The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1900-04-07

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ali -. church bells IN the Eternal CITY
rang out glad peais.
His Holiness has decided, aftsr due rsflse.
tion, that for ths Catholic world the year
1900 IL 80 -commsncs the Goth century.
Accordingly great t'vity was expected
In the church and this intsrsst would no
doubt centre In the City Of Martyrs and
home Of the early Christians, and sspeo-
tally In st. Peters, that glorious strue-
tire which, although founded sixteen
hundred years ago. ross into Its present
dazzling perfection along with the
kenAissanoe movement In Italy.
Rome. however, IL evidently enjoying Q
10th century transition period, ana Pope
Leo may be glad next year TO call anoth-
er Jubilee, especially IS NEST scientific
scholars. have decided that the twsntisth
century does mot oommeEce until 1901;
fer strange 10 say, although the Pope
had expected this 10 be the year OF all the
centuries whsn the revenues OF the
Church would be replsnished and its
Golfers filled, early In the season no pill
grims to speak Of msterializsd and there
were no strangers In the streets. no guests
| amounting 10 anything In the hstsis.
feeling bsrsft.
Meanwhile the sights OF this wonderful
city and its long buried works Of art can
never grow trits or less intsrestina. You
stand with the same reverence IN front Of
the Forum redeemed from the cid
marshes where the Consoript Fathers
made laws, some OF which proved worthy
to be handed down to the world. You
climb again with the same alaority the
PAlatips Hin and muse over the glory OF
the Caesars and bswai the sffsminacy
which finally bronsht the monarchy low.
You visit the Colosseum with zeal not
In the least abated, and netloe with
pleasure how well they have rsfurbishsd
the dens OF the wild beasts and put In
order the STATS of the mobiles, where the
high Roman DANES applaudsd the gladis-
torisi shows and could not concsal their
delight at the tearing to pieces Of each
new Christian. You can seem % see them
waving their silken scarfs and hear their
joyful plaudits when some devout Chris
tlan lover became the prey Of tha fierce
tiger and his sweetheart wasted away In
her dungeon waiting for her turn to
come. You visit again with new pleasure
the Vatican galleries, and study with
increased attention the paintings on the
walls OF the Sistine Chapel and the Stan
zas aud Loggia. ana notice on descending
| how handsome the Swiss Pspal Guards
In their gorgeous uniforms have become;
and you thiLk Of His Holiness. strong n
his weakness, about TO celebrate bis nine
tisth birthday.
More and more you hunt out the old
theatres and forums ard trace ont the
course Of the early SsrviAn wall and the
sewers, all the work Of the Tarquins; and
you try to locate the boundaries Ct the
| Campus Martius wbich 10 now built up
solid with many new buildings which are
orewding out the old, and you ponder
over the changes which must happen In
the course OF o century, and many OF
the ruins which must fall; for the spirit
Of modern progress has seized the Roman
along with other more northern and
mediasval cities. When you realize that
1t was not until 1870 that any considera.
| BILE excavations were made on the PAla-
tine and that before many years all the
delving will be ovsr In the Campaigns,
ana that now 1t is only occasionally that
any wonderful bit of architecture IL
found, you begin to fear that In the
course Of time even Rome will begin to
be commonplace. But people in Italy are
still alive to tHe antique, and for tAe
present old pictures OF priceless value are
being dragged forth from the garrets Of
ancient palaces. where they have been
stored for centuries as old rubbish. as for
Instance In Florence tbs other day, when
some one OF the branches Of the royal
famiI who il 70 / 4 the RET iienoe portion
Of the PHI Palace were undergo ing an
annual overhauliug, they discovered
genuine Bot ,eili in one Of the ct i,s, all
covered with smoke and cobwebs; but
the sr iris of discovery being 50 lie, they
busted it and washed it up, and sure
enough they found in their possession
one OF BOT ioslli's mi N liable heads, which
is now placed in the U ifizi opposits his
Diana, brought to light In . similar way
some years since.
Like most of old places you find the
ancient objects of interest here In the
slums. II you are hunting for the beau
tifui columns and arches of the Portico
OF Octavia Of carly Roman days you 60
through the Ghetto, a locality which once
was the fashionable quarter of Rome;
and nearby, adjoining the Piazza Min
torio, .one of the most vulgar quarters
of the city, you discover the Theatre OF
MarcslIus named BY Augustus for his
nephew who disd so young Afterwards
It was used for fortress, and then there
was built into Il palace OF the Orsini,
and finally 81 the beginning Of this CEN
tury q PrussiAn ambassador made It his
home; hut az seen to-day 1t il siili beau
tiful, embodying In Its seversl stories
the thres Grecian orders of architecture,