Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1901-12-19
LECTURE ON ITALY.


Bacon, gave a short but interesting
lecture in the assembly room, We'd
nesday p. m. In general, the subject
was Italy" Mr.. Bacon gave US
, vivid picture of the Colosseum, an
old Roman theatre. We learned that
this massive stone structure was built
without mortar, iron rods being used
instead; that few seats remain, but the
Sanded arena and the enclosure for
wild beasts are still to be viewed; and
that though much of the stone was
removed by the Fewdal barons to
build their castles, during the middle
ages, yet the amount of material still
remaining, is prodigious.
St. Peters Cathedral at Rome was
also mentioned. An hours drive
would scarcely complete the circuit of
the spacious area occupied by the
cathedral and the Vatican Palace.
Some of the pillars of the edifice are
so large that our school house could
be placed in the center and the cor
ners would not project. Twelve or
more priests could hold mass all at
the same hour and positively know
nothing of the. duties of each other.
While in Italy Mr.. Bacon visited
UlIe Inflated cities of Herculaneum
and Pompeii. Herculaneum was COW
cred with lava, Pompeii with ashes;
hence more extensive excavations
have been made in the latter city.
We were all interested in the des-
criptions of "Beautiful Venice"
"Venice," said our visitor, with its
marble palaces, its watery streets, it's
goEdolas with their happy gondoliers,
in sunny weather is charmingly pic
turesque, but in rainy weather one
must simply don rubber boots and
macintosh and resign himself to get
ting wet"
The inconsistency of the Italian
character was wildly illustrated by
several stories.
The following incidents forcibly re-
minded Mr.. Bacon that the United
States is not all of America and led
US all to realize that the American
and Italian ideas of the size of Amer
lea do not coincide.
One Italian, on learning that our
speaker was an American, said,
"America! Well then you must have
met my friend, Mr.. , who owned
a store in Ecuador"
On another occasion a son of Italy
learned that San Francisco boy was
attending school at Harvard. With
the utmost cOmplacency he remarked,
eyes, but he gets home for Sunday,
doesn't hep
Mr.. Bacon's recent tour of Italy
gave spice and zest to his two short
addresses. 1t is needless to add that
the students were highly appreciative
and we trust that Mr.. Bacon will pur-
sue the idea of the ''charming serial"
and continue his lecture in our next.
THE MARTYR SOPHOMORES.
On first entering the assembly room,
the Sophomore motto, Coward and
Upward" and the plastering over
our illustrious heads seem to be
a contradiction. The Sophomores,
however, with the spirit of the true
martyr, are willing to expose them
selves to the impending danger, even
to the discomfort of eyes and collars
filed with falling lime and sand, in
hopes that it will be step " onward
and upward" to that new school
building in which the Sophomores ex-
expect to spend two years more of
happy school life.
The SeriOr and Junior social COM
mittees, adjourning from joint meet
ing Wednesday evening, Dec. II, saw
elaborate preparations going on in
the Assembly room. They shifted
candy and all sorts of good things,
but in spite of our numerous hints,
we left empty handed.
1t is an interesting and perhaps I'M
known fact that there is an inverte-
brate in the school. Surely this
shows how the school is helping the
lower classes.
Some members of the Freshman
class were absent The past week on
account af sickness. The majority of
this class are regular in attendance,
however.
The Freshman Literary Reading
class is greatly interested in a story
called Liars" They think from the
given them by the Seniors
and Juniors, that interest has spread
to other classes.
We are glad to learn that at least
one of the seniors has shown an effici-
ency for pedagogy.
The only signs we see of the recent |
- spread" are dirty plate and tum-
bier, lett in the Office.
The anxiety about the examination
seems to have abated somewhat.
The I'd division of the Freshman
algebra class became so intensely in