The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1890-07-06
1r.Lps PRIME MINISTER.
The Strange Career OF Francesca Criapi-
His MnrrinGes-The Obstacles III Ills
wav and How lie Overcnme Them all.

LONDON June lS.-With Count Andras-
sy the last OF tho diplomats and statesmen Of
the school OF Mettornich. Bcust, and TalleT.
rand disappeared; in the dearth OF successors
Of tho same high order minor intellects have
succeeded 10 tho place left vacant In tho poti.
cal Ornament. 1t is duo in snmo measure to
the absence Of completely great minds and
matchless capacities that SEnur Girls pl. the
Italian premier, owes tho plepondcrancc he
has obtained so lato In years. and the intlu-
enco he exercises over the doStnios OF his
country. although II must in Justice he
said that ho ia gifted with considerable
amount Of genuine ability and statcscrait.
That his tenure OF olllco will not prove an
unmitigatod benefit to Italy will probably
sooner or later become evident but that no
has contrlved TO keep his place and bridge
over difficult moments is indlsputable. Acc
cordinG to an oft-Iuoted saying Of the Abh5
Gallant. The Italian plays with words. the
Frenchman is duped by thcm," This is pos
eibly why France tries to persuade herself now
that what she has considered a hostile attitude
| ofthe Crisp Cabinet was only msunderstani-
| inG; why Europe. who was aghast when Prince
! Bismarck assumed the double functions u
! prussan and German Minister OF State. ac-
ceped without demur that the Prime Minister
| OF King Humbert should in n constitutional
and parliamentary Government ccntraliZe in
! his own hands the Presidency OF tho Council
and tho portfolios OF Foreign Affairs and OF tie
Interior: nor was thore anyinordlnato surprise
expressed when this cumulative power was
| placed at the service OF ono ally. Germany.
Yet SiEnor Crispi ha for many years haunt
| ed the Republican and Socialistic quarters OF
! the Baignolles and tho revolutionary Partisan
! Faubourgs, when. n very young man. ho lived
! abroad political refugee. But the ardent
| enthusiasts Of 1873 succumbed. like many
| others, in appearance equally irreconciliabe
! to the magical influence bismarck exercised
over the whole world. AnIrassy himself. who
in the remote days OF his youth had also
sought tho shelter OF Paris who hal been tho
disciple OF the fiery Kossuth. became at given
moment the devoted friend Of the omnpUtent
| Chancellor,
| Francesca Crspi Is now n man OF II. lie
does not look old he dresses elegantly and
! carefully. ropudiatinG in all his person tho
sans JdGOn OF the classical democrat. His head
! has semi martial cast, his hair is scanty, but
his thick. white moustnche recalls Victor
Emmanucl5: his eye is brilliant his speech
! sharp. incisive. full OF imagery ano sometimes
slightly declamatory. He has u wonderful
capacity for work, sustained by the self-Grati,
| late in He, for lie was 90 when he at inst
reaped tho harvest for which lie had been toll
nc t hsaFS ns bGr Gsf5u October 1912 in tto
Siciian town called Ribera According to ira.
d9 ns Ia anI 2 hat 2ssn
Crspl was Prince Of Samos Don Ciccio;, as
the sicliians faniiiarly called tho Prime Min
| genealogical tree. and loudly declares that he
has no belief in long descent or hereditary
! Nevertheless. he cannot prevent the word
from knowing-Snd the knowledSe explains
/ branch Of tho family came from a lbanil 10
| Sicily and remained Greek in religion that
| his grandfather was an Orthodox priest and
| sent him TO be educated AT the Greek seminary
of l'alerm9. where Albanian was as currently
Crlspi, one OF six children. respected his
father but was tenderiy at;ectonate toward
| with pretty peasant girl poor che was
beautiful, and set ali opposition. aside by
secret. Whether she would have had to re-
pent her confidence was not PIT to the test for
years afterward. The young widower applied
himself steadfastly to the study OF law; ho
sion and acquired q great celebrity as an ad-
vocate, with the substantial ADVANTAGES OF q
good income. The astuteness of the lawyer
Las often served the statesman in after lue
Like all the men OF his tendencies WIZ pro-
braced journalism during the, troubled times
nrecedlng A. and even with other exalted ittn
with sna i Of rather STV Clever poetry
70 be, expected, the whole editorial stan got
ment and was finally ban isGcd the kingdom.
Crisp came 10 England. where he gave lessons
speaks the latter language PERFECTLY. but with
an ineradicau!e Scian accent. He neither
lish tongue sufficiently to become comp"etent
teacher. found it impossibe to eRrn livei.
hS2a SRd ka Gn&Ea 0a Mn" cr
who had become Ma2zinrs follower obtained
w S9d m e p4GT on9 al thS @
piled and re.ntered lay lie inspired the
Lie Of thu the Of MsIz9 Of
fiihEoqGh iody hiding il the hous" OF faitn,
was won and the first step toward the uni
tication Of Italy taken by the translation OF
the capita from Turin to the Old city Of tho
INDUCED In bis taste for building and erected
u fine large house in the new. metropolis a;
and other supporters OF the common cause.
His second wife had accompanied hlm dur
and. like Anita Garihadi had shared all his
hardshrs and dangers with uniiinching. un-
should have reapGd her reward in her hus-
bands G altitude and honorable post ton CrisI.
tractive woman, abandoned her without com:
Function in favor OF her rival. This brnal
Queen OF Italy at first obstiuately refused TO
see this third wi g, AID 1t was o. only said that
divorce not existing in Italy, tho last union
for the i2rshEen woman, and little heed was
his attitude toward her. which Was tho du'y
OF iegitimi@iug daughter born Of the later
Put even pubic and royal Indignation fell
before CrlSpi's eNtraordinary so diurtunc. and
vanished a il, by eqchanmcnt. lie Albagyan
Greek, the political RET uGce OF the iiatiguo lle-,
the Neapolitan rebel, the husband OF three
wives, two OF whom are living, is the Premier
OF Italy; he wears the collar N tho Anunziata.
which cOnterS on him the rank Of cousin OF the
EXcelleucy. goes to court and sits beside
Queen Mnrgheritn at tho QuirinRl. SiGnora
Crisp No. 2. the heroine OF lS6G draRs mis-
erable. lonely and disLonored existence at
Florence.
or his forensic training Crsni has retained q
remarkable iiurncy and precision OF speech.
He is irusrible utolerunt 81 opposition. and rs
A.
AIRY articles in his own paper forty years ago,
In his seat in tho House he is never still and
when lie answers an opponent or seLceS an
ndN ersary h. almost bounds 10 hi feet throws
his chest forward gestIculHtes violently ard
IRON b"nca'h his white m0ustu"he pours forth
tho torrents Of an elouleuco which Is often
bitter. ut rarely tails to deal II straight. crusl-
ing blow. In private life he can be rs aIable
~ he j. iorbidding and dangerous in public:
rs iIlepds AFRO wont 70 declare that
familiar intercourse with him is delightful.
but AL too Tnre Like all great workers Ito
rises early; summer and winter he is AT his