The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1893-05-01
MISS Jockey IN VENICE.
Floating in a Gondola Under the
Broad Arch Of the
RiAltn
Palace OF the Doges Filled With
Splendid Pictures by the Old
Masters.
The Curious Canals Of the City and Reg
gar boys and Pigeons OF 1t.
Marks.

luo FOLLOWING lAscKCbeihk ~
received from Venice by Richard Jockey.
II il from his daughter Mollie and dated
April 3: Last Wednesday morning we
left Vienna. that most fascinating city OF
Austria. When we came there We expected
to dislike 1t, as nearly every one had said.
'You will not wish to remain there long, the
peopls are 80 disagreeable. They will de-
ceive and cheat you if possible. and care for
nothing except money! It was probably
because We anticipated so little pleasure
that We we're SO agreeably disappointed.
AS il was Eastertide the CITY was very, gay.
The morning after our arrival. the day be-
fore Easter, we visited nine churches and
saw the different ways in which they repre-
sented Christ in the grave They really
had. In rooms dimly lighted by colored
lamps. representations of the tomb and the
image Of our Savior. At six in the evening
there was a grand procession around eacn
church. and at the head of the long line OF
priests was carried q figure OF the
Christ to denote the Arisen Lord Easter
morning We stood In the nave of the great
st, Stephens church, listening to the won
derfully sweet tones of the organ while the
bows high up in the choir sang Christ is
risen, 10 risen to-day Easter Monday was
a great holiday md tho walks and drives
were thronged with gaily dressed people.
Ring strasse, the great circular street OF
the CITY, has the most magnificent buildings
"a have seen anywhere. The opera house.
two GREAT museums. house OF parliament.
court house and Burg theatre are simply
p~slatial, and the inside decoration OF ths
last named in particular is \ marvel of art.
From Vienna to Venice ID q ride OF about
s,1teen hours. At G~loQgnitz begins the
SummerinR railway. the Oldest OF the great
continental mountain railways. The
scenery while crossing the Alps. and indeed
during the whole day, was something grand.
Init ve felt as il We could have enjoyed it
mora II the road had not been built on the
anusrent principle of 100 feet of tunnel to
fftv feet Of unobstructed view.
W. arrived in Venice at II O'Clock on a
p;tch-datk night, and the first Rondola ride
vas not nearly so romantic as had been an
tioipnted, for the canals were dark and i'll
smaii;np and our gay gondolier' looked
more like a black browed bandit than the
fanoiful creature of song and story We had
cnnrosed he would be. However. we have
had many charming rides since then and
have quite recovered from the first dlsap-
nointment. Last evening We loated with
other uoudolas under the broad arch of the
Rialto.. the very Rialto of Shylock's time.
and listened to songs splendidly sung by a
nnrohsr Of Italians whose boat. brightly
liohted with colored lam %, had stopped at
the other side Of the arch. Our goEdoller
seemed to be quite unsteady inclined as he
boat moved away. though we entreated him
in Che best American sign language to 60
back to the hotel. However, We were very
ulad to listen to the music, though 1T
seemed rather incongruous to hear the song
Neutrality-suspicious. think this world
is made for fun and irolle' ana
tho Bridge Of sighs.' Naturally the first
place we visited was the church of st.
Mark. named for Venioe's tutelary saint.
whose bones are said to be buried undo its
high altar. The mosaics covering the walls
and ceiling of the church are wonderful.
and, of course, the four bronze horses over
the nrinoipsl portal-the only horses Venice
ever po~ssessed-came in for a great deal Of
T enter the palace of the doges, the
former high executives of the city, we
first ascend q great staircase, at the top OF
which the doRes were wont TO be crowned.
another stairway, which was once used
only bv the nobility whose names were
vritten in the Golden Book. The great
rooms of the palace which visitors are per
mitted to enter, are filled with splendid
pictures by Titan, Veronese, Tintoretto,
and OtlSf6 OF LuelT bl"o IL oIuooAs Inv
largest oil painting in the world. Iintoret-
to's Paradise occupies on end of the
GREAT council chamber. Around the same
council chamber are also the pictures OF
the different doges, with the exception Of
Marine Falieri. who plotted againat tho
aristocracy, but was discovered and be
headed in 1866. Instead of his portrait the
space is painted black. and bears this in
scription, Hic est locus Marini Falethli
decapitati pro criminibus.'
.In one room is shown the slit in the wall
which was once the terrible lions mouth
down which secret accusations were thrown
which condemned many an innocsnt man
palace with the gloomy dungeons and
prisons on the other side Of a narrow canal.
OF course, we had to stumble down the
broken stone stairs and across the bridge
as far as we were allowed to go. We also
descended to the dismal cells below. but
after listening to the narrowing tales of the
guide, who dwelt at length on tie number
of Door wretehes who had existed year after
wear here without books. light, companion
ship, never even seeing the hand which
pushed in their scanty allowance of food
and water, We were very glad to ascend to
the light again and more than thankful
that we had in America no such 'sighs' us
that to show the stranger. In the square
before the ducal palace and the church of
st. Mark is a curious old clock on the top
of which are two bronze giants who stand
with hammers raised and strike the hours
on a great bell between them.
I'VE have seen 60 many churches con-
tanning such quantities of tombs OF great
men whom no one seems to know much
about now; We have seon the house in which
Browning lived and died; have watched tkt
men and women at work with tiny bite 81
glass piecing out wonderful pictures, or tn,
smallest, most delicate flowers; have nd
mired and coveted the exquisite Venetian
glassware; have handled SO many quain
little baskets of spun glass that our hand
are full of 'slivers;'' have gazed on .h'
fluay point duchesse' growing under th,
dexterons fingers of the lace-makers ant
have recognized the fact that while severu
thousand dollars was a great deal of none
TO pay for a few yards of lace, it was wort
all that was asked for it. We have viewe'
the CLOSELY crowded houses and curiou
canals of Venice from the top of tho gren
tower in the square, and. oh, how man
coppers We s~auandeTed on black-eyed becea
boys and corn for the pigeons OF st. Mark
These latter are quite u feature of III
square, for during the republic they war
sent out from the church on feast DAYS an,
were fed at public expense. but now tho
are little paupers and depend for their liv
ing dixie many OF their fellow eitizens) o
the charitable strangers.
I'VE leave Venice tomorrow, and no,
sorry we shall be to stop into the gondol
for the last time and glide off to the station
Her glory NAV be all In the past, her mar
BILE palaces ruins. the absolute quiet of he
streets depressing. one-Iou. tn Of tho popJ
lation beggars. but still there ia a nameleG
charm, u something about her which be
longs to none other but the glorious city i