The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1916-02-17
ROME HAS STRANGE CONTRASTS
Modern Soldiers March in Shadows
of Ancient Military Glory.

|
There are strange and suggestive
contrasts, here in the Eternal City
during these war days, with the SOL
diers of today marching and camping
among the monuments and ruins of
the soldiers of the past. Today a
regiment of Italian infantry came
from the Appian Way, passed the
| Palatine Hill with the gaunt and
cavernous ruins Of the palaces of the
| Caesars, then swung in a long circle
! around the Arch of Constantine,
passed the Coliseum and the Forum
and then moved on along the Tiber
to the crumbling ruins of that bridge
where Horatius held back the Tar
quin army.
These modern soldiers marched
smartly, and paid no attention to the
venerable monuments of military
glory all around them. 1t was mere
| ly one of many detachments moving
| from the suburbs to the barracks
near the Janiculum. They were
sturdy young peasant soldiers, with
dark faces and eyes. Their uniforms
were blush gray, loose and ill-fitting
with square cap and low-falling visor.
They carried their guns irregularly
at shoulder arms.
Around these old monuments of
Rome soldiers may be seen march
ing all hours of the day, and the
sculptures and inscriptions seem to
show how the remote past is bound
up with the events of today. Around
the Coliseum, for instance, soldiers
have been marching for the last g.
900 years.
The Arch of Constantine commem-
crates Constaptine's great victory
over Maxentius, and the founding Of
Constantinople, to which Constan-
tine gave his name-Constantinople,
which was a centre of warfare near
ly 1000 years ago, as it is today.
Nearby the Arch of Titus marks the
capture of Jerusalem. One of the
reliefs on the Titus arch shows
tremendous battle with the Dacians.
The soldiers who keep passing today
seldom glance at these battles of the
past; and, singularly, the tourists sell
dom glance at the monuments Of
past military achievements.
A favorite place of resort for the
officers and soldiers, when off duty,
is the Piazza Venezia, in the heart of
Rome, with a view of the nearby
column of Trajan. The column looks
as solid today as when erected 1900
years ago in honor of Emperor Ira
jan. If the soldiers took the trouble
to examine the sculptured reliefs,
winding from top to bottom, they
would find almost a counterpart of
the battles going on today in the
Balkans, as these reliefs represent the
wars with the German tribes along
the Danube-battles on the very
ground where the Germans, Serbs and
Bulgarians have just been fighting.
One relief represents thirsty army
getting relief from providential
rainstorm.
The chief encampment Of Italian
troops is in the suburb west of Rome
on the broad plain Of Mont Mario,
named after the great soldier Marius.
There are 1000 to 5000 soldiers in
this encampment, and they are
tramping over the same ground that
Marius and his legions marched. 1t
was through Mont Mario, also, that
all the great invasions of Rome oc-
Cured, with the final capture and
sacking of the city and the fall of the
Roman empire. And these soldiers
of today are manoeuvering over the
same ground that witnessed these de-
cisive events of the worlds history.
Crossing the Tiber one sees SOL
diers on guard along the upper walls
of the great castle of st. Angelo. The
socalled castle is in fact tomb of
the soldier-emperor, Hardrian, and
commentaries the achievements. It
was used as a military barracks at
one time, but now new barracks have
been built and only a few soldiers
are left as a guard of honor for this
monument of past military glory.
There is the same military move
ment going on around all these ia
nous monuments of the past. And
the inscriptions show that about the
same thing has been going on for
1000 years soldiers marching, ar
mics fighting along the Danube, the
Rhine and the Alps, and other armies
headed toward Constantinople- le-his-
tory repeating itself.-Rome dispatch