It is astonishing how living the
statues are to these people, and how the wicked are upbraided and
the good applauded. At Varallo, since I took the photographs I
published in my book Ex Voto, an angry pilgrim has smashed the nose
of the dwarf in Tabachetti's Journey to Calvary, for no other reason
than inability to restrain his indignation against one who was
helping to inflict pain on Christ. It is the real hair and the
painting up to nature that does this. Here at Oropa I found a paper
on the floor of the Sposalizio Chapel, which ran as follows:--
"By the grace of God and the will of the administrative chapter of
this sanctuary, there have come here to work --- ---, mason, --- ---
, carpenter, and --- ---, plumber, all of Chiavazza, on the twenty-
first day of January, 1886, full of cold (pieni di freddo).
"They write these two lines to record their visit. They pray the
Blessed Virgin that she will maintain them safe and sound from
everything equivocal that may befall them (sempre sani e salvi da
ogni equivoco li possa accadere).
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