The Portland daily press., 1886-08-18
OUR FOREIGN LETTER.
Special Correspondence of the PREss.)

Special Correspondence of the PREss)
GHETTO AT ROME.
We left Paul at the Capena Gate, but we
took another day to hunt up what traces there
are left of his life in Rome. Every old city
in Europe has its Ghetto, or Jews Quarters,
and here we were sure to find Paul's home.
Although Roman he was Jew, and turned
to his brethren first in whatsoever place he
went. When Paul came to Rome there were
probably three distinct circles of Christians,
who worshipped in private homes Aquila
and Priscilla's gatherings are traced to the
site of very old building ON the Aventine
Hill. Another band of disciples met in
Clemens's house, which must be the lower of
two structures, now inaccessible on account
of water, under St. Clemens Church. There
was third in Puden's house, which the Ro-
man Catholic traditions describe as the hos
pitable roof under which all Christian stran-
gers found welcome home during their So
journing in Rome. Under the church Sta
Pudentiana is located an oratory and bap-
tistry, which was built later by the daugh-
tiers of Pudens; and from these facts this
church is called the mother of the Roman
Christian churches. We know Pudens, who
may have been PauPs half brother, was
wealthy centurion, and could well afford to
entertain visitors, and most likely left his
children ample means to build churches, and
lend their aid in establishing new religion.
We have two legends from different sources,
which assist us in locating exactly Paul's
residence in the Ghetto; one comes from the
Jews account, which points to an old Roman
Af hot DOT md ba1d NV
church, which marks a house near by, in
which school was kept by Paul. A COM
paratively small colony of Jews was here at
| that time, and doubtless the neighborhood
about PauPs house was more respectable
| than to-day. 1t was not long after Paul's
death that Titus captured Jerusalem, and
| the Jews began to feel once more the bitter
experience of captivity, which their fathers
had bewailed so often in their past history.
Following in the footsteps of their forefa-
theirs, who erected the pyramids of Egypt to
perpetuste the glorisus achievements of their
heather oppressors, sixty thousand of these
captives labored under Roman taSkmasters
| to build the Coliseum From the days of
| Titus the Jews troubles increased on every
hand, until the nominal Christian religion,
4 uliuCl tuC DdHlIOl VI pOPCos WAC CoedD-
| lished. 1t was was then they had their hard
| est times The Papal power, like Pharaoh of
| old, feared that they might become a power
| full antagonist or disturbing community, held
| them in contempt, and plotted to hem them
| in on all sides, and crush out their ambition.
| In the days of the early popes they were not
allowed to learn trades or carry on respec-
| table or lucrative business, but were kept
| as rag pickers and dealers in old clothes and
| junk. The men were obliged to wear yellow
| stockings and the women to put yellow in
| their turbans or head gear, that the Romans
| could flee from them as lepers or small pox
| objects. Even down to the time Of Pho No
| no Jew had no right to be seen in the city
| after dark. The gates were locked, shutting
| in all the jewellers of the Ghetto at sunset,
| and opened at sunrise; but the more they
| were oppressed the more they increased in
| numbers, in their basket and in their store.
| Often history could relate when a priest
| would gather his skirts about him and clasp
| the hard hand of Jew, if he could only
| squeeze some money from his pocket The
| poor Jews were surrounded with everything
| to mar their enjoyment of life. In their
midst was the prison, where assassins, muir
derers and criminals of the blacklist dyes
| were incarcerated, and the square where the
| executions took place. The building is seen
to-day decorated with sculpturings Of John
| the Baptist's head. These poor souls had no
friends but the brothers of the miserecordia,
| who used to administer to their spiritual
\ wants, accompany them to the scaffold, and
take charge of the mortal remains, which
/ al
In this vicinity one church is shown, in
which most Jealous pope resorted to ex-
IRENE measures to convert the Jews. He
used to have them driven at stated times in to
listen to gospel truths; but from the crowds
| we saw flocking to the synagogues on Satur-
| day, the only day Christian can wriggle his
| way about the streets when the shops are
| closed, we do not think his methods of evan
! geliZation were very efficacious or perma-
| nent. In the center of this section is the
| square, termed to this day the Vale of Tears,
| for here the banished captives used to gather
| and moan over their hard lot.
Among these people Paul sought his kins-
| men and began his preaching. The early
churches were in this vicinity and near the
| palaces of the Caesars, so that most likely
| tidings of the stir that Paul's new doctrine
| was creating often came to the ears of the
| rulers through the household servants.
| About the time Paul came to Rome Nero was
| spending large sums of money in beautify-
| ing the city, and probably had conceived the
| idea of his Golden Palace, which was built
| soon after PauPs death. This palace with
| its connecting buildings spread over mile
| in extent under the Palatne Hill, and on an
| elevation in this enclosure stood his colossal
| golden statue, 100 feet high from the pedes-
| tai. Now as Nero forecast his luXuriating
| in such gorgeous abode, he saw that the
view from his windows would be seriously
marred by the sight of a district where the
| poor lived in waffle houses. which look much
| like smutty stacks of hay. These were an
| eyesore to him; and he was determined to
| clear them out. He failed in all his expedi-
| ents to move the inhabitants, and at last
| caused a fire to be set. Unfortunately the
| flames took broader sweep than he inten-
ded and nearly destroyed the city. Suspi-
| picion rested upon Nero, who saw no way to
| crawl out of the dilemma and save his own
| head but to inSinuate that it was the work
| of the Christians, thus directing the wrath
| of the populace upon this despised sect. The
mob was insatiate for revenge; and Nero,
| wishing to make a good show of his limo
cence by his zeal to punish the offenders,
offered his own circus, on which st. Peters
Cathedral stands to-day, for place of tor
| ture. AS Paul was the leader, there is little
doubt he was the first to be seized and to be
| made an example. The Obelisk in the Vati-
can square stood that day in Neros circus,
and looked down upon these scenes. If the
| struggling lines upon its sides told these tales
| instead of unfolding Egyptian riddles we
could know more of PauPs lastdays. Beneath
the shadow of this obelisk, which once cast
It's dark line over Egypt's soil, where Pauls
forefathers were held in bondage, is treas
ured in the church archives golden casket,
which holds, we were told by the infalllble
authorities, half the body of each martyr, st.