Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1888-12-29
A CITY OF France.
Interostin. Account of the Sights to BE
Seen ut Nismes.

Interesting Account of the Sights to BE
Seen ut Nismes.
At Nismes we have been having feast Of
antiquity. "You Americans are always
hunting for Did things" an English lady said
to me the o.her day. you are SO dread
fully new in your own country" l soon
found that OF any rate her knowledge of cur
history did not extend back very far for she
had never heard of our Revolution, and was
much astonished when told her that in my
native town. not far from Boston, stands a
house built more than 200 years ago. Her
next question almost took my breath away.
(which side did Boston take in your sad
civil wara" 1t is both amusing and provok-
ing to see how little even cultivated English
people know about ourcountry. One gentle
man asserted to me recently that Boston was
south of Baltimore, and was quite sure was
mistaken when ! denied the statement. l
could not, however, deny that Americans do
seek out old things and many Of them come
to Nismes for this very purpose.
The town contains some Of the best Roman
ruins existing, especially very perfect tenn
pie, which has been less injured by time and
war than any building in Rome itself-the so
called Maison Carree. This temple was prob
ably erected by Marcus Aurelius, whose
adopted father, Antoninus Plus was native
of Nismes; but SO little remains Of the inscrip-
tiol, on the frieze that its history is uncertain.
1t is not square, as its name implies. but a
parallelogram, being eighty-two feet by
forty, and is surrounded by thirty
beautiful Corinthian columns, twenty OF
which are attached to the walls of the celia,
or interior temple, while ten form the por-
tico The proportions are perfect, and the
ornaments Of the cornice and the frieze are
exquisite. Cardinal Alboroni said that this
relic of antiquity deserved gold case; and
Napoleon proposed to carry it off stone by
stone and set it up at Versailles; as if such a
dissertation would not have ruined it.
Near by stands the arena, a Roman amphi-
theatre, resembling the Colosseum and quite
as perfect, though only one-fourth the size.
1t must have held "a, 900 people, however,
when filed, and there are thirty-two rows Of
seats, divided into four sections, the lowest
being for the dignitaries and their families,
the neIt for the patricians. Still higher sat
the common people, and highest of all the
slaves. The stones of which it is built are
enormous laid one upon another without
any cement. The dungeons for captives and
the places where wild beasts were confined
are still there.
We saw recently striking painting of a
Christian family being led forth from Just
such cell up the stone steps from the dark
ness below into the light and roar Of the
arena above, whose crowded seats are Just
visible, all thirstiug for the victims blood.
The mother falls back fainting, but the chill
dren are led on. We stood where the very
group might have Stood and fancy easily
brought back the scene. OF course, martyr
doms like this occurred but seldom, while the
brutal gradiator combats formed the staple
amusement of the arena, the joy and recrea-
ton Of the Roman populace that filled these
streets 2 200 years ago.
To my mind the most impressive ruin in
Nisnes Is tho so called Tour Magne, which
stands a little apart from the city upon a
slight hill AntiQuarians have been much
divided in opinion as to its nature, whether a
tomb, O watch tower or fertilization 1t
was most probably tomb. A most melan-
choly and imposing pile, utterly alone and
desolate, 1t looks out over the surrounding
country a landmark from afar. 1t is about
100 feet high, octagonal in form above and
six sided at the larger basa. The sarcophagus
that must have stood within and the bones
inferred thus magnifcently disappeared ages
ago.
The people of Nismes utilize the arena for
sports, actually holding bull fights there
once year, in May, bull fights to which the
renowned ''toradoros" of Spain condescend
to come, and among the relics of antiquity
they have one that their little guilds book
designates as their pet" a pet ruini How
charmingi This one is called Diana's temple,
a pretty, ivy covered cluster Of broken
arches and cells. In reality it was Roman
bath, q Nymphia, but the Nimois do not
thank the savants for telling them so; they
insist that it was 8 temple, and show the
place where Dianas statue stood, and where
the priest concealed himself to make the
goddess speak We listened gravely, and be-
heved and paid the pretty girl who showed
the place. Believing is SO much more
aniable than doubling. We even gave
credit to the little book above referred to
when it said that Nismes was built like
Rome on seven hills. though the only hill
that we can find is that of the Tour Nagae,
and when looked down from the top OF the
tower the city lay before Us as fat as a
checkerboard--Cor. San Francisco Cnron-
icle.