Year: 1868

Good Friday mt EsOme-A Bril-


liant Description of Holy Week.
| The Northern Monthly has an ex-
ceedingly readable article from the pen
of DR.. Robinson upon "Good Friday at
Rome" We extract portion of his
story: E-s


| In all these ceremonies of Holy Week,
the rule is Imperative: no lady can at
tend them save in dark dress, without
any head covering but black veil and
no gentleman is admitted except in
evening dress or military uniform; and
even then, tickets must be procured of
the major-domo of the palace.


So / did as the rest did-hired my
dress-coat at a neighboring tailor's, put
on my most respectable gloves, and took
my stand on the chill stone stairway at
one o'clock, waiting for the doors to
open. After two hours had been whiled
away in contemplating the steel helmets,
with long plumes of white horse-hair,
worn by the Pope's guards, admiring
somewhat doubtfully the harlequin uni
form of short jackets and trousers, va
riegated with alternate stripes of white,
yellow, blue and green; and curiously
wondering what use they could or would
make Of their lengthy steel-pointed hal
herds, in case we, who were huddled
there at the entrance, should see fit to
charge-at last, with drum and fife, a
company of French infantry were march
ed into the building, and in few mo-
ments ranged all along the way into the
royal saloon, lining the staircase on eth
er side. Il


Then the signal was given, and away
up the hundred slippery stone steps rush
ed two hundred men in swallow-tailed
coats, who had shivered all this while at
the gates. running with a heller skelter
rapidity that made many decorous sol
dier smile in the silent files between
which the absurd gauntlet was played.
He who had the best breath was the man
that entered in. And ever since John
was distanced by Peter in the race for
the Sepulcher, there have always been
some men who were better than others at
this kind of thing.


The Chapel is divided across its entire
length by high railing. The interior
compartment is reserved for the Pope and
Cardinals. The exterior, accommodate
ing not far from five or six hundred peo-
ple,is without any fixed sittings except in
one portion occupied by ladies ex-
clusively. 1t was my good fortune to
find place to stand close by the barrier,
so that l had a full view of all which oc-
Cured. The singers were in gallery at
just the convenient distance for listening.
So, congratulating myself upon my for
tunate prospects, had nothing to do but
wait TRANQUILITY for two hours more until
the set time should arrive.


The choir, which oficiates on these
occasions, appears to be quite large
Somewhere near hundred members
were in the division which sang when I
heard them. They are all men, young
and old, although the music sounds pre-
cisely as if some female voices were
present. There is something indescriba-
BILE in the quality of mans treble
tones. There is an unannounced but
easily conjectured secret as to the way
in which these musicians are fitted and
trained. The harmonies and the solos
could not have been distinguished in
some cases from those produced by wo-
men. There was richness of sympa-
thetic tone and power to them, however,
which nothing could surpass. It was
not falsetto, for that could not fail to be-
tray its offensiveness. 1t was like a
great, smooth, sustained, voluminous,
mezzo soprano which filled the whole
building at once, without an effort and
without break. And, moreover, the
singularly irresistible effect upon the
listener was to thrill you intensely and
move you unconsciously y to tears.


From three to five o'clock, while we
all stood there looking at Michael An
gelo's picture, as well as examining
some inimitably fine frescoes in the
ceiling, the choir was employed in in
toning the Lamentations-a mere collec-
ton of Scripture passages, illustrative
of the sufferings of the Redeemer. Some
of these were rendered in solo and
quartet with indescribable pathos and
beauty. Indeed, there was one contralto
recitative and melody, which, according
to my taste, was equal to anything in
the Miserere itself. During this period,
the cardinals came in one by one, and
the bishops generally, all taking their
places with much pomp and ceremony.
/ With great premonitory roll of the
drum, and long procession of soldiers,
attired in the same fanciful style of uni
form we had seen in the stairway, the
Pope entered, and was conducted to his
throne.


This was my first near view of Plus
k, and 1 do not pretend to deny that !
looked with much interest upon the face
of the Head of the Roman Catholic
Church. He is now between rs and so
years old, well preserved, short in figure,
somewhat thick set, smooth-faced, and
rather languid in manner. The express
sion of his countenance was benignant
and gentle, witha good measure ofsense
and refinement in it. There he sat
within thirty feet of me, all the while
the music went on my imagination was
busy oftentimes thinking of the power
welded by this one man over the wide
world. He certainly behaved with dig
nifty, and played his part in the pageant
with much grace.


In the beginning of the ceremony a
pyramid of tall candles had been con-
structed, fifteen in number, all lit. These
represented the Lights of the race-the
twelve Apostles and the three Marys.-
At intervals, as the Lamentations pro-
ceeded, one of these was put out by an
extinguisher, uplifted on staff. Thus
gradually, as the service wore on, you
seemed to see that the world was grow
ing darker. One is tempted, at this dis
lance, to smile at the childish conceit,
and in cooler moments it does seem folly