ROME AND FLORENCE.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 523, 2 June 1909, Page 8

ROME AND FLORENCE.

LECTUEE BY DB.GIBB. Thoro was a large attendance, at : St John's Hall last-night, when Dr. Qihb delivered his leotnro' on' Romo and Florence, " unavoidably postponed, a weak or two ago through an accident to tho'lantern. , No such misohance.occurred on .this occasion, and .through the capable management of Mr." B. C. Galloway" the slides, ofwhichjthere were-58, wore shown to great advantage. ,Thoy. comprised views of the Snneipal churches of Borne, of • the Forum onianum, and nrany of the ancient ruins. v There were also many illustrations of the palaces :and picture, galleries' of Rome':- and i loronce, and' street scenes in both oities; ; . Dr. Gibb at the commencement informed his hearers-that he did not intend to deliver a literary, lecture,- but in a conversational 6tyle to pilot them through the buildings, and scenes which had made the' strongest impressions on his mind during his brief sojourn last year in Italy. ..The promise was,amply fulfilled. For an hour and a half tho audionco listened to a talk that was. always interesting and instructive, and frequently amusing. The lecturer did not confine himsolf to, a'description of the buildings and scenes depicted in the slides, but drew freely on his experiences and observation of the people . with whom his travels brought him into, contact, thereby greatly enlivening his discourse." When referring' to , the 6cenery of the Bay of Naples, at which place ho had ■ entered Italy, Dr. Gibb said that tho Italians had a proverb: "See Naples and die," 60 beautiful were the environs of that city deemed to be. And they were-beautiful,'but setting asido tho historio associations ho was prepared to. affirm that the environs of Wellington were as impressive.' It was' a continual source of wonder to,him that, tho people of this city did not appear to rcaliso the.beauty, ho might say ovonthe grandeur, of their magnificent bay and its surrounding hills. ' At tho closo of tho lecturo, which was highly appreciated •by all present, a vote of thanks was moved by Mr. W. Allan to Dr. Gibb, and to Mr. Galloway for his work at tho lantern. Tho vote was carried by acolamation.