News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1890-05-29
Letters From Prof. Campbell.


The following letters from Prof.
Campbell of the Johnson Normal
School, who is now travelling in the
east, although written to the stud
ents, will be read with interest by our
readers
NAPLES, ITALY, April %, 1890
To the Village School and the Normal
SCHOOL,
We are now at the most distant point in
our journey, Naples in Southern Italy. This
is a most delightful country and Mt this time
the whole region is beautifully decked with
flowers of every description; the trees are
full of oranges lemons, figs and almonds.
Olive trees cover every hillside; the palen
trees, cacti, and other tropical plants abound.
We had a pleasant ride from Rome to Naples
Saturday afternoon. We passed through
many historical places. made famous by he
battles of early and later ages; by Hannibal
and Caesar, by Scipie and Napoleon, by We
tor Emanuel and Garibaldi and by the birth
and writings of famous men. Mountains
and hills extend the whole distance aud upon
many of these are old castles in ruins, mon
asteries and forts Many of the villages are
picturesuely located on the hills or mountain
sides. Most of the people are wretched and
live in wretched novels, degraded and lgno-
rant, while the country is full OF immense ca
thedrals costing hundreds of millions OF dol
lars wrung from the earnings of these mlser-
ably poor creatures. Many are reduced TO
beggars and crowd around US or run beside
our carriage begging piteously.
The newer parts of Rome and Naples seem
like modern cities, the largerin our own coun-
try and are growing fast, while the older
parts, the dark and narrow alleys, the under
ground cellars and holes in the earth and
dens of every description swarm with sick
and lame, half starved and ill clothed
wretches which seem a curse to themselves
and the earth on which they live Such mis-
cry | could not before conceive as existing
any where upon the earth. Still there Is
great wealth here, but it is in the hands of
the few, who have magnificent villas, grand
palaces and live in luxury The Catholic
church owns the larger part of the property
about Rome and few other citizens the rest.
These revel in wealth while the nation
starves The contrast between the rich and
poor here is something marvellous. We've
seen and studied both classes.
We continued our study of ruins OF Ancient
Rome, of museums and galleries OF art
We've spent one week in Rome and shall re-
main a few days longer when we return from
Naples for | am studying up the school sys-
tenn of Italy; I've visited the schools of Rome
two DAYS and expect to visit them more
soon, we'll the schools of Naples and
Florence. | find many commendable features
in these schools and much that needs to be
improved.
Naples close by the water, the island of Capr1
a second Gibraltar is in front of us few
miles away; Sorrento little to the LETT; Her
culaneum and Pompeii still nearer on the
west while above all and more striking than
all else is the cone of Vesuvius, by day send
ing out a heavy column OF smoke which
forms a high arch over Mt Samson to the
north; where the setting sun changes the
dark blue of the mountain to golden and the
column of smoke to silver it was sight new
er to be forgotten. Tonight the smoke IS
lighted up by the fires within which make 1t
seem like flame from the top of the noun
tain. We expect tomorrow to look into the
crater of this volcano, and to gaze upon the
ruins of the cities it destroyed nearly two
thousand years ago.
The task now before us is to get inside of Il
school house in Naples, no easy matter as
sure you, for the applicant must go from the
U. S. counsel to one official after another
with letters and cards until finally TIL e end is
reached, just as time and patience are about
used up. A. ID. CAMPBELL.
Wednesday, April 80. 1890.
VEsUvIUs, THE ASCENT AND DESCENT
Would that a picture on canvass could be
placed before you instead of my attempting
to describe the indescrbable. | hope to find
an artist equal to the subject some time but
have not seen him yet. | will try to give
few scenes or incidents of the trip, perhaps
your artist can illustrate.
Picture first the quiet dirty town of Cas-
tellaruare go, 900 inhabitants) on the beau
tiful Bay of Naples; two travellers start out
with a cab toward Pompeii five miles distant.
Horses and a guide are ordered here to
follow to Boscorealis five miles farther. All
is quiet to Boscorealis, then the fun begins;
a dozen loafers are ready to help them out
of carriage and to mount the horses, they
swarm around like bees in June about the
hive; one SEXES the bride on one side, anoth-
er on the other, some catch hold OF the stir
rups, Others grab the umbrella and lunch
box, some take hold of the arms to assist in
remounting, Others stoop down TO be used as
a foot stool. The beggars having all been
beaten off by the use of soldi (pennies) and
the umbrella the second scene, which in real
ity is almost a circus long drawn out, pre-
sents itself. Behold the man of the party
astride donkey so short legged that his feet
almost touch the ground on either side; the
lady sits demurely on a sorry looking nag,
and this is the way they went; the guide
seizes the tail of the first beast and a boy en-
gagged to hold the animals at the foot of the
volcano ditto the second with switches the
size of bean-poles constantly applied and
continuous cry of ''unckh'' ''uuckh" from
both guide and boy the party make good
time over the lava foot hills, plunging
through the sand banks of the ancient lava
decomposed and winding about among the
later streams. An occasional kick from the
donkey makes the dust fly and the guide
lively.
The base of the mountain is reached lunch
is partaken, the equestrians become pedes
TRANS; a dozen men are ready with their
sedan" chains and straps, and anxious to
earn few honest Francs by carrying or
hauling the party to the top; their services
are repeatedly and persistently declined. At
ter two hours steady climbing the summit of
the mountain is reached. only the steep cone
of the active crater is above; like Yultures
crowd of attendants hover around more per-
sistent than the former. They are repulsed
as were the Others, and excelsiorl the party
looks down into the burning fiery furnace of
Vesuvius. The upper part is the frustum of
a cone, followed out like an inverted cone in
side, very thin at the top and only a few rods
across. great volume of smoke, steam and
gas is now constantly poured forth, which
beaten by the wind upon the observers drives
them hastily from the summit Frequent eX-
plosions occur in which showers of red-hOt
lava are sent up to a great height and then
fall on all sides. Below the cone are many
beds of burning sulphur and holes, or small
craters, from which gases issue. Many peO-
pie visit the volcano; most of them ride up
on the inclined railway and are carried
dragged to the top of the cone by the Italian
guides.
The descent by the foot-path is easy;
while the ascent is made by winding path
through sand and over rough lava streams;
the downward course is in a straight line
through sand or gravel and can be made in
fifteen minutes; it is almost like sliding down
u mountain on glacier.
II r,NppETT