Mexico weekly ledger., 1902-02-13

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II one seeks the monument OF Sir
Christopher Wren 1t is this cathedral
thus the legend at St. Paul's. II
one seeks the monument Of Michael
Angelo 1t may be beheld in the dome
OF st. Peters. All the best OF the
cathedral is his, the worst is some
other architects. But this is not his
only monument here. Within the
church Is the Madonna at the Cross
a marble group OF surprising beauty.
In the adjoining Slstine chapel are
his marvellous ~frescoeS, work which he
protested against undertaking, did
grumblIngly, but work which is after
all his greatest monument The
names OF the .popes are scattered
here and there and everywhere in the
cathedral and the Vatican, but the
name OF the man who made both
cathedral and Vatican supremely
great appears scarce at all. When
ever a pope added a tower or a brick
he recorded it on a marble slab lest
the world should forget it. Michael
Angelo needed not such marble. st.
Peters and the Sistine chapel have
made his immortal.
IN SOME LESS FAMOUS CHURCHES.
At n church In Rome is displayed
a part Of the real cross, in another the
spear that pierced our Lords body.
at another Is shown-we saw 1t with
our own eyes-the wood which lined
the stone Manager in which the Babe
lay in Bethlehem. At another is the
procession Of the Santo Bamblno or
sacred child image, which has healed
many Of divers diseases in times past.
Even the Mauertine prison, where
Paul and Peter were cast, is now a
church. On its stone wall is shown q
dent as large as a mans head. 1t was
here, the story goes, that impulsive
old st. Peter, thrust down the en-
trance, bumped his bead against the
stone and made his mark. Hard
headed, indeed, must have been the
apostle with the keys. Another in
~teresting church is San Giovanni, in
Foute, or the baptistery, where Con-
Stantine was baptized. 1t is an open
question whether the Catholic Church
preached immersion or sprinkling in
the days when this edihce wa the
only baptistery. Prof. johnson, Of
the University OF Chicago, is In Rome
writing a book TO prove that the
method was immersion, while another
eminent scholar is writing a volume TO
prove the contrary. There is every evil
dence In the construction Of the edifce
itself 10 prove that both are correct
The guide will tell you either way for
a lire-pronounced leer. At the church
OF Santa Maria Maggiore Is st. Mat
thew's body and an ancient and mirac-
ulous painting, said by tradition 70
have been the work Of st. Luke. The
Scribe has always regarded Luke as
the best reporter, next TO Moses, in
all history. This was his first intro
ductlon TO Luke, the artist, with the
brush. As a painter be is not a sue
cess.
To enumerate all the churches we
saw within and without would be a
catalogue unpubllshable In the space
OF this page. AS for what was seen in
the churches-that would be too long
a story.
THE FORUM AND IT'S NEiGHB0Rs.
We saw the Forum and, indeed much
Of the ruins Of the ancient city, under
the intelligent guidance OF DR.. John
Pickard. No once can walk through
the Forum desolate and stricken by
vandal hands as it is without being
thrilled with springing thoughts Of
what 1t meant in the dramatic days
of long ago. Here Sabines and the
Romans fought, here Caesar had his
modest house, here the Testal virgins
kept alive the sacred fire, here Brutus
spake and the body Of the greatest
Roman was buried. Across this very
pavement the tTiumphal procession
passed. Yonder Augustus lived and
Tiberias and the long line Of Roman
emperors leSsening as the centuries
came. Nero built his golden house
just yonder and the arch Of Titus still
stands, with its carved e~andlestick, to
tell Of the spells from Jerusalem
brought to the worlds capital when
Judeais capital fell. One can almost
bear the tramp Of the Roman legiOns,
the rumble OF the chariot wheels, the
rattle Of the captives' chains. Look
Yonder is the Roman Eagle Listen
Yonder Is the Cicero announcing To
the people that the enemies OF the
republic shave livedl'
Here is the worlds history in sand
and stone. The simple tastes OF the
early republican time, the growing
wealth which power brought, the
luxury which came with wealth and
the decay and death which followed
fast on luxury. As Rome went so the
God Of Nations grant the western re-
public, the bacon-light Of hope for the
oppressed Of all the world, may not go.
The Coliseum appears the most stu
pendous Of all the ruins in Rome. Il
was the GER Of games, gladiatOrial
combats and all the brutality Of the
declining years The Baths Of Cara
Gala lisa hugh structure yet. And
every street In Rome is crowded with
suggestions Of the days when Rome
was the hub Of the universe-its very
Boston.
The Catacombs afford a fascinating
study OF Christian burial places and Of
sanctuaries in days Of persecution. We
were conducted through the Cata-
cOmbs Of st. Calextus by jOvial Trap
pist Monk, Brother Sebastian, who as
sured US that next to the very devil
himself the most dangerous hereto
was a Presbyterian.
ART TREASURES OF ROME
The Apollo Belvidere, the worlds
most famous work Of sculpture, is in the
Vatican museum. Here also is the
LAGOON, a terrible story in stone, and
the Hercules Torso. Rapbael's great
est pictures are here and a myriad
other paintings and sculpture almost
as famous and probably as worthy Of
praise. But the most interesting art