Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-11-19

The writer on one occasion was among small
party of American and British men and women who
were being taken round the Forum by another
leading archeologist of Italy. On entering Santa
Maria Antigua, guide dilated the wonder
fully interesting frescos of the apse, pointing out
at the time the fact that Pope Liberlus
painted with a square nmbus about his head,
which proved that the portrait painted in his
lifetime. One woman OF our party fingered behind
for several moments gazing intently at the CruCiiX
with the group of saints either side. She sighed
wistfully as she walked with me, remarking:
g 1t almost looks Christian doesn't it?
No one could hope to give anything but a selection
of these howlers," 50 numerous they, and so
undoubtedly perpleXing the sites and works of
art to the hurried tourist who has made study
at all, read up his Gbbon. l heard poor
harassed woman guide being entreated the other
day to point out the spot the Palatine where
stood the Temple of Diana of the Ephesians.
In another party two elderly who really
ought to have known better arguing to
whether no the Pantheon was the place where
they kept the panthers to eat the people in the
Colosseum" This matter settled, son of one of
these men hoped his father would make
mistakes, and meanwhile would he remember that
the Tiber was named after TiberiuS?
Table d'h6te guests at high-cass pension in the
American quarter were convulsed with merrment
one evening at the expense of a newcomer from
across the seas. "A friend OF ms, a 1ndTrled man
with wife and two children, had been doing"
the sights separately, and reported he had been to
Frascati and afterward to Hadrians Villa. you
don't say" his friend called seriously from the
other end of the table. Did you find the family
at homer"
The innumerable churches of the Holy City are
great puzzle to many visitors, and indeed through
them to the natives You may well imagine how
puzzled Roman citizen on being asked By
devout Irishman to direct him to the Church of
st Mary Maguire!" 1t took a good deal of ex-
PLANTATION through intermediates to explain that
Santa Maria Maggiore was the church meant.
The church of St. Johns Latter End is another
similarly complicated case, On another occasion
a who had been in the city about three
weeks complacently announced that she had
all the churches in Rome. So C one pointed out
10 her that altogether there were upward of foIr
hundred churches and fur ,her1nore many of them
were opened only once in the entire year. oh,
| them all right, persisted the indefatigable
one, and the funny thing is that nearly all of
them were Roman Catholic"
What more could be said? 1t is matter for com
rnent among the authorities of Ro ne that our
people no sooner arrive in the city than they set
to work the sights with the grin determination
of people tacking disagrceabe but necessary
task.
Monsignor Kennedy head of the American Col
eye in Rome overheard a couple of Americans
coming out of the Grand Hotel re -arling Row
the first thing be done is look the basilsk"
To this day Monsignor Kennedy does not know
whether the vast and hoary BaGlica of St. Peter
meant merely the big obclisk N the
great Piazza.
Another amusing remark was overheard in the
picture gallery of the Vatic-1. A couple of
tourists were looking at The Madonna and Saints"
ascribed to II Moretto. In the iiddle of the pc
ture is altar whose steps apple IS lying.
Among the group of saints stands the stately
figure of ST. Bartholomew holding the emblem of his