Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1868-04-29
Extract from a Letter from Rev. DR.
Lord.

interesting portion of a letter from Mr.. Lord
written to his family;
ROME. April 6, 1868.
left Naples on Saturday last at l04
clock A NJ for the Eternal City We
cached here at 10 Pm, and found private
srtrtments on the COrsO. Our route lay
through a volcanic region. The mountains
were bare rock, and the valleys only arc cul-
..,a-ed Not more than half the area can
Il TILED. At Cepraus our baggage was
-sa--heI and passports examined. Then we
entered the States of the Church. 1t was
magical moonlight as we approached this old
mi historic city Our way lay along the
Nranian mountains, and on the elevated
rIarelu which rises gradually from the sea,
arl on which Rome is built. For miles the
arches 0f the old Roman aqueduct shone in
-te.n0onIight like long immense colonnade.
vvl, almost deceived into the belief that
vas drlwing near 10 the old city of the
C.-ar- and the dclusion was completed
f~a distant view of the majestic masonry of
-o Coliseum, still wonderful in its ruins.
But after a long ride | was glad to seek N Y
r.i even though the room had stone floor,
.ri r,mhines the features of prison and a
tq-l0r. We have a suite of four rooms, large
enough for king After a poor night l
.,, H. - the daylight in the city of which l
,.t read. studied and dreamed so long. |
aEcl out upon the Corso- At one end an
r.rutian obeIisk greeted my vision at the
.-acr the Palatine Hill rose on my sight,
.-7wned with It's old ruins of the days Of
nightly Emperors.
But it was Palm Sunday, and scarcely
vairin. for breakfast, hurried to St. Peter 5
Church. for the Pope was to celebrate Mass
and bless the Palms. I took carriage, and
fastening along the narrow streets came at
length 10 the Adrian bridge that crosses the
Tiher. near the massive tomb of that Empe-
-.r 1t was built in the days of the Caesars.
Wc approached St. Peters by long narrow
street at whose termination we entered upon
-he magnificent basilica of the church. On
either side, an immense semi-circular colon
made opened upon the eye, within whose vast
sweep j. incloseI the square (as it is called)
of the church. Here the celebrated obelisk
stands that was raised at so much peril. and
whose elevation was finally secured by the
,rv If fisherman . Wet the ropes = The
ascent t. the church Is by gentle inclina-
ri9n. while the dome is greatly dwarfed by
tHo projecting part Of the edifce- External
ir the building Is not imposing. 1t is flanked
ou tnc right by the Vatican, an immense
mass Of buildings covering the hill, and al
most covering the church also. The way
~ filed with elegant carriages, contain
ius cardinals. priests. diplomatists and
strangers with soldiers and citizens with
III varieties Of brilliant costumes and livery.
The square, as YOU look down upon it from
-he yeStIbuIe Of the church, with its sur
rounding colonnade. its central obelisk, its
splendid fountains, and its thousands OF
carriages and brilliant equipages and cos
tunes. Is like a scene of enchantment. But
W. enter the church. The vestibule, in
which two OF three churches like ours could
~ easily placed looks small. Everything
the statuary. the paintings and the columns
Is on -o huge scale. that the mind cannot
get the impression of grandeur till it has first
studied the magnifcence of the details. The
same impression pervades one upon entering
the church. The proportions are so exqui-
site that the vastness cannot be realized, ex
cept upon critical study. Columns more
than a hundred and thirty feet in circumfer-
cncc. do not seem at all large or out of pro
portion The rotunda of the dome, two
hundred feet in diameter, and the dome itself
a= 7 looked up into 1t nearly five hundred
feet seemed not much larger than large
hell The dimensions grow upon the minC
III the while Still cannot say that | was
and am not disappointed at St. Peters.
But let us enter We come at once into
countless and strange throng. The vast nave
of the church. from the door TO the altar, il
kept clear by a Gordon of armed soldiers, lik'
rope around the arena of a circus ArOunC
this belt of steel the living crowd rushes anC
-ur-cs. each one bent on securing the bes
place possible Ladies in black and wells arr
admitted by ticket to seats on the right anC
left Of the altar. The men struggle below
English. French, Germans, Americans, con
tend with Italians. soldiers. women, monk
and lazzaroni, for places. | push my wa,
along. for have good elbows for that work
Now I tread on a kneeling devotee now jostl
an angry soldier, now squeeze humble Ca
ruchin mumbling his prayers, now make wa,
fora Sister Of Charity with her pale face an
meek ewes.
At length ! reach the center, Just in from
of the side chapel, through which the Pop
comes into the church | stand on the lin
Of guards. At nine and one-half O'Clock
the ushers who precede his Holiness enter
then follow priests, dignitaries, cardinals
and last the Pope himsclf--a mild faced, gray
haired old man The procession files o
through the aisle, into another chapel nes
the vestibule. In moment the choir witt
out organ, strikes up the - Hosannah, bic
sed Is He that cometh." and at once Il
in the same order-AntonelIi, tall, dar
ken man. leading the cardinals But ii
Pope Is now raised in chair on the shoulde
of twelve men. They advance slowly, tt
choir still chanting, and the Pope blessr
the kneeling crowd on either side. The
reach the precise spot where | stand. Hel
the Pope is gently let down, and walks to
SIDE altar. where he says something that
'anDot hear, returns. takes his chair agail
J. litted up, and amid the noise of the crow
ana the sound of triumphant music, is borr
- the raised dais behind the altar, und,
which lie the bones of the Apostle Peter