The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1878-02-17
KING HUME ERro AND HIS KINGDOM
The death of the Pope and of King Victor


Emanuel and the accession OF Prince Hum
borto to the throne Of Italy have revived
general interest in the affairs of that king
dom. Tho public feeling is different from
what IL was twenty years ago. Then it was all
poetry, with Garbadi and his red flannel
shirts borne TO victory to the music Of patriotic
songs now it is all business. But the interest Is
still intense and genuine. Italy is now powerful
country. II has a formidable iioet. an excellent
army and cxerts "A substantial influence in the
councils of Europe.
With the fall Of the Roman Empire the Apen-
nine peninsula lost all political power. Even
after it had recovered from the effects OF tho
barbarian invasion. 1t was only n combination OF
mercantile cities cankercd with jealousy. and
hating each other as bitterly as all hated the
popcs and Empcrors.
In their struggles for the possession Of Italy.
neither popcs nor Emperors could offer bot
ter bait to the rich municipal republics than the
promise to unite them in large and powerful
state. Tho temptation however. was poor.
The great Independent cities OF Florence. Pisa
Venice. and Gcnoa were perfectly contcntcd
did not desire any union. and would not have
purchased IL at the price of having common
master. were he Pope or Emperor. Tho shrewd
common sense and contempt for politics which
Italian race. subsequently found TN admirable
expression in tho works of Machavcli.
But as the imperial and papal power became
stronger. the republics had difficulty in main
tanning their Independence. Men like Dante
and Michael Angelo began to understand the
situation. and dreamed of italian unity. It
was too late. however. \ great portion of Ital
ian soil wis in foreign hands: Pisa had
fallen. and Naples was annexed to the Span
ish crown. But few OF tho northern cities
still preserved their Independence. Florence
was the foremost That old city. after kicking
outthe House Of Mcdici. took an amazing stride
in prosperity and in intellectual progress She
became the centre IL Italian art. science. and in
teec,. Many of tho IDEAS and principles attrib-
utcdtO the great social and intellectual rcvolu
tions Of the eighteenth century were realized
and developed in Florence in the sixteenth.
Charles V. watched the formidable growth Of
this republic equally hostile TO his power and
to the principles on which 1t was based. Ho
knew that Pope Clement VII. would never allow
him to take possession of Florence. so he de-
sired its subIugation. Accordingly. he concluded
a compact with the Pope by the terms Of which
his troops were to bcsiege and capture Flor
cncc and give II back to Alexander Mcdici. bas-
tard Clement III. The Pope. in return prom
isei to place the imperial crown upon the hoad
Of Charles ut Rome.
The siege Of Florence is one of the most
heroic episodes in tho history of Italy. Every
man. woman. and child was excited to de-
gree OF inspiration. They felt that the day Of
selfish excusycne~s was over. and that they
were defending ALT WIS left Of Italy. Michael
Angelo was then at Rome working at the Chapel
of ~. sixtuS. tie loft the Eternal City and
rushed to the Defence Of his native walls.
Taxing into his hands the management OF the
fortinra;ions he defended them against i'm
mense odds. with skill only cquallcd IN the
military history Of the world by Todleben's de-
fence of Sebastopol.
Tho strength ot the besieglng forces under
rhllibert OF Orange was too great. and Michael
Angelo icgan TO look out for allies. Leaving
the defence in the hand, of Fcrrugio and Maa-
tesla. hc started for Venice and Genoa. hopeful
Of obtaining their cooperation II was the first
IRA teal attempt to lay the corner stone o!
Italian unity and independence. Unfortu-
naiely Venice would not listen to Buona-
ROTH, She laughed at his entseaties and
was dclisht,l AT the humiliation II her great
rival. Genoa proved NOR" kindly disposed.
Her dogc. Andrew Doria. started for Florence
with Michael Angelo. But alas, FerrugO was
killed; Mnacsta had betrayed them; the city
had fallen. aud Alexander Medici. restored tn
power was shedding more blood on the scaiIold
than had been shed in the trenches. Buona-
ROTH himself escaped death only because Pope
Clement love for art was stronger than his
vndictivonrss. He wanted his chapel of st
Sixtus finished.
For nearly tire" centuries after the fall o
Florence. Italy seemed to De politically and in
intellectually dead With the exception Of the
ahortiv" in-urrection Of Masaniello at Naples
sI 81 ..
event or namr on which history can dwell.
The fine arts continued to flourish here and
thrr, but that was all. The Italians in
acknowledging this. say that the thine
was quite natural. The country was then in the
position Of the millrr's donkey mentioned IN
one Of their witty fables. Some charitable per
son advised n much-abused and exhausted don
key to muster IT, energy. rid itself Of its exact
ing master. and take another one.
e. And what VIII that new master do with me p
inquired the donkey.
Why. h. Will pack you. Of course but"
No hut, phase int rrupicd the philosophi-
cal animal. "As Ion: a. | have 10 stand the
PACKING. don't ear, a bit who is to do it,
From thi~ point of Wow the Italians account
f1r the utter apathy % Italy from the serond
hnli ut tlir siAtrenth 10 the beginning OF til,
present century. The roaring Of Napoleon's
cannon awakened III IN from th"ir long SUM
her. Mo-t .f tho Italians sided with th'
great Corsican alyenturer, for complicated and
manifold reasons. They did so partly from
conpul-on. partly brrau-n they thought he had
some Italian blood in his veins. partly becaus,
they knrw that if they did not fight for him
they would be compelled To fight against him
and might fare mu IN WORSE; hut chiefly because
they SAW on the opposite side the double headed
eagle. viii IA they - profoundly Diet 'strl
The wars of Napoleon in the Peninsula were
fnr liely what "a sliil morning cocktail il Tor tn,
drunkard 1t not only awnkrs him, hut brace,
him mp and sets him in motion. The pns,io
hring once aroused and the blood set in circua
ton. the nlton became ready far anything
The cyicl Ncapolitan Queen Caroline raisr,
the r1,d standard among the n,cuniainrrr, @
talabra and the AhruEso The movement
prov j failure, but It grew into the formid
able power known all over the World under III,
haiHr ni tarhuuari,m. In substance Carlo
nari-n in luly WAS what the YigeHab' sd was ii
Hcrniany. II va, II secret society formed I,
, cuuiit"vtc I'll" Nioirurr with which Napoleon
trnNul" = down the idea Of natonalitic-.
Through all IT. phG,os. Carhonarl-m hrml,
/ linked Itself 10 Il union between every citl
| and every village in the land where the Italian
/ luuA,uul.n WAS suDlrn rhr sorintV VIVA Ia ;