Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-12-14
THE TALMAGE TOUR.
A Great Future for the Kingdom
Which Holds Rome.
GRAPHIC PICTURES OFOLD NAPLES
The DiscOmfOrts and AnnOyances Of Rail-
way Travel in Italy.
BRIEDISI NOT A SUNNY PARADISE.

ATHENS, November 2O.-We arrived at
Athens yesterday after dark, and pen this
letter in the "Hotel de la Grande Bretagne,
sur la place du Palais Royal, Athens,
Greece" think that covered in my last
letter all that 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 gen.
ersl terms I should say that it strikes me as
being the most remarkable combination Of
the ancient the medieval and the modern
that can be econceived. AS walked Its dirty
streets-these are not as nasty as they used
to be, am informed, but surely they are
bad enough vet, even worse than my be-
loved New York. was impressed strongly
with this threefold character of the city
which will ever be imperial. Perhaps 1
was not faneiful in thinking that read in
the dignifed carriage of its best citizens
their consciousness of great future for the
kingdom of which Rome is the capital.
KIND WORDS FOR ITALIANS.
The Italians please as well as interest me
splendid. The thoroughbred look of their
army strikes one. A people capable of great
physical exploit, possessing the orderly and
practical genius of Rome, and this asso-
ciated 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 citizens of mod
ern Italy. Time will remove apparent In
congruities, and put an end to conflicts
which, in nv judgment, are more apparent
than real. The Pope mas lost his temporal
power, it is true, but the Italian people are
still greatly influenced, perhaps not less on
this account by religious faith, which has
no real conflict with the progressive spirit
of modern civilization.
Looking at the ruins of the splendid
civilization of ancient Rome, and photo
graphing on my memory, 1 hope with
inefaceable impression, its miracles of
sacred art, still welcome the sight of miles
of new streets of the modernest of modern
houses. nor fear that nineteenth century
progress will impair the value of an en-
nobling pride in a great history, and the
softening and gracious influences Of religious
art and devotion. Our stay in Rome was
all too short and busy. DR.. TaImage was
indefatigsble while there, as everywhere
indeed, and that curiosity trunk of his, as
weighted with Roman specimens, is a
miracle of ponderosity and godsend to
exacting officials.
PICTURES OF NAPLES.
The Journey from Rome to Naples was of
about six hours duration and undertaken
after only five hours sleep. must say that
my most sRnguine impressions of Italy and
matters italian do not reconcile me to the
diScomforts and annoyanees Of railroad
travel in that sunny land. Virtue was re-
warded, however, and patient continuance
in the train did at length bring us to the
city guilty OF the proud boast: "See Naples
and die" While cheerfully recognize the
beauty of the modern streets of that popu-
lous town feel obliged to say that these
streets resemble those of the same class
everywhere else SO much that beyond men
tiOning them nothing need be said about
them. 1t is in Old Naples that one sees
monumentally tall, quantity built houses,
lava pavements, antique churches, and
shady, inconVenient narrowness of way,
this tolerable, but oh, the omnipresent dirt
and the indescribable, all-pervading stencil.
What gay and motley population, and no
CITY could have more varied and discordant
noises. The costumes worn by the people,
need not say particularly by the women,
are bright and striking and wonderfully di-
verse. 1 cannot describe the combination of
granddaughter, song, string music, clink-
ing hoofs of asses and mules, gay converse,
chaffering and screaming by sellers of null
tifarious wares. Naples is a delightful
reminiscence to me, at q safe distance from
its sights Of filth and squalor, its odious and
we'll, one element in Its teeming popula-
tion is the most hated of all forms of life by
the good housewife.
TALMAGE UNDER COVER.
The two full days we spent at Naples
afforded q remarkable contrast to our ex-
periences in London and Rome. DR.. Tai
mage was spared calls and recognitions alb
solutely. So far as know not a soul in
the hotel or out of it knew that the Brook
lyn preacher was in town. A simple device
prevented this-the writer figuring as the
head of the party and registering as such.
Our trip from Naples to Brindisl was
made by rail. and lasted 16 hours. Italy
has no sleeping cars. but supplies a mighty
poor substitute for them in reclining chairs,
for the use of which a charge of 81 night
per head is exacted. Even at this price the
occupier is not left to the quiet enjoyment
of his rest. Twice a night he is
visited by an officer whose duty
it is to change the pans of
warm water, which are used in heating the
compartment. Three times in the night,
moreover, the passenger is required to ex-
hibit the ticket which entities him to a seat
in the aforesaid reclining chair. The train
stops about every 20 minutes, when the con-
ductor passes along its entire length on the
outside, publishing ia nasal tone in front
of each compartment the name of the
station. That nobody on the train expects
to leave It for hours makes no difference to
this industrious official. Our experiences
with him and his train began at half-past
seven in the evening, and lasted 16 hours.
We were bored, we were cold, we were
wretched. Hot water is but poor substi-
tute for the much abused American car
stove, of which I viii never speak dis
respectfully again.
AN ANCIENT BUT DIRTY SPOT.
Brindisi is a good place to get out of. 1t
consists for the greater part of novels, and is
the dirtiest town I ever saw. I am sure
should love the Italians more if they were
cleaner. st. Paul, am informed, landed
at Brindisi after being shipwrecked, which
made the place specially interesting to DR..
Talmage, who spent some time making men
tai photographs Of this ancient and interest
ing land dirty) town. We were not there
long, leaving at 1 the next morning after
our arrival, but finding time to seek for the
place which is said to have been the birth
place of Virgil. Doctors differ on this sub
ject as the learned reader knows already,
but the Brooklyn preacher and spent two
hours in the streets of Brindisi to find where
the Latin poet was born. Two houses, about
as widely sundered as could be, were point
ed out as VirgiIs birthplace. We paid a
franc for each one for the information The
hotel keeper declined to commit himself to
an opinion for either house. He had reached
the safe conclusion that nobody is able to
say exactly where the Mantuan poet first
saw the light Of this world.