The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1859-05-12
THE WEEKLY PIONEER AND DEMOCRAT.



Fortunately, everybody Is not condemned
to zee Europe through Aurrsys Guide Book,
for that, We believe, il the pade meeum Of the
tourist. Bot what eternal freshness and
DewDess there 10 in the Oldest things Of this
old Europe. What o charm Of gracious
novelty 10 these endless letters from Paris
and London and Rome, tos-seven-hilled,
and millions ided-how the voice of the
tourist comes over ito broken arches ming.
ling with all the voices Of the past, and spir.
itualized by the presence Of the dead oflame,
to the spectral moan Of Hollow Hades !!
Did any one ever read Q letter from Rome,
though il we're confessed balderdash, without
catching somewhere in it q new glimpse
into the home Of TuLLY-s new gloss Of rich
meanings for his Horace or his Tacitus
Yet it is not Rome the traveller visits now.
1t is the tomb Of Rome, where only the dust
is great, because only the ashes Of the dead
are ancient there. Mr.. BIcxLow, the edito-
rial correspondent Of the Evening Post who
il on European tour. makes an odd anti
thesis OF the past and present Rome, in the
following extract:
have to confess that Rome has not quite an.
swersd TO my expectations. | might easily
enough have known better, but was Just igno-
rant enough TO suppose that no inconsidsr.ble
portion Of the present city was IS old or older
than the Empire that I should lind not only
public edifces, but streets Of habitable houses,
once the residences Of the race whose history
was recorded by Lyy, and whose vices were
satrized by Javenal and Horace. Imagine my
disappointment, then, when came here and
found antiquaries disputing with each other
over almost every inch Of the ground within
the furrow Of Servivs Tnllius, and not private
residence in the whole city ~ old ~ the time
Of Constantine. Even the Capitol, which Hor.
ace thought would DO eternal n Augustus would
only abandon the idea OF transferring the seat
Of the empire to Troy, has given place TO aeon
psratively modern and altogether common
place public ediace. The temple of Jupiter
Capitolnus, which used to stand with imposing
eminenee by its side, has given place - the
convent where Gibbon, listening TO the chants
Of barsfooted friars, says he first conceived the
idea OF writing the Decline and Fall Of the
Roman Empire, and where now Ii exhibited
the Bessed Baby" famed for iis ulous
cure Of diseases, and for the additions IL has
made TO the revenues OF the convent. A good
portion Of the Forum Romanum, which used
to ring with the eloqoence OF Cicero and Hor-
tensus, IL now c0w.yard
"Cags hquSri della Rupe 1arpsia" over the
door Of vulgar drinking shop, guides the
stranger to the TarpsiAn rock blacksmiths and
charcoal vendors carry on their dirty trades In
the theatre Of Marcellua; "Plsnary Indulgsnces
for the living and the dead" are advertised and
sold H. the Coliseum the temples Of Juno and
Jupiter have been converted into fish market
the temple Of Minerva into bakery; the troops
OF Napoleon are CHARTERED in the world-re.
nowned Mausoleum Of Hadrisn and what 70.
mains Of the Baths Of Dioclctian ia used for q
government barn. Only day or two ago |
found Italian peasants hoeing broccoli In the
palace Of the Caesars; and from the portico Of
Octavia, whence It's imperial inmates used to
witness tho games Of the Circus Maximus, in
stead Of chariot and wrestling matches, ! saw
only tho tall and fuligsnous chimney OF the new
Roman ga&houss. II Horace could give his
couDtrymen no assurance Of the favor Of the
gods until they rebuilt the temples.
Asdes que i,bentss Deorum .,
Ioeda nisro simulserA famo.
what would have been his emotions could he
have foresesn What saw The tall chimney
efs gas mandatory daily belching and difius
ing its fetid fu mes through the now forsaken
apartments OF his imperial patrons palace, and
no other trace Of human civilization existing
upon the site OF that famous Circus which, in
his day, used 10 seat and smusc between three
and four hundred thousand people at time.
In this letter We learn that Mr.. and Mrs.
HAWTHORNE who were at Rome, were about
to suffer severe domestic affection 10 the
loss Of their daughter UNA. an interesting
girl Of some fifteen summers, who was dying