The sun., 1900-02-09
An Italian VIII.
conscience

To the philosopher who rumn8tes over
the efforts men make to have their ideas
carried out after death the will made by the
PoMPEo MAREsI, is unusually suggestive.
From small beginnings, by thrift and by
enterprise, this man amassed a large for
tune. He had a family which he kept in
comfort but with no ostentatiOn OF wealth,
and it is the future OF his family rather than
the disposal of his money that he seems TO
have had most at heart. The distribution
of that is put off to time when those he
cared for will be either dead or mature men
and women, with their habits already
formed. The testator's intent seems to have
been to ward of from his people as long a.
possible the evils Of the wealth he had so
sedulously struggled to accumulate.
A very unusual provision is made for the
wife. The use OF the home ana modest
yearly income are left to her; the income
continues il she shall choose to marry
again but in that event she must leave her
first husbands house. His widows re-
marriage is a contingency that many a
but the general solution is to place him
drances in the wifes way when she is
not left absolutely free. The daughters
are apparently to stay with the mother
till they marry, when they receive mod
crate incomes, enough to support them
respectfully, but not sufficient TO attract
suitors who care for money alone. As a
further safeguard a daughters husband is
cut OFF from all expectations should his
wife die before him without children. The
sons education is planned for, the sums to
be paid him are carefully proportioned to
his needs at different ages and when he
reaches his twentyeighth year he will
receive sum sufficient to start him in
business or else a moderate income. In
forty years the capital and aecunulations
will be divided equally among the chill
dren, more, it almost looks, because some
disposal must be made Of ii, than from the
wish to have the fortune grow.
The purpose seems clearly to ha 10 hold ths
family together and in the station in life il
held during the fathers life. to protect its
members from want, but at the same time not
to allow the family wealth to prevent them
from working or trying to make their ov,
way. When they have reached middle life,
whether they have failed or Succeeded in
their own efforts, their fathers fortune will
come to their relief or to that Of their chil.
dren. Being Italians, among whom the old
Roman ideas OF "patra potestas" arc .till
strong, 1t is likely that the testator's inten.
tions will receive fair trial.
There are some odd ethaographic ,..uli.
arities in the bequests, The dauphters
receive so much pin money a dav. and a
brother, too, is provided for by a daily
allowance. That is a thoroughly Italian
way Of reckoning. To most Italians a eiven
sum a year or month is meaningless till
they have figured out what ii makes a dav
and then whether it h" one Ira or tvcntv
or hundred, they try to live ON il and
save little from day to dy. A sister IL IN
have not only an income for life but also a
frst-class funeral after death, quaint hit
OF fthoughtfulness. The legacy to an Italian
church for repast OF specified viands for
the priests on 9 given date carries one back