Bisbee daily review., 1908-04-19
TIE ROME Of TODAY
 NOT ROME OF OlD
Personal Impressions of the Eternal City By Rev, c. C.
 Young of Douglas,
(c. c. Young.)


 F My first letter from this great city will not be like the later one. walks in
 Rome. but a general description of my personal impressions. It is said that in the time of Nero 54 A. D., Rome had within its walls two million people that the streets were so many that no body knew their names and no one could tell where all the people obtain the bread they ate. No wonder at times the people cried for the free distribu-
 ton of corn in the streets of Rome and several of the Emperors taxed for eign colonies to supply the demand of the eternal city; and thus obtained for themselves great political popularity.
 But Rome of today with about 35o.- 900 people much different from that sad date in the worlds history. There is not so much idleness, not nearly so much political ''humbug" and far less danger of life. I have heard 1t sever al times in my trip abroad that Rome had more pick-pockets than any city in Europe, but I have not found it so, have walked the streets by day and night in almost every quarter of the
 city and not the Efaintest suspicion have I seen of the unsafe condition of life and of property. And all stores are closed Sunday. Rome is not a walled city proper, at least not in the sense that the gates are so closely guarded as closely as formerly or are they closed at sunset and opened at sunrise Not since Victor Emmanuel entered Rome with his Piedmantese and waldensese soldiers and Italy be- came united kingdom and free from the political powe rof the papacy, has Rome been strictly walled city. Much of the ancient wall yet stands even that built by Marcus Aurelius and in fact the wall as whole Is standing in a more ancient condition than those around the city of Jerusalem. The press is entirely free in Italy. There is no plundering of the mails, and free speech is tolerated here far more than in Mexico or Spain.
 Unlike in America, where there are many men outside of the clergy who are religious leaders. In Italy there is no great man in the affairs of men who is great religionist In other words nearly all of the religious movements are in the hands of the clergy and here the matter rests.
 Since the political power was talk en away from the papacy in 1870, when there were left to the Pope St. Peters, the vatican and two other churches as his own property. The state has paid all the Roman priests their salary, but the cardinals obtain their support from the Pope. All the other church proper ty in Italy belongs to the government and they improve and rebuild in case of fire or destruction. The army M tnis country impresses me. There are more kinds of soldiers than any place have been at least their dress so in dictates. have inquired into the mat ter and found it so. In about ten min utes one day in Rome I saw six kinds of soldiers with as many kinds of uni form pass the street going in different direction One kind wears the Kockade or Napoleon hat, another the Helmet with one long stiff feather in the crown, another simple cap, another a cap with a large scarlet plume, and still another with a derby~ like hat with a full rooster tail draped on the crown I once thought that American women could wear feathers ahead of imagiD- ation but the Italian soldiers are in the lead, no Ostrich plumes but the plain black rooster feathers. They are fine looking set of men in statue equal to our army, in dress and parade far ahead of them. Spain has the poor est showing in her men in the army that have seen in any of the coun- tries visited. There the men are de- generate in size and utterly lacking in commanding appearance, but in Italy both of these qualities are prominent in army life.
 Both in Naples and Rome ever tenth person speaks French. To me 1t is wonderful how far the influence of Paris and it's power has reached both in the Orient and in Europe Ev- cry where have heard the French Ian guage, except in Spain, and there noth- ing but Spanish. No wonder the coun- try is behind the time; it has not been touched by any of the oontries nearby and thus out of touch with the whole world
 I have been on the seven hills in Rome, and in the country. and the land is as feEtile as when the Caesars got their bread from it. No wonder l that the empire was a power that ruled the world-a drive along the Ap- | plan way eastward to the mountains | from which the ancient and now the present aqueduct, gets the city water, is full of interest and it shows why the Caesars were so great and also why Rome could have been a great cap | itaI and was coveted by so many na- tions
 The street cars. hotels. and railroads | are up to date ip every sense and they | make the whole country hum with in- dustry. The city thrills and interests me. and instead of spending ten days I wish I had a whole month to stay l here. Already I have spent much time in the art galleries and museums and have learned history and passion that yet live in stone and painting. We have already seen some of the great master pieces in art and when We have seen all of them In Europe Mrs. Young will write an article on them. Rome yet lives in art, in the hotels