The state herald., 1908-09-25
R02z4W I4ZE4R ~ MIL IT AP1010W -eS

There is, indeed, a great deal of ro-
of England. the remarkable piece OF
engineering. now nearly seventeen
centuries old; and the remains of the
wall are well worth visiting. To see
them is TO realize how furious must
have been tho onslaughts of the Picts
lance OF the egionaries-Gauls or
Brittons by birth but by nature more
Roman than the Romans. The making
of the wall is a striking Illustration of
the pertinacity OF the Roman charac.
ter and the strength of the imperial
idea. This pride of empire is clearly
shown by Mr. Kipling in his story OF
the old wall In Puck of Pook's Hi"
where he makes his Roman-lrltish
soldier give voice to sentiments like
the following:
My fathers father saw 1t not
And I. belize, shall never come
To look on that so holy spot.
The very Rome.
w l'H W. h'' ibN Ahf kl'hA lhHiH
part was carried It's appointed length
In spite OF every obstacle. over hill
aud dale. through marsh and moor.
land. we have no difficulty In under.
standing that this spirit OF devotion 10
what was even then the Holy City"
must have animated all who worked
nj II. Julius Caesar was. Of course
the first Roman conqueror of Britain.
and he came, II Is said. to punish the
natives for having Joined the GaulH
In fighting against him. Caesar never
penetrated very far north. With his
uvcrpoworlng army Of 10000 men he
paid his lying visits. cunquering and
subdulng. but In oach case withdrew
his legions at the first approach Of
winter For nearly 100 years Britain
was little troubled by Rome. but In
A. u. rs the Roman general, Agricola.
WIS sent as governor to Britain, The
historian. Tncitus, sOnin.lRw Of Agrl'
cola. writes much Of his relatives con.
quests. AEricola's forts seem to have
suggested to Iadrlan AT later date
the value Of such a barrier In a hostile
county, which. though completely sub.
dued. was stlll liable 10 inourslons
from the inhabitants Of the mountain
districts OF Caledonia, The emperor
In 4. u. 1870 drove back once again
these fierce neighbors and the tribes
Of tho Maetac. and, finding II impos
sible to keep possession OF Nalcntla.
gave up the attempt
TO keep the land south Of ID" Tyne,
he built the stone rampant from the
Tyne to the solwny, known as the
plctA or Roman wall The wall
served not only M a barrier against
the foe. but aH a base Of operation and
standing ground for the main army of
Rome Reaching from sen 10 sea
across the narrowost part Of the h.
land. II followed an almost straight
line for 10 miles, no height proving
too inaccessible and no river or moraHh
too impractlcablc. In was 80 built
that no foe could approach within
dangerous diHtngee without being seen.
Il IL said that the rampant a. raised
bv llndfian was nn "nrihen ynllnm
un stone foundation. and that the
stone wall was the work ~ Seyerus
Other writer's declare u nll 10 be- the
work of one, ilndrian, who was well
known RH builder and architect, n
N supposed that about 10000 men
were employed IN building the entire
line of defense. The earth Vallum II
visible H,ill. and On 10" honth NJ the
stone wall. and north Of the wall
again may be- traced the biz ditch
The wall apparently was about eight
feet thick. and the height has been
estimated at ~ feet II became n
aiill more formidable barrier from be-.
Ing. as II were heightened and pro
icoicd by the ditch, which eau still
plainly be followed Authorities sup
poAa the ditch Ia have been soma ~
feet Wide aud ~ feet deep II accom-
pasiad the wall tie entire length aud
WAS etcaynied and built irrespective
~ rock, hog Or sand Large blocks
~ stone tell still of the toll and labor
used In their removal, over the wall
As a whole the chief IN command was
III. "Duk ilrliaunlafum' Ia Roman o.