Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1872-03-21
mo. 29l
what - Merchant Saw In Europe.
NAPLES, ITALY,
Saturday. April {

! Some of them tell it too truly. Against
/ the foul obscenity, the worse than ami
NAL carnality, the supertiuity of nasti-
ness, place the wrath of a just God, and
we see abundant reason for the sad fate
| of Pompeii. Public morals at so low an
ebb, RIGHTEOUSNESS 50 all-pervading, that
upon home walls we see pictures en-
blazoned, pictures which might cause a
| barbarian to blush, and to make a sensi-
tive observer turn with loathing. Let us
go to the public baths where Glaucus
was wont to repair The plunge bath
and the waiting rooms are patterns of
elegance, and it seems as if we should
be rewarded by peep at the olden time
bathers. A Pompeiian's dressing room
was at the bath, where he not only per-
formed all his additions, but all the nice
ties of his toilet. The people who lived
here were were scrupulously neat and
clean, but must have lived in fearfully
cramped quarters. Hilliard says, ''If a
merchant or lawyer of Boston or New
York could be carried back some eight
cen hundred years in time, and become
the guest of householder of correspond
ing position in Pompeii, he would be re-
ceivedin an atrium adorned with mOsaics,
fresco paintings, marble statues. richly
carved columns, and stuccO ornaments
in comparison with which his own mod
est drawing-room would seem a very
commonplace affair." but when he came
to retire for the night, his host would
show him into a small, dark, miserable
closet, without furniture and without
windows, such as he would deem hardly
fit for dog that he loved. Tho ancient
inhabitant of Pompeii, when he felt a
disposition to sleep, asked only for a
place to lie down upon" The house of
Pansa, the largest private dwelling of
Pompeii, is bounded by four of the main
streets; It's dimensions were 300x121
feet. 1t must have been very palace,
with its tropical garden in the centre,
and large fountain, with a reservoir in
one corner. Here five female skeletons
are found. Poor creatures, what little
comfort was cOmpaniOnship in that try
ing hour, to the house of the ''AnchOr, "
so called from an anchor set in mosaic
on the front door step. The house of
the Faum derives its name by bronze
statue of the Dancing Faun" found
here. The front doorstep of this man.
sion has in marble letters the word
Have" translated Good Morning -
Twas here that wonderful mosaic en-
blematic of the battle of ''Issus and
Granicus" was found. On the floor of
one of the bedrooms we saw a most cx-
quisite mosaic of two birds taking Jew
els from a box. Corinthian pillars sur
round the fruit garden of the house of
the Faun, and everything betOkens the
wealth and much reveals the lewdness or
its ancient proprietor. We observe mol
ten lead run in with the mortar to give
sOlidity to the walls of this house.
have mentioned but few of the many
houses we have visited, but do not care
to surfeit you with details Dinner had
not been forgotten in one of them, for a
solitary pot stood on the stove when it
was unearthed, and bronze dish, upon
which was a sucking pig ready for bak-
ing, and a batch of bread. A recent
visitor to POmpeii SAYS of a house re
Gently unearthed, Picture a dwelling
running back from the street, the front
a suit of small reception rooms, the mid
die, two open rOotless courts, atrilm and
peristyle, divided by a drawing room,
against the windows (for there were
glass windows i'll Pompeii) of which,
when privacy was required, curtains
could be left down, an arcade beheath
with doors opening to the offices, and a
hall leading to the street door The in
ner court was sacred to the family
Double rows of columns mapped out a
mellow gloom in the perfumed retreat
where ladies spent their elegant leisure
The pavement of alternate brick and
marble diamond-shapes, is still perfect
Painting of colors that would harmonic
with the flowers and shrubbery, adorned
the doors opening out of the boudoir
bedrooms, and are still fresh and beauti-
full Everything is designed with rerer-
ence to elegant privacy, for little inter
conrse of families were known in RO
man life. In the peristyle of this house
there was found the skeleton of hen
only. all other living creatures had left
it.
In the atrium, however. d woman en-
deavoring to escape had fallen dead.
She had gathered jewels and amulets
and was fast escaping, when death ar
rested her in the outer court. Of the
inhabitants of Pompeii thousands doubt
less persisted, though many more were
saved. Hand in hand large crowds
CROPPED their way through the streets,
and escaped to the open country. At
the chief gate there stood a sentinel,
who sternly kept his post, and died i'll the
harness. Planted in his sentry box, he
covered his mouth with his tunic, and
held Oh against the choking and sulphur
Gus shower. But the ashes fell and fell,
filing the streets beyond possibility Of
being passed, and buried the soldier.
He was found there, d standing skeleton
grasping a rusted sword.
A lad of twenty and girl of sixteen
were found clasped i'll each others en-
brace and mother and three children
clasped hand i'll hand. Could we know
the heroes of Pompeii and their deeds of
valor in that last awful hour, we might
have picture redecming traits Of char
acter, while evidence we now have
stamp their fate as merited At the
POmpeii museum we saw the family
utensils, lOaves of bread, gold rings.
combs, urns, fish, skeletons, money,
etc | should think it a perfect para
disc for an antiquarian. But one soon
tires of sight seeing under a hot sun, and
we found it difficult to appreciate the
forum, Temple of Jupiter, and the
ampitheatre. With commendable per
severance since the year 1855 the gov
eminent of Italy has prosecuted the cx-
cavatiOn. | cannot describe the sesa-
lions which encompass us as we turn to
the right and to the left, the haunting
illusion that the Pompeians left their
ruined city but yesterday. City it is
for with all distinCtness are the streets
marked by the constant wear of chariot
wheels The houses and shops daily
being brought to the daylight of the
10Th century, resurrected from a burial
in the LIST century. Here are figs and
almonds, dates and dried faults which
ripened in that age when the blood of
Christ was yet red upon His cross.
Here are blackened loaves of bread yet
bearing the makers name. Ink stands,
locks, silver spoons, pill boxes, elastic
springs. bottles, and bells, left as they
were when their owners run for dear
life.
There is no ancient city with which we