St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1907-12-25

land, stopping at Pisa for two reasons.
We wished to see the leaning tower and
the Baptistery and also to see DR..
Vecchi, who we learned in Rome, was
one of the greatest surgeons in Italy.
Pisa is town of 1000 people and is a
marble town"-everv man who works,
working on marble. The leaning tower
or Campanile is wonderful structure.
1t is beautifully done in marble. 1t is
17S feet high and leans Is feet. There is
peal of seven bells in the tower, the
largest weighing six tons. Some have
claimed that the leaning was intentional
but from the fact that the columns on
the upper sections are heightened on the
lower side would indicate that the
foundation settled. 1t was begun $50
years ago and finished after about 1876
years. The Cathedral is worth visit
and has some fine mural paintings on
its interior. The Baptistery is the finest
in Italy, and is about 700 years old. The
dome is 100 feet high. There is a beauti-
full baptismal font for old style INNER
sion. 1t IS made of marble and mosaic
The pulpit was done $50 years ago and
is a masterpiece of its kind. Among the
carvings on its walls is a scene entitled,
the Last Judgment" which follows Of
course the same lines as Michael Angeles
tresco in the Sistine Chapel in Rome.
There is an echo in this structure which
could not be surpassed Our selfimposed
guide would sing ''do, me, ia, sol" etc,
and it would echo for many seconds, and
sound like a church organ. We found
a good University and Hospital tucked
away in one corner of this town. Dr.
Veechi is the professor Of surgery and
wonderfully good operator He was
very glad to see us and entertained us
we'll
We went on to Nice France, the
next night and got there Thanksgiving
morning. Italy was interesting and our
intercourse with, and reception by medi-
cal men, was most pleasant, and of
course that was the chief object of our
visit But after all there is an uncon-
Portable feeling there You expect your
seat mate will pick your pocket and you
awaken from short nap and at once
feel Involuntary for your pocket book
and notes and are surprised to find both
still with you. Every one is trying to
beat you all the time. The hotel charges
up $3.50 to $1.00 per day extra which is
promptly rubbed off when good Ameri-
can kick is made, only you must get
your bill in ample time to kick and make
your train or you will lose the pleasure
of one or the other. The whole hotel
staff meet you when you land at the
door and it takes four porters to carry
in one suit case. They all bow and bow
and then bow again. The proprietor
"is very sorry but all those rooms at
that price are taken" and you are lacked
up to pay half a dollar day more
But the rooms are all very neat and the
service is excellent as we'll as the food,
while when you depart all the gold
liveried men are there in a line with
another row of dress suited walters and
some chamber maids in the background.
1t looks like the Governors reception
during Legislature when all the "tin-horn'
colonies are in attendance. 1t seems
almost an insult to offer them money,
but they are found to be in quite re-
ceptive mood and turn their backs on
you while they bite the money to see if
it is good. Very few are rude enough to
ring it on the pavement If you don't
give up to each one as you leave, their
faces are not pleasant to look at as you
drive off. was thoughtful enough to
get al few pounds of United States pennies
nickle plated for these people before
came from ST. Johnsbury and have left
trail from Queenstown through all
Central Europe, Italy and to Berne. l
presume this trail is also fairly blazed
out with profanity when they have found
out the value of the supposed silver coin
which they received with such sweet
smile and thank you" However, it
is more blessed to give than to receive
and am satisfied
One thing observed in Italy was the
entire lack of respect for the priests ofthe
Roman church. They are not used as
well as common people on the streets
nor in the cars. A priest is ordered
about by trainman about as small
boy would be in Vermont. Ofcourse the
people are Catholics but as many told
me "they were because their father and
grandfather were" but, they added, 1--WE
do not care for the church as our ances-
tors did," There is a strohg anti
clerical party in Italy today, and their