Bismarck weekly tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1943, 1893-12-22
Dr. Porter Writes of What BE See.
in Italy and the italian
Capital.
Impressed Profoundly by st. Peters
and st. Paul's Cathedral
Simply Grand.
An Entertaining Description of the
Many Beautiful Sights Which
Are to be Seen.
In Rome,

In Homo.
DIR. Porter is now in Rome, italy. and
sends another of those descriptive let.
tiers, which treats Interestingly Of what
lie sees, and how he is passing the win.
ter. He says:
I'm enjoying Rome very much and
was agreeably surprised to find such a
clean and beautiful city. The recent
heavy rains have caused the rise of the
Tiber which has done some damage and
the people here seem to think tbs a
wonderful stream and large, and while it
is the largest river in the italian PENN.
sula it is nothing in comparison with
our own Missouri.
Yesterday l went out about six miles
on the Roman Campagna to see q fox
huot. They routed q fox soon utter the
start, but the dogs did not get him until
after a nj of about ten miles. Was
good sport to see the fox IN and jump
for his life with the hounds close on to
him pell-mell. The horses would take
the fences, stone walls and bitches
~splendidly. The first man who reached
the fox after the dogs caught him took
tine head, to have mounted. The second
gets the tail and the next four each have
foot. Saw large aocks of sheep on the
%Campagna, and the men attending them
had coats and pants made of sheep skins
With the wool on, and the wool side out.
Thought I had seen fine churches in
Paris and the Cathedral at Milan and
Cologne, but they are simply not in it
when compared with st. Peters and st.
Paul's here. Words fail to give any idea Of
their grandeur and maenifcence. st.
Peters is the largest and porbably the
most beautiful church in the world. The
bronze statue of st. Peter in this church
has the right foot partly worn off by the
kisses of. devotees who go there daily by
hundreds for this purpose.
A. constant stream of people we're kiss
lug the foot to-day. The canopy and
high altar stands over the tomb of st.
Peter. The confessio is surrounded by
eighty-nine ever burning lamps. The
church is full of the most beautiful
s:atuary and mosaics and it is light and
bright and airy and hasn't the dull, dark
appearance of most Cathedrals. The air
is fresh and good and does not have the
''odor of scanctity" which most of the
churches have. While I am in love with
st. Peters church I must not fail to say
that St. Paul's church is considered by
some to be equal and wen superior to
former. St. Paul's is outside the city
walls, and with her solid columns of
oriental alabaster resting on pedestals of
solid malachite presented by the m
peror of Russia, why it is very difficult
to decide between the two. I attended
mass at the church of st. Cecilia where
a cordinal was officiating.
There is a church here, the Scala
Santa, which has q flight of twenty. eight
marble steps from the palace of Plate
at Jerusalem-which Christ once as.
csnded. They were brought to Rome in
the year 1926, and may only be assembled
on the knees.
saw lots of people going up that
way but did not try it. The visit to the
Catacombs was very interesting where
there are twelve miles of passage way,
hewn out of the solid rock. These passages
are filled with the dead, one above the
other, eight or ten high in places. Each
body had a separate hole dug out of the
rock, where the body was put, and 1t
was then closed with a close fitting stone
and cemented so that it was air tight.
A jolly old monk took us through and
pointed out the more prominent tombs.
The Corso presents a lively scene every
evening when the fashionable world comes
out and crowds it with elegant car
riages, and foot passengers. The fount-
aims of Rome are one of it's most beauti-
tul attractions. They are everywhere
and what is better they are always play
ing. No dry ones like SO many of ours
in America.
Wish you could see the Sistine Chapel
n the Vatican. Paintings by Michael
Angelo, and the Vatican palace is the
largest in the world, and the residence
of the Pope. The palace contains eleven
thousand halls, chapels, saloons and
private apartments-eleven Thousand
mind you and not eleven hundred.
In the Vatican gallery are the cele-
Grated pictures, TRANSPORTATION" and
Coronation of the Virgin" by Raphael.
visited a monastery called Tres Fontana
tthree %fountains) where the monks are
all rich, but they are not allowed to
speak, and work in the gardens with
bare heads and feet. In the grounds is
:he very spot where the Apostle Paul
Was beheaded. Saw the block or shaft
OF marble to which he was bound when
he was beheaded. I send you a few
leaves from the place.
H. II. PORTER.