Birmingham age-herald., 1894-09-09
suggested by him this morning. but will do


 Miss Willie Allen, cue of our most ac- compished teachers in the high school, has just returned from a sojourn abroad. She sailed for Europe as soon Gs possible after the schools closed and her vacation was spent in foreign lands amid the tra- ditions, histories and cultivation of the centuries. At my request she permits me to make extracts from very charming letter, written while she was in Rome. ''The ruins visited suggested, of course, constant pan norama of history; but shali save my impressions of the Coliseum, of the palace of the Cesars, of the forum for your futore detectation. wish to tell you today of visit to St. Peters. We had spent many hours in this wonderful church and were somewhat familiar with it's magnificent interior, it's noble propor- tions it's transceudant richness. But having attended no regular service we joy fully embraced the opportunity to attend 8 special choral service. We left the hotel at g o'clock. We had been told that the service would be held in the regular choral chapel; but when we arrived, although some exercises were being conducted thereiu, the crowds standing in groups here and there on the broad expanse of the nave, were looking with interest in another direction. We made one more group, and in a few minutes saw approaching procession of church dignitaries, priests and acolytes. They entered the chapel, which has for it's roof one of the two smaller domes of St. Peters. The vestments were very beauti- ful. The twenty eight priests wore over their black gowns short jackets of soft, crimped crepe-ljke silken stuff, having deep founces of point lace on the lower edge. The seeves-wide open-had the same lace. These priests seated themselves to the right and left in rectangular space below the altar, while the higher digni- tariss, dressed in scarlet and purple and white, took places immediately in front of the shrine, also to the right and left. Ten or twelve young men-bcys rather-sat on short-woodeu benches in front of the altar. The crowd was made up of regular attend ants on the worship aud of strangers, some of whom were respectfully attentive, while others, with guide books in hand, were merely slookers on in Vienna" All these had no seats provided. and stood or knelt just where they pleased. The music was very fine. To enjoy it and to obtain at the same time the gen eral ehecto of the very un- usual scene, 1 half sat, half leaned on the pedestal of an immense column near the high altar ip the center of the church. From this 'tcoigne of vantage" l saw coming toward me an acquaintance, whose gentle courtesy and man. ly bearing had early in our jour- ney given me g lasting impression in favor of Boston youth. He had been quite within the chapel where services were going on, and wished to call my attention to very singular, very unaccountable, feature
 
 with every rise and fall of the melody there came 6uttering down from the dome above small white particles. What were they? Every eye was turned towards the dome; the worshippers crossed themselves and looked adoringiy up. What were they? HMannR,b whispered Mrs. B. 'Wafers for the saCrament,' suggested another. 1 stood beside the railing of the retangular space. Whenever moved risked touch- ing, inadvertently, the grand-looking old nrlP9t in front of l felt much tempted to lean down and ask him wbat it all meant. l moved 8 little nearer, and came to my decision. They were white oleander blossomsi They fell in light shower continuously, throughout the services, soon making snowy heap on the great porphery slab which lies under the center of the dome. 1 looked up, up, to the height of this sunny, gold-tinted done, and saw the hand which at inter vals dropped the white blossoms. How strange, how beautiful, how mystical it all wasl We knew no one in all that crowd who could speak a word of Eng fish, so we wondered and wondered. As our visit to the Quirinal was to be made at 12, we reluctantly prepared to leave St. Peters with the mystery of the oleander blossoms unsolvea. h the vestibue however, a guide addressed us n English, offering his services for the Ystcau. We used this opportunity to ask an explana- tion of the service we had just attended. He explained that the 9th of August is, in the Roman church, the feast of St. Maria Maggiore di Nivi. l instantly compre- hended. We had visited that church on the Janicuiun hill and heard the tradi. ton connected with it. It Is as follows: Many years ago one of the popes, Pope Gregory, think, had q dream in which the Lord appeared and bade His faithful servant build another church in Rome. This dream Gregory related to his friends and was overjoyed when he discovered that the same dream had come in the silly hours of the same night to another church. man. They addressed themselves to Heaven, praying for guidance in selecting a site for this new temple of the Lord. On the next morning Rome saw a wonderful sight. It was August, yet the top of Mt. Janiculum was covered with thick fall of snow! So on Janiculum stands the church of Santa Ma ria di Nivi tNivis), and on August every year the churches of Rome commemorate with song and blossom snow the miracu- lous event of Pops Gregory's time. To you so far away in our slaid practical Amer ica, all this will seem very fantastic and vain. But here? and to me7 confess 10 iigations, being in Rome, to see some what as Romans gee? Good hye.o
 MT. and Mrs. Gregory L. Smith of Mo- bile, who have been visiting their sister, Mrs. A. M. Smith, South Highlands, left on Friday afternoon for Lookout moun- tain.
 Prof. John N. Scott, a pianist of much note, will reach Birmingham in few days and will give his friends an opportunity to hear his good music at the home of his parents on the North Highland soon after his arrival.