Daily Kennebec journal., 1897-09-11

Sights and scsasv Amsss ne Paiaoss and
Mistsric Spess q that CITY.

Venice. Aug. 3, 1897.
While every land possesses Its dis
tinctive characteristics that attract the
traveller with the charm Of novelty,
there is subtle something, surround
ing Italy. and Italy alone. 1t Is not
only its blue unclouded skies and pic
turesque places, for under the former
there is. in summer, scorching heat ami
In the latter innumerable discomforts,
but the feeling awakened. the imagina-
ton kindled there can be experienced
In greater degree we know only in far
off Palestine. Who can realize physical
annOyances while listening for the call
"Milanot" This was to be the open
sesame" that should spread before our
eager eyes the treasures of Italia. A
dreamless nights rest prepared us on
the following day for fresh churches
and pastures new" These we found
without difficulty in the city which
boasts the third largest cathedral Of
the world and the galerie of Victor
Emanuel. This latter, with it's i'm
mense glass covered dome, is the ia
vorite shopping place and promenade
of the Milanees. We did not realize In
what direction we were moving, as we
walked under the late kings triumphal
arch, when 10. fronting us was the
mighty House of God. The surprise
was so complete, the structure so stu
pendous, that we could only stand IN
awed silence before il. Thousands of
threadlike spires. each bearing "A
sculptured saint, rose high in air; fly
ing hllffreSGnS c9rNaI n fa a
tic shapes, the most wonderful being
the garden where every flower and
fruit wrought in stone nourished in
never-fading beauty. We reached the
topmost pinnacle and looked beyond
the city far away to Monta Rosa in her
robe of white; then down, down Wa
went into the crypt, to the solid silver
chapel that contains the sarcophagus,
in which is shown the body Of the
patron saint of Milan; this relic has
lain here for centuries clothed in the
official robes covered with gems: the
face brown and shriveled. while sus-
pended above the head are the emerald
and diamond cross and crown of price
less value. Throughout our journey
ings we have carried with us our cross
stitch cardboard motto inscribed
Above all things he temperate IN
speech" Perhaps the struggles We
have made to live up to that inscrip-
ton, are not apparent in our letters.
but when we reached Venice. we were
worsted, and casting that motto into
the Adriatic we gave way To our yo-
eabulary. All the party in our railway
carriage were of one mind as the scent
of salt sea reached US, and pools of
water came in sight, and then small
canals and we knew we were in the
city of romance and of poetry. The
intoXication OF the place began, the
moment we stepped into one of the
hundreds of gondolas floating near the
station. and saw all around us the
painted sails. red. brown and yellow
How exhilarating it was to hear 80
swarthy gondoliers wrangling in me-
Iodous Italian. and then gliding out
under old stone arches. and turning un-
expected corners, to have the Grand
Canal before us with its wondrous
Venetian palaces unlike all others as
Venice itself is so different, so apart
from all the world Desdemona's s
palace with its carved balcony was
next our stopping place-"the Grand
I1ottl -IlStil iitif3tt PdldCt. anu
sure we were. no more enthusiastic
lovers of the very stones of Venice"
were ever entertained
Enraptured as we We're by day. the
spell the siren weaves by night is in
comparable. a fairy structure reared
itself above the waters whose dome
and pillars were one vivid line of light
red, blue, and white. From this Alad-
dins palace the sweetest music. made
by many skilled musicians, was waited
toward us as we moved along the
water. millions of twinkling stars We're
overhead. and points of light scarcely
less brilliant CLEANED from almost
every house and window. All this
Arabian Nights entertainment we
had. not once merely. but many times
and only longed that it might last the
thousand and one nights"
TO some of our members the unusually
large excursion parties we have encoun-
tered have been serious annoyance but
to us they gave deep cause for thankful
ness that we were not a Cookie" !" for un-
til we saw one leader gathering his forces
seventy-five strong, both black and white
we did not realize our individual bless
ings. our really luxurious arrange
ments for sightseeing in general. A sub
ject for debate presented itself in the
question What benefit is gained from