London Central Secondary School - Golden Glimpses Yearbook (London, Ontario Canada)

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story. Stairways of wood are modern, but again based on the ancient wooden steps, beams, and window frames, which still remain, carbonized by the heat, now en- closed in glass or mica. Ancient iron gratings protect the windows, which in some cases are still of glass, just like ours. I thought the glass modern, but it was uncovered with the rest. The mosaics on the floors are beautiful, much more artistic than at Pom- peii. In several places the original wooden beds and stools are in their places, also marble tables and statues, little ornaments and other furnishings of a comfortable home. In the kitchens are cook stoves with cooking utensils on them, as they were left, and fire wood fnow charcoalj ready to burn. In one place I found a bowl of eggs beside a kitchen table. Then, too, there are iron gratings to the windows, just as used in Italy today, and actually two, at least wooden doors, with panels inset, as we do, only of finer work. The whole place seemed actually to live-and above it rises the modern town, a city over a city, and what a wealth of treasure still to be uncovered! I saw large public baths and marble swimming pools, with stone THE REVIEW benches and racks for clothingg lavatories with drains and running water to fiush them, and heating systems to warm the bath water and the rooms. Truly a city of luxury. The ancient amphitheatre, an open or uncovered theatre, was dis- covered by chance in the Middle Ages, when workmen were digging for a well. The huge shaft, some seventy feet high fnot deepj is still there, and one can look down from the upper city into the seats of the theatre below! Imagine an open air theatre, for about seven thou- sand people, now seventy feet or more under the city. Only small sections can be excavated, as it is of course necessary to leave the lava-like pillars to support the houses above. You descend a flight of modern steps, lighted by electricity, until you reach the top of the original theatre: then you continue to descend, gallery by gallery, to the lowest level,where you climb again onto the stage, and dressing rooms. In each gallery fthere were threej you see only a small section, as lava poured into the open windows, and finally over the top, until all was buried. At one point a skele- ton was found caked to the wall- a guard perhaps. Down on the 43 stage, feebly lit by tiny lights, you see the shadows flicker far above you, as the huge arches soar high overhead, and you shiver in the chill dampness as you listen, in the oppressive silence, to the distant rumble of the city's pulsing life, and to the water dripping slowly from stone to stone. I did not find anything so weird, so deeply charged with memories of the past, as this buried theatre, once high above ground, now oozing with icy water. From the theatre a tunnel led to the sea, to let in water for mock naval fights, but now the sea is far away. Also another tunnel leads to the excavated portions, several hundred feet away. The outer walls of the theatre are, of course, still imbedded in lava. Altogether Herculaneum im- pressed me profoundly, far more so than Pompeii, and I came away deeply stirred. I think a more cultured group lived in this little Campanian town, and very fine works of art, and writings are being recovered. The museum at Naples contains a magnificent collection of bronzes, taken from what was apparently a private museum here, the finest of which are probably two magnificent figures ofwrestlers. --J. B . IV. HERCULANEUM

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42 TI-IEREVIEW With a leader of such determined ideas, and such fiery contrasts as Mussolini it is expected that there would be conflict between the gov- ernment and the Church. In insult he says of the Catholic Church: This religion was born in Palestine but became Catholic in Rome. If it had been confined to Palestine it would never have been more than one of the numer- ous sects which flourished there. The chances are it would have perished and left no trace. Yet again in contrast, he shows his pride in it by saying: The Latin and Imperial tradition of Rome is today represented by Catholicism. It forms the only universal idea which exists in Rome. Thus he established an outward peace with the Church. Thinking of Italy nowadays means thinking of Mussolini, the man who rules Italy. Discipline such as every Fascist boy and girl knows was not for Benito in his youth. About his father's smithy he heard so much of revolt and Socialism that his mother, a school teacher, had him sent to a monas- tery. Their account of him was: His set face, his dark eyes, always on the alert, made an impression on the paternal mind of the Director. - - - The boy was bright, intelligent, and had a wonderful memory. But his character was disorderly, and his total lack of submission made it impossible after two years for him to con- tinue at the school. After that he went to Normal School and at eighteen had earned a diploma per- mitting him to teach. In quick succession-he trav- elled to Switzerland, returned and became a recruit, taught school for a while, and became an editorial writer for a famous newspaper. From then on year by year he went forward, struggling through great opposition. He always stepped upward, with difficulties, perhaps f ---but also with power--- until he felt himself strong enough to as- sume the iron-fisted role of com- plete Dictator. The destruction of Pompeii was a tremendous disaster, its resurrection has been a miracle. -Rena Shed EIU Fascism and Italy Italy is Fascist. Italy is Catho- lic. It is the sum of its cities, towns, and villages. It is ruled by one man. To speak of Italy at this time is to speak of Fascism, for Italy is the land where it has been most completely developed, where its greatest orator and master dwells. In contrast to Communism, which has tried and failed to spread, Fas- cism has covered almost half of Europe. Mussolini says: The twentieth century will be known in history as the Century of Fascism, and through this he intends to bring glory back again to eternal Rome. In Fascism the virtues of ancient Rome are found: Discip- line, Duty, Courage, Glory and Sacrifice. Fascism starts with the very young. When the small Italian boy goes to primary school he finds that most of his classmates are members of the Balilla, a junior Fascist army for eight to fourteen- year-olds. If the boy does not join he is scorned. If he does join he will be part of a rigidly disciplined army a million strong-which is being trained to insure the future of Italy. Practically all Italian boys belong to it, for they soon are taught that Mussolini is always right. NVhen they are fourteen the best graduate into the Avan- guardisti. For the next four years they begin the study of machine guns, airplanes, and tanks. This system has been in force for only eight years and already there are five hundred thousand Avanguard- istn. -Elsie Seford UU Italian Idea of a Hot Dog The following is one of the many varieties of Italian hot dog. um., B, Pompeii Half a loaf of bread, long and round like a sausage, cut length- wise, stuffed with two or three whole tomatoes, two green peppers, a few onions Crawl and salt to taste: this affords a delightful pastime between meals. Try it some day, when it seems a very long time before the conventional eating hour. Method of eating: Start biting at one end and keep on until you come to the other end, half an hour later. -George Der Stepamlan UU Herculaneum C Nates from a Diary, 1934 Q Herculaneum lies on the opposite side of Vesuvius to that of Pompeii, and though destroyed in the same eruption of that fearsome volcano, has proved much more difficult to excavate. Pompeii was covered by many feet of fine, powdery ash, which can easily be removed, but Herculaneum by lava which poured into the streets and openings, and cooled into hard rock. At first I was rather disappointed after my visit to Pompeii on the previous day, for only a tiny sec- tion, i.e. part of two streets, has been uncovered, and that only within the last five or six years. You look down into a deep pit, surrounded partly by the modern city of Pugliano,partly by orchards. In this pit excavations are still continuing, and I saw a group of men, stripped to the waist, busy picking away at the lava. This must be very carefully done to avoid injuring what may lie imme- diately beneath. Then too, most of the ancient town lies thirty or forty feet under the modern, and cannot be reached except by tun- neling, or sinking shafts, as in a mine. However, the work is now being carried on very scientifically, and many houses have been re- stored and reroofed. This is not mere guess work restoration, as in many cases parts of the original ceiling, sometimes most, remain. The whole effect is even more striking than that of Pompeii. The houses are very line, with large open pillared courtyards and gardens. One house still has a row of pillars around the second

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