Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-10-18
THE EVOLUTION OF MODERN ITALY

we claim our place In the sun
other people conquered first con-
tinues NJ. Rocco. land worked afterward
We Italians worked first toften in a
strangers land and for the strangely. and
now ii remains for us to conquer. This
does not sound very well for the new
party. hut it should he said in NJ. Roccos
behalf that what he said was written
after ltaly's conquest of the Tripolitan.
Another writer in Idea Nazionale
may be cited 10 show the character
OF ltalys spirit of evolution. The I'M
known writer SAYS:
From the Italian point OF view war
after all is only armed emigration. So
clallsts who pretend to suppress war
only transpose the theater in foment-
ing the struggle of class at home. They
should understand that the great auee-
tion in Italy is the problem not of
partition Of riches. but OF augmentation
of riches. And this problem can be
solved only by military or economical
conquest.
Italian nationalism, according to its
ideals. does not. it appears. look for
ward in its first
NdCl0nallStS steps TO conquest
Not Militants. Sy nani s; o oon rm,nsf
These steps or marches may be ex-
planned by the incubation. according
to NJ. Rocco, of a preparatory culture.
for example as in the period of the
renaissance: as in that which had
come to modern France: like that OF
Germany in her national movement at
was necessary" added NJ. Rocco. ito
enter the struggle against German in
dustrial expansion, against the demo-
graphic and linguistic invasion OF the
Slav: against the capitalism of the
French. against the antipat hetic and
dangerous brutality OF the countries
which. according to their personal in
terests. assimilate our emigration"
NJ. Rocco is Italian and is bitter over
the fact that the Italian emigrant
labors in foreign countries and that
the proceeds of that labor. from u
national point of view. are lost to the
Italian nation. The conquests of Lydia
and of MaSsawa we're barren conuuests
perhaps: have these conquests served
to whet the appetite of Italy for con-
quests. for armed emigrationo More
land let us eat up the land of our
neishbors." is the cry of the savage
which l have heard many times as the
African warriors attacked an enemy.
NJ Cappola. another nationalist
writes of the national theory thus:
Let us see, it is necessary to agree
as to the real Specification of the word
democracy You appear to think that
the word signifies the progressive par
ticipation of always increasing
number of citizens in the life of the
nation? This may be. but it is the
classic conception. The reality is quite
different. The reality in Italy and even
in all Europe now is that democracy is
the state of the individualistic soul.
equality. humanitarian anti-clericai.
pacifist. nti-miitarist. socialist IL
necessary and above all dissolvent
that is. anti-national. This is the real
definition of democracy as practiced in
Europe"
The nationalist press have accepted
that Interpretation and have adopted
10
democeraZia,' or, for the people against
democracy.
If the nationalist party had limited
itself to the theoretical cutting up OF
modern ideas it is prob
Nationalist able that it's influence
rs would not have spread
beyond the circle of the
refined and would have remained u
school with few scholars and far less
number of political followers But be-
ing anti-liberal and anti-democrat. il
was expected that it would declare it
self anti-socialist. 1t did nothing of
the kind, but on the contrary sought to
make its propaganda among all classes
to whom it appealed by pronouncing
for a social peace. The elections in
Rome, the defeat of a socialist mayor.
the election OF a Catholic successor.
also the election OF NJ. FederZoni IN
place of the socialist Campanozzi. We're
significant fevela tons and that there
was something changed in Rome.
The nationalists boldly declared war
on Freemasonry. and reproached that
institution with the ambition to create
a state within the state, point OF
crystallization of all democratic and So
ciaiistic tendencies. The nationalists.
besides. appealed to the Catholics TO
rally to the support of nationalist
The Idea Nazionale of November u
wrote:
I'm conformity with our national pro-
gram, we desire that italian Catholics
considered as good citizens. processing
a religious faith which is the tradition
of Italy, should participate in the po-
litical life of the nation
In the nationalist congress at Milan
it was declared by several speakers
that the Catholic party was not dit
ferent from other parties d politi-
cal party, and as Cor it's demands for
liberty of instruction. the maintenance
of the rights and family ties. respect
for religious faith, they were not IN
conflict with the national ideal. In the
report of the comriittee on the state
of the national party. submitted TO the
congress. the conclusion said:
We consider that the unity of reli-
giouS faith constitutes for Italy Il power
full force worthy of the greatest at
tention. We add THAI the state of
mind determined b. religious sentiment
predisposes individuals to welcome that
tranScendent element which forms.
without contest. the basis of our doc
trine ard cannot accord il any sense
with the materiaiist mentality"
Thus. for the first time since forty
years, at a moment when the attitude
of the holy see has liber-
Catholics as ated their political con-
rl.4 science. the Catholics of
Italy are invited. from an
unexpected quarter. to join as electors.
This new party that addresses them is
not Catholic. neither in its program nor
in its political attachments. On the
contrary. it processes no religious
faith, but it is determined to utilize
all means with which to achieve its
object Of national progress.
The advocates of the entente between
Catholics and nationalists have been
treated severely by skeptics and by
adversaries in opposing parties.
In the congress at Milan in May, 1914.
Signor Collauti declared that national
ism was ins pircd only by the positive
interests of Italy without regard for
the preferences which members might
profess for the physiognomy of such or
such state.
If the evolution of Italy is destined
to be achieved by the new nationalist