The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1901-09-04

tai Virgins is seen on the one side iw hile
opposite stood the platform where
Rome's great orators used 10 harangue
the people, Here Cicero spoke, Caesar
commanded and Antony delivered his
eulogy over the remains of his departed
friend. Triumphal arches aud pillars in
good condition are still standing bearing
Latin Inscriptions of very ancient times.
The post from which all distances within
and without the city Of Rome were
measured, is pointed out. This remind
ed me of a post set up in the church OF
the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem which
is said to be The center of the world.
A short distance from the Forum
stands the Colosseum, the largest theater
and most imposing structure in the
world. Even when standing within its
walls one can scarcely get any good con
ceptions Of its magnitude. There is moth
ing near with which it can be compared
or its size measured. 1t is ellipti"al in
form and the walls measure about one
third ofs mile around, the hight is one
hundred and fifty seven feet. 1t is esti-
mated to seat sc, 600 people. On the out
side ii seems to have four stories, the
lower adorned with half columns of the
noric order, the second with Ionic, and
the third with Corinthisn. 1t was COM
pleted by Titus, 50 A d. Earthquakes
and vandalism have done much to de-
stroy it, yet more than one half still
stands 10 show how great it once was. 1t
is said that the majority of the churches
of Rome have been built of material
taken from the Colosseum. or late years
this has been stopped and care is used in
its preservation. Workmen have filled
IN the broken places in the wall and
bound them together with iron bands and
pins. The arches and walls that support
ed the seats are being rebuilt The work
in the arena has 6een finished and the
places where wild beasts were kept are
seen beneath the stage. The Colosseum
has ever been symbol of the greatness
of Rome and gave rise, in the Sth ceu-
tury, 10 the saying
"While stands the Colosseum, Rome
shall stand,
When falls the Colosseum, Rome shall
fall,
And when Rome falls, with il shall fall
the world.n
Since then great changes have taken
place among the nations of the world and
we Americans at least might doubt this
prophecy.
fail me to speak of the many interesting
sights OF things ancient and things mod
ern, of things of state and things OF
church, of Inc abodes of the living and
the abodes of the dead, of villas, monas-
teries, museums, galleries, of the beauti-
full gardens and flowers, of the customs
and hopes of the people. Rome is an in
exhaustable mine of things beautiful, in-
teresting and instructive. But l have
already exceeded beyond all bounds
what had intended when began these
letters. Still l have reason to hope that
many have enjoyed these letters, espec-
tally so as coming from one they know,
and the expression of this enjoyment has
led me 10 extend them This great length.
MY tour terminated in Rome. Coming
to Naples boarded sister ship of the
one on which went out and aner eleven
days of an ideal voyage in the soft balmy
air of the southern Atlantic, without
wind or rain caught sight of the shores
of America outside the New York Har-
Dor and rtioiced as I never did before
that was citizen of this great, grand
and glorious Republic. A land whose
surface was covered with grass and whose
hills and mouEtains with forests, "a
land of brooks of wafer, of fountains and
depths that spriug out ofvalleys and hills,
land of wheat, and barley, and vines, a
land wherein thou shalt eat bread with
out scarceness, a land whose stones are
IRON, and out of whose hills thou mayest
dig brass" "The land of the free and the
home of the brave" and thanked the
Giver of all good that it was so.
j. V. MCANINCH
June IL. 1901.