The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1914-09-29
ROME NOW \ MODEE,> CITY
Progressive People And Ideas YER
pass The Ancient.
Ida Hustled Harper. in New Yo

Ida Hustled Harper. in New York
Evening Post
When after centuries Of war Italy
at last became united under = CON
sttutlonal monarch. she found in
Rome only ? per cent OF the chill
drenFattending school. while now. a
generation later. there is compulsory
education for all Where formerly
countless thousands Of the peoples
taxes poured into the Golfer: Of the
church for their alleged spiritual sal
Walton, now these are used for rain
age. sewers. pure water. clean streets
and the man up-lo-datc measures for
the public health.
rome is now one of the cleanest of
cities, even in the poorest quarters
there Is none of the disease-breeding
filth that abounds in those Of highly
civI lzed Great Britain and the United
States. a barefooted child is the eX-
ceptiOn and the number Of beggars
has been UNNECESSARILY reduced. One
who stays in Rome long enough to see
something besides churches. ruins.
and picture galleries cannot fail to be
impressed with the look of content
ment on the faces of the people as
they go about their daily business.
And the most of them seem TO he
busy: there is no longer the spectacle
SO familiar to the old-ti1ne traveller
W VI Il ( SiIS dIOuI1u III
the shade for several hours in the
middle of the day. In the country
the prosperity is ever more marked
20 and 30 per cent profit on the crops
and cattle being not unusual. Unit
ell Italy has not vet, however. com
pletely learned the full cost of war anC
the supreme value of peace. Her re
sources are still drained for the main
tenance of an immense army and ma.
land for useless aYnadirinnC nP nnn
quest which deprive the country of it
young n vigorous men. but this i
a lesson which all the greater nation,
Of Europe hav yet to learn.
The Romans are the p%rOUdest PEG
pie in Italy. although the Piedmon
tese are pretty chestN. The latte
say in effect: "Oh yes. of cOurs
T Rome once ruled the world. but tina
was a long time ago, and it was tn
King and the army Of Piedmont VIII
made it possible in later years fo
t Italy to rule HERSELF Nevertheless!
men and women here say, Il am
Roman" with very much the air tia
: in the United States they used t
announce, Il am from Boston," an
l now. Il am a New Yorker," A tru
G Roman resents nothing more than
have it intimated that the city is
e any way dependent for it's proSperit
on tourists. If you sugges that TT
t immense number of thriving hote
are certainly due to tourists, he sa.
contemptuously: They are all COZ
, Quoted by Swiss, so who cares whetf
= er they are prosperous? And if yo
; mention the trade the tourists briT
! to the shops. he says, Struggling h
e shoulders and throwing out his han
What shops? A few that sell beat
= and canoes and scarfs." After tn;
you haven't the courage to ask hi
u why the Italians have Flowed tt
= Germans to come in and monOpoli
J so much Of their trade, which is IL
- case. Besides the vast overland SUI
e plies, ships are constantly plying b
g tween the ports Of Germany and tia
IL bringing great quantities of Germs
manufacturers of all kinds, which a
ST so are sold by Germans. 1t requir'
e. centuries Of the Italians to repel Il
) hordes of German barbarians WI
r, once took possession of their cOuntr
J. In these days Of civilization they w
ol some day nave to fight against &c