Telegram-herald., 1889-09-30
4 DELAYED LETTER
Rev. Edward II. Brooks Writes OF
Day II Venice.
A GLIMPSE OF The CURIOUS CITY.
fhs Onls n0Fsss There Made of BfonAs-
Ibs Palace OF ths Dogss-fhs fls-
eoHs IA Plaza san Marco
The Bridge OF slghs.


Brooks, OF this city, was written and
mailed by nim ia London, but vas de-
layed, and dld not reach the IELE-
GRAA-HERALD ottice until last SAtur-
day evening.
L0NDoS. Eng, Aug. 49,, 1859.
While am jOyfully expecting soon
20 be Al home again IN Grand Rapids,
about the 2d or 81 Of September, | feel
disposed 10 send You another letter Tor
publication in the IELEGRAM-HERALD,
II YOU think best. Ii Is We'll for me,
perhaps, 10 say all can 10 the dear
friends al home about my trip 10
Europe while | am here, 80 a 10 avoid
"a much "a possible the mistake made
by some good people, of telling cOntin-
ually what | saw or heard "when was
abroad" When | first thought OF
sending this letter, the question was
settled with some difficulty a. 10 what
! part OF the journey should be described.
But after thinking the matter over
have chosen for my subject a Day IN
Venice" II may be we'll, however, TO
state IN general way that after the
| long and pleasant voyage across the
Atlantic, with 242 Sunday-schOOl dele
/ gates, after eleven DAYS of Sunday
school conventions on the ocean, fol-
| lowed by flve days OF the same III Lon
don, | started July with a party OF
seventeen gentlemen and ladies for a
/ trip on the continent, and was there
/ twenty-fOur days. We had SIX very IN
| terestlng DAYS in Paris, and four days
IN Rome. We visited different parts OF
France, Italy, Switzerland, Germany
and Holland. At Rome four of rs left
the rest OF the company 10 return
sooner than they TO London. We spent
delightful day III Florence, and on
the morning Of July %, little after .
O'Clock, our ewes beheld the wonderful
city that stands in the water-the far
/ famed city of Venice. The long bridge
we crossed TO reach the station is a great
work of art, and cost an immense sum
of money. Asin all European cities, and
especially on the continent, the traveller
is greeted with a warm welcome. The
men are numerous who stand ready, Is
we leave the train to render us assist
ance. With polite bow and winning
smile they offer to carry our luggage
for us and one might be led TO think
that MS best friends had come Ito the
train TO meet him or that Europeans
were the most philanthrOpic people IN
the world, but when we discover that
all this attention is shown purely with
the expectation of getting our sous and
francs or demi francs it removes this
impression entirely from our minds.
And yet we are often glad that men are
so ready.tO help us and can well afford
to have plenty of loose change IN orr
pockets to pay for favors received. SIS
think back now on our brief visit III
Venice 4 sense of strangeness and even
mystery comes over me, a II did quite
powerfully while there, for ! was never
IN just such a city as that before. On
reaching the door of the station we
found no OmnibuSes with horses or cab
or hanson wallng TO carry us to the
hotel. There are no horses in Venice
except the large bronze horses on
sighlv pedastals which adorn the city
and were brought long ago from Con-
stantinOple. al is quiet about the
station. As we look out beyond we see
a broad canal. We 90 a few yards and
descend the long stone steps. Our
valises are deposited in the black
g0ndOla. We are at once IN our seats,
SIX OF us that morning in one small
| bOat-lOng and slender rising high
from the water at either end, with
sharp bow and stern, the former being
ornamentcd with a deeply serratcd
blade OF steel which it Is the pride of
the gonioher 10 keep as bright as
silver. Behind the cabin is platform
on which the COndolier stands when he
rows. II ], interesting 10 watch the
/ pccuG3ra and graceful stroke of bis long
/ slender oar. 1t appears that all the
C0ndOias OF Venice are painted black
and that this j. the only authorized
color on the part of the Government.
! They present q somewhat gloomy ap-
pearanCe and are fittingly represented
a dark funeral harges. Two men, one
at the bow and the other at the stern,
I quietly row us away from the stone
steps, and we are deeply Impressed, as
we ghdc along, with the beautiful
silence OF the place. broken only by the
/ star slvered Dip of the oars and the
/ low voice, of the hOatmCn who yOlun-
/ Iar.ly point out % us some long estab-
/ l,hcd church cor cathedral or palace as
/ we pass from one canal 10 another.
/ But this kindness ON Their part, n we
I soon learned. shown To us in view of
! the tips they expected al the end of tbe
I journey. I'm short time we reached
/ the principal canal and came I'm sight
/ ~ large building iu the continuous
I block along tho waters edge which we
are told is the Grand Hotel where We
are 70 stay. Tho large stone steps OF
/ the hotel come down INTO the water
/ where several long splles arc standing
/ and fv means of which the Condola
T j. hfid - the steps TN we al Chf with
/ 0ur luggage We there meet with
+ corlI4I reception. orr rooms are as-
+ signed % ne and after riding All night.
for two succss ve nights. in those
+ European apartment coaches where
one has 70 keep hs body as erect
+ almost "a q prrufud eu AZ column. we
were very glad 20 accept of these quiet
+ resting places. But vhleitv would have
/ taon agreeable - sleep that morning
r0 such oDportuntv was afforded
+ Time was too precious for chat With
+ only one dav in Venice aUd perhaps
+ the 0n r one We shorll ever have there
+ III opr lives. We prepared for break
F fest an1 good mea was ready tar rs
F about T.-l o'clock. After This we en-
gagged profess rr3. courier Tor fno d4v
+ for f 7Ve francs or one do lar. THIS w t1
F sdmtfauce and other frrs made about
rVe francs fer each member ~ fre
T PARTY. wniCh was ro- evrrrsvr. We
F passed out on the crrrs - stf @ t.e
f hote from winch We entered and found
+ that we could 60 Al over tre city on
foot. as there sro many paved ard
f pleasant streets We walked fnr En