The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-02-14


dered whether some of them might be OF
the persons l had noticed practicing at
yery late or early hours. There must be
some inducement to sing after midnight,
in chilly and foggy streets, not brilliantly
lighted; and. suspect the Italian boys
boys, as we apply the word at home-get
drunk too late or too early. Surely, 1t IS
a wearing, tearing, and every way bad
habit to be opening ones throat for drink
ing and singing between the hours OF mid
night and dawn.
The great deficiency in italian houses
seems to me to be not in warmth, but in
light. This was remedied in the opera
house by a chandelier. that have no
doubt is the pride of Florence-and 1t did
shed q considerable illumination; but
these people should see the Madison
Square Garden auditorium, the tabernacle
OF Talmage or Carnegie hall. The opera
at Florence reminds me of the circus at
Genoa. The ring was the pit
of q grand old theater. The same
times immemorial galloped in with the
same wooden stride-the same four-times-
four-are-sixteen pace-and there was on
his back the broad pad to which we have
been accustomed. strapped in the ancient
way. The same elderly young lady
bounded forth, with the whip of other
days in her hand; skirts and tights, and
century ago, 5000 miles away. Even the
hair-dressing was the same. The ringmas-
ter, with the whip of our fathers, was
there, with the talent of the days OF An
drew Jackson for popping the whip, and
the white steed was urged to deliberate
strides, in the style of the Roman circus
when Judge Thurman was boy.
am not so much surprised as was
that the old Romans got tired of 1t and
took to killing people for amusement.
They had grown weary OF the old circus,
and the mutual massacre of gladiators
furnished q long-felt want, and casting
Christians to lions and tigers was diver
sion in which the Roman mind sought to
unbend itself and find repose. To return
to the Genoese circus, the young lady on
horseback was assisted through hoops
over which paper was pasted, just as she
was in the year when Tippecanoe defeated
Martin Van Buren, land l have lived to
see a second President Harrison smile
at the head of the table in the White
House over the gold spoons that
were so important an issue in 40. that
still do service in the executive mansion,
while Democratic statesman pointed out
to a Republican that the metal was pure
brass) The clown was made up without
novelty, save the tip of his white nose was
black instead of red, and he never changed
a joke. There was "Butfalo Bill shoot
storm. He is universally known in the
italian peninsula to be the greatest of
Americans. The Italians all discovered
him just as much as Columbus discovered
the West Indies. Rome, especially. was
ravaged by Buffalo Bill. The excite
ment about him was revolutionary. If
he had taken a notion to proclaim the re-
public, it may be that the pope and the
king would both have taken to flight, and
Bill could have been the prince president,
and had choice of palaces. The shooting
in the circus was not bad An American
cowboy Tin dress) stalked in, hat, boots,
gun, dog. all his comforts about him, and
he shot several things off the dogs head,
and finally the intelligent animal sat very
high. holding pipe in his mouth, and
when the bowl of the pipe was shattered he
wagged his tail and howled for Joy. There
was one performance that l confess with
misglving was new to me. A livelier horse
than the old gray of the crusades came
in with a youth on him who was line
model of early manhood. He succeeded
in running across the ring and springing
upon the galloping horse, making good his
footing without touching the animal with
his hands. Then he was blindfolded and
sack pulled over his head. and in this
condition he succeeded, after one bad
tumble. in performing the same feat. do
not think there was any sham about it,
and that he should be able to run blinded
for the running horse and bound upon him,
striking and sticking on his feet without
the use of his hands, save to balance him
self, seemed to me an extraordinary case
OF close and correct calculation. Let me
say again that make the admission with
apprehension.
From Florence to Venice we have first
the prevalent Apennines, and the tunnels
IN full supply, bits of savage scenery.
mountain sides terraced, olive orchards.
clusters OF houses clinging in steep places,
many towns, each with little domes and
bell towers, all made on the same pattern;
little streams, all with histories; then two
celebrated cities, Bologna and Padua. ut
which people with a reasonable margin
OF time always stop. l expect to be tor
mented with the lnsinuating inquiry. put
with supercilious smile or gesture, i.Of
course, you stopped at Bologna and saw
-F' But | did not stop at Bologna. and
l am Just glad did not. l know about
DANTE at Bologna, but | care no more for
Dante. L have been tempted to commit
an ALTERATION about Dante Confound
him; he seems to have lived in all the
towns In northern Italy. He must have
been an iil-behaved sort of citizen.
would as soon be accused of painting
Micnaei Angeles Last Judgment as of
own opinion of man who sen ptured
himself as he thought he ought to have
been, as Moses, and painted half a dozen
portraits of God Almighty He did not
read the books of Moses to ADVANTAGE and
between Michael Angeles painting hell
ana Dante's writing of it, l had nearly said.
PVT on thinking OF the obvious impropriety
OF the remark, withdrew it in nv mind.
that they played it on themselves. | did
not stop at Bologna longer than was neces-
sary to buy hot broiled chicken I did
not even buy bottle of lachryma Christi
10 WASH IL down. for the lachryma Christi
Oh the Italian restaurants is as sour os
crap cider, do not mean to be profane
ABOUT Things IN Italy, but | fear a long
oouise Vi Iainiharity with sacred things in
common use would have bad influence.
Hannibal and Napoleon, emerging from
tne APPS, called the attention Of the sol
uierS 10 the marvellous magniticenca of the
sunny land before them, and the fsc;J-
ties the broad and luxurious Mains
afforded for plunder. They are like
d section OF Illinois or Kansas. hut
Gfely Iuriong is cultivated. There are end
iess views OF the stubby, distorted trees of
the bitches. the vines-one vast vineyard n
orchard and garden, with glistenins vii,
lages and broad gravel beds for rivers
win slender streams of living silver wind,
ing through the waste, and far nortbwarJ
beyond the blue mountains. clouds VIII
purple shadows below a fixed and ruoeed
snllehess, upon which the declining sun
S%ST win strange, magical radiance.
An here is revelation. transforr1at;l,S e
yohder clouds are shining mountains H.
LOFTY and luminous Italian Alps! '--'
- Me
THE APPROACH OF spp,~c