The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1891-09-25

should see whether about hundred
thousand lazy priests would rather
starve than work.
These great churches never seem to
me like places of worship. How. can
they when from the moment you en-
ter you are importuned to give money
for the privilege of seeing one thing
and another? Suppose you want to
see Milan cathedral for example. On
the outer threshold you are beset by a
dozen guides, who all "spik goot Ing
lees,n of course, and can tell you all
about everything. Escaping them
and getting inside the chances are
that dozen priests are saying mass,
to which perhaps two or three score OF
people may he listening, while two or
three hundred people are walking
about, out of hearing of the service,
"gawking" at things as yon are. Here
and there at the various little side
shrines women are kneeling and count
ing their beads. Before you have gone
far black robed priest, whom you
would have hesitated to address for
fear of disturbing his religious medi-
tations comes up and asks you if you
would like to see the sacristy, rafting
off at the same time, like the side
show man at the circus, list of its
attractions. You ask how much it
will cost. CYou would ask that ques-
ton in Italy ifa man should offer to
show you the way to heaven). "Only
a franc" and you accept. There are
two or three ratings to pass before
you get to the sacristy, and different
brother in black robe has the key to
each of them and expects "tip" for
letting you through. After finishing
the sacristy, you are solicited to visit
st. Carlos crypt. "How much?"
give francs" 1t is pretty steep, but
you don't see every day man who
was buried 400 years ago, and who
has jewels OH his dead fingers that
are worth a kings ransom, and gold
and silver enough piled on the walls
about him to keep a mint busy for a
month, so you pay your dollar and see
the sight. After you come up into the
daylight again the proper thing is to
climb to the roof. There is only one
way to it, and at the entrance man
stands to charge you % centimes ad-
mission. You climb laboriously up
the long flights of stairs and step out
onto the roof at last-to find q man
coolly thrusting under your nose lot
ofphotographs and paper weights and
guide books and all that sort of bric-a-
brac! That is fair account modera-
ted rather than exaggerated, of the
experience which awaits the tourist
who visits any of the great churches
in Italy. 1t is an experience that is
not calculated to impress him with
the holiness and solemnity of the
place.
There is saying current among.
travellers that Italians are divided
into three classes-thieves, cheats and
beggars, 1t is probably as near the
truth as such sweeping geueralizations
usually are. I asked an educated
italian at Naples how the people were
satisfied with the present government.
ave like the king; but the govern
ment officials are thieves and rob-
bers," was the answer. By way of
personal experience, have had the
good fortune to loose nothing but one
of the straps from my valise which
some baggage man between Geneva
and Rome thought he needed worse
than / did. One of the ladies of our
party had her purse stolen while Wis
iting church in ROME and a native
guide at Naples warned us to keep
our hands on our pockets while visit
ing the cathedral there. So much for
the thieves. AS for the cheats, the
case cannot be put too strongly. With
the exception of tJbacco,-the price of
which is regulated by the Government
which monopolizes the tobacco bust
ness-there is not a single article of
ordinary merchandise which a strang-
er can buy in Italy and be sure he is
not cheated. From the huckster on
the street who sells you box of
matches to the merchant who sells
you a silk dress or diamond neck
lace you must "jew" if you don't
want to pay from twice to ten times
what the article is worth. The mer-
chant first names his price, and then
when you hesitate asks "What will
you give?" And even when you have
bought thing at half the price first
asked you are by no means sure that
you have not paid two prices. So
much for the cheats. AS for the beg
CARS: am glad TO say that they are
neither so numerous nor so importu-
nate as 1 had been led to expect.
There are great many Of them, to be
sure, as compared with the number in
our own blessed country. But they |
are scarce compared with the multi
tudes in Mexico.
~
am much surprised at the physi-
cal appearance and the dress of the
Italians. had expected to find them
o,,I With l