St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1893-12-17

A&A\E2/I E'H Ill.,
denizens of the sunny cline of Southern
Italy. Ancona traces its origin back to the
days of the Doric Greeks, who built it
some four centuries before the birth of
Christ. On the journey from Ancona
to Loretto the tourist passes by a battle
field now well linked with the history
of the Italian Deninsula-l refer to
that of CastlefdardO. Here in 1860
Gen. Garibaldi, fighting %furiously for a
united Italy, defeated the papal troops
under the Frenchman. Lamoriciere. 1t
was on this occasion that the red-shirts
shot some young soldiers and chiefs of
the Irish brigade, who. deluded with
the distant glamor of a crusade which
they fondly hoped would be worthy of
theb best days of chivalry, left the land
of their love, and were not permitted
even the pleasure of a decent fight with
any enemy whatever. Their desolate
graves in a foreign land awakened no
feeling of sympathetic admiration in my
soul, and l could not help thinking that
they might have sacrificed their lives
more consistently and more honorably
tor their own country.
Loretto looks we'll in the distance. 1t
Is a good illustration OF distance lend
Ing enchantment to the view. Standing
out conspicuously on a rather abrupt
rising ground, and rearing its head SUBJ
timely in the Italian sunlight, the ham,
let of LOretto careSSeS the eye from the
net far-distant train. The scenery
around presents a singularly pictur-
eSque appearance.
Have you eve looked through a
microscope at a beautiful hand with
almond-Shaped nails and transparent
skin and blue-blooded veins? How
beautiful 1t seems to the naked eye;
how revolving when seen through the
microscopic So it is with the village Of
L0retto when viewed from afar as COM
pared with the effect upon the tourist
who travels through its dirty streets.
The vendors OF religious goods in the
unhealthy houses and the sickly streets
Of LorettO are as Jealous as the hotel
runners of the depot in st. Paul and are
as eloquent as Mrs. Lease, of Kansas.
The blind, the lame, the deaf, the de-
formed from distant provinces and from
foreign lands may be seen at Loretto.
1t is the Ell Dorado of the Italian beggar,
and the lazzaroni of Loretto are the
most importunate beggars on earth. The
clergy man who could beseech heaven
with the plteous appeal and soul-pierc-
Ing salutation of the pauper of LOretto
would make a prayer more eloquent
tnan was ever uttered by a Beecher or
q Brooks.
In this dilapidated hamlet, where
smiling spring still pays its earliest
visits, If tradition be true. there is a
house the hottest in the world, and COM
pared with which the world-famed cot
tage of Anna Hathaway is not fit even
to be whispered. 1t is the holy house
Of Nazareth; the house where the
Virgin heard the a%rchangel's message.
where Jesus and Mary and Joseph lived
during Christ's childhood aud until his
public career began. Surely the soul
OF the relic hunter and of the hero
Worshlper should be satisfied here.
LEGEND.
When the basilica, built by the EN-
press Helena, mother of Constantine the
Great, over the holy house Of Nazareth
of Galilee, had fallen into decay, and
when thelast soldier of Christian chiy-
airy had been expelled fromp agan Pal.
estine, the house in which Gods mother
had dWelt was at the mercy of yery
iconoclastlc infidels. The traditional
legend says that in order to save their
most sacred relic and all its hallOWed
memories of the d%lvineSt family life the
world had ever witnessed angels came
In the dead of night and carried it to a
hill in Dalmatia. This was in the veal
1921. No reason is assigned for the
next removal, which took place three
years and a half later. The holy house
was carried across the sparkling waters
OF the Adriatic and placed in a wood
called Lauretum, either because of the
laurels which grew there or because the
land belonged to a lady called Lauretta,
Italy is a land of brigands, as we'll as OF
artists, many of them locking to the lau.
rel grove in which the holy house stood
made a Journey thereto a work Of dan
ger for the pious pilgrim. Thus another
move become necessary. Nor were the
angels more fortunate in their mex Sc
lection. The property upon which they
placed their prize belonged to two
brothers who quarreled over the owner
ship Of the land after it had become
valuable by reason of an unearned in
erement arising from the location of the
holy house. The next and last move
was a short one, and took place in De.
eember, 1895. The house was set dowr
In the middle of the public road of h
is now known as Loretto, in the proy.
ince of Ancona.
II SANTA CASA.
As in the medieval times every mon
asterY became the nucleus of a viIlag,
or a town, so in the neighborhood of tn,
holy house sprang up the village O
Loretto. The house now stands in tn,
middle Of what was once a gorgeou
cathedral, but since the men VIII,
planned a united Italy won the vic