The Iola register., 1886-09-10

Ore3Ey teSUu8 place IMAM tne uISman.
tied Roman Pantheon. Here are nu-|
merous tombs, most of them with beau
tiful sculptures to the men most famous
in art and literature. Galileo, Dante
who is not buried here, however
Michael Angelo, Alfieri-these two the
finest. For an elegant display Of mar
BILE one need only to step into the
Medici Chapel of the church Of San
Lorenzo, whose walls are coated with
marbles of more hucs than the rain
bow. 1t contains the tOmbs Of several
Medicis three Of this once formidable
family repose in the old sacristy of the
same church, and in the new sacristy
are the tombs wrought by Michael
Angelo, with the recumbent figures of
Night and Day. Morning and Even
ing that impr ssed one. however, only
as models of strength, decidededlyI
lacking in beauty and grace.
Nothing in Florence gave me
greater pleasure than the bronze
doors of the Baptistry. which even the
seldom-pleased Michael Angelo pro-
nounced fit to be the gates of paradise.
1t seems as though under the magic
touch of Ghiberti the bronze had bios
sOmed into fruits and flowers, among
which twitter birds and frisk squirrels
and other pretty, playful creatures,
forming border for the life-like scenes
from the Old and New Testaments.
Near by is the Campanile, GiottO's
tower, three hundred feet of delicate
marble mosaics, statues, pillars and
lace-like tracery, rising proudly into
the blue sky, rare creation, the most
perfect structure of its kind.
OF the five bridges over the Arno,
the most curious is the Ponte Vecchio,
or Old Bridge, which has sort of bus-
mess street over it. There is q double
row of shops or booths on 1t for the
manufacture and sale of jewelry,
trumpets, beads, corals and mosaics |;
but the quality of the same is not
choice, and for really fine mosaics one
must visit the long row of shops along
the riverside, where they are display
ed in infinite and attractive variety.
Last but not least among hallowed
spots in Florence is the neat little Eng
lish cemetery in the new part Of the
town, where are buried Mrs. Brown
ing, Arthur Hugh Clough, and our
own revered Theodore Parker in one of
the plainest graves, marked by the
simplest of stones. The genial spring
sunshine, the peaceful air, the sweet
breath Of the wild flowers that starred
the green grass tempted us to dream
here long time. But everything
comes to an end and regretfully at last
we left Florence for Rome, which by
contrast appeared very dismal place.
This city has SO many crooked, ugly,
unsavory streets, with tumble-down
houses, and every now and then ut un-
expected corners one runs against the
gigantic skeleton of some ancient Ro-
man ediflce that seems to be deriding
the feeble efforts of modern days. The
greater part of the old ruins are congre-
gated on the Palatine Hill and in and
about the excavated Forum, and just
beyond this is the coliseum; this pOr-
ton of Rome afforded me the greatest
satisfaction. With the aid of a chart
and the accurate Baedecker's guide
book We could reconstruct, out of the
few standing columns, and the plenti-
full collection of fallen fragments, an
imaginary array of temples, basilicas
and orators stands; the place became
peOpled with ancient notables and
down the CapltOline Hill came the tri- |
umphal procession through the bat
tered arch of Vespasian and along the
Sacred Way through the better pre-
served Arch of Titus. We wandered
through the Coliseum, that stupen-
dous pile that has furnished building
for numerous Vandal Popes
in the middle ages. What remains is
only third of the original structure,
and yet it is enough to make one quite
weary to walk around it and climb to
the top, the only way to obtain con-
ception of its immensity. In other
parts of the city are various other re-
mains, the most important being the
Pautheon; that is grand even now, al
though despoiled, and worse still, de-
aced By tawdry altars and chapels.
After these sights even st. Peters
although partly the work of Michael
Angelo. and the wonder of later days,
allied to arouse my admiration. Huge
t is but cold. 1t is unfortunately so
that one cannot obtain q
,ood general view Of the outside of it,
md the inside is decorated exclusively .
With mosaic copies of celebrated pic
ures Ia sort of second hand arrange-
nent,) and with endless tombs of
'opes. The huge pillars are also un-
.raceful. Adjacent to st. Peters
) the ugly rambling heap of build
ngs known as the Vat
ian, the Papal residence
| short parley with the German speak