The Portland daily press., 1897-09-11


Venice, when the faded remnant of de
parted glory Is so overpowering. We
climbed the golden staircase leading to
the many chambers where the solemn
council decreed life or death for the I'M
happy prisoners; we saw those rooms and
looked on Tintoretto's Paradise SO huge
it covered the entire end of the great
hall; this, with hundreds of masterpieces
adorned walls and ceilings. We tried to
get impressions like Lord Byron, by
Standing in the dark dungeon which he
once occupied, and then we were taken
across 1.-THE Bridge of Signs" looking
through the small grated opening for one
last glimpse of earth, and shuddered as
we gazed down to think what countless
crimes the Adriatic hid. The architec-
ture of Venice-its originality, its varied
hues, has it not all been told in song and
story? The splendor of it all eliminates
in the old Church of ST. Mark, the rich
ness of whose high altar, adorned with
lapis-lazuli, gold and all manner of prec-
ious stones, and supported by the four
alabaster pillars once in Solomon's Tenn
pie, far exceeds anything we have seen.
One of the lessons Americans learn
thoroughly while travelling in Italy, is,
never to accept the slightest gift from a
native unless willing to pay many times
its value. This was impressed upon us
while visiting St. Lazarus, the Armenian
Monastery. The young priest in charge
not only possessed dreamy eyes, but
which he conversed fluentlyl He showed
us all the interior, including the museum
and Byron s room-where the poet studied
many months-then through the garden,
where we all exclaimed at the profusion
of red oleander trees in full bloom, and
specially at the height and symmetry of q
magnolia. The period of bloom was
act hr,f 11,,I 1oFk ,o1 %Ix,
monk voluntarily broke off and gracefully
presented to a member of the party whose
pride turned to chagrin when on leaving
the monastery five lire Zone dollar) were
demanded for the limp yellowed blossom.
We soon learned to present a stony profile
to all attentions proffered, chung to our
bags, and helped ourselves into, and out,
of gondolas, for the touch of hand
meant 'centesims!'
We found it hopeless to fix in mind the
many SAINT and Santa churches
which were all about us which ever way
we turned, but the Byzantine dome and
ford pillars of Santa Maria della Salute,
directly fronting our room, became
familiar object. The statues and paint
though the grandeur of Titian's monu-
ment still ilnpresses us, as well as the
grace and delicacy of Canova's tomb,
which delighted our sense of beauty de-
spite Ruskin's harsh criticism. That
bowed and yelled figure so exp uisitely
carved, standing beside the door of the
tomb revealed, to us, in every chiselled
line, deep grief ennobled by lofty resigna-
ton. While artistic culture is something
most devoutly to be wished" there's no
denying that undisciplined taste carries
with 1t a compensation, which we find
most enjoyable. We are not ''under
bonds" to admire this or that, and feel
at liberty to adore a Sassofarato's Ma
donna even If warned "the blue of the
mantle is too intense . Venice, for us,
in Its pictures will ever mean but one
Tit1an's Assumption the life. the al
most bounding effect. of the figures, is
Understandable, while the heavenly purity
and rapt self-abnegation of that upturned
face in which we see the mingled bliss
and woe Of the Madonna's life, still
thrills us. One Of our pleasantest ex-
periences was our dip in the Adriatic, the
warmth and reyivifying sadness of whose
waters will, we feel sure, make our "days
long in the land"
Reluctantly we boarded steamer on
the Grand Canal could anything seem
more incongruous, more dissertation,
than to hear a steam whistle ON those
waters? We soon reached the Ida where
a short tram-ride brought us to the
bagnio, When arrayed for the plunge,
RASoNAAtoA
than Is customary on such occasions, for
the imp of mistits had outdone himself,
and confusion worse confounded'
reigned among those costumes. After
our hours splash and swim e endeav-
ored to get picture of our pretty atten-
dant, little realizing what deluge of
Italian would swamp her. When after
most expressive pantomime we succeeded
in conveying the idea, we were astonished
to see the damsel dart down the passage
way out of sight. In moment she re-
turned followed, we should imagine, by
every female friend and relative she pos
sessed to share the honor. Noise! only
the.uproar at the tower of Babel could
ha We exceeded the vociferous chattering
and shrieks from the army that surround
ed us, varying in ages from fifteen to
fifty. We know now that vanity dies
hard in woman, for every homely, wrink-
led Madre struggled for the front seat.
Unselfishly our little attendant stood in
the background till we interfered and
put her in the most prominent position.
Theresa Felice! Margherita p each
screamed separately and in concert, point
ing to themselves and each other to sig
nifty that one and all wanted their
counterfeit presentment. We nodded as
sont, but almost despaired of success, but
1t came in time, and with smiling sarcias
and Italian blessings from the delighted
sitttrs, WHICH we IolC IL we 0lu uOG com
prehend, we left the noisy happy group.
The last day in Venice!" were ever
five words more heavily freighted with
regret. We walked to La Piazza, the
doves came hungrily as at. first, but it
seemed to us there was sadder cadence
in their COO. Dreamily we slipped our
lemonade az Florian s, whose doors have
not even closed by night or day for three
entire centuries. Slowly we assembled the
Campanile-a haze hung over city and
canal which we could we'll believe was
caused by our dim sight, as we bad fare
well to Venice, whose waters are the
Lethe stream that rings forgetfulness of
all earth's struggles and ambitions. Fifty
tunnels, by actual count, following each
other in rapid succession, made the valley
OF Tuscany (Which lay before as we
emerged from the last of these tunnels)
by contrast, as well as by its own verdure,
rightly named the garden of Italy. With
Its background of rugged Pyrenees, its
vineyards-where rows on rows of fruit
trees were Topped with vines loaded with
purple and white grapes-its millions OF
olive trees and many wayside shrines-
how beautiful the road that leads to Flor
ence? We fully realize that we only made
Our Oh01Sance To that Uopdrouc oit opd