The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1882-06-08
The Dead Cities.

Inthe year of our Lord 70 Vesuvius
had an uncommon eruption, which sud.
denly and very completely buried out Of
sight the cities Of Pompeii aud Hercu.
laneum; and they remained 80 buried
for sixteen hundred years-until early in
the last century, when their sites were
accidentally discovered. After N uch
patient labor and at an enormous ex-
pense, about one.third pari of these dead
and buried cities has been dug up; and
the excavations are still going on. Vast
treasures of gold and silver, rare statuary.
paintings, and household utensils were
recovered in good condition, and many
of these ats now preserved, as 1 have
said, in the National Museum at Naples.
The paved streets have been cleared of
rubbish, and compare favorably with
those of the cities of to-day. The hous.
es are open to inspection, and one can
easily gather from them good idea of
the manner of life among the people who
were buried into eternity with such
frightful celebrity eighteen hundred
There is large museum just within
the main gate of Pompeii, in which are
stored vast numbers Of articles recovered
from the uncovered houses. These are
bottles, vases, plates, cups, lamps, money
boxes, jars, door locks, bolts, bells, eggs,
nuts, pieces Of bread, dried fruit, glasses,
towels, candlestcks, ladies, scales, nee.
dies, baskets. funnels, etc. But, among all
these familiar things, was most impress.
ed with an iron safe-an actual iron safe
identical in pattern with those knobbed
articles that only few years ago were
considered the best safes in the world for
banking houses and counting rooms.
And yet dozens Of persons have within
nifty years taken out patents for newly
invented safes.
saw also lot of fish.hooks of the
identical pattern now so eagerly priced by
anglers-the veritable Limerick hook.
Is the world progressing? And then
there are PROSTATE figures of men and
women--oue of the latter evidently on
the point of becoming mothcr-skele-
tons OF horses, cats, dogs, and rats. And
there are many skulls-one of them still
retaining some of its hair. All these
dreadful trophies snatched from tie !, ws
OF death serve to illustrate tho terrors of
the dreadful night when fire and 5rim.
stone rained upon the devoted cities and
wrapped them in the darkness of death
and desolation.
II may judge from paintings and
and from translations of numerous in.
scriptions on door.posts, the people of
Pompeii wero not strictly virtuous in
every respect, for there is everywhere
evidence that they had reached a re.
maraably high or low degree of licen-
tiousness, as we'll MS Of luxury, Almost
every house had its hot and cold bath.
its spacious yard or garden, its statuary
and pictures, and excellent culinary ar.
rangements. But now it is silent city.
It's houses arc tenantless, and it's streets
are trodden only by the feet Of curious
tourists. All is desolation-still bcauti-
full and wondrously attractive, but dead.
Despite its paintings and its statues, and
| its glorious sunshine, it WAS to me but q
pathetic suggestion Of woe and despair.
would not care to live in n dead city,
and if did, l could find one nearer
home.-Lcfter in the BaHimoyc american.