The Meridian times. (Meridian, Idaho) 1909-1938, 1912-11-29
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much was saved from it by it's inhabitants, or
dug out and dispersed by Pliny's contemporaries
and by the barbarians who followed them even
in civilized times On the contrary, Herculaneum
was sealed in it's tomb in few hours by the
mixture of mud, ashes and scoriae, and no
has even been able to reach it, high is the
mountain of debris and hardened stone by which
it covered The entombment of Hercu
laneum," says Mr.. Waldsten, was sudden, COM
plete and secure and this was not the case with
the other Campanian cities, with Pompeii"
From the excavations under Resina treasures
have already been obtained. "Al Europe" wrote
a correspondent Of the Mercure de France in 1851,
"impatiently supports the suspense in which It
is held the discoveries in ancient Hercu-
laneum or Heraclea, 1t is termed in Ma
pies" But only at present has the Italian gov
eminent been able to think of accomplishing the
gigantic task of unearthing the entire city and it
is most probable that the new tone given to the
national spirit by the war may make the charge
appear light which must be imposed upon the
budget in order to obtain complete result.
y In Roman official spheres there Is absolutely no
knowledge of the existence of and project of Mr..
j. Pierpont Morgan Dor excavations at Hercu-
laneum Mr., Morgan's name has been mixed up
with this question owing to the fact that Mr..
Charles Waldstein, the author of an international
project for unearthing the buried city, delivered
lecture on January 3, 1905, in his house in New
York with the object of collecting the money
necessary for the work. which was then estimated
Before lecturing in New York Mr. Waldstein
had visited Rome and spoken on the matter with
the king Signor Giolitt and Signor Orlando. then
minister of public instruction. He had even OBJ
tanned from Sgnor Orlando letter warmly COM
mending the project, but in no way engaging his
responsibility AS the idea became
known in Italy the press raised violent protests
and Signor Orlando obliged to withdraw his
moral support from Mr.. Waldstein.
Two years later an under secretary of state
for education declared in the chamber of deputies
that the Italian government reserved to itself
the faculty of making the necessary excavations,
and that commission had been appointed with
this object and funds supplied to the general d.
rection of fine arts and antiquities the direction
of which had Just been placed under Signor Cor
RADIO Ricci. a world renowned writer on art.
MIR Waldstein later published an account of
his i'll luck in Italy and America in a book upon
Hercuaneum which was much appreciated ('I1er-
culaneum Past Present and Future by Charles
Waldstein; London; Macmillan Co., 190S).
saw Signor Giacomo Boni this morning at
the excavations on Mount Paatno. where he has
Just made some lucky finds, which led him to ask
humbly: Am worthy of IL" He declared to
me that he knew nothing Of any project of Mr.
j. Pierpont Morgan in regard to the question of
excavations at Herculaneum-a question more
over, that has been settled.
Signor Corrado Ricci, general director of fine
arts and antiquities, repeated the same thing to
me- He added, 1.-THE italian government will
never-I repeat never-gve permission to any
one whatever search the soil of the fatherland.
We are not Turkey! Even though foreign gov
ernments should express the desire to excayate in
certain places to complete their studies we should
hasten TO undertake the work ourselves, at our
own expense and to place the material unearthed
at the disposal Of whoever wishes to study them.
This is Whist we have just done for the Grand
Duchy of Baden which desired to know what was
hidden under the soil OF Loeria. in Crotona, in