The Madison journal. (Tallulah, Madison Parish, La.) 1888-current, 1915-10-16
VENICE DURING WAR
Practically Closed to Visitors of
Every Nationality.
The Gondola and the Pigeons OF st.
Marks Square, the city's Two Chief
characteristics, Threatened
With Destruction.
By CAMILLE CIANFARRA.
international News Service.I

Venice.-Of all the threats and per-
lis which the exigencies of modern
progress, and the requirements OF
modern life have heaped on Venice
and her unique quaint beauty, those
resulting from war are practically the
worst, as they threaten to destroy
two of Venice's chief characteristics,
the gondola and the pigeons OF st.
Marks square.
Venice saw her last brilliant season
in the spring of 1914. AS to the SLIM
mer bathing season. 1t was hastily in
terrupted at its height by the sudden
outbreak of hostilities. Owing to her
position, to the fact that she possesses
one of the most important military ar
senals of Italy and that she is the
seat of the maritime defense OF the
Adriatic, the city has since then been
practically closed to visitors of every
nationality.
After Italy's Intervention, Venice be-
came a sort of Asiatic forbidden city,
and not even Italians are admitted
without a special permit from the
commander ir chief. This permit.
| however, is only issued to those who
can prove to the satisfaction of the
inquisitorial authorities that they have
| legitimate business to transact within
! the city boundaries, and is invariably
| temporary Idlers, curiosity mongers.
and the socalled lovers of the pictur-
esque, are inexorably excluded. AS
| to the newspaper men-well, Admiral
| Cutinell regards them as the most
undesirable of all. whether they be
Italians or from the allied countries.
The first result of the stringent
measures adopted by the military au-
thorities concerning the sojourn Of
foreigners, was a general closing of
all large hotels and the Transforming
| of the Lido into a sort Of huge sani-
tarium where thousands of conva-
lescing soldiers now bask in the sun
| wrapped in long white tunics and
await the time for returning to the
| front ito finish the job" With the
hotels scores of curio. lace and other
shops closed to save expenses while
waiting for the return of the good
times.
But those who have suffered most
from the absence of visitors are the
thousands of pigeons nesting in the
buildings and towers of Venice's IA
nous square. 1t is a well-known fact
that the few pounds of Indian corn
the municipality provides for their
maintenance are anything but suffi-
cient properly to nourish the poor
creatures. and that It was the charity
of the tourists which in former years
and at all seasons provided them with
substantial food.
But now, the familiar sight of the
old English lady or the young Ameri-
can misses feeding the pigeons in the
center of the square is no longer to
ter around the man who stops to ad
mire this or that facade or the fres-
Goes of st. Marks. The corn vendors.
known to thousands of Americans by
their first name. are there as usual.
but the purchasers are few. and the
cooling pigeons fly back disappointed.
OF late the pigeons have begun to emf
CRATE to avoid starvation.
AS to the gondolas and the Condo
liers. they have suffered terribly from
the war, and their fate resembles much
that of lie pigeons. 1t was the tour
list and the wealthy visitor who pat
ronized the gondolier. and their alb
sence from the city for more than a
year haS compelled scores of gondola
proprietors to go out of business and
sell their outfit at a sacrifice.
The gondolier, the thick-set, sun
burned. muscular specimen Of human
ity. that sent the gondola skimming
20 yards over the CLASSY surface at
every stroke Of the long oar. has dis
appeared with the mobilization. and is
J now either at the front or serving on
one of the men-of-war cruising the
Adriatic. Only a few ole ones are
left, and the visitor who now crosses
J the Grand canal is painfully impressed
by the small number gondolas in
| service.
: At sunset, when the cupolas. the
domes and the spires Of Venice gilt
ter under the last rays Of the parting
sun the spectacle presented by the
squares is even more saddening. Navy
, officers in Immaculate white uniforms
and army officers in gray have LONG
replaced the variegated. fashionable
wealthy crowd that in former years
added to Venice's charm and pictur
sequences. and tell in unmistakaDle
words the story of Italy at war.
Yet Venice is resigned: no one com
plains: every class has sacrificed or
, the altar of patriotism its own pri
vate interests.