as we walked in the shadows of history which had been made here. D- □ THE PAPAL GUARDS J. CARROLL PAYNE, K. S. G. -□ To reach this sovereign of a spiritual empire, whose subjects dwell in every country, in every clime, we first passed the well known Papal Guards with their gaudy and brilliant uniforms, then on, through halls and corridors glori- Afier the Cardinal's secretary and chamberlain bad advanced, ana, Knceiing, nad received tneir olessing, they letired; then came the two priests trom the floly Land; they in their turn gave way to us and with drew. IVly wife ana i advanced, with the two children immediately behind us. She looked exceedingly well, with her black lace veil Upon her head, and the children, in pure white, were loveiy. They knelt just behind us and we immediately at the knee of the Pope. The Holy Father, as our names. were given him by the Cardinal, 'smiled at the children, beckoned to them, and said in French, "Come here’’ , So we formed then a semi-circle about him, the Car dinal on his light, my youngest daughter next, then my wife, next my other daughter—and I was upon his left. The Cardinal at once addressed His Holiness in French, stating where we were from, that my family had al ways been Cathouc, that he had known me and mine tor many years— nence the liberty of asking to bring us with him. The Holy Father spoke to the children each in turn, asKing sweet little questions, and insisting that they answer tor themselves, and twice interrupting answers made for them. He took the little girl’s face in his hands and slowly caressed her cneeks, and turning, did the same with her sister, saying softly in French: "Sweet children, dear chil dren, with souls like their dresses, so pure, so white. I love children, but I see them not", all the while caressing them. The tenderness of his touch, of manner, or voice can not be described; the sweetness of his expression, the paternal love and gen tleness were overpowering and almost moved us to tears. He spoke to me, asked where At lanta was, knew Savannah, where he had a Bishop, and praised our coun try, “so young and strong and full ot life and courage.” I received his blessing to take all my family. He rested his hand for a moment on my head, and I kissed his hand which I had held for some seconds. Our interview had lasted several min utes, and my opportunity for seeing him closely was most excellent. He looked very feeble, physically, but mentally was very alert; as he sat on his chair his posture was one of age— he was ninety-two—but his eye was bright, his glance penetrating, his speech animated, and he took much interest in details, asking questions of each one of—us. His face wore a smile, which came -and went as the topic of conversation changed. No picture does him justice, for the change of expression on his counte nance cannot be caught by the pho tographer. His hair, quite thin, fine of texture and very white, surmounts a high forehead; his eyes, sunken but very bright, are black and pene trating, noticing everything around him; his mouth is large, lips thin, mobile and full of color and expres sion; a smile lighting up his face shows his interest in what was being said. His tenderness of expression was most beautiful and touching, so gentle, so kind, so loving in his man ner that one is almost overcome by it, especially when we remember the natural disinclination of age to be entertained by those who are strang ers having nothing in common. His face was without a wrinkle, save for two heavy lines on either side of the mouth extending from nose to chin. His color was like translucent marble, the flesh tint looking as though illuminated. Noth ing reminds me more of this color than an alabaster vase of great value shown us in the Baptistry, a church where Constantine the Great was baptized. To display the translucent beauty of this vase, the guide lighted a taper and place it behind this ala baster urn—so does the face of the Holy Father look when he smiles; it is illuminated from within, which makes it glow with tenderness, gen tleness, beauty of soul and benevo lence of the highest order. His soul shines in his face, the light streaming through its windows, his eyes. As we withdrew I saw this gentle, saintly man for the last time, with that pathetic expression of aged resignation upon his face, and thought: Here is the head and front of the Catholic Church; three hun dred millions do him reverence, and yet no child were more simple, more unassuming. The curtain fell, the audience was over, we stood once more in the ante-room, and my mind was crowded with impressions; but above all stood forth the fact that we had been face to face with the most exalted personality of all mod ern history. For many days I re membered that gentle sweet face, the broad form, the penetrating eyes and the benediction bestowed in the shape ot the sign of the cross, made by those bloodless fingers on the pulsing air above our heads. We saw the ancient gardens of the Vatican, plucked leaves from its orange trees, and my little girl had presented to her a bouquet of blos- some gathered therein. J. Carroll Payne, K. S. G., of Atlanta Dies in Miami at 80 Noted Member of Georgia Bar Was Business, Cul- turel and Religious Leader (Continued From Page One) erty, K S G, Former Governor John M. Slaton, J. L. Dickey, Thomas B. Paine, Clark Howell, Sr., Frank Hawkins, Dr. W. S. Elkin, Edgar P. McBurney, Charles F. Stone, James D. Robinson and Dr. John F. Denton; active, John K. Ottley, William J. Davis, Thomas K. Glenn, Victor L. Smith, J. N. Goddard, Robert T. Maddox, Albert Thornton and Dr. C. W. Strickier. The Georgia Bar Asso ciation, the Knights of Columbus and the Atlanta Bar Association were rep resented by honorary escorts. V One year ago this month Mr. Payne was made a Knight of St. Gregory by the Holy Father at the - request of the Most Rev. Michael J. Keyes, D.D., then Bishop of Savannah, in recogni tion of his qualities of mind and heart and of his generous services to the Church; the honor of Knighthood was conferred on Mr. Payne at a ceremony at Sacred Heart Church here by Bishop Keyes the day after the closing of the convention of the Catholic Press Association, the last Sunday in May. the Very Rev. Ed ward P. McGrath, S. M., then pastoi; of Sacred Heart Church delivering the sermon. JAMES OWEN REILLY DIES IN WILMINGTON Former Grand Knight - of K. of C. There Was Civic and Business Leader in State (Special to The Bulletin) WILMINGTON, N .C.—James Owen Reilly, one of the most widely known laymen in North Carolina, formerly grand knight of Wilmington Lodge of Elks, organist of St. Mary’s Church and of its predecessor, St. Thomas’, died suddenly after a stroke early in February Four years ago Mr. Reilly suffered a similar stroke while play ing the organ on Easter Sunday at St. Mary’s Pro-Cathedral, but he had re covered to a large extent and was again active in business. Mr. Payne was born at Warrenton, Va., September 24, 1855, _ and was eighty years old at the time of his death, a member of pioneer Virginia and Maryland families. On his pater nal side, he is a descendant of Capt. William Payne who recruited the “Fairmount Blues” during the Revo lution; on his mother’s side he is de scended in direct line from Governor Thomas Green, second governor of Maryland, who came to America with the Calverts in 1634. Mr. Payne’s mother was Anne America Semmes, andh is father Ma jor Rice Winfield Payne; his father, a leading member of the Virginia bar, became a Catholic many years before his death. After receiving his collegiate train ing from the Jesuit Fathers at Georgetown University, Mr. Payne entered the law school of the Univer sity of Virginia, transferring after one year to Tulane University, New Orleans, where he received his de gree in law. He then became associat ed with his uncle, Hon. Thomas J. Semmes, in the practice of law in New Orleans. On November 25, 1885, he was united in marriage to Miss Helen Fairlie Hill, daughter of Mr. and Mrs W. Rhode Hill, of Atlanta, and henceforth made his home in this city. Mr. Reilly was bom in Wilmington, July 12, 1879, the son of John William and Catherine Scott Reilly, members of families active in the development of the Cape Fear section; his grand father. Major James Reilly, command er of the 10th North Carolina Regi ment of the Confederacy, a hero of the defense of Fort Fisher. Mr. Reil ly was educated in St. Mary’s and Miss Alderman’s Schools and Cape Fear Academy, then entering the of fice of his uncle, Major Daniel O’Con nor who in 1869 had established his real estate business. In 1903 he and the late William A. Dick bought his un cle’s business; since 1905 he conducted his own real estate, insurance and buildnig and loan business. Until recent years no man in Wil mington was more active in civic af fairs than Mr. Reilly; in addition to his service for the Knights of Colum bus, the Elks, for whom he was also trustee, district deputy an,d for 16 years, lodge secretary, for his parish, he formerly headed the North Caro lina Association of Insurance Agents, the Wilmington Board of Fire Under writers and the Wilmington “Feast of Pirates” organization, was for four teen years secretary of the James Walker Memorial Hospital Board, and was active in the Wilmington Light Infantry and the Wilmington Glee Club. He served with the Wilmington Light Infantry during the Spanish- American War. Two years afterwards we visited Rome again, and there I had the privilege of meeting Pope Pius X; Pope 'Leo XIII having died a few months after our audience with him, but the profound impression did not return to me, although I had the great favor of attending Mass in the private chapel of the Pope, and my family and myself receiving com munion from his own hands. My wife and daughters since then have had the opportunity of meet ing Pope Pius XI, from whom I have received the honor of Knighthood. Mr. Payne soon won recognition at the bar and in business and financial circles; he became active in numerous business enterprises, in many of which he is still interested, and is regarded as one of the group of men largely responsible for the develop ment of Atlanta from a small com munity of the ’80’s and ’90’s to its present position as the metropolis of the Southeast and the South. He was an influential factor in the advance of the cultural life of the city, state and of the entire South, and for sev eral years was president of the At lanta Art Association, and of the High Museum of Art; .the Chamber of Commerce of Atlanta not long ago presented him with its award for the year's most distinguished service for his achievements in the development of art and interest in art in the South. C.P.A. Issues Book on Catholic Press Mr. Reilly was married to Miss Min nie Irene Smithers in 1906; Mrs. Reil ly, their daughter, Mrs. Arthur Rol- let, New York, two sisters, Mrs. Wynd Doerner, Cumberland, Md., and Mrs. Ledley B. Symmes, Wilmington, and several nieces and nephews sur vive. The funeral was held from St. Mary’s Pro-Cathedral with a Requiem Mass, the Rev. James P. Manley, pas tor, officiating. Interment was in Oak dale Cemetery. The local press commended Mr. Reilly editorially as an exemplary cit izen, “typically Irish, a genial and lovable business man and civic lead- . devoted to his Church, profi cient in his business and loyal to his friends, the world was a better place for having sheltered him, and his ac quaintances better for having known him.” Georgia two decades ago Joseph J. Quinn, Associa tion’s President, Its Editor CHICAGO—“Selected Thoughts of the Catholic Press” has just made its appearance, marking the first time that a convenient popular reference work on the Catholic Press in the United States has been made avail able to its friends in handbook form. The work, a 32-page booklet, is edited by Joseph J. Qumn, editor of The Southwest Courier Oklahoma City, and President of the Catholic Press Association. A foreword by Mr Quinn expresses indebtedness to the Rev. Dr. Edward Lodge Curran, Editor of Light and President of the International Catholic Truth Society, “for gathering and arranging much of the material in this booklet. Ac- knowledgment is also made of the contributions of Dr. Thomas P. Hart, Editor of The Catholic Telegraph, Cincinnati; of Frank A. Hall, Ihrec tor of the N. C. W. C. News Service, and publisher of The Catholic Press Directory, . ,, , , , Copies of the booklet have been mailed to Bishop of the United States and to the members of the Catholic Press Association through Mr Meier’s office at 64 West Ran dolph Street in this city. When Mr. Payne came to Atlanta there was but one parish in the city, Immaculate Conception, of which the future Bishop Keiley was for years pastor in Mr. Payne’s early days here. When the growth of Atlanta and of the number of Catholics war ranted the founding of Sacred Heart parish, Mr. Payne was in the front ranks of those assisting the Marist Fathers in the pioneer work of con gregation. in which the future Bishop Gunn of Natchez made such an envi able record. M". Payne was among the foremost in the erecting of the church, the building of the rectory, the establish ing of Marist College, the providing of the parish school and rectory and in every other parish activity. His interest and assistance spread far be yond the confines of his parish. St. Joseph’s Infirmary, other parishes, the orphans, Diocesan movements and numerous Catholic activities of a general nature have had his generous assistance. He was one of the most liberal contributors to the work of the Catholic Laymen’s Association throughout its entire period of exist ence. His benefactions were accom plished quietly and as privately as possible, without letting the right hand know what the left is doing. The poor especially have been the recipients of his bounty. Mr. Payne’s devotion to his broth er, Father William Gaston Payne of the Archdiocese of Baltimore, who died nearly two years ago after a prolonged illness, was characteristic, ilr. Payne was particularly known for his rectitude of life, in which he reflected the teaching of the Church in his daily contacts with his profes sional and business associates. The example of men like Mr. Payne, in high position and in the more hum ble walks of lfe, did more than any thing else to make the people of At lanta realize the absurdity of the anti- Catholic propaganda so prevalent in St. Leo College Prep. School Accredited High School Conducted by the Benedictine Fathers Ideal Location SL Leo Pasco County, Florida. '/The year 1935 was a most memor- abe one in Mr. Payne’s life. It mark ed the fiftieth anniversary of his mar riage to Mrs. Payne, who survives him, the fiftieth year of his coming to Atlanta, the fiftieth year of his practice as a member of the Georgia Bar, the eightieth year of his life, and the year of his appointment as a Knight of St. Gregory by the Holy Fatner and of his investiture as a Pa pal Knight by Bishop Keyes. All the Atlanta newspapers paid extended ed itorial tribute to him, recalling his contributions particularly to he cul tural life of the city and state through the Atlanta Art Association, which acquired its present home dur ing his presdency, to the professional and business life through his prac tice of law and leading part in en terprises which developed Atlanta, and to the religious life through his devotion and assistance to things Catholic. Surviving Mr. Payne in addition to Mrs. Payne are two daughters, Mrs. Alex T Smith, Jr., and Mrs. Charles T. Hopkins, Jr., eleven grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren. His grandchildren are Mrs. G. F. Willis, Jr., Mrs. William Clarke, Miss Emily Smith, Alex Smith, III, and Carroll Payne and Joan Payne Smith, twins, the sons and daughters of Mr. and Mrs. Alex T. Smith, Jr., and Carroll Payne Hopkins, Elizabeth Hopkins, Helen Hill Hopkins, Charles T. Hop kins, Jr., and Virginia Hopkins, sons and daughters of Mr. and Mrs. Charles T. Hopkins. The great grandchildren are Charlotte and Hel en Hill Willis, daughters of Mr. and Mrs. G. F. Willis, Jr.