The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1910-08-04


and Moors and Spaniards ready for
trade, but taking maps in carts during
the dull moments. Donkeys and queer
carts are coming and going. 1t is from
Spanish town that you see the sheer
end of Gibraltar of Prudential fame
1t is absolutely devoid of verdure and
rises straight from a wide base on
the ground to peak at the top. We
drove, then, across the narrow piece
OF neutral ground, which separates
the English possession and Spain, and
saw a bit of real Spain. We walked
short distance through its squaild
streets and down to the bull ring
where fight was scheduled for even
ing. Beggars and dirt are it's char
acteristic features.
We came back on board ready for
our sail through the Mediterranean,
and the next day was spent quietly
getting over Gibraltar, with fancy
dancing on the deck in the evening.
Wednesday, was another day on which
Columbus was unpopular for this sea
can be nasty even if it's not very big.
But by night, we were very comfort
able again, with the packing all done
and the expectation of port early in
the morning. The ship life had been
pleasant but we were not sorry to
leave it and begin the real sight-see-
| ing.
When the baggage was all off, we,
inf foh
of the boys diving for pennies, were
most anxious to defy the beggars and
see what our personally conducted"
was gong to be like. Miss Howard is
professor of languages at one of the
| Geneva universities, and she was
standing at the wharf to greet us.
Some of us had expected-well most
anything without the saving grace of
humor-for Miss Howard We saw at
ONCE from the merry little twinkle
which lurked in her eye that we had
captured a rara avis-a humorous
!Englishwoman. She is bright, viva
cious and exceedingly competent, as
she speaks French like a native; Eng
! lish like Frenchman and Italian like
an Englishman. We are wonderfully
fortunate that she makes just a dozen
of US.
We did our most vigorous sight
seeing of the whole trip, Friday and
| Saturday, and another two days like
that would make most of us good sub
jects for a funeral grafton We left
Naples by train for Pompeii, rather
early in the morning. To one familiar
with our trains, it seems almost some
millionaire child's toy, but after pro-
Ilonged fussing, off we went and we
travelled few miles an hour and got
there in sixty minutes.
Pompeii, the city Destroyed in a
moment, and forgotten for centuries,
is like unto nothing else in the world.
The weird is borne in upon you from
the moment you step into the museum,
after entering the gate. There is not
exactly a horror about the place, but
the desperation expressed in the atti-
tudes of the bodies Tor more accurate
ly the casts which enclose the skele-
tons) taken from the ruins is an ex-
Iquisite torture. Their toilet articles
and urns are an absolute relief for the
senses. The solitude of the ruins de-
NOTED by the one story walls, broken
and defaced; the table, vacent; the
statue, alon; the temple without a god
or attending priest, deserted; the
streets, rutted by chariot wheels, quiet
the rich mans house and the slave S
dwelling, now without life; the amphi-
; theatre devoid of excitement; now are
: all, once more open to the sight OF
: man, in their orderly array of 70 A
D. 1t was a gay and wicked city and
it suffered the full penalty in its de-
struction, but it was wonderful city
= in its beauty and in it's comforts
When we realize all that these ruins
4, have shown us, we know that today
!, we are using many of the surgical in
struments which they experimental
e upon the human anatomy with, ever
as we do today. They, too, knew the
= joys of the dentists tender care ant
, their filings have last these eighteel
hundred years, a monument to tn,
utHllSl Shlll ana lIt pdlltul 3 tlluuI
ance. Their weaknesses are also nov
unmasked and the wonderful speakin,
e statue of Iris in her temple, whicl
j held the worshipers enthralled wa
n limmeasurably helped out by the hid
S den fight of stairs leading to tn
little chamber beneath her. Even he
n hands could conceivably have bee
: made to move with proper urging. He
h marble pillars are brick inside, bu
e the Pompeii of yesterday was exceed
3 ingly beautiful in her prime.
The next was short ride to Weir
from which we took a carriage driv
: to Amalfi, where we were filled wit
a. the magnificent scenery but empty c
II the staff of life and its associates
l. We climbed the many, many stair
9 half up the mountain to the CappuC
$ cini monastery, now hotel, and thu
d night, at least, we slept the Sleep {
d the just in our little cells, with tn
J. little town. once the ruler of mar
g time laws for the whole coast, lyin
If at our feet, her importance long sine
~ departed but her rare scenery {
% rugged mountains and beautiful ba
" not one whit dimmed. AT four in tn
$. morning, we were called to our Cor
;. tinental" breakfast, which is mostl
n nf eiffi,,o 1nurr, tho =.