San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1892-02-23
FLORENCE REBUILT.
THE MEDIEVAL CITY OF ROMANTIC
ITALY MODERNIzED.

LOT It's ARTISTIC buildings, Its Historic
Palaces, Its Picturesque Towers and
Rough Old Walls Is Destroyed.
Looked at from an artistic point of view
Florence is nothing if not medieval, and
her recent attempts to modernize herself
are not only pitiably commonplace, but
bitterly disappointing to lovers of romance.
During the last three years a great part Of
old Florence, including the Ghetto and the
tall, dark, mysterious houses with laby-
rinthine cellars in that network of alleys
which once formed the old market, has
been torn down, and medieval Florence, or
that part of it where the quarrelsome Flor
entines lived and loved and fought their
neighbors, has been destroyed.
AS the physical and moral health of pres
ent and future Florentines is of far greater
Importance than anything artistic, and as
| fresh air and light SHOULD be shared by all
men alike, we would not, even if we could,
| obstruct the work of demolition. But one
cannot help asking why Florence rebuilt
should be so mediocre.
The new square of Victor Emmanuel,
| scooped out of the very heart of the old
market, is square as square can be. Broad
streets are cut from it at right angles in
the most improved Nineteenth century
fashion. They drew red lines up and down
and across the old quarter and cut plumb
through the lines, barking off the face of
one house, the rear of another and the cor
ner cupboard of a third. They cut through
massive walls, which had withstood the
storms of centuries, looping off heraldic
bearings and mural decorations, which we
should be glad of an excuse toput up ONE
where, and demolishing historic land
marks, picturesque arches, quaint bal
comics, winding stairs, dim recesses and
hallowed associations with the ruthless
hand of modern utility.
DREARY SQUARES.
Flat faced, expressionless houses rise on
all sides of the dusty Piazza and just in
the center stands the equestrian statue of
Victor Emmanuel.
This statue may be good; I am too igno-
rant on such matters to express an opinion.
The horse is very, very big and carries his
tail rampant; Victor's mustache is very,
very fierce and evidently just waxed. If
the short, clumsy man looks too small for
the big, clumsy horse you are reminded
that the soldier king always rode a big
horse.
The bronze of the entire structure is pol
ished and shining-quite unlike the bronze
| Of Cellini's Perseus; though perhaps that,
too, shone defiantly when it was fresh from
the mold.
But the SQUARED Surely we inartistic,
| laundering, semibarbarous Americans
might have perpetrated nothing worse in
a mushroom city. People say there is
nothing Objectionable about it," and to
say that of a public square is quite as bad
M - saw ~ nm aanroipfonoa that hn sc
well meaning" There is, indeed, nothing
Objectionable about it-except its unob-
| ~jectionability.
From the old walls of historic Florence
rose frequent towers of stone, rough but
picturesque, built for purposes of defense
in times when it was a part of each days
routine for men to kill each other. Even
now, reaching high above the surrounding
roofs and commanding wide views overthe
outlying country, they lend a rugged air
of protection to the fair flower city.
Well, into our brand new square has
been built a new tower, massive and
rugged, grim and warlike-at least it was
meant to look SO, being an exact copy of
the ancient ones. 1t was built to crafty
the hearts of the antiquarians, who only
laugh when they look at it. All, but they
laugh sadly!
MoDERN VANDALISM.
With all their artistic n architectural
past: with imperishable monuments star
! ring their city, with the grand gothic of
| the Duomo and the lily bloom of the bell
tower; with the stately magnificence of
scores of palaces; with the spring of arch,
| the point of spire. the infinite d~elicacy of
handiwork in wood and iron and stone; in
| short, with the profuseness of the beautiful
which lies all about them, Florentines
ought to know better.
The vandalism of Florence is but a copy
of the vandalism of Rome, which has gone
on until now old Rome is dismantled and
is rapidly becoming the most modern city
of Italy.
Here are commonplace, dreary squares,
rows and streets of blank, hideous houses;
windows and doors cut off by the yard, and
such interiors; Here i'm Italy. home of the
Arts! Verify, the Arts are slumbering.
Out of it all have evolved for myself a
comforting reflection. From the shadows
of her misty bygone years, having shaken
off the shackles of oppression and super.
| stiticu, young Italy is reaching out eagerly
toward all that is fresh and clean and mod.
ern.
Let us nave patience; We are modern
ourselves.
But just as we discriminate between
good gothic and bad gothic, the genera
lions to come will discriminate between
good modern. and bad modern. Hitherto
| have asked myself why should America
be sneered at and despised for crudities OF
art or manners3 She has had mightiel
work to do than erect Companies, round
cupolas, chip out statues or polish her
speech. These things are the flower OF a
healthy, deep rooted civilization, and ou1
America is planted so deep that the flower