Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1907-08-15
PROF. PERKINS WRITES
FROM ITALY.
vermont State GeoIOgist Speaks Of
vesuvius and other Tntcrcsting


Boston on the white Star liner no
mimic" on June Z. for tour through
parts of western Europe. Good weather
and perfect health have given zest to a
trip which. from the nature OF the
places visited. must hav- great interest
to any traveller. This being his first
glimpse OF Europe. Professor Perkins's
letters give his Impressions OF what he
has seen in such fashion as may be
interesting to his friends in burlington
and parts IF them will he printed AT in
tervals. The professor is now in Eng
land md Ia expected to return on Sep
tember list
Throughout tho trip tho coLrtoay %
Cooks guides and the efficiency Of Cooks
system have added much to the comfort
of the traveller.
From Naples:
Il cannot attempt n describe Naples,
1t is most interesting and quite unlike
any city have over seen. The little
donkey with snowy harnesses and carts
twice too large for Thorn. arc every
where. Oh Il ia more curious and quaint
and interesting than can tell.
The National Museum. with its great
collection of old marbles. hronzns, ,ewe-
Try and other things from Pompci exceed
in variety and extent my utmost ina
einings.
June 90" Vosuvius is altogether
too quiet. Evidently It did not
know I was coming. and went to sleep.
We went rs FAR Mp as we could the up
per part OF tho road having been des-
troyed last year Only a faint smoke Is
now secn, We had several hours on the
upper part Of The mountain and at the
observatory. Tho lava flows are quite
unlike those OF Hawaii. being mixed
with great deal Of mud. but they are
very extensive aud interesting. was
very glad to sec it all as fully as
did.
We lunched At Cooks restaurant and
then drove for two hours through the
long narrow high walled streets Of Pom
peii Our visit here was too short to see
in detail this silent, long dead city. It
is very remarkable how extensively and
successfully It has been excavated. About
half of the old city g posed and while
in ruins is most realistic IN carrying ono
back to Tho daily life 81 the people. And
Naples ls a good interpreter % Pon-pet
for the atmosphere of aee Is everywhere
and the streats and shops and temples
Of the old city must h>ve been u-uch
Ike those one secs here to-day. In a
fortnight I have been thrown out OF one
world and set down n another ono. {
need not say tnat ! am enjoying II. II
is something deeper and moro satisfying
than mere enjoyment.
Rome Tho Forum Is more extensive
than thought. and like Porpeti the
1rst impression mora than satisfied
/ knnyU r n ~
! | had not been having IDEAS Of these
ruins on arg" enough scale. Per-
haps models or pictures NAV have had
TOO nuch or cWarflng influence upon
my conception. In the Forum. while
II Is IN rum Vet enough or column
and fricze Is loft 10 impress ono at
once win the grandeur or the whole
, when its was entire. The columns are
larger than had suppoSoh' saw
red porphyry and granite columns
more than three rect IN d>amet"T' prok-
en- and cast down but once evidently
most stat"IY ana grand. lN" SNTtaoe
was hiEhly poNshed ana usually hut-
co was surprised 20 nhd hflcK uF'd
so extensively Many or the columns
II fompeii' whion in pictures look me
Stohe' are reHl'N hrl'k covered with
INV n S'NN'' 'N ""SN ii''7' W w.
Nestals, which equals in heisht some
CT our modern sky-scrapers' is WHOLLY
of brick
The Coliseum Is moro stupendors
structure than l ever dreamed 1t to be-
It is also less completely ruined than
I had expected. 7 set alone in IN" cool
shade or IT'S vast arches and trled 10
grow 20 something adequate in con-
oeptton OF tie originally tremendous
proportions. And IT was not dinicust
sitting there Glore In the silence and
shadow, to see the lofty tiers Of seats
rising one above another into the
blue above. filing with the forms OF
Roman people; to see the gIadiators
and the wild beasts coming In from
the coils; and TO hear the roars OF the
crowd and the clash Of conflict The
intervening centuries vanished ana the
fierce, turbulent, rude times OF old Rome
were here again and I was there. I
was glad that | saw IL alone ana could