The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1904-07-17

The windows Of the church at Milan
are to me a perpetual wonder and
glory, and hope always to be able to
close my eyes as / can do now, and
call back their soft but brilliant colors,
their stoned groupings, their wealth OF
imagery. and at last their entirety
rather than completeness of conception.
I did not ascertain their dimensions,
an accurate knowledge of which limits
the apprehension Csuppose you measure
the beauty of a poem by its feet); but
those windows are larger than any eye
viii read in week, and that is sufh-
Gent. Upon one is written in picture
and painted phrase, stories from the
Old Testament, even from the love
scenes of Adam and Eve to the
prophecy that "'out Of Judea shall come
a prophet which shall rule my people
Israel" Next come in order the scenes
from the New Testament, and would
describe them only space debars me the
actual pleasure. It is a grand and
gloomy drama, fixed against the eternal
heavens, its tints and shadows falling
upon the upturned faces. just as the
beauties or incongruities of the religi-
Gus idea fall upon the mind of the in
quirer. But the work of imagination
finds fun and complete contamination
in the art Of decfphering and translat-
ing to the mind the mysteries of reve-
Iation-if the phrase be not paradox
cal Every phase of church. antiquity,
creed or tenet here finds its peculiar
symbol every sin its rebuke, every
broken law its penalty fulfilled, and
every prophecy, embroidered by the fer
vid zeal of the expounder is heightened
and vivified and vitalized. It seems to
me that the nativity is rather over
done ia the church at Milan. and in
deed all over Europe. From among
them all I remember but one, in the
Durazzo palace at Genoa. showing the
shepherds when they came to see the
infant Christ. There is about the place
a holy air, a simple faith and wonder
never found upon the features of kings
and wise men. But we had one disap-
pointment. After having poised the
head upon the small of the back for
the space of half an hour, lost in ad-
1niration Of the lacy fretwork, fine and
soft as flagree, that arch and knit to-
gether loops and lines and meshes, that
overspread the ceiling of this wonder
full sdome-the never Tagging guide
came up, and giving a significant and
confidential nudge to each. said, with
a CLEAN of his weak eye-signifying it
would all be one price-''and just to
think, this is all painted, not a bit Of
wrought marble there" This was dis
couraging, for I had just made note
upon my tablets asking what magic
loom had seized upon quarried stone
and woven a device SO exquisite Or
words to that effect.
Whoever has read Mark Twain's de-
scription of the sainted martyr Bar
thoIomew, denuded of his skin, can
never contemplate either the actual
figure, or any account of it, with the
least degree Of seriousness-a1beit the
subject is not nirth-provobing. Just
how far it is faithful to the revolving
reality it would be difficult TO say, but
as a specimen of anatomical skill and
accuracy there can be no rival The
work is done in some species of coll
ored marble or stone: the figure, stand |
ing. preserves even to some degree an
expression of patience mingled with |
suffering, while the skin, literally strip |
ped from the flesh, is thrown back, |
every muscle and tendon and vein pre- |
serving its relative place and proper
ton with the interstices of the skin. |
The scalp, with the cuticle of the face, |
neck and breast-the helmet still upon
the heads thrown over the back, and |
while no one, unless it be student |
fresh from a clinic, would really enjoy |!
the acquaintance Of Saint Bartholomew |
in this condition, it is frst-class ex- |
hibition for the morbid public.
We were taken to the treasury of the |
church and shown its jewels, its plate, |
its gold and silver embroideries, one |
single specimen of which latter took |
tan years out Of some good woman's |
life. We drank from a we'll in the |
chapel, walled and curbed in marble. /
The linpid waters came UP in a bucket !
lifted by a chain and windlass just as !
of old, but though the depth is stated |
TO be four hundred feet I fancied the !
water had a taste of carbonate of lime, |
and concluded that the favor was too |
for me. ] remarked within one /
Of the closets of the treasury two |
ma jor-domos. full size and in solid
silver, helmeted and panoplied from ,
head TO foot, and studded all over with
diamonds, rubies, amethysts, emer- /
aids and sapphires.
Years ago in a far western town the
writer was a member Of an amateur
theatrical company. We gave three
performances, and the receipts-which
We're in no wise gnifcant-for our
show was literally patronized by snow
bound lumbermen-were divided be-
tween the Methodist parson and the
restaurant proprietor. On two occa-
sions did the writer, bedight in scar
let plush jacket and inexpressibles OF
rainbow radiance, enact the poetic and
and lovelorn Claude 1Ielnotte
Should ne now ind himself 50 near the :
pictured palace of the -ge-yardener's
son" and not visit the scene? Perish
the thought! Ny dear, pack for the
clear lake margined with fruits OF
gold.
From Milan to Como, an hour and
half by rail. passing wildernesses Of