New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1874-08-29
THE PETRAROH FESTIVAL.
cpprNoNIEs OF THE SECOND DAY.

-vppopN,xcE AT THE oPERA-EXHlBIrIoN OF
MANUSCRIPTS.
,,nox AZ OCCASIONAL CORRESPONDENT OF THE TRIBUNE'l
p,prA July 25.-The second day of the Petrarch
FESTIVAL was magnificent II began by the unvail-
ing Of the statue by Cocoon This gives us d
fnll-length view of the ordinary Petarcn'
crowned with lautel, wrapped in his tosa
holding Virgil ia his hand. with ron =,
manuscripts at his feet. The face IS naru anu
meaningless; it is easy to believe tha' t"w
,eferrd the sonnets and the glory conferred 10 tue
- h;,,solf 70 ,hot atatue resemble him. From the
TIa,,o del Cormiae to the University we made tbe
u,moot haste but arrived TO find the Au'd Magma
literally hacked with students, who indignant az
ho;no excluded by the Commission from theif own
bouse had taken forcbe possession, SO that scoe-
Nv anv of the guests for whom seats had peen IT.
served could obtain an entrance. NV coihpa"Vn0
gave ND the attempt altogether. waited p"'ionUS
. few moments and presently Senator Mamiami pre-
sentinp himself the students made way Ior nin' anu
through this means obtained seat alnos' III 'n0
front row. The circumstance was IoI'uu"'0 Ouo
for me- as the reporters for the Padush PAPERS
,no 20 the announcement that the discourse, with
bronze medal of Petrarch and bis poem Alrica
were 70 be distributed Immediately after the cere
mony, made no reports at ALL md Alearo' means "
,rite his discourse before giving 1t TO the press
He gove ns with immense erudition, IN the pure
rarefp graceful dction for which he Is famous, the
traditional Petrarch vain handsome. summing nm
self in women's SMILES serile inconsTant, iona Oh
adulation He did Laurs justice, and praised ner
lover for respecting her lover-a great virtue III
,bose times when love was not love at all, out
gross and sensual passion Did Laura love Petrarch
Here Aeardi nut the answer very neatly. She stood
OH the defensive for twenty years, and carried her
secret into her grave
The picture of the political history OF the times
WAS given with vivid coloring and some of Aleardrs
old democratic feeling seemed to return to MN III
the grand old hall where, under the stern Austrian
rule he had dreamed of Italy free and noble, the
Teacher and purifier of the human race. The huge
nortrait of Victor Emanuel was just behind the
nlotform where he stood the arms OF Savoy IN
front OF course he paid the proper tribute to the
Re q4laptuomo !; but he remembered also OarlDaiui,
and spoke of the realized dream of Italy, One ana
Independent dreamed of by Dante and Mazzlnl.
The allusion brought down laundering applause.
He observed that Petrarch, though living at the
Court of the Papacy, was much more outspoKen ana
severe in his writings and dealings with the dlsso-
lutte Court of Rome than is the present government
of Italy and here his audience reached the highest
stage of enthusiasm. He was not happy in his per-
pratlon Taking the view thatthe old valor OF Italy
j. not vet exhausted, he said: Il swear it by the
heroes of s. MARITIME and Lissaw Now LISA and
Custozza are Just the episodes that believers IN
Italian valor most wish TO forget and 1t would
have been so easy TO say San MARITIME and Caiata
Sini or the VOltuTnO, that one wonders he made
such a blundeT.
The heat was so overpOwering that a strong man
was carried ont fantng. and every one within and
without was thoroughly dissatisfied, Why with the
Sdla della PrdgiORe, the largest hall in the world
ht their service the Commissioners chose the Aulo
10 at,lo 10 mn TIg
cratic and exclusive 1t was perfectly natural that
the student should wish to hear AleaIdis speech on
Petrarch Still, even if the AHla Magma must be
chosen if the presiding author instead of fOTbddlng
the students 10 enter had said Guests are coming
from all parts of Europe-do the honors of your own
house, they would have answered promptly and
courteously. AS it is Carducci who stood half an
hour outside, could not enter. and the democrats
were so disguised that they would not allow him TO
attend the official banquet but set up rival one.
Twas obliged for cOurtesys sake, to attend the for
mer as / had absconded in Arqua. very dull and
areary affair it was. The toasts were intolerably
servie: the Senator Cittadella saying that, after
Petrarch the King was the greatest man that bad
lived and that to Mamiami we owe Italian indie
pendence in great part Aleardi was absent bat was
gracefully remembered and Count Mamignate one
of the promoters of the festival and the author of
very carefully prepared essay Petrarch proposed
q toast TO Carduccl.
After dinner we took coffee on the LOggid degh
Amulti, 10 witness the course of the Bighi, where
queer old Roman looking chariOts driven each
by man on foot round the splendid race course.
The charioteers were dressed in red, green, and
white The white came off victor by whole round
and the red and green, who seemed disheartened
from the outset were most numerically Kissed In
the public gardens, which eXquisitely illumi-
mated quarrel arose between the democratic party
md the immediate manager of the festival Two
challenges were issued, but believe some friends
have succeeded in arranging matters.
From the gardens we were escorted to the opera,
where the famous opera of Cot was gwen with
great display. The author a young lad of 10, was
repeatedly called for by the audience, and the beau
tful terzeto, Non Scordar quelia note, was three
times encored. 1t is impossible to form any judg-
ment of such music at first hearing nor am at all
sconnoisseur 1t seems 10 me immensely elaborate
music but wanting in melody. With the opera the
official entertainments ended but had reserved for
the morrow the best part of the festival, e., the
manuscripts aud rare editions of Petrarch.
The exhibition of the manuscripts aud editions Of
Petrarch is held in the Palace of the Council"
superb edfce in marble of 1900. The specimens
are numerous and said to be immensely valuable
but alas there is no catalogue as there was in
Florence for the Dante festval-nO one TO explain
OF expound. ] was told that although the Govern
ment has exerted itself to the utmost, many holders
and owners of precious manuscripts and documents
refused to lend them; aud who shall blame them
when bear in mind the irregularty of the Italian
post, and the responsibility of Italian rail-
waysf The most interesting objects of the exhibit
ton are two autograph letters of Petrarch directed
10 h,s friend Dond These letters, as can be seen
by the quality of the paper and the form of the
writing belong TO the epoch of Petrarch That