The Dallas weekly herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1885, 1874-06-27
From our Fprclnl Correspondent
SUNDAYS ABROAD.
VENICE.

one bright Sabbath morning il
March, we awakened In Venice. From
our window we looked out upon tli'
Ihgunr and saw the somhrc goudoln'
gliding by. Was il II reality" lla'
we indeed lived to hchOld "GraUlill
Venice, the bride uf the HcN"' NJ
seemed so unreal. No sound of Whrch
or tramp OF huisca feet. The g"ndolaS
shook the sparkling drops FROM then
oars that dipped silently into the blue
waters. One after another they glidrd
by, looking like II wicrd funeral pro
ccssion in some fantastic dream. But
it was no dream, no funeral train. Out
there lay the morning boat just In
from Trieste, and many Of these gon-
dolas were going for or returning with
passengers. Others were omnibuses
coming from the railroad depot, laden
with baggage and tourists. 1t was in
truth u very active, practical reality
that we saw before US, but in so strange
II form, and mingled with so many re-
membranes of song and romance,
that it was difficult to separate the real
| from the imaginary, or to feel sure
I that we were not in trance. AS we
saw the groups of passengers on the
deck of the steamer, we lancied our
selves one of their number and en-
joyed over again the novelty of enter
ing Venice for the first time. That
giant, oriental looking building that
| first greets our eager eyes, is the doge's
palace; and there are the two columns,
one surmounted by the winged lion of
st. Marks, the other by st. Somebody
riding on crocodile. Once more we
experienced the delightful sensation
of first ride in a gondola, humming
the .efrain of au old and nearly for
cotton song.
"Row softly here, my gondolier."
doubt if any other boat riding can
equal riCinS in Il gondola, but II Condo.
la anywhere else hut ON the "Grand
Canal" on winding through the laby-
rinths of Venice, would be deprived of
half its charms and be but little better
than an ordinary boat.
III c hour WAS yet early for Venice,
and so we dreamed and fancied as long
us we chose, breakfasted leisurely, and
ut 10 O'clock all went out to visit the
cathedral and square of ST. Marks.
1t ID no use-I can't describe 1t. d!
might tell you how many feet long
anu DlOslt Silti iils5il t'ciJ tIliiiS lS Nilt
after all you would have ~ idea Of
that unique scene. The cathedral pre-
sents u picturesque aud even fantastic
appearance, reminding one of pictures
of oriental temples, with its gliding
and mosaics, and its three domes.
Over the grand portal are four horses
in gilded bronze, which are supposed TO
have history, and us no one knows it
for certainty, every one is ut liberty
to give free reign 10 his imagination in
regard to it. So some fancy them Of
Greek origin others that they date
from the time of Nero, and having es-
tablished that fact in their minds, they
proceed 70 use them to adorn the tri-
umphal arch of Nero, and afterward
that of Trojan. They feel sure that Con-
stantine carried them away to Constan-
tinople, because one of the dOges
brought them from there to Venice.
Those who adhere to the Greek story
no doubt know that they once sur
mounted the farthpn0n, the triumphal
arch Of Adrian, or the temple of Vie
tory Aptera. | am rather inclined to
the Greek story, because Greco is nearer
Constantinopie than Rome is, and
therefore il does not require so great
All effort to transport them to that city.
However, | am not particular which
theory you adopt, hut here steps in II
fact, pretty stubborn one, that Europe
still remembers us u ruthless destroyer
of fancies. | referto Napoleon !. ihe
square Compatible or belt tower
stands near the cathedral, and is as
cendpd on the interior hy II winding,
inclined plane. Napoleon demonstra-
ted that horses were of use, even in
Venice, by riding his horse up to the
top of this tower and down again.
After the dem OnstratiOn, with heart
lessness without parallel even in his
heartless career, he nrnppeded to take
from Venice her only equine POSSES
sions, and transported them to Paris to
adorn his triumphal arch.
But the Emperor Francis, who ought
to be called the restorer, hrausht them
back to Venice, together with many
Other trophies that Napoleon had taken
away.
While we were going through the
doge's palace, our guide Sc frequently
pointed to something which Napoleon
had ''stolcnn and the Emperor Francis
had restored, that it finally became
quite comical. AT last he paused be-
fore u pair of magnificent doors of
ebony, mahOgony and cedar, which he
said We're from Constantinople, and
which, said he, with roguish twinkle
of the eye, "The Nenitians annexed ~
So now the four horses, which Neni-
tians found at Constantinoplc and
"nnncxed,n and which Napoleon
'stole," again rest above the granden-
| m 81 NnrlFG mud I'm
guide books say "The sole speciBlfN
OF all ancient quadrige which has de-
scended to posterlty uninjured by the
ravagcs Of time.n
The interior of the cathedral il gau-
dily decorated with bronze and gliding
and mosaicS. The marble pavement
has settled in many places, and be-
come quite uneven. In the high al.
tara service was being performed. On
each side sat n number of priests wear
ing large fur capes, each with his book
in his hand chanting the services in a
listless, mechanical sort of a way.
They gapsd when they ought to have
sung; they peeked through their FIN
gers when they ought to have prayed,
and they took snn4 at ali ,imts. AZ
ter gaplng, ne3kiug, sluiiling and
chanting FOR hall an hour, they formed
procession and marched around the
church preceded 10y two boys with
lighted candles, still singing the same
monotonous, unmusical strain and re-
sponse An American baby lin whom
we feel some INTEREST," just running
alone, joined the train ard the song IS
the ill-concealed amusement Of ON
party, and to the disturbance of the
; sieyotions of some good Catholics, who
could not repress a smile.
They have several wonderful thing,
in this cathedral said to have belonged
to various sacred places, rs columns
from the temple at Jerusalpm; col
umns from the temple of SOLOMON
stone on which John the Baptist wa
beheaded; a crystal vase containing
, blood of the Savior; fragment of :l'
'True Cross" and If you Pre- very cred
ulOus, so on ad libitum. And perhap
one gets more satisfaction from cTedu
lity than from skepticism, for duub
, suggests so many questions, such ;
multitude of sarcastical observations
: the mind is so occupied in disputinj