Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1879-11-05
Special Corresp ndence Of Shenandoah nera!d.)
Sights i'm Rome.
ROME. Der, 10. 1879.
Nessrs. Editors:


write of the eternal cry he doesn't
know where to end. and ~hen he ends
he wishes he had not begun. Sc much
Is to be seen, SO many structures oil
an EQUITY magnificent even in their ruin,
t lat one fnds no words adequate to de-
scribe them. Rome was not built IN a
day, aud cannot be seen in day. Two
weeks have barely sufficed to give me
a look at all the places OF Interest,"
There are some objects Of course that
one must visit several times. Such art
St. Peters Cathedral. the Colosseum.
the Pantheon. the Forum Romanum
and the Art Galleries of the Vatican
The tourist on reaching Rome does
not rest long until he has seen St.
Peters the erandst church in the
world. 1t stands on the sic OF the
circus OF Nero where some of the early
christians were torn 10 pieces by wild
beasts for the amusement of hat En-
peror and where the Roman church
affirms St. Peter himself suffered mar
tvrlOm. His tomb Is in the church.
and AL old bronze statue of the apost e
in q sitting posture is IN the main body
of the church. The right foot projects
to receive the kisses OF the deyout, aud
in the course of centuries has hten
almost worn away by contact with the
lips. The popes have lavished untold
sums in extending and Identifying this
church. Up to the present time it has
cost not less than fifty million dollars.
Michael Angelo was the architect who
gave the church its general form and
who constructed the dome. This latter
is perhaps the greatest achievement OF
architectural in modern times, aud it is
interesting TO look into its history. AS is
we'll known this done is a reproduction
Of the Pantheon, that great pagan tenn
pie which remains in the centre Of the
city to-day just as it was built 1900
years ago, and Is now used as a church
and contains the tomb Of the late kim
Victor Enamel as well as that OF the
immortal painter Raphael. The Pam
theon is : round temple and terminates
above in a dome. 1t was Michael
Angeles boast that he would have tie
Pintheon IN midaT ; and so he has
done in the dome Of st. Peters. The
Impressive vaulting ofthe church is an
exact imitation of the three remaining
arches OF another pagan structure-thr
Busalica Of Constantine. Thus we see
that the proudest feat Of modern archi'
lecture is bu a copy Of fragments from
race of builders long since EXTINCT
If We visit the Colosseum It will be more
apparent that the ancient Romans. like
the Mound Builders ofNOrth America,
only on a prander scale, left none
worthy to succeed them. AZ one stands
within this Colosseum, part OF which is
we'll preserved. he is overwhelmed with
awe. As ST. Peters IS the greatest
church in the world, so this was tile
largest theatre. II could accommodate
within it's massive stone walls eighty
seven thou.ond spectators Wien the
audience tired OF gladiator Sights aud
c0mbats ofwild beasts, the arena could
be put under water and naval contests
be gwen. The length Is 584 feet and
width 46S ieet. tie structure being in the
form of an elllpsc. The height OF TIE
vail is l79 feet. So vast do these
dimensions seem TO one standing near
the structure that some writer's lave
been, think, little extravaSaut IL
describing il. UAe calls it "a solid
mass of stOne-work TO whose summit
the human eye can scarcely reath.'
Another says of it, that ut almost reach
I'd the skies" a few centuries ago the
Colosseum was used as n quarry. and
several palaces were built OF material
gotten here. No building SO we'll SYM
boliLes the greatness OF ancient Rome.
The pilgrims Of the eighth century had
a prophetic saying:
"Uhile stands the Colosseum Rome shall stand
when falls the Colosseum Rome shsllfs
And when Rome fai 9, With It shall fall the world.
The greatest number OF relics OF i'm
perial Rome are 10 be seen around the
Roman Forum. This place has been
u late years excavated and the rem
nants of palaces, temples aud mobu
ments brought to light. The forum
occupies low ground between thu
PAlaline aud Capitollne hills, which
aas originally a swamp. Five centarieI
before Christ the Tarquin kings reclaim
ed this marshy ground by building al
, Immense sewer " conduct the water u
r tie T.ber. During the excavation i'll tn
forum The men came upon this ancient
. seser-cxlled by the historians th
Cloaca Maxima-and to-day Que Cal
inspect lts massive stone arch aud 10,
, at tue foul water flowing out to IT.
e Tber as II flow ed in the same arlihcls
5 channel 25U0 years ago.
= Here stands the foundation aud rsl
OF the pavement of the Temple of tn
Caesars. aud one may mount 10 the pla
form where MaIc Antony rOLs d III
people By his dexterOus Grafton over I'll
y dead bud, Ot Caesar.
" At Que end of the Forum is the Nam
crime prison. IL consists Of Two cham
b, rs Ole above the otter and both vi
der ground. The tO,mtr entrance
= Tie lower WAS II rOuLd hole III the srcl
y ed ceiling. One can descend now BY
Il harrow stairway 10 this clark, aud di
II m.l duuseuu @nete JusurtIa was II