, 1860-07-26

800 FIN. Jsnesrit1e Acc. 1c.55 y.
ulLWAuKER.
9.45 An. LIS r. II.
9.00 Pm. Gas r. u.
5.a5 r. ". Wausegan Accommodation.
- ObSeevs Of the atope roads sciA please 3D.
rise rs tpItn cmn9fx in this ta5it 0rs necessary,
-snas..as..a...z.a.-
THE ASCENT OF ST. PETERS.
III MRS. HARRIET BEFcuER STOWE.
From The \. \. independently
We hare just returned from the ascent Of
St. Peters. We had been waiting two weeks
tor Just the right morning, and to-day, at seven
o'clock, scsing the old yellow roofs all a-glow
with the unm;stakable brightness Of clear
slln, We took our measures accordingly, as
tho ASCENT must be made before eleven o'clock
in the cay.
Nomorning could be more perfect than this.
And as we drove into the pi1lared court Of St.
Peters, its fountains seemed like satin clouds
rising in the air. This court is the most har-
1nonious thing in the world. Its widespread
arms seemed ou:stretched us il 10 embrace all
mankind; and every time one sees it, it gains
pD, ole by a secret Irresistible power. II is
mnre perfect of its kind than even the church
ITSELF
Tne way into the. dome Is up gradual,
wiEding slope, wh;cs brings you upon the
foof IA most magnificent promenade rlnt-
form. These clluscllroofs of S,rasbourg, Mi
Ian, and Rome, repind one Of the old story Of
the hanging gardens Of Babylon, whence one
looked down on Kingdoms spread out like a
map belcw. But We did not stay long, but
climbed tho winding stairway that brought us
iLto the gallery within the dome. Here FIRST,
/ 1hibk, telt acquainted with Michael An
gelo. Before had seen him, as one sees from
the outside vain, brusque, odd felow-who
seems to you almost diverging into e1trava-
ga1ces, and traoscending your power Of gym
pathy. You scs the creature is Of superior
order-that he has something in him that he
is struggling 10 get out and make effective,
but you get no rapport with HIN. It vas not
till I found myself trembling and shiveriug
with a feeling as if the iron railing on
which stood was like a cobweb, aud
mys=1f and all our party. like GUNNER flies
thereon-whi:e the great dome above and the
blue, dizzJ. dreamy distance below seemed TO
become vast and solemn power, which shook
one with sense Of awe, such as one feels at
Niagara or Mount Bnnc. 1t was a tirmament
Of architecture, bending its vast harmonious
arch above, studded tluck with golden stars,
with solemn firms Of angel, saint, evangelist,
and martyr. Far, far below, We could trace
dmIy the mosaic Of the splendid floors, ard see
tic priests so sweeping their solemn robes
over the floor, and from one Of tho clapels the
sound Of chanting swellcd solemply upward
sung so distant and dreamy, as if it we're tie
s1ghings and brcathings Of some mighty soul
that dwe1t in and vitallzed this exalted temple.
Strange, we thought, that man could have
power 10 conceive and execute what makes
man 80 insignificant! One feels fading away
and losing consciousness in this serse Of vast
ress, and still one Is fascinated with the grand
lovelineEs Of the whole.
This, then, and such as this was what the
artist would do; and because his soul was al
ways expanding to such breadths and such
Lc:ghts is it that Ills fragmentary works scat
tered here and there have such an air Of e1-
travagance. They are aeroltes fallen into our
aily sphere out Of some higher region Of cou-
ception, AID VIC have nothing by which to
measure or judge them-ilicy need world OF
their own t. dHcEl in-and seen in it, they
might come TO their trus proportions. We
canuot come from driving on the Pincio, and
pricing jewelry at Castollaui, in All easy suul-
mcr morning attitude Of mind, to turn our eye
e'assss up at the roof Of the sistine Chapel.
Of the crowd who d. the maj @1ity, if they
spo1e their minds, would say it was llorrid
oil goblin thing, full Of savage images, not
worth the trouble Of decipbering.
To see and to feel it ar1ght, one should first
get the measura Of St. Pttor's-get ones soul
widened to its breadth and Aight-one should
c,mo alone, without a gay party to divert
ones thought, and walk up and down through
the asles bclow-in distances so great thai
| the chanting in the chapel sounds faint and
tcir ntl' like voice crying in the wilderness
| Then ascending 10 the dome, you should fcs
| yourself rosed, Us it wcre,. iu Il great sky
| Il ,a,iug like disembodied spirit over tho pro
| found depths below, ard moving slowly round
watch tho Changing perspective OF the long
| dTawu ailes-wl,ere chant AMI sacrifice seen
FIR of and distant, as do the signs Of human
hearts in a vast eternity. Then 60 up out
eide md see yourself lifted up in the SUNSHINE
Of a warm morning, with the history OF tw'
thousaLd years spread out at your feet. TIL
immense building ynu stand on seems scare
temple reared by hands, bit rather akin t
those great airy mountain solitudcs where on
sits IN battle1nents Of Goi's own building
and looks forth on world at ope's feet. On
sat there the wide sweep Of sea.1ike CAI
pa.ua-almcst tretless-varied in stripes MI
dashes by the shad ows Of sailing clouds abov
one sees The mountains that girdlo III
plain, siIvery with SHOWS sh,mmerins throus
The purple ard rosy films that vail their side
f-aDd then the plains over which marcle
tie lcsions Of old Rome. when ran her roac
to the ends Of the earth-when stretched hs
| aqucdu:'s such rs one still sees slandicg
graceful ruins.
Then tue ruined palaces of the Caesars, wit