The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1895-06-03

Eagles had been proudly planted. Pa
gan Rome became Christian Rome thus
fulfilling very ancient prophecy.
Christianity saved Rome from to-
tai destruction, and yet 1t Is a well
known fact that Notwithstanding the
ravages Of the Goths and Vandals the
greatest destruction which Rome suf-
fered was at the hands Of the popes
themselves.
There IS a record Of the year $40
which mentions that in Rome at that
time there were 1924 streets, 80 gilt
statues Of the Gods, 66 ivory statues of
gods, 46,008 houses, 1907 palaces, 1852
fountains, 9,795 statues of emperors and
generals in bronze, 20 great equestrian
statues in bronze (Marcus Aurclius
alone remains) 9,026 baths, 81 theatres
nd amphitheatres." These were des-
troyed by popes, priests and princes Of
Rome. Charlesmagne was the first to
set the example of destruction; he car
ried away to his cathedral at AK lie
Chapelle great columns and rare seulp-
lures, and the public plundered from
that time. The popes took no meas
ures to preserve the monuments of Pa
gan Rome. Marbles and columns were
dashed down and dragged away to the
churches, and great temples disappear
ed like melting wax. Citizens actually
established their work shops, FORCES
and rope walks in the towers and cir
cuses of mighty Rome. FISHERMEN
selling their fish near the bridge of the
Tiber, the butcher displaying his meat
at the Theatre of Marcellus, and the
/ ho lrar evDnet,,o, bic lraad for aia die
played their wares on the magnificent
slabs of marble which had once been
used as seats by the senators in the
theatre or circus, and perhaps by Caes-
er, Mary Antony, Augustus, and other
masters of the world" Magnificent
marble sarcophagi were dug up and
scattered in every direction and made
into cisteIns, water tanks and swine
troughs. For centuries Rome was a
huge lime kiln, and into 1t was cast
beautiful Pagan statues to be transmit
ed into lime for mortar, and thus Rom
ans pillaged, burnt and almost utterly
destroyed their grand metropolis. The
wonder OF it all is that any Pagan relies
survive. When the wonderful marble
group known as the LAGOON" was dis
covered on the Esquiline, 1t narrowly
escaped destruction at the hands of
Pope Urban VI. who turned from it
with holy fear, shuddering and ex-
claiming, "Oh! those dreadful idols of
the Pagan" Such hatred had Chris
tians towards the beautiful marble
and bronze statues of the early Rom
ans, that the noble (?) idea which in
spired them was to instantly burn and
fpfIU daefYqOtr fhATn Tho ka-
came public dumping ground; ii was
lost and completely buried beneath the
accumulated filth and refuse of cen
turtles; great forest trees grew upon
that historic spot where the fate of
many nations had been decided, and
above the Rostra where Cicero deliver
ed his Phlippies, where old Cato thun-
Pdered 'Delenda est Carthage, cattle
roamed at pasture, and those who
bought and sold fiocks and herds, new
er even dreamed of the glory which was
beneath the very soil upon which they
traded.
An English lady long resident In |
Rome Informed me that in her girlhood |
she used to gallop on horseback across
the top Of the Forum; 1t was for CEN
turtles the cattle market or "Camio Vac
cino", and the very name of Forum had |
passed from memory, forgotten save by !
a few scholars. 1t is sad to think how |
the Colosseum and the grand palaces |
of the Palatine have been plundered |
and destroyed simply for iron clamps |
and building stone. When the Baths |
of Caracalla were demolished, 1t is said |
the citizens of Rome fairly screamed |
with fright thinking an earthquake
was about to destroy the city, as the
tremendous arches (over 100 feet high
toppled down with so violent crash
as to shake Rome to its center. Truly
old Rome was fast disappearing and
the avenglng pendulum Of the Chris
tians was swinging violently The pill
Laying Of the Pantheon by Pope Urban
VIII. (BarberinD is too well known to
expatlate upon, In 1880 this pope
robbed that magnificent temple of its
bronze roof. taking away no less than
100000 pounds of gilt bronze with which
he built the "Boldachino" at st. Peters;
there was sufficient left over to cast
a number Of bronze cannon for "Castel
Angelo" This daring robbery was so
glazing as to give rise to the well
hHoWH eplBTaHH OF FdSquln, 'QuOu non
fecerunt barbara fecerunt Barberinl."
Pope Benedict XIV actually tore away
all the splendid marble statues from
the Pantheon to ornament other build
lngs, and countless robberies of this
kind went on for more than 900 years.
The Coliseum was entire as late as
the eighth century and later was used
as a fortress after the fourteenth CEN
fury ii had become nothing less than
4 great stone quarry, and many palaces
were built from material taken from
his historical pile, place which should
nave been looked upon rendered sacred
1y the life blood Of many Christian
martyrs. Upon one occasion Cardinal
5'arnese obtained permission from his
lncle Pope Paul III. to quarry from
his historic building all the stone that
he could cart away in twelve hours.
rhe willy cardinal set 1000 men at work
Ind in twelve hours removed an incred-
Bile mass of fine building stone, with
which he built the Farnese palace and
'ther buildings. In 1852 one of the
treat men of Rome obtained permits
sion to remove $500 loads of stone, and
o the spelling of this splendid theatre
vent on, and the gaunt ugly interior
IS 1t now appears, renders it difficult to