Omaha daily bee., 1906-12-30
ALL ROME IS ACITATED
Idea Of Modern House in Classic Gardsr
Not Appreciated
tXCAVATOss ACCEPT LIMITED AID
Donors May Contribute Cash for
Digging Rt HercuIaneum ~ they
Let Italians Control the
Work.

| ROME, Dec. 29-(Special. THE Roman
artists, supported by the most cultured class
OF Roman citizens, are making a desperate
| fight against proposal to erect the new
] international Institute Of Agriculture In a
! portion Of the Borghese gardens which has
\ hitherto been left untouched and unspolt
by improvements They do not object to the
/ determination to place the new building in
the Villa gardens. since the government
and municipality have agreed in selecting
that the cheapest site. but they do pro-
test against the selection Of one Of the most
beautiful corners that the gardens still pos
sess and the absolute ruin OF a scene which
Is dear to every artist and lover Of Rome.
They point out with much truth that such
| choice is unnecessary, as the gardens
| offer many other sites which are at once
more suitable and less destructive OF their
! natural beauty. In spite Of numerous meet
| ings. signed petitions and other methods of
| exerting the pressure Of public opinion the
| authorities have not stayed the work until
considerable number Of the beautiful cid
pines are cut down. The mischief, how
ever. is not irrevocable and Rome is stu
appealing against its final completion. The
International institute would be welcome in
any other spot, as the Romans say the ma
lions whom IT will serve will only feel re-
|
sacrifice.
The fresco representing the Madonna of
Loreto at Gubbie is attracting further at
| tention. The group of angels bearing the
| holy house over the sea is said to be in an
excellent state of preservation. Mgr. Fail
ecci Pulignani, to whom the discovery of
this fresco has been attributed, now pub
fishes declaration concerning 1t.
Declaration of PuIIgnani.
"Since, without my knowledge. It has been
made known to the public through the
press" he writes, that 1 have occupied
myself with a picture in Cubic relating to
the holy house of Loreto, now in order that
matters may be put right" Mgr. Pulig
mani. desiring that he may not be misrep-
resented, saying what he did not say, makes
known certain facts. He never said that
he had discovered" the fresco, which for
FIVE centuries has been known to the pub
lie, but he, with few friends, has declared
that while this picture can be described
only as the Madonna of Loreto, excluding
in an absolute manner the hypothesis of a
votive picture. His reasons for this con-
clusion he does not now make public, but
he announces that he will make them public
in the future and he hopes that no one will
gainsay them. He adds that the fresco OF
Cubic is only one element In the study he
is making in which he will furnish docu-
ments of undoubted Interpretation that will
show that the Loreto tradition is much
more ancient than many Of the latter day
writers try to make out.
The central committee of fine arts and
antiquities has at last decided upon the
conditions under which they will accept
Prof. Waldstein's offer of pecuniary aid
in the excavation Of Herculaneum. The
Tribune publishes these conditions and ex-
plains that the difference of opinion mani
tested at first among the committee was
caused by the feeling that the original
scheme proposed would have given an ex-
cessive power OF interference TO foreign
ers from the heads of state downward"
Terms of Committee.
The committee, however, has now decided
I unanimously to accept aid upon the fol
, lowing terms, which seem to them to safe.
guard the national dignity of Italy:
T First-That the subscription shall be OF
private character without any officia
intervention in foreign countries.
8 Second-That the funds shall be admins
tered by an international committee sit
ting in Rome OF which the king of Italy
4 shall be honorary president and the actua
= president someone nominated by hi'
Third-That the executive committee o
excavations of Herculaneum shall be com
r posed of number of foreign members
Z CHOSEN from countries that nave contrib
uted to the fund, and of the same numbe
y of Italian members; the president of THU
3 committee shall be an Italian and all III
members, both foreign and Italian, mus
= be nominated by the king of Italy on thu
, recommendation of his minister of public
8 instruction.
Fourth-That the first application OF al
scientific and artistic material obtained
shall belong to the Italian government ant
t be made at it's expense, though the mniste
i OF instructions shall be empowered to in
= wife other Italian and foreign savants VIII
. do not belong to the executive committe
y to take part in that publication.
Ftfth-That the foreign members of tn
executive committee may on the response
: bility of it's president and with proper safe
r guards permit standards of their own ma
e tionality to be present at excavations.
= SiXth-That the whole production from
= excavation shall be the property Of tn
u Italian government. This is not to proven
e the Italian government from giving to tn
O states WHICH have most largely contrib
> uted some specimens of the objects found
: in case of those objects being In duplicate
and such concession injuring nationa
collections.
? Under these, conditions the central com
mittee OF antiquities and fine arts hope
that the government will not delay th
I definite solution of the question.