Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1909-07-31
THE GRAVE
GIVES UP
ITS DEAD
Men Shaved and Saved. and
Left Only the Evidences
of Their Own Sell
fiShneSS.

A wonderful villa has been discov-
cred on private land within six hund-
red feet of the point in Pompeii,
where the government is now work
ing As described, IL contains several
rooms, decorated with great elegance,
and large preclinium in the best
Pompellan style. On the walls OF this
are a number of figures little less
than life sized magnificently done.
One group represents Silenus Offering
drink to man who bends before
him and eagerly presses the cup to
his lips. On another wall figure
stands before prone female figure,
possibly an Ariadne. on the third
wall large winged Victory appears.
striking a female figure who tries to
avoid her blows, while the third
kneels praying to the goddess to par
don the guilty one, and fourth,
standing behind, urges her on with
clashing cymbals. The impression of
these figures, the brightness of the
colors, and the lightness of their move
ments are said 10 be most extraor-
dinary. rich colonnade, contain
ing beautiful and original design of
Maskers runs around this room.
Some Roman was rich; he built
for himself villa: he decorated II
with all the art at his command and
needless of expense. lie , perhaps
showed his house 20 his neighbors.
Perhaps he was an alderman in the
city, or maybe mayor. He. possibly
dreamed that when his life was over
he would still be remembered and
spoken OF as one OF the great men OF
the city. Then Vesuvius began its
work. II called up its hot ashes and
threw them out over the mountain
side and over this city and buried IL
all to a depth OF sixty or seventy feet
But the houses did not ignite. and
the ashes became n preservative. Now
after almost two thousand years, af-
ter the glory of Rome has passed
away, after there are no longer tri-
bunes nor legions when the fear of
Rome has passed from the hearts
Of men, explorers dig beneath thse
ashes 10 discover how rich men OF
those days spent their money. But
the rich men are forgotten' no trace
OF them remains, not even their ashes
The world has changed, the civilized
i ,s.la Il .IN..u.UIa.ts -
ed since that dreadful morn when
this city was buried. In those days
they prayed to Jupiter, 20 Mars. to
Venus, TO. Pallas Athenae. They Of
fered oblations 10 their gods before
they went on journey, they prayed
for a successful trip, Victory was 10
them something to be prayed 70 for
it represented success. on land the
slaves did the work. on the sea the
slaves piled the oars; from all the
treasures OF the earth Rome gather
ed her full quota until her wealth
and her power We're supreme. But
two cities were picked out to be-
overwhelmed. They were both wick
ed cities. Perhaps transfxed is a
bel1er word than overwhelmed, be-
cause they were stopped in full car
eer and embalmed, so far as becom-
ing unchanged was concerned. Those
slaves no longer till the soil there
are no more rowers on the sea, the
steam engine does that work; the
legions which made the earth trem- |
BILE OF old have passed away. The
art of war has changed as much as
the arts OF peace; but by digging we
get a house just as IL was when II
was transfixed two thousand years