New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1873-10-11

mere conventional. sentimental daub. This rem
dered the occurrence the more interesting for most
! Of the woodworking Madonnas of Italy are Of
| the antique Byzantine type-severe, dignifed. ma
tronly, even If mahogany Such is the pic
| ture said to have been painted by st. Luke the
Evangelist from the living model of the Mother OF
| the Lord: such is the one venerated in San Marco
in Venice; such the national pride of Poland the
Madonna of Warsaw whose check shows yet the
scar inflicted by tho sword of the heather
Lithuanian before Queen Hedwige converted and
married King Jagellon But this image of Vicovaro
has in itself nothing alluring it possesses no ante
| cedents Of importance it was never hidden from
enemies and miraculousy redscovered. It's present
powers however, were freely aud eagerly discussed
| in Rome almost every one, believers and unbe-
levers went to see it. Stories came from the cOun-
try Of cures worked by its agency on blind and lame
peasants and sick children. Two young Frenchmen
! officers, who turned everything into joke. were
known 20 have visited il as a show, making the
| pgrimaEe a picnic, and came back serious and
sobered the one leaving the army and entering
seminary. the other going weekly to confession and
reforming his life very earnestly.
Whether from devotion or curiosity, every one
sooner OF later gravitated toward Vicoyaro l did
not resist the impulse and so day found myself
en- route for the shrine. Our party was very small,
for caravans were not the fashion then. The
weather was too hot to do the whole journey in
one day; we started early in the morning and got
through half of it before noon; then stopped at
roadside Ostcrid and INDUCED in the local comfort
of sesta. Let it be understood that there was no
railway and that the distance was rather more
than 20 miles. across the Csmpagna, and
by roads choked with dust. The beau
tiful, lazy oxen. with their cream-colored coats.
sleek as satin, their hugo branching horns and
mild brown eyes, dotted the meadows as we passed;
the sky was cloudlcss The wind did not stir. 1t
the sultry, silent beauty that seems peculiar TO
Rome. The past seemed nearer than the present;
the tenants of tberuned mausOleum and the builders
of the giant aqueducts of the Campagna appeared
more SOLID realities than what we were going to
Thehush of noon, the pail Ofanguor hanging over
made the very daylight seem dream, out Of which
imperial Rome would 5000 reveal herself IN all her
self-assertng manifcence. As the shadows grew
longer the spell passed away and we resumed our
journey, having emptied in our frantic and un-
fastidiOus thirst several bottles of that vinegar mis-
called ino DIET paese which is so picturesquey and
decciviuely inclosed within thin, globelike TASKS
half swathed in plated straw. Our numbering
carriage went slowly on. Sunset hues flushed the
sky and on looking back from the foot Of the first
hill we reached. we saw the glorious dome of ST.
Peters rising clear above the level horizon. tawny
radiance was all around it; we could the light
right through the windows, which are placed
opposite each other. The hills were
cred with olive orchards; here and there
dwarf walls arose, banking up the loose,
sandy soil The trunks of the olive trees were
knotted and gnaIled like a grove of gigantic snakes
or like those awful trees of the Italian bards Inferno
which sweated human blood instead Of sap, and
each held imprisoned the spirit of a damned mortal.
The soft gray-grcen Of the leaves was relief to the
eyes, tired Of the intense hues of the glowing sky
while here and there bit of the sky seemed to have
strayed among the trees as we could catch glimpse
of a red cloak or blue petticoat crouched the steps
of a wayside shrine The men and women here were
not ashamed of their religion; they calmly gazed
after the heavy vehicle full Of Joresie but did not
move from their post, and serenely counted their
beads over impassioned, half-uttered invocations.
The lanes grew sleeper and narrower, and we began
10 pass many peasants.
Tyol was near. the stately and deserted Villa
dEste the falls OF the classic AniO and the graceful
Temple of the Sybil hung over the wooded preci-
pice Here stopped for the night meaning TO go
on in the morning and assist at the first service at
the shrine of the miraculous Madonna. TivOli has
a cathedral and bishop of its own and, at that
time, it also had miraculous image This we saw
exposed on temporary stand in the center of the
nave Of the cathedral; a few wax tapers
women in their rough mountain costumes
knelt around. Ii seemed strange that we had not
heard Of this before But the iyoli people were full
of it, and hardly went to Yicovaro at all. could
not the image enough to judge Of its merits
believe il was far older than the famous one which
we had come TO see Ii also moved its eyes, so VIC
were told; but" itsyotdgies added, the toresiici
foreigners all pass this by, and rush to Woo
varo, which is very difficult to get to, and a very
poor place when YOU get to it," After this encour-
agement We went back TO the oseria The rooms
were low and stuiiy; rough sort of frescO, very
artistic in its conception-far more so than more
elaborate efforts i'll less artistic undiscovered the
walls An Italian supper was smoking on the table
FrituTe, n mess of fried caulihower and calves
brains, formed principal dish; the wine was the
very reverse of the peutenta liquor which we had
slipped perforce at noon: it like a spiritu-
Gus syrup rich, dark-colorod fluid. with flavor as
of Eastern spices beautiful, short night prepared
for the pearly morning Of the eventful day. The
rose in mist of azure, looking at the world as
through bridal vail We set off very early over
the rocky, untrimmed road TO the village
Ii skirted the course of the Anio here
nothing but fOamng brook. not violent
enough 10 be called torrent. The Au-
tumu rains had just made it playful
ard IFS FLASHING sound was joyful accompaniment
to our journey. The rocks on the mountain side
were very steep ana g1in,ly bare; here and there
hung villages, literally cut out Of and bolsered up
by the living rock, like many natural fortresses
trusting for safety to the unifomness OF color and
the impossibiIity Of distinguishing their outline
from heir background. This is a popularity of the
Roman spurs of tho Apennincs and here in the mid
die ages were many sturdy contests between the
lords of each hawks nest deiantly planted on these
rocky lodges. frowring at each other in their in
doInitable local pride. SlumDerous enough now arc
thnsc hannts Of ancicnt brigandagc Of which Yicn.