The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1886-04-20

airy enterprises At close of the service we
made the rector's acquaintance, which
seemed to cheer him to find strangers mani
Testing sympathy for him in his struggle to
gather into his fold ten, or even five, from
the Sodoms on the continent. While chat
ting with him we learned he was an Amerl-
can. During intermiSsion OF services we
took long tramp through dark lanes and
crooked alleys to st. Peters church. inns
edifice is inferior to most OF the Cologne
churches, but contains one great treasure OF
art, Rubens's painting of st. Peters cruel
fxion, as tradition has handed down the ac-
count, with his head downwards, as ne re-
ouested. because he was not worthy to die
like his master. 1t was supposed at the
time to be extremely difficult for an artist to
render this attitude. we were just leaving
the church much disappointed that we could
not find the picture, when one OF us espled
green baize curtain, looking like portiere.
Knowing the greed of the church, or at least
some of it's members, one of us called out,
.sHere is the prize A priest was soon
found. who responded with great alacrity to
orr request, held out his hand for the marks,
and drew aside the veil. We stood in the
presence of the great apostle, and for mo
ment lost our consciousness of the artists
hand in the work, so life-like is the figure.
The priest placed cushions ON the floor, upon
which we knelt, and twisted our neckS to
look up underneath the railing of peni-
tents stool to get the full effect of the per-
spectiye in the figure. 1t is remarkable
painting. One could look under the knees
and grasp the distorted limbs of the sufferer
The Christian fortitude and glorifed self
abnegation in the face is wonderful. ms
was the first picture of Rubens which had
met our ideal of his skill. His pictures at
the Louvre disappointed US previously we
can appreciate that in his early career he
was compelled to cater to the vanity of his
royal patrons, and may often have clipped
his own wings in descending to flatter the
faults and follies of his subjects. Quick as
flash when we turned our backs the curtain
was drawn to prevent the possibility OF
new comer's running toll by catching
glimpse before the bargain was completed
What should we think of reverend, or even
grave deacon spending the precious hours
of the Sabbath in collecting fees or zealously
guarding picture from sight which ought to
lend it's power in the spiritual education of
the multtudes who worship in such
Church. 1t may seem odd to some that we
devote so few words to the description of
the great cathedrals and paintings of immor-
tai fame, but books of travel and works OF
art abound, and we can content ourselves
with enjoying these things in our own way,
and spare our indulgent readers dull essays
on lofty themes, so well treated by ADLER
pens.
Sunday afternoon we attended service in
the cathedral or minister of st. Peter, where
we might easily lose ourselves in the over
powering spell Of the heavenly music, could
we only separate it from service which
claims to be the alteration and penitent wor-
ship due the Saviour from his children.
Wherever we go and see there priests going
through such vain forms, singing Latin in
droning tones behind the altar, marching up
and down with smoking oensers, and ring
ing little bells in the dark, we wonder If
they are sincere. These performances may
have most profound spiritual significance,
but the poor wretches who throng the cathe-
drals will need instructions for generations
to raise their intellects to comprehension
of such depths of wisdom. To say the best
for it. the meat is too strong for its babes,
for whom it is served. Strange aspects of
social life fit across the broad horizon of Eu-
ropean travels.
One phase was present daily at our
table at Cologne, which might puzzle a
Philadelphia lawyer. This was a coal black
African, man indeed of elegant man
ners and accomplished in four or five Ian
guages, who escorted to her seat at table
with evident pride his petite bride, the
blondest Of the blonde, who could rival the
bonniest girl in the land with the lilies
and roses on her cheeks. King William,
with his queen and their courtly train could
not have attrcated more attention; and in
| spite of the gazing Of the other guests, this
| high born lady, for ought we could tell who
might Idle of rose in an aromatic pain,
| bore herself with dignity and delicacy OF
| decorum.
| 1t would be quite pardonable in our citi-
| zens if they exceeded the allowance of the
| home tariff in their purchase of the fragrant
| cologne made by the world renowned firm OF
| Johann Maria Farina, which this summer
| completed its two hundredth anniversary.
| The name Of the partnership is the united
| paternal and maternal family names OF the
| original manufacturers.
How irrevrrently it would read to our pu-
| ritanical friends to see this letter dated Jim
| He'll Geist," or in straightforward English,
| Hotel of the Holy Ghost, yet some guests at
| Cologne must use this heading on their
| epistles, as there is hard by the minister such
hotel. M. G. T. b.