Evening Republican, Volume 14, Number 28, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 2 February 1910 — An Old Baptismal Font. [ARTICLE]

An Old Baptismal Font.

In the old baptlsterj| at Florence—the baptistery. with the wonderful bronze doors which Michelangelo call«ed “so beautiful that they were worthy to be the gates of paradise"—most of the babies of Florence have been bap tized for many, hundred years. Afy almost any hour of any day one win tma baptismal patties wait»ng!'t>etore the font, with babies of every rank in line, from the princely heir of a great house, nearly smothered in coSJly laces and attended by a small army of friends and relations, to tbs little creature decked out in gaudv cotton and held.in the arms of a solitary old peasant woman. r’-'No register of baptisms was kept in the very eprly days. The,first record was made in this wise: a certain priest took It into his bead to keep account of children he baptised. Accordingly he a white bean Into a box for every boy and'a black bean for everv girl. Later on records were carefully kept and If one could look them over it would bp a fascinating study, f or prob ably thej greater part of the painters scholars,! poets and soldiers who have made jQorence famous received tbynames at the font of “my dear little Saint John” —as. Dante called It. '