Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1895-06-08
IN DEAD POMPElI.
lns Eloquent Silence Of the UncoYfed
Ruins.
sIimpses at Home and I'm Public
History scribbicd on the walls
Luxury Which Had Become De-
based.

feed In her kitchen an Italian gentle
man IN distress, who was employed
IN clearing her sidewalk from snow in
bitter winter weather. descended to prac-
t!ce on the wayfarer such Tuscan an
she had picked up while travelling In
Europe. The Italian lamented the hard
ness and poverty OF his lot.
"oh. yes. i dare say New York in win
ter Is not much like Naples" said tho
sympathetic hostess TO the wanderer.
"Ah, In my beautiful Napoli there is
no snow IN re street and no hungaree in
re BELIZE" sadly responded the snow
shoveler.
swell. II Naples Is 50 beautiful. why
didn't you stay there" retorted the lady
her North American pride somewhat
reused.
"Ah. Signora. Vesuve! Vesuve'' he ira
gically replied, with wide gesture OF
arms and shoulders.
The homesck son Of Naples and his
weii-simulated horror Of the volcano came
into my mind to-day as the tall columns
OF smoke rose from the cone Of We
euvius and occasional spurts OF flame
glow. Very peaceful are the rugged sides
OF the mountain, and harmless enough
appears the feathery plume that deco
rates the apex Of old 'Vesuve." Never
theless. the stranger feels that the smok-
ing mountain, whose flame by night and
cloud by day are regarded with so much
indifference by the Neapolitans. is a con-
slant menace 20 the beautiful city that
shines so TRANQUILITY on the margin OF
the blue bay beneath.
But when one has skirted that bay on n
railway train which reaches Pompeii in
an hour and a quarter. and has entered
the dead city by the sea gate, which Is
directly across the street from ths sta
ton, ne realizes the awfulnesS Of the
power that sleeps in yonder mountain.
As matter OF fact. to be sure. !omIeil
and Herculaneum were not destroyed by
Vesuvius. but by Mount Somma; never
theless. Somma, having wrought out its
terrible mission. went TO sleep. and. in
deed. went out of existence as volcano.
Nesuvius took its place.
The two peaks Of Vesuvus and Somma
are In truth. the blowholes of slumbering
subterranean fires. Nesuvius is about
500 feet above sea level. and is now con-
s;antly growing higher from the eccre-
lions of lava and ashes which. thrown
from the crater, fall on he cone and add
10 Tvs Dulh anu nClENi. OpUnAldf NHpSt
eruption destroyed these cities lying at
its northeast base, is separated from
Nesuvius by a deep, sickle-shaped valley.
and is only $500 feet nigh Standing In
one OF the streets Of Pompeii and looking
over at the peak Of Mount Sommo. now
so peaceful and silent. almost pastoral
in appearance, one cannot help feeling
a thrill of emotion. The volcano and the
city are both dead. Solitude regns on
Somma An ineXpresslble loneliness per-
vades Pompeii.
Baroness AND MEAGRENESS.
The first feeling OF curiosity and expec-
tation satisfied, l think most visitors are
apt 10 be disappointed by the baroness
and meagreness Of the ruins and by the
cold gray and white hues that character
ize the walls of the broken houses. The
material from which most of the build
ings are constructed Is concrete. with
burned bricks. small blocks Of stone, and
llntels and pillows OF hewn stone The
interiors OF the finer houses were painted
ia glowing colors. and many If the coll
umns. having been covered with stucco,
were brilliantly tinted with blue or with
that deep hue which we moderns have
agreed 10 call "Pompeian red" The
beautiful frescoes OF interior decorations
have been ingeniOusly taken from the
Museum. Time and exposure TO the sun
and rain have dimmed the lustre Of the
oolors left here. The general aspect of
the city Is cold gray.
Nor should the visitor expect to see any
imposing ruins in Pompeii. Although the
houses Of the great people were elegant
ana handsome. they were not planned on
large scale. The mansion appears TO
have been built around the central re-
NJ pr fffr IL
that the swell" Pompeian lavished his
money, and made a grand show In de-
coratlve art sculpture, and costly bronzes.
The sleepingrooms were mere recesses
in the surrounding mass OF masonry
without means for admitting the daylight.
or for artificial warmth. Life could not
have been pleasant in these cold, dark
cubbyholes.
An American traveller would refuse 10
stay In a public house so badly lighted
ana ventilated as the Pompeian houses
must have been; and the most diligent
search falls 10 disclose for us one single
chimney In any 0wellng-house, except
where terra-cotta piers built in the walls
Indicate the places where the Kitchens
were maintained. There is mighty little
evidence OF home life in Pompeli. and
the natural conclusion is that the Romans
who were so tragically buried here A. ID.
day addicted To spending their time 'fn
nothing else but either 10 tell or hear
some new thing in the places OF public
resort, OF which there were so many I'm
Greek and Roman cities
There were not many tail houses In
Pompeh A modern New York apart
ment house, such as pierces the skies I'm
the region OF the Central Park. would
loom up among these Roman ruins, even
elegance. very much as the Bunker Hll
monument towers over the city OF
Charlestown. There are in Pompel only
two or three houses that show that they
were originally built In three stories.
As a rule, the house walls now left stand
ing are only one stOry-say ten or twelve
feet high-but stairs show that there was
RI least another floor above. This lowness
OF the standing walls Is another cause OF
disappointment 90 most visitors, for the
streets are narrow, and a general i'm
preston OF smallness IS given TO the vision
of the stranger Seen from a parapet of
The city wall Pompeii presents ragged
panorama OF roohess houses. low and box
like. with here and there a few tall
columns lifting their heads above the
ruins. and here and there wide space.
where forum. theatre. a temple, or "a
circus stood.
TIE TRIANGULAR FORUM.
The triangular Forum interested me
very much, because il has two theatres
the gladiatorial barracks on It's eastern
side, aud a number OF characteristic
Pompeiian dwelling houses on its western
side. Right here one may STUDY a great
deal Of ancient Roman manners. This was
noble centre Of art and social life. Here
the homanS came 10 loaf and invite the
soul. beneath the shade OF the sacred
grove, or they sat under the portico
which was supported BY eight massive
Ionic columns, some 80 feet high. They
found eoolness IN these long ciois-
tiers OF The Forum. which are lined with
poflc columns and pilasters. 100 on each
hiae OF the triangular structure The
tragic theatre was the larger OF the
Two. the comic theatre seating only hair
as many as the auditorium OF it's tragfcal
hslshbof. which seated 5000 persons.
Inc barracks for the gladiators were
Two stories high. the upper floor being
used for bedrooms and the lower floor
Tor FENCING school training-roofns. etc
some OF the inscriptions on the walls
scrubbed by the gladlators or their na.
irons. are exceedingly entertaining. There
were no newspapers In unlucky
fompeh' and the inhabitants found vent
ior Their opinions by writing ON the walls
oViae OF these scratchings are black
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