Bismarck weekly tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1943, 1898-11-11
. GLIMPSE OF ITALY.

- OAAN4A VII VI - ALI lie
STRANGE WAYS OF DOING THINGS IN
THAT SUNNY LAND.
A Peculiar Custom Which Would
Bother I'm American-A Roman Fl.
neral 10 = Strange and STARTLING
sight to o Stranger.
An old adage says, "When In Rome, do
- the Romans d." but 1t 10 q question
whether the average American tourast ever
learns the customs Of the Romans. Even
people who have lived in the Eternal City
fail to observe manyof the traits and ways
Of the Romans In their daily life. An
Englishman who was an old resident. Of
Rome was put to shame by an American
sohoolteaoher Of 90 who asked him II he
knew why they chopped 90 little who'd in
Italy. He had taken upon himself the
Office Of general dispenser of information
among the guests, and, not being willing
to confess ignorance, he blurted out:
"Ah, yes; Ifawncy 1t must be the want
Of wood hand the smallness Of the hax."
But the young woman-and she came
from New York city-explained to him
that the real reason was that they sawed
most Of the wood. Sho showed the guests
how the Italians hold the saw between
their heels and knees and draw the log
across the teeth. These are little things,
but they 60 to make up q peoples person
ality. and arc curious facts for foreigners.
When ono vehicle passes another in
Italy, the driver keeps to the left. The
pedestrians not in the same way. Some
foreigners go through Italy from Naples to
Milan and at the end wonder why it was
that tho Italians persisted in getting into
their way.
Tho native Roman eats two meals a day,
one, tho oolazione, Or breakfast, at noon;
the other, the pranzo, or dinner. from 2
to o in the evening. Black coffee Is q ia
vorite drink among the women at the
cafes. but tea is seldom used. It costs usu-
ally 10 cents cup. italian bread is made
without salt, which is under q heavy tax
and Is classed with tobacco and stamps.
Wherever ono Is sold there also you may
purchase the other two commodities.
As for the owners Of bicycles, they havo
q hard time. Each rider must take out O
license for himself. He can ride no other
wheel but his own and should he permit
his brother to uso his wheel without q H.
oenso tho authorities would seize and re.
tain the machine until a heavy fine was
paid.
Another peculiar custom Is the way in
which an italian will beckon with his
hand. In America people wave the hand
toward them when they desire q PERSONS
approach. In Italy it is just the opposite.
When an Italian waves o goodby to you
with his hand, you imagine he Is calling
you back, and If no wants you to approach
he motions with his hand az Americans
do in making q gesture Of repulsion.
In New York there arc morning and
evening papers with q liberal outflow Of
extras between. In Italy tho papers reach
tho public about 9 O'Clock at night.
About every school door when classes
for tho day have been finished you will SEQ
a gathering Of mon and women. These
arc the parents, who come to carry home
the books Of their children.
When the family wash Is ready, tho
mother carries the basketful Of clothes on
her head to tho public washhouse, ready
for action. Every one loves the queen.
She Is very devout and every now and then
steals from her palace dressed In plain
black and mingles with the worshipers in
the churches. As for the king-wel. that
is another story.
Bananas and peanuts are never seen in
Italy. As for hand organs and the festive
monkey, they are seldom seen in the city
streets. A peasant from the mountains
bringing in vegetables to sell to the city
folks must pay o tax OF the gate before he
car enter the walls. At the first sign OF
snow Roman schoolboys have a holiday.
There are q great many suicides in
Rome, and tho favorite way Is to throw
oneself over the Eincian wall OF to 60 to
the Suicide bridge out on the Alban hills
and leap from 1t on to the rocks 300 feet
below. And when q person has thus end.
ed his life the natives think 1t proper to
cut q spall cross on the spot where he OF
she plunged to death. As many as II
crosses have been counted In a many feet.
and the bridge Is rather long.
To refuse q pinch Of snuff is q grievoua
insult. To walk in the sunlight is to GLASS
yourself with dogs and barbarians. To
enter a shop and to walk out without max
ing a purchase is to call down upon your
head the wrath Of an italian tongue,
whose s%uperlativo curses would make a
New York truckman green with envy.
The reason Of this Is that the windows of
the store contain everything in stock with
marked prices, and the shopkeeper hates
to talk unless there is a sale In prospect at
the end. Ho may have done nothing but
cit and doze for nj hour before you enter,
and he may do nothing else after you
leave, but should you fail to buy he con-
siders himself the most abused man in the
city, whose time is lost upon fools in gen
eral.
1t is not always the native guide that ID
the best. One day at the Church Of St
Peter in Romea partyof American SCHOOL
boys were watching the crowds come and
60 when o swarthy faced ma approached
and asked in the purest Italian II they
wished q guide. On the spur of the mo-
ment one of them answered him in Greek.
The fellow gave them q keen look; then,
with o broad grin and q still broader
hrogue, said:
"Arrahi Now, phwat arc ye givin met
Sure, m I know ye \ Americans, an it's
mesel' that's Pat Bannigan." And'that
man could tell you more about Rome in
Eve minutes than Q native could In q
m0nth. atas