The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-04-01

! of death where we're thrown the bodies
| Of dead animals and the corpses OF saves
| and people Of low degree. there to de-
| cay aud form a horrible mass Of refuse a
! population which could tolerate such hot
| bed of infection at its doors was probably
not oyercarcful in other matters. and the
only possible way OF cleaning certain dis
tricts must have been by the more or less
frequent fires. which removed all garbage
/ by the simple process Of cremation.
It is scarcely conceivable that the price
less statues of early Roman civilization
were broken up by stonecutters and ma
sons and used as building material. but
Prof. LanCiani assures us that they were.
This outvandals the Nandals for when
they looted the city they at any rate did
not destroy objects of value. but carried
them away as spoils Of war. But here
We have the statement that no less than
1924 most precious images Of Greek work
manship" belonging to the Compital
shrines at the crossing Of main thorough
fares were actually broken 10 pieces and
put into the lime kilns or built into the
walls of new buildings. 4 part Of this
ruthless destruction was due to Chris
tianity. the builders of the new era having
no respect for pagan gods. The author
says that foundation walls built up in
part Of statues and busts have been found
by the score. 4 replica Of the LAGOON is
known to be buried in the substructures
Of the Church Of St Pudcntiana A story
is here told of a colony of Greek sculp-
tors who came to Rome from Aphrodisias
and set up a studio on the Esquiline hill
Their studio and exhibition rooms finally
came to grief, either by fire or mob VIC
ience. In the spring Of 1856 when the
Via BuonarOti was cut through near the
llra#1 aa e
tirely built with the contents Of the stu
do. There were statues of seven OF the
gods. as well as has reliefs and other
carvings; and no essential portion Of any
work was missing. which shows that they
were brought entire to the scene Of de-
struction and there broken up and thrown
into foundation wall. The author says
that where statues are found in the ruins
Of editices TO which they belonged the head
and arms are usually missing; but where
they have been built into walls the whole
can generally be recovered. He also says
that some Of the loose heads are rounded
and smooth. as if the street loafers had
used them for bowling purposes. After
all this information on Roman disregard
for beauty. one can hardly accuse Ameri-
cans Of having monopoly Of that sort of
thing
The history Of Rome during the barbar-
ian invasions and subsequent periods is
then taken up, and the effect of each in
cursion upon the art and architecture Of
the city is discussed.
Some fortunate accidents are mingled
with the more or less deliberate deztruc-
tion Of works Of art recorded here. IN
1888 in an excavation. a pile Of marble
was found made up of eight statues Of the
Nestaies maXimae. some whole others in
fragments For some inscrutable reason
some unknown diggers Of marbles in fill
ing up a hole. had laid the statues in a
regular Oblong. like a cord Of wood, and
filled in the spaces between.
The sack Of Rome in 1927 is wildly de-
scribed. and We are told that a familiar /
lullaby sung over the cradles Of Italian
children today is "Fatti Ia uinna, pass3
via Rarb1ne'" go 10 sleep, Baritone is
gomez Baritone the man with the long 4
beard 81 representing Charles of Bourbon
and his observation-disclosures thousand /
Germans fourteen thousand Italians. aud
six thousand SpdniarLs The things they
did in the half-ruined hut still magnificent
city will hardly bear repetition. Their in .
vasion was worse than that OF the Goths at
an earlier date Aside from the horrible !
cruslties practised on priests and citizens
they committed all SORTS Of Expectations in I
the churches and palaces. The Spaniards /
stabbed their horses in the aislcs of st. /
PEERS. preparing their filters with price /
less manus -rip;s. They broke stained /
glass windows into bits. and stole Flemish [
tapestries designed by Raphael tfor the /
sake Of the gold thread only. Bonfres /
were lighted in the Vatican. il is said, /
though this is not certain.
Altogether. it is net wonderful that |
Rome is a mass of ruins. between the /
Of outsiders and the indif-
ference and CalousuCss OF her own citi- !