Rome still sits proudly on her seven hills, undismayed, undisturbed by the ravages of war. There is little real difference to be seen in the Italian capital as it is and as it was before the war. In the evening hours, when all Rome goes for a promenade or a drive, the Corso is as crowded as ever. One sees more uniforms, but otherwise the scene is similar to that of peace times. Romans still love to dine on the sidewalks, partake of their ices, and sip their wine and coffee at little tables placed where pedestrians are supposed to pass. They attend the theater, the opera and the various other places of amusement of which they are so fond. The main difference in the city's aspect is in the dress of the people. Officers are seen only in field uniform, privates in the gray of the battle-field. Women no longer attempt display, only the simplest effects are seen. All ostentation in the wearing of gowns and jewelry is frowned upon. None has suffered more than the nobility. Most of them being of moderate means, the war brought many sacrifices, endangering slender purses and curtailing most needed comforts. A number have had to sell their prized art treasures to keep from actual want. The beautiful Palace on the Quirinal is now a hospital. Many of its nurses are the noble women of Italy. The city is filled with welfare organizations. Buried in the heart of Rome, its ruins telling us the story of the birth of civilization, lies the Forum, unchanged, unaffected by the world struggle. It speaks of days that were, of other wars, of Caesar, who, like the Kaiser, was ambitious, of Marc Antony who sacrificed everything for love of a woman, of Cicero, and others whose deeds and words have made history. Above the ruins of the Forum is the Palatine. Here once lived the Caesars. Their palaces once covered the hill from which they looked down upon Rome. The Golden Palace of Nero has been obliterated by time, just as the chateaus and beautiful structures of northern France have been leveled by the invading Germans. Fortunate is the world that the treasures of Rome are intact. St. Peter's and all the wonderful churches still stand unharmed. The Vatican with its storehouse of treasures remains as it was. Art galleries containing world's masterpieces are preserved for posterity. Rome is still the Rome familiar to travelers. Its hotels are filled, not with tourists, but with officers and their families. Its streets are still throbbing with life, it remains one of the most interesting cities on this spinning globe. THE MENTOR · DEPARTMENT OF TRAVEL SERIAL NUMBER 171 Entered as second-class matter March 10, 1913, at the postoffice at New York, N. Y., under the act of March 3, 1879. Copyright, 1919, by the Mentor Association, Inc. [Illustration: A "BABY NEST"--A retreat for children of Italian soldiers in service By courtesy of the Italian Embassy, Washington] ITALY UNDER WAR CONDITIONS By E. M. NEWMAN, _Traveler and Lecturer_