Delaware gazette. [volume] (Delaware, Ohio) 1855-1886, 1868-05-15
Letter From Rome

4 We are. permitted make the follow
] ing e4faet FROM tiTaBe letter Feceiv-
ed from friend Of ours now travelling
in Italy.
I'D faf HGaEE, April 8, IS
From the heading of this let
ter you win p5raalg lge that I am I7s Rome,
the former mistress of the world, the
city Of Interesting and gloomy associa-
glousi Of EIand Oh 1ins and Of splen-
/ did MODERN AFel tlae city around which
/ cluster ideas of nu0mentOus import, the
city, which, hone is yet to be the
grand capital of the fair land Of Italy.
| The 10Th Of March we left Leipzig Tor q
/ tour thr0ugh Germany, Italy and SWitz-
eriand. Our way lay through Dres-
den. the S9 iizefiBnd; +; Prague,
! across the Adriatic Sea TO Niee-''the
Queen of the-AdEIalie - Florence, /
Rome, Naples, NesMvius, Herculanpum,
and P0mpeii, SorrentO, a lively place.
where Mrs. H. EaasleF Stowe laid The. /
scene Of her agnes Of Sorrento AT
all the abOve-named places we have
stopped long eHoN o Edo Them up'' 4
tn fine style; ]. e. 10 see every thing Of
interest ana fplppTtance. But 1t is im- l
possible % give 20 eveu meag out- 4
line OF Wnat We have seen. YhIs classic il
land has an especial interest both to /
Mrs. ---, and myself, to her because Il
she loves and udfeS the hne artss to II
me, because Of it's classic and historic i
associations. no classicallY educated Il
gentleman if he can possibly alfslrd d, i
should omit to visit italy, and especiHl- u
~ Rome. p8nt iutPallegntly y
in Italy Is worth q years study al I
hOnes oh, hoH ae1 EaEin Clasefcs and i
Roman history IRE invested with new
charals and tlt5aFs6s7 alter having vfsf-
ted the places 81 the grand hiseuri;
events, The places whafs q Virgil, q II
HOraee sang, where Cicero spoke hts
burning words /; ard Aacitus, Livy and
Sallusb wrote their histories; where 4
Julius Cesar, Augustus, Titus and Yes
pasian celebrated their victories where
Nero and Ca1lgula perpslrated fheiri
gloomy infeEnaf deedss WhPre the
grand Apostle Paul preached and labor
ed for two years; where the Christians
suffered martyrd0m, where the Trium-
viraie, the Republic, the COusuIates,
the Empire h0urisbed, declined, and
fell What new ideas we derive from q
visit to the Coliseum Of the plays, &C.,
OF the ancient Romans To Razs upon
Trajan. Of Titus Of Septimus Severus,
&c, is TO read their conquests aud vic
tories in living characters to stand
within the ruins of the Palace of the
Caesars and gaze upon their preserved J
staithess- is almost equal to standing ia
their VeriGabl6 presence to visit their
exhUmed gardens, am pbitheatres, and Z
baths, is to see them revel in their lux
ury and to give themselves up to pleas
ure and enjoyment; to stand among
the ruins of their Temples and behold
the aItars and statues of their GsBds
and guddesses, is to see them worship
ing at the shrines of beauty and
strength. No wonder that Rome was
once the mistress of the world, when
Nature and Art com bined to make her
the crowning work of their plastic
forces.
But Rome, as we'll as the whole Of
Italy, has also Its shady side. No
where else do we see so much abiect
poverty, degradation, ignorance, super
stilion, beRgary, thievinR, stealing,
cheating, defrauding, and commit
ting all kinds Of crimes as here
A swarm of filthy, lazy, idle, Ignorant,
much consuming, and n0n-prUducinR
priests and monks suck the life -blood
from this people and are the WitherinR
and bIighting curse aud crushing inCu-
bus of this fair land. Not until the enc
tire Roman hierarchy from the Pope
down TO the filthy Capuchin Monk, Is
a abolished, comfortable churches and
free schools built and opened and the
rising generation educated, is there
hope Tor the elevation and uniication
of Italy. Garibaldi should be made
Director Of all Italy for ten years aIad. II
would become a great country and a
great people.