Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-04-26

Simeto river which is never out Of sight,
and, dashing tumultuously toward the sea,
forms the western boundary of the volcanic
| region. On the one hand was Etna with its
score of lesser craters and unspeakably hid
eous barrens, with here and there bit OF
| dirty heath and stunted pine. On the other,
| as far as the eye could reach, were noun
| tains and valleys rich with cultivation, COW
cred with fields of cereals and cotton, beau
| tiful on the mountain slopes with vineyards
and olive groves, and, near every hut
hamlet, villa, and every manner of enclos-
| ure, glorious with vines and flowers. But
where we rode
NO LIVING THING GREW
save withered heath. No stream coursed
| across our way; no fountain murmured by
| the roadside. The radiation of the sun from
| the lava road gave heat intense and sutfo-
eating; while the dust from the powdered
scori@ at times seemed almost intolerable.
| Nearing Aderno rich masses of Indian fig
and olive began shutting out the hideous
lava beds, and the immediate surroundings
of the weird old place are as luxuriant as
can be found on the southern slopes of Cuba.
| One can hardly discover another queer old
| spot like this in all Europe. 1t is simplya
solid mass of converts and nunneries, on the
site of the ancient Sikelian city of Had
ranum, the religious houses, founded 740
years ago by Roger l., being supported by
immense landed estates. Over one-half of
the Il, 900 souls are inmates of, or are in
some way attached to, these institutions;
while all the remainder, excepting the
nobility and few comfortable merchants,
are mere dependents. Tremendous grated
structures rise terrace-like above each other;
and with prisons and old Norman keeps,
comprise all there is of the city save the
huts of the lowly clustered beneath their
walls, and the burrows of the lazzaroni reek-
ing with filth and disease.
The distance from the Simeto river to Pa
lermo is about 12O miles. We travelled this
on our excellent donkeys in four days, with
time to spare for brief excursions from the
main highway to objects of special interest.
The face of the country is mountainous, save
where now and then infrequent level plains
intervene. The mountainous districts re-
call some of the sterile and forbidding
heights of Spain. The plains, though ex
ceedingly fertile, seem uninhabited and as
if deserted by some former people who
might have possessed them ages ago. Italy
and Sicily are sunny" enough; cereals,
fruits and flowers are almost tropically lux
uriant; but how can the humane traveller
rave over the
GLORIES OF PAGAN RUINS,
the massiveness of medieval monuments,
monasteries cathedrals and fortresses, or
the dazzling palaces of the nobility of to-
day, when almost the entire people OF
land are the seris of few; when the lowly
comprise all but the nobility, the
governing classes and ecclesiastics; and
when doubtless 2,5O0,0OO souls out
of Sicily's 2, ,5S4 099 inhabitants are as AMI
bitionless, ignorant and sodden as swine.
An infinite compassion fires ones heart for
the hopelessness of such people; and when
interest in tremendous natural phenomena,
classic regions and old age remains. lessons,
the pitiable and pathetic side of life in such
a land begins to possess and hurt you. ANY
land boasting no progressive farming popu-
lation masters of the soil they till, without
fairly contented peasantry possessing Sc
cure and well defined rights in their hold
ings is doomed to desertion and decay.
Iplied Balbino with all manner OF ques-
tioning as to where were the farmhouses,
the peasantry's cabins, even the cottlers'
huts, of Sicily. The little old innkeeper of
Catania seemed almost unable to compre-
hend my meaning. In all the distance from
Etna to Palmero. and to the right and left
as far as the eye could reach, but seven
"farmhouses" had been seen. These we're
not farmhouses as KNOW them. Each
was desolate stone structure, inhabited by
the family of some soprantendente or over
seer, where tools are stored, and in the
busiest seasons of labor a gang OF wolfsh-
faced men and women are ted on slops, and
herded at night on stone benches for sleep.
THE BRIGAEDs' HOME.
The montanaro or mountaineer, the atore
or plowman, the pecorajo or shepherd, the
vignajo or vine-dresser, the vendemmiatore
or grape gatherer, the miltere or reaper, and
ever manner of human animal that labors
with focks or in vineyard or field, is in fact
a contadino or villager, living in low and
poisonous novels in cities or hamlets, from
out of which, as we saw on several occa-
sions, the hollow-eyed crowds pour before
daylight, munching their food as they
dragged themselves to their flocks in the
mountains or their toll in the vineyards and
fields. 1t is very picturesque and poetic,
no doubt. But some of the scales are drop
ping from my own eyes regarding these
Mediterranean countries. The poet that
can sing here to-day save against the curse
of power and human enslavement. has a
coward's heart and sycophant's tongue;
and those echoes of the stately classics
sounding through the centuries in the ears
of one before whose tear-stained eyes these
nineteenth century serfchattels pass and re-
pass in vilest bondage. become the loathe-
some and hateful mockeries of wronged
and outraged race.
1t is no wonder that brigandage still -four
ishes In such lands, and that the lowly who
are too spiritless to become brigands hold
deep though secret sympathy for this class
of the population. ain sure I should organ
ize or become a member of, such band
were compelled to live in Sicily. They are
not murderous fellows like their brethren of
the Italian peninsula, or OF Spain. They
simply courteously relieve you of your
lighter belongings, such as coin and jewelry,
wish you good voyage, and return to their
mountain homes, bestowing gifts among the
poor and at roadside chapels as they go.
Balbino gave me his word for it that they
are the noblest
DISPENSERS OF CHARITY
in the whole island; oftentimes succoring
the deserted and starving; are not altogether
in disavor with the poorer clergy from their
frequent timely munifcences; and at death
are duly shriven and occasionally mourned.
They certainly iniest the entire way between
Catania and Palermo; and my good fortune
at possessing an innkeeper of the humber
caste for companion was more than once
proven. Between this class of landlords |
and the brigands the best of an understand
ing prevails; for without their custom inn |
keeping away from the larger cities would |
be sorry vocation in Sicily. They are har-
bored in the little alberghettos as priced |
guests. Here they gain knowledge of the
movements of parties worth plundering,
and communicate the same to their comrades |
in different parts of the island. Even the |
carbineers who are occasionally detailed as
escorts to travelling parties are familiar with
their faces and intentions, and preserve dis
Greet silence to the authorities, unless inter-
fered with themselves.
At every roadside inn from Aderno to
Palermo we found these fellows enjoying
agreeably, and, on two occa-