The Holt County sentinel., 1900-12-21

i'ilSn hnd thilli The heart; IL h indrrd
aH u we're, III" rolling ul 1T the srrnll ut
ages, aud 10 Whn trrads THIS ,ern,n,i,
irrada "n ''th" dust uf glnS 10 him
. VII" "ndrih u IN the uuyriling nf the
sl"ri,'s, the Iradttiuns aud IN. lrl.rnd, of
thrr" thousands Years; Ia the trur u,,-
i"N"r, hun of the ancient faith, H. Is
more, i"r II is russihly the GLIMPSE uf
Heaven = own l'arad ,u srr IA an earthly
m".d. Smilc, II ynu Ill, al the Thought,
hhl can we'll hriIrvo that IL him who
arra the Vice grrrnt of Gui brnrath the
shadow "t Ih" ,inme of ST. Peters, him
1" whose heart the power und imagery
at the Catholic church appeal with all
InlrnI force, Il is the unVriiing of many
things unknown tn the material aud
earthly vision, whIcl slumhrr lis un-
dreamed dreams in the brain Of the
dreamer.
Such indeed are some of the
thoughts and feelings inspired 10y
the first sight Of The Eternal
CIy and IT can we'll inspire the
breast of man, whether materialist or
believe, for here for centuries was the
seat of of the Imperial Mistress Of the
world: from here the map of the world
was shaped and rcshaprd AS Emperor
and tribune dictat: ii; here rose the Pal
aces of the Cacsars: and hrre stood the
Forum. lis court Yet r, q with the blood
of Virginia. its arches yet ringing with
the defiance of aNirginius: on yon wind
swept hill lay the camp of the Praetor-
ian guard: and from here swept the
fierce ea.lc of the iegions, the canons
OF Who's creed was lust and rapine
IA Il greed, until the touch of the aveng
ing Nemes's, "a yer table besom of de
struction. threw its ID ack mantle DER
smiling landscape. cleaning marble and
glit;cring minaret, and all lis glories, all
its greatness, all its storied brautirs.
were iu one vast ruin blent.
The depot Is in the heart of the
Grand Hotel Continental. and from this
us a centre. and no hoStelry could he
more ciiginly situated, We daily visited
the objects If greatest interest Ia every
tourist, the Capitolean iiill and lis
museum Of sculpture and art. the pal
aces of the CarSars on the Palatine Hill
with the Forum at its feet. the baths of
Caracalla, the Colosseum, the Cata-
combs, the Maratine prison, and the
rarpcan Rock. the church Of the Capu,
cinrS the Pantheon, the Scala Sancta,
the RorGshcSi Villa, the Barbcrini Palace.
the rinc.o Gardens, the Vatican, the
Quirinal Palace, 81. Johns Latcrsu and
81. rrtcrS and ST. raul's church. and
the Appian Way hcNnnd the walls; but l
haN" only time. IN the confines of III :
article, IL give you brief glimpse with
mc Of the interior II 81. Peters; real
description uf it's beauties would hc bc-
Honi the magic uf IA, mans rcn. the
eye can Srr IT, but no mortal pen ca:
adcluatriy describe it. II Us in every
SENSE the greatest or mans handiwork
and leaves an ncradirahlc impress un
the soul nf the observer. II shows in
diced the ml!cSty nf mans handinuri as
fully indeed, as have told YOU in a
previous article, Mount NtsuyiuS shows
the majesty ot Gods. The feeling in
spirri hy each is akin in suhlimty. The
great church stands an the site of the
original one erected lay the Emperor
Constantine. near The Circus Of Nern.
beyond the Tibsr. in the Vatican fields.
where, il is said. the body of Peter was
lald the night after his cruciiixion by
his devoted followers, aud prior Ia its
final inlrrmcnt in the Catacnmbs of ST
CailNto IN the opposite end Of the city.
The present structure was begun in the
year liIo. and from that period uutil
the present, the wealth of the church |
has been lavishcd in countless millions |
upon the building and It's enrichment. |
III ever the phrase, money flowed like |
water, can hc properly used. IT can he in |
describing the prndigslity displayed by |
the great church Of Rome in this. It's
greatest temple. The talent aud genius
Of the world. its artists. its painters. its
sculptors. and its architects. have alike |
Ia the grand and noble
structure. Ii may well command your
awe and your admiration. for Bcrnini
BramHntc. Raphael and the peerless
Angelo have wrought upon it,
and the work itself shows the hands OF
the masters. The approach. after cross
ing the bridge OF the Caesars over the
riber, at the foot of the great fortress
Of ST. Angelo. once the burial place of |
the Emperor IIadrian, is by short
street called the Borgo Necchio. leading
directly To the plaza of St. Peters
large oval area, ending in series of
steps leading up to the facade of the |
church itself, surrounded by the i'm |
mcnsr colionade of Bcrnini. the cnor-
mons extent of which you may conceive,
when tell you that the covered arcade
alone is supported by 30 columns and
probably leo pilasters. b-aring above
them a baiustradr covered with an in
number of colossal statues
| n front of the church in the great square
are BEAUTIFUL fountains and great |
ob-lisk. brought originally in the DAYS |
of the Emperors from Egypt, that form
erly stood in the Circus of Nero. bearing
now the emblem of the great church. !
the cross, upon its top. On the right of !
the plaza is the long group of struggling
forming the Vatican. The
as it were. of these groups of
structures so near the church, |
and the mistake of one of the later |
architects of the structure, in changing |
FRmnln WenEnaSS fr.,rn.l