The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1890-05-25
VENICE, CITY OF DELIGHT.
The Fair Armidean Dream Of En-
chantment Disappointing
Reality.
A Traveller Worshipped Her q
Goddess, Found Her
Fishwife.
The Glory Of Venice in the Days of the
D0ges Gone Forever From
Her Walls.

VENICE, May At is not pleasant to be
ranked among those cynics who go about
the old world shying iconoclastic bricks at
the mystic fabrics which yoets and paint
ers have more than half created and which
the rest of the worlds fancy has clothed in
warm and glowing embellishments. But
however impressionable and sympathetic
one may be- the ideal Venice, the complete
composite of the expectant wanderers
dream, is another and better thing than the
possessed aotuality. One hesitates in such
a confession. 1t seems like setting ones
own judgment, perception, feeling, against
those of myriads who have come before.
These have come to worship: parted from
Venice to adore. But SO surely as I would
write all my life in justice, truth and kind
liness, / never elsewhere came with trans
ports of expectancy to meet with such bit
ter sadness in disappointment.
Every one hopes for travel and it's peren-
NAL mental feast. Everybody sets rs his
ultima Thule, some region, place or object
to come to, know and enjoy. All my life
Venice was that transcendent point of at
tainment for me. Every song that had
sung its praises / had read. In every one
thought saw. between the lines strain of
regret that the singer could not frame his
Standing before the great paintings of We
netian life and scenes l have seen a fairer
city behind the best the masters had done.
For a score and a half years had gone on
building City of Delight, fair Armldean
vision Of enhancement, a far-away, radiant
place of Reckless air, of tender skies, Of
balmy zephyrs, of colorful tints thrilling
with living light, of domed and minaretee
palaces floating upon waters of transluc en-
hyaline hue. This is the Venice We hav
all made. There is 10 such city this side o
the Utmost Isle.
came from Brindisi by an Adriati
coaster. We skirted Apulia, passed Bari
Ancona, Rimini, and at Ravenna wer
alongside the lower region of lagoons. Pass
ing Pc della Maestro we had the Who'll
upper coast region of laSoons from Venice
Far as Chioggia's sails and reeds"
in view, and as the city gradually rose higt
er and wider out of the waters, after threaG
ing our way through a maze of vessels wit
strange colored sails, quaint craft from CHI
oggia with high peaks and sterns like th
ancient galleons. and clumsy feluccas frol
Crete and the Ionian islands. came to al
landed from a black and dirty gondola, pr,
PEELED by black and dirty gondolier, upo
a quay in the very heart of the city. Tn,
Venetian quay greeted me with every di
gushing aroma known to the Liverpool al
London docks. and the filthy wharyes alol
6OUtU AuO Vcst btIcctS, new 10TH, WI
Coenties Slip. the Waliabout region, al
Apple Mary of ancient and aromat
memory included. could have sat dow
there in the ooze and slime of those 70
marble steps and wept for Disappointing
and shame. l had come by the 9
that all the imagery. beauty, mysticism
the sea might enhance the glory of I
approach 70 my visionary idol. had We
shipped q goddess and found her lis
wife. And write in no captious or trifii
spirit when Say that the hurt of it all y
% great that l sneaked back into anott