Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1890-04-04
OLD ROME RUINS.
an INTERESTING LETTER BY A TOURIST
ABROAD.
Rev. Q. C. Hays Writes 70 the Register" Con
corning tie City oa the Seven Hills-Some
fits Great Churches Buffalo Bills Show.

Special Forsiga Correspondence oCHe Register
NArIEs. ITALY. March l9.-It is
strange experience to walk the same
streets and go through the same build
ings where such men as the Caesars,
Cato, Pompey, Cicero, Constantine and
Paul once walked The traveller rubs
his eyes to be sure that he is awake and
wonders if this is really Rome OF
course modern Rome is very different
from the Rome of history, yet. in many
respects. they are the same Most of
the old city is buried from ten TO twenty
/ feet below the present surface, but the
/ city walls. the triumphal arches, the
Pantheon and the Coliseum are still
standing. and extensive excavations
have brought 10 light the famous forum,
the palaces of the Caesars. and many
other ruins of great interest.
ROME As IT i.
Rome is a city of over 100000 inhab-
itantS. ! was surprised to learn that it
is growing with great rapidity, having
doubled its population I'm thirty years.
The streets are well paved, but very
narrow and crooked. In many of them
there is barely room for one carriage TO
drive and no sidewalks. The pedestrian
must keep a sharp look out, or he will
Doe run over. The COrSO is the principal
driving thOrOughfare and at certain
hours of the day is throngcd with ear
riages and people, The chief way of
getting about is by cabs of which there
are "a great multitude Nou can have a
cab to any part IT the city for lire or
frame twenty cents and il holds three
persons. The streets are full of beg
CARS and vendors of pictures and SOuye-
Mrs, who almost worry the life out of
the stranger The merchants are en-
terpriSing and many of the stores have
as good am assortment as those of Paris
or London.
One of the most interesting of the ru
ms is the Coliseum Much of the upper
portion of the structure has been re-
moved TO build modern palaces and tenn
plies. but enough remains TO give Il per-
feet idea of its arrangement and size.
After seeing the ruins it is easy To be-
lievc that the building was capable of
seating 1000 people. For eight years
during the first century Roman Empc-
rorS had 10000 captive Jews employed
in the erection of this amphithcater.
During four hundred years thousands
and thousands of gladiatorS. wild beasts
and Christian martyrs met their death
on this arena, amid the shouts of blood
/ thirsty spectators. We saw the pits
below. where the half-Starved beasts
were kept until time for the perform
/ ancc 90 begin. Many of the eighty en-
frances 10 the galleries are still num-
bercd. as they were then, with the
|chisel.
EoNE'- FAMOUS CHURCHES.
Modern Rome is famous for its
churches. The largest is ~. Peters
situated between the yellow Tiber and
/ the Vatican. II is built i'm the form of
a Latin cross more than COO feet long
and over 400 wide. The height of the
dome from the floor To the cross is $50
feet. Ii required l2O years to build IL,
and $50 years To bring it 10 perfection,
10 contains A. affairs and 400 statues.
. The cost was something like $50, 600, 600.
and il is said that $4,000 yearly are
necessary % keep 10 in ord er. Ii was TO
raise part of this enormous sum that the
Tctzcl sold the ndulgcnccS that crowned
. Luther. and gave to the world the Prot
.cstantism of Europe. Without qucS-
ton 81. Peters is the most imposing
Christian Temple ON earth. You can
walk for hours amid its rare marbles,
superb mOsaics and gorgeous apart
mcutS. aud it's surprising richness and
immensely will grow upon You.
THE CHURCH OF IT. PAUL
Ia, a mile or two optsidc the city wall,
and in some respects SurpaSScS st.
Peters. The present building is ON the
site of the ancient church. and is not
Yet finished. They have been working
'on 10 for forty years, There are I'm this
Ichurch eighty magnificent columns OF
marble and at the main entrance and
over the main altar are columns OF ala
IbaStcr. the gift of the Niccroy of Egypt.
and these rest ON great blocks OF the
most beautiful and costly malachlte'
presented by the Sovereign of Russia.
Ii would require volume and an artistic
Ipen 10 describe the glorieS of this tenn
Iplc. but at that distance from the cen
tiers of population the people will not be
benefited by il.
The Iateran Church iSanother Sc arcc-
Nv less elegant that the 81. Peters and
-. Paul'S. In the last few yeas ii has
been improved at an expense OF SD, OOO'-
600.
When ProteStants have seen Rome 1t
is easy for them to understand the
power of the Papacy. Besides their
great number of magnificent buildings
there are I'm Rome not less than 100
priests. monks and eccleSiaSticS OF
different orders. There is not the
slight danger of the Pope leaving Rome
for nowhere else can he have the pres
.tigc hc there enjoys. The chief ques
|tion I'm Italy to-day is in regard 10 the
..uuplcaSautnesS" between the King
and the Pope. and strange to say Italy
has proSpered more during thc.agltation
.of the question than for centuries be
fore.
CONDITION OF THE PEOPLE.
want To say more in regard 10 the
prcScnt condition of the people OF
italy i'm my next letter. We met an ola
friend i'm Buffalo Bill. lie and
mis- family-thc American Indians and
COWBOYS created a great sensation
I'm the ancient city. An Italian
Count had some horses that he said the
cow bows couldn't break. They were
brought into the ring and in ten MN
utes the American hOrSemen mastered
fs ].