New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-09-07
RAMBLES IN ITALY.
CELEBRATION OF THE FEAST OF THE AS
SUMPTION AT SIENA


tho modern world. There is little to remind one
Of tie Middle Ages, but much. of the preceding
Roman period On columns in tie streets are
figures of the wolf sucking the two founders OF
Rome. such rs were set up here When tue place
ceased 10 nc an Etruscan stronghold anu WAS
made a colony Of the Eternal City In all
1hc tpnpcs,S of invasiOns which have devastated
the land this little city, among the mountains
us maintained oniet and most ronscrT-
:.iyc sujri, rs regards the past. Conversion
I, Christianity did not alter the STRUCTURE
Of her society: for the aristocratic families wnlch
had sent ptricians to Rome in pagan times now
sent Cardinals and POpes. AS | walked down
,,r main street I found it difficult to realize
tlat this was the nineteenth century. Inc
s.~oc: is from sixteen to twenty feet wide. with
40 sidewalks, and with high and stern bllild-
ins~ on both sides. Few of the shops have show
windows. Most of them open their full width.
Occasionally carriage makes its way through
tL, uc,ple with shouts OF "Oo-o' by the driver
c,d loud explosive snaps of his whip. Then come
trains of grain-carts drawn by oxen with great
breadth Of horns If the horns of each OK spreads
five and half feet and the street is only eighteen
1.c, wide the remainder into which humanity
is TO he squeezed is small. Therefore take refuge
in curriers' shop and wait to see them pass.
These and the tonkey-carts of the charcoal ven
dcrs make up the majority Of vehicles. In the
ncNt store. strange antiQue-looklng wooden
ploushs are sold. with iron points. and IN The
next American sewing machncs, which appear 100
modern for their surroundings. peasant woman
has pas,ed me. in green dress and Leghorn hat,
selling delicious white figs. ] stepped into a
church where mass was being celebrated. There
we're fifteen priests in the chancel and three per-
sons in the congregation. I sat down near thu
front on the projecting base Of column The
acolyte who rank the bell appeared 10 neglect
his DUTY for the celebrant turned and shook
his fist at him. The boy retaliated after the
priest went to the altar by running his tongue
out at him, which seemed to give Commissions
of quiet laughter 10 the priests behind the altar
who sang the responses. I made mental note
that boys in the sixth century were somewhat
similar to those of the nineteenth. French
lady came up to me and expressed her indiGna-
ton. and said that there was no religion In
This country. l assured her that our Irish and
American Catholics would not tolerate any such
irreverence in church. She answered that neither
would the French. and that here many OF the
educated people were inides because of tie ir
reverence of the priests. Yet tho Italians pay
an inmens. price for their religion In France
where there are thrty-five millions OF inhabitants
there are siX1y thousand priests, paid wholly, OF
in part, by the Government In hili, VITA
twenty mine millions of inhabitants, there are
two hundred and fifty thousand priests. lat
France there is priest for every os3 OF tie
population ord in Italy there is one for eveyT
1I6 persons The burden OF the support OF s'Irli
an establishment can he seen hy comparison
More than one Of our Roman Catholic churches
in New-lork have ten thousand parlshiohcis o.
oil ages. Such parishes according 10 tie Naii'n
ratio would be obliged to maintain eishty-siN
priests. Siena las siXty-twO churches for 23,oo"
inhabitants.
meet on the street many men with the Dante
type Of face. As went down to the Fountain OF
Fontebranda, which Dante praises in his Inferno.
/ found monk standing there in a REVERE who
fairly startled me with his resemblanc" 10 tlr
GREAT poet. When Dante lived here einbr;-rcd
at the defeat of his aristocratic Glibcncs by the
democratic Guelphs. it must have been great
relief 10 his soul to depict all his enemies III ctef
Purgatory or HELL according to the degree OF his
hatred Of them. His Paradise always seemed n
me weak in comparison with thc other parts
Perhaps it was because Dante had more power o.
hatred than love. Besides Heaven lie, more
within the range Of the ideal. Not far from tue
fountain is St. Catharines house. The neighbor-
hood is still occupied by tanners and dycrs. Her
fathers dyeing shop, and other parts of his
house. have been converted by the devotion of
the ages into rich chapelS. CatlaIine's bedroom
remains more nearly as she left it; and one sees
there the bricks which she used for q pillow, the
hair crdle that she wore, the oil crnet which she
had wien amounting and healing the SICK the
psper on which she wrote her fcrvent prayer,
and. what is more lusubrious, the bag in which
her head was kept after her deccasc. She GER
t.inly was wonderful woman, and set forth TO
bring the Pope back from France I" Rome with
all the feryency OF one sent on o mission BY the
Lord If all the accounts are true. she gave
Pope Gregory pretty sharp talking 10 when he
hesita,cd. At any rate, like most earnest women
she had her way in the end, and brought TIE Pop"
back trumphantly, though Gregory never appears
10 have been very happy about his change OF
residence.
The great civic festival Of the year began Oh
Saturday. and therefore ! determined 70 Stay b.
see it, This year il was asserted 10 be- specially
remarkable because the church festival of the
Assumption took place Il the same time. Tn"
vcrgers uncovered the pavement OF the Cathedral
in honor Of it, and 80 the beautiful mosaic and
craf.ito pictures on it were seen and enjoyed.
The races and paseants took place on the great
square in front Of the Town Hall. 1t Il hne
place for a great c0ncourse of people, and with
the high houses around it resembles amplil-
theatre. When l first saw it men were caring
Garth on the pavement OF the surrounding drive.
which was to be used race course.
The track was wretched for the horses. as it
is not quite half-mile in length, and there are
two sharp corners the side toward the Town
Hall. On Thursday they ran heats for the races.
Zach district of the city, called contrade, was
represented BY horse, and the rider wore tho
"contrade" colors. The track has been cleared
and here come the horses. About 5000 spectators
are present, and feeling runs very high between
the different sections of the city, especially be
tween the aristocratic and democratic quarters.
II reminds me of the races of the green and the blue
in later Roman days. The Jockeys sit Oh the bare
backs of the horses, and SO have no stirrups to
steady them. They start of at such headong
spced that it seems that all OF them must come 70
-,;ot 81 tlo first of thoSe uplv cnrnrrs They arc