Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1868-04-29
Extracts of Letters Of Rev. DIR. Lord.


Extracts of Letters Of Rev. DIR. Lord.
WRITTEN To ms FAMILY.
ROW., April 10, 1865
gave on account in my last letter of Palm
Sunday at st. Peters Since then | have
been very busy surveying the ruins Of old
Rome. Quite number Of Old triumphal
arches still remain The arch Of Titus, celc-
brating his triumph over Jerusalem the arch
of Trajan, and Of Constantine are all very
well preserved. The Pantheon, model OF
st. Peters Dome, is the best ruin in the city.
1t is now used as o church. The Temple Of
Vesta is very beautiful still, simple rotmda
surrounded by Corinthian columns. Ii is ON
the banks of the Tbor, near the Temple of
Peace. In many cases modern churches are
grated ON the old Roman Porticoes, and so
Paganism and Christianity have blended their
forces, nor is this, in this case an iuharmoni
Gus combination
There is not so much beggary here as in
Naples, still there is too much. There is an
order Of mendicant priests, who meet one at
every turn and have very winning way OF
shaking their tin boxes adorned with the
image Of the virgin, in the faces of the people.
had the pleasure of contributing penny to
one Of them and extracting a grim smile from
his weather-boaten face BY the dress of
csc mendicants, take them TO be Capusian.
| went into their monastery here and was
much interested in their cemetery or rather
Golgotha. A long series Of aleoves with an
aisle on one side Of it Is the place. On the
sides of these alcoves and at the end, the
skulls and bones of the defunct brethren are
packed up in solid measure. In the centre
of each pile, in a small alcovo made in and
with the bones, is a preserved and embalmed
monk three in each alcove. They look from
their eyelcss sockets ON this CHASTITY pile OF
m0rtuary relics. The ceilings are adorned
with iestoons of tibia and brachia and all
sorts Of sanity bones Even the very can
delabra are made of the maxillae and malice
joint bones aud teeth Of the departed monks
their cemeteries and the candlestcks of the
church Wisdom is justified of her children,
and the odor Of sanctity never f,ileth.
was much interested in the places where
some Of the celebrated miracles Of the church
have been wrought In the mamertine prison
is the cell Of Peter. The apostle, naturally
reluctant to 60 down into the dungeon, was
precipitated thither by his rude guards The
place on the rock where his face struck the
wall is still evident 1t has been piously
preserved by an iron grating, and through
this one can see the distinct impression Of the
apostolic face. And on the floor of his cell
there gushes 4 fountain, which was brought
into existence for the purpose of baptizing
his jaior. All increduility is dispeiled as
one drinks as | did, from this sparkling
spring. Who could doubt the miracle with
the fact Of the fountain before his eyes? In
the San Sebastian church there is stone
from the Appian way, which bears the i'm.
print of Chrst's feet, when the Saviour met
the fleeing Peter and sent him back 10 the
city to win the crown, martyrdom saw
the stone with the evident foot marks in it,
II was marble and had the marks of the
chisel upon it, Tell Miss - that ad.
mire the statuary Of Christ and his mother
IN the subteranean chapel of San Giovanni
as much as she does. 1t is the most exquisite
production Of the chisel have seen. 1t l.
said to be by Bernic, but doubt it. If so,
it is the only thing Of his | would care to
look at the second time.
have been into many of the picture gal
leries of Rome. The Corsini the Capitol.
the Borghesi, the Rospieliosi, the st. Luoa
the Vatican, and the Lateran. | have fallen
IN love with Carlo Dolci and Guido and
Maratta, and yet the eye is so crowded with
the beautiful sights that the brain is absolute
ly bewildered There is an infinite profusion
Of madonnas on the walls of the palaces ex.
quisite faces Of mother and child. And vet
when | walk in the street, | see the living
madonnas the veritabe models of these old
artists. The beauty of the Italian face is so
peculiar that you cannot fail to recognize it.
whether IT is found in painting or in life
For myself, | prefer the madonnas Of life.
meet them everywhere. The old, sweet,
glorious faces Of the canvass gaze upon YOU
from the shops and balconies of the streets.
and one IL at no loss to see where the artists
found their studies. Italy is the land of
models The Spanish stairs are covered with
the models Of painters, who for dime an
hour will disclose their beauties to the son of
the pencil and the brush.
Yesterday, Holy Thursday, | went to st.
Peters again. 1t is a great festival in the
calendar. After mass in the Sistme chapel,
the Pope was brought in on the shoulders of
his attendants to the great balcony of st.
Peters, and gave his blessing to the crowd
assembled in the grand square below. The
spectacle was a splendid one, In the SQUARE
were formed several regiments of infantry
and dragons with large number of militia
ry bands. Thousands of people stood in
front of the soldiers. The background was
densely packed with carriages and snowy
equipages. At twelve o'clock, the Pope was
borne out upon the balcony and in clear
loud tone recited or chanted the benediction.
was at some distance from him, on the roof
OF the grand colonnade, whittier | had been
allowed access by the grace of the Swiss
guard. But | heard every word and was
saturated with the beatitudes. Ii il said
that blessing reaches not only the person, but
everything on the person. so that whatever
one wears or carries is permeated with the
benedletion. | carried some beads with me
so that they should share in the sacred affia-
tus. After the benediction, it was followed
by the sound of cannon and music of bands.
| fastened down the Scala Regia into the
Church, to see the Lavanda, or the washing
OF the feet. II was down in the transept
fitted up for the OCCASION Soon after had
taken my place near the great altar, and in
full view of the raised dais, where His Ho.
illness was to initiate the humility of Christ,
he came in, attended by the cardinals in their
nantes of ermine, and by other great digni-
taries. Several priests then went on their
knees before him and bowed their heads to
the floor, and two of them were permitted to
kiss his cheek. Incense and candles were
burned before him and the choir filled the
church with their music. Then his Holiness
was Invested of his scarlet robe or surplice,
and glrded with an embroided apron, and
went to the ID priests, who represented the
apostles and the angel Gabriel, and while
cardinal bore silver LAYER, he dipped nap
KIN IN 1t and quietly touched and wiped each
prlestly and angelic foot. This was done
amid Jabilations of music and as il was per-