The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1896-06-20
SIGHTS in ROME.
Religion is Conspicuous--M Many Church
FeStivalS-DiStributiO of
DowerieS.
Special correspondence to WING.


ROME, ITALY, May 20, 1896.
Religion is very conspicuous here in spite
of the vanished temporal power. On al
most 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 pray
ers before them with heedlessness of the
passers-by that indicates either very me-
chanical or very sincere devotion. And in
the churches the same thing is noticeable
Fancy tourist walking around during re-
lgious servious in Il church in America
striking the pillars to see if they are marble
or only stucco, and turning opera glasses
on the stained glass windows, on tbs fres-
Goes and on the priest himself. The scene
that may be hourly observed in st. Peters
of worshippers knealing before statues of
the patron saint and reverentially kissing
his toe while visitors watch them through
lorgnettes, speaks eloquently of the good
natured passivtv 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.
At st. Agnes-outside-t he-walls on the third
Sunday in January occurs the blessing of
the lambs from whose wool certain sacer-
dotal robes are made. All day long there
is a pilgrimage from the city to the church,
and the road beyond the Porta Via is full of
carriages and cabs and pedestrians. Two
lambs, shampooed into an unprecedented
condition of cleanliness, with their fleece
curled in the latest style are carried into
the church. They are bedecked with rib
hons until they look like toys. For fear
they might fail to appreciate the honor that
is being paid them, and make unseemly
efforts to escape, they are securely tied on
cushions. The are borne in state to the
altar, sprinkled with holy water and en-
veloped in incense. Mass is said, inter
rupted by their bleats of helpless remon-
STRANGE. Then the people crowd around
and try to touch them, and the puzzled
lambs again say that they want to 20 home.
But they must first he taken to the Vatican
to receive 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 Distribu-
tion Of Doweries in the church of st. Ages
tin0. Some generous persons who evil
IDENTITY believed that marriage was sue
cess established dowery fund to encour-
age madens 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 publicly proclaimed
their willingness to offer themselves on the
altar of matrimony, and their philanthropy
was rewarded by gift of $50 lire 600
apiece. Very pretty and and unmercenary
did they look in their white dresses and
wells. Those costumes will probably soon
be used again at the contamination of the
sacrifice: for suitors wait on the footsteps
of the lowered maidcns. Indeed in more
than one case the marriage is arranged be
forehand with the condition that the dot be
received.
Rome has not monopoly of festivals.
We saw one few months ago on Lake
Cosmo, in honor of the Infant st. John. 4
procession of small boys with garments of
sheepskin probably the nearest they could
get to the traditional camel's hair were
leading lambs, the latter of course repre-
senting 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 proprieties, occasionally stopped
short and refused to bulge. 1t kept a
priest busy running along the line, stirring
up the obstinate ones with stick or catch
ing fugitves. | asked one OF the peasants
accompanying the procession what were the
contents Of silver box, that was carried
in much pomp at the head. "That,' he
answered reverentially. ''is one Of the fling
ers Of the Infant st. john
We were walking in this same neighbor
hood one day when we found small chapel
hidden among the hills. We entered with
somewhat languid curiosity. but our inter.
est was awakened when we saw over the
altar instead of the traditional Madonna,
very good picture of Diana and Action.
We inquired of the priest about the appar-
ent error, but silenced us by saying, "But
yes. 1t occurred near here, not far from
Lake Lugano. You can see the place where