The Princeton union., 1900-08-02


without moonlight is contrary to all
tradition.
''Beautiful, nice," continued our
gondolier, and as we looked around,
amazed to hear these American adiec-
tives, his bronze face beamed and he
informed us that he had 'been Chi
cago, Columbia" at the same time
displaying some medals procured at
the Worlds Fair.
At Lido we saw what we had not
been conscious of missing but what,
nevertheless, is not to be found in all
Venice, a horse. A fine avenue,
brightly lighted with electric globes
crosses the island to its shores upon
the Adriatic. There is a fine, large
hotel and row of lighthouses stretches
along the beach for some distance pro-
claiming the place to be, as it is,
great resort for bathing.
We sat upon the shore for little
while, watching the waves simmer
ing in the moonlight and then, retrac-
ing our way, found our gondolas ready
and waiting for the homeward ride.
The view of the city with it's hundreds
Of twinkling lights showing as many
more in the waters below, the moon
light dancing on the waves about US,
the singing of the gondoliers to the
soft accompaniment of the splashing
oars, rounded out the romance of that
perfect night.
Our party was wholly and purely
American and someone started
| Marching thro' Georgia. whereupon
our oarsnen by common impulse
brought the slender boats together,
twelve abreast, and we drifted along,
mingling our voices alternately with
the impassioned love-ditties of the gon-
doliers. The clock proclaimed late
hour upon our return but the trip had
been SO restful. it was easy to sink into
the sweet fonge etfulness of blessed sleep.
Friday morning, we explored the
grand canal, passing the house where
Browning died, still occupied by his
son, that too, where Wagner died and
one in which Byron lived and wrote
when in Venice. These, and indeed
all the houses on the canal were orig
inally palaces and many of them pre-
sent to-day most beautiful exteriors
when viewed from the artists stand
point to whom the stain and wear of
centuries give but an added lustre.
We went through the Jewish quar-
ter on one of the side canals, passed
under the Rialto and many lesser
bridges, saw the ''Bridge of Sighs,"
the Doge's Palace and the Basilica of
San Marco from the water, finally land
ing within a few minutes walk of the
last-named church with its famous
square. 1t is a wonderful revelation
to one who sees it for the first time.
The magnificent church with its lofty
campanile or bell tower a few feet
away, the glimpse of Doge's Palace,
the pillared arcade enclosing the re-
naming three sides of the square at
one corner of which stands the famous
clock tower with it's bronze men strik-
ing the hours, the wonderful bronze
horses in front of the Basilica. the
pigeons alighting by hundreds. many
of them upon the shoulders and hands
of any who will feed them. all this has
| been many times rehearsed but can
never be adequately pictured. We
went into San Marco, the beautiful
, ''church of gold' and saw the domes
l with their wonderful mosaics, the
9 pillars of alabaster said to have been
t brought from Solomon's Temple, and
S then out upon the balcony where we
watched the bronze men as they gave,
j. each, twelve strokes to the huge bell.
: Yesterday morning we visited the
! Doge's Palace, some of the rooms in
d which are gorgeous beyond description
S with their frescoes and gilded walls
!, and ceilings. Here we saw Tintoret-
S to's "Paradise," by some considered
d his masterpiece. 1t is the largest can
g vass painting in the world. We
d peeped into the ''Bridge of Sighs"
y through which those condemned to
# death we're said to have been taken
$ from the prison opposite to the, dun
g geons below the palace upon being con-
b- demned to death and we went down
J. the narrow, stone staircase into those
/, dungeons, peering into the dreadful
Q cells whose only opening for the ad-
o mission of air was round hole per-
y haps six inches in diameter. Light
there was none. In one of these the poet
: Byron was voluntarily imprisoned for
: the purpose of inspiration in his writ
q ing of the terrible place. Holes in the