The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1900-03-18
Florence, Italy. Feb. Z

are your nighungales singing in
the orange groves?" asks the tourist deris-
lively Where are the radiant days, steep
ed in the perfume Of a thousand lilies. and
the resplendent nights when Florence lies
fair under the golden moon? Where are
those silvery olive orchards. and the citron.
and the lemon trees in bloom? Where are
your arum lnies?" l asked of Miss Free
borne. the sculptor, "Keust dur
Neither my gifted and charming country
woman nor any OF the Florentines have
anything TO say for themselves when W.
bring this matter Of the weather TO ser
iors issue. THE sun doesn't shine because
he is ashamed to show his face" remarked
some one at dinner last night ooh, let us
assure him that IL he'll only shine resplen-
IDENTIFY tomorrow all shall be forgiven
and no questions asked" responded anoth
err I confess that thought the sun had
taken advantage OF this maganimous offer.
for when about II last evening opened my
windows and took a final survey OF the
heavens the stars were shining brilliantly
and the promise was fair. On awakening
this morning the rain poured down In tor
rents, and the gloom was relieved only by
flashes OF lightning and thunder. During
the day an American mail has come. and
open letter after letter to find the changes
rung on congratutory expressions regarding
my winter Sin sunny Italy" Could they
see the landscape today-hut will not ex-
patiate on the actual. The actual and the
real are by no means synonymous. II is
the real and the ideal which blend, and as
some one has so truly said, Our real life
is the life we do not live" II Is the life
we do not live outwardiy, not to any grea,
degree. because conditions hinder and I'M
pede us; but which we live In thought and
purpose and aspiration. And IL is OF this
life in Florence that I shall try to write
to YOU the life of interest in the great
galleries, the interesting churches, the rich
ness and enchantment which all the raiH
and drearness OF the outward world canno
efrace or extinguish The latter is CT the
transient and incidental; the former OF tha
eternal and the significant
Perhaps there was never a city whose
history. and art were interviewer in closer
relations than in Florence In fact, Flor
entine art is simply consecrated by the sac
rliice, the nobility, the loftlness of purpose
out of which IL springs, and the glory Of
It's heroic age still fingers We have all
been more or less accustomed to hearing
OF the crimes and iniquties of the Medc;
hut the record OF this family of Floreu-
tine mobiles comprises some of the most
generous and uplifting passages in history.
Something of this trend OF thought was
passing through my mind the other day
as | stood in the grim shadows of San
| saw / was standing or the very slab that
covered the grave Of Cosimo /. Of the Me
dicl: the man whose learning and enthu-
slasm for the arts and sciences made F'lcr-
ence. during his reign and afterward. the
metropolis of liberal arts. 1t was a slab
of porphyry on which | was standing. on
II an inscription told that Cuslmo do Me
diet, "Pater Patrle," rested beneath and
died In August of 1864. From August OF
1854 to the February of 1900 Is a far cry.
indeed. What marvellous changes have
been wrought within those 500 years! " hen
Cosimo l. died America was not discoy-
cred, Europe was In a fcudal condition,
England In rude and primitive state.
Science had hardly accomplished any re-
suits. The century that saw CosimQ's
reign and death was the close OF an ep0cn
Of the beginning of "A new era. for "A new
and the greatest epoch the world has
yet seen was inaugurated with the dis
covery Of America just before the fifteenth
century closed. and some thirty years after
the death Of the great man upon whose
last resting place / was standing Grim,
dark and silent was the vast interior Of
san Lorenzo. Before me was the pulpit
~ which Savonaroia had stood pouring out
his impassluned eloquence, after his eX-
communication by the pope and his eXpui-
sion from the Duomo, Not far away stood
Thorwaidseus monument 20 Benvenuti
Here was celebrated the marriage Of Alex
ander di Medici to Margaret daughter OF
Charles v. Alexander was murdered by
one LorCnGini and the deed was kept a
secret Tor some time The body was placed
IN the tomb Of his father, Lorenzo, Duke
OF Crbino.
on the death Of Alexander, Cosim0 be-
came the ruler. and he ordered the assassi-
nation OF L0rcnzini the murderer Of
Alexander Somewhere within the last
quarter % century "a German historian