Huntsville gazette., 1884-10-18

seen in an altar-piece by ono Of his fol-
lowers. I trudged up to this sanctuary
one afternoon, to be rewarded by the
expedition itself beyond my expecta-
tions, which were not great. Two deep
gorges bring down two noisy, demon
strative brooks by so precipitous path
that the water is ready to leap into cas-
cades at every step, until they unite
and seek the lake together. Up the
strip of wooded rock between them,
which rises higher and higher, broad
ening until it joins the mountain,
winds the way to the church. 1t
is very steep and laid in cordonate.
a pavement of cobble-stones crossed
by a curb at every few feet, much
like railway track, ballast and sleep
ers, without rails, raised to an angle Of
seventy degrees from the level; the
curbs are about as far apart as cross
ties, and it is as hard to walk either
upon or between them. The pilgrimage
to the Madonna del Sasso should be
made by all but pennitents only after
the sun has set behind the western
mountains. 1t is pretty walk,
although disfgured by the stations of
the cross at short intervals; the way
farer passes out of the village under a
long, vine-wreathed pergola, then over
bridge, then up the narrow hillside,
between the ravines, to the foot of the
foundation walls of the building, and by
a few more sharp twists to the solitary
little stone piazza from which he enters
the church. 1t dates from miraculous
appearance of the Virgin four hundred
years ago, but has few signs of its age:
within it is as freshly gilded, painted
and frescocd as . hotel dining room,
and is in so far a surprise after the lone
ly scramble beside the bed of the tor
rent. reached it ut the hour of the
Ave Maria. The church was empty
save for q woman and two children,
who were kneeling together, telling
their beads. There was a murmur of
prayers and responses uttered by two
invisible ministrants; the voices seemed
to come from behind the high altar, but
priest or acolyte there was none to be
seen. The effect was 80 mysterious at
that sunset hour that the renovated
church grew venerable to the quickened
sense of awe. After the last amen,
while looking for the Luini scholars
painting, l came upon a picture of the
Ehtombment, a work of considerable
beauty and religious feeling, by Signor
Cerusi, of Florence. as my fellOw-wor-
shipper told ME. A modern picture
from our Saviour's history, painted
with talent and skill, yet reverently,
and hidden in side-chapel of this mac
cessible and unvisited little church, was
strange thing and worth coming to
find. The view of the lake from the
steps is fine, and still better from a
little pillared side-porch, which looks
as if it were the oldest part of the build
ing, and overhanging the landscape
like the parapet of a castle. The scene
was very lovely; the peaks were pale
rose-color, aud blush moisture. like
the dew on dark grapes, rested upon the
surface of the lake.-Atlantic Monthly.
Impressions Of Amsterdam
Now we entered Amsterdam, to
which we had looked forward as the
climax of our tour, having read of it and
pondered it as ''theVenice of the North;"
but our expectations were raised much
too high ANY thing more unlike Venice
it would be difficult to imagine; and there
is terrible want of variety and color;
many of the smaller towns of Holland
are far more interesting and infinitely
more picturesque. A castle was built
at Amsterdam in 1904, but the town only
became important in the Sixteenth
Century. 1t is situated upon the influx
of the Amstel to the Y, as the arm Of
the Zuyder Zee which forms the harbor
is called, and it occupies huge semi
circle, its walls being inclosed by the
broad moat, six and half miles long,
which is known as Buitensingle. The
greater part of the houses are built on
piles, causing Erasmus to say that the
inhabitants lived on trees like rocks
In the center of the town is the great
square called Dam, one side of which is
occupied by the handsome Royal Palace
-Het Palais-built by j. Van Kampen
in 1648. The Nieuwe Kerk Q4OS-147O)
contains number of monuments to adj
mirals, including those of Van Ruiter-
''immensi tremor ocean, who COM
manded at the Battle of Solbay, and
Van Speyk, who blew himself up with
his ship rather than yield to the Bel
gians. In the Dude Kerke of 1900
there are more tombs of admirals.
Hard by, in the Nieuwe Markt, is the
picturesque cluster of Fifteenth Cen
tury towers called St. Anthonienswaag
once city gate and now weighing
house. But the great attraction of Am
sterdam is the picture gallery Of the
Trippenhuis, called the Rijks Museum,
and it deserves many visits. Good
Words.
Italian Marriages.
They are n nrnlitif. na0pla To ha child.