on close at hand; oddly-rigged craft from the far East float lazily
at anchor in the open harbor; the domes of lofty churches are outlined
against the dark blue sky; while the proud columns of St. Mark and St.
Theodore stand like sentinels at the water's edge. It seems, altogether,
like some well-prepared theatrical scene upon the stage, on which the
curtain will presently fall, shutting out everything from view.

The broad outline of the history of this long-lived republic is familiar
to most of us. Many of its details have been enshrined by Byron, who,
without assuming the dignity of historical record, has taught us in
poetic form. The names of Dandolo, Faliero, and the two Foscari are
familiar to all cultured people. The close of the fifteenth century may
be designated as the culminating point of the glory of Venice, it being
then the grand focus of European commerce, and twice as populous as it
is to-day. At that time it possessed three hundred sea-going vessels and
forty-five naval galleys, with which it maintained sway over the
Mediterranean Sea. With the commencement of the sixteenth century her
glory began gradually to fade until she ceased to maintain a prominent
position among the powers. In art, Venice always occupied a first
position, and was celebrated for the brilliancy of the coloring which
characterizes the Venetian school.

Though fallen in commercial glory, Venice still stands without a rival.
Where else can be found a city composed of over seventy islands? Is
there another city where architects, sculptors, painters, and workers in
mosaic devoted their lives to the purpose of decorating and beautifying
their native place? No capital, even in Italy, is richer in splendid and
antique churches, in superbly decorated palaces, and with the exception
of Rome and Florence, no city has more invaluable art treasures. Here
the works of Guido, Paul Veronese, Titian, Bonifacio, Giordano, and
Tintoretto especially abound. The Venetian school of painting maintains
precedence even in our day. In the Doge's Palace, built many hundred
years ago, the visitor will find paintings and sculpture which he can
never forget, and among them Tintoretto's Paradise, said to be the
largest oil painting extant by a great master. It contains an army of
figures, and would seem to have required a lifetime to produce.

The Piazza of St. Mark is the centre of attraction. How strange, and yet
how familiar everything seems to us here! We