St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1883-11-03
The Appian Way.

The Appian Way was the great south
ern road from Rome, leading through
Capua to Brundusium, and was built
81 B. G. The manner OF its building
showed that the ancients understood
the art, and their method of construc-
ton might be adopted to-day. They
cut two parallel burrows to indicate its
width, and then they removed the earth
till they came to the hard bottom, and
ibepan construction with sand.
It was paved with stone, the hardest
that could be found, which, after being
smoothed and polished, were cut in cor
responding angles so as to bite together
in iointures without the intervention OF
copper or any other metal to bind them,
making perfectly smooth road which
over two thousand years of the heaviest
kind of wear has not broken or materi-
ally injured. To-day the road is smooth
and good, and will be for ages.
The famous road was constructed by
Appius Claudius, and it has immortal
lied him. The .sAppian Way" will be
known after the deeds of Caesar are for
gotten, and which is as it should be.
Appius did something for the men and
mules of all time This is hint for
some American who is thirsting after
immortality. Let him build a good
road from somewhere to somewhere,
and get his name tackled upon it. The
..Smithian Way would be more endur-
ing than lath and plaster female SEM
| mary or seat in Congress.
It is narrow street, but as vehicles
,-r, c,,t MT IL iC wide
| enough
However, it is a depressing road, and
| one which one having no business but
| the investigation Of the ancient, does
| not care to pass over but once. Every
| foot of it is sacred to the memory OF
! some man or event, and it is lined its
| whole length with tombs or rather the
| ruins of tombs. 1t was the favorlte
place to bury the great dead, or rather
along its length were built the tombs
| which were to embalm their memories
| forever.
"Forever!' How little men who have
the insane notion of living in memory
| ..forever'' comprehend the meaning OF
| the word! Thousands of men prominent
| in their day died expecting to be re-
| membered '.forever," and imposing
tombs were built to hold their ashes,
and inscriptions upon them record their
names and deeds, and after a lapse Of
two thousand years all that is left o.
them is mass of ruins which travellers
punch about with their canes, after
which they 90 back to their hotels and
read up their histories, or pretend to-
in the guide book. g Forever is
I long time. It is better to live for the
Immediate present, for the " forever
is unattainable for the greatest. There
were forgotten Napoleons and Caesars
long before the Appian Way was built
and there are Caesars and Napoleons
coming who will take the place OF those
whom we now worship. AS children
are being born every day, and always
will be, Immortality is rather Difficult
4 thing to achieve. Time has been roll
| ing on, time will roll on, and TIM
is a great engulfer. 1t will wear GU
| the greatest deeds and swallow up tn
vastest renown. Yet there are thos
| who, with their eyes turned towar'
posterity, feel good at being elected t
State Legislature, and many me-
| take great pride in being made seere
tary Of county political convention
/ ID. r. Locke, an Toledo Blade.