The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1890-05-18
ITALIAN J0URNEY|NGS.
Nearly Two Weeks Spent in a Zig
Tag Journey Of 400
Miles.
The Trip Horace Made to Get q
Scoop Many Years
Ago.
No Peasant Farmers in All Italy-LaborinE
Men Who Work for 16 Cents
Day.

BAMDlsI. Italy, April 21.-Partly on foot,
partly BY the antique cabriolet of pro-
vincial Italy, partly by lettiga, the ancient
lectia or litter of the Romans, and partly
on the backs of tiny donkeys of wondrous
shagginess and marvellous power, have I
como, during the nearly two weeks since
leaving Naples, in zig-zaR course of about
400 miles, across the infrequently travelled,
little known, ever weird and lonely, yet
always transcendently beautiful peninsula
Of southern Italy.
This territory is that Of olden Apulia.
Once It was part of Grmcia Magma. Ita
great cities were Arpinum, Luceria, Arpi
and Oannsium. In the little time was
wandering through Apulia I counted up.
wards Of 800 castles. modern, medieval and
in ruins, strikingly recalling the splendoz
and decay Of Ireland; stood among the
few remaining relics of Canine, where
the Romans met their crushing de-
feat Of B. G. PIG, and where the
historic city was finally destroyed, in
1858, BY Robert Guiscard, one Of Tas-
SOS heroes; saw Bari, upon the Adriatio,
still famous, as in the time of Horace, for
its nah, and loitered in the ancient abbey
and church of 8. Niccolo whore are found
the paintings of one OF. the earliest masters.
vivarini, and where, in 1893, Pope Urban II
reconcile the church of Greece with that of
Rome; tramped with genuine Italian
tramp-ths 6Tst and only one of the species
Of which sver had knowledge-across the
Campi Veteres, where, trifle of z, $50 years
since. proconsul Tiberius. semproniua
Gracious fell . victim to his previous and
premature confidence m the willy Lucanian
Flayus, into Potsnza, where an earthquake
in 1867, in an instant manufactured over
1000 freaks and beggars from amputations
consequent upon wounds; passed through
MslA, with Its glorious castle Of the old
Monte Vulturs, the "Apulian Vultur''. OF
Horace. whose crater, overgrown with 81
gantic beeches, now contains two lakes,
perched above one of which is the
most interesting eerie monastery of
h1rog pp anS if1 1o whose wss
I could discern the blue waters Of the Medi-
teIranean ON the west and those of the
Adriatic on the east; thence came with sew
eral hundred returning !owly pilgrims,
camping with them by the roadside at
night, into laramie, the ancient Tarentum
it fatal luxury and in time, horror, disgrace
and ruin, when, in 200. the Romans plum
dered it and sold 10000 of its people into
slavery. and, finally, crossing tho eastern
mountain range Of Otranto on foot. had
American sole-leather for an exhilaratine
tramp of twelve italian miles upon the
same Appian Way, leading from Rome to
Capua. and from Capua to Brindisi, which
Jtentorian valedictorians have so many
times vociferously trod, feeling far more
satisfied with my own day and time than
could have even 20 distinguished prede-
cessor as Horace when, in the train of Ma
cenas, he tagged along the same stony road
to secure a literary scoop at the conclusion
of certain famous alliance between Au-
gustus and Antony at Tarentum.
But one has opportunity in this sort OF
lettering to SEQ 1900 years this side of the
myths, heroes and savagery of time our
classics have mysticised, deifled and Rlori-
fed. You feel like sitting with the Garrett
tajo as his cart and OK or mule are waiting
with the dusty pilgrims: waiting by the
montstojo or mounting block with the beg
CARS at wayside inns; making all sorts Of
excuses to get into the interior of cabins
for draughts Of acqua di latte and manila,
the buttermilk and orange-water, which
soldi, or one American cent; winding along
the craRgy ways with the pecore and his
dooks; becoming the companion of the
vignajo or Vine dresser at his scorching toll
in the sitting vineyards; trudging at the
side OF the plougamsn after the odd pro.
manner of laboring lowly, to get neal
to the heart-throbs Of each and all of these
that you may know they are human like
your own. That is the only way to know
Italy or any country. Those who only SET
America on the New York avenues, Londor
along Rotten Row, Milan at the Scala, Flor
ence at the Gasoline, Rome in the Corso and
Naples along the Chlaja, never see or know
of the bronxed and toiling hosts who pro
duce the magnifoence of which they are {
part. But even il it be vulgar and common
my heart turns to these in every land; anl
confess that contemplation of the dumb
ness, patience and sunniness of the whit,
slaves of southern Italy, from which the en-
tire Italian kingdom draws it's greatest foot
AZ we'll as military supply, fill me with
feeling of the deepest and most patheti
tenderness.
So far as have been able to ascertain b,
the most painstaking inquiry, there are n,
peasant-farmers in all Italy. l doubt i
there are 1000 small land holders in the en-
tire kingdom. I refer, of course, to LAM
titled as farms, olive and orange groves
and vineyards. Whatever may be the for
tune Of tho ambitious lowly in the large
Italian cities, the feudal aristocracy
feudal noblemen. the feudal eccleEasti
benefces, and the stilllalmost feudal gov
eminent, own, and are determined neve
to relinquish every square inch of Italian