Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1904-07-20

Everything is white Ill Seville, the
brush of the white washers is con-
stantly at work, first on the walls of
the houses and then on the stone
slabs bordering the cutters. just
now the city is being thoroughly
cleaned and white wash is abundant
for their king is shortly to pay them
a visit and rooms in the old palace
are being refurnished for his use,
for it is not customary for a private
citizen to entertain him, he must go
to the palace. Some of his people
do not think he amounts to much,
while others think differently, but
we learn he is able to travel without
his mother.
i Among the places Of interest we
visited was an exact fac-simile Of
the house OF Pomtius Plate at Jeru-
salem, built by a native of Seville
after visit to the Holy City. The
court is grand, formed by two gal
laries resting on "a marble columns
with fountain in the center, is one
Of the handsomest houses in Seville.
| Thence to the house of Caesar,
was the residence of the Moorish
and Catholic kings and is said to be
the most interesting building in
Seville, not ruin like the Alham-
bra but real Arab castle whole and
entire but the gem in the building
is the Hall of Ambassadors from the
marble floor to the crystal and pearl
lined roof one blaze Of rainbow hues
The garden is fine; walls and foun-
tains are of Moorish origin and
every sovereign from Caesar down
has left his mark on the marble spot.
The cathedral begun in l4o2 and
finished in l506 is one of the largest
and most magnificent in the world.
1t occupies the site OF the successive
temples of Astarti, Salambo and Ma
homet and is adorned with paint
ings and sculpture by the most cele-
brated artists. Its stained glass win
dows date from the 10th to the 10Th
centuries and are the finest in Eur
ope, IS in number. The side chap
els form a suitable museum of sculp-
ture and painting.
On one wall is shown one of
Aturilla's master pieces; St. An
thony Of Padwa's Vision of the Holy
Child, painted in 1866 and wonder
fully fine in coloring. The figure
of the knowing saint was cut out of
the canvas in November 1874, but
was recovered at New York the fol-
lowing February and has been skill
fully replaced. Another by Murilla
noticed especially, 1.-The Virgin
and Child" On the mothers features
a look OF humanity blended with
almost divinity so happy does she
seem as she realizes that her own
babe is the promised Messiah the
Savior OF the world. In the room
near the west entrance is the tomb
stone of Fernando Colon the son of
| Columbus whose remains have also
been transferred to this cathedral.
| There is SO much of interest con
corning this noted cathedral. but ]
will only further say, that in the
dim light, the sculptured saints
seem to take living form aud the
4 paintings Of the old masters to al
most move and you nearly shudder
as you guze in the half light where
all seems SO unreal Willie FROM The
gloom above and around harmonious
sounds from the giant organs speak
with almost deafening shouts, reply
ing to each other as in dialogue:
then human voices sweet; then
crashes as Of drums and noises of
trumpets, and crashes as of battle
field; and the anthem ceases.
The tower attached to the cathed-
raj is known as the Giralda. Erect
ed in 1l96 by the Moors as an OBJ
servatory, the first in Europe. After
the Moors were expelled it was
turned into a bell tower, the Span
iards being ignorant Of its real pur-
pose. 1t reaches far above the
houses and palaces and the huge
cathedral itself. The museum was
Of intense interest, rich in paintings
by Murillo.
Seville is of more than ordinary
interest, it's name being connected
with some of the most imperishable
names in history. From this city
Columbus sailed to discover Amer
lea, Magellan to first circumnavigate
the earth, Cortez and Pizarro to con-
quer Mexico. Three Roman EN-
perors were born here. Hadrian,
Garjan and Theoeosius, also Magel-
Ian and the two great artists Murillo
and Velasquiz. Truly this city af-
fords novel, serious and romantic
scenes, in one sense a new world
and among the pictures memory re-
calls the tableau Of Seville will be
side by side with those of Granada,
Naples, Florence and CONSTANT
nople.
A few lines concerning Madrid
and my letter closes.
This city of boulevards and gar
dens is the most elevated Of all
European capitals. The general
appearance has little that is Spanish
about it. The streets are wide and
many of the stores equal those of
Paris. The city abounds in squares
planted with trees and ornamented
with flowers and fountains. Madrid
is the youngest of all the cities Of
Spain, chosen by Philip IL as his
new capital; political creation; a
historical necessity; but denied by
nature of almost every suitable con
dition for a metropolis-the environs
bleak and treeless produce only a