The Penn's Grove record., 1884-11-29
Cortnae.

Bill Nye says we arrived in Rome Via
the Rock Island road, and an old cattle
friend Of mine from North park, VINO 10
STAYING here, invited me 30 come aud
visit him during my stay In the city.
He is here, he says, 10 obtain that polish
which he was unable 10 obtain on the
range. 1t has long been hrs hearts
dearest wish TO 90 abroad and complete
an already thorough education. DE was
always pretty far in arithmetic, aud
could cipher the socks right of our most
eminent men, but hs was q little rusty
on R)me, he says.
he has been showing HE the town
and telling NE all about it. Rome, he
says, has been the county-seat OF this
county Tor upwards OF 2 500 years, and
still they haven't got d tirst-class hotel
in the place. Romulus filed on Rome
under the desert lsud act 800 years be-
fore Christ, and built a lunatlc asylum
on the Capitoline hill, In those days
everybody was highly educated, and
every common Dago on the streets could
talk the dead languages like a Normal
school graduate. Greek and Lstin were
talked Just as common at q prize fight or
church sociable IN Rome, among the
middle and lower classes. as clgar-oox
Spanish Is in Southern Colorado to-day.
Before the Christian era Rome was
ruled by kiOgs who were elected Tor
life or during good behavior. Tins
was done TO curtaiI campaign expenses,
80 that the surplus funds could be FILTERED
away on bread and other Roman delica-
cles. There was also a Senate and a
College of Pontl6ces and two-lnch augurs
Who explained the will of the gods.
These augurs became at last q great bore
(htruscan relic found hear q Roman
corral).
For many years there was q squabble be-
tween the patiicisns and the pieoians
Tie pstriclans were people who had made
a good deal of money, and whose blue
blooded daughters showed their proud and
high lineage by eioping with the family
coachman. Inc plebeisns, az a rule, were
not checked up 20 high, but they generally
got their Eli with both feet, as a proud
Roman told me yestedsy as he locked his
Roman nose into d tumbler of Roman
punch.
Rome got this term ''plebeian,, | learn,
from West Poiut at an early day.
They had pretty hot times from that on
for tour hundred years more. Sometimes
one was on top and sometimes the other.
/ could give a long and glowing resume OF
the history Of healhen Rome IN my W
crude way, II | had space, but l have not.
The present Rome is built over forty or
fifty test OF debris that is between two and
three thousand years old. Those who
nave been in Chicago when the street
gang was engaged IN raklng up old per-
sonalities aud things that had been accum-
ulatlng for atty years, will remember the
subtle odor OF the deceased past. (Ex-
/ cuse ME a moment while l 20 and eat a
nv mouth Well, Rome Is Older, and
therefore, Il is worse, / hate TO speak
about Z, but when they are ~excsvstlng for
a new building here and turn up a few
discarded socks OF the time Of Romulus,
along with other relics OF a forgotten era,
the excaVlsts run and stick their noses
into the bosom Of 4 Limburger cheese,
aud the people fee to the mountain till 1t
is safe to come home again. This puts a
kind OF damper on buIidirg, and real es'
tate Is rather dead. At least, II is not
feeling well. So they only bulid Il new
house every 1ity OF SIXTY years. Then 1t
takes half a century for the air to get fresh
again. / have been trying tor several
days 10 dnd some Roman candles to take
home with me, hut have failed so far /
should feel ashamed OF myself TO make
this long and expensive trip TO Rome, The
very hVt.bed OF ROmaD candles, and ther
20 nome without auY.