Springfield globe-republic. (Springfield, Ohio) 1884-1887, 1885-05-17
BILL NYE ABROAD.
He Visits Verona and Relates Its Won
ders and Greatness.

We arrived in Verona day before
yesterday. Most everyone has heard
Of the 1.-TWO Gentlemen Of Verona."
This is the place they came from.
They have never returned. Verona is
not noted for its gentlemen now. Per-
haps that is the reason was regarded
as such curiosity when came here.
Verona is q good deal older than
Chicago, but the two cities have points
Of resemblance after all. When the
southern simeon from the stock yards
is waited across the vinegar orchards
Of Chicago, and a load of Mormon
emigrants get out at the Rock Island
depot and begin to move around and
squirm and emit the fragrance of
crushed Limburger cheese, It reminds
one of Verona.
The sky Is similar, too. At night,
when it is raining hard, the sky of
Chicago and Verona is not dissimilar.
Chicago Is the largest place, however,
and my sympathies are with her
Verona has about sixty-eight thousand
people now, aside from myself. This
census includes foreigners and Indians
not taxed.
HAS th tuCiChb
known in history as the amphitheater.
1t is 404! feet by 516 in size. and the
wall is still one hundred feet high in
places. The people of Verona wanted
me to lecture there. but rcfrained. l
was afraid that some late comers might
elbow their way in and leave one end
Of the amphitheater open and then
there would be draft. l will speak
more fully on the subject of amphi-
theaters in another letter. There isn't
room in this one.
Verona is noted for the Capitular
library, as it is called. This is said to
be the largest collection of rejected
manuscripts in the world. l stood in
with the librarian and he gave me an
opportunity to examine this wonderful
store of literary work. found Virgil
that was certainly over 1.6OO years old.
i also found well-preserved copy of
beautiful Snow" l read it. 1t was
very touching indeed. Experts say it
was LOO years old, which is no doubt
correct. am no Judge of the age of
manuscript. Some can look at the
teeth of literary production and tell
within two weeks how old it is, but l
can't. You can also fool me on the
age of wine, but this rule find is not
infallible. One time l found myself
feeling the next day as though might
be 1873 years old, but on investigation
we found that the wine was extremely
new, having been made at drug store
in Cheyenne that same day.
Looking these venerable MSS. over,
] noticed that the custom of writing
with violet pencil on both sides OF
the large foolscap sheet and then fold
ing it in sixteen directions and carry
ing it around in the pocket for two or
three centuries is not a late American
invention, as had been led to suppose.
They did it in Italy fifteen centuries
ago. was permitted also to examine
the celebrated institutes OF Gains.
Gains was poor penman, and am
convinced from close examination of
his work that he was in the habit of
carrying his manuscript around in his
pocket with his smoking tobacco. The
guide said that was impossible, for
smoking tobacco was not introduced
into Italy until a comparatively late
day. That's all right, however. You
can't fool me much on the odor of to-
bacco.
The churches of Verona are numer-
Gus, and although they seem to me q
little different from our own in many
ways, they resemble ours in others.
One thing that pleased me about the
churches of Verona was the total ab-
sence of the church fair and festival as
conducted in America. Salvation seems
to be handed out in Verona without ice
cream and cake. and the odor of sanctity
and stewed oysters do not 60 inevita-
bly, haud in hand. have already been
in the place more than two days and
have not yet been invited to help lift
the old church debt on the cathedral.
Perhaps they think l am not wealthy.
however. In fact, there is nothing in
nv dress and manner that would be-
sray my wealth. have been in Europe
how six weeks and have kept my secret
yell. Even my most intimate travel
ing companions do not know that am
the Laramie City postmaster in dis
yuise.
The cathedral is q most imposing
and massive pile. quote this from
the guidc-book. This beautiful struct-
are contains Il baptismal font cut out
Of one solid block of stone and made
for immersion, with an inside diameter
Of ten feet. A man nine feet high could
be baptized there without injury. The
Yenetians have great respect for wa
Ter. They believe it ought not to be
used for anything else but to wash
away sins, and even then they are very
economical about it.
There is nice picture here by
Titan. 1t looks Us though it had been
left in the smoke house nine hundred
years and overlooked. Titan painted
q greatdeal. You find his works here
ever and anon. He must have had all
he could do in Italy in an early day,
when the country was new. like his
pictures frst-rate, but haven't found
one yet that could secure at anything
like bedrock price. Nye IN the
Burlington HaWkeye.