The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1891-10-04
A PEEP AT MODERN ROME.
Captain Edesrton 5. Rogers Tells Els
Friends Ills Experience
ELECTRIC CARS IN The ANCIENT CITY.
chsuees That Have Taken Piaoe-How she
Artists' Club Was Moved-The no
man Maiden's Modesty.

the restraints of tho parlor nnd the oDils"
lions OF the drawing room are abandoned
and conysntionality gives place TO good fel
lowsbip. They" represented party Of
royal good fellows. Zach bad told his Joke
or story. each had tipped his glass and Jack
had lust completed strange tale about
man who wanted to pawn baby at the
Union depot. when Captain Edgerton D.
Rogers said
zone OF tho strangest facts, perhaps TO
Richmonder that can be conceived - Rome
having streetcArs real electric cars. WIN
overhead trolley wire. With motor men an
conductors That is what discovered whom
arrived there d short time ago. and also be-
came aware ia q short time that the citizens
did not appreciate the new motive power.
There il also one hOrse-car line IN the
city. and both cars use the Same
track. You can frequently see a mule-caf
pass full OF people. and in few moments the
electric conveyance will slide by with only
ono or two daring passengers From what l
could learn the company had the misfortune
to have two or three OF their dyDamos burn
out a short time ago, and the average citizen
of Rome became frightened ana ooycotteu
che cars.
Rome is dead. 10 ell intents and purposes.
II is not now the delightful place 1t once WAS
some few years ago. Well can you exciaim'
Where now is Rome?
The night owl boots his mournfu requiem
Amid the portals OF its ruined halls
THE DECLINE OF ROME.
1.-The decline of the Roman Empire in my
day and generation IS owing 10 financial iaii-
ures In the winter of 1878 MarOn Brothers
failed. Every bank in Rome became involved
and had it not been for the Pope the Govern
mont bank would have gone up with the crash.
The firm are builders and contractors. 1hey
do work Oh gigantic scale, and their WORK
e.
stands to-day with nobody to pay ior III or no
one 10 occupy il. One failure followed an
other. and right in Rome to-day there lives
Prince Borghese Prince Sciana and Prince
Gabriel with their titles and their homes as
their only incomes.
Each owns picture gallery, each has
splendidly- Furnished house, but no money.
Why one Of them could sell his pictures for
over 100000. but the King won't let the
works go out of Italy, won't buy the crea-
tions himself and there is no one IN the
kingdom who has enough money to purchase
them. All the Prince can do Is TO stick his
hands In his empty pockets, take drink go
to his gallery and look at tho pictures and de-
bate in his mind whether it is nobler to stay
there and do the honors of count or come to
America and marry an heiress.
Rome had changed to me. perhaps. more
than 10 the usual tourist for. you know. 1t is
seven / saw onlI one of my old college mates.
He is an architect Monfredi-and has been
knighted four times. 10 was he who built
the tomb of Victor Emmanuel in the Pantheon,
and. besides being an architect he paints. IS
an neutrality-suspicious. and dabbles IN seulp-
ture. Then, too, he is marquis. but he
never uses the title, so you can see there is
independence, even in Italy.
MODERN CHANGES.
'Snce the time I left in 1887 Rome hos
been changed by many modern buildings.
Some say they are improvements, but the
statement is debatable. | was driven to half
o dozen places in the city and could not tell
where was, when few years ago / knew
almost every street In Rome. Speaking of
istreet-cars. there is no use to ride in such a
pubic conveyance in Rome. Cabs there are
cheap. for forty cents is oil that is needed to
use one an hour. Why, you can go four miles
for eighty centimes, sixteen cents, and when
the end of your journey is reached you are
tr Gated with enough Difference to make you
think YOU are an alderman or member Of
the Legislature.
One of the most delightful episodes dur
ing my stay in Rome was a dinner given me
by the Artists Club. lhirty-five jolly good
fellows paid me that appreciated compliment.
and the occasion is simply indescribable. The
club-room is situated in the Via Malgutta,
and the banqueting-room is 80 by 40 teet. Ia
that club can he heard every language under
the sun. One moment you can converse
with a Spaniard the next you are in
lipine Islands, and the next you can
see the CAV embroidery of the japanese.
As to the house. the exterior is very UMPIRE
tentious, but the interior Is amazingly beau
tiful. All of the inside decorations have been
done by the artists residing In Rome. for In
stance. each year their grand balls are given in
the banqueting hall. Just before each ball
the members of the club residing in Rome
decorate the hall, and the effect is beau
tiful and bewildering. In one of the
~ the landscape room. Every conceivable
fancy in landscape painting can be found
there, and the work has been done by prob
ably fifty artists. In another room is the
japanese apartment which on first entering
you would say Is embellished entirely with
cut ivory. About the walls you can see the
clsats that seem to hold the pieces of ivory
together. and you wonder how such inlaid
work could have been done You become |
amazed and only wake up to realize that the
whole affair Is nothing but canvas. and that
the cleats have been driven through the cum
vas in the wall to dupe you. and you are
duped.
THE ARTISTS CLUB.
There is no club like the Artists Club of
Rome in the world. 1t stands out dstnctively
alone, and comparisons with clubs in Lon
don. Paris and New York evolve them
very laughable incident occurred in 1886
In reference to the club. We wanted
to change quarters and there was not
enough money In the treasury to pay for
the moving. plan was finally agreed upon
and on the morning of moving day the mem- |
bors assembled about the rooms. The piano |
was the first object moved. II was placed ia |
. wagon, minus n top, and the most skilful /
OF tho clubs musicians tied a stool 10 the /
wagon bottom and waited. Finally every man |
was ready and the piano led the procession
Each man followed carrying tables chairs
hrle -brtC
any other conceivable object. and the whole
moving was done without the expenditure of
= dollar, save the paying OF the man who
owned the wagon.
IT WAS PAINTED.
The scene has since been painted and
hangs IN the Japanese room On the oppo-
site wall 10 scene illustrating the initiation
OF member There is mock trial. he is
condemned to death and he finally receives
the sentence by receiving the full force of
half dozen settler syphons in the face
While IN Rome l attended vespers at St.
Johns Lateran, which. by the way. is one OF
Sne oldest churches In that city. The services
we're conducted by Morresschi and Alexan-
Ore Morressohl WAS the leading soprano
There were sixteen principal singers. and |
have never heard such music before All in
the choir were men. and you cannot conceive.
geutlsmen, OF any such transport to heavenly
bounds. The whole combines TO make an
Impression that will ever be bright in your
memory. There are two tremendous organs |
10 the church.
:, Tho girl Of Rome is a study. While was