Custer chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, Black Hills, D.T. [S.D.]) 1880-1890, 1889-12-21
ITALY TO ATHENS
The Ancient City of Rome
Is a Very Dirty
City.
Hopeful Condition of Italy,
Graphic Pictures of
Naples.
The TaImage Party Experiences a
Miserable Railroad Journey A
Landlord Who was willing
to BE Ignorant.
Talmage on the Wing.

htheiis yesterday aiVtr udIh' anu 4 pen
this letter in the ''Hotel de la Grande
Bretagne, sur la place du Palais Royal,
Athenes, Greece" / think that | COW
cred in my last letter all that l care to
say in detail about sightseeing in Rome.
We went the usual rounds. which have
been described over and over again. To
characterize the city in general terms, ]
should say that it strikes me as being
the most remarkable combination of the
ancient, the medieval and the modern
that can DO conceived. AS l walked its
dirty streets-these are not az nasty as
they used to be, / am informed, but
surely they are bad enough yet, even
worse than my beloved New York;
was impressed strongly with this three
fold character Of the city that will ever
be imperial. Perhaps was not fanci-
full in thinking that / read in the dig
niied carriage of its best citizens their
consciousness OF a great future for the
kingdom of which Rome Is the capital.
Italians please as we'll as inter
est me beyond expression. Their ply
sique is splendid. The thoroughbred
look OF their army strikes M A peo-
pie capable Of great physical exploit,
possessing the orderly and practical
genius of old Rome, and this associated
by long familiarity and cultivation, with
religious art and devotion, fired by
grand historic traditions, and feeling
the inspiration of renewed nationality
this, / think, describes the leading citi-
xens Of modern Italy. Time will remove
apparent incongruities and put an end
TO conflicts which, in my judgment, are
more apparent thar real. The pope has
lost his temporal power, it is true, but
the Italian people are still greatly in
f1uenced, perhaps not less on this ac-
count, by religious faith, which has no
real conflict with the progressive spirit
.. modern civilization. Locking at
the ruins of the splendid c~iyiliza-
ton of ancient Rome, and photo
graphing on my memory, | hope
with ineffaceable impression. its mira
cles of sacred art, l still welcome the
sight of miles of new streets of the mod
ernest OF modern houses, nor fear that
nineteenth century progress will impair
the value Of IN ennobling pride in a
great history. and the softening and
gracious influences of religious art and
devotion. Our stay in Rome was all toe
short and busy. DIR. Talmage was indie
fatigable while there, as everywhere,
indeed, ;'d that curiosity trunk of his,
as weighted with Roman specimens, is
a miracle of ponderosity and n godsend
TO exacting officials.
The journey from Rome to Naples
was of about six hours duration, and
undertaken after only five hours sleep
must say that my most sanguine i'm
~pressions of Italy and matters
Italian do not reconcile me to
the discomforts and ~annoyances
OF railroad travel in that sunny
land. Virtue was rewarded, however
and patient continuance in the train die
at length bring us TO the city guilty o.
the proud boast: ''See Naples and die
While | cbeerfully recognize the beauty
of the modern streets of that populous
town i feel obliged to say that these
streets resemble those of the same class
everywhere else, SO much, that beyond
mentioning them, nothing need be said
about them. 1t is in Old Naples tha'
one sees monumentally tall, quantity
built houses, lava ~pavements, antique
churches, and shady, inconvenient mar
rowness Of way, this ~tolerable. but oh
the omnipresent dirt and the idescriba
BILE, all-pervading stencil. What a gay
and motley population, and no city coulC
nave more varied and discordant noises
The costumes worn by the people
i need not say particularly by thu
women, are bright and strikin,
and wonderfully diverse. l cannot de
scribe the combination of sounds
laughter, song, stringed music, clinkini
hoofs OF asses and mules, gay con verse
chaffering and screaming by sellers o
multifarious wares. Naples is a delight
full remiuiscence to me, at a safe dis
lance from its sights Of filth an
~squalor, its odious odors and-well, on
element in its teeming population i
the most hated of all forms of life b.
the good housewife.
The two full days we spent at Maple
afforded . remarkable contrast to GU
expoiiencee II London and Rome IN
Talmage was spared calls and recogni
tons absolutely. So far as l know no
q soul in the hotel or out Of it kne,
that the Brooklyn preacher was In town
A simple device prevented this-th
writer figuring as the head Of the part
and registering as such.
OuE Trip l'Om NopiCS W III
was made by rail and lasted sixtee
hours. Italy has nc sleeping cars, bu
supplies q mighty poor substitute 70
them in reclining chairs, for the use O
which a charge Of 81 q night per head
exacted. Even ut this price the oc
cupier Ii not loft to the quiet enjoymen
Of his rest. Twice q night he Is visite
by an officer whose duty 1t Is to chang
the pans of warm water, which are use
in heating the compartment. Thre
times In the night, moreover, the pas
senger is required to exhibit the tickle
which entities him TO q seat In the afors
said reclining chair. The train stop
about every twenty minutes, when tn
conductor passes along its entire length
on the outside. publishing In a nass
tone In front of each compartment tn
name OF the station. That nobody o
the train expects to leave 1t for hour
makes no difference to this industriou
oficial. Our experiences with him an
his train began at half-past Tin th
evening aud lasted sixteen hours. w
rs were bored, we were cold, wero wen
wrotched. Hot wator Ii but o poor sui
stitute for the much-abused America