Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1885-01-29
HISTORIC CITIES.
A Bird's-Eye View of Some of the Cities Fa-
nous in story and Song.

sandy shore OF the Mediterranean To
barter her spices, silks, mats. with IN
fidel, concluding to remain there andy
wander no more.
Jatla lifts up her head from a rocky
cliff, and with one hand sahltes the
Mediterranean, and with the other well
comes the caravans from Damascus and
Jerusalem. Jerusalem Is still the child
Of faith, dwelling where little grows,
where there is naturally little trade, or
commerce, or manufacturing; drawing
her supplies mysteriously from the
rocks and the skies; yet different races,
different religions, different civilizations
believe in her, and huddle together
about her, awaiting something that
does not appear.
Jerusalem, sitting alone on the rocky
side of Judea, is the sublime child of
faith in the past, looking forward to the
future by faith.
Damascus is the fair maid issuing
from the ALBANIA or Barcda, mysterious
ly changing its musical waters into OIL
i've groves, tropical luxuriance and
teeming population, and sitting in
queenly robes, with her feet in the
sands of the desert of the Hanron,
amid mosques and minarets, and robed
men, smoking the nargileh on divans,
or by playing fountains or cooling
streams.
Beirut, standing proudly on PENN
sula-shaped headland on one side of a
beautiful crescent bay, is the CONNER
cal or moral mistress Of Syria, sending
the currents of life up the French high
-, hatt,nuot,l It, haa,.f -.
the blood through the artery to the
head
Smyrna is the mistress of two ages
and civilizations, reposing on a quiet
plateau by the sea, welcoming the COM
merce Of the West, guarding the grave
of Polycarp and the manners and forms
of the East.
Constantinople at distance is the
slightest of the cities, but on approach
ing near you see she. wears mask,
and behind that mask you perceive
rcstlessness, discomfort, perlidy and
sullen waiting for revolutionary chaos.
Athens is the bride Of the cities She
holds in one hand a broken marble point
ing to the ruins Of her art in heroic
ages-the art which has conquered the
woodland in the other the scepter of
new springing power
Naples, as we approach it by stoam-
er from the south and round the poirs,
rises up ont of the sea rs charming,
timid appartion shrinking away from
Vesuvius, who holds q smoking brand
in one hand, shaking it over her head,
aud yet afraid to 90 in the other direc-
ton, as he thrusts the other hand in
his subterranean pocket, touching the
secret springs that let of conyulsions
in lschia and the regions beyond her.
Rome, the attractive, the interesting,
the historic, the hider and the reyealer
of the secrets Of her mother, the Mis-
tress OF the World. sitting in royal
way on her seven hills-full as She is of
art and history-is nothing else. in
form, so much as she is Il saint. She
is the high priestess in her tent of the
cities OF the earth Religion is scrolled
upon her buildings, outside and inside,
on her streets, on her calendar, on her
garments, on her food and manners. /
do not know how far this sainthood
strikes in, or what it is worth. ! speak
only OF color.
Florence, one of the Queens, reposes
half-asleep, half-awakc, in a beautiful
cradle Of the Apenines, dreaming
over the splendors of the past, display
inc still matchleSs proiusion of art
treasures, and beguiling those who
come under the influence of her charms
through labyrinths Of plastic and paint
ed beauty.
Venice, the daughter OF commerce,
sits with her fee in the Adriatic, snuff
ing tie brcezes of the sea, Drowned and
weather. beaten, and her robes soiled.
as she toyed with the gondoliers and
water sprtes so long.
Paris, is the city of sentiment. Not
so much of the ideas or principles, or
even prudence or policy, as sentiment,
reigns. The inspiration of her patriot
ism is the love Of glory; of her letters
and art, the desire to crafty artificial
demands and tastes rather than to eXalt
humanity; of her efforts in dress and
manners, to create and maintain a
bland, imperial goddess, Fashion, and
compel others to worship al his shrine.
Sentiment is the height and depth,
length and breadth of the popular feel
ings. 1t Is curious to note that paint
ers and sculptors in Paris do not rely
upon IHc expression OF soui, OF cn'lTdc-
ter, in their works so much as on In
trinsic circumstances, sensational atti-
tudes, combinations, adiuncts, If You
see a statue of Liberty on d columns in
a pu5lic square, she is rcoresented as
standing on tip-too on one foot, throw
ing the other far up in the air behind,
leaning far forward with q flaming
torch in her hand, and hor wings
spread, as if eager 20 leave the spot
and fly away to the ends oi the earth,
while her whole Thought IS absorbed in
the figure, and You have no interest III
the face You see no character, no
truth, no ideal You have sensation
al display. Yet Paris III her clean
robes is attractive and beautiful --dt-
bduV Frpyfss