The weekly Thibodaux sentinel and journal of the 8th Senatorial District. [volume] (Thibodaux, Lna. [i.e. La.]) 1875-1898, 1896-06-27
EUROPEAN LETTER.
(trom oar Special Correspondent)
Naples, Italy. June 8, 1896.

bad enough. hut what would a mic,
New England OF u Dutch hnusekeepet
say nf Naples This city stands pre
n-inent in the bacteria and microbt
manufacturing industries. This is not
meant to be derogatory TO Naples n,
all, for the interest of the place is
largely referable to the picturesque
dirt. The true Neap"litan face is not
characterized SO much 10y black eyes
and fosy lips as by dirt, and one IL
wavs thinks when looking at the ciiI
dren of Charles Lambs remark IL,
DIRT were trumps what hands thev
would hold" In rainy weather the
streets are covered W til thin black
batter of mud and the carefully dressed
American AID the daily "tulhed' En-
@llshman find themselves after a few
hours sight seeing reduced to the real
Neapolitan state.
The streets here are painfully mar
row. in fact just wide enough to allow
! carriages to pass. On the numerous
holidays two long professions OF car
rlages block the business streets from
END 10 end. and the man who has not
YET been S" influenced by the climate
as not to care whether he reaches the
bank that day or next week. finds tins
slow moving procession sore trial to
his patience. The side walks are even
worse On the principal shopping
street thew are about two feet wide.
At one point in this street we saw
man the other day who nonchalently
led goat oGt Of a gate opening on the
pavement and quietly sat down to milk
her. The pedestrians respected his
energy and the entire mass moved off
the sidewalk so as not to disturb him.
ne lfailans are good natured people
ne heggarS are innumerable. They
cOndnct business everywhere and
there seems to be between them and
the gcndarmes, who are almost as
plentiful, 1kind Of understanding that
one Will not disturb the other. There
Is a magnificent arcade in the city
called the Galleria Vittorio Emma
nutio, but the pleasure of walk
through it is spoiled by the little beg
gars Who turn handsprings and SOM
eisaa'ts in front Of you through the
entire place IN hope of Il penny. A
little Slfl conducts business of this
KIND IN the Galleria and reaps large
rewards, shop keeper told me, for
dong it so ''modestly." A man smok-
ing is followed any distance until he
drops the stump Of his cigar, when a
struggle for its possession ensues. In
the streets that lead up the hill the
poorer classes reside and The sights /
these streets afford are worth crossing
the ocean and all its attendant sea- |
sickness to see. Many of them are |
only long flights Of stairs and Others /
are so steep that land slides in the city !
are OF common occurrence. OF course /
horses cannot 90 on these inclines. so
the whole domestic economy of the
families is exhibited in the street.
They live almost altogether ont of
doors aud it is not an uncommon thing
TO see children washed and dressed
ana other domestic scenes of mole or
less delicate character enacted in the
open air. But all these things do not
interfere with the charm of these pic
turesque, tortnous streets and alleys.
In fact they constitute its charm, and
the scene that in America would make
YOU hasten for policeman forms here
the subject of your snap shot. 1t is
in the setting of the picture
the tall pink and yellow houses with
their dirty windows and broken walls,
the blue, blue sky overhead, the black
streets below ; in the distance across
.he brilliant bay Vesuvius smoking his
ially pipe-all these are the cause and
ihough yon talk loudly about the ad-
7antage OF American thrift and pro-
sressiveness you long to linger here
where "mere passive existence is itself,
Lethe."
The schools, so far as I can learn. ! j
re very good. Attendance is COM
'ulsory and the normal instruction for
eachers very careful. Fhe fact that
he people have enjoyed freedom and
tood schools tor less than one genera
ion is apparent in the superior lntelli-
ence OF the younger members of the
ouseholds. The older persons speak
soft, abbreviated Italian and one
lwavs thinks of them as IA people
those energy has been expended for
uphony: but the children show a
thickness Of perception and an intelli-
ence that is surprising Many of the
eople are complaining that the public
chools are undermining not only pa
entail but church authority, which is
iobahiy quite true. and will be the
suse IA Il few generations of better
avs fer ltaly. And speaking of
hurrhes, / have seen nothing shat ~
-eli characterized the ultfamontane
lew AS performance n a cafe chan
ant Il few nights since, when d Fran
.ocan m0nk Was earieatured M the