The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1910-08-05
NiSs Parker Foreign Letter
III,
III.
Rome, July Is, 1910.

dom of doing as the Romans do, when
in Rome, lies in the fact that there
is nothing else to be done You may
as well be "the noblest Roman of them
all, for it is all the same to the hotel
management, either way.
Monday night about six, we were
released from their funny little train,
and right glad were we to arrive at
the Michael. 1t is a very large hotel
and right full to the brim-mostIy
Americans. Here we saw many ia
miliar faces from the "Romancia,"
and, even though we may have been
disposed to be critical on the boat, we
welcomed them all as dear, if long
lost, friends.
Rome was warm, but we were as
sured it was remarkably comfortable
for the season, and we were not kept
in doors either for sun or for rain.
We were fortunate in having Mr..
Viani for our special guide. He speaks
very correct English, but the accent
makes considerable lightning trans
lating necessary. He has written sew
eral books and has his Rome at his
finger tips, SO he reconstructed the
city of the Caesars for us, while we
stood upon the same ground which
shook beneath their feet Thus it
was we went in and out the Coils
scum, or that part of the huge pile
which the greedy Rome of the re-
building left to us. 1t did not require
a great amount of fancy to hear the
growls of the wild beasts as they
paced back and forth in their temper
airy den of confinement on the ground
floor of the great edifice, while the
crowds gathered in the seats above,
having first gotten their tickets and
found the especial stairway which led
to their tier of seats. Then they could
saunter in the arched passage way at
the rear with the sail-like awning
above to protect them from the sun
and talk over the coming scene and
perchanpe gamble a bit, or a lot, on
the outcome, possibly to the limit and
then beyond to the selling of their
personal liberty. Or again. we see
the Emperor is in his box and upon
the sanded floor, the wounded glad
iator waiting for the pointing of the
thumbs which means his immediate
death or his being carried to the little
stone room to await his removal;
while another set of gladiators may |
be standing about their quarters wait |
ing to go before the crowd. i
The Roman forum, too, is butt a |
fragment, and that fragment has been |
most rudely treated, yet still there !
are the three columns, where stood |
the temple of Castor and Pollux
There is the house of the Caesars and !
its connecting passage into the home !
of the Vestals, as this was also a place |
of safe keeping for several documents |
of state. The temple Of Jupiter. tie |
Senate, where stood the column where |
Caesar fell, the spot of his cremation. !
while just at one sile is the prison, |
which once confined st. Peter and St. |
Paul, and all were pointed ont with |
precision and that dim time denoted |
at B. c. becomes once more alive, |
even as our own times are alive to- |
day. Once a connecting forum, but /
now divided by the city building, is
the Traian forum, with its wonder
full column at first surmounted by Ira |
JAMS bust but now surmounted by |
St. Peter.
Many OF the triumphal arches are |
still standing, having been made of |
more enduring stun than our now for
gotten arch of 1898. The arch Of Ii
tus, at one end of the Roman forum,
is very interesting for one thing be-
cause it pictures out the fall Of Jeru-
salem and the Jewish degradation,
on the inside of the arch. II is said
that no jew will pass under this mon
ument to their national humiliation,
which, perhaps, may be good judg-
ment on their part
The baths OF Caracalla, now moth
ing but bare walls, have been the
storehouse from which much Of the
statuary for the museums Of Italy
has come. Here 1900 people could
battle at once and they could get
nearly as many kinds OF bathers as
are now on tap in any Of our large
cities. Besides all that, there were
the most exclusive bath houses in
town. fitted up with the finest marble
and all the comforts Of the times.
Bathing was but one feature Of the
place. One might. and often did, stay
there all day. drinking. reading. eat
ing and exercising, with friends. not
realizing all they were losing because
smoking was yet an unknown con-