Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1908-01-25
A LECTURE ON ROME

friends and the faculty of the literary
departments assembled in the Art Stu
dio Saturday evening to hear President
Bryan give, an informal talk on his
visit at Rome. The guests were re-
ceived by Miss Malotte, President and
Mrs. Bryan, Miss Cassell and Mr..
Timblin. The room was very prettily
and appropriately decorated with
palms, ferns, statuary and pictures of
famous Roman buildings and of Roman
art.
After the talk, the guests spent the
time informally in chatting. looking
at the pictures and partaking of the
punch and waters served by the young
ladies. During this time, the students
sang some Latin songs, adding to the
pleasure of the evening.
In introducing President Bryan, Miss
Malotte told in few words how Rome
had first made her own, the culture
of Greece, of Egypt, of all the civilized
nations she conquered, annexed the
hope of the future-Gaul, Spain, Ger
many. Britain-upon these she stamped
her language, laws, institutions for
millennium. She called attention to
how much, from that time on to the
present day, the civilized world has
owed and is owing in law, in religion,
in art, in almost every line of know
ledge and culture to this city on the
banks of the Tiber; and how it is the
part of the classics today to preserve
these permanent standards and not only
to free modern ideas and character
from the sensational and abnormal,
but also by acquainting with master
pieces to furnish an impetus to artistic
conception and impression, for with
these standards lost. national taste
would assuredly decline.
President Bryan. in telling of his
visits at Rome and at Pompeii, spoke
more in particular of the customs of
the Romans as shown in the ruins in
these two places, but he also mentioned
incidents that happened on the way.
In Rome there are many strata of
past life. but In Pompeii there is only
one, and of this President BRYAN gave
an excellent idea. This city was en-
tered by the Sea Gate. socalled, ac-
cording to the explanation of the guide,
because thePompeians were accustomed
to go through this on their way to the
boats on the. shore. Today, however.
the sea is some distance from the city
walls.
In the museum at Pompeii to the
right of the Sea Gate were many rel
les. Here could be seen ten different
casts of bodies, made by pouring plas-
ter Paris into the impression left in
the ashes. Among these there was
that of dog in the very throes of
death. it showing signs of suffering
such as no artist can depict. At Pom
peii visit was made to the Forum,
the common meeting place of the peo-
Pile; to the Besilica, the place where
justice was administered to the two
theaters, one devoted to tragedy, the
other to comedy; also to the school of
the gladiators.
The interior of the little shops and
of the homes revealed much of the
daily life of the Romans. There were
huge jugs in the little wine shops,
there was the peristylium open to the
sky, with its palms and flowers, around
which were arranged the various
apartments of the house. Mills made
of two granite stones indicated that
the flour was ground at home. The
bread found in the bake shops showed
that the art of loaf making was about
as we'll understood in 70 AID. as in
1908. The weather. homes had beau
tiful rosaries and frescoes. The house
of the Vetii, the finest in the city,
had in its dining room a fresco, in
which the Cupids were used to repre-
sent the industries in much the same
manner as we would use the Brownies