The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1893-11-15
MODERN ITALY.

One of the most striking publications
issued in connection with the worlds fair
was a special edition of PRO
Italy day. The whole purpose of
this publication, as stated by its
editors, was to remove the mistaken i'm
pressions that exist in this country in
regard to Italy. Its purpose is expressed
in these words:
Every year you see thousands and
thousands of Italians coming to your
ports, who come here to seek work. to
seek life that is lacking for them i'm
their own country. You see these poor
brothers of ours, exhausted, ragged and
ignorant, devote themselves to the most
humiliating work. and all this makes a
sad impression on your mind and induces
you to believe erroneous conceptions
about the true state of Italy, which IS
by many of you considered yet as the
classic land Of mountebanks. hand-or
gans, cutthroats and tatterdemalions.
Those of you who sympathize more with
our country believe you do it a great
honor by calling it the land of music
and art But this is not enough.
We wish to have it known that we are
also the land of thought, Of science, of
anu VI lliNuSllS.
One of the first points made to establish
this claim is that most of the Italians
who come to this country are not beg
gars, but farmers, and their emigration
is due to the system of large estates and
farm tenantry with very low agricultural
wages. In this country very few of
them try agriculture except in California.
where grape and olive culture offers a
field in which they are already expert.
The Italian farmers are not vicious, but
industrious and frugal. and aside from
Objectionable as citizens. We presume
that it is not generally understood by
the Italians Of this country, but it is a
fact, nevertheless. that nine-tenths of all
the prejudice there is against them could
be removed by soap and water Cleanli-
ness of person, of clothing and of dwell
ing is the greatest recommendation
any foreign people can bring to Ameri-
ca. And it is so cheap and so easy
of application. We would earnestly rec
ommend Italians who feel the oppres-
sion of American prejudice to make
crusade for soap and water among their
people. 1t is really a pity that people
having so many good qualities as the
Italians should let themselves be in
jured in the eyes of their neighbors for
the lack of little effort in this line.
The army and navy of Italy. as is
commonly known, are large and fully up
to modern requirements. Italy has over
5000 miles of railroads and over $4,000
miles of telegraph. 1t has an extensive
and elaborate public school system and
the government spends annually 100000
liras, or ss,1O6, 900, for public school edu-
cation The school system embraces all
stages of education from primary schools
to universities. Italy has a complete
separation of church and state. 1t has
an elective system of representation with
universal suffrage on an educational
basis. 1t has a penal code much ad-
mired by jurists. under which capital
punishment is abolished. 1t has an ex-
tended system of public works. on which
it spends annually about S9OOOOOOO No
country of Europe is moving to the front
more rapidly than Italy. and everything
points to a great and prosperous future
for her people.