The Raymer enterprise., 1912-11-14

culaneum the city OF Resina Is built and the e1-
preparation OF the land there Is not 80 easy as In
the case OF Pompeii. We have under considera
ion bill dealing with the propretorship OF
archaeological subsoils, which will probably al
low us to excavate Herculaneum by a series OF
underground galleries without demollshing the
pretty little town which stands smilingly above
1t. commission has been appointed with this
object. There Is no immediate call for the under
taking except that due to our praiseworhy curios-
ity. The world OF science wait; 1t has yet to
study at least threequarters OF the objects found
at Pompeli and In the vicinity, and the jewels
OF art which hidden under the lava are not
perishng. On the contrary. the frescoes uncov.
cred at Pompe some fifty years ago are spoil.
ing and falling into ruin under the action OF the
air and damp"
1t is little wonder that the entire world has
been deeply interested in the excavations at
Herculaneum and that archaeologsts and his.
torians have treasured such an ardor for the
completion Of the unearth!ng OF the ancient city
for so many years. for the conditions OF It's
tragic engufment were such that It Is generally
believed these ruins more than any others will
present complete picture OF the life OF the
times before the sepulture OF the city. The more
suddenly the forces OF nature did their work OF
destruction the more perfect have been found to
be all the details o! the buildings and their fur.
nishings when the work OF excavation has boen
completed. In the other cities where great exca.
vations have been made the destruction was more
gradual and great havoc was wrought before
the final sepulture took place Thus. although
some Of the other points at which excavations
have been made were OF greater importance In
the ancient world than was Herculaneum, II Of
fers the most perfect opportunities for beholdIng
an ancient settlement as II existed with few
important details DESTROYED or disturbed.
Another point which contributes to the greater
Importance OF Herculaneum as field for archaeo-
logical Investigation Is that the suddenness OF the
disaster from which It suffered made II impos.
sible for the inhabitants to make an effort to
save any OF the valuable articles Of their homes
by attempting to remove them to some distant
place In Pompeii. for instance. there was ample
time to remove many q the most precious be-
longings OF the inhabitants. Put in Herculaneum
this seems to have been impossible. and the val.
liable objects Of the rich households were buried
beneath the mass Of liquid mud which inundated
the city as securely as II they had been locked
In impregnable vaults. This mud was an extra.
ordinarily successful preserving fluid, to fudge
from the finds which have been made, for instead
OF the surface OF objects having been burned and
charred by hot ashes, as was the case at Pompeii
at Hercuaneum the objects discovered by the
excavators were many Of them In wonderfully
perfect condition. Bronze. marble and glass OBJ.
jects were none OF them severely damaged. and
manuscripts were sufficiently preserved to max.
possible their restoration to degree which Is hyh.
ly satisfactory to archaeologists and historians
That the modern world will be able to obtain
better Illustration OF Hellenic culture as II was
represented In a GraecoRoman town from the
excavations at Hercuaneum than from those at
l. A.
comparative study Of the ruined cities They ad.
duce this belief from the fact that Herculaneum
Is believed to have been less Of a commercial
settlement than was Pompeil and that its In.
habitants were greatly more Interested In the
fine arts and In all that pertained to the most
advanced thought and culture OF the times The
Inhabitants Of Pompei on the other hand, are be.