The San Francisco call., 1906-09-09

his bursts of rage and his love of being
left alone, which latter amounts to
churlishness. These outbursts usually
take place in the lecture room as out
side he is rarely crossed or given oc-
casion for anger, except when he finds
himself being gazed at curiously or
someone taking a snapshot of him
then his indignation knows no bounds
1t must, however, be said that the
storm once over, he is incapable of
bearing malice, and is absolutely child
ike In his generosity and forgiveness
If there is one thing above all others
which he cannot endure and never
permits, 1T is strangers coming to his
lectures, not to listen, but to look at
him. This he cannot entirely avoid
as the lectures at the university are
public, but woe to the person who
comes late or does not attend to what
is being said. On one occasion a GER
tain deputy dropped in" almost at the
last moment Carducci stopped in the
middle of a sentence and invited him
to leave as he was disturbing the
students. This the deputy, somewhat
nettled, refused to do, but on being
asked for the third time and finding
himself thus unpleasantly conspicuous
he went out and later wrote letter
TO the poet In which he qualified him
as an unmannerly person" The case
got into the papers and became a
cause celebre, the whole of the country
being divided into two camps, the only
serene person being Carducci himself
L remember snowy wintry day not
long ago when I happened to be pass
ing the professors house just as he
was leaving 1t He slipped and fell
and as / helped him to rise l heard
some strong language. His mental
equilibrium was also upset, and by the
time ne reached the university he was
In the worst of humors However.
he began his lecture which was on
Petrarch, when, after a few words,
he picked up the book and threw n
with all his might into the midst of the
astonished students jammed his broad
brimmed gray felt hat on to his abund-
ant locks, and left, saying, ITO the
devil with Petrarch and all the poetsl
No more lectures while this weather
lasts, and departed not showing his
face again for over month
Carduccis reputation may be said
to have begun with his celebrated ode
to Satan" The title was suggestive
the form perfect, and the matter less
daring than might have been expected.
Had he written poem to Garibaldi
Italy or the pope, he might have been
admired but would not have been raad
AS 1t was, he reused curiosity and SAT-
isfied It. His Satan is the classical
spirit OF revolt to which we owe tha
Reformation and the Renaissance. The
sole inconvenience which this celebrat
ed poem brought TO its atuhor was the
reputation Of being the devils advo-
cate, a reputation which he will never
lose.
The most romantic episode of his life
WAS his conversion years ago from Re-
pub,icanism to Monarchism, powerfully
aided thereto. 1t is said, by the inen-
once of Queen Mareherita
Carducci had always been distin-
guished for the fervor of his conyic-
lions and the vigor with which he ex-
pounded them, and of these the chief
WAS Rerublicanism. 1t so happened
that the beautiful Queen Margherfta
and the great poet met summer after
SUMMER at the same place. Tie Oueen
made no secret of her admiration for
ms poetry and her respect for the man
Himself. This, notwithstanding his
sturdy good sense. Fattered him ami
was arranged, at which her Maiestv
met him with a quotation from his
own poems on her lips and spoke Of
his work with such appreciation and
penetration tnat he capitulated hen
ard has ever since been a firm Mon
archist- The occasion was perpetuate,I
BY one of his most magnificent poems
addressed to Queen Margherita. entf-
tied "Eterno Femminino Regale." which
brought such storm about his ears
that they tingled. but he held stoutlv
TO his new creed-and after all shared
by his friend Crispi--and he has never
since changed.
Queen Margherita later, a few years
ago. proved her admiration and affec-
tion in a very practical way. = Had
Carducci lived in any other country