The morning star and Catholic messenger., 1875-09-19
OF rHEM THAr BRING GLAD TIDINGs OF GOOD r
Hawthorns's Description of St. Peters.

31bWInofuos 09ecf7pI1on OF pb. 1eSofb
Hawthorne, in his wonderful novel of the
Transformation, thus describes st. Peter's at
Rome:
"Oftener than to the other churches, Hilda
wandered into s. Peters. Within ite vast
limifs, she thonght, and beneath the sweep of
ITS great dome, tAere should be space for all
forms of Christian truth; room both for the
faithful and the heretic TO kneel; due help for
every creatures spiritual wauh.
Hilda bad not always been adequately iua-
dral. when she irss lifted the heavy iesthern
curtain, at one of she doors, shadcwy cdihce
in her imagination had been daEsled out OF
sight by the reality. Har preconception OF
Saint Peters was q structure OF NO definite
outline, misty In its Architecture, dim. and
gray, and huge, stretching into On interminable
perspective, and over-Arched by dome like
breadth and height, % she had fsncied them.
the persOnRl man might feel his httleness, and
the soul triumph in its immenaity. SO, in her
earlier visits, when the compassed splendos OF
had profanely called great prettiness, . gay
piece of eabinet-work, on q Titanic scale, o
jewel casket, marvellously magnified.
This latter image best pleased her fancy .
stones of various hue SO that there should not
he hairs breadth of the small interior un-
adorned Hith. jteEs Esspfendent gem. Theu con-
ceive this minute wonder of mosaic box in.
creased to the magnitude OF a cathedral with
out losing the intense lustre of its littleuess,
but all its petty glory striving TO be Sublime.
The magic transformation from the minute to
the vast has mot been 30 cuuuingly effected but
that the rich adornment atill counteracts the
| impression of space and loftiness. The specta-
tor 10 sensible of its limits than of its ex-
tent.
"Uutil after many visits, Hilda continued,
to mourn for that dim, ilrimitable interior,
which with her eyes shut shc had seen from
Childhood but which vnnished es her dret
r Snh
vision seemed preferable to the cathedral, which
Michael Angelo, and all the great aEceitects,
had built; beoauae, of the dFeam 0didce che
had said, How vast is lsP while, OF the real
St. Peter q she could only say, After all, it ls
not 90 immense q Besides suoh as the church
IL, iS can nowhere be made visible a6 one
glance Il stands in its own way. You see an
sisle or . transept; you see the nave or the
tribnne but on account OF its pcnderous piers
and other distractions, il 10 only by this rag
mentaFy process that you get an idea OF the
cathedral.
HThere isno answering such objections. The
great church smiles calmly upon ite critics,
and fer al fesponae, sSyG, Look &t mep And II
you still murmuF for tho loss OF your shadowy
perspective, there comes no reply, save Look
at meP In endless rePetition, - the thing to be
said. Ands after looking msny timea with long
intervals between you discover that the oath
edral has gradually extended itself over the
whole compass Of your idea IL coverg all the
site OF y0nf visionary temple, and hes room for
ies cloudy pinDac1eB benea1h the doInos
zone 8AGoEOO0ne a. E1tauS 01bctc0 . Os0E .
In sombre mood. its interior beaued upon her
with all the efEset Of 8 new creation. 1tseomed
an embodiment of whatever the imagination
could cohesive, or the heart desire, as amags
ni6osas compraheustves. majestic symbol OF
religious faish. All splendOur was included
within It's verge, and there was space for all
She gazed with delight even at the muleiplic-
ity Of ornament. She VAS glad at the cheru.
bin that duttsred upon the pilasteTs, and OF
the marble doves, hovering, unexpectedly with
green olive branches of precious stones. she
ooald spare nothing now, OF she manifold
n1agRihcsnce that had been layisheh In hum
dred places, richly enough to have made
world-famoua shrines Ia any other church, but
which hero melted away into the vast, sunny
breadth, and were Of no separate account
Yet each contributed little towards tho
grandeur of the whole.
"Sbe would not have banished one OF those
grim Pope0, who sit each over his own tomb
scattering cold beuedictions ont Of their marble
hands, nor 3 single frozen sister OF the Allego.
rio family, 70 whOm--as like hired monrnero
ct an EnRlish funeral, it cost them no wear
and teeT OF heart-ig assigned the oAo0 OF
weeping for tho dead. If you choose 70 zee
these things they present themselves; IL you
deem them unsuitable and ont Of ptacgs ehey
vanish, individually, bat lesye their life upon
ssTbo pavsmenti Il streached out iIlimit-
ably, Q plain Of many colourod MARBLE where
thousands OF Worahippers mighe knosl %.
qethor, and BhadowleSs angels tread among
them without brushing their heavenly
gaEments againat those earthly ones. Abe
roof the domel Rich, gorgeous, niied Win
Sunahine, onesrfally ea6lime. ana laaeiees
after contursos, those lofty depths seom -
translate The heavens TO mortal eomprehen-
sion, ana help thespiEit upRRrd 60 yet hig gher
and wider Rphsre. Most not sho fsith SnAs
bnIst thio matchaaaR edlace, ana Ware9esas ssl1-
uliRsted, and overfowe4 zrOIH ~ tnoindo Nisstg
ever can sNtiesg human aspiSeelons at soc
loftiest, % msniotor 70 huNan necrsqlty - tNe
Eorest r.