The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1902-11-29
IN THE ROMAN FORUM.
Which the Italian Government
Desires to Preserve.

In the course of the recent visit paid
by the king of Italy to the Roman
Forum, Sig. Boni, director of the ex-
cavations, pointed out to his majes-
~ the incongruity of leaving the site
of the Roman Senate. covered up by
q comparatively modern Spanish con-
vent, says the London Post. The view
of Sig. Boni has commended itself to
q number of Italian public men, who
have drawn up a motion calling on the
minister of public instruction to pro-
vide means for the demolition of the
convent and the excavation of the site.
The motion will be discussed by the
chamber during the examination of
the estimates for public instruction.
At least a hundred signatures had
been affixed to the motion. and it is
practically that Sig. Nasi, min
lister of public instruction, will make
no objection to its adoption. Thus,
within the next year it maybe hoped
that the remains of the old Roman
senate will be brought to light after
having been buried for so many CEN
turtles.
This is not the only proof of the new
interest which the Italian government
and, in particular, the fine arts and an
tiquities department of the ministry
of public instruction are taking in the
preservation of ancient Italian monu-
ments. Efforts are being made, and,
as rule, successfully, to prevent a
recurrence of the blind demolition of
venerable remains that went on in
Italy 20 years ago. The director gen.
eral of fine arts and antiquities con-
stantly sends to the various regional
Offices of his department the strictest
and most precise instructions as to
the treatment of archaeological re-
mains, and in the majority of cases the
local officials show great zeal in ex-
ecuting the orders received. But in
Italy the grertest obstacle to any
efficacious control and preservation of
ancient monuT ents is the perverse be-
lief that the desire to preserve them
is due exclusively to archaeological
mania. BY degrees the advance of ed
ucation is removing this prejudice and
is insuring a more general respect for
the claims of history and civilization,
and IL is satisfactory TO note that near
ly every battle undertaken for the
preservation of some historical frag-
ments terminates nowadays in the
defeat of the vandals.
One illustration of this is the action
of the ministry of public instruction on
behalf of the old walls of Bologna. IT.
was proposed to destroy the ancient
structure almost entirely as result
of the growth of the city. The ministry
has succeeded in obtaining the suspen-
sion of the demolition, which had be-
gun at three points, and has made sure
that any partial demolition that may
be rendered necessary by the growth
Of traffic and the need for more di-
rect communication shall in no way
harm the monumental value of the old
walls.
At Genoa the ministry of public in
struction has averted the danger that
threatened the beautiful cloister of
SAINT Andrae. The Genoese munich
pality wished to buy the cloister from
the prisons administration, to which it
belongs, in order to sell the area to
private spectators. The ministry Of
the interior, at the request of the min
istry of public instruction, has, by its
intervention, prevented such misfor-
tune. Similar intervention at Novara
has saved the Sforza castle from being
sold to the municipality and damaged.
At Verona q regular campaign has.
been necessary to prevent the distor-
ton of the famous Piazza dele Erbe,
where local vandals wished to erect a
large modern theater. The Piazza
Civica at Pistoja is still threatened by
the promoters of monument to Carl
baldi, who wish it to be placed along
side the statue to Cardinal Forte
ruerri. Here, again, the department
of antiquities is gradually persuading
the local enthusiasts for Garibaldi not
to spoil the symmetry of the piazza
with modern monument, but to place
their statue elsewhere.
It seems strange that IN a country
like Italy, which draws such consid-
cradle part of its prosperity from for
eiQn tourists and visitors, who are at
tracted to the country by itssancient
monuments, there should be SO little
respect for the records of the past.
The only explanation is that ignorant
familiarity breeds contempt. The
hope of students must be that with the
gradual disappearance of ignorance
familiarity may yet breed reverence.
At Newport.