Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1880-02-06
Ouida's Opinion Of Italy.

"Ouida" has been interviewed by
the correspondent of London society
journal. She has been endesvoring to
prove that Italians are " vandals," and,
as we know, has succeeded in making
Poet Morris and a lot more pseudo art
enthusiasts make fools of themselves in
reference to st. Marks at Venice.
Ouida's Tuscan home is a charming
place. 1t is described as being very
beautiful, and the authoress dresses with
great elegance and " bows with little
smile, and motions you to be seated
very much as queen would do" Her
opinions, however, are very fatfootcd.
She thinks that I" the artistic spirit is
nearly obliterated in Italy has lost all
sentiment for trne grace and pure color.
All the old instincts of art seem to have
died out of them. Nor is the lady salts
fed with the political condition OF
Italy She thinks the Italians regret
the old regime, when wine was seven
centimes flask instead of seventy, as
now" Suicide was almost unknown
in the palmy days. What ruins Italy,
says Ouida, sis the universal public
population, and the frightfui burden Of
the State rates. No man enters public
life with clean hands ; corruption is the
order of the day Ministers come into
office poor and 60 out rich and no one
is surprised" Nevertheless Ouida
loves the Italians because they are
engaging, doclle, cheerful and patient
under hardship, OF lively comprehen-
sion, OF quick if shallow sympathy. OF
such people much ought to be made.
But there Is no master hand to mold
them. Those who have the teaching of
them are petty Jules Ferrysy Liliputian
| Haussnanns, as l have said in the
! Times. These men would teach TIE
people to pull down their baptistrys,
and to think row of factories or gas
reservoirs more noble than the Via
Sacra. 1t is these men who are every
where uppermost and dominant i'll
! Italy at the present time. These men
will never recognize that Italy must be
an agricultural and an artistic country
or nothing" Again, What Italy
needs beyond all is great Minister, u
great reformer, a noblo-despot. For
Italians are happiest and best when
they are commanded" Of Garibaldi
Ouida says: " What a misfortune it is
that Garibaldi did not fall at Montana
He has been the most poetic and the
most picturesque figure of the century,
but he lives on now merely to do mis-
chief and make himself ridiculed by
his advocacy of engineering projects,
OF which he is no more q Judge than he
is of craftsmanship. He now wishes to
change the Pc into straight canal
Now, in sober truth, whatever rivers
may want to be made stagnant canals,
! whatever basilica may want to he made
a new garish pile of white sugar, what
ever barbarous innovation may appear
to the municipal authorities everywhere
in italy to be necessary, is nothing
less than crime to start such projects
and to carry them out--not merely a
crime against art, but against the ma
ton, for the one supreme, prosaic, but
omnipotent reason that in oil directions
Italy is nearly bankrupt. This is
twaddle which the admirers of the YER
satile autLoress must be surprised to
hear. Finally, Ouida sc would Danish
from Italian soil all foreign specula-
tors and all native politicians who
make commerce of politics. would
have the people peaceful and happy in
the beauty of their land and the
grandeur OF their monuments, not
turned into, bastard communists, or
taught to initiate Americans. Italy
once led the world if she can lead it
no more she can at least treasure her
memories and her heirlooms." No
wonder the Italians get chilling mad "
at such vapid nonsense.