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

| ceiling was excessive for a hotel. If one
| had that ceiling in Chicago, he might set
| himself up for an old master The hotel
was once palace, and there were legs and
heads and bosoms and wings, and robes
| flying so that they disclosed great deal
more than they concealed. Much has
been said about the nudity of italian art.
out it would not be so much no.
ticed If it were not for the strange
strife of the authorities to hide nature,
with the general result of making some
of it far more conspicuous than necessary.
The naughtiest things saw were obtrusive
fig leaves, usually of tin. painted white,
and strung around the forms of human
beings with wires. The most nude figures
were those in which there was a manifest
struggle for concealment. There is this to
say, however, many of the statues are
mutilated, and the fig leaf has its appro-
pirate uses. There is a curious case in st.
Peters. On the right of the throne OF the
saint there is tomb of pope, on which
figures in marble-the one of Age. and the
other of Youth. The young woman has
to wear q morning wrapper Of bronze,
and it is rather daintily done.
should think the garment would
be better occupied on the elderly
lady. A guide was good enough to rap
with his finger nails on the bronze, TO
pected the lightning to strike him just at
that moment. especially as he had been
guilty of saying. a few moments before,
in pointing out the silver box said to con-
tain relic of St. Peter: 'Of course, you
know. St. Peter was never here at ALL" l
rebuked that wretch on the spot, in my
feeble way, and really felt like doing it. 1
said: DO you not know he suffered mar
tyrdom on the site of this church ?" $50
they say" said he, "but then do not
know and / do not believe he was ever
here at ALL" "What do you believer" |
ventured. His answer covered more than
my question. He said: II am surely
Catholic; yet do not believe all / am
told. / shall believe what think" The
old gentleman up stairs in the Vatican
has some curious children, and some OF
them are hardening their hearts.
The Italian troops make an impression,
stronger than had anticipated, that they
are fighting men, who may some day give
an account of themselves that will revive
the military prest ge of the people. The
men in the ranks are, as rule, very
young, and the officers look thoroughly up
to their work. The clothing of the men
is simple, strong and neat. The official
ism of Italy Is -pervading, and especially
prominent in the cities and along the rail-
roads. Americans are deferred from going
to Italy by the fear that the lack of the
lduSudSe Will DC lOuHu u ulsdDility uiS-
tressing at every step, and subject them
to extortion. English is spoken in
nearly all the hotels, and the prices
are not extravagant. They count
money in Italy as in France, and the
franc goes a little father in Italy
than in France. The general use of the
telephone struck me as among the things
l should not have expected to find. If
any one wants to know something at a
hotel that is going on at theat-r or rail-
road station, what so easy as telephoning?
and the telephone comes IN accordingly.
The newspapers have telephone news, and
the newsboys are nearly as loud i'll Italy
as in England. The European boys are
not up to the American standard in pro-
claiming their extras. The Italian ''lift"
in the hotels lisa jaunty affair. 1t is re-
garded as matter of the utmost impor-
lance, and treated with the greatest re-
spect. The car is light, almost fantastic.
There are two seats facing each
other. You enter, and expect the small
boy who is anxious to know at what
story to discharge you to get on with you,
turn an iron crank that applies the power,
and you ind yourself ''going it alone" at
rate that is not alarming, but you Won
der what has become of that boy with the
red band around his cap and the buttons.
He turns the crank and you do the rest.
When your story is reached the boy
touches spring or string; there is
sharp click. as if somebody had cooked a
gun; the car stops, you step off, opening
the gate, and, as it closes, the car most de-
| liberately begins the descent. In some
American cities there are prejudices that
| reach alarms against the use of the trolley
system OF elevfical cars; but they are not
afraid in Florence, and think they must
use lightning, when they have it, extrava-
gantly. The amount of fire flashing from
the wheels of car would terrify an Amer
lean settlement, but the Italians did not
seem to mind it. l cannot judge of the
importance of the Italian press, but am
told that it is growing in strength and
character. In an Italian city l heard a
crippled man, with bundle of papers for
sale, shouting extravagantly. He was
loud, long and lamentable. l asked a
guide what he was saying, and had the
reply: 1.-The paper he sells is called the
Cry Of the Poor Man" 1 asked: "Do
you know what is. in the paper?
Can you tell what the editor wants
the poor man. or the rich man. or
any one, to do?" AZ cannot tell, :" said the
guide, what the editor would have done.
He tries to say something to sell his paper.
/ think" "0h! yes, he would get rich
himself out OF the cry of the poor man: is
that 1T" NO; there is no riches in the
newspaper in this country" Perhaps the
cause poor. l gathered that the editor of
the CRY was an honest man, but he had
not found out what Is the best thing
for the poor man to do. There is no
harder question for anybody to answer in
any country. The Cry of the Poor Man is
not regular journal; it is occasionally
put forth when the editor thinks he has
been thinking. l wonder whether he has
found out what foreigners think they find
so readliy-that the key to the history
that is being made in Italy is the repub-
licanism of royalty. Italian unity did not
come through the preaching of the equal
rights in politics of men, but through n
dynasty OF kings who had the sagacity not
to throw away opportunities; and because
GaNibaldl saw that the king of Italy must
be the first Republican; and he had the
craftsmanship not to rum his cause
through lnsistence upon impracticable
conditions.
One of the authenticities of Florence is
the workshop OF Michael Angelo. He had
commodlous quarters, and his rooms have
been converted into museum relating to
MN. On the table near the door is a cony
OF the drawings of Michael Angeles cell
ing IN the Sistine chapel, and it is a great
improvement on the orIginal-far more IN
teiiiglble. with brighter colors and in a
better highland you have the advantage
OF looking down upon IL. | am glad COM
ing to see this, that Michael did not waste
his time entirely in that old chapel. There
are some letters the great artist wrote
with his own hand. and some of his
original drawings-rude sketches-and
these l much enjoyed, until referring
to the red-backed book which ali
travellers not ashamed carry in their
hand, and make themselves known as in
hurry. The book said the drawings are
doubtful. You see, however. unoues-
toned models of some OF the famous
works. and there Is no lact Of liI-nr,.a...