Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1892-09-08
MONARCHs OF THE PAST.
A Visit To The Sepulehre of Austria.
Royal Family.
BELLAGIo, Italy, July "a, 1892.

Monday morning at Vienna we wen
first to the Capuchin church, which il
a small one, but noted because the roy
al family are buried there After
waiting few minutes until service was
over. a priest, robed in black, took US
down into the cold, damp crypt. First
we saw the tombs of the more recent
kings and queens. Maria Theresa
monument was a large one in the center
There were also those ofsMaria Louise
and her son, young Napoleon. The
| body of the late Prince Rudolph
was there, too. Many of the tombs
had flowers or wreaths of faded leaves
Then the priest took a lamp and led us
into a darker, longer place, where there
were more of the gloomy caskets, the
kings On one side and the queens on the
other. 1t gives one a peculiar sensa.
ton to see all that remains ot SO many
generations of kings. 1t reminded me
of picture I've seen somewhere show.
ing the transformers of life: A gray
haired man sitting looking at a skull.
In the back ground was the ruin of q
temple; in front at the old mans feet
was q broken urn, and by his side, tw3
small children were blowing soap-bub-
bles.
From there we went to the Augustin-
ian church where we saw Canova's
beautiful Mausoleum of Christine. 1t
is in the shape of a pyramid, and the
deepest grief is expressed in the figures
of mourning virgins just going into the
tomb.
In the same church we peeped into a
vault where the hearts OF the imperial
family are kept in silver urns. There
were two small grated-windows
through which one could look and see
in the dim light the one hundred and
nineteen urns. Here too, connected
with the imperial palace. is a chapel
where the Empress comes to pray. 1t
is sad, still place, and seems suita-
bic spot for the Empress to mourn her
dead boy. We asked the guide why
Rudolph's heart was not in the vault,
and he crossed himself and made sign
as if he were putting IL knife in his
breast, shrugged his shoulders, and
said nothing; to show, l suppose that
it was because he killed himself.
We stopped at the imperial riding
school, a large quadrangular place,
covered with saw dust, surrounded by
seats and under the palace roof. There
were five Or six riding masters teaching
a prince to ride. They were all |
mounted on beautiful horses which they |
made go through fancy steps. for our
benefit, imagine. The prince was a |
naughty young fellow who rode very |
veil on his iron gray horse.
The royal theater at Vienna, though |
it holds but seventeen hundred, is a |
arge building with magnifcently |
'rescoed halls, beautiful marble pillars
md gilded walls.
The palace at Schonbrunn, a mile or
,wo from the heart of the city, is a large |
building, not handsome without, but
-ery elegantly furnished. We went
through thirteen or fourteen OF the
thousand rooms. The walls of some
we're inlaid with Japanese work, all the
urniture matching. One room was
nlaid with rosewood, and had pictures
PAINTED on copper inlaid in the walls.
That room alone cost half a million.
The walls of one small room were hung
With the portraits of Maria Theresa
md her sixteen children.
We saw the bed on which Napoleon's
on died. Behind the palace was a
ark or garden laid out in avenues of
quare- trimmed trees. At the end of
hese walks were beautiful fountains.
would have liked it betterif the trees
Iadn't been trained into unnatural
hapes. but the effect was imposing.
We went into the chamber of COM
1erce while it was in session while a
ierman was making an excited speech
n some silver bill. The gallery was
disappointment to me, which, sup
ose, was inevitable, just coming from
he Sistine Madonna at Dresden. 1t is I
fine gallery for the study ofart in its e
evelopment, but we haven't time for
nat. 1t has fine collection of Rub
rs, over seventy pictures. | have
earned to like him better than | i
lought should. though his coloring t
rev me from the first. There was a e
tile picture of no fame that Professor d
,ok delight in showing us; it was a Il
oman looking at herself in a glass G
hile grim death was in the act of S
rabbing her with his long, lank fng- o
IS. /
Professor tells us there are more fine +,
liIdings on the Ringstrasse, the street
hich has the portion of the old walls, f,
ian on one street in any other city he e
as seen. but for all that / like Dresden n
etter. Iii