The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1877-06-29
W. iscella n Q O u g.
For The -Egis d Mteligeneer.
st. Peters.

The traveller having arrived III home
and taken IL preliminary view of its treas
ures, with only very short time at his dis
posal, is placed in that most unusual of
human conditions, known as embarrassment
of riches. He wishes to make the best use
of his time, and to see as many of the in
teresting objects as possible, but he is so
thoroughly surrounded by attractions, that
he knows not which way to turn. He
knows not whether to turn his attention
to ancient Rome, the Coliseum and the
temples, or modern Rome, the churches and
the palaces. In just such a condition we
found ourselves. We discussed the matter
earnestly, and finally concluded to pay our
respects first to the great objective point of
modern Rome, st. Peters. Persons of OBJ
servation who have travelled much usually
agree that as rule the first impression
produced by the appearance of a celebra-
ted object is one of disappointment
There is such tendency to eXaggerate in
the human race, that all objects capable Of
being exaggerated in description are so
treated. And the extravagant description
coupled with the excuses of our own i'm
aginations produce an image in the mind
which the object itself does not justify
Some of the grandest works of nature can
withstand all this. The most extravagant
description of the mountains, valleys and
glaciers of Switzerland cannot reach the
grandeur of the reality, and there is always
enough omitted from the sheer necessities
of the case to cause the traveller to exclaim
in delighted admiration, "the half has not
been told me-" But the works of man are
weaker, and even the magnificent exterior
of st. Peters has been over praised. But
it is exaggerated description, not any in
trinsic defect, which causes the almost uni
versal feeling of slight disappointment at
first sight. Could any one capable Of ap-
preciating architecture, and who at the
same time had read no description of it,
have it suddenly brought before him he
would surely be overwhelmed by its mag
nificence Facing its broad Piazza di s.
Pietro, supported by huge Corinthian col
umns and pilasters, and fanked by impo-
sing curved Doric colonnades, the portico
of st. Peters is most impressive object.
There is an obelisk in the centre square in
front, which was brought to Rome by
Caligula. It was in placing it in its pres
emit position in 1886 that the scene occur
red with which we have all been familiar
from childhood. During its erection all
were forbidden to speak out on pain of
death. But the engineer had left the
stretching of the ropes out of his calcua-
ton. The blocks had been drawn together
and still its perpendicular had not been
reached. "Throw water on the ropes''
cried out one of the workmen. 1t was
done and the problem was solved. The
slight feeling of disappointment of which
l spoke vanishes away as we approach the
portico and stand among its columns, and
as we enter the church all thought OF
criticism is crushed by the overwhelming
array of grandeur, magnificence and beau,
ty which meets us. 1t is hard to con.
ceive that we are standing in temple
made with hands, and we stop to look
about us in wonder and amazement, almost
with fear and trembling. The long rows
of deliberately sculptured columns, the
beautiful chapels, the high arched ceiling
gorgeously fretted and gilded, the mosaic
floor, and the high altar in the distance, al
seem like dream Of graceful magnif
cence. On the floor are stones marking
the length of the cathredal in Milan, st
Paul's in London, and other famou,
churches, showing how little they are tS
lee compared with st. Peters. Walking
up the nave of the church toward the higl
altar produces q most striking impression
1t seems near, yet we are long in reaching
it. We look about us, and full grown mel
seem like ants crawling about in the hug
structure. Arrived under the dome w
have another sensation in store for us, t
look up into that beautiful structure ant
know there is room enough outside for tn
sky. Michael Angelo heard some one ad
miring the Pantheon when he was engage,
on the plans for st. Peters, and he said, "
will suspend the Pantheon in the air."-
Evidently he has taken that world-re
nowned temple for his model, and placin
it on buttresses hundreds of feet above til
earth, suspended it in the air. Just abov
the buttresses which support the dome ar
four mosaics representing the four apostles
st. Luke's pen is seven feet long, and ye
from the floor it seems no longer than a
ordinary pen. Around the base Of til
cylinder Of the dome is the sentence Vi
tered by Christ and upon which Catholic
ism is founded. tn e. Petrats, ct super han
petrans aedifca6o mean ecclesiaan, ct tibi dial
claues regni cglarum. Thou art Peter, an
upon this rock will I build my church, an
l will give thee the keys of the Kingdoi
of Heaven. Near one of the buttresses
the sitting statue of st. Peter, (said to hay
been statue of Jupiter) the great toe
| uboca foot ia liant brioht aud nnliahed I,