The Democratic advocate., 1909-02-19
ITALY Land OF QUAKES
HAS BEEN SHAKEN MORE THAN TWEN-
TY-SEVEN THOUSAND TIMFS
People in Constant Terror, But They
Still Live There

Calabria and the hinterland OF Sic
lily are among the most primitive, IL
literate and impoverished portions OF
Italy. Mountains, some of those In
Calabria being more than a thousand
feet higher than Mount Washington
and topped with snow throughout the
year, although the cactus of the semi
tropics grows at their feet, shut the
people away from the railroads. Scat
tered all through the mountains, usual
ly well up on their sides or upon the
summits,are compact villages. Although
agriculture IL the sole 81 rcs' nf I'm
come, the people do noi as rule live
Ia separated houses ON their small
farms. but In twa stJrf stone houses
set together In villages. From these
they set forth ia he early morning
10 till their vineyards on the terraces
laboriously dug out Of the barren and
precipitous hillsides. returning in the
evening This accounts for the large
numbers killed In the different VIII
lagos.
Each village has its patron saint.
and Il IL 10 this that inhabitants look
In the hour OF trouble. This patron
saint may be represented by an image.
or by fragment. With the saint, or
the image. frequently OF the Virgin
Mary herself, Is often connected the
story OF some particular favor beilev-
ed to have been granted 10 the VIII
lage in times past through SIS Infiu-
enoe. A plague may have been stayed
by the Intervention OF a particular
eiiigy or sanity fragment. In the
Cathedral Of Syracuse are preserved
the skeletons Of two saints. that OF
the feminine one being dressed In brid-
al hnery and displayed In glass COW
cred box attached 10 the wall At Ca
tania, following the "terremoto" the
other day, the Archbishop OF the see.
to calm the frightened populaee prom
feed that the bones OF Sc. Agatha
nhodld be carried through the streets
IN procession These remnants of the
saint ere regarded "a the special de-
livercr of the city, according to ira
dition, having demonstrated their pow
er on several occasions one tradi-
lion " that the city was protected
through the influence of the saint
against a lava now from Aetna In
1863, when a fearful eruption occur
red, The veil ot the saints costume
was extended toward the flaming
stream. The lava turned aside near
the Benediciine monastery and flov-
ed harmleaHly into the Eea. Only
twenty thousand of CatRnlRs inhnbl.
tants los, their lives on the occasion
of this eruption
In q number OF calahrIan villages
ON Monday the villagers abandoned
their tumbiing homes. and. nj the risk
Of injury from the falling stones of
their churches. brought forth the Inn
ages and marched through the coun-
try with them. invoking the mercy
of God.
II is easy TO imagine the effect %
q catastrophe OF tha Dimensions and
character of an earthquake upon peas
ants of the types 10 be found In Cal
abria and sicily The raliefH begin
TO shake over their heads aud the
heavy stones of the top walls fall 10
the street outside Others break
through the tile roofs and crash
through sleeping rooms 10 the earth
en- floors Of gloomy apartments un-
derneBih The side walls rock and
many htrcakA II lightning The
cracks run through them like 40
ground shiserH and IN rent. All this
haA happened IN the course uf few
seconds OF time This oycrpowefing
force. .whoneorKan none can neH strikes
terror TO the heart. aud. clhsping
children TO their breasts the men and
women brave the failing stones Of
the street aud make for the open
country.
Lone before they have reached the
barren hiliRldc however the claAhinR
forces have been slleueed Those who
are 10 give up their lives have al.
ready expired. Those who are to be
injured are already bleeding beneath
the piles of ficbria To br caught In
an Italian village b an earthquake
IL TO be caught like mouse In a trap
Twenty or thirty seconds IL hardly
ample time In which 10 make an eH-
cape from a building with ones fam
lily, not 10 say from a village Of sew.
eral thousand inhabitants.
In times like this the terror stricken
peasants are ag a flock without a
shepherd. They need tho guiding
and strengthening influence Of n per-
son of authority. II IL at this point that
the soldier enters the scene. lie Il
is who digH out the wounded and the
bodies Of the dead from among the
wreekage. Every Italian town has It's
cnrabineers. and in every large place
like Reggie dl cRlabTia, MezElna or
Cosenza are stationed troopa II rs
under their direction that the work
OF rescue is accomplished.
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PIrRIOve M nRTna uvDu