Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1883-08-16
UNDER THE SOUTHERN sun.
Word Pictures OF the Sights and Scenes In and
Around the Bay Of Naples.

Around the Bay Of Naples.
The institute closed its labors, Friday,
after two weeks of effective and encour-
aging work. Wednesday evening, Pres
ident McGregor, of the Platteville Nor
NAL School, delivered an entertaining
and instructive lecture on school work.
Thursday evening, a large audience had
the pleasure of listening to very bright
and graphic bit of word-painting, in the
shape of lecture on Naples and its Vi
entity, by Miss Eta earle.
The charm of the speakers manner,
as we'll as the beauty of the subject mat
ter, held the audience in the closest ut
tention to the close. Lack of room pre-
vents the reproduction Of the lecture
entire, but extracts from those portions
relating to Naples proper and to the
buried city of Pompeii, are given below.
OF Naples, the speaker said:
Naples holds very subordinate posi-
ton in the arts, in comparison with the
other Italian cities. This may be due
to the fact that it's history is like its
volcano. As internal fires have de-
stroyed the surrounding landscape. so
internal struggles have married the de-
velopment OF Naples. But | am in
clined to attribute its decline to another
cause, which we, the people of the north
ern climate, cannot understand. We
know nothing of the dreamy, seductive
influences of southern scenes that en-
slave while they charm; that fill the
whole being with the pleasures of to-
day and leave no place for the thoughts
of tomorrow. And why should to-
morrow require any thought from them?
Here nothing is needed but the bright.
blue sky of the day, the starry dome of
the night, and the luscious fruits that
tempt the palate on every hand. Can
we wonder that the Neapolitans are at
once the most lazy, the most joyous and
most careless liversp IL is not the Nea-
politans alone who have suceumbed to
the favored influences of this country.
Powerful nations have in turn lived here,
and have in turn yielded to the witchery
of the spot; the Goths, Germans and
Spaniards-it has enslaved them all.
Naples has never attained even tran
sient reputation in the arts or literature.
Even its architecture is unattractive.
On the surrounding heights, indeed, are
beautiful villas, EMPOWERED in groves,
but Naples proper abounds in high, con-
fined and badly constructed houses,
boln n
and capped with Hat roofs. These
houses are separated by alleys, crossed
and re-crossed by clothes lines, bearing
saffron-colored washings. Viewing Ma
pies from the sea, we repeat:
where every prospect pleases,n
Viewing Naples from the heart of the
city, we add:
And man alone is VILE
There is no Disgusting the fact that
Naples is noisy, unwholesome, ill-ven-
tilated city, populated with about half a
million of people, a good share OF whom
are dirty, insolent, careless, and
intent only on pleasure. OF course the
noisy portions of the city are the old
portions; the new thoroughfares are
more pleasant.
Each Italian city has its specialities.
Naples glories in coral, lava ornaments,
cone shells, gloves. The shop-windows
in some streets are all filed with corals.
red, white, and rose color. We see
necklaces and medallion pendants
wonderfully carved, combs, tortise-shell
ornaments, etc. These can be bought
at trifling prices, providing always that
the purchaser is acquainted with the
prices and ways of Neopolitan mer-
chants, who invariably charge three or
four times what they expect to receive.
Here is something for ladies: One may
buy one dozen pair of beautiful kid
gloves in white, brown and black, three
to six button, for five dollars.
Turning aside into the old streets,
here all pursuits are carried on in the
street - shoe-making, cleaning fish,
mending chairs, and so on. All the
odors which wander from the wide
world make this place of rendezvous.
Privacy is not known and even the more
delicate duties of the household are
carried on in the streets; toilets are
made, and many a mother holds some
young hopeful between her knees while
she industrioasly plies a fne-comb--
with suggestive causes.
Babies are in abundance. And such
babies! Wrapped in layer after layer
of dirty swadling clothes, even to the
arms, but the heads bare. But we for
get all in the beauty of the eyes. No
where else in the world can such eyes
be found as flash upon one in southern
Italy, so lustrous, black, soft, full of
the warmth and brightness of southern
skies.
In this old part of the town certain
streets are devoted to special occupa-
tions. In one thoroaghfare shoemakers
congregate their tables set outside, while
near by hangs a red gaudy painting of
st. Crispin, the patron saint of the
shoemaker. In another street copper
smiths pound, making the air resound
with the din. Here are the Overs with
faces and clothing besmeared with
black colors. Thus in these close and
dirty streets-often not more than seven
feet wide they have gathered for their
various occupations. Besides there is
a much greater confusion from the
crowd that sway backwards and for
wards; the interminable clatter of
wheels at all hours, and braying of
donkeys. The watermelon vendor, the
fish vendor, the coffee vendor, are for
ever in the way. Pumpkin seeds take
the place of peanuts in our markets.
Sidewalks are often wanting in the old
town. and the streets paved with blocks
of lava only. Men, donkeys and dogs
oil ftau oil haf. H.,
attended with danger. A donkey and
COW are frequently dashed together to a
two-wheeled vehicle. Occasionally the
street is enlivened with crowd of
merry-makers, their ox-teams garlanded
with flowers, the dresses of the maidens
are looped up with peoples which grow
wild in among the grain, and the i'm
mense spreading hats of the youth are
festooned with the same, while they fill
the streets with wild rude songs. We
do not need to be told that life with
them is a thing of constant Joy, with
never a thought of tomorrow. Ihaye
turned aside many time TO avoid step
ping on some Italian dreamer, sleeping
in the sunshine. Is it any wonder that
Naples is city without progress.
A very remarkable thing in Naples, is
that 1t costs almost nothing to ride.
Even the poor people can afford the lux
ury of riding Nv first evening in Ma
pies was memorable one. Wearied
with the days ride from Rome, sickened
with the odors of dirty streets on my
way to the hotel, and frightened by hor-
ses and righteously indignant at the
ragabond crowd of beggars. who scented