Idaho semi-weekly world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1875-1908, 1892-06-07
FLORENCE REBUILT.
THE MEDIEVAL CITY or ROMANTIC
ITALY MoDERnIzED.

VIZ WeSi<~t vi ut ft&StHrStt
ITALY MooERkIzED II
The Home Of the Arts" Once Famous
for Its Artistic buildings. IT'S Historic
Palaces, Its Picturesque Towers and
Rough old wallis Is Destroyed.
Looked Mt from an artistic point Of view
Florence IL nothing ii not medieval, and 1
her recent attempts to modernize herself
Rre not only pitiabIy commonplace, but
bitterly disappointing to lovers Of romance.
During the last three years great part OF /
old Florence, including the Ghetto and the
tall dark. mysterious houses with laby /
rinthine cellars in that network OF alleys I
which once formed the old market, has /
been torn down, and medieval Florence, or |
that part OF il where the quarreIsome Flor
entines lived and lowell and fought their
neighbors. has been destroyed.
AZ 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 il we could,
ot,~tr,lct the work Of demolition. But one
cannot help asking why Florence rebuilt
should he 70 mediocre
The new square Of Victor Emmanuel
scooped out OF the very heart OF the old
market, il square rs square can I've. 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 of the face Of
| one house. the rear OF another and the cor
/ ner cupboard OF thirl They cut through
| massive wallis, which had withstood the
storms OF centuries, Topping of heraldic
bearings and mural decorations, which we
should be glad OF an excuse toput up some
where. and demolishing historic land
marks. picturesque arches. quaint bal
couies winding stairs. dim reccsses and
hallowed associations with the ruthless
hand OF modern utility.
DREARy SQUARES.
Flat faced, expressioniess 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, 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 IL very
very fierce and evidently just waxed. Il
; the short. clumsy man looks too small fol
the big. clumsy horse you are reminded
Q shat the soldier king always rode biz
l. horse.
The bronze of the entire structure is pol
It ished and shining-quite unlike the bronz
I OF Cellini's Perseils, though perhaps that
. too shone defiantly when it was fresh from
the mold
HIT the SQUARED Surely we inartistie
laundering semibarbarous American
! might have peTpetrated nothing worse i
X a mushroom city. People say there
~ ~. Ia. hort - nh
n say that of public square is quite rs ba
m as to say of an acquaintance that he
h well meaning" There is indeed, nothin
objectionable about it--except its unoi
70 jectionability.
II From the old walls of historic Florent
rose frequent towers of stone, rough br
TX picturesque, built for purposes of defeni
O. in times when it was n part OF each day
Is routine for men to kill each other Eve
now, reaching high above the surroundir
,a roofs and commanding wide views over Il
outlying country, they lend rugged a
"a of protection to the fair flower city.
VI Well, into our brand new square b
W. been built "A new tower, massive al
ty rugged grim and warlike-at least it W
i'll meant to look SO, being an exact copy
the ancient ones 1t WAS built to graft
the hearts of the antiquarians, who on
laugh when they look at it. All, but tn
laugh sadIyl
MODERN VANDALISM.
With all their artistic and architectul
VS. past; with imperishable monuments ST
7as ring their city; with the grand gothic
he the Duomo and the lily bloom of the
wn tower; with the stately magnificence
n scores of palaces; with the spring OF ar
on the point of spire. the infinite delicacy
~ handiwork in wood and iron and stone;
- short, with the profuseness of the beauti
!, which lies all about them, Florenti
ought to know better.
The vandalism of Florence is but CT
of the vandalism of Rome. which has g
on until now old Rome is dismantled 1
uld IL rapidly becoming the most modern {
hen of Italy
nra Here are commonplace dreary squa
rows and streets of blank, hideous hou
III windows and doors cut off by the yard,
inS such interiors; Here in Italy. home OF
sres Artist Verify. the Arts are slumbering
ngs Out of it all have evolved for mysel
y to comforting reflection. From the shad
1lar of her misty bygone years, having sha
ture off the shackles of oppression and su
tied stiticu, young Italy is reaching out Gag
,o, toward all that is fresh and clean and y
cru
re- let us have PATIENCE we are mot
noe ourselves
e Is But Just ~ we discriminate betv
Their rood gothic and bad gothic, the ger
ally, fious to come will discriminate betv
hese good modern and bad modern. Hith
xno- / have asked myself why should Amt
! os be sneered at and despised for cruditi
-, art or n,annersf She has had migl
80 80 work to do than erect Companies, RI
WIN cupolas. chip out statues or polish
lg. speech. These things are the flower
healthy deep rooted civilization. and
America is planted so deep that the IL
3lled must one day bloom.-Jeane T. Rud
ever Kate Fields Washington
nong
indy A Dutv for Every City Woman.
ugh The physician who ATTENDED, thu