Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1873-04-10

| tAiOoC VI W IL ID W DC HOpcu Nudl
! Mark will revise his translation of the
"Roman Battle Axe" While in the
| Coliseum heavy thunder shower with
hail came over us, and amidst the din
| of reberberating thunder and the light
ming flash we were reminded that God
alone remained changeless. This stu
pendous work intended for the glory of
! Titus, which it took 10000 Jews ten
years to complete, the little rain drop
through wellnigh thirteen centuries have
done their part to include among
''Rent palaces, crushed columns, rified
Fanes rolled on fanes, and tombs on bur
led tombs."
We have been to see the Coliseum by
| moonlight and found its charms greater
because darkness hid the decay and the
moons rays lent it a dreamy charm one
could hardly think it possessed in the
glaring light of day.
Of palaces and churches in Rome
| there is no end and do not intend to
tire you of anything like a detail of
what we have seen. The boy who past
ed printed slip of the Lords prayer
upon the head-bOard of his bed and,
jumping into the couch, exclaiming,
''Them's my sentiments, F" has set me the
example of referring you to the guide
books of Rome, assuring YOU that they
are my sentiments quite complete. A
few impressions we had, of which there
is no guide book treatise, and shall hur-
riedly note them. The church, San
Maria Degli Angel, "a charming name)
is the work of the great Michael Angelo
As we enter on either hand are tOmbs,
in which repose the ashes of illustrious
dead. Salvador Rosa and Carlo Maratti,
each of them have left works of art
which are their own best monuments
When weary Of wandering in the church
a courteous priest led us out a side door
to the baths Of Diocletian and thence to
a court of Carthusian monastery. My
companions returned with the priest
while / fingered behind The priest
supposed me in advance of the party
and locked me in For the first time I
was forcibly dcbarrcd from the world
and inundated in a monastery With
vivid reminders of R0mish hatred of
herctics. | set up IA vocferous shout and
kicked at the door with hearty good
will. The dcath-like stiffness of the
MOukiSh court resounded with hereto
cries, Gas they may have done before)
but my companions soon missed me and
the pOndtrous door swung on its hinges
much to my relief as it proved to my
release. With the absent-minded
ness of some excitement | rushed
through the opeLed door into
the church with my hat on and directly
under the shrine of the Holy Virgin
The priest looked daggers | donncd
my Chapeau while he bowed aud cross
ed himself to the shrine begging pardon
for the hereto caprice. The church.
Maria MaggOire- we found of interest
as one among the richest in finish we
saw in that host which makes Rome IA
nous, Under the patronage of Philip
of Spain and Isabella, the ceiling was gild-
ed with South American gold. The
tomb of Plus IN, which | need not in
form you, is of exceeding lichuess. The
old gentleman in the Vatican has had ii
expressly arranged for the repose of his
mortality, and the awkward, restless
boy in charge Of it made me think that
one at least was weary of waiting for
the Pope's death The variety and ele-
gance OF the marble shafts, columns and
floors, make it burial place for which
the prOudpst potentate of earth might
sigh, if magniticenCe were luxury to a
cold corpse. | thought Of the resurrcc-
itDh ulttiI do GdAtb bij-tl NulS @IAlNN
tomb, and could not repress the feeling
that the blood bought souls of many
''Pott ars field" might rise soon rs he,
from this magnificent mauSoleum.
Our guide on this pilgrimage to the
churches proves himself a profound be-
lever in the relics of the most holy
church. Surely you would have thought
so, had YOU seen his air of assurance
when he led us to an ancient sarcopha
gus containing the last mortal remains
of St Matthew the Evangelist, and point
ed to our blessed vision five boards from
the manger in which the Infant Jesus
lay at Bethlehem And in the chapel of
the Borghese family over the altar is a
blackened picture of the Virgin Mary,
painted by St Luke Nearly as we
could descry the features of the Virgin
she looked quite like an Italian. Much
as we like St. Luke's writing in that
blessed book the Bible, we have no fancy
for his portrait painting. | could not
learn from our guide it this was St
Luke's masterpiece, but he told us that
Gregory 1st, in solemn procession, early
as AID. 500, carried this picture for the
sanctifying gaze of the multitude. As
we passed down the street he told us
that certain old house over the way
served Peter and Paul as a dwelling
place, when in Rome. | politely asked
our guide who was so generous dispen-
ser of information, if he took us for
''succers ?'--but he couldn't compre-
hend. Do y0u take as for gu51s ? Still
he couldR't comprehend. NeXatiously |
asked-Do yOu think aoe are fools go,
no !" he responded, s'you be very nice
shenteelmen | hoped that the last as
surance would be one among the things
our credulity would not reject, but Shell
don spoiled it, with "That's another
whopper. The guide looked about to see
what it was we called a whOpper, but
was sufficiently discreet not to ask ques-
tiOns, for we three were the interrOga-
ton points. We went to St. Peters in
| Vinculum, which towers from the spot
where stood the blood-thirsty Nero.
This church is famed as the receptacle
! of the chains which bound Peter in the
| prison at Jerusalem. These chains are
! brought to light but one day of the year,
and happy are the faithful permitted to
kiss them. But here is Michael Ange-
los masterpiece of sculpture, Noses. 1t
is colossal in proportion, delicate in fin
ish, wonderful in conception, minute in
| detail The great toe of its left foot is
the only blemish and tradition shields
that with story that when Angelo had
finished the work, he was so wrapped up
in the perfection of the ideal that he
verify thought the statue to have life,
and seizing his mallet he struck this
great toe, expecting Moses would speak
Surely the test was severe one, for all
of us have memories of those shoeless
days of midsummer while we were yet
! in our A. B. C's.
~ WHAT A Boy KNOWS ABOUT GIRLS. =
Girls are the most unaccountable things
in the world-except a woman. Like the
wicked flea, when you have them they
amt there. | can cipher clear over the
/ improper fractions, and the teacher says