Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1908-10-09
ROME.
Living on Her Past History and thu
Tourist.

Roma, the name of the celestial city,
furnishes ample amusement, interest
and study for year, or years, to those
not specifically inclined. Her citizen
ship is curiosity in itself. Here is to
be found the Lombard of the north, the
Sicilian of the South, the Roman citizen,
and an occasional biped from the ends
Of the earth. None is so proud as the
native himself. If you do not ask him,
you will in short conversation be told
al am Roman" by your conversation
slist. The pride of the days of st.
Paul seems still to adhere to the native
Roman.
The stranger naturally looks for the
seven hills OF the ancient city and he
then realizes how small company OF
people We're calleda race in the centuries
before Christ; for here on one hill, none
Of them high, the first Romans after
Romulus encamped and lived for gener-
ations not many furlongs from thei,
neighbors-sometimes friendly, some
times inimicality to the Sabines: and lust
across the narrow Tiber was the land
Of the Etruscans, stronger and mightier
for awhile, but finally succumbing to
the invincible descendants of Romulus.
Standing on the high roof of St.
Peters one can view Rome in its entirety
and its environs to the extent of the
days of her glory, and he wonders how
so small a race, away from the coast.
could rule the world.
Modern Rome is built upon or beside
the ruins of the past Few structures
other than ruins, fountains and such re-
main of her past, but these are suffi-
cient for lifetime of study and re-
search. 1t must be remembered that
from the seventh century before Christ
down.to the time of the Republic, Rome
was ruled by kings. Later came the
Republic, and about the time of Christ
came the Caesars, or emperors. After
that came the Papacy, or rule of the
Popes-some twelve hundred years after
the kings. 1t is not hard to understand
how such places as Pompeii were COW
cred, and now require excavating, but
we often wonder why places like Baby
Ion, Egypt and Rome, which had no Vol
canic eruptions, should have been COW
cred beneath great layers of debris and
earth. A visit to Rome soon unravels the
mystery. Take the Forum. where ali
tourists here go first. Situated in the
low ground at the foot of several hills,
this site was one time marsh and little
higher than the Tiber, whose waters
today ooze into it when excavations 90
too low. This marsh was filed in to
some extent under the rule of the kings,
and today excavations go down and
find the mosaic and other pavements.
overturned columns, and the remains of
temples, of kingly times. When the
Tarquins were expelled and the Repub-
lie came in, all records of the hated
kings were toppled over, and dirt and
debris hauled in. On top of this ground,
now some few feet higher, the Republic
builded better and more extensively.
When the Casars came in, this in turr
was plagiarized and still better buildec
upon the same foundations. When the
Popes assumed temporal sway, as re
venge upon the Neros and Caligulas
some of the massive Pagan temples, tn,
Forum proper and the great arches ant
pillar, were wrecked, and the debri
covered with some twenty to forty fee
of.dirt, stone and rubbish. And for cen
turies the records of the past, hidden il
this hollow were tramped over and livet
upon by millions who never gave
thought to the treasures of histor,
hidden beneath
The Italian government has bough
up the sites of these interesting spot
in Rome, as elsewhere, and for year
systematic excavation has been goin,
on. City blocks of stone and brick an,
paved streets, built upon the ruins, hav
been removed. and today the touris
for lire, or franc GO cents), can trea
the low depths the Tarquins ono
trOd-the pavements that resounded +
the tread of the populace that divide
between Brutus and Antony-see tn
Forums where these two notables, an
Cicero, harangued the people, Sc
the pillars of the temples of Apollo
Castor and Pollux, Hercules, Vesta an
other Pagan fanes, and walk into tn
baths of the Cesars stories underground
and adjoining the palaces of the Cesar
high upon the hill side. These bath
were great square cellars of brick whic
were one time filed with water. Ston