Boats to America

Did not get an early start – so I persuaded Helen to go off to the park while I stayed home and mended and wrote to Alfred to send him birthday greetings. Miss Horsey came in and I chatted with her awhile. She is a cousin of Chief Justice White* and a Catholic but very nice for all that.
Helen came in about one bringing the provisions and we had lunch. On the kitchen table I spied a postal for me from Florence saying two Italian boats were to sail from Naples. Aug. 22 and 25th and that Americans in Florence were advised to go by one of those – also that transports for 8000 were being sent over by the U.S. and wanting to know what I wanted to do. Miss Anna Horsey had a letter from Mr. Jones, the Am. Consul at Geneva, saying that the Am. Transports would be here in two weeks.
I don’t want to return to America, but I would prefer to go in a transport. I wrote to Florence at once telling her what Miss Horsey had told me. Then I had my Italian lesson. I feel I am improving. Then I went to Cook’s and met Helen and Miss H. and we took two nice trolley rides in new parts of the city and then went to the Orologia and had dinner and the waiter overcharged on everything and I made him take most of it off. Then we went into the Galleria and met Miss Horsey and we had ices and listened to the music. Came home at 10 – I found the outside door locked and had a time opening it.
Finished my letter to Alfred and wrote this. The paper tonight said the poor old pope** is dying.
*Edward Douglass White, Chief Justice, 1910-1921.
**Pope Pius X died on Aug. 20, 1914.

Duomo Service, Jennie's View of Priests, and Visit to Orologio

Helen and I went to the Duomo to see the big service in honor of the ascension of the Virgin. The archbishop was there – a lot of priests re. – the organ and two choirs of men and boys and a large congregation filled the church. We had good seats in the choir. I enjoyed the music very much. The service itself seems tawdry and cheap and I cannot see how a self-respecting man can be a priest and go through such a farce. After the service was over, we wandered around a while and came home and had lunch - then lay down.
I got up and was dressed shortly after four to take my lesson in reading the Italian newpapers. Then I wrote a family letter to Margaret – telling her what we were doing and asked her to send it to Uncle Hugh and so on to Alfred. Mailed it on our way to dinner. We went to the Orologio* and had a rather poor dinner – enjoyed seeing the crowd of people.
I sat up and wrote off the ?? that I had gathered from the Italian papers and that Mr. Betham had translated for me. Wrote a note to Florence in the morning and mailed it when we went to the Duomo.
*An area of Milan