The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-01-18

the wife has an ''at home" day, and on certain festivals there is a large family gathering; but everything Is oone In the simplest manner.
 Flats are common in the Italian towns indeed, detached and self-con- tained houses are there comparatively new. They are far more costly than hatss while the accommodation is not so good. Taxes are higher and there are many additional expenses. A fiat of ten or twelve rooms, in which the hall, the kitchen and other officers are in- eluded will cost 1.eoo lire t4s pounds) year on the third ST fourth floor of large house, or on the ground floor, hrst or second sometimes includes bit of garden. The rooms are larger and airier than those of a London house costing 150 pounds a year, and far larger than those of flat at 200 pounds or 25o pounds in a moderately good situation.
 Features Of the Flats.
 \ On the other hand. such apartments are usually unprovfded with modern convenienees. There Is no bath room, there are no hot water taps, ex- cept in the kitchen. The stairs are badly Kept and i'll lighted. and there is little attempt at tasteful decorations, unless the house happens to be an old one with frescoed walls. EIectirc light is, however, coming into use, and cleo tric bells are almost universal. Lifts are very rare and only found in large snd expensive flats. Tn Florence there are hardly any except in the public buildings and hotels. The rent in- cludes water and all repairs. The amount of the latter. of course, depends good deal on the virtues of the land- lord.
 Good Italian servants are the best in the world. for no others show so much confederation for their master. for whom they often entertain a genuine affeetien. They have no high and mighty airs; they do not "give notice" if they are requested to do some work not quite strictly within their proviu- ces, nor do they change their situations every three months. One family will keep one resident servant, who cooks and attends to most of the house work, and a nezza service, or chairwoman, who oofnes in for a few hours every day or two or three times a week. The . general receives from IS to 25 lire f12s to 1 pound) month, and there is food and an allowance for wine-- which in Italian is a necessity rather than @ luxury, and not an expensive item. The total cost per annuam for servants amounts in this case to 450 lire GAS pounds).
 Frugal Meals. 5
 A frugahty in contrast to our luxu. rious living marks the Italian board. They have sufficient, but make no dis play. Climate naturally has much to do with the character of the daily menu Breakfast is reduced to van ishing point, and consists of a cup of coffee and milk, with or without bread and butter. Lunch at midday includes a light dish, a meat course, and fruit and cheese. Dinner, at 6 p. m., com sists of soup, two courses, and cheese and fruit. Pudding is eaten at dinner once or twice a week. or when guests are invited. Wine, usually red Chianti Tor Tuscany, is drunk with both meals, and black coffee follows after. After noon tea is only taken in the highest families with English connections. but stray visitors are regaled with sweet wine and biscuits. Good wine costs from Cd to Is, 3d a flask containing nearly five pints. As sugar is very heavily taxed, jam, pudding and cakes are luxuries. The total thus spent on food and drink may be set oown at 112 pounds a year
 Nor have Italian husbands very much to complain of in the way of the growing handicap of marriage" on the score of feminine extravagance. The amount spent if clothes, however, does not seem larg6 In the case in point it is not so very far from one- quarter of the entire income.
 Education, being largely under the State control, is fairly cheap. In the primary schools there are no fees and in the secondary ones they range from to 6 pounds year. At the uni versity they are comparatively higher but are still remarkably low, a four or six years course costing from IS to 34 pounds. The public soho0ls-those, that is, under State control-@are the most popular. About 30 pounds is the amount which the professional man
 may hope to put by yearly out of his l Ann rlnilnda