The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1902-07-10
OLD VENICE.


lands, Venice owes her origin.
Early in the fourth century,
those fleeing from the tyran-
nical rule of some of the European
monarchs found these islands to be
capital hiding places and founded the
city of Venice. The intricacies of the
islands caused the pursuers so much
trouble that they soon abandoned the
chase, and from that time until America
was discovered Venice grew and flour
ished. The refugees came in such
great numbers that in a short time
there was quite good sized population
living on the islands. The people soon
formed an independent government,
and elected parsonage whom they
called Doge to preside over them.
Things went on in this way for three
centuries; then the people were de-
prived of the power to elect the Doge,
and it was vested in a committee of
ten who were called electors. After
the lapse of another century the electors
lost their power and then the Doge did
pretty much as he pleased.
One of the Doges' favorite pastimes
was to cruelty put to death all those
whom they suspected of being disIoyal
subjects. Some of the unfortunates
who were suspected of being disloyal
were thrown into filthy dungeons to
fight with rats and starve to death,
while others had their eyes gouged out
with red-hot irons. But the mode that
seemed to afford the Doges most
pleasure, was to tie the victims in a
sack and drown them, but of all these
horrible deaths, smothering was con-
sidered the most humane. Historians
estimate that at least half a million
people were done away with in this way
in the course of eight or ten centuries.
But in spite of all this cruelty Venice
thrived.
The first people to do battle with
Venice were the Huns under Alaric.
They were defeated, and from this
victory the Venetians began to rely on
their army and navy to extend their
commerce. The shipping of Venice
began to grow, and her navigators en-
tered every port in the known world
looking for more trade. Her merchants
began to build palaces and fitted them
with the rarest and most costly works
of art until V. was looked upon as
the foremost " of that tim, Blu.
soon the enviol5 Turks commenced to
hunger for her riches and made an at
tempt to ransack the city. Being un-
successful in the first attempt they
kept up constant war that lasted %
years and cost Venice over half billion
dollars. Had it cost her five times that
amount she would not have been at
the end of her resources.
At the beginning of the crusades in
the latter part of the tenth century,
Venice sent over two hundred vessels
to help in the reclaiming of the Holy
Land. In the thirteenth century she
was at the height Of her glory, having
population of about 100000 within
her limits. It was then that the plague
struck the city and carried off nearly
1000 people. After the plague had
passed, the war with the Duke of Milan
came and it lasted thirty years, which
weakened. Venice still more. It was
during this war that the glory of Venice
began to decline.
Then came the second great war with
Turkey. By capturing Constantinople,
Turkey delivered hard blow to Vene-
tian commerce and Portugal gave it
another blow when Vasco de Cana
discovered the Cape Of Good Hope; to
complete the decline America was dis
covered in 1892.
In 1897 when Napolean seized Venice,
he robbed the churches and closed up
most Of them, leaving the rest open for
worship after he had despoiled them of
ell their yaluables. You can easily
imagine the surprise of the natives
when they saw him ride his giant white