Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1889-07-24
THE MODERN NAPLES.
The Vilest Becomes the Most Beautiful
of Cities.

The Vilesr Becomes the Most Beautiful
of Cities.
From the Boston Transcript.
Naples is reaIlydestined to become one
OF the most beautiful cities of the world.
A portion of it has been for years de-
serving subject of admiration to all,
even to those accustomed to the mag
nlhcence of Europe and American cap
itals. But the opinion has been held
by tourists that, fine as the new part of
the city is, the older quarters are SO re-
pulsively dirty and gloomy that resi-
dence in Naples would hardly be desir-
able, nee one would be frequently
obliged to traverse those disagreeable,
narrow streets, especially in the vicinity
Of the railroad station. Now all this is
to be changed, and a new era has
dawned, even for the old, neglected
part of Naples. The good King Hum
bert and the beautiful Queen Margaret
have Initiated the enterprise, In the
very sites where darkness an! squalor
have so long reigned.
The discourse of Mayor Amore
brought tears to the Queens proud eyes,
and moved deeply the vast audience.
tourist Transcript reader has sent US
the following translation:
Your Maiesty-Beneath the portico
called 'Dei Na-tri," which is to be de-
moEshed, there is an ole stone with the
Latin inscription of the time of the pest
in A. ID. 1856, mo Entrance Here"
For two centuries all were kept back
by this inscription, and no one dared to
move stone. In A. d. 1850 the own
ers of the adjoining buildings were cour-
ageous enough to make some changes in
the site, but the magistrate then in pow
er prohibited the demolishment of the
inscription guarded walls. under Sc
we're penalty. The terrible secret has
now been disclosed, and skulls and hui
man remains have been found where
tuere was neither church nor cemetery,
demonstrating to all what horrible
waste of human life and what govern
mental compassion were commemorate
ed by the famous inscription.
An epidemic, scarcely less destructive
than that of 1866, invaded Naples five
years ago when an Italian prince of the
glorius House of Savoy was watching
over the countrv's destiny. In 1856 the
rulers shut themselves up in their cas-
ties, far from the Injected sites, allow
ing thei1 representatives to treat the
plague as an internal monster, Wallingup
the afflicted localities and prohibiting
aid In our days, to the contrary, the
king of Italy leaves his castle and goes,
personally, In the midst OF the epidem-
&c, VISlllHg QuQOT0OS OF InOSo SICK In
their beds, relieving with bounteous
aims the public misery, establishing an
asylum for the orphans of the dead,
and moved, by seeing with his own eyes
the deplorable condition OF his Neapol-
itan subjects, proposed, by means Of his
ministers, a law.
And this law was rot to preserve
squalid localities by means of defend
ing inscription, but to demolish them,
as also the adjoining narrow streets,
through which, if triumphing kings in
past centuries had paraded, misery,
plague and seditlon had followed In
their train.
Let US not erieve continued the ma
yor) that the records Of twenty kings
and sixty vlceroys, who did nothing for
Naples, are to be destroyed. A few
monuments will be respected, especial
Iy those that recall Frederick H., Al
pbonso of Arragon and Charles H., the
only three princes to whom Naples had
a debt of gratitude. Instead Of the
monuments in memory of bad sover-
eigns and worse viceroys, will rise pal
aces and new monuments, recalling to
posterity as donors to Naples OF health
tul and integral prosperity the House of
Savoy.
Raise then the pick Concluded Signor
Amore), beat down those houses, let the
maleficent germs Of injection fall be-
meath the ruins, and free passage be
given to air and light. swift bearers of
prosperity and lie. Viva King Hum
bert, viva Queen Margaret, viva the
Prince of Naples. our fellows citizens