Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1914-09-18
PLANTATION SONGS
HEARD IN ANCIENT
ITALIAN CLOISTER
Incident of Tour Through
Country Which Presents
Many Sharp Contrasts Be-
tween he Old and New.

,,ai,, nv the contrast between the very
,a t,e very new. 1t is more strik-
d ~. bere than elsewhere, because the ROM
- of one of the worlds oldest civillza-
q ,,.,s arc here, while many of the Italian
u .,,,os arc keeping vigorously in the stride
-,odern progress. They have quite as
-, nridc in Marconi as in the remains
. - ,ho Roman Emperors. In fact they
.,,,d he very Indifferent to the latter
a. these we're not now an ineNhaustible
i ,ource of revenue. For many centuries
,,er ancestors demolished the grandest
..ohitectural monuments the world had
,ver seen to use the fragments In Inferior
hd,dinss and 1t was not until pilgrimages
I, ,ron, the four corners of the earth came
& % worship what was left that the whole
Y ,,,o destruction ended. 1t is hoartbreak-
,.- to look at these ruins of a magnifi-
! .orce that never will be reproduced, and
/; cot II is not impossible to understand the
;,,Ii,tarian spirit which would protest
arainst tons OF good building material be-
/, Ing wasted In useless arches and unused
sop,,ms Thanks are due TO the much-
abuscd tourist that every scrap of an
4iduty is now preserved and the carth
interior is searched for more.
II ia here at Assist and the neighboring
perupia that we have been especially
sSn su"n@ now In these ancient Umbrian towns
! was a considerable degree of civilization
I centuries Detore the plrtn u Ch!,st. aIiu
lneii p,,,,,es. centuries Rctwecn the two
Io the Etruscan Tombs, OF comparatively
recent excavation, with the figures on
their eNquisltes ga, Nvu ~, 80. 40
~ ,to tbi,d century before Christ. while
-ai,hin mov he seen the imperishable
:. sihss themselves. Suspended from the
ceiling of the different rooms are tiny
TIrnscan Iamps of bronze, where n faint
tsner was once kept burning. but now the
,ombs are lighted by electricity. With a
bnIb at the end of a long pole the attend
ant shows many fine details that would |
be invisible by torch or candle, but the |
incongruitv of II lars. And so at Assist, |
when we descend into the crypt of Santa |
Chiara with becoming solemnity to gaze |
unon the tomb of Saint Clara, who died |
early in the thirteenth century, the little |
nun touches Il button and it is flooded |
with electric light. 1t Is the same in the
old monastery where good Catholics 20
10 knecl at the tomb Of st. Francis,
who died in 122G-eeCtric buttons every
tarcophagus of San Rutiuo against fifth
century wall.
uo,r,p>- tro-rrr G M ,o,y>,c
MODLi'N ~ i't-'7 'N 'ONN7'
Every lover Of antiquity looks forward
10 visiting Pcrugia and Assist, the old,
o,d rtruscan towns cnveIoncd in thc
teinl'oUSIui''S VI t'ouS''us Vi Years.
He imaSincs and half hopes that he will
climb their steep hills on a donkey and
s,oon !, , ,,,,,stic COLL h,,+ tb, ron,or-
"
Tic cream Is snat'creu Wheh the last eN-
press traih WIN u louu shflck Stops
1ust long enough ior MN TO scramble
out ana lie ls bundled INTO Dig hotel
motor bus which tAtters over the his
lo1c ground without speed llnllt ana
race races win several other oinillouses'
Inc comfortable hotels are modern in
and bells bathrooms with hot and cold
water lifts" in the largest Of them.
I'm ~ may pc SLld ot poth towns ny the ,
and rinssst r,arters tho,. are. o'' ,Jo,,,,or
than any in the United states. {
When one goes. however, for charm {
ana association. he should stop at Assist, q
oHly TWO nnurS away by delightful {
.aliiass arlPc over the hllls. we came
70 the Entel windsor now last year at
:, - '''s@c'''~t ~ "i ''iS'i'''
landaIy. ANA mere attcr the sun had I
s't ana tNe moon had risen all our ro-
mantle VISIONS calIlr to pass! Now as I
our VISIT ENDS "" feel that never shan I
". 'orS't thoSr evenings on our bal !
lily N'rhanElnE me h'Sh terraces !
WIN the moonlight flooding the valley .
s "nu tue hcautitul Old lEanastcry among
@ @.Ie cypress trees n charming singer
VIM NHo Was WIN us sang for hours 10 the =
of hcr guitar and when-
a. sue would pause tie niShtingales
~ ~ ino Irees Mellow would NIL the air with I
@ ner plaintlVe melody. All night they .
oaus' oa,s' NNiis from down In the valley
salne s,lI answering notes softened by the
TTts'ence' Tno' ana imagination pictured st.
r,,'a raahcis llstenlng to this same sweet
anS G. DIS nc spent the hours IN prayer,
a. %Hu 81 Clara as she kept lonely vigi!
:" "eF little convent.
We b,,a h,I '''' II
,,,, nave hau an experience at Assist
,r,.., '''' i'"" 'eio'e anu WHICH r
There are att,obod 49, a., ,,.u, i
Fra,ci,o. ''o SP'1'u''
Ig2S .,rI monastery built between "
tIfnI n,' ~ some VI the most beau
Ma Sloislefs IN existence, filled with e
J'u lrees and surrounded by upper and d
mr. mr. potEGhes' ana into these cloisters a
bsr ,"usiG'ah a,,!.ah was determined to take 81