The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-01-31
HALSTEAD IN ROME.
The Famous City Has but Re-
Gently Been Rebuilt.
STREETS scRuPULoUsLY CLEAN.
The Ancient Ruins Well Preserved
Visits to the Vatican and the Pam
theon-In the Catacombs.

| 10 see the country. There were TWO trains
| leaving Pisa for Rome that one had 70
make choice between. In either case, the
country nigh the Eternal City had to be
| observed by moonlight. The tax on one
light trunk was nearly So. This has
tendency to prohibit the transportation of
dress suits. extra overcoats, overshoes and
| iron bootjacks. The train for Rome came
in with shrili squeak from the steam
whistle, and a party of Americans entered
a compartment which had metal tag on
| it with the word Roma" These Decem-
| Der DAYS are the shortest of the year, and
| we were hardly out of Pisa before darkness
! fell. as modified by moonlight. 1t was
December night, and yet the air was not
| chilly. One door of our compartment
! was open for hours, and there was no COM
| plant. We found the car getting hot,
and, To- IL was heated by steam and there
| was lever found with directions as to
| turning the steam on and off. We
turned it off, On the right was the Medi-
terranean, often visible; on the left, not
far of, mountalns-occasional whole
villages. We had stores of roast chickens
that had been good livers, bread and but
| ter, grapes, oranges and red wine of the
country, and yet the ride seemed long
drawn out. As we neared the point of de-
parture from the sea-Rome is fourteen
miles inland-we were running as close TO
the waters as the New York Central to the
Hudson, and when it was suggested that
that we were approaching New York,
glance westward confirmed the conjecture.
Now" said one. I'VE must be within half
an hour of the Vanderbilt depot, and our
friends will hardly be expecting u.s." The
thought, or rather fancy, that we were
about to arrive in New York was
not wholly disagreeable, but a few light
houses resolved the situation, and slight
fringe of surf was unlike the Hudson's
shore. Next we came upon the desolate
level of the malarious region west of
Rome, and the evidence before us was
that We were about to find ourselves in
Chicago. We were on what is known in
Italy rs fast train, and yet it would be
an exaggeration to say that we exceeded
thirty miles an hour. At last We found
ourselves on a bridge, and the remark
passed around: 1.-The Yellow Tiber." The
cars had, indeed, TO run about halfway
around Rome, and we hung on the out
skirts of the city, as is the fashion in solv-
ing the mysteries of Detroit. We "got
there" though, and the porters appeared
in force, and We had to face the longest
row of hotel omnibusses, each with
vociferating agent, that / ever
saw. My trunk had been examined
at Genoa and paid for three times, but
| had to give up the key, which. l found
next morning tied to one of the handles
The Hotel Quirlnal is small edition of
the Grand hotel, Paris, and there is the
same fine style of driving in at the front
door. as il were. It was midnight when |
entered my room and extravagantly
lighted two candles One young man
called for a room upon which the sun
shone in the morning. and he was compli-
mented on his experience and sagacity.
The sun performs great part here. His
rays are warm in December. The trouble
is that, though he shines longer than in
London, he has not quite time enough to
make winter days warm.
Ii is difficult for Americans to appreci-
ate the service performed for italy,
France, Spain and England by the Gulf
stream, that carries the warm waters of
the far South TO Europe, and by the hot
wind from Africa, that is tempered and
made delicious by its passage over the
Mediterranean. It is TO the tropical
stream and the south wind that South
western Europe owes its delicious climate
There is not IN Rome the usual Ameri-
can excuse for drinking rebellious liquors,
viz: that the water IS bad, for the Roman
water seems very good, clear and distilled,
AND abundant. 1t comes through the
ancient aqueduct from the Apprentices, and
appears TO be free as air. 4 fountain PLAYS
in sight of my window, a stream illumin-
ated at night with electricity and rising
with dazzling beauty thirty feet. Evidently
II does not represent steam power. And
rda
that the streets of all the Italian towns
thus far are perfectly paved and clean |
have been through several of the narrow
est and crookedest of the streets of Rome,
and they were all scrupulously neat.
The most dainty slippers could be
the macadamized roads, after a rain.
when the dust forms slight
paste. AL the streets in European cities
seem 10 the American fresh from his own
blessed and beloved country marvelouslv
paved and clean. After a few weeks he
ceases % be surprised, becomes accustomed
10 pavements that are firm and smooth as
they ought 10 he and kept in good order.
and when he is landed Mt New York he
suffers a second shock-because he forgets
/ how ragged. rough and foul American
streets are. | was asked the other day by
Democratic fellow citizen and travelling
companion how 20 account for this and
said the true reason was that so many of
our people, born IN Europe, insisted I'M
der the lnauenCe of some infatuation be-
yond my comprehension, upon voting the
Democratic ticket. It's proper 10 state
that this remark did not pass unchal-
! lenged but shall not give the discussion
or reclle IN this place my supporting as
sertions.
The nrst impression modern Rome makes
Is that It Is Partisan. The houses in form
and color, and the streets in style. are quite
ike Paris, but the houleyards are lacking.
and the asphalt The Italian names and
occupations have becoming glitter on the
signs. The wine shops are so numerous
they ought 20 afford ample facilities for
/ the consumption Of liquors Since 1870
the town has been very largely rebuilt.
i he most conspicuous quarters are so new
as 10 have an ar of freshness and smart
ness. This IS not the Rome OF the popes,
any more tEan Paris Is the city OF the
bourbons. Considering the shattered state
OF the antiquities should think there we're
enough Of them; and the most venerable
are cared for, and things 1000 years old are
/ looked after with more concern than We
OF the United States generally bestow
upon the graves and tOmbstones of our
grandmo1hers and grandfaihers. Roman
geography and topography are still mys-
FERROUS TO me. | have 10 stand for some
tIhe with my left side toward the sun 20
md which way IS north. | had an idea
that the dome OF Peter regulated the
movements of the heavenly bodies, hat L
does not seem 10 do So and | have seldom
been Anie to see q until close upon IL: but
have not been able TO set out TO 20 any
y here without finding the column Of
iTaJan, which stands IN low place, with
out attractive surroundings, and shows
among other things how successive LAYERS
OF ruins have changed, indeed, elevated.
tie surface Of the earth. The column OF
M "a n