The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1902-08-07
LETTER FROM ROME,
PROF. W. F. GILL WRITES INTERESTINGLY
OF THE "ETERNAI CITY,"


OF THE "ETERNAL CITY,"
Things Seen and Heard by Vance
County Man AbrOad-impression
| Made by Ones First Visit to the
| Centre of Italian Art aud Culture
| Modern Ideas Amid Ancient Ruins
and ReIics-Foreign Railway Trains s
as Compared With Our Own Ameri-
can Palaces on Wheels.
My DEAR Nix. MANNING:-I do not
promise myself or you to write any
thing that is new on so old a subject
as the eternal City" yet the personal
equation may lend an interest to the
story for some Of your readers. We're
l to speak OF the Rome that has been
the object OF most systematic s.udY
during these summer days that are
altogether too few, my letter would
grow too rapidly and when the end
was reached the old question cui BONO,
would stare me in the face. since a
very few d"llars would add the stamp
of authority from Baedeker or other
|
Americans that are continually making
their pilgrimage to this spot. The
register kept at the Catacombs of 81.
CaliNtus shows more than half the
names to belong to American travel
ers. This first trip p was undertaken
with no desire to advance new theo-
ries on he location of this temple or
that street, but on the contrary il had
the very modest purpose Of re-read-
ing my Catullus, Horace or Virgil
amid the remains of the city that
knew them. Yet | have found time
to see Bone Of today as well rs that
Of yesterday and it is of this city
that [ would make few notes to.
night.
| count myself fortunate in having
been forced to cross with an Italian
amship company, since from the
moment | left the wharf | was in
Italy and before | landed at Naples
IL days later, I was an acclimatized
Italian. The voyage was uneventful
in the extreme, yet the great pleasure
of seeing Gibraltar for the first time
at the hour of sunset more than re-
, paid me for the loss of the trip by
the swifter boats of the Northern
, route. The coast hills of the two
continents seemed to have We'd with
, one another to furnish at this point
natural gateway to the universe
, Little wonder that old legend gave
the spot the name "Pillars of Hercu
les" The exquisite sunset effect
| hn1 RI h.,
) At the close of the third day on the
Mediterranean we landed in the beau
tiful bav of Naples. Instead of low
lying coast city as | had always pic
tured this city, | found natura
amphitbeatre of gigantic proportions
lit from pit to gallery with electric
lights. The laws Of the harbor dc
not permit landing after sunset. st
we were compelled to make ourselve
content until morning. The sunligh
} robbed the waters of the bay of som'
beauty, but not so with the city. 4
days driving to and fro in the cit,
: only made me impatient for the weel
| have promised myself at the clos'
of the trip.
From Naples to Rome the road lie
between two parallel ranges of th'
lApennines, with this summit ant
that crowned with picturesque
village An Italian train standing il
a station brings smile to an Ameri
can, accustomed to the vestibul
Pullman cars, for it looks much lik
collection of the rockaway coache
of our grandfathers joined one t.
another and all to saw-mill engin
on wheels But the smile fades as b
realizes that, over a magnificent roa'
bed without any crewding of pas
sengers in the separate compart
ments, he is being carried with
speed that equals that Of the sam
= grade Of train in America. Ii ther
i is conductor, he is not seen on tn
g trip, since there is no communicable
It between carriages except from tn
outside. Four hours and ha1
&c brought my train from Naples t
ID Rome, distance or 165 or II
miles.
Il Rome How different from any
e thing that l ever thought to see!
thoroughly modern railway static
with every convenience for the trave
ing public. On the outside thel
p, stood longer line of hotel omnibuse
than was needed to accommodate tn
= passengers, further still the eve
present and vociferous cabby whi
hither and thither crossed electri
cars, caring as little for the incomin
of train as any line in Americ
- But. greater wonder still, there is r
sign of the Rome of the times
Cesar and Cicero. Everything
sight speaks of today. Is it for tn
that | have come thousands Of mile
to see the same city that might
visited at any time at the cost of
few hours ride? No. Rome diffe
. from all other cities at just this poin
She unites the old with the ne'
builds upon her past in way tn
no other city can. Instead OF hurr
ING to the hotel, turn the corner al
,r YOU stand face to face with magni
N icent ruin of the imperial city. 1T
~ Baths of Diocletian after more tbs
1900 years of turmoil still stand
furnish homes for various ente
prises. One large section, Michs
Angelo transformed into the chur
n of Santa Maria degli Angeli, with
n Carthusian convent adjoined viii
- is now the Musco Nazionale de-
Terme Diocleziane. Another corn
is now the church of San Bernad
a. Among other occupants of this me
nd extensive of Roman baths with roc
ew for {, 900 bathers at one time, may
10. 10. mentioned hospital and school
lid girls. while q wood and coal deal
EN- with turn for the classic. has 6
trenched himself under one OF t
arches. Thus it is that the Rome
'Ga R today has woven into the fabric
a her existence much of her pa
ct, Hence the charm of a visit here.