The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1900-07-14

| with lueH marine lloOrS ana no decent
heating apparatus, are not half SO COM
Portable as the servants in our ordinary
furnace-heated homes of the United
States
1t seems but a natural step from this
abode of royalty to the last resting
place of Spanish kings. though the Es-
corral is thlrty-four kilometres north
west from Madrid by railway. It's To-
cation is admirably chosen, considering
the purpose for which it was designed,
both site and structure being eminently
typical Of the gloomy spirit of Philip III.
standing just under the crest of the
icy Sierra, its massive walls and tow
ers looking as if hewn by Titans from a
single block of stone, the first view of
the tremendous pile produces feeling
of depression in the mind of the visitor;
which grows apace in the gloomier in
terror until it develops into first-class
case of "the blues" Rarely indeed
does the sun ever shine upon its
mist-enshrouded towers; while the
leaden sky, the entire absence of
animal life, and the bare rocks, desti-
tute of the slightest trace of vegeta-
ton, harmonic perfectly with the SOM
bre and browning aspect of this palace
of the dead. Think what victim to
| hypocondria Philip "El Prudente"
must have been to choose such a site
for his home in all the sunny land Of
Spainl His object was to carry out
the will of his father in constructing a
royal burial place and at the same time
time to fulfil a vow made at the battle
of San Quentin august 10, 1850, when
he implored the aid of San lorenzo
1 he who was broiled over a slow fire by
order Of Valentianus. SO the building,
whose correct title is Gel Real sltio de
/ San Lorenzo ell Real del Escorial," (the
latter word supposed to be derived
from the escoriaz, or dross, Of very
ancient iron mines which stil exist
there) is at once a temple, a palace, a
| treasury a tomb and a museum I'M
like any other in the world. Begun in
1868, thousands of laborers worked thir-
ty years to build it, at a cost Of about
sixty million dollars. The plan, as ev-
erybody Knows, Is fashioned after a
gridiron, the instrument of San Loren
EOS martyrdom, and the grim structure
is unrelieved by any sort Of Ornament
tation, DIS benefited the abode of those
strict disciplinarians the Jeronymite
friars. The central point of interest in
the Fscorial Is it's superb church-large
as an ordinary cathedral and more i'm
pressive in effect by reason of the sim
plicity of its grand proportions. Each
of the four pillars which support the
dome contains a chapel Of sufficient
size to accommodate any congregation
~, n oil s1n Of the
altar are kneeling statues of Charles V
and Philip III. with their wives, in gid
ed bronze, their elaborate vestments
blazoned with the arms of Spain and
Austria, in mosaice of precious stones.
Most of the principal decorations of the
altar and the massive reliquaries en-
shrined in it's nitches. were destroyed or
stolen by the French; but from the few
that remain some idea may be gained
of the enormous value of those that
disappeared The chapel of the Escorial
contains more holy relics than any
other church in Christendom. All told,
there are four thousand seven hun
bred and twenty-five of them, and
many volumes have been written con-
cerning them and the miracles they
feet bodies of saints and martyrs, and
enough skulls and odd bones to stock
grave yard The most yenerated are
kept In reliuuaries Of solid gold, and
those of Inferior sancity in Baskets of
repoussa silver The magnificent taber-
nacle broken into bits by the French,
was the masterpiece of a famous Ital-
ian artist, who spent ten years in the
work. 1t was in the form OF double
Grecian temple and was composed OF
bronze, gold, enamel ana rock crystal,
set with emeralds and rubies of extra
ordinary size and beauty. Back OF the
high altar are the three rooms in which
Philip IT, lived for fourteen years-half
king, half monk boasting that from the
foot of mountain he governed the
world both old and new with two inch
es of paperl The rooms. which remain
just as he left them, are small and very
scanti1y furnished, the flooring of COM
mon red brick The frightful sufferlngs
of the monster were a fitting termna
ton of his wretched career. Tormented
for years by the govt by day or
night Finally, at his own request, he
was laid upon the cold, damp bricks of
The floor, and there he died for when
the attendants wished to carry him
back to bed, it was found impossible to
do So During the last eight weeks Of
his life, he was forced to lie motionless
in one position-raving in deliriums. his
body covered with ulcers, his pallet
swarmed with vermin; while the monks
who had been his chosen associates and
were now his PHYSICIANS applied the
only remedies they knew, OF AYES and
masses, penance and prayers, even or
dering fresh supply of holy relics
from Rome, including, rib of the |
blessed st. Adams. But all to no pur-
pose. After a confession that lasted |
three long days. hardly time enough to
recount all his sins-the king gave up |