The New Orleans crescent. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1866-1869, 1868-11-12

sesed up ana on the marble face. the name: OF
children engraved; and thought o. me t,Me
forms we're burned under the waving cypress;
Yes. here on this very hill stood the old funers,
altsrs and here the flames cracked and leaped
and eiowed, and here the empers were coneo'eu
and sieeped in wine for final urniug.
Ourside the gate, are various objects Of an IN
terestjpe kind that illustrate Roman Ire. Vcero
villa soecslied 10 on that street. The piilsrs are
in the style Of go much OF t1s and
then a block of " tufa" which II volcanic rock.
Not far of is a semicirculsr ediice. with line
Of rock seats within, which was used oy traveIs,s
who Glanced to remain without the walls al nIsn..
Ciose nv il the house for the guards, the sentry
hor also standing. Passing these You rescn tue
Herculaneum gate. which has central arcnway
twenty feet high and fifteen feet wide. through
this YOU enter Pompei. a., H..
II "a Pompeii stili, so natural 80 lifelke. Inc
Ionp streets shine in the sun the houses sLe0u
av sy in regular lines; the walks ring iresny "
your steps; Pompeii yet! But in rev hisoch.d
Won realize all the ghostly form and pale olsncnea
look. and the hushed stiffness city nitea ron
its huge sarcophagus, its burial sheet unwouna,
and The miracle OF The resurrection oe,or9 oux
eyes, clear bold. startling; fompenf ' sss .oe,
living again! Is not this the wonder OF tne age,
And then wandered on. half-awake ana pan
dreaming. The streets are very narrow, msny OF
them being mere alleys. We nave Two profess
them AZ q single step. How vehicles passed IN
most of them was unable to see. But they are
finely paved. The blocks used for this purpose
are generally about the sizs OF barrel head ana
are firmly imbedded in the ground. 10 the more
unfrequented parts of the city these blocks bear
The marks of wheels, and between the curostones
that line the footways on the sides, there are
raised stepping stones at the intersecuons rs =.
streets on which foot passengers crossed. Inc
names of these thoroughfares are quite charac-
teiistic, such as Mercury, Fortune; and Judging
from their appearance, should lnier tnat they
were laid out with special reference to drainage
Qulvarta still
visible. such care for health and comfort must
have been required not only by the warmth OF the
climate and the danger from malaria but by the
densely crowded houses which must nave oocu-
pied all the available space.
The shops are quite diminutive. Most OF them
are neat little band-boxes in comparison with our
stores, Jet always strongly built and conveniently
arranged. I saw q bakers shop, in which the
| mills Tor grinding are still standing, and ct one
| end of the ROOM Q bake oven as much like Dutch
| oven as Holland or Pennsylvania could show. A
shop for the sale of wine and oil exhibits the coun-
ter containing large bottles or jars. while At the
side is Q range of shelves used for glasses Loun-
| gers at these places must have been poorly &C.
| commodated. But the habit Of the PompeiIans
was 10 lounge in the sunshine and open air. Evil
| IDENTIFY they were an outdoor people. Tne dwell
ipps are generally houses not homes, or al least,
not homes as we understand the term. Those 90
m, site arrangements, we consider so essenusi 10
/ the privacy of individual members OF the house
| hold, were foreign to their habits and tastes;
| 10 common wants and very simple conveniences.
Where wealth allowed it, provision was very fully
| made for company, though the NUMBER OF guests
| entertained on any one occasion must nave peen
| small.
| among the largest and most snowy houses are
those of Sallust and of Panse. The former, taxing
its name from the inscription o. Sailust, NJ; on
the outer wall, covers a surface estlmated az Az
wards SQUARE, while the latter, including the space
OF ibe garden, occupies an area over 300 feet oy
III. lu all this class OF mansions the atrium Is
prominent. Decorative art Is never waning LOT
| its adorr ment. few feet from the walls that
| bound the inner line of the chambers and private
rooms pillars generally seen, and IN the center
| of the tesselated pavement lying within these or
namental columns is a marble reservoir Tor water
(lmpluvum or compluvium). Over this basin tne
| roof was open, though it might be closed by an
awning. Beyond the atrum are other apartments
connected with O colonnade, among them the
eatrg lall and the picture gallery. Frescoes are
very commonly seen on the walls. SIatuary
abounded in these miniature palaces. Elegan
tastes. whose memorials are still fresh and beau
tiful appear in paintings and DINER forms OF EN-
bellishment.
shell work grotto that was very striking. iron.
inc the little garden at the rear OF the honse ~
, | arch fountain basin, were deliberately finished II
the best style OF art. On the pavement vi n
vestibuum, you would sometimes see odtse,
: a.. Aue.n in large letters OF mosaic work and o.
= the floor of the " Tragic Poets House,, saw IN
: place where the mosaic OF the dog had pee
a found. On subsequent visit to the museum,
took special interest 10 TINS aog. py 90 mea hu
y " Care CdneTn " in good large letters unoer 10
(, animal. gave me together with his chain and 100
!. bad opinion OF him and good opinion OF b
, master the Tragic Poet" who doubtless thougi
- that dogs ought to be banished from tragedy
% Your professor and myself have great respe'
. ON the whole, those houses would not haV
suited either your professor or yourselves. "a
"a cold floors the absence Of chimneys, the substt
r. ton Of the brszer for the hospitaple heats
N wonld not have accorded with your notions.
n am of the same way of thinking. If we had bee
10 Pompeiians we should have undoubtedly DoafdS
A with the baker who had big bake oven.
But to see the genius of P0mpeii one must 81
r. the public edi6ces. Everywhere 10 tnem u
h. Roman idea of vastness. strength, endurance
o. | painly visible, while at the same time the orn
;. | mental figures such as the Bacchantes and u
a Fsups and the frescoes Of arabesques, show u
! Greek taste. Around the forum most OF the tei
ne Piles are situated. Here are the temples OF "a
ter of Fortune, of Venus, and also the Panthe'
ard the Baslica; and grand they must have De-
with their courts and statues, their pillars 81
porticoes. for they are grand even now as r1lr
gv Some of the sltsrs, with their panels OF carv
IN figures are surprisingly fine. Asl walked arou
w them or leaned upon their marble slabs, now ba
and cold and read their inscriptions, II was
;, hour for the vivid recall of those facts Will
a. these symbols suggested.
-, The whole scene at this point was most impre
l.S sye. Situated at o distance Of 400 yards from
~, Herculsneum Gate, the Forum commanded b.
~, liant view Of Vesuvius and the Apennines, VIM
"a near at hand. broke the coming wave: OF
gu finest bay in the world. Slopes and plains, =
80 races that nourished the fruitful vine, te
Gu where Nature was prodigal Of all her choice
10 gifts and art equally lavish with her magn
ma cence, all lay as gorgeous outspreSd before
nss around. Through what an atmosphere, 80 sc
y, ~ 90 clear so transparent, these things we're SCI
y, ana over all what armament bent with its ar
y. varying in hue from horizon to zenith ana sn
I'M mr.
90 TINS of splendor, no one can ever know unless
pr has stood as stood in winter on this spot, and
'se seen for himself the most respondent panora
,es that the earth presents.