Randolph County journal. [volume] (Winchester, Randolph County, Ind.) 1855-1862, 1860-10-04


= hare been now many weeks in
,h,. sad old city-sad. somber IL
mpst ALWAYS be---with It's Wondering
,,ins--its wide surrounding Csna
pagna--and its dark-cycd. poetic
locking people. whom even dirt asi 4
,acs canned make vulgar or common
place. 4 went 90 the top of the /
,apitol the other morning. IL was a
clear. lovely day. and a. we stood in /
the little stone balcony Of the crown.
ing tower. the cusfoie counted ont to
Ms the seven hills Of Rome-now
scarcely TO he distinguished. covered
with buildings We saw how the
oh city had been Graded on all sides,
like some gigantic infant. in circle
OF surrounding mountains, which,
rising now in snowy. silvery clearness.
seemed TO cut the blue horizon all
Mount
In the spring OF the year. the snow
upon these mountains gives them.
through tho purple vail OF Italian air.
al the picturesque and dreamy grace
Of Alpine peaks. Their outlines are.
many Of them. peculiarly bold and
graceful aud one looks on them with
interest because they are features Of
the landscape that could not have
changed. Such as they are to us this
motning. such they looked to Cicero
and Virgil and to Cesar-to thou
sands OF eyes now shut forever.
One thing strikes one in a panorama
OF Rome the deficiency in trees. a.
one stands on the top Of the Capitol,
nothing like foliage strikes the eye in
that great circle Of country. bounded
by mountains and centered 10y Rome.
No grovcs-no forcsts-no tufts OF
trccs--oak. ash. poplar. anil con
sequcnt variations Of undulating ont
line. There are but two trees which
make much impression on ones eye
in the picture: and these are the
cypress and stone pine. and both have
forms OF such q stony deliniteness OF
of outline. that l call them arehi-
fcciwoi trees. They look as If they
TOO might have been carved out oil
stone. like the pyramids, obclisks,
and domcs among which they rise,
black anil still, with no sway Of leal
or spray. with no tlutter or wave oil
bough, quiet and li'elcss, rs if they
belonged to that enchanted city one
reads of in romance. where everything
was suddenly turned to stone.
To me the sense Of an oppressive
deafness. heavy lifcless stiffness,
seems to be the general spirit of land.
scapc--as IL some awful doom. some
spell Of sinister cnchantmcnt. made
the air prcternaturally heavy, as one
sometimes feels it before thunder
storm. From the Capitol one looks
down ut the broken columns Of the
Forum far below at onc's feet, and th,
endless train of workmcn digging al
day among the ruins, and wheeling
their barrows in a slow line toward
the Coliseum. seems sort OF spectral
proccssion-so lilelessly they work, sc
slowly they move. their ragged ole
cloaks still thrown over their shoulder,
in gnostly suggestions of the old
Roman toga. Ruins Of mcn-shadow'
of Romans - daik eyed. hollow
checked. picking aimlessly at the
grave Of old Rome. peerless and I'M
rchecting--tive cents day Their
wages, AMI their work according
There they pick fcebly over spot
where tho oil hardhanacl plcbeian
of Rome made good their cause IL
many hard election. bringing ii
their tribuncs Of the people in the fac
Of all that patrician rank and powe
could DO. Surely these are ghosts o
Romans in a ghostly forum.
The coloring that invests the who'll
landscape of Rome is of that wond.ou
brightness. that golden richness o
tone. which almost reconcilcs one L
the want of freshness and green, an
Of that vivacious motion whicl
pervadcs an En-, lish or American
landscape.
The peculiar orange-colored lichel
which clings to buildings here give
golden tone to every roof. and tn
all shimmers at every hour OF the ia
with iluitering prismatic lights an
warm shadows Even the blacl
obelisk Of the cypress and the umbrella
shaped stone pine have their odolescen
changings of purple. lilac. and gold
as morning or evening floods ther
with light. One does not wonde
that artists fall in love with old Rom
the mistress of enchantment-an
that they say to her, in dirt. in rags
in filth, in ignominy, Thou art m
mistress. would not change thee fu
the cleanlicst aud sweetest goo
housewife in the world" One onl
wants to drop humanity ont OF thei
calculation, 10 live merely IN til
artistic and picturesque, to feel thu
themselves. Ono feels the enchan'
ment working--the weird old sybi
tells upon you.