Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-11-26
ANCIENT REPUBLIC
San Marine Has Managed to Preserve
Its Independence.
ON A ROCK AMONG THE APENNINES
One of the Quaintest Little Places
in All Europe.
IT'S INTERESTING HISTORY

Ftom The chicago Chronicle.
When it is remembered that not so very
many years ago all Italy was a tumble of
kingdoms. duchies and little independent
states, ard that the successful revolution
Of Garihaldi and the Sandman government
depended upon the fascination of their cry
for united Italy. ii seems little short of a
miracle that the only survivor of the Old
state of things should be republic with
an area OF thirty-twO square miles and a
population Of about 5000 peasants. earning
= precarious existence upon a rock among
the Apennines.
IL is strange how few people have taken
the small amount of trouble to visit this
extraordinary spot. There IS no difficulty
whatever in reaching San Marine. Rimini
Is the main line 10 Brindisi and there
fore to Egypt or India, and thousands of
travellers who have passed that way must
have discerned from the windows of their
trains the three castled crags scarcely
three leagues away to the west. Those
few whose love for the middle ages has
tempted them to stay and see this their
last survivor have generally contented
themselves with an afternoon drive and
come away with hut scauty and heeting
impressions.
Founded in the Third Century.
The history of San Marine has been Gu
riously Wncventful. compared. that is, with
the exciting romance of the whole neigh
bOrhood. 1t was founded in the third CEN
fury by quarryman. or. some say. her
init, named Marine. who fled there from a
persecution of Christians, and appropriated
the rock for himself and friends. The fact
that il belonged TO some one else did not
kf4,sT nj
tried to evict him they were struck down
10y mysterious illness and only relieved
from II on conserving to make over their
property AS a free gift until all time"
still narrower squcak-indeed. the mar
rowest squeak which the republic ever
kuew-was in 11{9. when Cardinal Alberoni
seized the town and proclaimed its annexa-
t0n TO the papacy. However. the sturdy
mountaineerS did not lose heart, and when
ne assembled their nOtableS in the church
10 swear allegiance he was met with shouts
OF defiance in which the very priest at the
altar took part. The only result of this
was imprisonment and pillage. but after
three months the traditional good fortune
Of the republic came to the rescue. and bv
the Intervention of Louis XIV Independence
was re-eSta bliShed.
B"napsrte Was Politely Considerate.
The next dangerous visitor was Bona
part. who discovered the existence of the
repuhlic during his Italian campaign of
l'9I and gDod-hum0rejly sent a messenger
10 offer an increase of territory. This was
pruiebtly refused and. far from being Of
Tended. he wrote very polite letter prom
iSing TO exempt the citizens from n! con-
tribuJions and Offering four cannons and
some wheat as mark of his distinguished
consideration.
II he had pursued his inquiries A little
moro closely the revolutionary general
wound doubtless have been somewhat less
= niiable to this highly ariStOcratic OLGA rchy
Throughout my stay / was constantly COM
ing across examples of ideas which were
- contrary as possible to the modern ac-
c-rtdnc" of the word republic There are
various orders of nobility and the captains
regent MAINTAIN quite a show of ceremonial
stat. sitting upon a throne with a carved
can 'pS ana being waited upon by an indi-
VIA lII known as the Cameriere del principe
-ch .imberiatn to the prince. w hat prince -
1 " Is inclined to ask and, though | found
1t was only a c. nveni-7t alias for the soy
ereiSn republic. it certainly struck sig
niiclnt note. The chamberlain to the prince
turned out 10 be the son of my lanII1 ord
and lie was very useful in getting me ac-
cess To all the sights. He even went so far
as to hint that if l We're anxious to Obtain,
a title Ne could probably arrange to obtain
me a knighthOOd or even a dukcGom if
only l were wiling To pay the usual Fees
which. in the case of Il dukedam would
probably have been rather heavy A title
was thus conferred upon an American
named Tucker in return for his subscrip-
lion 1T tl" a year to the library OF the re-
public.
Have Modern Democratic Ideas.
In spite, however. Of their aristCc~atic
traditions and tFeir various royal attrib-
Ctes the citizens are seriously inbued with
modern democra tic notions No doubt they
md this good policy in the present age
and. after all, it is only a theory. for they
tssfT 8
government and value their national indie
peHa.nct more tran anything else thew pos
scSs- For united Italy they express an en-
thusiastic regard. but they take COOL care
70 nave neither part nor lot in it. having a
"h" eSome dread Of its cOnscTiption and
grinding taxation My landlord who was
quite a typical citizen. after expIaininty at
length to me the details of the constitution
told me with great compacency that the
people had nothing to do with the laws
except to obey them. and when ! drew his
attention to the words, We demand uni
NeTsaI suffrage which had been scrubbed
up on some of the walls. he replied indig-
nautlJ that that was merely the work of a
lew coffee house babblers and did not rep
resent in any way the sentiments of the
citizens.
San Marine itself stands out against the
horizon. growing more and more imposing
on closer acquaintance. Scarcely anywhere
else IN the world may you see a natural
Iock so fantastic in its appearance. Every
must be the fastness of some medieval
robber duke. if not the abode of a giant
ogre
No one seems to trouble about San Ma
rino. and the strangest instances of forget
IulHeSs might he quoted with regard to it
FOR instance. when Austria made peace
with Italy she forgot that the republic of
San Marine had also declared war upon
her, so no separate peace was concluded.
and strictly speaking, the tiny republic
sun remains at war with the dual mon
archy.
Borgo fiourishing village at the neck
or the hill, just before the ascent begins
10 De serious IS the ariStocratic part of the
town. where the mobiles and other rich peas
ants resida and the best of the humble
shops 10 be found.
As a town San Marine would be very like
dny other remote corner of Italy but for
the consequences of being upon a sheer
rock Each street is either precipice or a
staircase
when Garibaidi Took the Town.
Oh the way down to the entrance gate is
a coffee house with an Inscription to the
effect that ION the 3lst of July, fsl9
Joseph Garibaldi. hard pressed by the Ger
man arms. refused the conditions of sur
render. reserving himself for better times. -
Nowadays he Is as much OF 4 hero to the
San Marinese as he is to the most ardent
Italian But when he visited then, In 1875