Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1901-07-11
Letter From Frank Harris.
MONTH HOrONDO.

self left Rome for Monti Rotondo at
4 o'clock IN the morning. 1t was u
pleasant little walk of about thirty
miles and We didn't arrive there until
about noon. 1t is out in the noun
ta,ns and quainter place have
never seen. Just now they are begin
ming their harvesting here III Southern
Italy and it is treat to get out and
meet the country people. That is the
only way one can know q country.
The idea of German going to New
York, staying year or so and then
thinking he knows the United States.
The real place to go to study coun-
try is on its farms; that is If you have
to choose between city and farm, but
of course it is much better to know
both. The harvesters generally travel
in crowds of from so to $50 and women,
children, men and boys, all go to make
up little town. They all carry hand
scyths, and i'll the few walks I have
had in the country have seen no
machines of any kind Every thing is
done by hand. The other day saw
q lawn mower up on the Pinclo and
the people all regarded it as most
wonderful machine. In fact it created
quite commotion.
In these harvest trains one sees
about as near the original of Mlllet
painting rs is possible to see, and if
Mr.. Markham could only see how
happy these people were and how con.
tented they seem his "Man With the
Hoe" would never have been written,
for although here aud there you see q
forehead building low" yet the heart
of the peasant seems happy, much
happier think than any class of men
! have ever seen. AS you meet them
they always have a pleasant word for
you, "a good walk or keep we'll" or
"eat WELL" OF something like that
Really it does one good to see them.
They teach the lesson of contentment
better than anything have ever seen
Their dress is most always in colors.
The men generally wearing green
trousers with colored stockings COM
ing up to their knees. Some wear shoe,
m lde of the hide of cattle and tied
onto the bottom of the feet with long
strings, and others wear shoes that
look as though they weighed at least
ten pounds each. The bottoms are
just one mass of iron, made so by
driving about 200 nails in each shoe.
In many cases they are bsrefooted
How they can walk on these roads
with bare feet can't see, but they do
it and don't seem to mind it In the
least.
The women never wear hats but ger.
orally wear some kind of colored
cloth on the top of their heads, that IL
when they are not carrying some big
load. One woman noticed was car
rying two babies in her arms and on
her head she carried q large iron cook
ing kettle, but she didn't seem to mind
it because she was singing as she
passed us.
The men generally carry keg of
water, that is, there will be two or
three men who have big key of
water strapped on their backs. Some.
times there would be donkey with
the train carrying about ten times his
own weight. but as rule the peasants
did all the freighting themselves.
i The rakes and forks they carried fol
putting up hay were all made of wood
The rakes Of course have seen in the
States, but the forks are nothing but a
crOch cut out of some tree and uailed
onto long stick.
| In most of the trains would be one
or two young fellows with accordians
and want to tell you they could play
them until further orders.
1 In all they always made a happy
picture, from the old man of so down
to the little child of two months. they
always seemed happy. That's the
way of things. If the Lord don't give
man one thing he gives HIM some
thing else. and while we nav have
more books and more eating, yet car
tell you the Lord hasn't given us the
contentment that he has given the
. poor "Msn with the hoe" Maybe the
Lord didn't have much to do with it
Maybe they have more sense than We
have, and accept their lot in life will
better grace than do we.
u On the way we passed sugar fac
tory, German-ltalian company, anc
it looked quite lonesome out in those
hills. Some way, why it is do no,
know, yet this country around Rome
seems so sad and melancholy and II
makes no difference who you are yor
can't walk over these roads withou,
noticing it. In spots it is beautiful
very, very beautiful but it never for
gets to be sad and the more you see o.
1T the sadder it becomes.
We passed through two or tire,
little villages that were quite interest
ing, but it wasn't until about l2 tina
we arrived in Monti Rotondo. tn,
round mountain. 1t Is on the yer,
top of q mountain and you can't Sc,
the city until you get right into it.
was beginning to get pretty tired ant
just about ready to propose stop O
an hour or 40 when wa mado tho die