Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1901-03-21

/ Q
Vesuvius, with the snow covered
mountains in the rear, with the
orange trees along the shores,
with the thousands of wonderful
old stone buildings on the hill and
mountain sides, and the wonder
full ruins and the coloriugs Of the
water itself. Why--well l quit.
1 haven't any more to say. I'll
just add that when you come into
that port just be prepared to take
one long breath, keep still, ard
wonder why it was that God ever
let such wonderful and beAuti-
full place be put here on earth.
Naples made me think of a
flower such rs mo eye hath seep,"
of flower that when one was at a
distance from it looked 80 beauti-
/! full that one approached it with
fear and trembling, of a flower
that was perfection itself, and a
flower that surely had dropped
from heaven by mistake, but as
one draws closer to it the perfume
becomes little strange and as
you get closer and closer the per-
fume leaves itself altogether un-
It'll it becomes such smell--no
smell isn't the word; stink, rotten
stink-that one has to hold not
only their nose but their care,
their eyes and their mouth as
we'll. So much for Naples. Let
me tell you of it. OF all the beg
gars, thieves, low women, people
who are so out of joint that 1
don't see how we can ever expect
even God to recognize them as
man and as woman, let alone man;
beggars, little girls two years old,
old men 80, who are crippled in
such ways that no pen could des-
cribe the terribleness of the dis
6gurement, and of the thieving
and seemingly blood. thirsty crowd
that hangs around looking like
wild animals for prey. They are
poor and lonely, yes, and 1 don't
know as it's their fault, but the
question comes up in ones mind,
would they be any differentif they
had more advantages? / don't
know. 1 tried to to think 80, but
here in Rome they tell me that
Italy has done all it possibly
can to stamp out that element in
Naples, but it doesn't seem to sue
coed. It's a shame when place
is 80 beautiful, that it must have
that crowd in it, but of course
there is good side to it all.
There are many good people there
who would do all they could to
stamp it out but they too are
powerless. 1t seems to be q trade
down there to beg, and some of
them are simply wonderful. Talk
about the "wrenching powers or
"the pan-handling" tramp printer
of the States. I always thought
he was certainly it when it comes
to begging, but it's like compar-
ing New York in winter to Hades
in summer when you compare
HIM to the beggar of Naples.
Why the technique of these Ma
poleons would make our tramp
sea-sick. He couldn't stand it.
They would shame him so he'd
commit suicide.
Imagine if you can standing on
Broadway in New York or Wash
ington street in Boston or State
in Chicago, and right beside you
about 30 or 40 goats standing |,
around waiting to have some one
come along and buy penny's
worth of milk. Now wouldn't
that be funny. The goat has the
right of way and he comes down
the sidewalk and you have to take
the street. It's too bad you can't
take the balloon. That's what you
want to take but that's out Of
sight SO all you can do is to take
the train, and that's what l did
after | had been there two days
aud that was just one day and %
hours and As minutes too long to
stay there. Now, maybe some one
else going to Naples would enjoy
The place, and it might so happen !;
that the dark side wouldn't strike
Them 80 forcibly as it did me, but;
we'll, there never was place with
he eycankion IF oood old M;oeou.;