Morning journal and courier., 1892-05-25
CORRESPONDENCE.

With Athens How Rome Has
 Adapted Itself to Changes - 'rhe
 Formation of the Triple Alliance
 The Performances of Prince Sciara
 -Italy's FIourishisg Industry.
 ROME, May 2.
 To the Editor of the JOURNAL AND COURIER:
 In comparison with Athens, Rome seems SO stale, insipid, monotonous and unprof- table as to be hardly worth writing about. Still Charles Kingsley's advice to young man may be altered to apply to an old man. You remember what he said: "When not near the lips you love, make love to the lips you're near" So to th'- old: "When not near the things which things you're near"
 It is remarkable how Rome has adapted itself to changes. No other city has had important, continuous and uninterrupted civic and political life extending down through the ages to the present day. Ath- ems is reviving; but for fifteen hundred years it was lost to history. Rome has al- ways been the head of something When the Roman empire moved east to Byzan- tium the church selected Rome as the seat of her power. During the middle ages the emperors of the west felt insecure till crowned kings of Rome. The rising sun of the Renaissance shines on Rome as the most powerful center of Europe for sd- vanciug art and learning, and as the only center with material force to control con- sciences. Consciences were delicate in those days. Nowadays 1t would require the combined armies and nsvies of the world to force upon enlightened intellects the blasphemous doctrine of "Virginis Die-pare." Yet there in the apse of St. Peters, in big letters, is spelled out the challenge, and the Roman Catholic church must live, or die, by it. Can there be any wonder that its center is dead already, and that when its dying pulsation is spent it will be dead all overt
 | To-day Rome starts anew with '1talia Unita" for its motto. But terribly handi. capped; for the central point of at least the ideal force of Rome Is still the Vatican and in the Vatican is the Pope. How can man grow and flourish with a huge and pestiferous tumor in his entrsilsi If Um- berto H. were filled with the stuffngs oi Henry VIII, or of Cromwell, he would ship the Pope to parts unknown and take the consequences. But he is a pupy
 played out, man and does ss he is told by his master, the emperor of Germany.
 Not so many years ago Italy was induced
 to form with Germany and Austria thu
 triple alliance. Bismarck matched tn,
 plan. He allured Italy with the prophetic
 promise that there was soon to be war be
 tween Germany and France; that Franc,
 would be dismembered, and that thos'
 joining Germany in the enterprise would
 be rewarded with provinces and witt
 booty galore. The temptation captivatet
 Italy, though Bismarck demanded that til
 the contamination Italy keep at less
 twelve army corps on foot and e navy, tt | correspond, ready. Italy swallowed bait mediate collision; and ever since Italy, tt
 keep up its obligations. has been running deeper and deeper,into hopeless debt. It
 ally proclaims its readiness; but German! hesitates. Another condition of the slli , ance obliged Italy to give up all claims or
 Triest, of which the people are thorough
 ly Italian in heart and character, and for time longed to be Italians. Iney oon now, for however burdensome it may b to be an Austrian, it is still more burden
 some to be an Italian. Still another con dition exacted was to refuse to renew com } mercisl treaties with France. These Urea ties expired in 1886, and millions and mil lions of losses have followed. Italy ex ported to France enormous volumes O grape Juice. This France caught quick.
 and turned into palatsble wine before 1
 had time to spoil. Now there are hun dreds of miles of vineyards, especially Il ? the north of Italy, where the grapes ham, 3 and rot while the starving poor are packe' , by the thousands on ship-board at Geno and started for South America. where the, die and rot. The fertile plains of Lom 3 bardy gro actually being deserted. Ital f produces four times as much wine as th . home market can consume, and Italian |. |. show no capacity for manufacturing q wine that win stand exportation. A simi R lsr fsss hsi bsfallsn the elivs tssst The