The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1886-06-11
NYE TRAVELS ABROAD.
THE LARAMIE CITY POSTMASTER IN
DISGUISE AT VERONA.
Asked to Lecture, but Not to Lift an
Old Chur Debt-Judging
OF the Age OF
Manuscript.
loriginall

tCrgtnall
We arrived in Verona day before yeStsr-
day. Most every one has heard Of the Two
Gentlemen of Verona This is the place
they came from. They have never returned
Verona is not noted for its gentlemen now.
Perhaps that is the reason was regarded as
such q curiosity when came here.
Verona is good deal older town than Chi
eago but the two cities have points of resem-
blance after all When the southern simeon
from the stock yards is waited across the
vinegar orchards of Chicago, and load Of
Mormon emigrants get out at the Rock Island
depot and begin to move around and squiIm
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 We
roma is not dissimilar. Chicago is the largest
place. however, and my sympathies are with
her Verona has about IS, 900 people now,
aside from myself This census includes for
eigners and Indians not taxed
Verona has an ancient skating rink, known
in history as the amphitheatre It is 4O45k
feet by $40 in size, and the wall is still 100
feet high in places. The people of Verona
wanted me to lecture there, but l refrained.
was afraid that some late corners might
elbow their way in and leave one end of the
amphitheatre open and then there would be q
draft. will speak more fully on the subject
of amphitheatre 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
/ stood in with the librarian and he gave me
an opportunity to examine this wonderful
store of literary work. 1 found Virgil that
was certainly over LOGO years old.
also found well preserved copy of ''Beauti-
full Snow" I read it. 1t was very touching
indeed. Experts said it was LOO years old,
which is no doubt correct. I am no judge Of
of the age of MSS. Some can look at the
teeth of literary production and tell within
two weeks how old it is, but 1 can't. You
can also fool me on the age of wine. My rule
used to be to observe how old felt the next
day and to fix that as the age of the wine,
but this rule l find is not infallible One
time found myself feeling the next day as
though might be 1873 years old, but on in
vestigation we found that the wine was ex,
tremely new, having been made at a drug
store in Cheyenne that same day.
Looking these venerable MSS. over, no
ticed that the custom of writing with a violet
pencil on both sides of the large foolscap sheet
and then folding it in sixteen directions and
carrying it around in the pocket for two or
three centuries is not late American inven-
ton, as l had been led to suppose. They did
it in Italy fifteen centuries ago was per-
mitted also to examine the celebrated insti-
and am convinced from close examination
of his work that he was in the habit of carry
ing 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 smoking
tobacco.
The churches of Verona are numerous, and
although they seem to me 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 absence of the church fair and fes-
tival 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 go inevitably hand
in hand 1 have already been in the place
more than two days and l have not yet been
invited to help lift the old church debt on the
cathedral. Perhaps they think 1 am not
wealthy however. In fact there is nothing
in my dress or manner that would betray
my wealth. l have been in Europe now six
weeks and have kept my secret well. Even
my most intimate travelling companions do
not know that I am the Laramie City post
master in disguise.
The cathedral is a most imposing and mass
i've pile. quote this from the guide book.
This beautiful structure contains 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 bap-
tiled there without injury. The Venetians
have great respect for water. 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 It
looks as though it had been left in the smoke
house 900 years and overlooked. Titan
painted a great deal. You find his works
here ever and anon. He must have had all
he could do in Italy i'll an early day, when
the country was new. 1 ike his pictures first
rate but haven't found one yet that could
secure at anything like bed rock price
BILL NYE.