The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1902-01-26
OLDEST PARI OF Rome


The Palatine IS Ore If the seven hills up
on which Rome IS built. and the oEiy one
which is now practically clear. writes y
E. Curtis from tie eternal city The
rest are covered With modern buildings.
and the diggsTs and filters and graders
| the superlntendents Of The streets and the
| architects OF buildings have taken sgch
| liberties with the original topography
that it strains tie Imagination II see
them as they used 70 be- But the Fala-
tire Ior various causes has been kept
clear, and Nc. now actually visit the Race
ghere EFauder the shepherd king. IS
represented by Virgil as entertaining
Aenaes; where Hercules lived. and where
The sylvan goddesses OF the pril4oval
woods used 10 perform skirt dances for
the entertainment o. The fs7lns We can
see very plainly several parts of the
I wall which Ronulus buiit 70 surround the
! new city, tracing the lines al the foot or
TIE Hill with plow drawn by a bull and
! 4 heifer with the heifer vcl-ed 10 the
near side 10 signify that strength and
courage were REQUIRED without ard ooe-
diencc and fertility within the city. There
Is also a wei. which we are told Is The
Oldest thing in Rome, as Il was there
before ROmUlus came
For z century or more those exacting
German materialists have been trying 20
{
~ the two boys who founded the Gter-
nal City and sent them back iate The
NEUROLOGICAL department. bet Profcs sor
Z La1cani. the great Roman archeolesist
/ who by the way. has an American wife.
has rescued hem and within thu last
few years has found some inscription or
pottery or something Of that sort by
which he is able TO establish their any.
although 7 fear the wolf that sucked them
was @ fake. The hut of Romufus was pre-
served until the tins OF. Nero. We ara
shown the place on the brow Of the hiu
where the two brothers Quarreled. IKE
Cain and Abel, and one slew the other.
From that date until the Invasion II the
barbariaus the Palatine Hin was almost
continuously smeared IN blood.
Upon the Palatlne Hin were the grand
est temples and palaces the world ever
seen. built when Rome was 2 cit Of
100000 people: when z09.Geo spectators Of
ten assembled to witness the chariot races
in the Circus MaXimus which is now oc-
cupied by the city gas works and a maca-
roni factory, and when $1,000 voices ne tho
Coliseum used to howl with excit,eaent
as they DO now ut football games. when
wild beast got his jaws into Carts
tan martyr The ancient. lettering walls.
which are row tied up with ropes and
held together with iron bands before the
fall OF the papacy We're The most oeaud-
ful ruins in the world They wers COW
cred with ivy, and half concealed with
shrubs. but now men so about ana pick
ont the spears Of grass that spring up
between the paving stones and under the
direction ofoGiciaI archeologists they have
been restored in spots just enough 70 give
students an idea of how The windows and
doorways. the arches and pillars. the
floors and the fountains were placed. The
excavations have been made with great
care Under the direction Of the govern
ment
Curiously enough the ruins were the
property OF the Emperor NAPOLEON III.
of France. until 1871, having passed into
his hands from the Farnese family many
years before and during his exile In En-
gland they were the only property ne re-
tanned iE Rome. The Farncse family
filed Up the walls of the roofless palaces
with earth and made q garden ON them
in the midst of which they built beauti-
1ul villa, and there spent the hot 2eeks
of the summer After &c passed ont of
their possession, while Napoleon owned
it. the sell that covered the palaces of
tho Caesars became a truck garden aud
produced carrots and cabbages Tor the
people OF Rome. The only modern build
ings row standing there are the cottages
of the gardeners. q convent OF the Sisters
Ct the Visitation and q monastery Of
monks, both of which VIII be pulled
down ard removed within few years
Then The excavations which were begun
in 1861 and have been going on spdsuodi-
callv under the direction of the govern
ment Psychologists VIII be continued and
the remainder OF the palace of the Cae-
sars viii be disclosed
We can see now the stately arches and
stupend0us walls, six. eight and ten feet
thick, inclosing spacious chambers and
nails which were once lined with purple
and marble and erubelushed with ivory
and gliding ard witnessed the incredible
atrocities which occurred during the CEN
fury before ard tho century after The
coming of Christ. The imperial palace
was enormous. covering several square
miles. and it is scarcely possible t. be-
lieye The statements that are given us
by the psychologists concerung the suieu-
dor CT tire golden house 81 Nero. whose
coloDnades extended FOR miles ard we're
flied with the most splendid works
of art that the taste ana the genius OF
man mas ever produced. TIE earth itself
was exhausted 20 aiorn this gigantic mou-
ument 10 tie vanity OF an abomEaple
monster. Greece vas stripped % statues.
bronZes and marbles The giided walls
We're So lofty that the colossal statse
which Nero erected in his own nQDor.
10 feet high. Was not out ~ proportion.
Porticoes q mile in length. Ike the colon
nades OF ST Peters let TO this glorious
hall. supported by columns Of marble ~
delicate tints, and even &C alabaster from
chambers linec with gold jewels. auG
mother of pearl, with ceilings of ivory
carved and peifora ted So that perfumes
and flowers could be scattered uTou the
occupants. and dining hans with movable
floors that could Ia ir-ro~oi7 M Tho viii