The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1897-04-17

Yime-Its Interior Arrangement and
Weu-Preseryed Frescoes- Points About
Pompeii.
New York Sum-
Prof. M. II. Morgan came over from
Cam bridge last week at the invitation of
the New York Society Of the Archaeo-
logican Institute of America and gave
an Interesting popular lecture, wish
stereoptioon Illustrations, in Hamilton
Hall, Columbia University, "The HOUSE
of Vettius," the latest and most i'm
porsant, as he said, of archaeological dis
covefiss at Pampeii. The erst part OF the
house TO be found was uncovered In le9a,
md the excavations have been continued
during the last two years. The excellent
state of preservation in which the house
ana many Of its appurtenances were
found induced the Italian Government
to make such repairs to the roof as Was
necessary, restore the sarieus, and contin-
tie the wholelns an exhibition in its place.
instead of removing the principal objects
to the museum at Naples The house
was buried under-a great depth of ashes.
PREDATORY to whnt tie had TO say about
the. house OF Vettius, Prof. Morgan un-
dertao ok TO dispel the prevalent dolusion
that the eruption of Vesuvius came all
OF sudden and overwhelmed the Pom
peiians ct whatever they CHANGED to be
pursuing at the moment. This action,
fostersd by the stories com monty told of
the fateiof Pompeii, and by 3ulwer's
novel, had it's basis mainly in the fact
that SO many bodies were found in the
various buildings in the excavations.
But the Pompeiians wers used to
eruptions. Prof. Morgan ssid land
there was warning enough. The people
merely took refuge In the buildings just
as the Western man goes into his cyclone
cellar, to wait until the storm was over:
but this storm lasted longer than any
other had."
He called his auditors' attention to an
other point to be borne in mind regard
ing Pompeii; that it was not a large or
an important city, but small, proTin-
cial town, a summer resort of the
Roman citizsDs.
Pref. Lanciani has called Pompeil
tho Newport of ancient Rome, 'said Prof.
Morgan, but I can't help thinking that
If Prof. Lanciani were an American he
would have called it rather the Long
Branch CT Rome. Perhaps you'll under
stand the difference.
Zone thing sometimes lest sight of is
that Pompeii had been destroyed by an
earthquake just sixteen years before the
eruption. So that this town is particu-
larry interesting to us, MS ID shows the
taste of the time. The honse CT Vettius
was very eli one, bmf had been newly
decorated shortly before the eruption.
We ge5 from, it, | think, Gle best idea we
have of q Roman house of tile time of
Ponpeii. The house ia distinguished for
tie state Of complete preservation in
which 10 was found. bot Ii as to paintings,
statues, and works of art generally. 1t
was SO perfect that the Government de-
cidod to keep it where it was: wsx and
glass have baen pat over the paintings,
pillars have been restored, the roof hns
been repaired, and the garden newly laid
out.
"The house Is large one, having a
ninety seyen-foot front. Near the Gu
trance we find the jRnitor's ro0m--and
jaaitors we're as naughty then as to-day
with two pictures in it, anu another |
room with Ariadne's picture. There ara
two atriums and the kitchen with it's |
range, and the Lares wers found in the |
smaller atrium. The dining room was |
on the second floor. 1t had come to be |
fashionable toaShaya it on the second fo3r. |
Beyond the tahlinum is great open |
court, with eighteen Corinthian columns |
covered with stucro in the peristyle. At
the foot of each pillar is q statue and |
fountain, the water having been supplied |
from the street, for there was water in |
tire streets Of Pompeii, as in the streets |
of New York. There is another small |
court adjoining this one, and there was
also another niniEg r0om, with many |
pictures of Cupids and Psyches on the |
walls. Those pictures are well pro-
served
Prof Morgan showed on5the screen the |
ground plan Of tie house of Vettius, and |
ia order to help to an understanding of |
the city other Roman houses, drawing |
attention to the windows which were too I
high for persons i'll the street 10 look i'll, |
and to the campaign habit in ancient |
times OF painting on the outer walls of |
any house the name of u candidate for |
office, with suggf stion that the reader
vote for him. A picture of the peristyle |
VI bAo uOus6 VI tUbblQS oLuWtt Uut
statuettes and fountains, and various
tables, soma OF Thorn with followed sur |
faces and some with circular tops sup
ported by griffins, about the room. All |
of these were of white marble. One of |
tina fountain statues WIS a faun: another
~ boy holding a gpose. Some of the |
frescoes, Prof. Morgan said, were very |
good-from an artistic slandpoint-and !
some Of them were wretched All of |
them Helped. however, he remarked, to |
an understanding of some of the great |
pictures which Pliny describes, az not |
a single one Of the works of the great ar
tists of the day had come down to this |
time. One of the frescoes was represen-
tation CT tt familiar "Hercules !
Stranqling the serpent.'' Another was
the punishment cf Ixion. Mercury. who |
had brought him, was standing just |
ahead Of Vulcan, whose tool, for the |
binding of Ixion were lying on the |
ground. Juno sat in the background, |
aud dark iE TIE foreground was a feuale |
SguTe, probably one of the Furies.
Ariadne folsaken hy TheEeu7 was the |
subject Of one Of tie irescoss, and while |
This subject is common in decorative |
painting. Prof. Morgan said iris par