The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1893-07-06

Cannot Rome ne Restored 10 II. Ineonr-
rnn,e Historic Nri.siort

RoMr, Juno l7-In his Tdoebtlcher. Gregoro-
vius describes tho Italian dceadence In detail
and points out its causes: but tho remedies ne
has notthe courage to propose. ilaced NJ tne
threshold OF the Risorgin,ento. no had nor.
perhaps. all tho elements OF appreciation that
| arc necessary to trcat this grave historical
problem. Later publicists, native and foreign.
though better informed. have also been afraid
| to dig down into tho old social construction
and to seek for tho Reneratlve roots OF tne
Italian tree. The reason 10 that the secret oil q
| life and Of n resurrection Is neyor revealed ut
| the first glance. nation is like moral nature;
TO discover tho ris piiaiis requires constant anu
impartial observation. The optimists. ike
the osslmists. take tho risk OF drifting away
from tho truth. In foreign lands. a thick veil 10
| thrown before tho eye. because ut distance
Italy still seems to sparkle In the light OF
pretended national and Lucrative movement.
At home. the Italians. whether through care
lessness or trust in good fortune. or even
| through fear OF probing the wound. cover
their faces. like the Chinese. and await tho
future. with the resigned fatalism OF Orientals.
1t seems to me that tho mystery OF resur-
roction is ike all tho mysteries OF moral ma
| ture. Exhausted by long centuries oil effort
| deteriorated by IL period Of foreign invastons
and Bourbon domination. Through this
| secular cruciilxion. three limos over. Italy mas
| lost her ancient national soul From being
| vigorous mother OF men and works, that soul
has fallen low indeed. 1t has retained only Its
artistic faculties. The qualities OF administra-
| ton. OF frmness. OF courage and OF creative IN
tellieenco have dropped their foliage and died.
| Consequently it Is the entire national soul
| hat must DO reconstructed and recreated.
Can this be donor Has q national SOUL I'M
| like the soul Of the individual. the privilege OF
new birth and Of resurrection? think so.
Nations arc like trees: after their winter's
| sleep they become green again. After three
| centuries OF sleep and inertia. Germany reap
pcared In oil her glory, and started one OF the
grandest intellectual m movements Of humanity.
| before gaining her political leadership. Italy
| may regain her lost rank: but by what road
| must she travel toward light and strength
| BY work. modest and obscure work. and by
| fidelity to her genius. which In olden times
m nde her the insprer OF Western civilization.
| Ambition and deviation from her national
| spirit have precipitatod her decadence.
Whom sho reached the ho!ght OF her political
| power. through q concourse OF international
| circumstances. she dreamed OF reoapturing her
old supremacy and of supplanting France In
| the leadership Of the Latin races Instead OF
roeonstituting one by one. all the organs OF
her life, she became the prey OF megalomania-
Instead OF working. she went on spree She
| ran aftor the mirage OF international great
moss, rushed into high politics. contracted
onerous alliances. carried on style Of living
| far beyond her means. and neglected the
| modest culture OF we'll being and OF the vital
forces. agriculture commerce. and industry,
| the humble efforts OF him who begins again.
Hence tho gradual exhaustion OF the national
| soul There was no Just proportion between
| debit and credit. between the resources and
the expenses. This political debauch has
| brought about a complete and almost ir-
| remediable downfall.
Before playing at high politics. Prussia
during sixty years gathered together. one by
| one. all the elements OF her political leader
ship Italy. on the contrary. has followed the
| prodiGal example OF Byzantium. She gambled
| with her treasures. and at last she finds her.
self empty handed. Therefore. II she wishes
| to be born again and to place her resurrection
| on foundations OF granite. she must work. But
| will she work. All the secret Of her future Is
in the answer: because by work alone can she
replenish her soul with the faculties that she
has lost or worn away.
In tho second place. by the Same original
vice. Italy has renowned her genius. to run
otter riches OF which she is not susceptible.
The Italian genius 10 genius apart Italy has
her demon. in the sense Of Socrates, like all
other nations. Her characteristics are intel
lectual artistic. and diplomatic faculties God
has endowed her with a sense OF the beautiful.
| with Jfnesse. grace. cunning. and intuition.
He has besto we'd upon her qualities OF tho first
order. and has refused to her only
commonplace qualities. She descends pre-
emlnently from Greece. and not from ancient
Rome, as her flatterers and her false states
men have made her believe. She is not Ger
many; she is the youngest sister OF the old
Latin family.
1t Is the same way in politics The national
soul has never been one. It has never reached
the level Of unity. 1t is a soul broken into
many pieces. race can never launch out
beyond its own nature without failing. Each
town and each province has had it's own his
tory. its own civilization. and its own genius.
Florence Is not Rome and Milan 10 at the other
pole from Naples National unity cloaks moral
and intellectual division When an empire is
founded with separate parts. slow progress. Q
gradual work OF assimilation. must precede
the fnal joining together and the work OF
fusion. 1t Is in this that We find the power Of
the ancient French m onarchy. which threw into
cruciblo Of transformation all the provinces
that form the French unity OF tho present
day. The law Of intussusception applies to
races just as 1t applies to individuals
Italy has not respected that law. She has
| concealed herself from her own generous and
fructifying tyranny. In the moral and national
order everything that 10 done by force and
Improvisation vegetables and fades. Long
initiation, organic development. and growth
from within form the essentials.
Such 10 the psychology Of contemporaneous
| Italy. Will she be able to return to her
tradition and to her Reniusl That is the mys-
terry. But the thing which stands out In his
toric evidence is that 30 long as she is gov
erned by n single monarchy. che Is power
less to return to the conditions Of true life and
true regeneration. Napoleon ILL.,, Bismarck.
and her own statesmen hnyo deceived her.
Mazzlni might perhaps have worked up the