Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1888-10-03
a DAY IN VENICE.
4 Travellers Glimpse of it's Dreamy
and IdyIlic Life

the brass mountingS and iron
prows till they glis;en in the sun Ike
refined gold and silver In the Piazza
all is life, and yet that dreamy sort OF
life that makes Venice so idyllic; the
shops are all open, and the cafes serv-
ing to natives and tourists the morning
meal. The windows in the arcade
flash out their brilliant setting OF
jewelry, gems, lovely Venetian glass,
rare curios and stuffs from the east,
like "A priceless girdle around this
matchless square OF san Marco.
OF course my first duty and pleasure,
as it Is my MONDAY and closing one, is
to enter -. Marks church; to wander
about within the aisles and arches,
to sit for an hour in some secluded
corner, and contemplate its marvellous
architecture of piers, of vaults, OF
domes; its almost inconceIvable riches
Of alabaster, or marbles, or porDhyry,
bronzes, gold, silver, statuary and
mosaics: TO drink it all in, and fill the
soul with cain and satisfying delight,
ami u return again and again and
again day by day TO the same feast,
more like 4 dream than reality.
From the PIaZetta at the Molo a gon-
dOla takts ne along the grand canal TO
visit the manufactures of moSaics,
glass. furniture and delightful Nene-
tiau iron work. NOOntime comes all
too soon, and so leaving my gondolier
at tie EIalto, with the admOnitiOn TO
be At the MOlo ut O'Clock, l pass down
through the AIeIceI.S and make my
way on 10 the Piazza, stopping at one
# the little shops in side calle to get
a horn OI corn for the pigeons; Others
are before me, for the bell on the Tore
de,l' OrOlogio has struck the noon hour,
and around the square many are engag-
e.i in tie same charming occupation
Il p beside a young country woman
within one of the arches, who has a
score Of these beautiful birds on her
person, one, two, three, on top OF each
other, all pushing, pecking and cooling
for the bright, golden grain which she
holds In her dainty OutStretched hands,
and the happy smile on her fair face at
tests 10 tlse pure enjoyment she Is hav-
ing
y group of little ones, sitting on the
pavement, around the base of one of
tile bronze pedestals to the flagstaffS,
with the birds all about them, in their
taps, on their hands, is another pretty
sight, till some one on the other side OF
the piazza coos To the birds. The plge-
ous simultaneously, from all directions,
rise and go swooping and swlrrIng
down upon il en- maSSe rs 1t falls to the
pavement.
After lunch, or dejeuner, visits to
the ducal palace, the churches and
academia fills up the time till p M,
when | return To st. Mark 5 TO listen TO
the chanting of the choir. And what
chorus II is. Never before have heard
such sacred music; the strong, clear
voices OF the young mlngle with the
deep tremOT Of the aged fathers; the
gIaudiy toned organ peals forth its
stirring accompaniment in delightful
harmony. | rest upon the marble seat
within the shadow of the south aisle,
and the music seems To come from far
away; II swellS up among the arches
and dOmes and comes down in mellow
ell and subdued reflections, and dies
away in gentle and lingering echo
which seems to love and careSS the very
ar il pulSates.
LeaN ing IT. Mark 5, l find my Condo
.ier puuctual 1T the appointed time,
and we start out for our daily drift up
the Grand canal as far as the station
and back again. which occupies two
hours, or TIL dinner time. l call 1t
lrifJiug, for that comes nearest to eX-
pressing the silent, almost mOtionless
gliding of this most fascinating Of con-
veyauces- The gOndOlier uses his oar,
IL Is true, but the action is so graceful,
the eNertion apparently so easy, the
progress so dreamy and slow that il
seems to be simply drifting, rs if car
ried along by some unseen current.
Never before have l known what loaf
iu-. par excellence, ideal restroom all
and mental actiyity-meant;
the cushions are soft as down, my gon-
dolier a mot entertaining fellow, my
cigarette the finest Alexandria, the
afternoon simply perfect, the Grand
canal wonderland, all quiet and still,
with not 4 sound save the distant warn
ing cry of some gOndolier at the en-
trance of a side CANAL; and as L lie back
and throw aside my hat and let the re-
lreshing breeze play through my hair,
l am content.
Dinner being over, l once more direct
my steps 10 the Piazza The lamps are
all aglow, and, If possible, the square is
more enchanting 10y night than by day.
Standing just to the right of the arch
way opening TO the MeTcerie, one gets
the finest view of the scene. The moon
is midway up the eastern sky, just
above st, Marks, her mellow light dim
ming the lamps of the Plaza; the ma
jestic Campauile is outlined in sharp
silhouette, its angel crowned spire
seeming to reach up and lose itself
amid the shining stars; it casts n full
dark shadow the full length of the
Piazza in strong contrast to the white
hess of the moon lit pavement.
The shops are all ablaze; diamonds,
sapphlres, rubies, emeralds, pearls,
cor,tlS, gold and GenOese work flash
back the Ere from thousand lights.
The Arcade is full of surging humanity;
the tables at the entrances TO the cafes
and out on the pavement are surround
ell 10y almost every nationality, slipping
coffee and granita. The band station
ed in the centre of the spare gives to
the scene the added charm of the music.
Dark eyed Venetian maidens smile at
one through maze of soft black lace,
mySteriouSly wound about their heads,
half concealing, half revealing their
beautiful faces. Flower girls laden
with baskets or trays of eXOtics find
ready sales, for the custom is universal; /;
and Rosa, the fairest of them all, so
deity and coquettishly fixes a boHton-
Mere in your lapel that one hasn't the
heart to refuse the few sous anyway.
What a Scenel One never 10 be for
gotten. and as [ write, the memory of
it makes the time seem a thousand
years till l am fortunate enough TO be
once more in Venice. Well might
JacopO Foscari beg Of his implacable
judges to allow him TO return to die in
Eenicel
B. Is. BumneH, of Bradford, Conn, has
invented an automatic street lamp
which goes by clockwork- When the
right hour comes a cap Is drawn over
the wick, leaving a small blaze; the car