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Show Co?jr!Kh t'Sl 1 WAKEMAVS WAXDEUIXGS. At Tallombrosa. Special Corrcapondence of the DaacT s.nws ) That Is a sweet old tale tho looks tell alout tho origin of Valiombrwa-It Valiombrwa-It Is both sweet and largely true. A man of arms, about to take life Iu revenge for tho murder or his- own brother, suddenly filled with divine compassion ror ills enemy, forgave him. ThUmauGtovatiiilGualberto, to commemorate his salvation from a damning deed, built the monastery monas-tery of Vallombrosa, nearly 9W years ago. Milton, luthe threo lines, "Thick a autnmaa! Icarcs that ttrcw tbe liroofcs In ValloinLroia, where tU' Etrarun ibaJcs High overarrhM embower" made Vallombrosa endlessly live In the minds of men. If to tho monastery's mon-astery's suppression liad been added Its material destruction, it wculd still forever ariseagalast its emerald mountain-side, as millions, reading Milton's words, see the vision he saw in his swift longing to again dwell with its monks, aud yearn as he yearned to know the cool depths of Its restful shade. About l,lsW feet from Vallom-broa's Vallom-broa's gates Is a fountain of the riurest water, leaping from an evcr-ivinc evcr-ivinc spring. On a summer's day In 10H Oiovauul paused at this fountain In search of a hermitage. Ills family was one or the uoblestof Tuscauy, from tho royal race of Hie Carlovlmrlatui. He avas reared to tlie fortune of arms and received the education of a nobleman of his time. In his early life his career was reckless and fiery. One of his best-loved friends, Visdomini, quarreling with his idolized brother Hugo, plunged a dagger Into hi" heart and killed him. Giovanni swore vengeance upon Visdomini, pursuing him In vain for years. At last one morning of Good Friday in 100.1, when on his way to Florence accompanied by his body guard, he suddenly met his enemy In a narrow, nar-row, rock-bordered f.irest-path. Visdomini Vis-domini was at Giovanni's mercy. The avenging brother drew his sword and called upon the murderer to prepare for instant death. Without With-out attcnil ting defense, he fell upon his knees, and with hands outspread In the form of a cross, sued for merry. The mode of pray er, touched touch-ed tuehcart of Giovanni. Springing Spring-ing from his steed he lifted his enemy to his feet, forgave him, and dismissed him with his blessing. This much Is true; act as heroic and God like as ever Impassioned rhymer sung. Then perhajis legend comes; If legend, still tender, fitting sequel to glorious self-conquering. Filled with holy awe at what he had himself escaped, Giovanni straightway sought the neighboring monastery of Sau MIniato. He prostrated himself before a crucifix in prayer. Langand earnestly he gazed upou the figure of Christ above him. Lo! the image bent its head as if with blessing at his act of mercy. Thereafter follows historic truth. Giovanni related the miracle to the ab'oolt; abjured his wayward career: sought to enter tlie brother hood; but was foratimo dissuaded on account or his noblu father's opposition; op-position; but finally took tho religious religi-ous vows of tho order in April, 1 001. Ills piety soon bci-amo renowned. On the death of the abbott or Sail MIniato In 1003, ho was chosen to succeed him, but refused thu office under a desire to seek a still more solitary retreat; and it was at the fountain near the peak of the Pratomagno mountain, where he had halted in his sol Itary wanderings. Near the sot, which avas then called Ac-qualiella, Ac-qualiella, ho found two hermits, Paolo and Guntelmo, who were living In huts. These Joine-I him, aud there soon was gather"! a little community of monlr-'and hermits. Their au rrerlmrsi,r-T:-"ull! , "' ,,T.i Inflicted tortures were horrible. Robbers and wild beasts surrounded them, and both preyed upon them savact-ly. Their homes were at first low huts with a cross planted be- .tcac!i, aud a central place lor prayeT, -whtU a rude wooden piling enclosed all. The famo of their sanctity became so great, that gifts flowed in upon them rrom every hand, llmperor Conrad II., the impress Glscla and all the court visited them and left generous presents. Complete ordinances of the Benedictines were finally adopted. adopt-ed. The original hermitage, Eremo, built lu 1013, was repeatedly cn-lirged, cn-lirged, uatil finally completed in 1610 as the structure stands today. The order of Vallombrosacs, 500 years after the death of San Giovanni, which occurred In 1073, after he had attaiuei the ripe age of S3 years, had become the richest and most powerful in Italy; and this one old monastery held their chief treasure. treas-ure. For this order Clambue painted his priceless Madonna; Peruglno.hls marvelous Assumption. Hut Vallombrosa Val-lombrosa 's dark days came in with the French Revolution. WhetV Napoleon's council debated whethe the Vallombrosans should bospareC, because they kept the wolf,, thinned la tlie miuntalns, it V w asked: . ui "Shall wehavomonksorwolv' "Wolves!" was the answer. -o The monastery aud churcUg. despoiled of their priceless-,, urcs; the Immense domalJven seized; and the monks werrIGn from tlieir cloisters. Tlirf Wel-Napolcon Wel-Napolcon fell and TusAus-conicd TusAus-conicd back the sway orotated, trlaus, tho monks wereiwou-liut wereiwou-liut their matchless p-alpyasures, drous vestments, their Jil price-aud price-aud their stores or boo-JscaUered less manuscripts had Kl Iu 1SG0, forever. Victor Kujnent, com-at com-at the Italian dlscstaJpierc. The pleted their extinispgricultural place Is now used president pro-school, pro-school, with a corjji the monas-tessors; monas-tessors; aud JustjJr, oue of the tery Is an obseryather stations Italian signal alas ever Is the of today. Heajfnt. "No ruth-matchless ruth-matchless en-jiront its cloisters less hand cauflalch your fancy tho forms wW'ivannl and Mil-pples Mil-pples it- ,-jiw- Vallombrosa's ton are st"" al"- mo fTom a bells still & -way. "- their thousand flr cease their nielo-echoes nielo-echoes w-osmagno meuntaln standi, j - Vnllombrosa, walk. If yVfsailesas the crow flies; It is o fcy -I' Kutraticlng way. perharjyf Klves changeful Kvrr-Hl"g vicws In that most ami al?" Rardeu spots iijliHing Florence by the alaf'l'roce, tho way leads Sco7MH-ht hank of theArno. O'ar.'Write valleys thread It as and liR n necklace, and, here sliritiei, cros-es and quaint old dlverg.0.lt-tjU.vc, the road over thS jle Arno, leading or -ra-t3 and the real ascent b-gius. Sto Vallombrosa here IVlago, a A ,, ggon reached; bad inns aiX. jiuie town with a brawling V of Ws-ars, by nights wheiV. ,vIiere f wd the naountiNwnJ UowU 0Vl.r shudder antv, oIJ crones ghosts or the ci . Ab, the back tochant tyrla, ,aTe come across ,uI'""tanIe!" Then, races of oil ws past ter-around ter-around the v'SeJraln winding misty torrents tu , ,' nbove Arno, and oflei ' rjtlie arcades of irs w , nt rreckles tto KPi M Gljwy's faf,3(l a brown brings you ta the tl let or Tos . m.TS,ber.ham. along which stand g, ,, way leads up, up, up to t. , 5000 rett aVve sca-i? lcrJ. old days ineraow . Iu ttie on hardy little "on,d came weru brought in a-isitoni buci, or "cjwcliwlot,",, j, liask't set on a sledge jckcr tho-s wondrous dove-eoi,n 1v or lu -cany; Uitnow the ,llXt, path his bum ,,"iV!''l uixioruroal.and visitors t a iu carriage fraai Florence. lombrosa's gates. al- 1 AtT?slIlookediiptliemV In and taw away to the right and above where 1 knew the monastery lay, lines oi blue smoko in feathery liencillngs against the dark greeu of the massed mountain firs. "Those are Iho carbonari. They never leave the mountain, save on feast-days," said a kindly carret-tsjo. carret-tsjo. "When they come to Ta.1 for wine and oil they aro so black and dreadful, our children run and hide. Hut they do no harm." bJ with a vagarious Impulse of adventure, adven-ture, I turned away from the paved ii,Mnt.it u-nv. and. with the cart- man's eon for a guide, skirted the mountain, coding in a two hours' tramp through dense forests of beech, chestnut and pine, with bete aud there a blackened opening where trees had already beeu burned, burn-ed, or sunny space, where sportsmen sports-men and shepherds snare the mountain blrd, I came to a charcoal char-coal burner's eamp, and was hospitably hospit-ably received for tlie night- The carbonari rorm a distinct class among tho mountains or Italy. They generally live in the villages, the wives and daughters engaging lu the vineyards, gathering olivvs or chestnuts, and often as shepherdesses shepherd-esses with small flocks. Thefathers and sons go from one forest to an-other an-other as tho owners desire charcoal made. The landlord secures the felling fell-ing anJ cutting of the trees, and the carbonaro simply attends to build-in..- and flrlm? the nvres and watch ing day and nlghttheirsmouidering progress. Inthls labor thesonsshare, and regular watches are taken. The logs are stood on end In round plies orperharaisreetlndlaraeter.covered and chinked with mossy earth and then fired lu a central hollow which has been filled with chips of dry timber, fircones, chips from tlie logs and dead leaves and grass. Once well ablaze, this flaming funnel is covered with moss and earth, and the pile is then left to smouhitrfor flveor six days. When reduced to carbone or charcoal, the carbonaro delivers It to the owner, packed lu sacks, two sacks comprising a donkey don-key load, for which he receives about 10 cents, or about S2 for each burning, yielding forty sacks. At this camp, an unusually large one, a score or morn carbonari were at work; and, as the burning was to be forau extended period, some six or eight of tho carbonari had built temporary huts and had removed their entire families to the forest. This gave lire aud picturesque-ncss picturesque-ncss to the scene, especially at night A few Iron cressets had been listened to tho tree trunks, and the crackle and flarings of cones a(d knots lent weird colorings to the motley groups of women with dazzling daz-zling teeth and eyes, and men grimy and swarthy beyond all description. de-scription. I could not repress the feeling that I was atmyold wander-lugs wander-lugs with my gipsy friends again; and as tlie night gathered close its sable wing over the msjestlc forest trees above, and, one by one some strange instrument of music was produced from the shadowy huts, while melody and .lancing added their fascination to the wild, strange scene, a thousand recollections or daj with the Rommany swept back on Pratomaguo's darkened heights. Deeper still grew this reeling as I was shown to a couch of fir brancht s for sleep. It came not for hours; for iu thegentle soughing of tho firs, tlie calls or the watchers to each other, and here and there through the camp, suppressed tones or melody, as those who watt-lied grouped together and reassuringly sang low and soft the tlorncU'i of Italy, I was with my loved vagabond vaga-bond friends by their witching camp-fires in my own loved land. When the morning came, after a breakfast of pan unto, bread fried iu ollvo oil, and many a kindly "addii!" anJ "val!" from my grimy hosts, I found my owu way back to Tosl. Ou such a June morning as that in which I journeyed, jour-neyed, the songs of birds, the Kolian mu-ic or Crest breezes, so bewitch one all the way rrom Tosi, tlutire denly and without w-arniriBceric at tlie cnchantlmr .frTpot Itself or Vallotnbirf cta ot level 'r.un'r.yrough wrM runs a long avenue ot stale ". Al theend of this aver stand tho lkhened and gray W uuiUing-. On one side of tto-'nny opening ranks 10 mc j , on the other, tli'fauj9of chestnut trees glow in lr golden foliage. Behind and s-ve, hosts of sturdy beeches clIrat'lem0UDtalu- T'lere a tt tan? J.' lnM by Urn bu y ,ui"' '?" J Tlw mot.- terv itself a nu5e quadrangu-Ur quadrangu-Ur stnictr. with -spacious 1n-nJr 1n-nJr court TIlB ancient church, Srj3?""! of ita ro"cr JrA ' Jfpalntings save an As- ,7mnMry Fraiiceschlni, and the ,mi'C0'. y Fabrinl-stands fuK!"nter of the courts. Its mas- it "vare tower rises grim and ," ave the hair-deserted bulld- j "Perhaps a score or folk, pro- ftS 8:udeuts, signal bureau 'i and government forresters act ns a sort of mountaiu police rjt the sequestered property, ".e here, surly, iuhospltable, and 'if doggedly conscious of the :rili go in their pretence of schol- Ale lire. The old monastery bell ill sounds tho hours, but it speaks aly to silence and decay. The reat water basins which held the louks trout preserves are filled Ith dead leaves. The wondrous d kitchen, a mighty truncated cone, where swinging rrom a huge turnpit the oxen once were roasted, Is cobwcblied, cold and firclcss. The Mttata, where a hundred cows were kept, is untenanted. Paradisluo, tho undent hermitage on the clitr above the monastery, with itscefc, tower and church nre stripd, and transformed into a hayloft. The half ruined mill, underneath un-derneath which rushes the Vicano, is diverted and still. Mirvelous indeed Is it that the Italy or today has K-rtouehint of theoM Ilfu here. Hut there Is just one. Iuthe church there Isauelaboratelycarvetl sliver reliquary. It contains the relics or San Giovanni. How the one brown bono which has miraculously miracu-lously escaped decay must haunt the grave professors or the "Collegio Forestall-," as Vallambrosa now Is called. One thousand feet higher than where ancient Vallombrosa stands iu its iit-st-Iike valley 5000 feetalove thu sea, rises the fir-crown- t summit sum-mit of Pratomagno. From this the most ravishlngly beautiful view-In view-In all Italy is presented. What wondrous associations are conjured In contemplation of the fair, far Case Ca-se uti no valley with its boundary beyond formed l-y the lufty Apreu-lues, Apreu-lues, where are born historic Tiber and entrauclnj Arm,! Tuscany, homo ot tho dream-breeding vine and rai rest women, stretches sunnily to the westward. The mijestiu Uiiomo glilttrxiionn (here in lu. centre of the irple, Mueaard-cheekered Mueaard-cheekered valley whrro Florence stauJs. And fir, filnt ami uiagk ally seen through the jiavrs of tlie uttermost peaks or Carrara gleams a speck of sapih!re where saeejw old Mediterranean's sails. As Incongruous as are the present occupancy, uses aal a-soclatlon of Vallomtirosa, the spirit or the olden time tl mes 111 all one sees and fee s nt the deserted monastery. 1 11 this cell which now a stripling student makes his camara da Ittto the good man': Guido originated the modern method or notation In mii-Iij. In theso larger rooms reposed at dilli.r-ent dilli.r-ent times the noble ferms ot Lm-reror Lm-reror Conrad II., Kmpres-s Oisda. the Abbess Ita, Countess Lrtjiis' Hua.ofSin Pietro tgneoiipjTJaiiit-, triumphant In ''kSfexander II. or Popes Victor yfi, Pascal H-i and I V., I uuoto Tro n and Io I-Vj5r, and that K"".1 P aV. TTllU.. 'Sae3Snn!: I valTy, lf" iini. the cele-Chri-tol-liano 1" , t made brated comment, or oi j fam. Vallombrosa W'..',au.nlJ.s.1,l. Mat- ous botanW. ii-- C1J7 rtva tio Itandil lo, 1 ct- ,,riiiat in letters 'Va ,e,littl at humorist "I',1! , -Ttreat. Dream tho "?;i,ltcIoWeri Ml groves as', months ho was its welcome guest, Vallombrosa was the founialu of his inspiration. Here was conceived tLe plan of a great and ennobling Artnurian epic. That gave place to a loftier, grandrr therao whose sublino motive, Imagery and ac-compl'fchment ac-compl'fchment Crra the diadem In all t lat crowns the English tongue. Hetause Vallombrosa was the roster-mother roster-mother or "Paradise lxt," men w ill everbloa fie sweet old mount alu-r.cst. EnoAU L. Wakkma-v. FumtstcK, Italy, Nov. 21, 1S06. |