The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1881-12-21


himself about public life when his means
will permit him to vegetate on an easy
chair? Why should man trouble him
self about the army and risk wound or
perhaps his life, when for two pence and
half day he may drink his coffee in
safety? Why should man embark in
the uncertainties of speculative COM
merce, when for Ira he may have all
the excitement and none of the exertion,
in some national lottery or at the gam
bling table in the back room of a cafe !?
Yet Venice is full of youths of this sort
who regard themselves as the salt of the
earth, simply because they are sons of the
Patricians. While all other Venetians of
any prominence are seeking to bring back
prosperity to their town, while the hum
bier citizens work hard to gain pittance,
and while the very beggars are disap-
pearing from the byeways, these noble
drones, fit illustration of the advantage
OF such class to the State, too proud to
work and too contemplate even to be
ashamed of their purposeless lives, stag
nate in the midst of all the intense move
ment of the world, and are we'll satisfied
with an existence that one would think
would drive snail to commit suicide.
Over against these descendants of the
Patricians, are the humber and more
worthy gondoliers who toll day and night
for the luxury of living on polenta.-
There is, however, one serious and dread
ful attendant upon this article of food,
VIZ, madness. On one of the islands
near the town, there are six hunred luna
tics who owe the loss of their wits to the
use OF polenta. The disease begins with
an outbreak of scabs on the arms and
head, then either idiotcy or madness oc-
ours. This year there has been con-
gress OF doctors to report on this singular
result. Their conclusion is that good,
well-cooked polenta is wholesome food
but that disease arises from eating polenta
which is either bad from being grown on
exhausted land, or from being mildewed
by dampness, or from being badly cooked.
Whatever the cause may be, it is remark
able that Venice should supply sir ha17a-
dred Iatnatacg from eating Indian corn.
The City of Silence.
Shall we ever forget our first night in
the city of Venice--and its almost super
natural quiets. The following morning
In the reading room of the hotel, as if by
strange coincidence, we found an old
number of the Saturday Review, and
read therein with much edifcation an
article on Noises, from which we extract
the following sentence: eff we could only
popularize the idea that noise is really
injurious to health, and that in fact it
d1si'ategrates the tissues, we might get
this subject attended to, and there would
be some chance of the intelligence and
cooperation necessary for the taking of
measures to diminish noise" Ali thought
we, Venice is the delectable city for which
this philosopher of ease and conservator
of tissues is signing. For nervous folk,
and all who have grown too superfne in
their notions of civilization to longer en-
dure noise cheerfully, we recommend a
residence IN thaS city of silence No nerve
shattterlng street cars every three minutes
OF the day and night! The cab horses,
you imagine, are shod with felt, until you
learn that Venice has never been dis
turbed by the tread of single ouadruped
OF this description. Sounds of bells there
are, but ah not dangerous Strangely
mellowed and sweet voiced are the bells
as they bring to our ears the angelus, and
remind us of the emotion of Byron. when
one evening he fancied he heard the COM
blnatlon OF these same echoes from the
borders of the horizon gliding over the
waters, as the stars of heaven to the
mother of Christ, with the moon at her
feet and with the mysterious white dove
waving its wings on her forehead in that
sublime hour of Catholic respect. and de-
Votlon L. M. @.