THE CITY OF ROME.

Evening Post, Volume LXXXI, Issue 103, 3 May 1911, Page 16

THE CITY OF ROME.

A NEW ZEALANDER'S IMPRESSIONS. ART AND MONEY. [rUOU OUB OWN COnHESPONDENJ 1 LONDON, 24th March. Mr. and Mrs. A. W. Rutherford and their daughters have been spending the winter on the Riviera. They stayeil three weeks at Nice, and have done Monte Carlo, Mentoiie, San Remo, and the other charming resorts dotted along^ the coast. Nice — with its carnival and battle of flowers, fashionable promenades, busy Casino — is an ideal place, and a revelation to the unsophisticated "straight off the tussock," first visit, Maorilander. In fact, Mr. Rutherford's impression is that the Riviera, as a winter resort, is far above the winter resorts of England. From here they passed to Rome, and concerning that city Mr. Rutherford writes :—: — "We have, in the company of a most intelligent guide, visited St. Peter's, moat of the Basilica Cathedrals, and were greatly impressed with the amount of work Michael Angelo crowded into his brief span of eighty-nine years of life. It will be remembered by readers of Mark Twain that an irreverent friend of his was likewise impressed, even to the extent of crediting him with work to which he was not entitled. f The less erudite among Aus--tralians are not inclined to believe that Rome, at the dawn of the Christian era, and earlier,' possessed more magnificent ' public buildings than now does any capital city in Europe— history and the ruins prove this. We ' looked up the Forum and the Coliseum, which held -an audience of from 90,000 .*> 100,000. It was there the gladiatorial and other fights to the death took place. We inspected the ruing of one of the great public baths, where 1600 could 'tub' at -the same time in the same bath. We 'drove to the top of the hill overlooking the city, on which is placed a large equestrian statue of Garibaldi, and trom whence a fine view of the city is obtained. We have driven on the Appian Way, fringed by the ruined tombs of the departed rich, and stretching away across the Campagna in a straight line, after the manner of Roman roads. "In a shop-window we saw a small statuette in marble, of Romulus and Remus, with their 'fosteiMmother, at meal-time. Our guide told us that the Italians were not particular in what they ate, but they must have the beat in art, and they would wait until they were certain they got it, and that thoy were fortunate in their inheritance «>f an ample leisure— a sort, of nothing to do, and time to do it. • I have heard similar words fall from tho lips of one of .our Cabinet Ministers, a man of infinitely greater ability than he ia credited with by th 6 fuesy mediocrities who buzz in our political arena. ' Tim* ' was born too late. .His era was* that of the. Greek philosophers. He 'irritates nis contemporaries by his calm placidity. "Until a New • Zealaader has -visited Italy, he fails to realise his Boetian ignorance of true art, and remains. proud of his tawdry meretricious ornaments scattered about his dwelling-place — so eayt> Dr. Max Hertz. And he is right. As he explains, how could it be otherwise? Our guide told us ,that to Italians, art was everything. Money is nothing. But in my experience this does not apply to Rome's beggars. ' With them money is first, with art toiling along, miles behind. There- are no particularly fine streets in Rome, and the.ru are many nafrwy, slummy streets, but,< nevertheless, it is on the improvement. Many wealthy people have fine new houses right in the city,, and others are in course of erection, and the inhabitants look forward to a bright future."