The Republican., 1896-06-11
EUROPEAN LETTER.
Our Special Correspondent Writes
From Italy.
ROME, ITALY, May 20, 1896.

power. On almost every street
corner there is little shrine, a
picture or statue of the Madonna,
adorned with artificial flowers and
covered with glass. Women stop
to murmur prayers before them,
with a heedlessness of the passers-by
that indicates either very mechani-
cal or very sincere devotion. And
in the churches the same thing is
noticeable. Fancy a tourist walk
ing around during religious service
in a church in America, striking
the pillars to see if they are marble
or only stuceo, and turning opera
glasses on the stained glass windows,
on the frescoes and on the priest
himself. The scene that may be
hourly observed in st. Peters of
worshippers kneeling before the
statue Of the patron saint and re-
verentially kissing his toe while
visitors watch them through lorg
nettes, speaks eloquently of good
natured passiYity Of the Italians and
the needless curiosity of sight
seers.
Almost every week during the
winter in Rome there is a church
festival, and some of them are as
interesting and unique in their way
as the Oberammagau performance.
st. Agnes s-outside- -the-walls on the
third Sunday in January occurs
the blessing Of the lambs from
whose wool certain sacerdotal robes
are made. All day long there is a
pilgrimage from the city to the
church, and the road beyond the
Porta Pia is full Of carriages and
pedestrians. Two lambs, sham
pooed into an unprecedented condi-
ton of cleanliness, with their fleece
curled in the latest style, are carried
into the church. They are bedecked
with ribbon until they look like
toys. For fear they might fail to
appreciate the honor that is being
paid them, and make unseemly ef-
forts to escape, they are tied on
cushions. They are borne III state
to the altar, sprinkled with holy
water and enveloped in incense.
Mass is said, interrupted by their
bleats Of helpless remonstrance.
Then the people crowd around and
try to touch them, and the puzzled
lambs again say that they want to
60 home. But they must first
must be taken to the Vatican to re-
celve the Papal blessing, and then
the fleece is solemnly sheared and
the lambs are allowed to return to
comfort and dirt.
Another curious festival is the
Distribution of Dowries, in the
church of st. Agostino. Some gen
erous persons swho evidentially
believed that marriage was success,
established Dowry Fund to en-
courage maidens to enter the holy
bonds. Courageous and cheerful
candidates are not lacking indeed
there are usually so many that the
committee has difficulty in choos-
ing. The only conditions are that
the applicant be poor and Roman.
About fifty maidens this year pub
licly proclaimed their willingness
to offer themselves on the altar OF
matrimony, and their philanthropy
was rewarded by a gift of $50 lire
$500 apiece. Very pretty and un-
mercenary did they look, in their
white dresses and wells. Those
costumes will probably soon be used
again at the consummation of the
sacrifice; for suitors wait on the
foot steps of the dowried maidens.
Indeed in more than one case the
marriage is arranged beforehand
with the condition that the dot be
received.
Rome has not monopoly of fest
ivals. We saw one few months
ago at Lake Como, in honor of the
infant St. John. A procession Of
small boys with garments of sheep.
skin probably the nearest they
could get to the traditional camels
hair) were leading lambs; the latter
of course representing Christ. Very
pretty would it be in theory; but
the day was warm and the road
dusty. The little st. Johns grew
tired and wept noisily, and the lambs
with no sense of'the properties. oc-
casionaIly stopped short and refused
to bulge. 1t kept priest busy
running along the line, stirring ur
the obstinate ones with stick, OF
catching fugitives. | asked one o1
the peasants accompanying the pro-
cession what were the contents of a
silver box, that was carried in much
pomp at the head. "That' he
answered reverentially, sis one Of