The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1874-05-23

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accounts for the exquisite statuary, bron-
yes, frescoes, mosaics, and other works of
art there found. The Greek artists fur
nishcd the skill, and the patrician Romans
the money for their production.
But was greatly interested in inspect
ing the domestic articles in the Museum,
taken from the dead city, whereby the
daily life and habits, and degree of civili-
zation of the Romans of that age may be
ascertained and compared with the present
times. 1t is astonishing how many things
in common use now were in use then.
Here you will see almost every kitchen
utensil, portable cooking stoves, jelly-cake
and butter moulds in the imitation of birds
and flowers; pots, kettles, crooks, dishes,
cups and sauces, spoons, knives and forks,
clippers, skimmers, sauce-pans, frying pans,
lamps, lamp-stands, fesh-hooks, braziers
for charcoal. In word pretty much
every kitchen, dining-room, or chamber
article found in modern use entered into
the economy of the daily life of Roman
antiquity. All the articles Of a lady's
toilette, including jewelry of every de-
scription, were found in houses in Pompeii,
and may be seen at the Museum There
are luminous, transparent vases of glass,
Of the most exquisite form and finish, with
all kinds Of frost work thereon and every
sort of glassware below that, down to
common window glass and glass bottles.
In terracotta the ancients seemed to have
exeelled the modcrns in beauty, boldncss
Of design, and finish. Here are elegant
yotiye statuettes, and sepulchral urns of
many designs, embellished in bas.relief !;
here is the amphora bottle, in which "fne
old crusty wine" was preserved; the mon
ey box, in which the child stored its gift
coins; the dishes which held the choice
yiands at table and other elegant terra
Gotta articles too numerous to mention.
In gold and silver ornaments, corals, and
of precious stones, there is everything to
be found now in first-class Paris jewelry
shop. Taken from the retail shops were
steclyards, balances, weights, and meas
ures From doctors office was recover
ed full set of surgical instruments, inclu-
ding "pollikins" for extracting teeth and
trepans for drilling holes in the skull
There is any number of shoemaker, tailor,
carpenter, and blacksmith tools, and, in
deed, implements of almost every present
mechanical occupation. Taken altogether,
the collection was a surprising revelation
to me, as it has been to others-showing
that the ancients had invented and per-
fected ten thousand implemeots and arti-
cles Of common life which we still use
with little Improvement thereon, and with.
out giving them credit therefor.
Returning to Pompeii for another glance
before we took our departure, l noticed
over the shop door signs in large and or
namental letters, painted on the walls,
naming the business carried on. Stone
hitching. posts for horses were in front of
many Of them. On some of the most fire.
quented streets the hard trayestine rock
pavemcnts were deeply worn into ruts by
the cart-whecls, and the sidewalks also
were much worn by the tread of human
feet The stairways of public buildings
exhibited the same effect of Fiction
Electioneering advertisements were fire.
quently met with on walls of houses, paint
ed in red letters, calling on the citizens to
vote for this or that person for some Office
-geuerally aldermen, justices, sheriff, or
treasurer-perhaps because they paid best,
although no salaries were attached to the
frst-named. One inscription runsi-"The
Scribe lssus requests you to support NJ C..
Vatia, as Edill. He is worthy and well
qualified, Another, translated, reads
"Phillipus beseeches of you to create NJ.
Halconius Decemvir of Justice"-Police
Magistrate, such as "Chief.J Justice" Ban.
yon used to be. Many of the recommen-
dations proceed from trade guilds or unions,
which seem to have been numerous in
Pompeii Some of the inscriptions on the
walls were lampoons of rival candidates.
with caricatures Of their faces or any per.
sonal popularity. In the vestibule of the
High School the following inscription is
scratched on the smooth stucco Of the yell
low wall -" Otiosis hic locus non est !;
discede mOrator"--This is no place for
idlcrs let them begone," or something to
that effect. Another inscription is still
sharper; it reads -" Am disco, ant dis
cetie, dat memet suo tertio cadi !" which,
freely translated, signifies as follows :
Study, or leave, or take a confoundel
good licking" Both inscriptions are evil
IDENTIFY the work of schoolboys. Love SEN
timcnts and ditties are scratched on the
walls. One of them reads, in translation,
"Methe, the slave of Corninia, loves Ores.
tus with all her heart, May the Pompeiian
Venus (the tutelary goddess of the city,
be prcpitious to both, aud may they be
happy together" 1t was probably lam
pooh.
In entering the vestibule of the House
of the Tragic Poet, the first object which
grcets the eye is that Of large, fierce dog
preparing to spring at the intruder. Look
again at the alarming canine, and You see
that it is but device wrought in mosaic
on the pavement, with the inscription be-
meath, "Care caaem' (''Beware of the
dog.") Some of the finest frcsco painting
found in Pompeii is in this building. But