Durango semi-weekly herald., 1902-04-10

has more devotees among the women
of the lazzaroni than any other saint,
prefers white dresses with black fac
ings There are as many combinations
of colors as there are saints, and
when Neapolitan woman is Ill she
invariably makes vow that she will
order new gown as soon as she is
able to go to shop to buy It, II she
is too poor to buy it, she appeals to
the neighbors. Several of them club
together to raise the money to buy the
dress and use it in common for any
of them may need the protection of
intercession of the same before long
| Consequently there are many
such dresses belonging to little clubs
4 like this in Naples. which can be Dor
rowed whenever necessary
Fishermen and sailors constitute a
| large portion OF the Neapolitan popula-
ton, for Naples is a seaport and
ships are of first importance in the
minds of this class. The boys are all
ambitious to he sailors. and sooner or
later most of them go to sea. The
nautical element have their own eti-
quette and ethics. Their caste and
cliques and social laws differ widely
from those of other classes, Their
language is a distinct dialect cores
ponding to that of "A costermonger
of the Whitechapel district in London.
or the Bowery in New York, their
epithets are vile and indecent rather
than profane; they are quick to anger
and as every sailor has a knife, he is
not slow to use it when provoked
The women have their own code also
The girls are brought up to stay at
home and take care of the younger
children, while the boys wander away
and hang around the docks.
One of the prettiest of the sailors
superstitions is that of Our Lady of
Light" In ancient times a merchant
ship approached Naples during a dark
and stormy night. There were no
lighthouses in those days and no pi-
lots. and the harbor is difficult to
make. The sailors gave themselves
up as lost. and the master of the ship.
who was a devout man, fell upon his
knees and. calling upon the holy vir-
gin by new name, Our Lady of
Light implored her to save them
Almost Immediately bright light ap-
peared below the bowsprit, which
the helmsman followed, as it led them
safely into the harbor. Before she
vanished the pious captain was able
to distinguish the features and form
of the mother of God. He made
vow that he would build a chapel in
her honor, and as soon as he could
sell his ship he did so. The chapel
now stands upon the street that en-
circles the harbor, and is the favorite
place of worship for sailors. Every
Neapolitan boatman, fisherman and
sailor knows this legend. and in their
need they always call upon Our
Lady of Light"
The most picturesque object in Ma
pies is the old Castel dellUovo, near
the beginning of the famous drive that
incircles the bay and within view of
the windows of the hotels mostly
patronized by foreigners. 1t is a
small, craggy island, surmounted by
hoary walls, which by age have been
darkened to the color of the rock, and
is called the Castle of the Egg" be-
cause. according to Neapolitan ira
dition, the Poet Virgil, who was an
enchanter, built the castle upon an
egg. which he had turned into rock,
and there 1t stands until this day and
shall stand until the egg is broken.
The sailors regard this castle with
great horror, because in olden times
a terrible dragon was kept underneath
10 in q tad no
sea by eating. On stormy nights
fishermen who live in the neighbor-
hood can hear the dragon screech and
howl. although the terrible creature
has been dead for centuries.
No Neapolitan fisherman will call on
the devil or use the name of the evil
one since the experience of a fisher
man of Mergellina many years ago.
He was out attending to business, and
his nets becoming tangled, he exclaim-
ed in a fit of range; THE devil take
me and the nets and the boat" Just
then the head of an indescribable
monster arose from the water, and in
a blood-curdling voice distinctly ut
tered the words: THAT is exactly
what | have come to do" Opening
its NAV. the dragon swallowed boat
and fisherman with one gulp. The
other men in the party Immediately
turned their bows toward home, and
none of this trade has ever since ap-
pealed to the devil.
The old castle has had prominent
place in history. It's walls have wit
messed many tragedies. but during the
present generation it has been used
as a garrison for troops. and bat
talon of heavy artillery occupies 1t
now. The interior is modernized, al
though the guns are antique, and Wis
itors are allowed to enter If they bring
a permit from the general command
ing the city, which is usually issued
upon the presentation of a visiting
card, but the prison and the dungeons
are no longer shown They are said
to be packed with stores and ammuni-
ton. But in the kitchen, which was
formerly chapel. you can see the
word Revenge" where 1t was written
by Queen Helena, the young wife of
Manfred, King of Sicily. who was slain
by Charles of Anjou several hundred
years ago. When her husband was