Cincinnati daily press. [volume] (Cincinnati [Ohio]) 1860-1862, 1860-07-02
Grand Mass Prayer.aIeetlng in st. Peter,s
Mt Rome.

Harriet Beecher Stowe writes thus to th,
New York Independent:
II is now four o'clock, and leaving the res
Of the party to pursue their drive, we wen
in for a lonely promenade at St. Peters be
fore vespers, little dreaming how novel ant
curious spectacle was coming before us
We have heard Of mass prayer-meetings il
America, England, and ireland, but nevel
expected to assist in one at st. Peter's-bu
such was our good fortune.
For while we walked pensively up anC
down, listening to the hushed voices of visit
ora, and gaining at every step new points in
which to admire the airy and elegant archi
lecture, and to wonder and be confounded a
the bad sculpture and tawdry accessories O.
50 much loveliness and grace. At the
central chapel of the Holy Sacrament
two candles just lighted cleaned like
stars on the golden wings Of the kneel-
ing angels. A most peculiar effect is pro-
duced by these candles mingling with the
daylight; something ghostly and supernatural,
like the intermingline of the dreams and
musings Of midnight with the bustling com
mon-place of lhe day. In the opposite chapel,
where the vespers are usually celebrated, the
hrstsounds of the chanting began tobe heard,
with its peculiar far-of plaintiff tones. The
thinness and distance Of the tones of the
human voice in great cathedrals is something
most peculiar in Its effect; so feeble they
seem In the vastness, yet so earnest as of
souls cryingfor God through infinite space
where human voicesseem 50 feeble and human
desires so helpless. 1 was musing over these
things when the sound Of chanting was heard
slowly ascending the outer steps of the
church, and presently there began entering
a most ghostly procession Of men vailed
from head to foot in a blood-red costume
their eyes cleaning spectrally through large
eye-holes in the peaked hoods that completely
concealed their faces. They bore aloft a black
crOss-the figure upon it being shrouded in
mourning purple, and the foremost carried
lighted candles. They advanced chanting to
the chapel of the Holy Sacrament, where
they ceased, and, disposing themselves in
two long lines, they silently kneeled and
clasped their hands, and remained fixed and
immovable as blood-red statues sat down
by white-haired old woman, who, with two
little children, sat contemplating the scene.
She interrupted my meditations by conf
dental whisper that she was poor and that a
bajoce would be acceptable and having as
sented to her views in this matter, we asked
"Who are these2n and she answered, "These
are the brothers Of st. Joachimo; they come
to pray for the Pope" Then they kneeed,
still as the red porphyry statues in the Vatican
gallery, the large dark eyes cleaning meteor
ically from their hoods, but word said thew
none; meanwhile the choir from the opposite
chapel began one of those weird, unearthly
chants which express so mnch woe and de-
spair, and the sounds ever and anon fioated
toward us and died in the distance under
those polished arches, that seemed by far too
courtly to have any sympathy with such
sounds; and now the sound seemed answered
by mournful chanting ascending the stems
again, and another black cross appeared with
lighted candles held in the hands of grave
ecclesiastics, who came soemnly sweeping in
singing dirge-like chant that had the peeu-
liar wailing sound Of old China, or some of
our minor-key funeral chants OF New Eng
land. Following him came pattering thou
sand little Footsteps long procession of
brlght-eyed little boys from eight TO ten, and
behind those Others older, and others vet
again-in short, all the schools and colleges
in Rome, headed by the ecclesiastics who
teach them. The various costumes-white,
scarlet and black-made picturesque display
As they approached the chapel of the Holy Sa-
crament, the red mutesarose with Quiet whirr
ike dock of birds, and moved silently and in
complete order to the central shrine of ST
Peters, where the golden lamps were burn
ing, where they kneeled again, while the |
ecclesiastics disposed their young flock in |
rows behind rows, till the whole aisle was |
hlied. Such an assembly of pale faces and |
bright black eyes | never saw before At
silent sign they went down on their knees.
rank after rank slowly sinking with a most
peculiar effect, and giving as they sank the
full effect Of the color and costume of the rank
behind. All were on their knees now in
silence, and still came chanting up the steps
and still the black cruciix and candles an
peared at the church door, and there came In
a procession, headed by lady dressed in
black, with black vail on her head. and
bearing black cross. A servant in livery
walked on each side, announcing a person
OF condition. -Four or five other ladies
similarly vailed bore lighted candles, and
then followed a long line of women of
the lower orders, and then of little girls with
each white handkerchief tied on her head.
and then came in another procession of citi-
lens bearing the cross and candles, and fol-
lowed by procession of little bows an
parently just as they had been picked up IN
heir street clothes. In short, immense as
The hoor OF the church is, it soon presented l.
10 the eye the appearance of dense crowd. |
out as each OF these PROFESSIONS had to kneei
N prayer in two places, the crowd was In
constant and quiet notion filing silently
lere and there-and 10 one who looked over
ne whole, the scene was most singular.
Here filed the band of red mutes there nro-
ession similarly arrayed in white, their heads
oyered with black peaked hoods, kneeled
nd glared solemnly through them. Hero.
aides kneeled with bowed vailed heads
nd burning candles; there files of students.
n white OF scarlet or black, were noiselessly
ising and moving on to another shrine
he sound OF so many stepping feet was like
he pattering OF dull heavy rain In the
light and there were pauses and lulls in the
esper chanting when this sound came with
singular effect on ones ear. saw many
eople, apparently of some eonsideration
Vhojoined no procession, but kneeled In silent |
rayer, while ever and anon the shrewd
Tell-cut, keen faces of some of the HIGHER
eclesiastics looked over the scene with an
xpresson of satisfaction, and then tbey would
raw together in knots, and whisper among
lemselves.
When we came out we inquired of our
1achman what IL all was, thinking that We
lould get the popular version He said the
ope had excommunicated the King of Sar-
mia and the people of Romagna, and these
ave come TO pray about 1t. Whether for OF
sainst he did not say, but IL occurred TO me
lat Il 1t came 10 praying, that prayer was a
Vord with two edges and that. there were 7,
uls under the altar Of italian liberty for
wv many .years.that had been crying, hHow |
ng, oh Lord, holy and true, dost. Thou not
dge and avenge our bl0od.N Tsfg Hf.r IL
The air above the world is a whirlwind of |
nticting prayers; but there is one that
ar ars all, whose Judgment is Inerring. He /.
III give his snswerin, bis own tine. & 'rir
A -. \