Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1908-02-15
Italian Duke Fails In His Socialist Scheme
PhHnhop Nobeman and His Wife Establish Uopan
On Their Lombard Estate But Pny Unable Stand Prosperity Kick
Traces Costing Duke and Wife Ancestral Estates and 100000

list of literary productions TO his
credit. Possessed of the faculty of
writing well in French and English.
as well as Italian. he has contributed
widely to magazines and journals.
Lately the Nouvelle Revue printed one
of his French stories. and within the
last few months a London publishing
house has brought out one of his ro-
mances In English, entitled The Soul
OF Priest which has been criticized
so favorably by the press that 1t mas
quickly passed into third edition. In
1t the author has given more than
glimpse OF his philosophy of life and his
views of social reform. AT present
Duke Litta is engaged in preparing
the Memories" of the Italian Revolu-
ton left by the late Jessie White, which
is shortly to appear through the same
London firm.
OLD CASTLE RESTORED.
Casale, the village that takes the adj
ditional name of Litta through the
vast possessions OF the duke, is situat-
ed only few miles to the north of the
busy capital of Lombardy, and almost
on the border of the Milanese province
Above the village-its position evidently
had taken the fancy of an old feudal
baron through Its picturesque as well
as strategic position-is the Castle of
its days passed through many viclssi-
tudes. In the year 1868 it had its
rugged medieval character reduced TO
milder type of architecture, then sub
sequently became a ruin. When the
duke, after wandering about the world
returned TO Italy determined to re-
store his ancient home and take up his
residence there. the scanty part OF IL
that was still habitahle was occupied
by the family of his bailiff. Now Cas-
tie Litta has been brought back TO its
whilom splendor, having been restored
with so much Intelligence and taste
as hardly to suggest that only few
years ago It was almost one of those
classic ruins which so delight twentieth
century lovers OF romantic lanscapes
THEORIES IN EFFECT.
The idea of applying his theories to
tho cultivation system In Italy came to
Duke Lltta Immediately on taking pos
session OF his present home six years
ago. The experiment which he put
into effect consisted in transforming
his domain into an agricultural COM
munity regulated by Socialistlc tenets.
The colony thus established soon be-
came prosperous, Then II began so
decline. And today, AT the confession
OF the duke himself H. If almost a
failure. The causes that lately have
involved him IN endless trouble with
his colony and produced such negative
results certainly arc interesting and
instructive.
II was with the purpose OF learning
from his own lips some account Of his
experiment and the lessons he deduced
from Il that | applied TO the Duke of
casale Litta and was received by him
with IL courtesy 20 great as to recall
Ouida's remark. The Italian NOBLE
man may have lost great many
things, but certainly not that grand
air which at times 50 we'll completes
tho gentleman
Before reaching the castle one al.
ready notes the beneficial effect Of the
dukes efforts. The land ~ no more
the same. Prosperity reigns whore
once dwelt misery The peasantry
have different bearing. little resem-
bling the former poor devils, brutes OF
the soil that inspired La bruyere with
ono OF the most sublime pages In his
"Caracteres.'
WHY m FAILED.
Duke IAtta. who In appearance does
not suggest an Italian, but rather the
cosmopolitan intellectual, offered TO eN-
plain his experiment and the possible
reasons for It's failure with great court
osy and Willingness. HIS appreciation
of the outcome of his yentures showed
that no rs neither "a blind fanatic nor
an oyer-enthuslastc theorist, but a
reforiner OF much practical good sense,
''The drst ifra ] had when | came
here 10 i've" he said, was 10 see II u
We're possible 70 amelloiate ihe eonui-
ton of my oountrymon aud intuse INTO
them the Sentiments OF human alsnlly'
Convinced OF rs POSSIBILITY, l elapolAl-
ed n new system In my ltlle world %
Z .a. adj ht