Mrs. Minnie Crippen Writes of Interesting Experiences in Rome

Iowa, 1914

She and Miss Shurtieff of Chicago Pleasantly Located, but Weather Has Been Disagreeable — Speaks of Social Life, Churches and Points of Interest

An interesting letter received by Mrs. Myrtle I. Weishaar from Mrs. Minnie M. Crippen of Waterloo, who is touring Europe, was read at the meeting of the Woman's Improvement club this week with Mrs. C. C. Lindner. The letter, written at Rome, is as follows:

"It is on my conscience that I should be writing to you. By the time this reaches Waterloo Christmas and New Year's festivities will be past and the club will be meeting again in regular session. I was told when we came here that Rome had a winter — a rainy season. It was a long time coming this year, and it seems to have arrived. It rains every day and has become damp and unpleasant for getting about — so much so that I am not now getting out. Everyone has a cold. They tell us the this season is of short duration; that by February the winter is practically over. There is no freezing and the flower stands show an abundance of roses, carnations, violets and all sorts of beautiful blossoms. The fruit vendors are everywhere with their carts of oranges, chestnuts, apples, etc.

"Sunshine is needed in Italy just now, and it is not sunny Italy, at least at the present writing.

"This is about the beginning of 'the season' here. The first of next month the hotels put up their prices and until after Easter there will be very many tourists.

"It is more wintry elsewhere than here and by comparison this climate is pleasanter.

Social Affairs

"Alice (Miss Alice Shurtleff) is full of enthusiasm and has a big party on hand for Christmas eve. Young people from the school — painters, sculptors and archaeologists — are going to be entertained at Prof. Hendrickson's, and the girls are busy with decorations and getting ready for games. Then there is to be a Christmas dinner and a tree. Our home here is most delightful and home-like. We are so well satisfied that we have changed from where we first stayed. The hostesses are Italian ladies, very competent. One is an artist, another a teacher. All but one are signorina (maiden ladies). When you want to stay awhile in Rome I will give you this address. It has a peculiar arrangement of rooms. Most of these places are old palaces, you know, and not built for the purposes for which they are now used.

"I am writing on both sides of the paper to save weight. One often has funny experiences with postage here, and you cannot understand why. Often they will attach a penalty and make the fellow at the other end of the line pay it, when there really is not any too much weight. So I try to get my paper well covered.

Sociability Among Americans

"Prof. Carter is at the head of the American school of classics here in Rome, and they live at the Villa Aurelia, a most beautiful place. Mrs. Carter entertains most sumptuously and on New Year's eve there is to be a reception and dance, to which we are invited. The ladies all have their afternoons and as Alice is fond of making friends, we go quite often. There is a great deal of sociability among the Americans residing in Rome, and their homes seem very beautifully and artistically furnished. Many of them have those lovely Italian gardens, with balconies overbanking, and if on the sunny side of the building, and there they usually build them, they are always warm, so that after lunch they will serve their coffee or tea on the balcony, and with the creeping vines and tropical trees and foliage you are reminded of things that you have read, or dreamed about.

Audience With Pope

"Alice had a letter of introduction to the man at the head of the American school of priests and he arranged for us to have an audience with his holiness, Pope Pius X. So we proceeded to the Vatican at the appointed hour. The pontifical palace of the Vatican is composed of many united in one, built at different periods and designed by the most celebrated architects. It has three stories and possesses immense halls, vast courts, innumerable suites of rooms, unrivaled museums and galleries of sculptures and paintings. On the right of the entrance is posted the Swiss guards, who present a striking appearance clad in their picturesque uniforms, first designed by Michael Angelo. We passed the inner staircase, which leads to the court of St. Damascus, then to the royal staircase, a most majestic flight of steps leading to the royal hall. We were met there by more guards in costume, and received by a very grand looking man, dressed in crimson brocade velvet, who spoke English very well and was most cordial, telling us just what to do about our wraps and veils. You understand that for a visit to the pope you must wear a black veil draped over your head and be dressed in black, the gentlemen in full dress. There were some beautiful veils there that day. Then we were shown into a large, elegantly furnished and decorated room. There were quite a number there that morning, many sisters of charity of different orders, and visitors — tourists I judge. We were seated along the wall and I began studying the lovely frescoes and beautiful ceiling. Heavy crimson draperies were hung at the end of the room and I expected to see the pope pass from one of them into this room. The light was subdued and it was very impressive, but after awhile there was a stir and we were all shown through a number of more rooms, all elegant and gorgeous, with beautiful paintings and tapestries, the finest I ever expect to see, and into a suite of lovely rooms with beautiful Persian and Oriental carpets and rugs, like silken draperies, and lovely lace curtains letting in the full sunlight and seeming home-like and inviting.

Pope Clad in White

"There the pope met us dressed all in white, in fine harmony with his white hair and cap, and his mild and benevolent face. He received us kindly and gave us his blessing. Everyone knelt. There were three rooms filled with sisters. The cardinal that we hear of so often as never leaving the pope was there, and he certainly has an unusual personality. One could not help feeling the vigilance of his eyes. They seemed to see everywhere at once and he was so supple and graceful in his movements. The personal guards of the pope are so gorgeously attired as those of the king. In the post card that I send you you will see them just as they appeared. The very last one is one of the Swiss guards; the others are the body guards. The pope is the foremost one in white. He is walking in his garden. One is admitted to the garden by getting a permit, and one lovely day I asked for one and received it, so wandered all through the garden. I am glad I saw it before it rained so much for it was such a warm, nice day and the flowers and fruit were all so perfect. We live right in the piazza of one of the oldest churches, the Santa Maria Maggiore.

Relics Displayed

"The following relics kept in the church will be shown to the public on Christmas as is usual: Some pieces of stone from the stable in Bethlehem, where Jesus was born; the swaddling bands in which the infant was wrapped; some of the hay, which was spread in the manger; and, most important of all, six pieces of wood with which the manger was lined. There are the relics of the sacred culle, or cradle, brought from Bethlehem to Rome in the seventh century, and placed in this Basilica.

"At 6:40 a. m. the chapter of the Basilica goes in procession from the papal altar to the chapel of the sacristy, where the holy relics are on exhibition. (They are placed where they can be inspected only on Christmas eve.) The relics are then borne in procession through the church to the papal altar, to remain there on exhibition until 5 p. m. The music is very good at the service and the whole service is one of the finest in Rome.

"I suppose you know the whole story of the finding of Mona Lisa. It is now in Rome and on exhibition at the museum in the Villa Borghese. A number have been out to see it from this house. They say the crowds are such that you have to get into line. It will be here until the 27th. If I don't see it here, I will likely have the opportunity in Paris. I wish you a Happy New Year.
"Very sincerely,
"MINNIE M. CRIPPEN."

—Waterloo Evening Courier, Waterloo, Iowa, Jan. 17, 1914, p. 3.