Show T 0 4 4 ODD SIGHTS WHICH WLL GREET TAE E Vt > > II NT 1OR OP JTdoliY CONVENTUAL 90 5a lr f e 1 t r 4 tau rer 4 > z tna 1Y f 1 t 3 49ti s w l e Iss t7f1L7 oe LADY Not tho least Interesting of all the places al which tho American fleet will touch In Its sail round tho earth t illl be the little Island of Malta In Qtt tie Mediterranean sea south of Sic fly There tho great fleet of battle ships will stop on Its way homo from 1N the Pacific to the Atlantic via tho Suez canal Ou of diplomatic naval and military circles little is known of this mere speck upon the mf map of Europe ar7 Students of history will perhaps retort re-tort call the presence there of Napoleon jl I who pillaged the churches stripping them of their gold and silver and shipping the booty away only to have V his vessel founder In a gale and losIng los-Ing all To day In tho churches are solid silver gates and vessels that I we overlooked by Napoleons men for the reason that they were painted dhi black to deceive the eye of tho van iosk Mari dais am On the northwestern shore of this wit Island Is St Pauls bay clearly Identl mPa fed with the apostles shipwreck and Ui7o made the subject of many famous I paintings adorning the walls of the churches In Valletta the principal city J i of the Island Is 1 The stirring history of tho Knights of Malta Is forcefully present In all tie 11 romance and the Island Is rich In relics of these valiant men To the feminine mind Maltese lace that ever ld popular fabric Is suggested although eat this material Is not directly connected 1Ir with tho Island of Malta the lacemo Sf ken living upon the adjoining Island L al of Gozo Most Important of all England has these islands making Malta the base ot supplies coaling station garrison and rendezvous of the Mediterranean siiuadron From the British tho Amor t Iran admiral and his officers will re elve attention The sailors will view D the Island in Its simple life explore catacombs and visit the ancient Clt lUVccchia At San Antono tho ofllcers l I1I bo entertained by the duke of Connaught who Is at present commander com-mander in clmief of the military forces of f the Mediterranean On the fourth day after leaving Gib raltar the traveler to the east finds Itimself In the Malta channel a strip between Sicily and Malta Upon bright days tho snowclad peak of tna makes Itself visible At the south the rocky shoro of Gozo is outlined Eastward bright in its orange color lIes Malta One Is first Impressed with Its linovfwhite buildings low and solid t and < 1 with the spires of the churches in the distance the huge dome of Mus ia church rime third largest In the Iorld stands like a sentinel guarding the people of tho old city In the center cen-ter of the Island This church with Itt huge dome was built by natives who worked only upon Sundays and t 10lfdars and without wages tho labor Bering a period of 27 years No folding was used In Its construe I Itlon tlonThe The two great harbors spread their T ass Invitingly and within there Is anplo anchorage for the big 1C fleet rf Undo Sam Tho huge breakwaters iok1ng breakwater-s nose Into the channel speaks ff the enterprise of tho Eng Ush In n electing this weo allot from telllpests I The buildings skirt tho shoro of the harbor r ping abruptly to the emln Dee hat forms tho principal thor ar cughfarl of tho city of Valletta I Up through tho narrow stone streets tI fOu are driven to tho hotel passing I uPon cv y hand men who wear the Ifortn < f Klig Edward Tho bare Oote1 fi sindaled native trudgoa leburCI urc rloiifi tore and there one d BJa a u I I of Maltese women their hi laces ha bidden beneath tho faldotto at i t imps j I mltlvo race Is deeply at i hCd IJ their national usages for n ch 0 hor nationalities sometimes a show IrtMi lac of consideration Tho fal al Urn bv ho womoDt It Is some 1 times called onega In shape It re sembles a huge polo bonnet or skirt turned over the head It Is gathered In on one side and kept In place by an arched whalebone This Is operated very skillfully by the xvomen and gives them the nunlike effect re marked by the visitor The ovens of tho knights still sup ply the garrison The present postot lice on Strada Mercnnl formerly the Palazzo Parlslo was occupied by Na poleon I as his headquarters when he was at Valletta A tablet marks the spot for the tourist Strada Santa Lucia or as it la known by the tourists tho street of steps Is a decided novelty It leads from the lower town along tho bay to the main street of Valletta Strada Reale This climb Is lined with shops and hero also are found at the corners tho saints shrines before which burn the candles placed there by tho devout de-vout people The governors palace Is all that one could picture as typical Here Is the room hung In rich tapestry In which the house of assembly for the local parliament meets Hero Italian is spoken this language also being used In the courts of Justice on the island It Is declared by the commercial classes that the use of English as a supplement to Maltese and Italian would be desirable St Johns Conventual church is next In Importance to tho palace Within from floor to ceiling It Is one blaze of memorial antiquity The floor Is paved with tombstones of more than 400 chevaliers With the heraldic emblazonment em-blazonment In marble mosaic and the sculpture bronze and paintings a wealth of history is unfolded This wonderful church has Its chapels each devoted to the nationality of men who have figured In tho stirring history of the Island each chapel having art in oil and marble No visitor to Malta over leaves without with-out first visiting the Chapel of nones beneath the Hospital of Incurables which adjoins the burial place of the knights who died In hospital and who wore burled In mantels a bee with their white cross This chapels architecture archi-tecture Is rendered in every detail by the bleached bones of humanity At the base of tho altar Is a tablet bearing bear-Ing an inscription The following is a translation D 0 M THE WORLD IS A STAGe dull LIFE A TRAGEDY AM IS ILLUSION ALL A FICTION FIC-TION DEATH THE CLOSE OF ALL THINGS IT UNMASKS AND SOLVES ALL THOU WHO LIVKST PONDER ON THIS PItA THAT IRRPKTUAIj LIGHT MAY SHINE ON THOSE WHO REST HEREIN GO IN PEACE REMEMBER THAT THOU SHALT DIE The mortuary connected with tb hospital has a singular relic It Is A place where the body Is left 24 hours after death with straps fastened to the hands and feet Tho slightest mo tlon would set a bell ringing and thus prevent any likelihood of being burled alive Both the Islands of Gozo and Malta are honeycombed with caves which date from the period of Phoenician occupation These catacombs are attractive at-tractive in their gruesomeness One enters them at Cltta Vecchla where native guides are always waiting to earn a few pennies for the prlvllgo of escorting you through the mazellke corral dols extending in all directions |