The Savannah morning news., 1902-02-23

mounting the long line OF steps where
the picturesque models of the artists
Sit, we entered the Church of Trinita
de Monti, to hear vespers sung by the
nunS-one of the customs of Rome. In
the silence of a small but beautiful
church, the lights around the high al
tar were lit one by one while the whole
canopy was blazing, and CLEANS fell
upon the masterpiece of Voltura and
the exquisite marble of Achterman, the
Descent From the Cross" singly the
black-robed nuns came in, separated
from us by high iron screen; the
priests and acolytes followed, and far
away, unseen, the sweet voices of the
nuns, now low as a cuckoos note now
pathetic as a dove, then eXultant like
the notes of sibyl, wound in and
around the marble columns of the
church and brought rest and repose to
weary, homesick hearts! Some of the
sweetest hours of life have been spent
at the vesper service of the Roman
Catholic Church!
Our course is now to the southwark.
The church attached to the Capuchin
Monastery, that brown-robed order of
monks, had a weird attraction. In the
crypt are the five chapels containing
earth from the Holy Land, in which
the monks are buried; but when all
the graves are filled, the bones of the
first one buried are taken up. The
chapels-their walls, the ornamentation
on the ceilings, the altar and it's furni-
ture, the lamps, everything, in fact, is
made from the skulls and bones of
these disinterred Capuchins. The eff
feet of these chapels made of grinning
skulls. with their inches holding the
skeletons of the monks in their brown
robes, must be to those now living a
perpetual ''momento mori" Four thou
sand monks have already gone into this
awful architecture. We were glad TO
escape from the crypt, where Death
was triumphing over all to the upper
church, where St. Michael, triumphing
over the dragon, had been painted in
the bright colors of Guido Renis
brush. 1t was a proper contrast and
gave us the Christian attitude back
again. The Fountain of Trevi, the most
magnificent of the public fountains of
Rome-and Rome is a city of fountains
occupied the side of a whole block;
we had never imagined so much art
could be expended on a work of utility.
We must follow the old custom. on
quitting Rome, TO come to this fountain
for a draught and throw a coin into
the basin, thus to insure the travellers
return Palaces line the streets and
the most of them are magnificent build
ings, now rented out in apartments
to rich Italians and foreigners. Just
moments pause at the Palace of Bar
berini-this was the Pope of the Bees
on his 9rmorial bearings, so bees@are
on his own private dwelling, as also
on all the public monuments, with
which he had anything to do. We went
into the Palace Barberini to see Guido
Renis famous paintings of Beatrice
Cenci-her of the pathetic mouth, the
sad eyes and the wistful face. known to
all lovers of art The rich old Roman
families, who can count their
twenty and thirty generations of
ancestry undisputed have their
villas outside the city walls
and their palazzas within. 1t was
gratifying to see,- at a reception
of the American ambassador the other
day, the magnificent suite of apart
ments he occupies in the Palace Bran
caccio. To the eyes of foreigners who
count so much on outward show, it
seemed right that our minister should
live in an old Italian palace, with mar
BILE stairs, gorgeous rooms, hung in
crimson and ceilings carved with SUI
perb designs, and an outlook on the
gardens with fountains and statues.
His official reception occurs early in
January / expect to 60 just to see the
splendent with their insignias and or
ders, and catch a glimpse of inner Ita1-
ian life. | can use my eyes, if not my
tongue, for my poor pickaninny ltal-
ian will not pass in that that assembly.
But we left our carriage standing at
the Palace Barberini. Our next OBJ
ject suggests that we are approaching
the southern hills, the seat of old Rome
he lotI he of Tlinn1nffan
we have been traversing the Quirinal
the Viminal and the Esquiline. These
too were the seat of old Rome, but on
these three northern hills modern Rome
has grown up, on or around the an
cient city, so that we find the ruins of
the old built into the constructions of
the new. The Baths of Diocletian were
so large-the most extensive Thermae
in Rome-that simply their ruins con-
tain two churches, two museums, the
cloister of a monastery and numerous
private and public buildings. In moth
ing was the wealth and luxury of the
Romans more shown than in their pub
lie baths. The condition of the mod
ern Italians make us to wish that they
were not destroyed! In the time of
the Caesars the process of taking
bath had become more luxurious than
even our modern Russian bath. First,
tie massage and ointment following:
second. a hot water bath in the Cali
darium; next, a cold plunge in the
Frigidarium, with vigorous rubbing
down and a second amounting. After
the bath came q siesta, or conversation
with friends in the large hall, or the
witnessing of races in the adjoining sta
diun, of or gymnastic performances in
the palestina. Now 5000 bathers could
be accommodated at Diocletian's baths
at the same time. The vast size can
be imagined: put about ten city blocks
together, surround them with huge
wall, more than a mile in extent, with
eircular-domed structures at the cor
hers: erect the buildings for the baths
inside the wall, carrying up immense
pillars, over a hundred feet I'm hight
on them rest the colossal arches. This
gives us the outline, so to speak; di-
vision walls, with the same pillars and
arches, viii give us the hot air, hot and
cold water and unguent rooms: and a
large circular hall I'm the center, with
mOsar pavement, painted walls, and
Greek statues, win help the imagina-
tlon to supply a picture OF the place
where fhe Roman citizens met and gos-
slped wAen the bath was over.
One OF the circular domed structures
was built into the round church Of san
Bernardo. and Plus ~ gave 10 Michael
Angelo the task Of constructing
church and cl0lsterH out Of two or three
OF the central walls and arches this
20 be- accomplished by building the
Church Of 81 Mary ~ the AnEels~-a
spacious edince. whose walls are hum