The Twin Falls times. [volume] (Twin Falls, Idaho) 1905-1916, 1910-05-26
n Rome-The Eternal City

surely are artistic and believe in the
"city beautiful idea and probably
reach a height of municipal arrange
ment and decoration which no Amer
lean city can hope to approach.
Marble busts and monuments are
on every SIDE Fourteen obelisks. all
deliberately mounted at the base, are
are triumphal towers from ancient
are trumphal towers from ancient
times; marble terraces, ornately dec.
GRATED palaces and buildings; foun-
tains of beautiful design spouting
everywhere in the numerous plazas
and squares; beautiful arched bridges
lined with white statuary, spanning the
Tiber river, which runs through the
city between banks of smooth cut stone
surmounted on each side by ornament
al copings, all these things tending to
make Rome beautiful as we'll as so in
tensely interesting historically. The
first place OF interest we came to was
the Roman Forum. l am going to pass
to the reader the same information
gathered from the guides; If there are
any mistakes in it it is their fault and
not mine. They told us the word For
UNI as used here meant market place
IL you can imagine an excavated
piece of ground in the heart of big
city about 500 feet long and 800 feet
wide the level being about twenty feet
below the streets of Rome, and in this
place, triumphal arches, columns, re-
mains of temples, public buildings and
tomhs, you will have the ancient for
um We can trace the widest street
through the center, which was called
the triumphal way, where the parades
of victory passed. On each side Of
this street were arranged the shops
and booths of the market. At the end
we saw the Rostra or rostrum from
which Cicero and other great orators
spoke to the populace. They say that
there the Grafton was given over Gaze
sar's body by Marc Antony, 1t is i'm
possible for me here to convey any
idea of these exvavated ruins. Many
of the massive walls are of brick,
about two inches thick, eight inches
wide and eighteen inches long, the
walls being three feet thick. Passing
out at the rear of the Forum across
street we come to the imposing ruins
of the Colosseum. This immense ruin
is what is left of the largest ampi thea
tire ever constructed. 1t held 100000
people; it's circumference was 1900
feet The arena was 275 feet long by
100 feet wide Our guide stated that
Arena" really meant the sand put on
the floor in the center but is now used
to designate the place where action is
located. We saw the passage where
the wild animals were brought under
meath and placed in cages. We also
saw the dens where the early chris
tians were imprisoned before their
r., I'LL H.
shown places called the "comitory,"
our guide claiming that even to the
people Of those days some of the scenes
caused them to get sick. The immense
walls of the colosseum have been de-
nuded of all marble for centuries, the
marble having been used in other
buildings 1t is certainly impressive
to stand and look at this old ruin. AZ
ter leaving it you have strong desire
to go back again. A short distance
fro mthis historical spot we came to
large circular building surmounted by
an immense dome and having portico
in front supported by sixteen Corin-
THAN columns, each forty-one feet
high and five feet in diameter. This
is the celebrated Pantheon. It's con-
struction was started in Christ's time.
The dome Is 142 feet in diameter and
142 feet high, built of brick without
girder or support. The only light
in the building is from a great round
hole at the very top of the dome. Here
In the building are beautiful tombs
Of Raphael, the artist, Victor Eman-
uel H. and Humbert l. Really the dis
trict surrounding the places above des-
cribed remind you of one city growing
out of another. In the walls of some
of the later cathedrals and business
blocks you can see columns and
friezes of the ancient buildings. Pass
ing on from the Pantheon, we go
through maze of streets, circling
first to the right, then to the left, when
suddenly as we come round corner
we face dazzling beautiful sight. We
have before US what they call the
Piazza of st. Peters church, and st.
Peters itself with its celebrated dome,
Imagine Ii you can half circle OF
columns enclosing a space 100 feet
lond and 80 feet wide. At the back
the circle opens to admit the front of
St. Peters, which is 357 feet wide and
144 feet high. In the colonnade are
284 columns which are Ga feet high.
On the top of the semi-circle of col
umns are 1852 immense marble statues.
In the center of this beautiful plaza,
in front of the wide marble steps lead
ing up to the entrance of the church,
is a fine Egyptian obelisk fountain As
feet high.
Passing over the paving of this
beautiful court, we ascend the steps
OF this noted church and soon stand in
the interior of the largest and finest
place OF worship in the world. The
complete length of this church is 613
feet, its width 446 feet, and the height
of the dome 440 feet. 1t has taken 176
years to build it, at an expense of sixty
millions of dollars. 1t is estimated
that on Easter Sunday over $4,000 peo-
pie find standing room in this church.
At Easter time they exhibit part Of
the handle of the smear which they