The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1907-07-09
RAnBLES IN EUROPE
Mr. N. B. Broughton Gives His Impressions of Visits to
Places of Historic and Scenic Interest.
cucf. Venice, Milan. Italian Lakes
and IuCerne.

and Lucerne.
-afJrdav. the 25th day of May, was
warm day, and when we ~reacned
rru~enca, Italy. We felt something OF
uaat w had heard Of sum- t,a1y.
...a marty Of ten people with Whom !
-. now travelling had gone ahead Of
we by one day and all arrangements
had been made and ] found them wen
coated at Pension Lelh. one of the
-,~r-t and best kept boarding places
Florence. 1t will be a surprise to
~ary of your readers to know that
ttey gave US board and lodging for
= 30 per day. This included break
fast luncheon and dinner.
The Pensions.
rrcse European Pensions are great
...tIt1tions for people of moderate
~..n>- indeed, many of the rich and
ua I-to-1o prefer them because OF
their quick, orderly and home-like ser
.#e e.. The rooms are just as nice ana
comfortable as one could wish and so
far AS / can see the fare just as good
as the high-priced hotel affords. You
don't hive the servants dressed UP
Ike an army officer at every turn, nor
ar the walters in the dining room al
ways dressed In evening suits. But ]
md it easy to dispense with much OF
mat sort Of thing and be quite as COM
fartable. We always have first class
beds and first class fare. And these
are the things that count. B~adacker's
Guide Books and other sources of in
formation give these Pensions, or
many OF them. as we'll as the hotels.
As "A rule there is a nice garden in
fne rear of each Of these places and
these are tastefully laid out in walks
with O~verhanging vines, and beds of
lovely Concentrating a typical east
ern scene. In these gardens guests
gather during the evenings of their
stay and hold ~imprOmptu concerts and
antertainments for the pleasure Of the
household, or the proprietor supplies
zomething of the kind.
Florence and the Tourist.
Florence is in some respects the
most attractive city outside of Rome,
IN italy. Its miles upon miles of gall
teries IF paintings and sculpture at
tract not only the sight-seer but stu
dents of art from every land come
hjther to see and study the works OF
the old masters and many others to
make copies as best they may. In al
most every room is to be found the
copvfst. Applicants are registered and
given their regular turn. In one of
the rooms we entured to speak to a
gentleman h was making a copy
of a corner of the same and found
him very clever, willing to talk, am
he told Us he should have to wait If
teen years to get a chance at a special
picture ne intended to copy and there
were several others he should like to
COPY but he would have to wait % to
81 years uIlleSS some OF the dppllCtHlS
now registered should fail to take
their place.
Among those making copies we no.
tIced a number of elderly people and
found upon inquiry that it was a great
uIace for old artists of leisure to spend
much of their lime. a delight
full recreation and p~astinoe for old age!
The artist is in great evidence in Flor
rnCe and the hotels and pensions are
generally well filled with visitors. Re-
ferring again to the pensions or board
ing places, they are just as careful in
keeping up the artistic effect in their
gardens, their rooms and everywhere
else as are the hotels, and this makes
them quite inviting. The truth is it
seems to be cverybody's business in
Florence to make the home, the street.
the park, the drive and every place
clean and beautiful. The same spirit
~pervades the city government. AS we
observed this and thought of dear old
Z Raleigh. North Carolina, We could but
say, oh for the touch of a vanished
hand
A walk during the evening along the
banks of the famous Arno river, taking
in the bridges, with their thousands
of varied cclored electric lights, span
ming the same, with many hotels,
boarding houses, shops and private
houses lining the banks; with groups
Of musicians and singers here and
there. It is no wonder that great
crowds thrOng the walks until a late
hour of the night.
The people of these cities spend
their evenings in the gardens, parks
and on the streets and appear to have
A jolly good time. They drink wine
IS we would limeades and we were
luld that Whiskey is almost unknown
10 them and drunkenness is exceeding
lv rare. am certain that l have not
see a half dozen even partially intoXi-.
cated persons since l left Boston. The
wine-shops usually have beautiful gar
dens connected with them and all
classes of men, women and children
patTOnize them.
Florence is full of interest from
many standpoints. Here the student
Of SaVaranola and of Michael Angelo
may drink from the very well-springs
of their wonderful deeds. Turning into
any street there are places of special
interest to visit and in Florence is one
me greatest of all the cathedrals in
Europe with a tower alone that cost
at least two millions of dollars.
Small Industries.
But / was greatly interested here
as I was in Rome, with the hundreds,
not to say thousands of small indus
tries. They have very few
turing establishments in Rome, Flor
enCe or Venice where modern ma
chinery is used, but in all these cities
they make almost everything that is
made anywhere. I inquired the cost
Of labor and was told that skilled Ia
h0r could be had for SO to 60 cents
per day of 10 hours for men, and 20
10 80 cents per day TO women And
q silk manufacturer told me that the
priest and not the union in Italy con-
trolled labor.
He further told me that his cutric
force of several undred people work.
ed one Sunday in every year and their
wages for that day was turned over
70 the Catholic Church. This, he
said, guarantees to us the services of
the priest in seeing that u employ
ees are kept quiet.
The Women as Workers.
All over this section of Europe as
IN ras my observation goes the women
~ any and all kinds Of work. /
nave seen them driving carts, pushing
carts. towing boats. making shoes.
working in every kind of place, and
especially in tobacco and wine stores
Nuing between the shafts of a wagon,