New Orleans daily crescent., 1866-11-19

A SCENE AT ROME.

SCENE AT ROME.
had vowed / would SO to no ceremonies in
Rome. But the account given me of the washing
of the pilgrims feet, not at St. Peters, but at
Santa Marie del Pelegrni, 1.-THE description of the
peasant, toil-worn pilgrims made me absolve my
self from that part Of my VOW, and take steps to
procure admittance to the spectacle.
Very difficult, every one said, to get o ticket, |
everybody was so anxious to go; and had quite
given up the idea, when late on Saturday evening
| easter Sunday)ea note came from friend to |
offer me the vacant place in their carriage and
little before o o'clock we left via Condotti and
drove through the dark, narrow streets, whittier
knew not. Stopping at the darkest corner of
great church, and tail, gloomy building the hos
4 pital adjoining, up slippery, dim, uncleanly star,
We stumbled, fearing to be too late, and, passing
| through two small anterooms, joined procession
of other ladies through narrow passage made by
wooden rails in the middle of the long, large,
harewalled chamber, where the supper was to be,
On one side of were long, narrow tables, as yet
uncovered with attendant marrow empty benches
| On the other smallerspace, occupied by board
on which the materials for the supper were lald
as they were brought in from another room by
| half dozen or so of little women, IN black SILK
! dresses and red pinatores-mlnlsterng angels with
/ very much the air of housekeepers and ladies'
maids, but who were coroneted peeresses, coun-
tesses and marchesas, every one of them.
Agradual pushing and showing broughtus to the
door, and down perous dark stair, to the room
where the ceremony was about to begin.
| A large oblong stone ohamber-not unlike
laundry raised stone seat with, all round, cocks
/ of steaming water pouring into small tubs below
three sides Of it, and wooden beam to keep Sc
parate the beholders and the performers IN the
impending sight.
Il BY side door the peasant women came slowly
iu one by one, seating themselves shyly on the
stone seat, and pulling on their thick Woolen socks
and strong Shoes
An old, old crone, wrinlled like a withered ap-
pie, laid her hands on her knees and stared ndlt-
/ fIr- hpfnr hAp n
shame-faced, with the most beautiful wild blue
eyes | ever saw coarse white cloth over her
y. head, and many beads round her throat, sat next
her. A stout, stupid matron by her plunged her
feet at once into the hot water to soak. They
were mostly old women, none Of them ragged,
and few that did notlook strong and hearty but
their faces wore but the most part, that malan-
choly, weired look that is So southern and poetic
| and that means so little.
The red-aproned ladies had dropped on their
knees before the tubs, and all was quiet, when a
plumb priest, in pink calico garments and scarlet
skull.cap, entered and placed himself in the mid
die Of the long row of pilgrims. After CHEEKY
word or two to the old dame on either side of him,
i the priest began, in nasal monotone, Latin
prayer. instantly followed by the pilgrims. The
ladies began to splash the water in the tubs and
look around them aud smile at their acquaintances
A curious scene enough; deep gray shadows, a
ftful yellow light resting on, here and there a
dark, wild face; harsh voices rising and falling in
an unfamiliar tongue, and at once all the strange
sense that these were unknown felloW-occupants
i of this dream.like world fellow travellers to that
n eternal world to cOme-faces that should never
see again. and that had each its own fate and his
# tory for good or evil, in this life and the next.
i Small zeal, thought, the ladies bestowed Oh
: their office: should like to see English girls
Il doing right heartily the scrubbing and spongng
4 that they did not do at all. The prayers ended,
e each pilgrim drew on her socks and shc2s; each
! lady placed the hand of her whose feet she had
i washed within her arm and led her from the room
n The women slouched bashfully past u.s. and the
4 nlinisterng angels nodded and smiled to the friends
they saw amongst our number, but seemed to
q take no heed of or interest in their companions
& We made our way, as speedily as might be, to
5 the supper room, while new set OF pilgrims,
! ladies and spectators took our places.
, Up stairs the long tables were already covered,
! and rows of sunbuInt guests seated, waiting for
i grace to be said; more red pinafores fitted
/ around, with round bowls of salad and thick
brown loaves and with them were here and there
/. stout beings in pink calico garments, from the
throat to the feet, whose gray oustaches relieved
j us from an otherwise painful uncertainty as to
/ their sex. With glee l recognized my friend,
Prince NJ, as benign and better shaven than
usual, amongst the pink dressing gowns; and
he told me that, with sundry others, he had fin
ished washing the mems feet, in separate part
of the hospital, and had come to help keep order
here.
salad, bread, fish and wine made an ample supper
in the eyes of such frugal hungry folk the Ital
anpeasants and talking, laughing and whisper
! ing in groups they ate and drank Some did not
! or yellow kerchief for the moTTow's use. Some
helped their neighbors, pulling the shining lettuce
! leaves out of wooden bowls with yet browne
' fingers. Here and there asad, gloomy face leoket
/ out from the wild head-gear, but there was many
& q flashing eye and happy countenanee among
e them; only one girl-so beautiful that her fact
h haunts me still-looked so lonely and sad that
l. tried TO coax her to take her untouched food She
j. shook her head and great, clear drop fell from
e her eyes; she would not even carry of her breat
II and wine as did those who, dog-lke, were too shy
BAR i11rf nt 1Tn1- EFf 20 frg
+ on her shoulders and long slender hands claspei
!, in her lap, poem in herself Iwondered why
j; she was sad, and composed rapid romance for
: her, ending happily in the third volume.
Grace was said. AID move made towards tht
,n sleeping room and now began q strange scene.
7 Wooden bars were again put up to keep pass
e age wide enough to admittwo abreast to the door
t, way. Countess E. stood at the exit to see tina
b too many did not crowd into the d0rmtory at ont
,s time, and Marchese - took up position a feI
II yards inside the room, to keep order in the pro
/ cession as it passed from the tables. Within IN
le sleeping-Toom hymn, Ghanted by the lady at
w tendants joined by the voices of the peasants
el in turn, as they left the supperroom-not an un
e. melodious mingling of rough and cultivated tone
le in slow, yet glad cadence, but we only hear
N the sound at first, for they would no
e go quietly, and trampling of heavy feet drowne
Of all save their own noise.
le Much to my amaze, the frightened, grave wo
e. men became bold, half fierce, and wholly bOiste
VI rous, following exclaiming, pushing, with fushe
1t faces and muttered words-al stro7e to be first
u So wildly did they push that at last the matron
ID little active Marchese - threw herself betwee
n two stout women, and with head, hands and el
bows fought till she had driven back the fore
to mostin the melee, and restored order in the pre-
1 cession
ID Curious folk Prince - said to me; ''the
Of are fierce at times in their dormtory that it
Of hard to manage them Certain beds are specia
er fayoites, certain parts Of the room much Ell
Id teemed, and they light for these; also those Q
e one country or Of one family wild if they b
= not together at bed time.
" The prince told me that in another section of til
a. building the male pilgrims tended, as wer
v here the women but that all through the year tn
= institution was open for the relief of all poor
e. waYfaling people; only, to merit the special priv
Dis i!eges of Easterthe six days food and lodginS
n. the clean linen and warm water-they must hav
En- journeyed sixty miles on foot, unwashed; thenfc
nj on one of those days their feet washed by h
m delicate hands Of the high-born Lenten peniten
IL OF Rome,
: The pilgrims spend their day in visiting shrine
"a and churches, and on Easter day they thron
ot the great place of St. Peter to receive the pap
ne blessing.
/ was mistaken in my suppositon that the pi