The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1903-04-07
.pv Henry r. Litchford.)

-- made MS tHNI " H'4Ait ihto ne
If Jerusalem, with thousands Of
49, ,.5rhfuI followers strewing branches
The trees before Him. Palms are
o.. tokens of the branches spread
,ra way and in commeOratiOn of this
,.ont palm Sunday has been observed in
wv much the same way since the early
centuries.
r~rcessive services are held in all Ro-
. catholic. Episcopal, and other
marches. The part of the service on
.tf. 1av most impressive is the blessing
- The Palms. and distributing them
thereafter to the worshippers. At st.
p.tars. Rome, the blessing OF the Palms
il. dome by the Pope. 1t is interesting to
geoy. the Palms blessed at st. Peters
v,ra first provided by a sailor, and none
others have ever been permitted to be
re43 except those furnished by this sail
mr. and his descendants. The circum-
.rsuces Of this fact are these: Stand
inc upon the site of old st. Peters was
the Egyptian obelisk which now occupies
a position in the center o fthe Vatican
circus. This obelisk weighs thousands
If rons and is near a hundred and fifty
,ser in height. The removal of this mon
errous m0nolith whiting doing it damage
was q vast undertaking. Hundreds of
men were employed for the purpose. So
important was the undertaking the Pope
made an order that no employee should
speak during the time, under penalty of
severe punishment. Twisted about the
obelisk were la! &c ropes, ut one time
during the work to accomplish a certain
object it was necessary to have the
rores yield. Seeing the Importance of
this. and having been a seaman, a sailor
spoke out and shouted to pour water on
the ropes. This was done, and, on ac-
count of it, it is sad the obelisk was
prevented injury. Having disobeyed an
order of the Pope, the sailor was much
terrified at being commanded to appear
before His. Holiness. Upon inquiry into
the circumstances the Pope commended
the sailor for speaking a word in season,
and rewarded him by granting his re-
quest to be allowed the privilege of
bringing to St. Peters on Palm Sunday
the Palms to be blessed for distribution.
As before stated, SO long as he lived the
sailor was accorded this distinction, and
UP to the present day his descendants
enjoy the same right which they esteem
q blessed privilege, and honor.
Having referred to st. Peters I will
endeaVor to give some description of it,
which, regret, must be inadequate to
give any proper idea of its grandeur and
iumensity. It is a cathedral unequalled
in the world. While it is true the pres
eut St. Peters was erected before our
own country appeared on the may, or
even before the birth of Christopher
Columbus, it is called in Rome a modern
structure. 1t is built upon the site of
the religious edifice erected in the time
of Constantine, and consecrated as the
'Basilica of ST. Peter" This old basilica
stood on a part of the Circus of Nero,
and occupies the spot consecrated by the
blood of the martyrs slaughtered by or
der of that tyrant.
After enjoying the veneration and tri-
butes of all christendOm for more than a
thousand years, the walls began to Civ
way, and it's approaching ruin was seen
to be inevitable.
It was Pope Nicholas Y. who conceiv-
cd the project of tearing ava the old
church and erecting in its stead a new
and more expensive ono.
The undertaking was begun, and. re-
suited, after long and serious expert
ments. in the splendid structure which is
regarded by all as IL. chief glory OF
modern Rome.
The completion of this building requir-
ed more than a hundred years and serv-
ed to occupy the attention and absorb
much of the incomes of eighteen Of the
pOntiffs. The services Of the most cele-
brated artists Of the times We're called
into requisition. 1t is estimated that
its cost was not less than sixty millions
Of dollars, a sum Representing a far
greater value then than it does in the
present day.
Colossal statutes of Peter and Pau.
guard the approach at the foot of the
steps on either side.
In front of the church., sweeping of
to the right and lefo of it in a semicircle
is a vast arcade supported by four rows
of lofty pillars, which are near a hun
dred feet in height. In the center of this
area formed by this immense collonadt
is the Egyptian obelisk above referred
10; two beautiful fountains, the basins
of which are porphyTy, are on elthel
side and are perpetually at play.
Raised on three successive flights 0
marble steps, extending, | should sa!
about four hundred feet in length, an(
towering to a height of about a hundred
and fifty feet, you see the majestic from
OF the church. This front is Supportet
by a single row of Corinthian pillars an
pilasters, and adorned with an attic,
balustrade, and thirteen colossal statues
Far behind and above it rises the match
less dome, two smaller cupolas, one o.
each side, add to the majesty OF Tn
principal dome. Opening into the Vesu
bule are five lofty portals. 1t is pave
with variegated marble, adorned with pll
lars, mosaic, and bas-reliefs, and ter
minated at both ends by equestrla
statues, one of Constantine, the other c
Charlemangne. Over the entrance o
the outside is a relief representa-
Christ giving the keys of the Church
st, Peter-one the inside a mosaic rep
rescnting our Lord supporting st. Pete
when he was about TO sink while walk
ln@ on the sea.
The great bronze doors are a work c
art-ir relief on them are representation
Of st. Peter and St. Paul. and histol
events in the Roman Catholic Church.
To give some idea of the immensely G
the interior of St. Peters / have but I
saw ayp~y map woman and child Twin