The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1896-04-04

grew upon me in such a manner that
even in distant parts Of the city ] would
often find myself turning to admire its
majesty, like the old sun orshipers
turning ever towards their God, the
great source of day and life. The first
time | beheld this Incompatible pillar,
or monument, or column, or reminder
Of noble hero, or call it what you will,
it was at sunset on an October day; inn
palpable dust covered the Corso and
everybody, everything was dust COW
cred; the column glowed in the sun
light, now red, now yellow and seemed
to change its hues with the fading rays
of the dying sun. The dust crept into
my mouth and even inflamed my eyes,
for it's molescules or particles We're in
visible. In the far away Sahara
great whirlwind or sand storm had
drawn this desert dust into the skies,
while strong southerly wind had
swept it through space as with O
mighty bosom, across the desert it hur-
ried, and quickly it was whirled as
light as the very zephyr which bore it,
above the classic Mediterranean, and
when the sirocco died languishing
death on the italian plains the dust
was gently distributed over cities and
forests, and the particles which but a
few hours before We're scattered broad
cast along the wild I4ibyian wastes red
dened the Corso with an unearthly
light. The column to which | have re-
ferred above Is that of Marcus Azure
Illus. 1t stands a sort of pivot of Rome
right on the Corso and about it throng
multitudes from many nations, the rich
and the outcast, the busy, the idle, the
thoughtless, pass ever beneath its dark
shadow; many never heed it and know
naught of it's history.
This grand monument was found
PROSTATE, imbedded in the earth a little
back of it's present position about three
hundred years ago. Good Pope Sixtus
V. in 1889 caused it to be restored and
placed on it's summit a statue of st.
Paul. This column was originally
erected by the Roman senate to Marcus
Aurelius; it is carved with bas reliefs
which represent that emperor's con-
quests of the German tribes along the
Danube; it is composed of twenty eight
blocks of stone and it's height is ninety
five feet. 1t appears that the emperor
had among his soldiers legion of
Christians bearing a cross on their bat
tie standards. Once when the army
seemed about to perish of thirst these
Christians prayed for water and the
showers descended and saved the army,
and among the stone pictures on this
column is clearly seen divinity send
ing rain to the troops.
The whole campaign is pictured in
the has reliefs and the column is one of
the grandest objects in Rome. For
merly a statue of Marcus Aurelius was
placed on the top of this monument,
and in its place Sixtus V. erected the
statue of Saint Paul. AS I used to
stand in the Piazza and gaze at this
relic of pagan Rome, train of serious
thought would run through my mind; I
thought of the old Romans who We're
religious or ''superstitious'' in their
own way, trusting to the gods of a COR
rupt mythology; what had they to do
with the Christus of Christians or what
knew they of the new superstition 2"
The good Marcus Aurelius had never
heard of the obscure martyr Paulus of
Tarsus, while under that Roman empe-
ror many believers in Christ We're tor
tured with nameless deaths. Oh! the
irony of memorable fate, the very mon
ument which the senate in the year 40
erected to honor the emperor, has in
the centuries which have passed been
glorified with an halo of glory and the
gigantic thing of stone which records
the noble deeds of a brave pagan has
become a monument of man who, al
though he was an humble but obscure
free born" Roman citizen and impris-
oned tent maker was at the same
time the grandest character that ever
visited the shores of Italy or entered
within the walls of Rome
AS / climbed to it's top and stood be-
meath the feet of the great statue
could see far away out on the Campag-
ma the brilliant Basilica "St. Paolo
fuori lie Mura," where rests the dust of
the apostle, and beyond at Ire Fonlane
the aged martyr was beheaded. AS
gazed up at the face of the statue the
eyes seemed turned towards the Cam
pagna and / almost seemed to see the
strong lips moving, and what, 7 asked
myself, would the words be if those 81
lent lips could but speak. They might
repeat what Paul wrote to the Ro-
mans, For am not ashamed of the
gospel of Christ" Again, "The just
shall live by faith" Still again, But
God forbid that I should glory save in
the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ"
For I bear in my body the marks of
the Lord Jesus" Unto me who am
less than the least of all saints is this
grace given that / should preach
among the gentiles the unsearchable
riches of Christ" Il have fought a
good fight, | have finished my course,
I have kept the faith" l thought of
the grand missionary tours of the apos-
tie to the Gentle nations through Asia
Minor. of the vision at Troas calling
him into Macedonia, then of the jour
neyings through Greece and probably
into Spain and perhaps across to Brit
ain. The story of st. PauTs life is
pathetic one, particularly after his set
ting forth from Judea into Italy and
ever afterward.
A little back of the Piazza Colonna is
the Piazza .Monte Citorio'' in the CEN
ter of which stands an Egyptian ODE
lisl, which was found near by in frag-
ments, Gt was thrown down in the
ninth century, Pope Plus Sixth, lit
tie over one hundred years ago, had it
re-erected here. From the sacred Wri-
tings on it's surface we CLEAN that it
was erected in Egypt seven hundred
and fifty years B. c.; its height is
L