Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1914-12-24
A CHRISTMAS DAY IN ROME
How an American Sought and Found the Spirit
of Christmas in the City of the Caesars
BY Joseph Il. opELL


IF MIGHT spend Christmas day in Beth
i lehem, visit the Church of the Nativity
wander out over the fields and sit while with
a shepherd keeping watch over his flock, and
then, making wide circuit, come back into
the little town by the road presumably trav-
eled by the Magl, / might or thought 1
might, enter into the real spirit of the great
Christian festival But it was not to be, L
was detained In Rome, with possibility or
leaving, There would be no family circle in
which the old Yuletide customs are per-
petuated. There was not even friend upon
whom l might call. But Rome the capital of
the Vicar of Christ the place in which Jesus
| of Nazareth first enthroned-why should
not Rome give me true Christmas, free of
the pagan trappings that 1t has picked up
| from various lands?
began the day early, bent only upon find
! ing the Christmas spirit and quite confident
that 1 should find 1t. But where? OF course,
obviously not in the Forum, for that was
ISOLATED in my mind with Cicero, with sena-
tors consuls, tribunes and the Caesars. Not
in the nearby Temple of Augustus, the Basil
lea of Julia, the Temple of Saturn, the frag-
ment of the Temple of Castor and Pollux or
under the shadows Of the Arch of Titus. AS
1 hastened past with questioning mind my
y feet involuntarly carried me toward the
Colosseum, and it was not until the splendid
ruin came into view that 1 realized that prob
ably not another building in the whole wide
world could carry me farther away from the
spirit and message 1 sought than that vast
gray pile,
And yet instinctively I was avoiding the
churches. 1t seemed TO me that Christmas, the
birthday of one born in stable, could never
be truly reproduced by vested choirs and gor-
geous affairs, and elaborate rituals, and for
NAL professions. Peter was as near to Jesus
as any one and Rome was full of Peter but
| the fisherman had become officialized and, ex,
cept for the incident of the via Appia the
| Domino, quo vadis," did not know where
to find the Peter of real flesh and blood AS
that was nearest to what Sought I went
thither and found the little church Of "Quo
Vadis" But 1t was mute. And 1t was not
until 1 had gone farther still, even as far
as the Catacombs, that 1 thought how St
Paul first saw Rome as he marched a pris-
oner along the Appian way. So I turned
about and moved toward the city, trying TO
imagine the thoughts of the Apostle as he
marched toward the home OF the Caesars with
the message Of his Master burning in his
heart.
Unaltered After 80 Centuries
The landscape could not have changed en-
altered its course in 80 centuries, and from
its elevated points one could see fragments
OF the noble aqueducts and the ruins of an
cent tombs and temples and villas. It told
one of Hannibal. who traversed 1t with his
Carthaginian conquerors; Of the messengers
who brought the story of the fatal battle OF
Philippi Of triumphant Titus returning from
Jerusalem. of Aurelian and his cohorts with
Queen zenobia as captive-it was thronged
with great figures and vocal with the noise
Of world-making events. but 1t was silent
about Christ, and 1t was the spirit of His
birth I sought.
was back in the city and near to the
Pantheon.
Simple. erect, severe, austere. sublime,
Shrine OF all saints and temple OF all gods
But it's classic front was forbIddlng and l
had not the heart to enter. Neither could I
force myself into ST. Peters that day. An
American, with his mind full OF the thoughts
OF home and trying TO md some touch OF the
sweet simplicity that had always been asso-
clated with Christmas, would hardly seek Il
IN the spacious splendor and overpoWerlne
magnitudes Of the pontihcal cathedral 1t
was palace, ana was seeking a stable or
something as humble
OF course. / did not ma what I sought
exactly. But little later sweet but SAD
faced woman passed me, trying 70 hasten the
steps Of two children. without Intention /
followed, and they entered st. John lat
eran. hesitated at FIRST but. thinking OF
the quiet eioisters and the surprisingly beau
tiful baptlstery I seemed TO feel that they
might give me at least a suitable place in
which to nurse my disappointment ana think
Of home,
The True Spirit
But inside of the glorious church I found
shat had sought ana despaired of audinz-
ths spirit of chriatmas. saw q bsautiful
sermon preached. say I saw H. because the
crowd vas toe great Ter a late conner 10
Eei vithin range qf the Dreaehsrs words. ana
t7e sermon vas in q tongue of which ! knew
ooiy 8 Ase phrases. Re aas & monk and not
esf qlasT iaan wears - faes s
e tls W t fHal tlftaMaG