Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-05-03
ITALY APPREHENS|VE
Fortune Teller Preaching De-
Struction of Cities.

uon or Nesuvius, coupled with the awful
reports from California. have caused gen
eral alarm. especially among the peasantry.
and She worst is feared. 1t ia recalled that
fortune teller has for months been preach
ing the destruction of the large cities and
the worlds end, together with the second
coming of Christ and this fanaticism has
taken deep root. especially in the Italian
rural quarters, So few years has elapsed
slice Mount Pelee blotted out the town and
port of ST. Pierre In Martinique that the
memory of that unspeakabie disaster is still
vivid and the thought that similar desoIa-
ton may be wrought along che bay of
Naples Is horrifying and distressing.
IL is natural that the poorer classes and
even the educated classes should pay more
attention to subjects appertaining TO vol
canoes in a country like Italy than In a
country where earthquakes and volcanoes
are unknown Still IL the volcano would
only keep within bounds il is probable that
the people of Naples would not mind a lit
tie in the fireworks line So until within
the past few weeks no particular attention
was paid to the eruptions. Now everybody
is specializing whether there is any direct
connection between NeSuvfus and San Fran
cisco, and the speculation has assumed the
form of wondering what is going to hap
pen next. Upon subjects like these though,
European scientists are discussing learn
eGly. 1t would begin to appear as though one
mans guess was about good as an
others.
Appreciation of Danger Blunted.
AS a general thing the Neapoltans prefer
that the great mountain which dominates
their lovely bay shall be at work and not
idly Quiescent. They know, of course the
potentially of havoc which turks within
the crater. but familiarity blunts the ap-
probation of the danger. Travellers of all
ages have remarked on the serenity Of mind
with which the Italian peasants have gone
on tending their vines and fiocks high up
the mountain. needless of the fate of
Pompefi and Herculaneum. They have
built their villages on the very lava itself.
which swept over the homes of their
ceStors similar apparent insensibiiity is
manifested in all volcanic districts where
the risk is accepted with as much fatalisrn
as fisher folks accept the perils of the sea.
However, when the crucial hour comes
sheer terror seizes on the whole population.
And as human nature remains unchanged
from age to age the panic which has pre-
vailed throughout Italy during the past
month Is extraordinarily like that contained
in the two famous letters wherein Plny
the younger described the great eruption
OF a. d. 10. And undoubtedly there was
good excuse for fear. The great mountain
has been obscured by smoke and lighted up
from time to time by lurid flashes. Dense
showers of ashes and small stones are fall
ing all over the countryside. And far more
horrible than the lapiIli are the monstrous
tain side One river of molten rock which
flowed through the village of Boscotrecase
was twentyone' feet high and six hundred
feet wide. 1t passed through a cemetery
on its way to the sea. The living had fled
from the scene and only the dead remained
to welcome the lava.
These rivers usually flow down the south
ern side in the event of these eruptions.
Unfortunately whichever way the lava
turns 1t is bound to work ruin among the
industrial population. Vesuvius is com
+ol, al,
villages. both on the coast and inland, form
ing a circuit of some twenty miles.
Safest From the Lava.
The northeastern side is the safest from
the lava, for 1t is protected by the bulwark
of Monte Somma. but even here and at
Ottajano and San Giuseppe. to the east,
there is no protection from the hot rain
of ashes, and 1t will be remembered that
the ashes buried Pompeii just as effectually
as the great bed of lava sealed Hercula-
neum. But It is the coast towns which usu-
ally suffer the most during these latter
days. Naples commits the SINS" says a
local proverb, land Tore pays for them
Pcrtici and Resina stand on old lava beds;
Zorro del Greco and Tore Annunziata have
more than once seen the lava streams ooze
down into the and form new promon-
tories In the blues of the bay. This stretch
of country, no more than six seven miles
WIDE lost 1900 of its inhabitants in the
fury thought that the fires of VeSuvius
were extinct. For 131 years not curl of
smoke had risen from its crater. Suddenly
it walked to fury and the lava streams
are said to have flown at the rate of a
mile minute. Since then eruptions have
been very frequent, and the mysterious
sources underground which supply the vol
cano show no sign of failing.
Probably no European ruler takes the in
terest in economic questions manifested by
the King of Italy. The great agricultural
,Fa,-N 1aI hxr fn m ~ l-glN-
the suggestion of an American named Luz
bin was developed by the king. And his
majesty has been entertaining during the
past few days in right royal fashion the
delegates to the International Postal Con-
gress.
Payment to the Vatican.
The people of Rome have been exercised
In mind by the widely circulated report to
the effect that the visit of Mr.. ]. Pierpont
Morgan to the pope had as its object the
question of the payment to the Vatican of
an indemnity of Ss7 600 sterling on the
part of the United States for the confisca-
ton of ecclesiastical property in the Phil
ippine Islands. The journal of the Vatican,
the Osservatore Romano, put the matter
in Its true light when 1t appended a note
to the telegram which 1t Published. The
nctc characterized the statement as fable
which had not the least shadow of founda-
tion" and which deserves to be put In the
Gently been circulated concerning princely
gifts and millions offered to the pope. The
only reason why the Osservatore Romano
refers to this latest story is to point the
malicious nature of these utterances, which
are as false as they are fantastic
The holy father acted on the suggestion
of Monsignor Maffi. archbishop of Pisa and
president of the commission for the Vatican
observatory, in calling the Rev. Father
Hagen. s. J., to the dictatorship OF mat
observatory. 1t appears that the most
prominent scientific authorities OF Italy and,
indeed, of other countries. are unanimous
In recognizing the splendid abilities in that
line of the learned Jesuit. Father Hagen
was director of the observatory Of George
town College at washington for several
years This is one of the principal observa-
tories at present directed by the Jesuits.
He devoted himself specially to the photo
graphing of the stars and the calculation
of their distances one from the other. HIS
unwearied diligence in his work is made
evident in the publications ne has issued,
especially in the atlas of the variable stars.
which is accepted as valuable contribution
to astronomical science. OF his work
Synopsis of Higher Mathematics" Prof.