Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1902-07-31

buildings, its energy and thrift, its wide
awake spirit make it city among cities.
Its progresSiveness may be indicated by the
electric call bells on the trolley cars to
signal the motorman. Its arcade shows
that the love of the beautiful has not been
lost in the struggle for wealth. Between
Milan and Venice are the fertile plains OF
Lombardy, 1914 miles of railway, and hun
dreds of years of progress. Venice, in
spite of her glass and lace trusts, is q me-
diaeval city, while Milan is distinctly
modern.
The modern spirit is seen, for instance,
in the church of SAINT Ambrogio, founded
in the fourth century by st. Ambrose, but
rebuilt in the twelfth century. Here st.
Ambrose baptized that child of mothers
prayers, Augustine, the greatest OF the
Latin Fathers of the church. Here St.
Ambrose barred the doors of the church
against Theodosius, after the massacre of
Thessalonica The tomb of Pepin, son of
Charlemagne, brings to memory later
period of the church's history, and yet that
period was several centuries before the
church was rebuilt in its present FORM
Notwithstanding all this the church is rot
mere relic of the past, the shrine of AN
early saint, the relic of bygone use. The
tasteful modern frescoes, where old ones
were past preservation, and the freshness
and cleanliness of the church, betoken a
modern spirit and a present-day use.
We went to see Leonardo da Vinci's pic
ture of the Last Supper. 1t is sad ruin,
and yet one can feel something of that
subtle power which must have impressed
the beholder before dampness began its
work of destruction. The artist has
chosen as his theme the moment when the
Master announced the fact that one of the
disciples would betray Him. Each figure
reveals the character of the man as the soul
searching question, SIS it | ?'' illumined
the sacred chamber of the heart.
In the Ambrosian Library we saw some
of the drawings and notes of da Vinci.
There, too, were letters of Ariosto, Tasso,
Calico, Lucretia Borgia and Carlo Bor-
romeo. A Virgil with marginal notes by
Petrarch and fragments of Ulfla's Gothic
Bible were among the precious treasures OF
this great library. The picture gallery Of
the city is in the Palazzo di Brera, but as it
is being rearranged we did not see it to the
best advantage After the far greater
collections which we have seen this was not
impressive, although there are several
excellent works, the best being Raphael's
'Spozalizio," or the ''Nuptials of the
Virgin.'
Milan's greatest treasure is its cathedral,
veritable TIE Deum in stone. There are
false notes there, which we soon detected,
and were later gratifed to fluid we were
correct in our Judgment, a design for the
improvement of the facade having been
adopted several years ago. When these
10 fkapa will no 1.arfnnt
harmony in all its parts Even as it is, it is
one of the glorious of the earth. The peo-
pie of Milan have left a great open square
in 'front.' so one can see the whole building
in its splendor A black storm cloud as
back ground, the sun lighting its countless
carvings, made vision of beauty which
my words can not reproduce.
In the morning we assembled to the roof
of marble, walked beneath the great fly
ing buttresses, and stood by its turrets.
Everywhere there was the mark of the
sculptor's chisel. We climbed to the very
top of the dome, and wherever place
could be found there was something beau
tiful or symbolical,
The sincerity, the thoroughness of the
work, hallowed it in my estimation-made
it more what all our work for God should
be. 1t seemed as if its builders were con-
scious of the fact that they were working
for God. No pinnacle was too high, no
spot to obscure for the best Of thought and
the best of skill, for it was Gods house.
What matters if those richly canoped
inches did not require 1000 statues? The
work should be good to the last
Then the interior. The great massive
columns are enriched with canopies, and
above them the high springing arches are
united with the richest stone tracery, SO
proportional as to seem light and airy 157
feet from the floor. In such nave one
feels the fitness of Gathic architecture as
the expression of the church's faith-of the
life which rises heavenward, not to decend
once more, but to go Oh beyond the calcula-
tions of man into the very presence of God.
From Milan we turned toward the Alps,
to pass through Switzerland into Germany
This Journey we varied in order to see as
much as possible of the grand country
through which our path lay. Therefore at
Como we left the train and went by boat to
Menaggio. In the approach to Lake Como
we were reminded of Lake George, and in
many respects one lake suggests the thought
of the other. If Lake George had the adj
vantage of the picturesque islands which
adorn its surface, from the deep blue waters
of Lake Como rise great mountains. In
their gardens at their base the roses bloom,
and palm trees lift their crested heads,
while far above CLEAN the snow fields.
Sparkling waterfalls spring from rock to
rock in their downward course, and float
ing clouds change and change again the
magic scene.
Managgio is connected with Porlezza by
railroad, SO our travels in Italy were
brought to an end ON the waters of Lake
Lugano. Soon after leaving the wharf the
presence of the Swiss customs officer an
nounced the fact that we were within the
borders of Switzerland. For almost five
weeks we had enjoyed Italy, and now new
experiences were in store for us in another
land
SWITZERLAND.
At Lugano our lake journey was termi
mated and we took the train for the famous
ride to Lake Lucerne. 1t was through a
most picturesque country, by dashing water
courses, quiet pasturages, busy villages,
and up steep mountains. Sometimes we
entered dark tunnel only to come out far
above the entrance, having climbed by a
corkscrew passage in the rocks. The event
of the journey was the passage of the great
ST. Gothard Tunnel, over nine miles in
length. We were eighteen minutes in
passing through, and in the tunnel we
passed another train, or, as it seemed at the
time, trains ghost.
Our lake trip was resumed at Fluelen,
where we took the boat for Lucerne. Again
there was feast of loneliness which beg
gars description. The highest peaks were
hidden in the clouds, but great snow fields
were revealed as the clouds parted for a
while. We remained long enough in Luz
cerne to see the Alps in their grandeur
unfettered by the clouds, and never will