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

with the architecture. social customs lit-
ersture, and art of the Roman people and
those who read it will probably get a bet
ter idea OF the daily life Of the subjects
of the Caesars than they ever had befolc.
There is something Curiousiy dry and
dead about the Latin tongue TO the aver
age mind. The schoolboy learns declen-
sions and conjugations by rote digs cut
his translations Of Virgil and Cicero as il
he were working al a mathemati s2l for
mula and finds IL almost impossible 10
conceive Of a nation who aCtua ly talked
the language which he is acquiring so
painfully. He could as well imaE ne peo-
pie conversiug in algebraic terms or re-
peating the multiplication table by way Of
"a goOd-morning. Owing TO the iueNtn-
guishable human quality OF Homer Greek
seems more or less Ineligible. but Latin
is as dry as dry bones to ninety nine peo-
pie out OF a hundred. The idea Of stree.
urchins shouting maledictions TO one an
other in Latin. or Young people using IL
for purposes Of love making Is inconreiv-
able. The modern mind can realize The
this dead language was ever living only 10y
q struggle as did the philosopher who
said that the Romans could conquer the
world because they were born with the
knowledge what nouns formed their ac-
cusative in i'm"
But Prof Thomas little book makes us
realize that the inhabitant Of ancient
Rome did something besides fight and so
TO the circus Most Of us when We think
OF a Roman, picture a stern soldier. clad
in armor. with a br0adsword and q spear
forming one OF a compact column. or
stately senator In a toga. delivering one
OF those orations which are still preserved
as models OF Latin style; or we see IN
amphithea;re full OF blood-thirsty people
ciamoriug for the death OF inoneusive
Christians. Il is a fact. however. that
there was a great deal of human nature
in the average Roman. and il is that side
OF him which strikes the reader of this
little book. He seems suspiCiously like
man of our own dsy.
The first chapter is devoted entirely 70
Pompeii. the wonderful buried city where
So much Of the daily life Of the people has
been preserved for curious eyes. through
centuries Of change and turmoil in the
outer world. There is very little of the
guide book about the authors descriptions
but. after reading them. one seems 10 have
seen the place IN person. He begins with
the explanation:
On entering the town. 0ur irs. impression
very important one IL is, harm .Hzins as IL does
with q truth too often lost sicHt OF by those
tho write 8hout Pompeil--Is tbfI ctCatf.ug Is
lerc srlaH scale. TAX Do, >fr,a.s- for i'm
ttancc-s0me Il them are not us.re than Ten
feet wide. SO. too. with the open spaces rHC larg-
Ct Of them, the forum cyile. Is barely l5l yards
long. whereas the House Of Pan-a for instance, is
400 yards in length.
We are also informed that there is but
enc monument OF any size in The town
and that is the amphitheatre An incident
In the history Of this strueturs Is delight
fully human and natural 4 certain Il
vinius Regulus, who had been hanishei
from Rome by the Senate gave a eladia-
torial show there as the custom OF wealthy
men was a part Of the spectators were
from the neighboriHg town Of Nuceria. and
q quarrel which was started bf some body
resulted in d free fight The Pompeians
being the more numerous. had decidedly
the best Of it. and the visitors such Of
them as could get home. took themselves
on. yowing vengeance. They went 10 Rome
and told the story to the Emperor He re-
ferred the matter 10 the Senate the Senate .
10 the Consuls. and the urshot Of it an was
that the Pompeiians were forbidden to have
any more shows Of that character for the
next ten years This was hard but they
took IL out in the glory Of having won the .
fight. and besides monuments erected TO
commemorate the event We find repro
duced a oaricature which was discovered f
on a wall. and is Enthusiastically intended .
10 represent the combat
There IS also iu this chapter a reproduc-
tion Of the famous mosaic Cave Canem
which adorned q Pomp6iiau house. But one
feature of J,crrr.ii ,ttirb - r.,-t--.s No..
s.. l ts 5-
ohatae'eils,le lhah an! ''hef is not de-
scribed in books ou Art nor iu most an
cient histories The inhabitants enjoyed
scrihbling Oh walls as much as small boys
like to decorate the schco'house doors with
chalk; and a considerable parI of thi. chap
ter is devoted 90 these inscriptions Prof
Thomas says.
5-.-.f.- $780, ,....-.. ....,r-...
,t....,5 - - -. ia - -..
F, ,..1 ~ . ooi.,. i'',. q. '' 's -.'
,i.qe aud space Do 0auid hr delightful iIus o.
"a n ~. = '.'' --' ~
!, I'm s-s =, IN, 90, ,-i.lr- =, H. f.,,-,
town. As a mattel o.. .sat. $50 ,sr -rIH ,a ..-t.f
q certain ezte1t. ta. au,r aHer,ne. IS TIA. if
place 81 looking v' ua>t Boz content ta listen.
hplHId.liy spte'h Na. h.i enough for lag POM
IN lel s,I' .-''- HI-. '.''- NI.'' WIG
-l-s-,s ~ IL, ..........- ,.-. .--.- f-,...,,,.'
tnd the walls fa,, r.l..sry,s ,Hsr oard,. We Hsv,
but to read iH o1r ur And r,lat do we ind
o. those "aii- H y" lint place. ordinary BOZ
= li,loi+ sl'' .-',' ..'', vows ,il."lh-,
!, IN -
N. p1upeiisus hfudI,d about between Themselves
the walls Of public Hu..du@- being constituted
lhc irdi-ceet hslIer. a- 5a,-, singular fa.--ir,s
raeses. grsfh'i slea o. tas lIse {. 'l- rempellaas
npalsive character. iuriT ,a-y-roiug VANS aud
BOW and then, tle.r grace Tho ueodI, of tae
hehef e2aio ora" h' more 1'."ihI .. accurate
go. f-...,. ...., ..-.
psr,,,sii Jl,i-~ IT. -..-., .,...,. .-.-. p. b..
P,istine al Rom. Id sl.asH.-r Urlr.y.r
lound. they have boon .-l,,aIl, collected Even
b the sahafa. pear ODE wells by Hn t.a oa-ss
ssroer inscription. have been wrt "I,'. scratch
,e,,f ,.r.,,- ~ IN .i.. ca ... la -
say 1aa,esatiss, begun eighteen ar,d..f r.sr,