The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1903-04-19

granddaughter in a single room at Tore
Annunziata. But, Signore,' he explains,
lit is a very large room, with most ele-
CANT furniture and truly beautiful ktch-
en- with a stove after the French style.
You put in the charcoal, and open a draft,
and apply the match and ecco,' And
Luigi stretches out both hands wide apart
with upturned palms, and lifts shoulders
and eyebrows with a smile of illuminat-
ing joyousness. ''And the grand balcony
opens out upon a view incompara blei And
about it are set pots of flowers. and in
the summer has the shade of a muscat-
vine from which one may pick grapes
And as for the air. figure to yourself! 1t
is veritably a miacle." For all this lux
ury Luigi pays a rental of only eight
lire a month and every month he gets
from the government one hundred and
twenty lire for his work as custode in
Pompeii and from travellers a good sum
in addition as gratitudes. Eighteen years
hence, when he has served forty years,
he can retire on full salary. 1t is, as he
says. good post.
Luigi has, like so many Italians. an ar
lists eye. But he busies himself not
merely with watching the familiar and
ever beautiful panorama before him. He
meditates, as he sits up there alone, on
the serious things of life. One cannot
survey Pompeii for twenty-five long years
and still think only of the day. Does
it appear to you. Signore, he asked sud-
denly the other morning that these men
of Pompeii were much like the men of
the world today-and indeed that all men.
all over the world. are made mostly Of
the same meat? And that is why they
are trying in these days to make wars
cease? OF a truth. what do wars mean
TO our poor people? They mean Just the
pouring of so much blood, and the spend
ing of so many quattrini. and all just on
account of the caprices of the great. They
make their advantage out of it. but the
poor people suffer. There was our affair
in Massowah-just the caprice of that
Sicilian, (''Crispi?r I inquired "Gla-')
He said England had done some great
things in Africa. and Germany had done
some great things in Africa. and now we
must. But what happened? Just more
blood and more money to be spent. And
all because Crispi saw the way TO put
money in his sack" But" ventured tim
idly. perhaps Crispi really believed that
it would be good business venture for
Italy" No. no. he retorted land here
in his eagerness he dropped out Of his
polite Italian into dialecO, don't you be-
lieve il, II was 70 feather his own nest
Everybody knows it. Look at him. What
was he? Just commonplace poor law
yer, without soldo 20 his name. So he
turns 10 politics for living. and finally
gets himself elected a deputy to parlia-
ment. And then he manages the trick.
and becomes a minister and then the
head of the ministry. And then ne brings
on war. and fills his own pockets. and
gets home rich, Ec', And he said the
poor Africans needed civll=ing. What
was there there? Nothing but sand,
And why not save the blood. and spend
the money in schools and in civilizing a
little bit Of the people Of Calabria2 There
they need eivilizing more than in Africa,
Ec'," And Luigi halted for some medi-
tative puffs.
The condition Of the people in Calabria
is indeed unspeakable-from all reports
quite as had as in the Middle Ages. If not
worse. In almost every point CT economic
and social progress southern Italy. inciud-
ing the old Bourbon k.ngdom. stands .s-
behind northern Italy. but CalabTia is as
far below the province Of Naples as he'll
below purgatory. The Italians themselves
shake their heads over it. but appar-
entely the problem is too great for the
government 10 face Every one has heard