Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1854-07-14
A Touching relic Of POmpeii.

Touching relic Of POmpeii
In digging on, the ruins of PomPeii, every
turn Of the spade brings mp some relic Of tho
ancient life. some witness Of imperial luNnry.
For far the greater part, the relics have a
merely curous interest, they belong 10 arch
solory, and find appropriate resting. places in
historical museums.
But there are some exceptions Uere for
instance, the c,cavaior DROPS, an uninviied
guest, upon banquet there he unexpected
" obirudes himself into atomh. In one place
he finds miser covering on his heap; an
other shows him bones OF dancing girls and
broken Instruments of music lying on tic mar.
bic floor. In the midst Of the painted cham
bors, haths. halls. columns, fountains, among
the splendid evidences Of material wealth, he
sometimes Eumbles on a simple Incident, a
touching human story, such as strikes the i'm
arinalion and suggests the mourn(ul iniercs,
Of the srca, disaster. as the sudden sight of a
wourdcd soldier eonjures up the horrors Of
the field Of battle.
Such, to our mind, isthc latest discovery
Of the cIcaSaiurs in this melancholy field. II
is group Of skeletons in the act Of flight, &C.
companicd by dog. There are three human
beings, one of them younr girl, with gold
rings and Jewels still on her fingers. The
Cugili,es had bag Of gold aud silver with
them, aalched up no doubt, in haste and
darkness. But the fiery food was on their
uack. and vain their wealth, their fighl-the
age Of one, the youth Of the other The bur
ming lava rolled above them and beyond, and
the faithful dog turned hack to share the for
tunes Of his mistress. dying at her feet.
Seen bv the light Of such an incident, how
yiyidly that night Of horrors looms upon the
sense Docs not the Imagination picture the
little group in their own house, by The side Of
their evening fountain, lanrui6ly chauering
over the days events and ofIhe unusual heat
Does il not hear with them the troubled swell
OF the waters m the hay sec, a. ,i,cy Ju, hoe
the night comes down ~ sudden siranJencss,
how the sky opens overhead, and namcs break
out, while corin, sand, and moIicn rocks
come pouring down. What movements
what emotion, what surprise The scene
grows darker every instant the hollr~ mo'
no,ony Of the bay is lifted into yclls and
shnrks the air grows thick and hot with
flames. and at the mountains foot IS heard the
roll of the liquid lava. Jewels, household
gods gold and silver coins, are snatched uP
on the instant. No time 10 cay farewell :
darkness in front and fire behind, they rush
into the strscis-strcets choked with falling
house. and nying citizens. How fnd the
way through passages which have no longer
outlets Confusion, danger, darkness, upro-r
everywhere the shouts ~ parted irie"ds, the
agony Of men struck down by falling columns
fear. madness and despair unclaimed here,
pcnury clulching gold !, cannot kccp-there
ulut,unv feeding on its final meal, and phren-
~ striking in the dark to forcs,all death.
Through all, fancy hears the young girls
screams the fire is on her jewellrd hand.
No time for Ihoughi-no pausc-'he food
rolls %, and wisdom, beauty, age and youth
with ali the stories Of their love, their hopes,
their rank. wealth and greatness, all the once
afIluen, life, are gone forever.
When unearihed after many years the
nameless group has no other importance tn
mankind than as IL may serve TO "polnt a
moral OF adom tale"