Cincinnati daily press. [volume] (Cincinnati [Ohio]) 1860-1862, 1860-04-17
The Romnn' Campagpe and the Campagnn
~ Rhepherd. ...
Harriet Beecher Stowe thus writes in re-
cent letter 70 the New York Lndependetlk;

Harriet Beecher Stowe thus writes in re-
cent letter to the New York Independent:
Behold us dashing out the gate San Lo-
renzo into the wide Campagna, which
stretches before us for all the world with the
sea-like effect of an Illinois rolling prairie.
March has not yet brought DIP the green
grass TO overtop the dry Of last year, so that
Il looks desolate and brown. But the splen-
did snow-crested mountains that form its
horizon limit are soft with all those opaline
shimmering hues that mountains know how
to put on. We drive on, passing moldering
piles Of ruins, tombs Of old Romans who
never thought of us in building them any
more than we Of them in passing them. By
the way, one wonders at the vastness Of the
preparations for dead Roman. A tomb is a
moderate-sized castle-in fact, many modern
family, having slightly repaired and added to
them, are dispossessing the ghosts and put
ting the thick walls to the purpose of pro-
tecting living flesh and blood, instead of
bearing empty testimony TO the forgotten
dead. We have seen two or three of these
amicable arrangements between modern life
and ancient death-the modern stoccoed
house rising matter of fact and quiet on n
tower of old Roman brick-work, as life to-
day goes on buying and selling over the dust
of past ages. ....-..l.
This barren, weary Campagna is somewhat
monotonous. 1t oppresses one with a sense
| of gloom and desolation. AS one of the
party remarked, it seems as If there were q
curse around Rome, that il was a dead
doomed city, never to rise again. Let us
hopenot. All it wants is liberty. The earth
and sky are good enough. Such a tract oi
land in America would soon be waving with
corn, its marshes drained, and the voice oI
cheerful labor sounding from hundreds Of
villages. .la.r..
AT little distance we see fscks of sheer
beyond us, and the Campagna shepherd tend.
ing them. A tall, dark figure, with black
elf locks; cleaning eyes shining out from the
shade of tall, steeple-crowned hat; a coat
and breeches of sheep-skin, with the WOO
outside, laced in most primitive fashion
over neither garments of coarse, dark stuff
Sometimes ragged cloak thrown in drapery
| across the breast and over the shoulder-tht
picturesque Roman fashion completes tn
costume. All day long he stands there, gaz
ing vacantly, while his dog, active and intel
ligent, does the real, active work of takinj
care Of the sheep. What is slumbering il
his mind, what he thinks, what he hopes an,
desires, who knows2 Certainly he make
less outward show of energy, sagacisy an
reasoning power than his dog. Yet, thoug
he looks like brigandhe is harmless, stolid
good-hearted fellow, and does all the life
work he thinks of in the fashion his fathe
did before him. Perhaps as we drive by hiI
laughing and talking in our open carriage
he wonders at us as we should if we saw
= vision of supernatural wealth and powe
! People who have nothing to do all day Ion
but amuse themselves-who cross oceans an
spend oceans of money driving round just
! pass time, SO it looks to him, how rich the
must bel ... |t..f