Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1897-09-18
ROME AND ITALY,
Expression Fails to Express the Pleas
ure They Have
For Those Who Visit Them Beneath Their Sky
and Amid Their Magic Glamour.

We are strongly tempted to send
home blank sheet of paper with one
word in the centre-Rome! knowing,
that one word will have deeper mean
ing, and be more eloquent. than many
sentences. I'VE are in Rome!" we've
said 1t morning. noon and night, and
looked into each others faces for L
transformation which we felt must
have been wrought by an event which
meant so much to us. Thus far all
things have been most propitious, none
| more so than the weather. and where
we most expected extreme heat-in
Italy-we've walked and driven at
pleasure. and with less discomfort than
We have often felt at home. Despite all
warnings we have drunk the water
freely, and visited the Coliseum ~
moonlight. experienced travellers we
met in Rome assuring us. that now no.
where is water purer than in the large
Italian cities, and that with improved
drainage Roman fever has been prac-
tically stamped out. Our good fortune
brought us to the Eternal City during
the week in which two noticeable re-
ligious festivals were celebrated. The
first was at st. Peters in Vincoli when
both to the faithful and the hereto,
were shown the very co chains that
bound the saint in prison at Jerusalem.
The second festival commemorated the
miraculous fall of snow in August,
many ages ago, upon a spot desired by
the virgin for church, so Santa Maria
Maggiore was built and yearly keeps
the festival: the falling snow being
simulated by white rose leaves, which
fell continuously throughout the mass.
When leaving St. Paul's without the
walls--whose Interior is, for our taste,
the most religiously satisfying of all
the Roman churches, with its superb
marble pillars and gold altars-we no.
ticed the Professor standing in con-
templative attitude with one hand in
his pocket-that was encouragement
enough; instantly. he was beseiged by
beggars in numbers beyond belief.
While e. brought forth the camera,
Wv" attempted to distribute few
centessimi; fatal mistake! In one in
slant swarms of mendicants were all
about u.s. apparently they sprang from
the bowels of the earth, and dropped
from the skies, MANNED, halt and blind.
a motley miserable multitude. We gave
them all the change we possessed and
still they clutched us on all sides. In
desperation we rushed to the carriage,
and then with eyes closed, and hands
pressed over our ears, tried to shut out
the sight and sound of poverty and
suffering.
The magnitude and grandeur of church
and cathedral eliminates in St Peters,
so vast that the human mind fails to
grasp it's enormous but perfect proper
TONS The chiselled figures of Canova,
the wealth of mosaics. gold, silver and
precious stones; AL the unequalled Splen-
dor of st. Peters, made us feel that the
half had not been told in book or picture.
While looking at the massive statue OF
st. Peter. a man came forward leading
little child whom he raised to kiss the
shining toe of the apostle. then pressed
his own lips devoutly to the spot: follow
ing him an aged woman, then young girls,
while priests upon their knees close by
saries we purchased for the Popes bless
ing but fear that hardly constituted us
good Catholics, though later when walk
ing through the Catacombs, carrying
lighted tapers. we felt as If we were as
sisting at some high Romish ceremonial.
A priest bearing a flaming torch led the
way down more than fifty feet into the
cod. damp ground, while twenty of us
fearfully shielding our tapers from the
draught. closely followed. We saw end
less rows of tombs one above the other,
the chapels where the early Christians
worshipped. and many whitened bones of
long-dead holy men and women. We
glanced shivering down the seemingly
endless side galleries. whose black, gloomy
depths we had no desire to penetrate,
and all breathed more freely when we
saw once more the light of day. We de-
cided when visiting the Vatican CALLER
les that while we were receiving very
faint impressions in art, wholly new
meaning was being given to long familiar
poetry. AS we walked through something
less than eighteen hundred rooms, and
saw continuous lines of canvas stretch
ing as far as the eye could see, we
grasped in measure never before con-
ceived, the idea Longfellow might CO.
have had in mind when he declared that
Art is long, so also when. as in our
case. a voice far up the room kept say
ing "lau,es will you please hurry" we
had definite, practical illustration of
the remainder of the line. time is fleet
ing.
On a second visit to the Forum and
Coliseum, Gallo. the prince of guides,
made all things live anew to three en-
thusiastic lovers Of Roman antiquities.
The triumphal Arch of Severus-the
memorial carvings on Titus Arch-to
look on them brought back the former
glory of the mistress of the world" We
walked along the Via Sacra and each saw