The Portland daily press., 1888-06-18

beast, with a roaring, applauding Roman
populace as spectators. Bl0odless bull fights
are now exhibited here on Sundays through
the summer months to amuse a more en-
llghtened people. The vaults, some of which
we entered below the lower tier of seats,
served as receptacle for wild beasts and
gladiators and communicated with the arena
by huge doors. The spectators Of high rank
occupied the front seats where they could
better feast their eyes, on a nearer sight of
the carnage and fendish agony Of wounded
men and beasts dying rolled together in a
heap Of bleeding mortality. Such were the
"reminiscences Of old Roman culture and civ
ilization Of eighteen hundred years ago,
which the place recalled as we stood in that
vast auditorium. A long staircase led TO the
west tower, which Is one Of the two still
standing. From the top Of this tower there
is a fine view Of southern France, for miles
and miles away, over vast plain with its
lovely fertile valleys, presenting picture Of
grateful verdure to the eye, even on that
early day OF March on which we viewed II.
While as far as the eye could reach, the
mountains touching the sky formed another
great amphitheatre. which seemed to be the
larger ring which enclosed a smaller circle
lar In the centre, in the shape Of this old
arena, from which at the summit we sur
veyed 1t.
The arena itself, with the circular walls Of
the amphetheatre, form perfect whispering
gallery. The guide beckoned my friend to
follow him and i fearing TO lose any part Of
the interesting old place insisted ON going
also, he said l. could go and my friend re-
main, or L could 60 afterward, and so / stood
at the designated place and listened to their
voices scarcely raised above whisper nearly
a hundred yards distant, which sounded as
distinctly In my ear as though they were at
my elbow. also whispered something half
audibly which they afterward repeated 10 me
word for word, having heard 1t all at that
distance. vi the grandeur and charm Of the
whole great place l cannot begin TO give you
any Idea, not even II you have already stood
in the Coliseum at Rome
The hotel which we had taken accidentally
proved to be a gem. After exploring the
arena fer couple Of hours. we felt that we
could no longer allow our friends TO remain
In ease at the expense of losing so much an
Client research. And so before visiting the
old historic Museum and ancient burying
ground, we decided to 90 on TO the hotel
We found the prOprietress one Of those soft
eyed, sweet looking women Of the Aries
type, of which there are 50 many here and
who are so often spoken Of by travellers,
bending over our delicate friend in what
seemed a real enchanted eloister. The light
Of late afternoon Just touched with a
shadow Of evening was stealing in with sub
dued sweetness through the white muslin
curtains, across the parquet laid in brick
tiles Of an hectagonal shape. There was a
huge fireplace which had brass andlrons
with large chunks Of real wood across them,
which seemed like the New England logs Of
long ago, and bespoke the cheer which later
on warmed us in body and spirit, after re-
naming until thick darkness had come on
amongthe skulls Of the old Romans. Every
thing about the inn was characteristic. lit
was, to be sure, very unlike the hotels we
had seen on the Riviera, but 1t grew more
called the words in Boswel's Life Of John
son There is nothing which has yet been
cOntrived by man, by which so much happi-
ness Is produced as by a good inn."
The first thing we visited when we went
out was the Museum, which contained nu-
merous antiquities found In and about Aries.
1t had a Diana, an Augustus, a lot Of sar-
cophagi-and of course there were the usual
old Roman coins, broken nameless statuary
and quantities OF old pottery, but 1t was not
50 50 unlike all very old museums that we could
lnger long In its death-like chilliness. So
we crossed over to the Cathedral Of St.
Tr0phemus, who himself Is said to have been
a disciple Of St. Paul The cathedral was
built in the early centuries and has very
interesting and noted Romanessque portal Of
semi-circular shape, supported by twelve
columns, resting on lions, between which
are saints and apostles, and above, Christ as
judge Of the world. The cloisters have round
and pointed arches and antique pictures, and
capitals dating from various epochs from the
time Of its building up to the sixteenth CEN
tury.
Directly from this we entered the Theatre,
most picturesque ruin, but in an extreme
state OF decay-but what are old ruins werth
II too well preserved? A part Of the old
stage wall Is still standing, and In front
there Is colonnade, of which two columns,
one OF African and one Of Carrara marble,
are still upright The original opening for
letting down the curtain Is still seen distinct
chestra laid with marble slabs, which con-
tanned the seats for persons Of rank, and the
lower tiers Of seats for ordinary spectators
are plainly seen. 1t Is huge building, aad
still after lapse of nearly nineteen centu-
ries produces very striking effect upon the
mind, especially when one thinks Of il as a
scene of former gaiety and as the exponent
OF the culture Of the period. We could not
help imagining the wealthy Roman ladies
Of high estate sweeping in, dressed in the
elegant costly costumes OF the times, seat
ing themselves to listen with whatever intel
ligence their education and training had inn
Dued them, TO whatever plays and dramas
the cultivation OF that classic age had fur
nished, and without wishing to pry too much
into the hiding places Of the human heart,
we wondered II In outward garb and appear
ance so different from ours, the words OF our
Quaker poet might apply
"But human hearts remain unchanged.
Their soTr0ws and their sin,
Their loves and hopes and fears Of old,
Are 10 our own akin"
But we fastened on to the old cemetery as
the dusk OF evening was beginning to gather,
Just giving passing glance to an old obe-
Aoh VA unkuu0n OAASiu 1OuuQ III tuC hllOut
a few centuries ago, and the fragments Of a
Corlnthian pediment, while farther on, near
the banks OF the Rh0ne, we could see the re-
mains OF the old palace OF Constantine. We
found the burylng-ground full OF strange
looking tombs like big stone chests, all COW
cred over with queer hieroglyphics, and at
the end the queerest, quaintest chapel, which
has been standing there all these eighteen
hundred years. There were the skulls OF
veritable old Romans; also a baptistry,
w mia hQu hDan n fxl Int tlsa
Lake of the Dismal Swamp, in the side Of
which was a niche, which had contained
tomb Of some old saint, destroyed in the
time Of the first revolution, together with nu-
merous other depredations all over Aries and
Avignon. This chapel was consecrated by
St. Trophemus, and was mentioned by Dante
in his Inferno. In the Middle Ages bodies
were brought hither for sepulture from a
great distance, so great was its celebrity.
All this the guide of the burying- ground in
formed us, in his rapid Provincial French.
1t was now too dark to see more, and so we
felt our way back to our clOiSter chambers,
following our youthful guide, who seemed
such an innocent and unpretending boy, and
who excited our interest so much that we
told him to keep sage good through all the
coming years until we came again. The
stiffness Of the scene. the hush of the whole
cityat that hour, just after the sun had
fallen, the few people whom we saw wend-
ing their way home In their peculiar cos
wooden shoes on the pavement made real
Acadian effect upon our minds, and we
thought 1t was not far from here that those
French Acadians had been driven by perse-
cutions to make their home across the ocean,
and Of whom Longfell0w has so sweetly
written in his Evangeline.
After eating good, though rather rustic,
dinner, we spent pleasant hour or two be-
fore the blazing fire, which kept us cut Of
bed too long for our next mornings early
start. We called the dignifed walter, who
suggested to us person more fitting as
trained butler of an English country-house
than waiter at large In this rustic place,
and who, like Littimer in David CoDperfeld,
ever reminded us Of our own youth and YER
dancy We told him to wake us at 3 O'Clock,
for If we would dance on the bridge at
Avignon and see Lyons the next night, we
must be off at o'clock in the morning. So
after hasty cafe and a regretful last look,
just as the gray Of morning was growing in
to the light of day, we ratified out of the
round old court and away to the station.
The way the pews In the new churches at
Pennington have ceen selling and renting is,
in the opinion Of the Chronicle, the best evil
dence needed to prove that Farmiugton pe0-
pie have lost none Of their interest In church
going, though they have been without church
homes since the 1886 fire. The pews in the
nau Mathodist chureh xvpra annraiaad from,