The Brinkley argus., 1907-06-07

and decent place. It Is not necessary or profitable to catalog the ruins that have been set up in the vicinity of the
 Forum since the work of rescue began
 some years ago. Suffice to say thst there are wrecks of porticocs, and
 headless statues. and marble friezes. and Cornthian columns. and granite pedestals, and remains of sewers. and piles of rubbish not yet thoroughly in vestigated. all ovor thlt parti ,ulaT part of the city that surrounded the Forum and extended all the way from the Temple of Saturn to the Coils scum All these have been e:cavated within the last fifty years and arranged so as to indicate as near as possible the b. cation of the particular building, of which they were originally parts. Tn-y are Interesting. in way too. as af
 fording evidence of acquaintance with the arts in very early day, though this service is performed better by the marbles in the Vatican, and in the galleries at Florence, Milan, and other European cities
 1 The Coliseum. on account Of its vast proportions, and the labor and expense involved in its erection, must always remain one 0! the most at tractiye and picturesque ruins in the world Until recently. i was used. ] a small part of it, as church, but the government interfered and drove the 1 monks out and dedicated it as show place. There were formerly shops all
 along its fine arcades, while over in the arena, the scene of many a 1 bloody tragedy, a miniature forest
 existed until quite recently. Now
 there are workmen engaged fin repair l ing those parts that are threatening to tumble down, the object being 10 pre- lserve if simply as ruin. As 1 walk ed about it, listening 10 the ex5lana
 lions of guide who glorie5 in the "grandeur that was Rome" came ] 10 par'lJ understand why it, and all the other remnants of that early,
 bloody civilization. are 50 highly valued 1 today. for the Rome Of to-day is 9
 dead Rome. Why. up there on the
 Corso. the principal business street. 1 and upon the Piazza de 5pagna, oi
 anywhere else have been, you may i see two thikds of the shops closed 1 from II until about g. ss the signs
 read, but you had better go at 4 if you
 really want 10 transact business witt
 them. They are closed at an earl,
 hour in the afternoon. too, and opened
 not ve-y early in the forenoon, and
 during the hours they are open thc}
 seem to not do very much business
 or even to desire 10 do so, an elegant
 and leisurely indolencs preva ding all
 the city. The genius American comes
 along. however. in his hurried way, tc
 see what there Is to be seen as quick l y as possible. and the hotel man be.
 comes sll smiles, the livery man rubs his hands in glee, the professiona!
 guide haunts the erstwhile quiet
 streets in exceptancy, the shoe keeper warns his employees to advance prices
 on silks, precious stones, pictures.
 etc.. and for few short hours there i
 revival of business am told il is different in the Winter. the Romar season. when tfe rich Romans return to the city. the artists get under way
 in the execution of orders. the pictur- eslue model hes him to the quarter
 m ,st affected by the pal. ter. and
 when the city is filled with visitors
 from every quarter of tle world. It
 will be seen. ther fore, that Rone
 depends in large degree upon the
 gold cf the sit hts ger. to secure Nhich there must of necessity b. something
 to draw him, and hence Ire careful p reservation O. her ruins. Tn SC are facts. although 1t would be unjust and u fair to conc 'ude that ths spirit ant mates every breast. or that thtre are lct many Romans who take a deep
 and j st pride in all the glorious past
 Of their city, and who would preserve all these old relics a. any cost. Nevertheless, Ron 6 is no longer a power. her achievements no longer
 attract attention, and without her