The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-11-07
ART STUDENTS In ROME.
The Life They Lead and the Fun They
Have.

New York Tribune.
A woman recently returned from Rome
talks interestingly of the life Of the art
students in that city.
I'VE sometimes hear" she says. that
the student life of Paris is no longer what
1t was in the old days, that it's bohemian
ism now takes a very mild form and has
been leavened by many conventions. This Is
true in some degree of Rome also, though
much of the old Italian simplicity still re-
mains. The city Is very small, the country
is easily reached on every side. from many
of the busiest points even in a few minutes.
The climate makes outdoor life natural and
easy, and the Italian Is never excited by
the unconventional. You can sit down and
eat your dinner at a street corner and
hardly excite passing glance
1T is in vain to try to guess the num-
her of artists in Rome. The Circolo Ar
tistico or Artists Club, has a membership
Of several thousands; more than eight
There are some hundreds of foreign stu
dents, and of these a large proportion are
women. Out of sixty or seventy Swedish
and Norwegian art students more than two
thirds are girls. Many of these lead a most
independent life, taking studio with a
bedroom and living at small restaurants
The English and some of the American
girls usually live at hotels or pensions,
often with their families. Frequently two
or three girls take a small apartment to-
gether
THE Via Margutta is, as throughout the
last century, the great haunt for artists.
The place is a perfect rabbit warren Of
studios. and very delightful some of them
are. Space is little accounted of in Italy,
and an airy, lofty set of rooms may be got
for what seems a ridiculously small rent to
English or French ears.
THE Circolo is at the back of Via Mar
gutta, a long, rambling building with bill
lard rooms, reading rooms. splendid ball
room and a long cellar-for 1t can be called
nothing elsewhere the members dine, it's
walls decorated by many hands with friezes
md nf ffx-n matt
sages and knives and forks in convenient
design, skinny chickens. grapes and vine
leaves. and notices I'm every language of
Europe The smoking room has carrica-
lures Of members and of their escapades,
besides which there are some splendid
paintings by well-known artists
THE ball given by the artists at Mi
careme is a gay and well-managed affair,
a mingling of masks, fancy dress, the
bohemian and the smart world. Every one
goes, and Queen Margherita has honored IL
with her presence more than once.
Most of the foreign students are young
men and women who are fairly we'll ad-
vanced and have come to Italy to finish
their art education. They are on the best
Of terms with the older artists, whose stu
dos are always open to them. All Italians
are refreshingly free from any feeling of
standing on their dignity. and have no fear
OF compromising Ii by being hail-fellow-
well-met with boys and girls. The students
among themselves lead thoroughly CHEEKY
lives. To many life is something of a strug-
mon enough for them to dine every night al
a different place in parties of from twenty
to sixty in artists restaurants, where an
appetizing dinner of three courses, with
coffee, is served for about a Ira Perhaps
after dinner the whole company will mi
crate, dancing and singing, TO a cafe. and
later on to one Of the cantine, or cellars
where they will order wine and music and
dance till two in the morning. Surprise
parties are very popular. A dozen students
invade studio. each bringing contribu-
ton to the supper; these often held OF
the wide, fiat roof of the house, which
allows of dance afterward. or banjo
playing and chorus singing goes on hall
and a band of boys and girls rush alone
the street buying provisions as they go
and assembling to eat them under the
AS the summer advances there is a revolt
from hard work. and a number go off tc
some mountain osteria. where they spend
a week painting and basking In the oper
air"