Durango semi-weekly herald., 1902-01-30
PROGRESS IS STEADY.
Constant March Onward Instead Of
Gradual Decline the Rule in
Venice.

Venice.
VENICE. Dec. 1.--(William e. Cur
tbs In the Chicago Herald Ut is the
prevailing impression that Venice
got it's growth centuries ago; reach
ed the zenith of its power. wealth
and prosperity in the fifteenth cen
tury. and since that time has been
In state OF of gradual decline.
have heard people. who ought to
know better. assert that the Oldest
new building WAS erected 200 years
ago and that since then there has
been no work in Venice for carpen-
tcrs, masons and members OF the
other building trades except to repair
dilapidations and restore the crum-
bled walls. That is great mistake.
Venice is growing like other Euro
pean cities in population, wealth, in
dustry and commerce, and three OF
the most beautiful palaces on the
Grand Canal have been erected
within the last tdo years. One OF
them remains unfinished.
There has been large amount OF
other building also. much to the re-
regret OF the aesthetic cult. who fear
the revival of commerce and indus
rwy will injure and perhaps destroy
the artistic beauty Of the city. Sim
liar complaints have been made In
Florence. Apostles OF the pictures
que will tell you that modern enter
prise has ruined some OF the most
admirable spots in the old capital OF
the Medicis that places of wondrous
beauty have been torn down to give
place TO ugly edfices, In the designs
of which utility alone has been con-
sidered, and that the quaint old mar
row streets have had their attrac-
tons destroyed by the municipal
council. which Insisted upon tearing
down facades that were erected 500
years ago In order to make room FOR
omnibuses to pass.
Doubtless there Is more or less
ground for these criticisms, and per
haps the fears concerning Venice are
well founded. the smoke from
the chimneys of the new fac
tries Will no doubt pollute the atmos-
phere and injure the beautiful tints
which age has given to the magble
will be necessary to make any of the
old places convenient for business
purposes. Many people believe that
Vience should be preserved untouch-
ed as great International museum
and school Of architecture and art,
that commerce should be suppressed
and that no one should be allowed
to live here except people OF leis-
ure and refined tastes. Grain ele-
vators -four mills, iron foundries
and other practical enterprises
which are being introduced into Ven
ice are certainly obstacles to artis-
tic growth. but the people Of this
city are actuatcd by mercenary mo-
tives like the rest Of mankind. and
are not content with the income
they derive from tourists.
The increase in population in Ven
ice. Consul Johnson tells me. has
been not less than $4,000 during the
last twenty-five years. During the
last ten years it has been nearly IT,
900 1890 the census showed
i57.7s5; in 1897. 172,4sl; in 1900,
| lT4,37s. This has been an entire
| ~ natural lutIeusts tduotu ny th'
excess of births over deaths. because
there has been no immigration. and
more or less emigration to the Unit
ed States and the Argentine Repub-
| lie. Immigration is almost entire
| ly limited to Americans and English
men OF wealth and leisure who come
here and buy or rent palaces and en-
| Joy an artistic atmosphere.
Another false impression that pre-
walls almost universally is that Ven
Ice is an unhealthy city. Several
times 1t has been subjected to
fearful visitations of the plague. In
1851 more than $4,000 people were
carried on, and there have been five
or six returns OF the epidemic since.
the last being In 1882, when about
I 900. people died The normal death
rate in Venice, however. is much
lower than in other Italian cities and
| most of the large cities of Europe
as you viii see by the following
table for 1900;
Venice ....... POI Milan ....... .2l.5
Florence .s.. 24.5INaples ..... 22.2
Genoa ...... 23.2 Rome ..... 1872
Tnrin ..i..... .22.l
The death rate In Rome Will ex-
cite surprise. as that also is consid-
cred a very healthy place. The 9th
or cities of Europe which have a
death rate corresponding to that OF
Venice are Vienna. where 1t is 20.6
and Paris. 20.5; while the nearest
cities In the United States are Phil
adelphia. 1913. and Baltimore. 1871.
The greatest degree of mortality
reported in Venice is from diseases
OF the lungs, blood and nervous sys-
TEN.
| Contrary TO the general belief. the
water supply OF Venice is very fine,
| 1t is brought under ground more
than sixty miles from artesian wells
In the mountains and conveyed to a
tower. from which 1t is pumped
through the city.
The pious people OF Venice be