The Portland daily press., 1892-02-15
Ills vast in extent and there are many

1t is VaSt III o1A oAioio dIc HtHy
costly monuments which are like gothic
horses for the living in size and design.
Will angels keeping guard at the door.
One y0ung, fearful woman in marble
stands by the half open door of marble
senulcber. with a tiny child in marble
clutching at her satiny robes, which
seem to float like real silken garments
about her form. A cherub babe in ala
baster lies on her marble bosom. All of
which is so flesh-llke7 that only the sense
AZ ~ .Ju1 bndy and habiliment Of tbe l;vinc.
Such is the beauty of art and the quality
Of eth the marble used to Commemorate the
dead in Milan cemetery.
THE CBEAfAToRY.
At the further side of this cemetery is
the crematory building, which contains
huge furnaces for the cremation of the
dead. which, heated to their utmost ca
pacity. will consume to ashes body in
fiftv minutes. it costing for each crema-
tion from ten to thirty dollars. There is
also a furnace for paupers, which is long
Ell in it's destruction, taking nearly two
hours and half.
They showed us in glass boxes some
calcareous pieces of the bones of some
pauper. left when the cremation had
been perhaps more incomplete than usu-
al. Also in this building are rooms full
of little drawers one above the other
marked with the family name and that of
the person cremated, with date of death,
date of cremation, etc., etc. There are
other buildings devoted to the same pur-
pose. and sometimes sealed urns are
placed on the monuments, containing all
that is left Of the dear departed ones.
One, although a stranger, feels in leav-
ing this cemetery as if he had been in
close companionship with the spirits Of
those gone from earth, so vivid and strik-
ing is everything memoralized there.
But we left regretfully this sad city of
the dead, as well as gay Milan itself, to
visit the shores of the lovely Lake Como.
LAKE OF COMO.
A ride of few hours from Milan
brings one to the dusty square which
forms the quay from which all embark
on the peaceful waters of this beautiful
lake. The town itself is so dilapidated
that it is almost wonderful SO much of
pleasing interest is still connected with
it.
The two Plinys came from here, the
younger being born here and some say
the elder also, instead of at Verona.
1t is an old Roman town devoid of
present interest, except as being thresh-
old of so much of wonder beyond. 1t is
the door of the Engadine and the numer-
Swiss Alps. 1t has an old cathedral con-
tanning pictures by Luini, and out of the
town an old Lombard ruin and the church,
del cruci .fsso, of 18th century.
You cannot step outside the gates of
Como and bring in so much as a piece of
bread or seed cake without being con-
fronted by the same octroi system before
mentioned.
The sail from Como to Bellagio is most
interesting, and from thence to Colico,
town which harbingers the Engadine
Between Bellagio and Mennagio the
three arms of the lake meet and Como
emerges into Lake Leceo just before it
goes on to the shining region of the Alps.
This is the most beautiful part of the
lake to drift in gondola, being almost
as fine as the grand canal at Venice for
such a pastime.
These boatmen love the lake and sing
of it as a swain of his inammorata. They
say III is the SeHIleSJ - Oh aIlsbne IUal-
ian lakes, less sdueage as they term it
and as they chat of its beauties they
handle their boat as if it were a gentle
steed.
Everyone goes to Bellagio which is
the most beautiful of its resorts. And
winding up its steep paths, on the
heights above, many valleys may be seen
which run far back between the noun
tains like inextricable labyrinths and the
beauties of the entire lake from these
heights may also be seen.
They manufacture at Bellagio lovely
boxes from olive wood which are very
choice in design and execution.
There is also here something I never
happened to notice elsewhere in Europe
real American soda fountain in good
working order but at last being in haste
to catch our steamer we failed to get
glass of the home beverage. At Menna-
gio narrow gauge train takes you to
Parlezza and thence the Lugano boat
through the charming waters of this lake
to the city of Lugano and back to the
Gotthard road. A. H. G..
m SafnnnnJJnuyo aNrynarr i