The record-union., 1894-05-21
LABOR IN SICILY,
Expose of the Horrors of the Sulphur
Mines in That Country.


Mines in That Country.
It is at once startling and reassuring
fact that the labor question in Sicily seems
mainly to have interested the medical
philanthropist, such well-known biolo-
gists as Angelo Mosso of Turin, Cesare
LonbroSO of the same school, and Napo-
leone Colajanni of Messina having each
from his own standpoint contributed
pow erfully to its elucidation. We say
startling because a social evil that
makes the medical man Intervene is one
that affects the vitality of the population,
and we say ''reassuring" because when
such Intervention has come about there
is hope that the condition of things will
be improved. We leave on one side for
the present DR.. Colajanni's luminous ex-
pose OF the horrors Of the sulphur mines
in Sicily, and we also postpone consider
alton of DR.. Lombroso's psychological
study of the effects of the system on char
acter and development. Our present
purpose is rather to draw attention to DR..
MOsso's instructive facts and figures as to
the physical deterioration induced by such
labor on the Sicilian proletariat.
Take, for example, the province of CAL
tanisetta in the heart of the island, aud
ponder the following statistics. In the
four years from 1881 to 1884 the officers of
the military levy had 1872 young sofia
rari under scrutiny. or these only 203
were found to be tit for service in the
army; 1878 were riformati-that is, were
tentatively declared to be tit, then broke
down after the regulation trials and had
to be dismssed and ,S35 were remapded
for further inspection at the next levy.
OF the rifOrmati l,249 proved to be de-
fectlve as to the stature, 69 were incura-
bly, narrow-chested, 81 had constitutional
debility, % developed maliormation of
the thorax. As were hunchback ed. 20 had
other corporeal deformities, Is labored
under the malarlal cacnexla, Is became
blind and so suffered from diverse all
ments. And this" says DR.. Mosso, ''in
province under the resDlendent sky of
Italy, on soil bursting with fertility, i'll
land prolific in intelligent sons-out of
1872 young men Of 20 only 203 found ca
pable of military service. 1t is with
great grief and dismay that we peruse
these figures and think on our native
land"
Other provinces of Sicily showing about
a third fewer reflections for the military
levy than Caltanisetta were still far from
presenting the normal development
proper to youth mainly agricultural IN
occupations; but the nadir of physical aud
mental abasement was reached IN the
mining districts, where the number of
analfabeti unable TO read and wrlte) is
about 80 per cent. But there is an ante
cedent condition even worse than want
| of education. The lives led by the poor
children of the mines are in point of de-
cency, to say nothing of sanitary observ-
ance, as degraded as humanity ever sunk
to. 4 small room will accommodate"
the young solfararo with six other per-
sons of both sexes and of all ages. As
often as not the pig, the goat, the ass or
| the mule have share of the said room"
and eye-witnesses like DR.. MosSo and
Signor Sonnino the present FINANCE
Minister of the Italian Kingdom, whose
book on Sicily is as painful as it is in
structive) could not penetrate into Its IN
terror, such were the filth and the offense
to every sentient organ.-LOndon Lancet.
When Lord Pal;nerston was buried in
Westminster Abbey the officiating clergy
man threw into the grave several dia-
nond and other rings as peace Offering.