The Western outlook., 1915-10-02

vt IS thought by some that Paul's
defective eyesight may have pre-
vented his approaching natural
scenery. However that may have
been, it seems impossible that he
should not have been impressed by
the splendid views that anyone sail
ing up the coast Of Sicily through the
Straits of Messina and along the south
Italian shore enjoys, says Rev. DR..
Francis e. Clark in his series, I'm the
Footsteps of st. Paul." in the Christian
Herald. He would have seen at first
smiling, vine-covered hills; and before
he had gone far, glorious Etna, snow
capped for much Of the year.
An ever-changing panorama delights
the eye until we come to Reggie, the
ancient Rhegium. Alas, pitiful sight
there greets the traveller today. Mes
sina on one side of the narrow strait
and Reggie on the other were both
wrecked almost beyond recognition by
the disastrous earthquake of 1908. On
the Messina shore one sees great rows
of little wooden houses scarcely larger
than henhouses. These are the port
able bungalows which were transport
ed from America, ready-made, to re-
lieve the sufferings of the houseless
and homeless people. They are still
occupied, for little has been done to
build up the ruined cities.
The authorized version of the thir-
teenth verse of the twenty-eighth chap
ter of Acts says in describing st.
Paul's journey after leaving Syracuse,
and from thence we fetched COM
pass and came to Rhegium." An anus
ing story is told of an infidel who de-
clared, misquoting Luke's words, that
now he had proved the Bible to be a
lie, since Tin the book of Acts it was
said that they fetched a compass
aboard Paul's ship, and everybody
knew that this was long before the
compass was invented" The revised
Version has taken the wind out Of the
inaccurate infidel's sails, to speak maui
tically, by translating the passage in
more modern phrase: "And from
thence we made circuit, and arrived
at Rhegium." Here ST. Paul's ship evil
IDENTIFY waited for one day, perhaps to
discharge some cargo, or possibly wait
ing for fair wind, which soon blew,
for we are told that "after enc day
south wind sprang up, and on the sec
ond day we came to Puteoli," 1872
miles to the north Of Rhegium.
Between ScylIa and Charybdls.
Shortly after leaving Reggie we
pass between Scylla and Charybdis,
the tabled monsters Of antiquity, the
rock and the whirlpool, which have
been robbed of all their terrors since
steam navigation came to bless the
world, and to make the travellers bur-
dens and dangers light. Soon after,
the active volcanic mountain Of Strom-
boil, on one of the Lipari islands, is
seen, and all the way along the glori-
GUS South Italian shore reveals itself;
splendid mountains rear their heads
In the near distance, their sides clothed
with vineyards and olive and orange
orchards far up their slopes.
AS we approach the Bay of Naples.
the scenery becomes constantly more
enhancing. We see the promontory
of Sorrento across the Bay of Saler-
no, and soon Capri with its blue grot-
to comes in sight on the left, and tow
ering Vesuvius with its constant
plume of smoke on the right.
Sailing across the Bay of Naples,
past the spot where the notable city
Of the present day is situated, a place
which was then comparatively insig-
nificant, our travellers came to Pute-
oil, or Pozzuoli, as it is now called, at
present decadent suburb Of Naples.
This miserable and dirty town of
some $4,000 inhabitants, as it now is,
is connected by trolley and steam rail-
way with Naples, and is often visited
by the modern tourist who wishes
to see the remains of the ancient tenn
pies and amphitheater and the mighty
mole, which still tell of the ancient
glories of Puteoli.
Nearb-, too, Is the volcanic field
Of Solfatara, not mountain, but
fiat plain, the crater of low volcano,
into which one can thrust his cane In
many places and find smoke and sui
phurous vapor issuing from the hole as
he withdraws it. Probably there are
few more dreary or disreputable places
In Italy than this modern suburb of
Naples. 1t has not the ragged pic
turesqueness which somewhat redeems
the worst slums of Naples, but is a
squaHd, unwholesome town of the
worst type.
Was Noted Roman Resort.
II is difficult to realize that it once
might have been called the Liver
pool of Italy," that here was the Luz
crime lake, which supplied the PAM
pered Romans with their famous oy-
yters. and that the whole bay was