The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1891-07-03
Interesting Exercises at Pacific
Grove.
An Illustrated Address on The CatacombS
by ReY. ". H. WithrOW.
IL Hurried Glance at Mother Earth" and a
Discourse on The Blood" With
StereOptiCOn Views.
Epecial to The MORNING CALL

iCIlulC luCSudy tNcuIllS, Is EtSlueul VI IiC
Canadian CEautauquan Society, which has
a membership of between 1000 and 5000
students He is short, medium-built. dig
nifed man, with full gray beard. trimmed
close. As he stood upon the platform, with
his Prince Albert coat buttoned from the
breast down. his body and head erect. there
was noticed strong resemblance to Presi-
dent Benjamin Harrison. The Canadian
Chautauquans held their assembly at Mag
ara, on the association grounds. Just in
front of the hotel rest the remains of 800
Canadian miltiamen who fell there during
a battle of the War of 1912. On the occasion
mentioned General Vincent commanded the
Canadian troops, ami by a strange coinc-
dent Bishop Vincent inaugurated there
many years after an educational movement
which had its root in the United States.
DIR. Bentley introduced the lecturer to the
audience in a few well-chosen remarks, n
happy faculty of the Oakland minister, and
when DR.. Wtthrow rose to address the large
audience assembled to hear him he received
hearty Chautauquan salute, with which
the usual hand-clapping mingled. Calfor-
niaus, at least many of them, are unwilling
to exchange the noisy demonstration of well
come for the silent wave of the handker-
chief, which serves the Chautauquans the
world over to signify their delight over any
thing which has TRANSFERRED. DR.. Withrow
spent some time in Rome, where he made
technical study of tie specimens taken from
the catacombs.
THE LOWER CATACoMBs.
The lecturer confined his address to a
description OF the lower catacombs, using
enlarged drawings and paintings to Illus
trate the interesting features of Romes
ancient burial place. One of the pictures
was a specimen entrance, another long
stairway leading down to the depths of the
earth; another a tile-hOOred passageway,
with massive nodded ceilings and frescoed
walls, while still others showed the vaults
just as they were discovered on eXcavating.
The lecturer referred TO the fascination of
the study of the catacombs. Bosi0, an
Italian, spent fifty years working on the ex-
yations, and d y gincourt went from Paris
to remain in Rome six months, but became
so interested that he remained there for
thirt five years. The dangers of exploring
tile catacombs were described. On one oc-
caSion two professors from the College of
Rome, with forty students, visited them on
holiday The party has not since been
heard from. An artist entered on one oc-
casion with the view of copying some of the
paintings. He carried a ball of Irvine in
his pocket, which he paid out as he pro-
ceeded on his journey. After going con
siderable distance some drii ping water eX-
tlnguisned his torch, when, to his horror,
the ball of Irvine, he discovered, had been
jerked out of his rocket On his hands and
knees ne pTOlp6 in the iarEnaSS when
| just as he was about to give up in despair.
| his hand came in contact with something
| soft. 1t was the ball of Irvine, and its dis
| covery undoubtedly saved his life. Blind
| people make excellent guides through the
catacombs on account OF depending upon
| the sense of touch.
PICTURES AND INSCRIPTIONS.
DR.. Withrow described the alIegorical
| pictures and inscriptions found in the cata-
| combs. One picture had been scratched on
| the wall with some blunt instrument, the
| work 1t is thought of a Roman soldier, who
| desired to ridlcule IA fellow soldier
On one tombstone in the catacombs is an
| inscription which says that a man named
| Cask and his son are laid to rest there In
| order to make it clear to people who were
| not able to read under the Inscription are
representations of two casks large and a
| small one. Other Inscriptions are very
| striking They are in Latin, some of it very
incorrect, and the translations are as fol
| lows:
Lannus, the martyr OF Christ, rests here. He
suffered under POntius Plate.
PriinitiUs, who alter many agOnies died. A
| most brave martyr, who lived thirty eight years
more less.
| In The time of the Emperor HadrIan Marius. a
| young military officer, VINO lived long enough in
that he gave his life Tor Christ and sealed II with
| his blood. AT length he Is IN peace. Tue we'll
| deserving ones place this slab with tears and in
| fear.
Pelronia, the wife Of a presbyier, the very
mndeSty. nldClnT as n
| tomb. Slale your tears, OH. my sweet children
| and my husband, aud believe that 1t Is wrong 10
weep. for one who lives with God.
Here sleeps III peace, Porcela, who lived 3
years, 10 mouths and Is days.
POrcela is little pig, the name indicating
| that the deceased was the child of family
| by the name OF Pig or Hog, and the stone
| has also inscribed upon 1t rough caricature
| OF pig.
| One tomb has an inscription which states
| that for the equivalent Of SIS it was bought
| by Bartemistus. and the price paid TO the
| digger, Hilarus, in the presence Of the wit
| nesses, whose names are given.
| ''Nice, his rib who lived more or less 81 wears
| We were married 10 years, D months, days, 10
hours ana scruples Ia scruple Is about TWO
| minutes and haiil without any quarrel"
| The lecturer suggested that they were
very scrupuI"us as to time in those days.
| One inscription says the occupants lived
| fifty years without dissension, without
| strife, without emulation and without any
| quarrel. There is an absence of the men,
| ton vi death upon any monument, but
| sleep, peace and rest are often present the
| lecture was listened to throughout with a
| great deal of Interest, and all his forenoon
| DIR. WthrOw occupied his time in giving
| further Information to those who take a
| deeper interest IN the subject.
MOTHER EARTH.
| The lecture yesterday, at o'clock. was
| given by Professor John Dickinson Of Los
| Angeles lately professor of natural science
in the University OF Southern California,
and was entitled "a Hurried Glance at
| Mother Earth. The lecture was an at
| tempt to crowd into the compass of an hour
| an accurate and comprehensive statement
| Of what is known Of this old earth-the CON-
| mou mother OF us all-her dimensions, her
| figure. her motions, age. internal condition.,
external features, history and the varied
! activities OF wind and wave and vegetable
| and animal life that play upon her surface.
| While the speaker thus presented the con-
| illusions on the above subjects which scien-
| tifc men hold, he gave a clear and interest
! ing statement oil the methods and processes
by which these conclusions have been ar
| rived at The lecture, while popular in style,
| was strictly in harmony with the best au-
! th0ritits Of the time and did not sacrifice
| popularity TO accuracy. 1t was listened to
| with great Interest and attention, and will
| be followed by one on Friday afternoon on
The Geology Uf the Stars" Professor
Dickinson is conducting daily a series Of
Geological Walks and Talks" which are
| greatly enjoyed by the class of about twenty
| students. de sustains the reputation with
| which he comes from the south, of an un.
usually clear, Interesting and successful
teacher in the field of natural science.
| THE BLOOD.
DIR. j. ii. Wythr, Professor of Histology
In Cooper Medical College, ectured last
evening on the blood, showing the results of
microscopic researches into the structure.
He complained that ordinary textbooks
content themselves with repetitions of old
statements and do net represent modern
science. He also scored pretended experts
who misrepresent true science in courts of
justice. He showed that the blood corpus
Giles varied in size and shape in the same
person and gave summary of his original
investigations upon this subject. He has
recently communicated to the profession his
observations on the power Of the serum in
certain diseases to dissolve the corpuscles, a
fact new to science. He argued that life is
nothing but condition of being, and disease
nothing but change Of living structure or