The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1912-08-30

! Daniel, pastor of the First Baptist
church. Of this city. who is now
! travelling in Europe with large
party, many Of whom are from
Richmond. The subject of the article
/ Ia. "A Day in Rome" from which
! the following IL taken:
My imagination had long painted
Rome as the most interesting city
/ on the globe. Jerusalem 10 older,
I but has never dominated SO large a
territory. Athens Ia more classic, hut
her glory was short-llved. I.srdon
| is larger. but has not exert"d 50
t potent an influence in the world.
/ Paris is more beautiful but does not
compare In historic interest Rome
ruled vaster area for longer time;
contributed more to the formation
OF the laws of the nations and more
largely determined The destiny OF
Z mankind than ANY other city If
which we know. The imperial eter-
/ nal city docs not dtsa ppoint my OK
pectations. Here she sits upon her
/ seven hills. In. the midst OF the
! fertile Campagna. and divided into
/ two unequal parts by the yellow
/. Tiher, only small part of the an
cient city is on the west banks of
/ the river, but there you ind 81.
| Peters and the Vatican. The greater
/ part of the modern city is on the east
side. Our hotel Is in the heart of
the city. and the Pantheon, Forum.
Coliseum. Vatican and monuments are
i in walking distance. The Victor I'M
manuel monument liz only three
! blocks away. 1t is not yet COM
/ pleted bot one can seq that II is to
! he unequaled in suitableness Of To-
cation. appropriateness of design, skill
S1t nnY
/ ton. At the head of the principal
street stands huge bronze equestrian
statue, covered with gold. surrounded
4 by fawiess columns and marble
] temple. which is adorned by hand
| some carvings Of master sculptors
! Down this same street, on Septem-
| Der 22. 1870, rode the king Of Sar-
dinfa. Victor Inmanuel II, who had
realized Mazzinis dream OF a united
italy
! 1t seems an anomaly that the
home of the popes should spend ga
I 600 900 in honoring the memory Of
one who. broke the temporal power
Of the papaCv in Italy and made the
successor OF Peter prisoner of the
+ Vatican Even SO. the King Nictors
grandson IL a popular idol today.
4 A Pheasant summer morning found
{ NE SARtT 10 NiSiL ~ - PAs"N>~
+ Peters and our Baptist chapel. Tbs
/ first visit was 10 the cathedral at an
+ hour when the Catholics were sup =
/ esd to be there for mass. Tho
! building ~ tn, most remarkab BILE
monument of modern architecture
Master architects. artists and sculptors
I expended their strength and exhaust
ed their skill upon this ediiice. one
mast admire the beauty OF it's adorh"
] rnent and the masnincence or us
/ construction. Lovers OF eFangeilcai
! truth should be thankful for the ex-
pense Of It's erection, which was 60
/ enormous that julius II and Leo y
( authorized the sale OF tndulgences 70
se~Tra the money. This shameful
/ ira fFae aroused Marvin Luther anu
provoked the Reformation. Writers
ga. II IA twice as large as st. PAU y,
London and Is the largest cnnren
! ever built on the face Of the eerth'
7 have not seen ST. Paufs vet. hN'
the staternen as t. the race or tne
earth is as Inaccurate as many 0ther
( declarations in guide books II
minds me of the SWEEP ng' cou'hFs
/ hensive statement Of my IeNas fr'e en-,
( who are fond Of the expression, "a.
/ greatest In the world NOW 49,
may only have seen Texas. and, WINE
p
! mart Of the world. there are others
! ms, 80 one who had seen the rem
40 ~ the sun ut Baalbek UNDERSTANDS
1 ,4,c limitations of these "fit''9
! travels. ct Peters does not COM
mare with Baalbek in fnassiF e'ess ~.
,,,.rtArv Nevertheless. Il Is large
sronvh-far too large for present ~
future needs II Is 6lS iee' on
nd $50 broad across the s'i,.
/ rha bod # the church IS - .e''
( IN height ard 10 the TOP .! me -, .'~,
ahoye the dome II is ~ f~e' -.
are affairs and recesses "3'I' ",a
,,s,ar,t ear,.Iros could be cona tcted
at the same time. ,..,s
expected to find several
neou)s at st. Peters. Imagine nay
! s,,~nrisa when l say that. excepting
/ ,ha Inverted priests, salaried cholr ana
I American tourists. there were not sew
! eral hundred Pastors Johnson, WICK
| er or Jones would. any one OF ths"i'
/ have more in his church IN KEN
mond than were In st. Peter s sus"
! worshippers as were present mad 'he
/ marks of poverty and ignorance "tua
/ their faces. A woman sat near -s'S
nriest's stand holding a sick baby ana
begging for aims A Jesuit priest
smiled with Joy when u ~orshlppe'
came ff0rf TIRE coE1esSlonhl ana lio''N
"a him a coin The intelligent pros
! peruus people of Rome were not tnere'
priests went through the service III
! a nerfunctory manner. and some OF
them were seen to laugh. There were
IA hollowness and insincerity In ii All
Driving across the Tfeer 20 the east
side, | came upon an unimposIhs
chapel on a narrow. out-of-the-" way
street. It was our Southern Baptist
mission, II il badly located and am
cult to find, Baptists from America
have told me they searched for IL In
vain, However. I have the lingering
suspicion that they did not have the
spirit of Onesiphorus, who, IN TINS
very city, sought Paul out diligently
ana found him. AS | approached the
door the organ notes thrilled me, En-
teEing, Brother Stuart welcomed me
It was better TO be here than a! 81
Peters. My wife may not wear the
finest dresses. but she Is the dearest
woman IN all the world to me. Where
your treasure is there will your heart
be also" My heart was In that ges-
pei mission.
Travel reveals character. II YOU
would know person-disposition
and ail--travel with him. Travel also
tests religion. AT least one member
OF the Wicker party needed real
gospel service. He had not been in
itual oasis in desert OF travel. |
was hungry. and they gave me meat,
thirsty. and they gave me drink. The