The Wyandot pioneer. (Upper Sandusky, Ohio) 1853-1868, 1867-10-10
MARK TWAIN.
His Opinion of Italy in General
and Ciyita Necchia in Partic-
nl1r -

and Ciyita Necchla in Part1c.
ular.
Correspondence of n. Y. Tribune.l
+ --...t AT LARGE IN ITALY,
July, 1867.
This is the vilest nest Of dirt, yer
min and ignorance we have got into
yet, except that African pcrdition
they call Tangier, which is just like
it. The people here live in alleys
two yards wide. It is lucky the al
leys are not wider, because they holo
as much smell now as person car
stand, and of course, if they were
wider they would hold more, and
then the people would die. These
alleys are paved with stone and car
peted with slush and decayed rags
and deconposed vegetable tops. and
remnants of old boots, all soaked
with dishwater; and the people sit
around on stools and enjoy it. They
are indolent, as q general thing, and
1yet have few pastimes. They work
two or three hours at atime, but not
hard, and then they knock off and
catch feas. This does not require
talent, because they only have to
grab-if they don't get the one they
are after-they get another. 1t is
all the same to them. They a:e not
particular. They have no partial
tiles. Whichever one they get is
the one they want. They have 9th
er kinds Of insects, but it does not
make them arrogant. They are very
quiet, unpretending people. They
have more of these kind Of things
than other communities, hut they
do not brag.
They are very uncleanly, these
! people, in person and dress. When
they see anybody with clean shirt
on it, arouses their scorn. The wo-
men wash clothes half the day at the
public fauntains, but they are prob
ably somebody else's; or, may be,
they keep one suit to wear and an
other to wash, because they never
wear any, that have ever been wash
ed. When they get done washing,
they sit in the alleys and nurse their
cubs All the e,women in Civita Vec-
CHA have large families. They nurse
one at time, and the others scratch
their backs against the door-posts
and are happy. All the people
scratch. 1t lis their delight. There
] issa rusty shrine here and there along
the streets, where the people can
watch and pray; but they don't do
that, they scratch and pray. They
like it better. 7
All this country is presided over
| by. the Pope. They do not appear
to have. any schools here, and only
one billiard table. Their education
is at very low stage One portion
oftlIe men go into the military, an
other into the priestho cd, a third
into the shoemaking business, and
the balance 'lay around 81 q.
They keep.up the passport system
here yet, but so they do in Turkey.
1 This shows that Turkey is not Whit
/, more enllghteced than ihe Papacy,
whatever malignant Williams may say
to the contrary. had to get my
passport vised in Florence, and then
they would not let me come ashore
here from Leghorn till a degraded
policeman had examined it on the
wharf and sent me a permit. They
did not even dare to let me take my
passport in my hands for twelve
hours, ,oi1I I looked SO formidable
They thought L wanted to take the
town, likely, But such was not my
desire--not if /, had a chance to
swap off and take the smallpox, any
now They examined my baggage
{ at the depot a while ego They
= passed my shirts, lbuS they held on
:, to my tooth brush, SO. as to lay il
, before the Board of Commissioners
ond let them find out What it was
! for and fin,. out whether there is
any harm i'll it orsnot. aThisi is un-
fortunate, because, I borrowed il
:, from my shipmate, who is. particulai
: about his teeth to an extent which
! is ridiculous. And they took one
of my iablest jones, (it was one ol
j those extraordinary yJIconondrums
= .whiehI get sometimes. and read
it over carefully and then read il
again and finally turned it round
and read it the wrong way. But il
; was too deep for them They then
) handed it around,i and everybody
: ciphered at it for awhile, but it was
sFno use. They all had to pass. ii
) was no common jokesi At last one
E of the oldest of the officers, appar-
entity, and certainly: one of the mos'
abandoned and ignorant menI have
: ever looked upon, spelled it over
1 very slowly and laborieusly, and
: then shook his head three or foul
e times, and said that in his, opinion
! it was seditious. That was the frs
a time I was alarmed. / Immediately
: said I would explain the document
] and they crow ed around And, SC
4 in that sweltering pbaceI explained
+ and perspired, and perspired andex
: planned, with my Coat off, and they
t took notes, Of all I said, but the
: more I explained the moro they
couldn't understand, and When, they
: desisted at last, and summed ny