The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1881-12-28

son: When some aged Contessa or Mar
chesa is about to die she has an uneasy
ieeilng about purgatory, and fancies that
her residence there will be considerably
shortened by making a present to the
Church. Of lace she has inherited a con-
siderable store, and this she leaves in her
Will tor the decoration of madonna or
the vestments of the priests The priests.
overstocked with lace, obtain permission
from the bishop to sell portion of it.
The price is probably one-ffth of what is
charged by the italian purchaser to the
stranger. Not that antique lace is ever
wonderfully cheap. We asked the price
of few yards which took our fancy, and
were told that to as the article would be
given for mere song-the "mere song"
was eighty thousand fancSi
In every town you first look for CEN
trail point by which to govern the varia-
tlons OF your pilgrimages. In Venice it
is the
Church of ST. Mark,
an edlfice remarkable for its rich and
costly ornaments, and resembling moth
ing else in the world. The broad and
low front is divided into five arcades.
not unlike the arches of a bridge, and
the entrances are formed by FIVE gates of
bronze. Above these arches gallery
with a ballustrade stretches across the
whole front, and in the same gallery are
placed the four famous horses of bronze
Founded at Corinth thev were removed
to Athens; they served to adorn the
trlumphal arches raised to Nero and Ira
ian at Rome; they accompanied Constan-
tine to Byzantium, and were transported
from Constantinople to Venice in the
18th century; lastly, under the govern
ment of the first Napoleon they were
placed on the Carrousel in Paris from
whence they were returned to their pre-
sent position in 1915. Language has not
words to paint so rich and unique pic
ture as this Basilica, covered with pyra
M DIS, statues, spires, and crosses-loaded
with columns, statues, and gildings-a
mixture of all orders of architecture
ORIENTAL, Gothic, Greek, Byzantine, Moor
lsh-an epitome of all epochs, It's blue
arches sown with stars, its columns of
different colored jasper, It's mosaics of
Venetian glass In the recesses, from the
golden groundwork of which wonderful
figures of all colors detach themselves
its cupolas above, small copies of those of
Santa Sophia, like apparitions of Asia,
and the great altar brought with the
bronze horses from Constantinople.
Next in point of interest is
The Palace of the Doges.
whose massive architecture presents
something of the Moorish style. resting
It's mass of red and white marble on a
double gallery of Gothic arches interlaced
by caprlcious arrangement of oriels
and adorned at the upper end of the col
umns with Byzantine sculptures, which
harmonic admirably with the diadem of
sharp triangles and the airy belfry above.
1t would take a week to examine Alright
the interior of this edifce. On this stair
case and around this balcony are colossal
statues of Doges and great men, the
knowledge Of whom epitomizes Venetian
history. Here is the library with one
hundred and fifty thousand volumes and
thousands OF manuscripts. Venice is the
mother Of Titan, and in these galleries
and on the ceilings and walls are the
master pieces Of Titan, Paul Veronese
Corregio, and Alberti Further on is the
great banqueting hall, adorned with bat
tie scenes-where in cups of crystal, and
In bacchanalian feasts, with sensual songs
and coral garlands and sea-fowers. the
Doges and Patricians celebrated the glory
OF the Republic in the richest fashion of
the Renaissance. Still deeper in the
heart OF the palace is the room of Justice
where sat the Council of Ten, with its
suggestions of traitors and dungeons. of
the Bridge Of Sighs, and tragic stories to
excite the imagination, half legendary. we
have no doubt, yet in some instances only
too historically truthful. The palace Of
the Doges, like the Seraglio at CONSTANT
nople, has been more than once stained
with the heads of the victims exposed ON
the outer balustrade, and. proves that AN
aristocracy armed with republican laws
can be as sanguinary as despotism
armed with the Ottoman sclmitar.
The fine portal of st. Mary of Naza-
rreth, the front of st. Jeremiah resemb-
ling palace rather than church fbe
peristyle Of ST. Simon, and the noble
architecture Of st. Roche are all worthy
OF examination by the stranger. MANY
days may be spent with ever recurrino
novelty, threading the narrow water
ways with their picturesque arches and
angles, traversing the grand canal with
Its marble palaces, studying with more
mlnuteness Santa Maria della Salpte
with its white cupolas, graceful tower