The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1869-08-01
Letters from Spain.


saH Hon. S. S. Cox, member of Congress from one
of the New York City districts, is now travel
ing IN Europe and publishes in the New York
World very interesting letters about what he
sees in the old world. we copy as follows
about the Cathedral of Seville '-4
The Cathedral of Seville is hardly surpassed
in the Catholic world. 1t is next to st. Peters.
How to picture it's Gothic gloom, its numerous
nayes, its grand organs, its double rows of inn
nense pillars, its gorgeous 9chapeIs--how to
picture one chapel only, lighted with the sa-
cred tapers and giittering with stars upon a
blue armament, counterparts of the floral de-
coration upon the altar; how to linn to the
eye the vision of ST. Anthony, the apparition
of the Infant Jesus to the monk, or the Guar
dian Angel, each by Murillo-wouid it not re-
los own pencil7 The latter picture is, to me,
next to another of Murillo's, the "Washing of
the Diseased by the Virgin which was stolen
hence by Soult, and afterwards returned from
France to Madrid-the most significant of all
the pictures which have ever seen.
Murillo was born at Seville about the begin
ming of the seventeenth century, He made his
native city famous. He was the painter of
feminine and infantile beauty. His first pic
lures were cold, his second warm, his third was
dim, misty and spiritual. His drawing was
most conspicuous in the first, his color in the
second, and his ethereal grace in the last 1t
is objected that he lacks the sublime and un-
earthly. But no one denies the magic grace
and blending colors which give to his lines and
forms naturalness which captivates the soul
of the simple as well rs the connoisseur. His
Artists Dream" and its sequel, which we saw
in the Museum of San Fernando, at Madrid,
have more repute than others of his works.
perhaps because they have ever had the light
TO display them. But this dim and grand Ca
thedral is hardly the place to show them to
advantage. Beside, when we saw them there
the light was much curtained by the heavy
gold-trimmed velvet hangings
These hangings were just being hung, for
the next day is the celebration of Corpus
Christi The guide assured us that these
hangings were present made by the mer-
chants of Cadiz and cost $4,000. While fol-
patron saints of Seville, San Laureane aud San
Isad0re. They were brothers, and in the reli-
gious wars led the Christians. They were
made successfully archbishops. They are rep
resented, eN ~ by those who do not agree with
their creed, as men of great intellectual force
and acumen. Their figures of silver were lifted
by means of ropes and pullies to their places
for the ceremonies of Tomorrow.
Rightly to have described this wonderful
wonder of cathedral architecture, with its
many colored marbles and richiy-hued win
dows, its illuminated volumes and finely
carved choir, one should be entirely alone in
the great arch of its stony heart. The seven
teen splendid entrances should be closed, the
world sh 1T out, and the twenty7three- chapeIs
should be unbarred, that the eye might be
nearer to the rich adornings, sculptures and
paintings within the sacred precincts, The
their seleetest DIM religious light. Here in
these aisles, where the uncontaminated efful-
gence of God is not tainted with the Impurities
of mortality; here, under the forms of the sa-
crificed Savior and beautifed. Virgin, with the
cross garlsHded in enduring marble, or chased
in silver made of the first offerings of Column
bus from our New World; here, at the twilight
hour, rendered even more dusky by the dim
light of the Cathedral-here Muri}lo used to
wonder, ponder and dream What Imprinted
imaginings were his! Before one picture here
"a descent from the Cross, by Campana, a pu-
pill of Angelo-he us ed TO stand in reverential
reverie until his eyes sysam in tears until, in
rapt vision, lie almost waited for the men to
complete the work of taking from the tree our
blessed Saviour. 1t was before this picture
that he desired to be BURIED
But how can picture the infinite variety of
art, taste and wealth here gathered? Whittier
shall tnrn-to the colossal st. Christopher;
bearing the infant Saviour over the stream 7
To the historic silver keys of Seville in the sa-
cristy Z To the palisades of pipes in the great
orgausf To the marble nedalionsf To lofty
vaulted roofs : Or shall not rather await the
great ceremony of tomorrow, when the living
masses throng along these aisles, listen to tho
symphonies Of the organs and the chaunts of
human praisef / cannot elect what TO do
where the confusion is SO interesting and the
interest charming.
The Hon. Francis Scott, an uncle, we
believe of Lord P0lwarth, has published q