The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1909-04-20
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& WILL sEABRooK's TRAVELS \
THE BEGGARS OF NAPLES.
" William Buehler Seabrook.

(Copywright, 1909, by ". B. Sea-
brook.)
Special to The Chronicle.
Reprinted by Permission of Au-
thor.
Naples, Italy.-"See Naples and
die!" How many times this estate
exclamation has burst from the lips
of the enchanted traveller as the vesse!
upon which prov he stands draws
nearer and nearer the Italian coast,
as the verdant isle Of Capri awakens
in his soul the vision Of Ulysses and
the siren voices, as the rocky prom
ontory of Posilipo recalls the Virgil
ian legend Of Aeneas and the Trojan
heroes, as the morning sun appears
behind the smoking summit of YES
uvius and reveals the wondrous pan
Drama of the gulf and harbor.
See Naples and die! A splendid
scheme, that, if it were literally pos
sible, but unfortunately it isn't. Sim
pie death is mere bagatelle in COM
parison with the fate that awaits the
wayfarer who approaches for the first
time these classic shores. The phrase
"Voir Naples, ct mourir!' has be-
come proverb, and, like all proverbs,
it is treacherous and misleading. To
die were surely not too rich a price
to pay for a single glimpse Of such a
glorious landscape, but the stranger
who disembarks at Naples, is destined
to suffer instead Of death an unre-
lenting series Of petty annoyances and
impositionS that destroy half the
charm Of his 1ong-dreamed Of and ca
gerly anticipated visit. Naples is a
vile hole, despite its pretended sani-
tary and moral regeneration under the
reign Of Victor Emmanuel III. It is
a dirty. den of thieves and beggars,
human vampires, who live by preying
upon the tourists. The saddest part
of it is that continued contact with
Neapoitan porters, beggars and lazo-
roni, which at first involves no more
serious consequence than the empty
ing of ones pocketbook, ends by de-
stroying all faith in honestly and
virtue, BY driving from the heart all
sentiment of human kindness, all pity
for the poor, all consideration for the
afflicted; sights, which at first IN
spire-eapecially when disclosed to
the unaccustomed eyes Of an Ameri-
-ean-the keenest sense Of pity, end
by eliciting My repulsion and dis
gust.
My unpleasant experience began
even before I set foot upon the quay.
Before embarking at Marseilles, I had
made the acquaintance of young
Egyptian, who, having previously
spent year at the University Of Ma
plies, knew the city, and offered to
aid me in landing and finding hotel
AS our steamer was bound for the
Orient, she did not dock at Naples,
but simply anchored in the harbor,
and the few passengers who were
bound for the Italian port were COM
peeled to make their own arrange
ments for getting ashore. Our vessel
had become the centre for verltab!c
swarm of small boats, and my friend
drove bargain with one Of the least
villainous looking watermen, by the
terms of which the two of US with
our baggage, were to be rowed ashore
for five lire Zone dollar), dear enough
in all conscience for the landing pla;e
was only a couple of hundred yards
distant. Paying the money in ad-
vance, to obviate all possibility OF dis
pute, we seated ourselves in the STERN
and the boatman, aided by a e9m-
panion oarsman, pushed off from the
ship, but after a few vigorous strokes
and a whispered colloquy, the two
conspirators halted their craft, mid
way between the vessel and dock, and
inquired how much Of a "tip' we
intended paying them ''per maca-
roni.'
"Not a cent replied my compan-
ion, "we have already paid you twice
as much as the service is worth"
However, as the boatmen were dis
posed to argue and as we were ii a
hurry to get ashore, he tossed than
a silver coin worth ten cents.
"That is not sufficient" insolentiE
cried the first Italian, and he disdain-
fully refused to touch the money.
"Well, it is certainly all you are
going to get" said my friend.
"Signore evidently wishes to take
a mean advantage Of the poor and