The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1903-10-01
FROM FAR DISTANT LANDS
Solomon iiuebner Writes His Parents from
Sunny Italy.
Naples, Italy, Sept. 7, 1908.

ouly very luIcleStluS, Dut dlSo Nciy III
structive. All things considered, Rome
cannot be regarded as representing a
typical Italian city, but must be viewed,
rather, as city which appeals primari-
ly to the student Of history and art. The
dullest mind cannot but be moved as
one stands on the top of st. Peters dome
and sees about him the famous Seven
Hills" of Rome, together with the count
less ruins which stand as reminders of a
once powerful empire. But what must
move even the dullest mind, comes with
much added force to him. who having a
knowledge Of the long and thrilling his
tory of the Rise, Decline and Fall of the
Eternal City" stands amid such sur
roundings and causes his imagination
to make history repeat itself before him
in swiftly moving panorama. 1t is only
whom one actually looks upon the things
which before we knew only through
books, that we begin to feel deeply that
all these things had reality in their
time, just as the realities which sur
round US at the present. 1t is then we
begin to feel the significance which
Rome has borne not only to modern
Europe, but to modern civilization in
general, Even beneath the very dome
of st. Peters, from which one views the
panorama of the Eternal City" stands
the most magnificent Of modern houses
of worship, a glorious monument to q
church which has had long and most
thrilling history of its own and which
may be said to have constituted the
principle link between ancient and mod
ern civilization.
shall not attempt to describe the
specific sights which Rome affords to
the tourist, since they are too we'll
known to require a detailed enumera-
ton. Suffice it to say that it was the
greatest privilege for me to actually see
the things which before were mere
names to me.
With this brief summary of Rome
will proceed TO tell you of another city,
which, while lacking most of the his
toric and artistic Importance of Rome,
is nevertheless to my mind one of the
most interesting places in Italy l refer
to Naples, city of about $50. 600 inhab
itants, magnificeptly situated on bay,
,rb; al, hoo ba.r do,or;ha lv Gonna ,ur;t
ers as the "lovliest in the world" The
Sights" Of the city itself, using that
word in the usual sense, are, indeed,
very few. But the surroundings of the
city are hard to equal In front of the
city lays the beautiful bay; just back of
the city lies ridge of hills, which tow
ers above the city, and toward the east
we'll within sight of the city, rises the
mighty mountain, Vesuvius, that de-
stroyed the three cities of Pompei, Her
culaneum and Stabia, together with nu-
merous smaller villages. AS of DID, this
natural chimney continues to give off
it's perpetual column of smoke; and by
its little irregularities succeeds about
every other day in inducing some scien-
tific professor to predict the near and
complete destruction of Naples Suffice
it to say that these predictions have
back of them only the mere guess work
of a professor.
Upon my arrival at Naples, I at once
proceeded to the vicinity Of Vesuvius
and Pompei. I believe l walked every
street Of the ruined city, and noted with
great pleasure it's Forum, its theatres
its temples of Jupiter and Apollo, it's
bakeries, wine shops, residences, etc,
nearly all of which have by this time
been eYcavated from the ashes, and can
be seen in remarkably well preserved
condition. | also ascended Mt Vesuvi-
us about half way, and would have
found this trip equally pleasant if it had
not been for the terrific heat, and the
overbearing and imposing character of
the inhabitants. Practically every Eng
lishman, American or German, | met
greeted me with the statement Isn't it
simply killing" meaning of course, the
inhabitants. Guides by the half-dozen
will cling around the tourist like fees,
always ready to practice extortion, and
who, when told again and again that
they can positively be of no service
whatever, will finally turn away good
naturedly only to tackle the next visit
or in sight. OF course. all this is excus-
able, since necessity knows no boundS
Beggars in the most terribly MANNED
condition confront one almost every
where and highly sympathetic person
will find his supply of "coppers' dimin-
ishi1g at an astonishing rate An
enormous number of persons, also,
young and old, are ever ready to press
you to buy piece of lava or drink of
water.
The greatest poverty seems to exist
also among the country peasants who
inhabit the villages which lie at the