The National tribune., 1896-03-12
THE ITALIAN DISASTER.

shows most impressively the value of
National character. Nations have char
acter, as well rs individuals, and it is
equally important to them. The Italians
have never been real fighters, in the way
that the English, French, Germans,
Dutch, Scandinavians, Spaniards, Rus
slams and Turks have been. During
the Middle Ages there was perpetual
squabbling among the Italian cities, and
a great many so-called wars. But these
"battles were really a sort of polo
games, in which men in heavy armor,
which extended even to their horses,
poked at one another with long poles.
The fellows who got poked off had to
pay ransoms. They were not so deadly
as modern football, for there are records
of numbers of battles in which not
life was lost. In modern times not
single Italian regiment or General has
made creditable record on the field of
battle, and, though Italy has large
seafaring population and has paid a
great deal of attention to her navy, her
attempt to fight even so weak naval
power as Austria resulted in shameful
disaster.
One Of the main causes Of this is to
be found in heredity. All of southern
Italy was filled up with slaves, which
the Romans gathered up from all parts
of the world, which they conquered,
and took thither to work for them.
Probably these outnumbered tina free
population at one time thousand to
one. 1t was no uncommon thing for a
Roman to have 10000 slaves, and their
value was at one time as low as GO cents.
They were held down with merciless
rigor, and the debased condition of
social life was the real cause of Rome's
fall. When the free strong barbarians
from beyond the Alps descended UPON
Italy there was nobody to fight them.
Slaves, even if disposed to fight, have
little military value. The descendants
of these have Jagged far behind In the
general improvement in character which
has come to other peoples. In North
Italy, where the hardy German bar
barians settled and took root, there is a
fine element of small farmers, mechanics,
artists, artisans, ETC., which is the real
strength of the Kingdom. They are
quite like the corresponding classes in
Germany and France. But there is
very little good in the southern half of
the Kingdom, where the descendants of
the ex-slaves form the bulk of the popu-
lation. 1t is there that the Malta,
brigands, banditti, ETC., flourish. Agri-
culture is rude and wasteful, mechanic
arts languish, and the people do not
seem to take kindly to anything but
dirt, beggary, brigandage, and stealthy
murder. One of the greatest events in
their history was the Sicilian Vespers,
where at, the signal of the vespers, the
entire population set to work stabbing
the unsuspecting and unarmed French
soldiers mingled among them.
The consequences of Italy's defeat by
the Abyssinians will be fatal to her pres
tiye in Europe, unless she speedily wipes |
out the stain. There has been a great
deal of strain about keeping her in the
Dreibund. Her finances are in such
wretched condition that she could only
keep her place in the alliance by aid of
liberal moneyallowances from Germany
If it is finally determined that her troops
are as worthless for military purposes
as the disasters in Abyssinia seem to
indicate, she will be considered very
undesirable ally, who will be an element
of weakness instead of strength, and
Germany and Austria will make short
work of dropping her.
In the event of war with foreign power,
would Commander Ivan N. Walker, of the
G. r., consider himself too good to march