The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1893-03-19
aR4ND CATBkDRAL 40 s0U4RK MILAN IT4LT

Francisco or Oakland we're better than
Milan. know this will seem strange and
Will be news to the two OF three hundred
girls who are trying 10 be prma donnas in
the great city Of L0mbardy's plains but it
IS Dest to set ii down frankly. The world
Is going right along out here. and. In fact,
IN almost every American city; but Ia Milan
al things drift into dolce far nirnte. and
the aspirant fOrgets that the swift world in
the West goes on by the other way. So,
when the American singer comes hOme-it
she ever c0meS-She Is likely TO find even
more culture in her own capital city than
she found away off there below the dream
ful banks OF Lake Como. Why, Oakland is
more truly musical than Milan.
found about three hundred American
gir.s in Milan, mostly from the West. This
was more than twenty years ago. l have
notyet heard Of a single one CT that hapless,
miserable, half-staTved three hundred COM
ing 10 the surface. They had gone there at
great financial strain many of them, some
rom poor German American families. SONS
Jewish, some Catholic; little church at
the back OF that one, D0OT mother behind
this one. and so on, with the remittance,
but doubtful at first, often failing entirely.
But the grand signOr maestro viii still In
SYST that Madame has good voice that only
needs his services another year, ana so the
American girl, straitened and starved, still
fingers in the richest Of Italian cities ghost
of Milan. till health, youth, voice, all
pass away and leave her many times the
most pitiiul object ever seen. But enough
OF This. Briefly, don't go to Milan to study
the divine ait OF song. This is all | care TO
say or can say against beautiful and rest
ful, fruitful heaithful and cleanlv Milan.
The high earthen wall is set with many
rows OF shady poplar trees, and this IS
the fashionable drive. You are above the
city IN your carriage here. You are In q
great DO Ilar grove, with peeps at thu Alps
through the green trees, 1t is ali very. very
beautiful. The cathedral Of ghttertng mar
ble-nOt a dull white but sparkling white.
a IL fashioned from ice and frOst-lies like
sunny isle under you in the heart of the
great city, Color abOuDds here, color above,
below; the vast green fields of corn. tile
gittrring marbles and the cleaning SHOWS,
and over ali the bluest of all blue skies.
For this Milan you must know lies re-
mote from any sea or cloud of the sea. II
ought TO be a great place for painters, and
indeed no great painter lives but passes
this way. He must see the Last Supper"
on the wall in the shed with the legs of the
disciples cut off so that horses may he led
through from one shed to another; he must
see all that is left 10 the world of Leonardo
la Ninci. But he does not linger long In the
beautiful city of beautiful sorrow; the city
OF lingering. Borrowing singers.
have spoken often OF the little stub-and-
twist black water girls Of Italy. Ii is well
70 state that they are. TO some extent. a dis
tinct race. They ars the same sort that
come here to US, turn hand-OTgans, roast
chestnnts. pedde trinkets, and all that
The real Italian woman rarely comes here
In TACT, never saw real Italian woman in
America. They are tall at hOme-much
taller than the French women and equally
graceful at least-religjous TO a degree and
OF lmpTegnable virtue. Here in Milan [
saw the ialiest woman | ever saw; very
fair, many of them, and some very pro-
n0uuced blondes. For they spend their
summers up at Como, close to the Enga-
dine, Innspruck, and all along under the
Austrian mountains OF snow. At CadOra
where they plant and grow pine
trees In the edge OF the snow as We in
California plant and grow fruit trees,
] saw Titian's tall, trim blondes or sunny
halt-red haired girls by the score; i tinge
OF ire IN the hair Just as painted by Titan.
These women here in Milan seem to take
example from the tall and dainty grace of
the silk-lipped tasseled corn on their broad
IOmDaTdy plains. But they are not cult
waited, except In music and lace work, and
while almost any American girl can tell you
the story OF Italy backhand TO the birth of
1he I1ber twins. it Is doubtful If one Italian
woman in ten, even of the best class either
knows or cares whether there is one Ameri-
ca or two, or which is which. But they
all talk French, and of course sing like
birds. Let me repeat the fact that from one
end Of Italy to the other ladies Of the better
class are very lovable, beautiful and good,
though painfully uniformed.
As this is my bnal article on the cities of
Italy let US briefly make some comparisons
and see whether or not II ts worth while
piniug for marble halls. In the first place,
ther, there is not a sewer in Italy. True
the Irst sewer 10 the world perhaps was
Che ClOaca MaXima, made to drain the first
Forum Of Rome TO the TibeT, but it re-
manned the first and the last sewer in Italy
for thousands Of years. OF course, they do
not need sewers at Venice any more than
at Nrw Orleans and Baltimore, where they
flush the streets nightly, hut here in Milan
The moat around the wall is a sea OF green
scum, the streets are full Of frogs of yari-
ou5ly mOdulated voices, and the clean neat
streets are nearly impossible when It rains
So much for sewage. AS for the manners
Of the most polite men on eartn there would
be hundreds Of them in Jail in a short
time il they exposed their persons even in
co In the fashionable and finest streets
daily and hourly in Milan. And this is
literally true oil all cities in Italy-nOt that
tbe men are coarse but II is custom.
Now as 10 the water; there is no house
that has water, either hot or cold. Every
drop of water is taken mp or down or
around on the backs or shoulders of
women, as described, In Naples, Venice,
Milan, Genoa, Rome and 81 on, in little
copper buckets attached to the end OF
pole or borne in big red earthern bottle
or jar on the back of the poor little duck
legged waier-glrls. This Is tue rule, IN
ders.and. OF course there are hotels and
some few residences in Rome, a very few
here IN Milan. owned by rich Jews or Eng
lsh bankers: but the wholesale statement
remains that there Is not a sewer in Italy,
there is not a water system in Italy. there is
not street In Italy where lady might not