From Vermont to Damascus

I.

Naples, Feb. 27, 1895.

We arrived at this place to-day at eleven o’clock A.M., at which time you were, no doubt, rubbing your eyes, and deciding whether you would turn out for a day’s work or have another nap before doing so, as we have gained six hours since leaving New York, and shall probably, for the present, leave Springfield time in the shade.

As we sailed up the Bay of Naples, we saw in our front a beautiful city of some three hundred thousand people. The city was in amphitheatre style, lying in the form of a crescent, buildings largely white, from one to six stories high, nestling among the palms, olives, figs, lemons, orange, and pine trees, and a great variety of tropical plants, giving a beautiful contrast. This, encircling the bay, gave us a picture of rare beauty. The “Normannia” anchored in the bay, and small steamers came and took the passengers and baggage ashore. Seemingly one-half on board left the steamer at this place. The custom-house officers here are very strict, but the Gaze Company had made arrangements to let us through without a very rigid examination. Cigars, tobacco, and liquors are what they are after; and our crowd were pretty well played out in those goods before we reached Naples. Nine cigars, or what they call a day’s stock, is all a man can bring ashore without duty. Naples has impressed me as a charming place. It is, in my opinion, the “Pasadena” of this section of country. Some Americans may desire to be wedded to this charming spot, but I am willing to admire its beauty and pass on. America is good enough for me. The customs are exceedingly funny here, and no doubt will appear so all our journey through. Everything in the way of traffic moves slowly, and is queerly done. You will see an ox and a cow yoked together, next a cow and a horse; and then will come along a horse, cow, and donkey, all attached to the same vehicle. The little donkeys that are driven in the two-wheel carts would set young America in Springfield wild. As to horses, they go from the ridiculous to the sublime, from the poor creatures to turnouts that will match anything in Saratoga. They seem to vie with each other in trimming and ornamenting their harness, tugs, breeching, bridles; and every conceivable strap is filled with brass or nickel nails, studs, or buckles. The driving of the pleasure teams is like Jehu,—furiously.

The great nuisance of the country is beggars, hucksters, and hawkers. The beggars will beset you while walking or riding. They will run beside your carriage with an alertness that indicates training in the business.

The arrangement for delivering milk will, no doubt, interest our milkmen in Vermont. The cows are driven into the city twice a day. You will see a man with one or more. A woman will come out with a tumbler, the man milks it full, and she pays him two cents for it. He then drives on, furnishing his customers with any quantity desired. Goat’s milk is furnished in the same way. You will see droves of from ten to forty of them. This milk, they claim, is for the children; and there is no end to their number. The woods are full of children here in Naples. These goats are driven mostly on the sidewalks, and have equal rights with the pedestrians. The teams and traffic go on in the streets. However, they have one advantage over us: they need no law against the adulteration of milk.

As I said at the commencement of this letter, we reached this place on Wednesday, the 27th, about noon; and, as we had been on the “Normannia” eleven days, we took our lunch, and then spent the rest of the afternoon in resting, looking among the stores, getting our bearings, etc. Thursday at 8.30 our carriages were ready, our managers on hand with all their plans made, and we took a drive through the city, in the forenoon going through the museum, said to be one of the most wonderful in the world; that is, for antiquity. Here we found the relics from Pompeii, showing plainly there were art and science in those days. One thing that impressed me was a hot-water heater for warming their rooms, also instruments for examining the stomach. I told Dr. Dunning we ought to have had one on the steamer during the rough days on the ocean. Of ancient glass, statuary, etc., there was no end. The kings and queens of ancient days were there. Our managers through their efforts had secured a chance for us to visit the royal palace. This was a treat of a lifetime. So, after leaving the museum, we went directly there. We first went to the gardens on top of buildings, then we descended and commenced the apartments, and I should say we went through some thirty of them,—the theatre, banquet-room, chapel, banquet hall, common dining-room, office, study of the king, throne-room, etc. Such splendor I had never imagined before. The wall and ceiling were covered with the richest of Gobelin tapestry, the finish and furniture of blue and gold, and white and gold. Our eyes were dazzled more than I expect they will be with the rays of the Egyptian sun. From this place we returned to our Hotel Royal, and had lunch. Then we took our carriages again, and drove through the orange and lemon groves, some eight miles, to Puteoli, where Saint Paul landed on his way to Rome as a prisoner. (See Acts xxviii. 13.) From this place he struck The Three Taverns, where his friends met him, and Paul thanked God, and took courage. We expect to go to Rome to-morrow. Whether we shall stop at The Three Taverns or not, I cannot say to-day, but may write you later. On the way out to Puteoli we visited the tomb of Virgil. Had a full and delightful day. Friday morning we took a small steamer, and had one and a half hour’s sail across the Bay of Naples to Sorrento. Sailed along near the base of Mt. Vesuvius, and could almost hear the boiling and hissing of the elements within. The smoke and flames can be plainly seen from our hotel. We reached Sorrento before lunchtime. Stopped at Hotel Victoria, which is designed for tourists and is beautiful in all its arrangements, standing upon a high cliff of perpendicular lime-rock. You can stand on the front court and drop a pebble two hundred feet into the Mediterranean Sea. Sorrento is said to be the Mecca for tourists. You have the blue waters of the Mediterranean in front of you, and the mountains wild, yet cultivated and beautiful, behind you. They are made up of ravines and ridges, terraced and fruit-bearing to the top, where you see the vineyards. Added to that are the lemon, orange, and figs, with a large abundance of olives, the peculiar color of the olive leaf giving the landscape a soft, velvety appearance which is very pleasing to the eye. The roads that have been built by the government around and about and over these mountains are just wonderful. They are macadamized with the limestone, which is broken up by hand by the natives. On the sides heavy stone-faced walls beautifully laid, it must be by skilled hands. After lunch we took a ride on one of these roads to the top of the mountain, visiting an institution called “La Deserta,” home for orphan children. The managers were glad to see us, treated us with their native wine and oranges. From the top of this building we had one of the grandest views that often fall to the lot of man to revel in. From this point we returned to our hotel.

After dinner we were invited to an entertainment arranged by our managers. This was given in a hall in our hotel by some twenty Italians, mostly young people, instrumental and vocal music, with acting and dancing which was modestly and beautifully done; and much of it was original and very amusing. Some of our ministers laughed more that evening than they have before for twelve months. All I could say was, “Well done, boys and girls of Italy.”

Saturday morning we took carriages for Pompeii. This ride of sixteen miles is said to be the second finest in all Europe. We had the beautiful blue waters of the sea on one hand and the towering mountains, ravines, and ridges with the tropical verdure on the other, and a road so fine that horses did not break the trot the whole distance. At Pompeii we had lunch, then spent two hours with guides travelling through the ruins of that wonderful city. They are still excavating, had just uncovered a beautiful mansion with fine statuary, paintings, etc. This was interesting to us, as most of the furnishings and fittings have been carried away. We saw many of them in the museum at Naples. They send officers with you, and do not allow you to take away the first particle of anything; but I imagine a little dust stuck to some of our party before they left the city.

Some of the party went up Mount Vesuvius, and returned to Naples by train in the evening. The others took carriages for Naples, reaching there at 5 P.M.

A quiet Sunday has been spent here, some attending church. To-morrow morning at 7.30 we expect to start for Rome, reaching there about noon, leaving there for this place again. Saturday we leave here for Brindisi, where we take steamer for Egypt.

II.

Rome, March 4, 1895.

You will remember that in my last letter I left you at Naples. After that time we visited the old aqueduct, built through the mountain by Nero, to bring the water into Naples. When we were on our way from Pompeii, we saw parts of the old Appian Way, built by Nero from Naples to Rome, over which Saint Paul travelled on his way from Puteoli to Rome, when a prisoner. All roads lead to Rome, and this was one of them.

We took an early start this morning, left our hotel at 7 A.M. and took train for this place. Our managers had secured two cars for us, so we were not obliged to mix up with the natives. These cars will be held here at Rome until Friday, when we shall return to Naples. Saturday the same cars will take us to Brindisi, where we take steamer for Egypt. This was our first car-ride in the old country, and we were interested to know the result, as they tell great stories about their fast trains, etc. One of their yarns is that a young man was on one of their fast express trains, and was going through a town where his lady love resided: he wired her to be on the platform of the station, as he wished to kiss her as he passed through. She was there; but the train went so fast that, instead of kissing his lady love, he kissed a peasant at the next station. Bad egg. Now do not be anxious about us: there is no flirtation in our company. However, we found the train a very good one, and made the one hundred and sixty miles in five hours; but we think Uncle Sam is ahead yet on speed and quality of service.

Starting out from Naples, we found the finest farming lands that ever mortals set eyes upon. Judge Whitmore, of Pennsylvania, who is one of our party, and has travelled extensively, said he never saw the like before. The land was a level plain, and rich in the extreme. There were a great many olive, mulberry and fig trees scattered over it; but under, through, and among them the ground was covered with vegetation, and for some ten miles out it was largely garden vegetables. It was like riding through a grove and garden combined. Everything here is done by hand, and largely the old bog hoe, as we call it, is used,—this, with a round stick driven in for a handle. Occasionally we would see men working with long-handled spades or shovels, which looked quite modern. As we speed on our way, this broad plain begins to narrow in upon us, and the foothills were at one time down near the track; but every foot of ground in this country seems to be cultivated, even to the tops of the mountains. Before we reached Rome, this valley we had been passing over began to widen; and, when we caught sight of the ancient city, it appeared to be standing at the head of a broad plain. As we neared the city, we saw the old stone aqueducts resting upon hundreds of stone arches. When our train drew into the depot, we were surprised to find a building of modern structure; and, as we came outside, we learned the fact that we were in what is called New Rome, which has a very modern appearance. Carriages soon took us to the Hotel d’Angleterre, which is very satisfactory.

After lunch our managers took us to the Pincian Hill, and gave us a bird’s-eye view of Rome, pointing out the places of interest that we should visit between this time and Friday. At the foot of this hill is a park where stands Cleopatra’s Needle. At your right is the old gate to the city where the pilgrims entered. Here Martin Luther entered, and at your left stands the church where he took his first communion. A little farther in front flows the river Tiber, with its large number of bridges spanning its waters, and its splendid stone masonry up and down its banks as far as you can see. Beyond this river stands St. Peter’s Church, with its sixteen domes, the main dome being some four hundred feet high, length of church six hundred feet, width four hundred and fifty feet; and at the right of this wonderful structure stands the Vatican, where resides the pope. After we had our fill of gazing over the city, we descended to the foot of the hill, where we took carriages, and drove to St. Peter’s Church. First you enter the square in front, containing some acres. At your right and left begin the circling colonnades. Upon the top of these, which extend up to the church, stand statues of the saints, some two hundred of them.

As you go up the long line of stone steps and enter the church, your first impression is its immensity. As you go on, this feeling grows upon you; and you are awed with its grandeur. Outside it has a dingy appearance; but a great amount of money is expended inside to keep it in fine condition, and it attracts the eye of all lovers of the beautiful. Our manager explained everything as we went through this great building, which took nearly one hour. This church was nearly three hundred years in building, and was begun in the fourteenth century. We went down into the vault, and they unlocked the door and showed us the box that held, as they claim, the ashes of Saint Peter. The leaving of this church closed quite an eventful day for us; and we went to our hotel for dinner and a good night’s rest, which brought us out all right.

Tuesday morning at nine o’clock we took carriages, and drove to the Pantheon. This is a building of historical interest. It was built twenty-seven years before Christ by Marcus Agrippa. First he intended it for the people as a public bathing-place. It was the first brick building ever erected, also the first dome architecture. One immense dome covers the whole building. It pleased the people and its builder so much that in dedicating it any individual god was not sufficient, and so it was dedicated to the gods, which gave it the name Pantheon. It is now used as a church, and services were going on while we were looking it over. From this building we drove to the Vatican. This building contains eleven hundred rooms. Of course, we did not try to take in the whole thing, but spent some two hours inside; and I will mention only a few things that impressed me most. One was the pope’s private chapel, which no one visits without permission. The decoration was done by Michel Angelo; and at one end of this chapel is his masterpiece, called “The Judgment,” upon which he nearly lost his eyesight. In going through the museum of this building, you will make up your mind that marble, onyx, talent, and time have made obeisance to the pope. From all parts of Italy and Greece have been gathered the finest of everything. When you enter the rotunda, you will notice a gilt bronze statue of Hercules, some twelve feet high, standing with a lion skin thrown over one arm, the other hand holding an immense club resting on the ground. Fabulous sums of money have been offered for this statue, but it cannot be bought. It is said that the Vatican and what is in it cost more than all the wealth of Italy. St. Peter’s Church is said to have cost twelve million pounds sterling, and at that time that sum meant much more than it does now. We have visited the building where the apostles were thrust into the inner prison, and I can say that I never had much of an idea before of that place. We took candles, and went down into a dungeon. Then they told us that the inner prison was under that. So on down we went; and, if the word dismal has any significance, we found it there, stone above, below, and around you. We visited the spot where once stood the monument inscribed “to the unknown god.” The emperor at that time was warned, as he claimed, by some god that the enemy was approaching, and went and conquered them. Not knowing the god that did him this favor, he had the statue or monument erected and thus inscribed. We visited the Palatine Hill where once stood Cæsar’s palace. Everything on this hill, you doubtless know, was destroyed by the Gauls and Vandals, being burned and pulled down; and, as other kings have built their palaces in other parts of the city, they have taken everything of value, and it looks now like the ruins of an immense castle. The government is at work excavating and clearing up matters; but the subterranean caverns, arches, etc., that the palace stood upon are wonderful. We stood on the spot where Paul stood when he appealed to Cæsar for justice, and the foundation of the throne where Cæsar sat is still intact. At the base of the Palatine Hill stand the three pillars of Castor and Pollux, near the Forum. These pillars were once greatly admired for their symmetrical beauty. Pliny tells us of a raven that was hatched upon the roof of the Temple of Castor and Pollux, that flew into a bootmaker’s shop opposite. Every morning it used to fly to the Rostra which looked toward the Forum, where he would salute the Emperor Tiberius and others as they passed by, after which he returned to the shop, doing this for several years and being a great pet. But through the jealousy of an owner of an opposition shop the bird was killed, and for this the man was put to death. The bird had a public funeral, with a larger concourse of people than ever attended any king.

The old historical interest of Rome would fill volumes. I am drinking in what I can of it, and will give you a few more items of this ancient city in my next letter.

III.

Rome, March 8, 1895.

Still in sunny Italy. For the last few days we have been busy looking over the interesting parts of the city, but will not trouble you with detail in the matter, but would like to give you a general idea of Rome. Romulus pitched his tent here seven hundred and fifty years before the Christian era, and in the nearly three thousand years Rome has had a wonderful experience. At times she ruled the world, then again without prestige. Century after century has crumbled into dust, and the people of to-day are walking over their ashes. The martyrdom of the apostles was at their hand. They slaughtered the Christians, and scattered them to the four corners of the earth; but their cup has been a bitter one, and they have drained it to the dregs. But the stone that was cut out of the mountain has triumphed, and the sun of righteousness is reflecting its light back upon its persecutors; and Rome is to-day rising in her Christian civilization. If you will take a ramble with me, I will show you a city pretty free from saloons and drunkenness, streets beautifully paved and kept remarkably clean; a city with fine hotels, stores full of fine goods, merchants polite, many of the clerks speak English, pure water in abundance; and no city with so great number of fountains, many of them not excelled in beauty in any city. Then look for a moment upon her historical interest, her massive walls that surrounded the city with her many watchtowers and battlement, its gates bolted and barred, but now a thing of the past, her ruined temples and palaces, her old stone aqueduct that has given way to the modern iron pipe. These things are drawing tourists, English as well as American. The Methodists are building a fine mission building here, which is soon to be dedicated. Many from America are expected at the dedication. We are glad this town was in our route, and shall leave it with regrets. Our stay here has been full of interest.

Our party this morning took a carriage for a depot on the east side of the city, and took train for Tivoli. Crossing the large plain we came over on our arrival, eighteen miles brought us to the foot of the Sabine Hills. Up this elevation our train went, wending its way through thousands of acres of olive-trees, until it had carried us some five hundred feet above the level of the plain, and landed us in Tivoli. This town is many years older than Rome. West, some twenty miles distant, you see Rome with the dome of St. Peter’s Church. Tivoli is about half-way up the Sabine Hills. Back of this elevation are the Apennines, whence comes a great quantity of pure spring water. The Sabine Hills are composed of lime-rock; and the water from the Apennines comes through caverns under the town, and makes its appearance in different places one side of the town, and tumbles down three hundred feet into a ravine. The water, running continually, is twice as much as runs in Black River, at Springfield, when it is at its usual height. Walks have been built up and down these cascades. The beautiful rainbow is there when the sun shines, and it is a grand sight to behold. Here is a great electric plant that furnishes the lights for Rome: here, also, Rome takes its water supply. After looking over these beautiful falls and the old town and taking our lunch, we took teams and drove to the plains, and visited the wonderful ruins of Hadrian’s castle, or palace. Hadrian ruled Rome—in fact, the world—twenty-one years in the first part of the second century. He did much to fortify different places, and at the same time spent fabulous sums for himself, and has left the largest ruins probably known. His palace was a mile long, everything conceivable connected with it. We found in the flooring some of the finest mosaic work known. Bathing-houses, swimming and rowing, sports and games of all kinds, were, no doubt, carried on there.