The Big Sandy news. [volume] (Louisa, Ky.) 1885-1929, 1903-07-24

SMILING any more lhan cpulu re-
sist wriliRg my own nnmosin thel
midst OF so much godliness and
deviltry. 1t was In this same ca
thedral-I stood on the very spot
near the main entrance-thal M
poleon, when in the act Of being
crowned, snatched the crown from
the officiating Bishop and put II on
with his own hands. The act was
Napoleonic, to say the least. But
that was in the days when the ty-
rant had about as many crowns as
he did hats.
The platform Of the octagon, the
highest point attalnable by steps,
is worth reaching, though at the
end OF the journey | was thump.
ing and putting like a small steam
engine. l can well believe that
the view from this platform is the
finest in the world, not even ex-
cepting the view from st. Peters
in Rome. First OF all, one has the
only adequate opportunity OF APP
preciating the cathedral itself.
Standing on the ground, | thought
the white old marble pile was just
about ready to spread its wings
and fly away-so light, so graceful,
so ethereal did it appear. On the
platform, l decided that the wings
existed only IN my imagination,
and as fer the building flying
away, they had better be folded up
at once. Solidity, strength, ma
jesty-these most impressed me at
a nearer and more satisfactory
view. Those cleaning pinnacles,
which leap from the roof below
they have hurled their elegant de-
fiance into the teeth OF storms for
centuries And those sculptured
angels, which from the ground
look SO small, have grown into i'm
mense sizes, though their chiseled
wings, extending from marble
spires and spreading as iffor flight
are models OF grace and beauty
And those apostles and saints, the,
have risen from mere boys int
marble giants! And the number
of them! They peep forth from
every niche, they swing on ever.
} pinnacle, they spring from ever.
column! How so much chiseleC
stone-fretted and carved and beat
en- into all conceivable forms ant
shapes-ever got holsted to sucl
lofty heights is more than | Cal
understand. OF the 2700 figures
, no two are alike. Each differ
: from the other. Phey are tn
i children Of many masters, repre-
sentlng many schools OF though
and many ages OF toll.
Turning from the building itsel
, the city OF Milan, with its red tile
! covered houses, spreads out /
half-kneeling posture, as II gain
| up in admiration at her beautiful
i church. Sweeping on beyond tn
r city gates, across the rich plains Q
l Lombardy, the eye sees the Alp
/ rise In the north and west-and |
J, tries to climb their rugged peak
o all in vain. Over in the far west
Q the faintest outlines OF Mont Cent
{, can be seen; still further to tn
0 west, Monte Viso wears her cap c
a meltless snow. In the east Mon
: Rosa riffs the clouds-then til
Q Simplon and st. Gothard. Lool
t ing toward the south, the Aper
/ nines-whoso haunts Byron lovet
I whose peaks awed his fiery sol
o into worshipped admiration-.relu,
Q family reveal their solemn majest,
{ And within this zone OF world-fi
q nous scenery are the battlefelds {
!, Magenta, \ ovara and Lodl-quit
and peaceful now as the stal
: which shine over Thorn, their yer
a grasses seeming to have a richie
j. green, springing from soil baptize
0 with the blood of thousands slain
Q / wanted to say something Of D
!; Vince's great painting, which
!, saw this morning in the reflector
4 Of an old convent, but your tim
space and patience-things to
: reckoned with in newspaper life
are already exhausted. Let m
add something which is not gene
ally known in connection with til
cathedral-it was built as a kin
OF consclence.soother by the Duk
Of Milan, who murdered his uncI
l and cousins In the castle OF Trezz,
d Those old Italian scoundrels dl
O things on large scale. Whe
they murdered, they did 1t wit
. fiendish glees. When they bull
: they did 1t for alliime. AS to tn
] particular duke, his just deser
Il would perhaps set him down In
A red-hot frying pan; but since SO
ing his cathedral, I'd give him
y cup OF Big Sandy water any day.
!. Milan, July 3, 1903. f,