Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1878-01-31
A LADY's LETTER FROM ABROAD.
False Views OF Italy.


1t is almost too warm in the brill
lant afternoon sunshine, the gon
i doiiers lilo in their boats dozing Or
sioging, laughing and chatting. in
musical tones, though they are often
too loud, the tide is high, aud the
water has the good salt smell OF The
SEA, as it washes the steps OF the old
palaces and churches as il did long
years ago when Venice was beautiful
and fair A steam yacht has just
taken out the Marquis aud his party,
but IL seems out of place, with its
smoke and painting breath, among
the gondolas that glide SO softly
over the sea,
When We first came to Italy,
thought the Italian men all looked
like bandits or BARRIERS but, now
have seen more OF them, know the
type beLter, and like it in some Of
the botter class. They seem to me
to have the same outside polish and
suavity ofthe French, and they have
no end of sentiment and tervor, but
they have not the force and power
OF the Germans, who have also this
taste for music and the fine arts I:
ana the Germans do not approach
the English in their true nc bilty-
mental, moral and physical--over all
the other rae IS S, still hold to
my first love fer EogIand
and the English | was thinking,
just now, what odd fancies had
about Italy in the old days,-I mean
aside from art. l. was picture of
organ grinders with monkeys a,
every turn, of disgusting objects
crawling about the streets, of men
and women eating long strings of
maccaroni with their faces turned
up TO the sun, and with grapes
and oranges going about generally
asking to be eaten. Well, the Sob
jects" are all here-indeed. I think
that part of the population must in
crease in large ratio but the hand
organs-where are they ?-and mac
carOni has not once been served to
US. The grapes are small and sour,
and we pay ten cents apiece for poor
oranges. We had much better fruit
at the North. but perhaps it will be
better again elsewhere.
GALLERIES AND CHURCHES.
The days have been fair aud warm
after one day OF clouds We have
looked through the Art Gallery and
tonat some charming pictures. but
most Of them, like all else hers are
fading awey-,ven Titan's master
pieces losing their brilliant co.oring
and his fair faces looked at us through
veil We have been over the church
opposito our ..hotel-St. Maria della
Salute,--huils after the plague in
Venice, and its most beautiful church
many think. We have been over
the cathedral too, ana on the ter
races outside and inside Of /. To see
| tug wo.dei FIJI mnaains which nros ito
chief decoration. To-day we saw
some palaces-poor palaces. One
can plainly trace what they might
have been but the glory has depart.
ed With the decay of the families
who once fiourished 10 them, and
faded tapestries, decrepit furniture
and a general oior of bilge-water
only remains TO tell Of the past.
BRIGHT BEGGAR
At our usual hour for going out
ten o'clock-we went with our gon-
dola and visited two more Of the
beautiful churches of the city These
are the Maria dell 'Orto and the
church of the Jesuits- ich aud
beautiful buildings, full of treasure
10 marble and paintings. A we left
the boat to go into one of these
churches, lovely boy came to me
like vision. His curly yellow hair
was halo in the Sunlight around
his dark rosy face and dancing eyes !;
bis soft, round form was not half
clothed By his little torn gown, and
only one Of the tiny feet was cover
ed by q ragged shoe. | gave him a
penny, laughing as l praised his
beauty and pointed to his feet. When
we cane out, the cherub was lying
on the grass before the church and,
as he threw his arms out to me, he
called (holdlng up both feet too) !:
"See, see, signora ! baby has two
shoes!' So of course baby had two
pennies in another minute. These
Italian children are most fascinating
at q distance. 1t would be so
pleasant TO pet them if they were
only clean
GLIMpsEs OF ANCIENT sPLENDoR.
Leaving the churches we visited
another palace of one of the old fam
lilies of Venice. This time we took
pairs 10 see one Of the very few re-
naming houses that has been restor-
ed and in all respects retains it's
splendor and luxury in details as
well as 10 original construction. Here
was the old court with it's marble
we'll 10 the centre, the staircase and
corridors of carved marbles and cur.
ious mosaic work !; old family por.
traits and valuable works 10 paint
ing and sculpture adjoining suites oil
rooms rich with those furnishings
that give color and finisb, With a
sense Of restful ease, SO grateful to
the eye and mind when
the house is a home; soft dra-
perles 10 velvet and lace, digans and
musical instruments, books, maptel
ornamen te, and numberless elegant
trifies, even to the singing birds in
cages OF china lattice work, with
morning glories trailing through the
slender bars. Some of the old Dogee
came from the family who still own
this palace, and, what is better, still
have the money to keep it in repair
They come here for few weeks
every year and enjoy what renainl
of the old Venetian life.
| .ssHARKs" AND aoNDoLIERs.
| From this visit we rowed through
the Grand Canal to the Piszzetta
and we felt that our gondola day.
were over and the "shark" WHIT
caught us this time had his penny
from our hands. They have giver
this ugly name to the poor old meI
| vrhn afanI I'll o-a- ~.