Marietta daily leader. (Marietta, Ohio) 1895-1906, 1900-02-18

ted TO see It. The National Gallery,
London, possess a Madonna, by Raph-
sel, fer which they paid 10000, the
largest sum ever paid for a picture.
The British Museum contains the
Elgin Marbles. being the remains of
sculptures executed by Phldias to
adorn the Parthenon at Athens, and
considered the finest specimens OF the
plastic art in existence. II also con-
tains the famous Portland Vase.
o fthe Royal Palaces, Kenslngton,
where Queen Victoria was born had
the added Interest of being the first
visited. Sans Sonci at Pottsdam his
tcrlcal interest in connection with
Frederic the Great Voltaire and 9TH
ers, in addition to its rare treasures
and beautiful surroundings. The
Kelser's Palace. in Berlin, and Emper-
or Francis Joseph's. in Vienna. are
very magnificent. In one of them, l
have forgotten which, we were given
felt slippers at the entrance, which
were slipped over our shoes so as not
to mar the beautiful polished floors;
as we could not lift our feet, we had
to skate, and we thought they had a
double motive, as they had their floors
polished and preserved at the same
time. Schonbunn is another of
Francis Joseph's with very extensive
parks, palm gardens and a large ZOO
there the trees are trained so as to
form a solid wall of green ten or fif-
teen feet high, and l was told there
are about two miles of these walks. To
me the sad fate of the Empress Eliza
beth cast a gloom over all the beauty
and splendor. We afterwards saw the
place where she was assassinated at
} Geneva; also her tomb, which was
covered with mortuary emblems so
} largely in use on the continent in the
form of wreaths OF immortelles and
, immense wreaths and other designs of
colored beads, in which the national
! flowers are represented. These en-
shops are devoted to their SALE The
tombs and cemeteries are literally
heaped with them and give a very cur
ious look to one unaccustomed to them
The Doges Palace in Venice, has
great historical interest The golden
staircase was once one of its boasted
glorles, but has been so despoiled thai
very little of its former beauty re-
mains.
OF course the great interest in Tri-
anon and Versailles centered in Marie
Antolnette and their charms and
beauty only served to intensity our
sympathy and regret at her tragic fate
Windsor seemed almost shabby af-
ter the others, and hardly in keeping
with England's great wealth and dis
tinctlon. Albert Memorial Chapel is
very fine and also St. Georges Chapel.
but as it was undergoing repairs we
did not see it.
In all the Palaces they seemed to
take a great pride in the chandeliers;
several of them have pendants of sol
i'd crystal that cost fabulous sums.
Their flnlshings are OF the costliest
woods, frescoings. carvings, marbles
and moslacs, and the furnishings, rare
vases, clocks, tables and cabinets, ia
nous pictures, fine tapestries and
hangings.
The Musee de Cluny is very rich in
antique treasures of Faience, enamels,
tapestries, objects in the precious met
ais of great value, carved woods, iy-
ories, ebonies, brasses, bronzes and
embroideries to the number of thirteen
thousand. and is housed in the most
ancient building in Paris, a part of it
dates back to 800 A. D.
The Gcbelln tapestries were espec-
ially interesting. They were estab-
llshed under Henry " in 1908, and
have always been under the patronage
of the Kings of France. They are now
strictly decorative in design and
worked models of the best artists of
the time. They work from the wrong
side OF the tapestry with a full size
model just back OF their work and a
sklllful workman will complete one
square inch day. There are por-
traits OF illustrous painters, sculptors
aid architects in the Louvre executed
in these tapestries that one has to be
told what they are to distinguish them
from fresh oil paintings. The work
done here is only for royal use and
preservation and cannot be bought at
any price. Their secret OF dyeing and
preserving has been so well preserved
that they cannot be initiated. Our
guide facetlously announced that this
was owing to the fact that no woman
had ever been employed in the works.
But time and l much fear me, your
patience fails me to even refer to a
thousand and one things which this
retrospect has called up before me.
Our four months was one vast panora-
ma, the objects of which Europe has
had centuries in which to accumulate.
Our whole trip was attended with fa-
vorable conditions in way of weather
and health and comfort. We also met
many agreeable people and formed
some life long friendships, as l hope.
And at the end of it we're were very
i