The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1907-09-08
MAKES EXPERIMENT
AMONG PEASANTS
The Duke of Litta-ViSconti-
Arese Has Formed CO.
operative Society.
A QUEER IDEA OF DUTY.
ALPINE CLIMBING PROVES FAT
AL TO AN UNUSUAL NUMBER OF
PEOPLE-BY TRAIN FROM PAR
IS TO TOXIC.
Raoul De Saint Renee

Paris, Sept. THE Duke OF Litta-
Visconti-Arese (whose wife was Miss
Jane J. Perry Of Charleston. S. Co. is
making an important experiment In So
cialism on his estate in Lombardy.
where he has formed among the peas
ants a cooperative society which has
proved greatly to their benefit eco
nomically and socially.
The duke is practically the first Ital-
fan nobleman to take any interest in
the welfare or the peasants on his land
and is a pioneer of land reform in tia
Iy. The peasants have hitherto been
ground down under the "fittajoulf' sys-
tem-the farming of the land by the
proprietors to spectators, who made
big fortunes by robbing the land own
er and depressing the peasants Inc
fittajouli pays the owner fixed sum
for the privilege of exploiting the land
and the peasants pay their rent in kind.
The system is obviously open TO graft
on a big scale.
All this has been changed by the
Duke of Litta since he came into pos
session of his estate of Casali-L1tta.
He began his campaign by writing
series of articles showing the deplora-
BILE condition of the Lombardy peas
ants. The articles raised consider
able stir, and an agitation among the
peasants on the Dukes estate resulted
in the 'fittajouli' breaking his con-
tract and abandoning the estate.
This gave the duke an opportunity
to put his ideas in practice. He unit
ed 1871 heads of families dependent on
the estate into one society. for which
he framed bylaws, and the peasants
elected their president, vice president
and committee. For six years he has
carried on the social arrangement with
his tenantry, which has worked SPLEEN
didly SO far as the peasants are con-
cerned The duke himself loses S1o,-
goo year by the system, but he is con-
tent with the great Improvement in the
condition of the peasants. Speaking
of their condition under the "fittaJoull
system. the duke said: They were
eneaks: they never appeared TO look
any one in the face; they were false
in every respect, and it seemed as IL
they could only defend their position
by endeavoring to mystify the farmers
as much as they could.
But they look and act more like
men now Contrary to the custom
of Italian peasants, who eat no meat,
they have meat three times a week-an
Improvement Of which / am very
proud.
mo politician in Italy has attempt
ed solution of the land question.
have been pioneer in the direction of
my experiment. | might have had
much higher rental from my estate,
but | prefer to abandon $4,000 and see
the peasants contented and well Off"
The Duke of Litta, besides land re-
former. is an author of note, and IS
about to have upblished novel in
English. His American wife is an
enthusiastic supporter of the English
woman's suffrage movement.
A remarkable idea of their duty has
been manifested by some Paris police
men to take young woman, named
Anne Fressee, to the hospital. Anne
had been attacked by her sweetheart.
a man named Charles Dureaux, wood
carver, because she left him, and in
flicted on her seven serious wounds.
with one OF the implements of his
trade.
The policemen who were called
in thought that in order that the con-
ditions under which the injuries were
inflicted might be thoroughly well I'M
derstood. they had to leave the weapon
in the wound They did this. and in
this manner took her to the hospital.
The short journey there occupied
some two hours, during which the poor
girl suffered the greatest agony Her
assailant has now been sentenced to
six months Imprisonment.
Alpine climbing has been fatal to an
unusually large number of people re-
Gently. Two people. man and a wo-
man, have been frozen to death while
attempting to ascend mountains in in
clement weather.
Signorina Costamagena was climbing
Mont Bagna. 10000 feet high. with
three companions when a storm arose
in which the girl got separated from
the party and died from exposure.
Climbing the Matterharn under bad
weather conditions with two other
men. Heinrich Spoerri was frozen to
death on the summit of this famous
mountain. which is 14.1T5 feet high
Two Italians fell 400 feet while
climbing the Fitz sealing peak and
were killed. Besides these fatalities
there are many cases of persons miss
ing or injured or suffering hardships
through the wintry weather experience
ed in the Alps. as in most parts of Eu-
rope this summer.
Railroad travelling in France. even
IL no accident occurs. is a terrible
risky undertaking. If the crop of bacilH
gathered in a first-class car on the
Bordeaux express is really as danger
hn nd