Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1907-08-09
TIE MAN OF THE SUN.
Venerable Patriarch Who Spends His
Years Staring at Old Sol.

Years Staring at Old Sol.
/ have today, writes a correspondent
ut Messina, in Sicily, been afforded an
opportunity Of interviewing one OF
the strangest characters in the world.
He is known to everybody here as
"FUomo del Sole" (the man of the
sum.
In appearance he is venerable
patriarch, with face tanned almost
black by the fierce rays of the south
ern sun and with long snow white
hair falling to his shoulders from both
sides of the dividing line in the middle
of the head. This as well as his long
white beard is always well brushed.
This man spends his time from morn
ing till night in worShiping the sun.
He gaZes with wide open, unblinlxing
eyes at the bail of fire daily flooding
this city In brilliant sunshine. He will
gaze fiXedly for hours at Old Sol and
In doing so carry on n conversation
with il and utter prayers invoking the
protection of his god. He does not
suffer in the slightest by the terrible
gaze, and to prove 1t he has, after
half an hours fixed stare at the sun.
timed by the watch. seen plainly and
described the smallest article 1 have
pointed out to him.
Scientists. physicians. oculists and
surgeons from every part of Italy
have come to examine his wonderful
eyes, which look as if they were at
tackled by some dread disease. They
are, however, as good as those of the
average man, but not the same. His
orbits are remarkable by reason of the
abnormally large pupils. The white
part of the eyes is crystalline and
strangely bloodshot.
Camarroto the patriarch, is eighty
six years of age, of medium height
and robust, eating and sleeping we'll
The people of Messina have the great
est respect for him, and woe betide
the youth who takes It into his head
to ridicule rUomo del Sole. The men
at work In the port, loading and dis
charging ships, join together in max
ing weekly allowance out of their
very meager pay to the sun worshiper,
who is also called In the Sicilian dia-
lect ''u flusuru" 0he philosopher.
His coat is always unbuttoned to
give prominence to a remarkably
ways the same. One is white. the
other red. One IS short, the other
long, and they cover like CATERS the
ends Of his trousers. The right foot
is shod with Il patent black boot his
left with brown shoe.
At the head of his stick are tied three
handkerchiefs of different colors. He
calls this his talisman. With it
he stops tempests, hurricanes and
thunderstorms, which he says are
signs Of the fury and anger of his
god, the sun. When Il rains he comes
out hatlcss. kneelS I'm the streets OF
Messina, with arms extended, and cries
'Basta. basta, oh, sole mior' enough,
enough, Oh, my sunD The traffic re-
spectfuliy stops until he has finished
his prayer and the waving Of his magic
wand in the air. "If it were not for
me, oh, par1e moi, what would hap
pen to poor Messina, to poor Sicily, for
it would most certainly be destroyed
by torrents Of waterw
If he sees n lady hold up parasol,
Camarroto will snatch It and close it.
Infamous onew he cries. "Nvhy walk
In the shade when the sun is out?"
AhC sbNN SCth re-
dress, but the sympathies OF crowd and
police are all with the man who can
look at the sun with open eyes. The
rent of the house wherein he lives is
paid for him; the food he eats at any
restaurant, the wine he drinks, are all
given him gratis by the proprietor.
who is honored by the presence OF the
sun worshiper.
With great difficulty induced him
to speak about himself.
81 am the son of the sum-, he cried
once I've was reused. II was born with
his blessing. j speak to the sun, the
god OF the world. l am his chosen,
sent by him to preach his power, and
l shall continue TO do so forever and
ever, for shall not die. I shall trave!
over all the world, to France, to Eng
land, TO America, TO follow the sun,
to preach its power. TO gaze at it. tc
be bathed in golden light.
81 am daily defending my fellow men
from the sun. They ungratefully call
me mad. Let them do so. They can
not look at it for hours and hours.
They would die. They would be blind,
because they are unworthy TO profane
the sun with their ools."--Baltimore
Sun.