Morning journal and courier., 1891-01-03

1908, when on his way to Florence accom- panied by his body guard, he suddenly met his enemy in a narrow, rock-bordered forest-path. yisdomini was at Giovanni's mercy. The averaging brother drew his sword and called upon the murderer to prepare for instant death. Without at tempting defense, he fell upon his knees, and with hands outspread in the form of a cross, sued for mercy. The mode of pray CT touched the heart of Giovanni. Spring ing from his steed he lifted his enemy to his feet, forgave him and dismissed him with his blessing.
 |. This much is true; act as heroic and God-hke as ever impassioned rhymer sung Then perhaps legend comes; if legend, still tender, fitting sequel to glorious self eonquering. Filled with holy awe at what he had himself escaped, Giovanni straightway sought the neighboring mon astery of San Miniato. He prostrated himself before crucifix in prayer. Long eA-o AS So6CA 1AAc bl Christ above him. LoI the image bent its head as if with blessing at his act of mer- cy. Thereafter follows historic truth. Giovanni related the miracle to the abbott abjured his wayward career; sought to en- ter the brotherhood; but was for a time dissuaded on account of his noble fathers opposition; but finally took the religious vows of the order in April, 1004. His pi- ety soon became renowned. On the death of the abbott of San Miniato, in 100S, he was chosen to succeed him, but refused the office under a desire to seek still more solitary retreat; and it was at the fountain near the peak of the Pratomagno mountain, where he had halted in his soli- stary wanderings. Near the spot, which was then called Acquabella, he found two hermits, Paolo and Guntelmo, who were living in huts. These joined him, and there soon was gathered little communi- ty of monks and hermits. Their suffer- ings, privations and self-inficted tortures were horrible. Robbers and wild beasts surrounded them, and both preyed upon them savagely. Their homes were at first low huts with a cross planted before each, and central place for prayer; while a rude wooden paling enclosed all. The fame of their sanctity became so great that gifts flowed in upon them from every hand. Emperor Conrad H., the Empress Gisela and all the court visited them and left generous presents. Complete ordi nances of the Benedictines were finally adopted. The original hermitage, Eremo, built in 1043, was repeatedly enlarged, un- til finally completed in 1640 as the struc- ture stands to-day.
 The order of Vallombrosans, five hun dred years after the death of San Giovan- nj, which occurred in 1073, after he had attained the ripe age of eighty-eight years, had become the richest and most powerful in Italy; and this one old monastery held their chief treasure. For this order Ci- ambue painted his priceless Madonna: Pe- rugino, his marvellous Assumption. But Vallombrosa's dark days came in with the French revolution. When Napoleon's council debated whether the Vallombro- sans should be spared, because they kept the wolves thinned in the mountains, it was asked:
 ''Shan we have monks or wolves!n
 'Wolvesi" was the answer.
 The monastery and church were de- spoiled of their priceless treasures; the immense domains were seized: and the monks were driven from their cloisters Then, when Napoleon fell and Tuscany welcomed back the sway of the Austrians, the monks were reinstated, but their
 
 their art treasures, and their stores of books and priceless manuscripts had been scattered forever. Victor Emanuel in 1860, at the Italian disestablishment, com pleted their extinction here. The place is now used as an agricultural school, with a corps of resident professors; and just above the monastery is an observatory, one of the Italian signal and weather sta tions of today. Beautiful as ever is the matchless environment Noruthless hand can drive from its cloisters the forms with which your fancy peoples it. San Giovan- nj and Milton are still here. Nallombro- sa's bells still call you and I from thou sand leagues away, and their echoes will never cease their melodies while Pratomag- no mountain stands.
 If you go to Vallombrosa, walk. It is only seventeen miles us the crow flies: per haps twenty-two by the entI Iancing way. Every mile of it gives changeful and be witching views in that most dreamful of | all garden-spots of Italy; the valley of the Arno. Leaving Florence by the Porta ala | Croce, the way leads along the right bank of the Arno. Scores of white valleys thread it as pearls upon Q necklace, and here and there are crosses and quaint old shrines. At Pontassieve the road diverges | from the Arno leading over the hills; and | the real ascent of Pratomagno to Vallom- | brosa here begins. Pelago is soon reached; | Pelago, a crooked little town with bad inns and swarms of beggars, by brawl- | ing stream: where of wild nights when
 the wind howls over the mountains, the | old crones shudder and whisper, "Ah, the | ghosts of the dead friars have come back to chant their litaniesl" Then, across blossoming spaces, past terraces of olives l and grain, winding around the edges oi | ,I1 | towards the Arno, and often through si
 lent arcades of frs where the sunlight
 freckles the way like a brown gipsy's face
 a six-mile tramp brings you to the tiny | lumber-hamlet of Tosi. From Tosi
 paved way, along which stand gigantic
 crosses, leads up, up, up to the monastery
 five thousand feet above the sea-leyel. In
 the old days the monks went and came on
 hardy little donkeys; visitors were brought in n carrozza da buoi, or "cow-chariot," { | wicker basket set on sledge drawn by | those wondrous dove-colored oxen of Tus | cany; but now the old paved path ha. | been transformed into a modern road, and
 visitors may ride in carriages from Flor
 ence to Vallombrosa's gates.
 | At Tosi looked up the mountain and
 saw away to the right and above where
 knew the monastery lay, lines of blue
 smoke in feathery pencilings against tho dark green of the massed mountain frs. | "Those are the carbonari. They never
 leave the mountain save on feast-days,
 said q kindly carrettajo. "When they
 come to Tosi for wine and oil, they are SC
 black and dreadful, our children run ano
 hide. But they do not harm" So with {
 vagarous impulse of adventure, l turned
 aside from the paved mountain way, and
 with the cartman's son for a guide, skirteC
 the mountain, coming in a two hours
 tramp through dense forests of beech
 chestnut and pine, with here and there [
 blackened opening where trees had al
 ready been burned, or sunny spaces