The daily sentinel., 1909-07-24
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On another wall a figure stand,
kbefore a prone female figure. posi-
Rbly an Ariadne. On the third wal
"a large winged Victory appears. strik.
fing female figure who tries to avoid
her blows, while the third kneels
fpraying TO the goddess to pardon the
guilty one, and fourth. standing be-
] hind. urges her on with clashing
cymbals. The impression of these
! figures, the brightness of the coolrs,
and the lightness of their movements
are said to be most extraordinary A
rich colonnade. containing a beauti-
ful and original design of Maskers
runs around this room
Some Roman was rich: he built
for himself a villa. he decorated It
with all the art at his command and
needless of expense. He perhaps
showed his house to his neighbors.
Perhaps he was an alderman in the
lcity 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 Nesuyius began its
work. II called up its hot ashes and
| threw them out over the mountain
side and over this city. and buried it
all TO depth of sixty or seventy feet.
But the houses did not ignite aud the
ashes became a preseryatiye. 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 these
ashes TO discover how the 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 world has been altogether
transformed since that dreadful
morn when this city was buried. In
those days they prayed to Jupiter. to
Mars, to Venus, to Pallas Athenae.
They offered oblations to their gods
before they went on q journey, they
prayed for successful trip, Victory
was TO them something to be PRAYED
to, for h 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
gathered her full quota until her
wealth and her power was supreme.
But two cities were picked out to be
overwhelmed. They were both wick
ed cities. Perhaps transfixed is "A
better word than overwhelmed. be-
cause they were stopped in fun career
and embalmed, so far as becoming
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 tremble of old
nave passed away The art of war
has changed as much as the arts of
peace; but by digging we get house
| Just as IL was when IL was transfixed
| TWO thousand years ago. we see how
II is decorated, we see that wealth
| then was just as it is now. il was
anxious for display. But the hands
that did the work and the man be-
hind the hands that paid for the
work. they all have passed away at
last; not even their ashes remain.
And the lesson of II all Is that n
man may be rich that he may build
fine houses and decorate them with
barbaric art; but unless he does
something to distinguish himself as
a benetactor of his race. as one who
holds his wealth as trust. II is but
| a little while until humiliation will
come for him, both of his physical
body and of his name A thousand
sermons could be written on what
has already been found in Pompeii:
when the whole city is exhumed, 1t
VIII present to modern eyes the most
impressive spectacle that modern
man can ever hope to look upon
| Goodwin's Weekly