﻿THE 
  SPLENDOR 
  OF 
  ROME 
  

  

  623 
  

  

  their 
  spray 
  in 
  air 
  to 
  carry 
  your 
  thoughts 
  

   to 
  the 
  sky. 
  The 
  great 
  facade 
  looms 
  pon- 
  

   derous, 
  overpowering 
  before 
  you, 
  hiding 
  

   its 
  glorious 
  dome. 
  The 
  tall 
  obelisk 
  beside 
  

   you 
  seems 
  but 
  a 
  walking-stick 
  for 
  size. 
  

  

  The 
  obelisk 
  has 
  a 
  longer 
  history 
  than 
  

   the 
  church 
  that 
  dwarfs 
  it, 
  which, 
  men 
  

   say, 
  prompted 
  Sixtus 
  Y 
  to 
  set 
  it 
  here. 
  It 
  

   was 
  Drought 
  from 
  Heliopolis 
  by 
  Caligula 
  ; 
  

   it 
  was 
  set 
  in 
  Nero's 
  circus 
  here, 
  on 
  the 
  

   A 
  Tons 
  Yaticanum 
  ; 
  it 
  has 
  witnessed 
  pagan 
  

   games. 
  Christian 
  tortures, 
  St. 
  Peter's 
  

   burial 
  ; 
  its 
  base 
  has 
  been 
  soaked 
  with 
  

   martyrs' 
  blood. 
  

  

  It 
  stood 
  or 
  lay 
  for 
  centuries 
  near 
  the 
  

   present 
  sacristy 
  and 
  was 
  brought 
  upright 
  

   to 
  its 
  present 
  place, 
  a 
  distance 
  of 
  about 
  

   i, 
  ooo 
  feet. 
  Michael 
  Angelo 
  had 
  told 
  

   Paul 
  III 
  that 
  to 
  move 
  it 
  was 
  impossible; 
  

   Sixtus 
  A* 
  did 
  not 
  recognize 
  the 
  word. 
  To 
  

   a 
  young 
  architect, 
  Domenico 
  Fontana, 
  he 
  

   granted 
  unlimited 
  means 
  and 
  power 
  ; 
  then 
  

   he 
  sat 
  back 
  and 
  waited. 
  What 
  pagans 
  

   had 
  done 
  sixteen 
  centuries 
  before, 
  Chris- 
  

   tians 
  should 
  do 
  for 
  him. 
  

  

  Fontana 
  came 
  at 
  last 
  and 
  said 
  that 
  he 
  

   was 
  ready. 
  Beams, 
  irons, 
  ropes, 
  horses, 
  

   men, 
  and 
  all 
  Rome 
  were 
  waiting 
  in 
  the 
  

   square. 
  Would 
  the 
  Pope 
  bestow 
  his 
  

   blessing 
  on 
  the 
  work? 
  The 
  Pope 
  thinks 
  

   that 
  can 
  wait. 
  A 
  scaffold 
  has 
  been 
  set 
  up 
  

   in 
  the 
  piazza 
  ; 
  if 
  Fontana 
  does 
  not 
  succeed 
  

   he 
  will 
  die 
  there. 
  Sometimes 
  a 
  hint 
  seems 
  

   more 
  effective 
  than 
  a 
  benediction. 
  

  

  THE 
  STORV 
  OF 
  THE 
  RAISING 
  OF 
  THE 
  

   OBELISK 
  

  

  The 
  people 
  are 
  hushed 
  to 
  silence 
  under 
  

   penalty 
  of 
  death. 
  Fontana's 
  sharp 
  com- 
  

   mands 
  are 
  heard. 
  Xine 
  hundred 
  men 
  and 
  

   a 
  hundred 
  horses 
  begin 
  their 
  work. 
  The 
  

   ropes 
  grow 
  taut 
  ; 
  the 
  column 
  rises. 
  Then 
  

   it 
  sticks, 
  will 
  not 
  move 
  ; 
  the 
  strain 
  is 
  in- 
  

   tense. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  silence 
  a 
  hoarse 
  voice 
  shouts, 
  

   ''Water 
  ! 
  water 
  on 
  the 
  ropes 
  !'' 
  

  

  The 
  hint 
  is 
  taken 
  — 
  the 
  "Needle" 
  goes 
  

   home 
  ! 
  And 
  a 
  sailorman 
  has 
  won 
  for 
  San 
  

   Remo, 
  his 
  birthplace, 
  the 
  right 
  to 
  supply 
  

   palms 
  for 
  St. 
  Peter's 
  service 
  on 
  Palm 
  

   Sunday 
  to 
  this 
  day. 
  

  

  Within, 
  the 
  church 
  seems 
  larger 
  than 
  

   without; 
  a 
  thousand 
  people 
  are 
  lost 
  in 
  it 
  

   and 
  fifty 
  thousand 
  do 
  not 
  fill 
  it. 
  Its 
  pro- 
  

   portions 
  are 
  beautiful 
  and 
  its 
  effect 
  im- 
  

   posing. 
  It 
  is 
  the 
  largest 
  church 
  in 
  the 
  

   world, 
  but 
  it 
  is 
  not 
  for 
  me 
  the 
  most 
  beau- 
  

  

  Photograph 
  by 
  A. 
  W. 
  Cutler 
  

  

  YOUTHFUL 
  FLOWER 
  MERCHANTS 
  IN 
  THE 
  

   SHADOW 
  OF 
  THE 
  COLOSSEUM 
  

  

  tiful. 
  In 
  spite 
  of 
  the 
  constantly 
  succeed- 
  

   ing 
  services, 
  it 
  makes 
  more 
  the 
  impression 
  

   of 
  a 
  monument 
  than 
  a 
  house 
  of 
  prayer. 
  

   Constantine 
  the 
  Great 
  founded 
  it 
  ; 
  Syl- 
  

   vester 
  I 
  consecrated 
  it, 
  in 
  326, 
  over 
  the 
  

   grave 
  of 
  St. 
  Peter 
  in 
  the 
  circus 
  of 
  Xero. 
  

   Its 
  foundations 
  are 
  laid 
  in 
  blood-soaked 
  

   soil. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  fifteenth 
  century 
  a 
  reconstruc- 
  

   tion 
  became 
  necessary 
  and 
  for 
  two 
  hun- 
  

   dred 
  years 
  the 
  work 
  went 
  on 
  intermit- 
  

   tently. 
  On 
  Xovember 
  18, 
  1626, 
  the 
  

   1300th 
  anniversary 
  of 
  St. 
  Sylvester's 
  con- 
  

   secration, 
  Urban 
  YIII 
  consecrated 
  the 
  

   new 
  work. 
  

  

  Fra 
  Giaconda, 
  Raphael, 
  Bernini, 
  Mi- 
  

   chael 
  Angelo, 
  Bramante, 
  Sangallo, 
  Ma- 
  

  

  