The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1910-08-05

cinnatus called the men of Rome to
gether, when he went out against thu
Alquians, and much stirring histor!
has its setting on this spot long age
dedicated to the terrible god of war,
1t would take history, and dry
one at that, to put into shape all thai
we saw in our few days visit il
Rome, and we only began to see he1
treasures.
The Borghese villa is now trea-
sure house of art. The ceilings are
beautifully frescoed and into the floors
are set famous mosaics which have
been removed here for their perpetu-
alton. 1t would be the height of folly
for me to attempt anything in the
line of description of the statuary or
the painting since we spent but a
few hours on the whole collection,
when weeks would not exhaust one
work. did one really study it, and
knew the points of excellence and de-
fects. There are originals of Titan,
Coreggfo, Rafael, Michael Angelo, and
the early schools of art. The exquis-
lite colorings, whether following the
deep, rich tones or the delicate tints
and the expressions of the ideas both
in attitude and face, makes the pic
lures something to live to see in all
their magnifcence. The statuary, the
best of it, is a speaking, living thing,
which has been called from frozen
marble to an immortal life. Having
seen these, Galetia is not only posi-
BILE, but almost probable.
Rome was pagan city, but now
the city is filled with churches. Of
course, st. Peters is the first and it
is tremendous, overpowering, if you
like, beautiful to be sure and very
rich in treasure, but it is more i'm
pressive as a show place than as a
church. Around the walls are the
tombs of many Popes. Nearly all are
guarded by splendid statuary, the
work of famous sculptors, and, if
some stories can be believed, there
was a very worldly desire on the part
of many of the Popes to Guido each
other in this matter of post norton
abode. Many of the worthy religious
paintings are reproduced here as mo-
sales upon the walls 1t takes some
thirty years to complete large mo-
sale, but they are so true that even
the wood or canvas of the original
seems to be its foundation. The gold
en- casket, which holds part of the
bones of St. Peter and of st. Paul,
never expected to be in life, is under
the dome. A visit to the treasure
room makes one realize what wealth
belongs to the church, as the cardinals
gold robes of state are seen and as
the jeweled, studded, golden crosses
and sacrificial vessels are seen in all
their glory. In this room is to be seen
the robe worn by Charlemagne at his
1t is a deep blue silk
in gold and silver and is
interesting more because it belonged
to so great a man than for its beauty,
which is not inconsiderable We may
as well leave ST. Peters now for it
does not readily lend itself to brief
description, it impresses you almost
by force, but it does not enthrall you
and weave a magic, about you.
The Vatican galleries are made the
same in their inexhaustible wealth
If masters. The best the artists had to
give was given to the church. The
Virgin, the Saviour, the Saints were
their inspiration, and so today we
stand in awe of what was done so long
ago. 1t is a lesson in human endeay-
or to go through the various rooms
and see how the figures were made
10 come out from the background into
living forms until the scene of the
healing of the sick boy in Rafael's
TRANSPORTATION Is almost enacted be-
fore your eyes. The marbles in the
statuary museum are all of interest, |
but the Apollo Belyedere, which |
stands out sharply from a plain terra
Gotta background, is the most abso-
utely beautiful of the whole collec-
ion The drapery which floats from |
his arm, as he springs into view, can
almost be seen to move from the |
quick motion Of his body, just now in
'epose.
No visit to the Vatican would be |
complete without seeing the Michael
Angelo frescoes. and then get ready |
or the disappointment of the Last |
Judgment in the Sistine Chapel The |
resco has been so badly taken care |
If that nearly all the coloring is gone /
md only sombre browns are left. The
wonderful anatomy is still intact and |