The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1892-06-17
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VENICE, ITALY, May %. 1927 re-
manned at Florence several days after
my two newly arrived West Virginia
friends departed for Rome and then
came on here to Venice by way Of
Bologna. was reluctant to pass DO.
logna without stopping, for it is one OF
the famous places in Italy. It is the
seat, for instance, Of the Oldest uniyer-
sity in the world; an institution
founded away back in the Twelfth CEN
tury and that In the Thirteenth century
had 10000 students; the place where
law and medicine and theology were
taught by the most eminent professors
in Europe; where also the anatomy Of
the human frame was first taught and
where galvanism was. discovered. There
were four remarkable women who were
once, ct different periods, among its
lecturers, and among these the cele-
brated Novella d Andrea, q woman so
beautiful that she lectured from behind
q screen in order that the atudehts
might not be Disconnected in their at
tention.
At Bologna. too, I wonld have been
within fifty miles Of Rayenna, once the
rival OF Rome in art, and once the seat
Of the Gothic Kings; the home OF
Dante in his exile from Florence. where
his bones repose; and the home also at
one time Of Byron and where he wrote
his famous Prophecy of DANTE" It
was really disappointment not to see
something Of each OF these places. But
a traveller might be stopping off
somewhere in Italy all the time; she
has such wealth Of interesting locali-
ties. It is fortunate for her that she
has, foESin her present run down condi-
ton they are really wealth indeed in
her pocket. They ill har borders with
TOURISTS and students from all parts OF
the world who spend annually over
one hundred millions Of dollars among
her people, of which great sum Ameri-
cans spend thirty.tive Millions Even
rich America would not despise so vast
a sum; it would cause quite q stimnla-
ton; while in the case Of Italy 1t really
saves her from, bankruptcy.
There was nothing specially note
worthy in my observations by the way,
from the car windows, coming over here
from Florence. The distance Is loo
miles northeast, and the country is
sometimes rough almost to sterility,
and at other times very rich. AS usual
the vine is everywhere seen. 1t is to
Italy what cotton is to our southern
states, or tobacco to Virginia and Ken
lucky, something to be cultivated wher-
ever the soil will respond. There is
great depression just now in the BUSH
ness; too much product since France
went back on Italy in the matter Of
traffic arrangement. This is frances
way Of Furnishing Italy for going into
the Triple Alliance. Wine is very
cheap all over Italy except on the hotel
tables.
HOTEL ECONOMICS.
A "faseo" of table wine (say half
gallon, that costs in the shops Of Rome
two or two and one-half livre (4o to so
centsl WILDE served to guests at the ho-
tells in bottles Of . pint and half at say
go cents per bottle and even then there
will be in some places suspicion OF
water in 1t. As 9 rule Italian hotel
keepers do not enjoy an exalted repu-
tation, but am not prepared to say
that their average is below that OF our
own beloved land. They cut very close
in the economies Of tho business, as l
have heretofore observed, aud this fact
excites good deal OF prejudice against
them. Their excuse is that taxes are
so tremendous that they have to pare
down to the quick in order to make
ends meet.
Americans as rule get very tired Of
the1talian bill OF fare and sigh for some
good old.fashioned ham and eggs or
bacon and eggs, and other country
dishes that have an appetizipg flavor
and sayor,,to them. They pray espe-
cially to be del ivared from the everlast-
ing poultry dishes. that at last, from
their intermlnableness and their insip-
idity, get to be worse than the quails
that palled'on the stomachs of the chill
dren of Israel as they went marching
alongin the wilderness.
/ have heard people say in Italy that
they have eaten chicken so much that
pin feathers have developed on their
hesh. ] suppose chickens are very
cheap and ham and bacon very dear. In
fact ! know that the latter are excess
lively and abnormally dear. The price
for ham, in Rome for instance, is about
forty.fve cents per pound, bought as
the people buy II, in small way. l
have myself priced it in larger qnantt-
ties, say five pounds, and the price was
eighty cents per kilo, which would be
something under forty cents per pound.
A kilo Is two and one'ifth OF our
pounds. In Wheeling you would get
The same meat in the smallest way that
ANYBODY there ever buys meat at say
twenty cents or less. Bacon Of all kinds
is the dearest meat in Italy, and just
why It is so has never been intelligently
explained to me, any more than the ex-
cessiye price OF tea, which retails in
the same small way at over three dollars
per pound; the same tea in Wheeling
you would get forless perhaps than half
that price. In the matter OF meat Italy
is q land of dear living, considering lis
low wages, and in no respect ts 1t cheap
considering the wages. Therefore It is
not true that living adjusts itself to
wages. There is no country that have
vet seen where q laborer can save so
much out Of his wages as in our own,
provided no sets ont, as they do over
here 10 sayeit. II is not so much what
a dime or dollar will buy, here or
there, as what an hour or 8 days work
viii buy. To talk about saving here Is
a cruel mockery. There Is next to no
possibility Of such thing in Italy.
Nothing In life is more hopeless than
the lot OF q common laboreE.
rup ourrS on THx ApRiA4c.