The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-05-19

lence of TradespeOplc.
From the Chicago Record
Poverty In whatever guise is pathetic
but there is something tragic in the faded
gentlity Of once princely families one
sees SO much of It in italy that the mere
exterior of a palace calls up visions of a
decayed grandeur and suffering pride and
almost the first question asked when a
noble family is mentioned is Have they
any money!" In four cases out of every
five the answer is in the negative.
The large majority of them are landpoor,
having invested their money in the great
building speculation of the '70s, which fol-
lowed the event of Rome becoming the
capital of the government. Tremendous
apartment houses, hotels and public build
ings of one sort and another were In
process of construction when the enter
prise collapsed, through bad management
and sudden lack of funds, and more than
one family was ruined.
Others are the victims OF the boundless
ambition and extravaganza of their ances-
tors, who have bequeathed to them enor-
nous palaces and villas without The means
for their maintenance The family resi-
dences of the Italian nobility are built on
a scale more in accord with the glantism
of the Roman empire, or the
splendor of middle. age &C.
clesiasticism, than with the modest
civilization of modern Rome. The Doria
palace, for instance. Is almost two-thirds
of the size of st, Peters, and the Coliseum
could stand within its ground plan. 1t
used TO be said that 1000 persons could
live under it's roof, outside of the private
apartments and the huge galleries. Ii is
not to be wondered that the heirs are
obliged to let four-hfths of their family
mansions. Aside from the fact that they
need the rent money, il is quite impossi-
bic for them to occupy more than one
fifth of the rooms at a time.
The income from the rent and the wife's
dowry Is, in some cases, all an Italian no
BILE has to live on: for what money may
come from the estate must go for taxes.
OF course, there are few families, such
as the Borghese, the Massimo and the
Branacei whose fortunes have either not
suffered vicisstudes or have been mended
by American marriages, but here is naught
to do with them.
II is no exaggeration TO say that the
large majority live on credit. There is a
law in Italy which allows that creditors
may be kept waiting twenty years; after
that time the personal property of the
debtor may be seized. Some families have
already suffered the humiliation of being
sold out" and are now living from hand
to mouth but in other cases the nobility
of the name awes the creditors and In
diligence is extended indefinitely. But
they must endure the insolence of trades
men which the situation incurs.
Only the other day an American woman
witnessed an example of ID. This time 1t
was the impertinence of a dressmaker. An
MISUNDERSTANDING woman was complain
ing because her gown was not finished.
you always put us Italians off for the
English and Americans" she said
Countess" replied the dressmaker,
chow do YOU suppose could live without
my foreign customers? l must have the
American and English money in order to
shoulder the Italians bills"
How dare you reply to her In that man.
ner?" said the American woman, after
the Italian had gone out without attempt
ing to resent her speech.
zone can afford to be impertinent to a
person who owes 1000 francs" replied the
dressmaker. Then she went on to relate
tales of the pitiful existence dragged out
by many of the nobility.
do you mean to say?" exclaimed her
American customer that some of them
really live off the pantry shelf?'
"Why, madame, In many cases a mouse
can't live off their pantry shelves"
And it is actually so. one hears pa
thetlc stories on every side. Last week
a count applied for the position of "por-
there" at a convent in Rome, and was
found to have been two whole days with
out food. Outside the Porta del Popolo, on
the road that leads to the artist Villegas'
Moorish villa there sits an old beggar
differing in no wise from the hundreds
whose wretched presence detracts from
the tourists pleasure save that his face
has a noticeable refinement of feature.
This poor man bears the title of count,
and is the only survivor Of a once respect
able noble family.
Another case where the actual needs are
almost as urgent, but the evidence is care
fully concealed, is that of a young count
received in the best circles whose friends
supply him with all his little luxuries, such
as gloves, ties, calling cards. etc, and
often feel obliged to invite him to dine.
Not that he ever asks it or hints in any
way that he is hungry--on the contrary,
his pride would bid him starve first-but
that his pallid countenance and hollow
cheeks proclaim Enthusiastically his suffer
ings He IS an accomplished gentleman
and occasionally earns a few dollars by
translating articles into French and Eng
through a friend and Is kept very quiet,
lest the disgrace of his earning an honest
penny should become known Besides"
he says. quite frankly what would be
the use of my working? The family debts
are so tremendous that II would be quite
impossible for one man to make any inn
preston on them"
Americans have little patience, of
course. with the aversion the European
noble shows toward earning his own Hv-
ing. but they little realize how few doors
are open 10 him in a business way, or how
quickly he would lose caste should ne en-
ter any of them.
It is no rare occurrence in society TO
meet with faded splendor in the person of
a countess or marchesa. Often the cos
tune is a velvet gown made in the fash
ion of a past decade, whose shabbiness is
bur poorly concealed by priceless old lace
ana family jewels. Or IL is a foriorn
combination of costly furs ana rusty silk
gown. The carriage and horses are re-
talned until the last moment for APP
T,.l.