The sun., 1908-05-17
ROMAN HOLIDAYS.
The. Ang'a.AmeFiean Ncighberhood OF the
Spanish Steps.

AtWM <NN A0V4SA DhA
the Ane'a.AmeFiean Neishborhood Of the
Bpaniss steps.
copwsew. 1908. bvw. d. Howsiis.
ROAM. May Alt 10 not every undeserv-
Ing American who can have the erudition
and divination OF the Genius Loci in answer
10 his unuttered prayer during a visit 10
even q small part Of the Roman Forum.
But falling the company Of tho Commenda.
tore Boni. which 10 without price. there are
to be had for very little money tho guild.
ancs and philosophy, and, for all know,
the friendship OF several peripateto histo.
rians who lead people about the ruins D..
Rome and instruct them In the story, sri
doubtless In the moral of the things they
sse. II had profted by their learning, 80
much greater. or ct least securer than
any tho average American has about him,
should now DO firing the reader with
knowledge which am SO willingly leaving
him to imagine In me. II he Is like the
average American he has really once had
como .nodding acquaintance with the facts,
but history is apt TO forsake you on the
scens Of Il. and to oome tagging back when
II ID too late. In this psychological exps-
rienoe you feel the need Of help which the
psripatstio historian supplies to the groups
OF perhaps rather oblivious than ignorant
tourists Of all nations In all Languages, but
preferably English. We eAnglo-Saxons seem
TO bs tho most oblivious or most ignorant
but I would not slight our occasionally
available culture any moro than / would
imply that those peripatetio historians are
aS Ill like the oiosroni whom they have so
lafkely replaced. believe they are in
str,scted and scholarly men; I offer them my
respect; and wish now that had been one
OF their daily disciples; IL 10 full sixty years
since read 1oldsmith' 8 ~History Of Rome
Al saw them, somewhat beyond earshot
they and their disciples formed spectacle
which was always interesting, and SO far
a. tho human desire for information is affect
ing. was also affecting. The listeners tc
the lectures would carry back to their re-
spoctive villages and towns. or the yet
simpler orioles Of oW ordinary city life,
vastly moro association with the stored
scene than had brought to II or should
bring away. In fact there is nothing more
impressive In the floating foreign society
OF Rome than its zeal for self-im provement
No one Glasses himself with his fellow
tourists, though IL he happens to be trav-
siief he is really one OF them; and 1t is with
dlniculty keep myself from the appearance
Of patronizing them In these praises. which
are for the most part reverently meant
Their zeal never seemed to be without
knowledge whatever their age or sex; the
intensity Of their application reached to
all the historical and actual interests, to the
religious a. well as the social, the political
al we'll 40 the financial; but fitly in Rome,
hoox aad nj lIu INV tr hn ~,
Of antiquity, In the remoter or the nearer
past. There Was given last winter series
Of lectures at the American School OF Archie
Geology by the head Of IL. which were followed
With eager attention by hearers who packed
the room. But these lectures, which were
30 admirably first In the means OF intelli-
gent study, seemed only one of the means
by which my fellow tourists were climbing
the different branches OF knowledge. All
around my apathy felt, where did not
eco. the energy Of the others; with my minds
ear heard rustic a. Of the turning leaves
OF Baedekers. Of Murrays. Of Hares. and OF
tho many general histories and mono
graphs OF which these intelligent author-
ties advised the supplementary reading.
Il am not so mistaken as / might very
well be, however, the local language is
less studied than It was In former times.
when far fewer Italians spoke English.
Ny own Italian was Of that date, but though
I began by using Il, found myself 30 often
helped for foruotten meaning that be-
came subtly demoralized and fell luxuri-
ously into the habit of speaking English
like native Of Rome. Yet tacitly, secretly
perhaps, there must have been many people
who were taking up Italian a. zealously
m many more were taking up antiquity.
One day IN the Piazza di Spasna. in a mod.
eot little violet Of q tea room, which was
vent,,rins to open In the face Of the old
satahlished and denselv tbroured parterre
opposite. noted from my Roman yersion
of buttered muffin . tail young Scandi.
nayisn girl. clad In complete corduroy.
sray In color 20 her yery cap surrnountine
her bandeaux Of dark red hair. She looked
IKE some Of those athletic minded young
women Of Ibsen's plays, and the pfls OF
books ON the table beside her tea aug
eested a student character. When she had