The Elk Mountain pilot., 1922-11-23
THE EDwYL RrDDINe LErrERs
Venice, Italy, Thursday, Oct. 5.

are many things about it that are
beautiful, and yet so much Of it is
worse than the worst slums I ever
saw; it is dream, and yet it is a
terrible reality. suppose one should
be an idealist and only see the beau
tiful-but have made the mistake
of picturing Venice altogether as
lovely garden spot with beautiful
canals and full of romance! When
one is out in lovely black gondola,
with gondolier very picturesque in
white suit and red sash-out on the
Grand canal by moonlight padding
about slowly with lights from boats
and shore twinkling and italian sere-
naders floating around from boats
decorated with fancy colored lights,
it is perfectly marvelous-too won
derful to be true. But when one
walks around in the daytime down
the tiny dirty streets, with nothing
but pavement anywhere, never tree
or bit of earth-dirty, smelly, wine
everywhere and the most awful look
then it is different world.
Well, guess l have raved on
enough-too bad if have spoiled
your dream of Venice. I'll tell you of
many wonders of the place soon.
We left Bozen Monday morning at
$3.50. We met very interesting
Englishman-no, mean American in
the English army service-an eye
specialist from New York City, on his
way to the disturbance in Constanti-
nople. He asked me if the compart-
ment was all taken, in about three
languages (they always try one, then
another, and SO on until you under
standD; when I answered him in Eng
lish, he nearly died. He had tried
most everything except English. He
was very entertaining, so made
short trip to Verona, where we had to
change trains. We arrived here
about three, found our hotel porter,
and he put US in gondola for the no.
tel. 1t would never do to be in a
hurry here, for of course it takes ages
to get anywhere. But it gives one .
nice lazy feeling. We took short cuts
by small canals like the letter thru
the city, on which there are large
ferry boats which run up, and down
and back and forth, for few cents
fare Gondolas are ten or twelve lire
tiire is about AZ cents) an hour.
Then there is network Of small ca
nails. There are some streets with
bridges here and there so we have
been abhe to walk to some places we
wished to visit. Our hotel is one Of
the beat, but not as nice as any we
have had yet.
4 OF course one of the famous spots
of the earth is St. Marks square, 1t ,
is almost rectangle. several hum
dred feet long. Old palaces about
three stories high (now used as libra
ry, hotel, clubs, etc. with shops and
eating places on the first floor are
along three sides and St. Mark church
the fourth. We were inside the latter
yesterday. They happened to be hold
ing a service and had tall candles
everywhere, and immense wreaths
with thousands of flowers. The cell
ing is completely covered with pic
lures in marvellous mosaic work.
agate, jasper and gold, and SO on
never saw anything to equal 1t in
splendor A cloth of gold, four yards
by two is back of one altar. and in it
are figures containing two thousand
precious stones. Just off this church
is the great Dues Palace where the
Doges used to live when Venice was
republic. This had many MASTER
pieces of painting by the italian (Ve-
netian) masters told, old ones)-Tin-
torello, Titan, Vecchio, Bellini, etc.
One guard 1--WE have to tip every
where we novel unlocked one door
to let us go into the room where a
conference is being held-Interna-
national Commerce. OF course no one
was there, but we saw envelopes ad-
dressed at each chair and the Ameri-
can looked good to us. We had seen
the group earlier being photo
graphed down in the court yard. Then
we went up the campanile, which is
rebuilt after falling in 1902, much of
the same material being used again.
1t is about $50 feet high. However,
we went up in an elevator. l sent
you a card I wrote on top-suppose
you received it o. X.
We have visited five or six churches
with each several famous paintings of
masters named above. We eat our
lunch everv dav in front of Florians