The Canon City record with which is consolidated the Canon City cannon., 1915-07-29
tHy ALICE RoHE.
ress Correspondentl

ries than the dazed old woman
the steps Of st. John Lateran could
count upon her withered fingers-the
vis;i=off San Giovanni is not kept
"Mother OF Cod" cries the old
woman, what has happened?"
Don't YOU know there is to be no
vigil tonight" replies young Roman
matron OF the people, baby nursing
Justify and unashamed at her breast
Did you not read in the papers that
the vigil cannot be kept because
and her voice became vibrant and
her black eyes dilated-"because OF
the ustrians. We cannot light our
candles, we cannot light the torches.
You see for yourself how the piazza.
how all the squares from the gate OF
st. John even to San Gerusalemma
and Santa Marie Maggiore, are dark
and without the sellers of snails. Of
lavendar. of carnations. of garlic flow
ers, of terra Gotta bells. 1t is sad
year, terrible year. when we cannot
keep our vigil to the good st. John"
The old woman gazed with startled
eyes at the young mother, at me, at
the darkened piazza. Then she raised
her shriveled hands TO the famous
church before US.
May the evil spirits blast Them
the Austrians"-she cried. NO vigil
for St John, 1t is the first time IL
has ever happened. Ny mother be-
fore me, my mothers mother. have
never missed vigil of st. John. And
before them my grandmother has told
me and her grandmother told her.
they were always here. always with
their candles and their suppers. eat
ing snails as did st. John when he
wandered in the wilderness How
could know there was no vigil" she
said simply. turning her old eyes on
me. Il cannot read. and no one told
me. oh. my God. spare us from the
Austrians."
Both the young woman and the old
looked anxiously overhead for through
out Rome there was a whisper that
no illumination would be permitted
OF the piazza of San Giovanno and
those squares in the neighborhood
for reasons OF discretion. And those
reasons-the two women scanned the
blue sky with the moon shining TIL
umphantly-wereA Austrian aeroplanes.
They've killed my grandson" said
the old woman, who had come all
the way from beyond the Tfber near
St Peters TO keep the accustomed
vigil. I'VE got the news last week
-Four other grandsons and a great
grandson are up there fighting them
she said hercely. God help us-they
each into our homes and now they
reach into our religion. came to-
night so that l might be among the
FIRST to enter the church for mass to-
morrow morning on St Johns day.
came with prayer for my grandsons
fighting against the Austrians-
came to pray for all the grandsons
and all the sons OF Italy who are
there in the north
But you can pray. just the same"
suggested. i
NO. ii won't be the same. re-
piled the oldfwoman. "San Giovanni
she pronounced the name linger-
ingly-.what must the good saint
think of it all:"
Throughout the moonlight-drenched
piazza men and women were discuss
ing what had befsllen Rome. For
this vigil OF ST. Johns is one of the
most ancient and most picturesque OF
Roman customs. II is a fiesta OF the
people With an origin dating back so
far that some persons place 1t even in
the Tenth century. when the church
was first dedicated to st. John.
or late years the festival or vigil
has, like all ancient customs. changed
somewhat to a more riotous adven-
ture. with noisy crowds slashing about
with garlic stalks and interrupting
the song contests. But the old Gus
tom OF families bringing their candles
and their suppers. spreading their ta-
bles on the ground. eating snails In
commemoration OF ST. Johns locusts
and wild honey. exists today as in
osden times. That is. 1t did exist
until tonight.
As locusts have never been as plen-
tiful In Rome as in Kansas. the snail
has become the century old substitute
for st. Johns day piece de resistance.
The restaurants in the nelshbnrhood
OF the church have always been bril-
liantly Illuminated and the walls by
the gnte and the niazEna ihemselvea