The Portland daily press., 1893-02-20
IN FOREIGN LANDS.
Tsp ecial Correspondence of the Press.l
ROME. Jan. 9th. 1898.

OAoSOs
of the year, winding up with great dis
play at the church of the Jesuits, which
is most sumptuous in all its adornments,
hung as it is with rich tapestries, heavy
portieres and lambrequins wrought in
gold, and ceiling frescoed by ltalys
most artistic hands,, altar pieces with re-
liefs sculptured in silver and marble, be-
hind columns of lapis lazuli
On the 31st Of December, the grand
festival day of the year takes place IN
this church, when the whole edifice Is
lighted by hundreds of huge candles,
which form most impressive illumina-
ton, at which time the music is most
sublime, changing in it's modulatlons
from the deep miserecordias OF the
church to the orchestral music of grand
opera; and at the close the whole vast
congregation, which fills the aisles and
nave and every inch of space, joins in the
Grand TIE Deum.
But, perhaps making this grand finale
at the Jesuits church an exception, no
one who witnessed the series of religious
festivals this year has failed to be struck
with the idea that the spirit so long fos-
tered in the days of papal rule is not
only on the wane, but at the period OF
expiring, for even the most casual OBJ
server must have noticed the extreme
lassitude which has characterized all the
ceremonies attending the masses, ordi-
uary, pontifical and high, except, per-
haps, the weird and sole n midnight
services, but embracing professions, with
the cradle and sacred "bambino'' (holy
child carried under golden canopies to
the edification of curious and admiring
throngs of people frem all parts of the
habitable globe, nd with a noted alb
sence of the aristocracy of Rome itself.
The music has been superb, and the
melody of the trained voices, as it foated
from some distant chapel, seemed like
the sweet songs of the disembodied
already gone before.
Christmas Eve.
The great opening of the whole pro-
gramme might be said to have taken
place at the church of Maria Maggiore
on Saturday, the oath of December with
the exposure Of the cradle, supposed to
be the one before which the wise men
knelt in alteration, and over which the
star of Bethlehem shone, but in fact it
proved to be a jewel of costly onyx, an
oblong urn, which contains, it is said,
the boards and small beams of the orig
inal cradle found in the oxen's stall.
On Christina night this church of Ma
ria Maggi re was brilliantly lighted up,
and cardinals and bishops in golden ap-
parel and priests in rich gowns held this
jewel aloft for the worship OF the throng.
This church also in the afternoon prevl-
Gus was set apart for special confession
and blessings from papal wands. People
knelt and received absolution and pardon
and went away with the weight OF a years
sin rolled from their souls.
On Christmas morning St. Peters was
the scene of pontifical mass, but the
crowd in and around the great chapel at
the left was SO dense that only the rich
waves OF. the music could be enjoyed -,
In the Aracoeli at 10 o'clock the sacred
bambino Ia doll bedecked with jewels
was carried amidst the throng for the
healing of infrmities and the strengthen
ING Of the soul. When this was finished
a large tableau was revealed in wax OF
the manager at Bethlehem, with sheep
and oxen. wise men. Joseph and Mary
and the sacred child. with the bright star
Of Retblehem shining over all.
Monday. Dec. 26th. was st. Stephens
dav and SO St. Stefano in Rotundo and
ali fbe streets in the vicinity were liter
aily hacked with, the vulgar throng. but
outside Of the curio11s Stranger not one
nerson Of high birth was among the mot
law p crowd. inside it was almost mob.
and onlv thoseSwho7 arrived early could
eniov the pictures representing the mar
ty y Of the early Christians in it's most
distressing distress and horrible caricatures.
which are reproduced in frescoes on the
whole circular interior wall. For the
first time martyrdom failed to present
itself as bolv sacrifice for the truth.
for in looking at these dreadful scenes. it
seems as if those heroic lives were wasted
IN satisfy the cruelty of a heartless mob.
and eycent for the seed which blossomed
afterward in the Reformation. one feels
that the blood spilled was almost in
vain
81 Paul,s dav came ON Tuesday. Dec.
o7tb and 50 the tide turned outside the
oates of Rome to GRAND service at st.
0''eSo' ~ .1,-