Evening star., 1902-03-15
LAND OF MIRACLES
Interesting Shrines and Holy
Places.
ITALY AND AMERICA
THE FEIENDLY FEELING TOWARD
THIS COUNTRY.
The Danger Confronting the italian
Kingdom is Infidel-
ity.
ITALY AND AMERICA
Copyright, 1892, by Francis E. Clark

Special Correspondence of The Evening star.
ROME. February Is, 1902.
Italy is pre-eminently the land of miracles
and miracle workers. One can hardiy WISH
the smallest town without finding that IL
has it's sacred shrine where the deVout
peasant believes that there has peen some
sunernafural appearance or some wondrous
miracle wrought. Every shrine mas us
yotiye offerings in the shape of silver hearts
or ornaments, and holy candles blaze De
fore every altar.
Rnt after all. these sacred places and
holy shrines are not altogether repusnant
to the straightest laced Protestant ana
Puritan Of us all. Every church is sanctl-
fled by the worship of myriads OF devout
hearts l can never go into a heather tenn
pie even without taking off my hat In rev.
erepce to the devout hearts which nave
found strength and comfort there; nor can
i see the most eXtravaSant manifestations
of superstition and creduilty without see
ing under them all the longing Oh ,ile NJ
man heart for the divine. Its eternai 81 us
gle for the unseen and the Invisible, It's IN
satiable hunger for the spiritual
The bronze foot of St. Peter in the vast
cathedral that bears his name is nearly
half kissed off by the deyout lips of mil
lions The tholy stairs, another point TOT
pious pilgrims. though of solid marple, are
worn into great holiows by the ASCENDING
to be covered and recovered and covered
over again with boards, as one plank after
another has been Worn through ps the
knees Of fresh relays of pilgrims
Many a marble saint, as in the QUO Va
dis church on the road to the catacomOs,
has had to have his foot covered with
brass iron shoe to preserve even the seiii-
blance of a foot from the lips OF the pil-
grfms None of these evidences of devout-
ness have ever moved me to mirth or failed
to touch my heart with a realization OF the
unutterable longing of the human heart Tor
God and godlike things.
Italy S danger today is not from SuperStl-
ton and ecclesiasticism, but from atheism
Whatever may have been true In the past
she is no longer priest-ridden country.
But the blight of infidelity is worse tnan
the blight of priestcraft. and against TINS
she must be on her guard. il she would ful-
fill her mission among the greater powers
of the world.
ON the whole the future of Italy, | be-
lieye was never brighter than today.
Though there are clouds IN her SKY, there
Is a bright rim Of light all around her hofi-
Zon. She was never so united. so progress
siye or 50 free The petty wars and reprlsais
Of the past, the days when Florence ana
Pisa Genoa and Leghorn and Venice were
always engaged in some petty quarrel with
their nearest neighbors, always either con-
quering or being conquered in some mimi
tesimal war, seem to be things OF the past.
The Italian tempests have mostly been IN
teapots to be sure, but they have been
1empests none the less for the people who
live in the teapots. The great sense of a
genuine national brotherhood, of united
Italy, of free. constitutional monarchy,
has never apparently daWned upon the peo-
pie or at least has never been realized on
any large scale until within the generation
past No wonder that every town IN Italy
has its twentieth of September street
for the Goth of September, 1870. marked the
entrance Of free. united progressive peo-
pie into the family of the nations OF the
world
The New King.
The two last wise and patriotic rulers
are apparently succeeded by third king
equally wise and patriotic, and stronger in
many ways 10 deal with the problems Of
the future than his father. l hear nothing
but good words for Victor Emmanuel III on
all hands. / suppose the rabid advocates
OF the clerical party would not give him a
good name, but have not consulted them,
and would not consider their opinion OF
much weight. This party, that IS constantly
plotting against the very existence of the
state. and seeking in every way to over
turn the government, is the great menace of
ITALY. In America and England all parties
believe In the constitutions; all are partt-
otic: each vie with the others in love Of
country. In Italy one party is constantly
Intriguing to overthrow the government, to
destroy the constitution. and to subvert the
very principles of political freedom. But
this party is growing weaker and weaker,
and will never again l believe, rend Italy in
twain.
Said a friend of mine to the king
the other day. I'VE in America believe
that there should be but one supreme ruler
In Italy" There ought to be but one
was his quick response, and there is and
will be but one.
The present prosperity of italy is shown
In no way more distinctly than by the fact
that today her money is almost good
that of the strongest nations of Europe.
Two years ago her paper money was at a
deplorable discount. The traveller from
America found that his greenbacks We're
worth in the currency of the country a