The Norfolk Virginian. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 186?-189?, 1896-08-28
THE MARvEL> OF ST. PETERS.
A View within and without the Won
Nerful Dome.

| SMarion Crawford in the Century,.
| me s'rangest, most eNtravagant, mos
incomprehenSible, most disturbing sight
or all Is to be seen from the upper gal
| iery In the cupola looking down to the
church below. Hanging in mid air. with
nothing under ones fe t. one sees the
Ghu.ch projected in perspective within a
huge circle. ii is as though one saw II
upside down and inside out. Few men
could bear TO stand there without the bit
Oh IRON railing b tween them and the hid
eous fall. and the inevitable slight dizzi-
ness Which the strongest head feels may
r r'hhe one uouot FOR n moment whether
what is really the aoor below may not in
reaiEy b. ceiling above. and whether
| oNes sense of gravitation be not in
vented IN an eNtrao: binary dream At
mat distance human beings look no big
ger than flies. and the canopy of tha
nigh altar might be an ordinary table
And thence, climbing up tween the
uouple uomes, one may emerge from the
oimost terrible perspective to the open
ar, and suddenly see all Rome at ones
seet; ana al the Roman mountains
Stretched out TO south and east, in per-
rect grace of outline. shoulder to Shout
der. like Shadowy women lying side by
side and holding hands.
ana thS broken symmetry OF streets
and squares ranges below, cut nv the
winding ribbon of the yellow Tiber: to
the right of the low Aventine, with the
dark cypress, 6 of the Protestant Gene
te;y beyond, and the Palantine, crested
win trees and ruins; the Pinc.an on the
Ieil: with It's nigh gardens, and the mass
OF ioilaEe of the Villa Medici behind II :.
'the lofty Tow of the Capitol in inc
midst of the city, and the sun clasp,ng all
10 us heart of gold. the just and the un-
Just, the new and the old alike, past and
present, youth, age and decay-generous
as only the sun can be in this sordid
in;serly world. VIII re bread Is but an
other name for blood. and a rood of
growing corn means pound of human
iiesh. The sun is the only good thing
IN nature that always gives 10 man for
nothing bat for the mere of sitting In the
sunshine. and Rome without sunlight Is
very grim and gloomy town to-day.
~ Is worth the effort of climbing so
nigh. Four hundred ct in the air. YOU
look down on what ruled half the world
other half to-day by faith-the greatest
center of conquest and OF discord and
OF religion which the world has ever
seen thousand volumes have been
written about ii by thousand wise men
a word will tell you what ii has been
the heart of the world Hitler was
drawn the worlds blood by all the roads
mat lead TO Rome. and hence il was
forced out a~a!n along the mighty arte-
res OF the Caesars roads to be spilled
IN the Caesars battles-to redden the
world with the Roman name. Blood
blood, and more blood, that was the
history OF old Rome-the blood of broth
ers, the blood of foes. the blood of mar
tyrs without end. 1t flowed end ebbed
IN varying tide at the will of the inst
and unjust, but there was always more
10 shed. and there were always more
hands to shed It. And so IL NAV he
again hereafter for the name of Rome
mas heart-stirring ring. and there has
always been as much blood sniiiad fan
the names of beings as for the fh,ngs
tn mselves
Wyoming has produced ;S4s, 1876 Of gold
and Sl3 900 of silver Va soie