Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1912-10-09
MY TRIP TO EUROPE
AND ITS IMPRESSIONS
Memorable Days Spent Among
Wonders of Naples
Visit to C~athedrals and Famous Art
Galleries and a Glimpse of
Old Vesuvius.

Something that Interested me very
much and I visited it twice, was the
National Park with its fine
Aquarium. This park contains the
most attractive palms, a large variety
Of flowers and a fine collection of art,
and therefore drew multitudes of
people old and young, rich and poor
and especially the mothers with their
babes. It is d place of recreation
and an opportunity for the study of
Italian life and thought. Aquarium
has d complete collection of the fishes
and other primitive animals existing
in the Mediterranean sea. The plant,
animals, the octopus and the electric
fish, created especial excitement and
curiosity.
From the National Park l went
through a good many side streets,
where one is aware of poverty and the
most debasing ways of living. These
side streets are not any wider than
II to is feet and receive very little
sunlight. They consist of a drive
way and very narrow sidewalks hard
ly wide enough for one person and
some have no sidewalks at all. These
narrow dirty streets build the world
for the poor people their home is a
dungeon built into tue walls of the
large business concerns and other
structures, n apartment with serves
for workshop. kitchen. dining room,
bed room and parlOr, one opening
which is at the same time door and
windows. How car people progress
and develop under such debasing con
d%itions?
l was in the horse stable of the
German Emperor, William, and saw
the cleanliness and the comfort those
animals enjoyed. If the poor people
of Italy could share in half of these
blessings there would not so many
danergous Italians knocking at the
doors of our nation for admission.
Little or no education and not the
right kind Of religion, and dog treat
ment in his own country create the
dirty, dangerous Italian. The Italians
are a bright, intelligent race, but they
receive not the right kind of food and
care to make them men.
In my last letter I have referred to
the ~unsanatary and demoralizing con-
ditions of Naples. There is no end
in speaking Of it. one is not safe to
walk out nights because of the filth
that covers the sidewalks except in
the main business section of the city.
Italy is the land of poverty it has
a large exhibition of poor people at
least. This is perhaps due partly to
the condition of the country itself be-
cause it lacks the coal and mineral
mines that other countries nave l
think Italy gets its coal supply ex-
clusively from other countries at the
present. Then again its poverty can
be credited to the slothful character
that the oppression and tyranny of the
r. church has been a great factor.
1t has been the polity of church and
state not to enlighten and raise the
lower classes of people but rather to
suppress them in order to possess
greater power over them. which has
been at the end to the expense of
church and state. But ] will not speak
here any more about the social con-
ditions of these poor people. [ will
now mention my visit to the national
museum. 1t is located in the north
ern part of the city on the north pro-
longation of the famous Via Roma and
can easily be reached by street car
and omnibus. It was erected for
barracks in 1886. After 1915 it was
occupied by the university and since
1890 has been fitted up for the royal
collections of antiquities and pictures,
to which have been added the treasures
e~xcavated at Herculaneum Pompeii,
Stabiae, and Cumae, cities which
were destroyed by the eruptions of
the volcano Vesuvius. It is indeed
one of the interesting places that /
have visited, as the large variety of
antiquities and works of art from
Pompeii and Herculaneum are uni
vailed. A large exhibition of Greek
art, the e~xcavated pottery, jewelry,
embroidery and tapestry was astonish
ing. Another interesting thing to
witness was the tools and instruments
used in different occupations of that
time. One Of our company, an
American physician, directed our at
tention upon the medical instruments
and testified that they were the same
in use today. after which he said
I'VE are still in the same old
world"