South Bend news-times., 1915-10-06
IENICE INJURED
BY BIC STRIFE
Beauty and Business of City is
Being Destroyed as Result
of War.
BY Camille Cianfarra.

and perils which the exigencies Of
modern progress. and the require
ments of modern life have heaped on
Venice and her unique quaint beauty,
those resulting from war are practi-
calIy the worst. as they threaten TO
destroy two OF Venlce's chief charac-
teristics. the gondola and the pigeons
or St. Marks square.
Venice saw her last brilliant sea-
son in the spring Of 1914. AS TO the
summer bathing season, II was hast
ily interrupted at it's height by the
sudden outbreak OF hostilities. Ow-
ing TO her position, 10 the fact that
she possesses one of the most impor-
tant military arsenals OF Italy and
that she is tn. 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
became a sort OF Asiatic forbidden
city and not even Italians are admit
ted without a special permit from the
Ommander-in-chief. This permit,
however. is only issued to those who
can prove to the satisfaction of the
inquistive authorities that they have
legitimate business to transact within
the city boundaries and is invariably
temporary. Idlers, curiousity mon
gers and the sO-called lovers Of the
picturesque. are ineXOrably excluded.
As TO the ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Ad-
miral Cutinelli regards them as the
most undesirable OF all. whether they
be Italians or from the allied coun-
tries
Nany Stores Closed.
The first result OF the stringent
measures adopted by the military au-
thcrities concerning the sojourn OF
foreigners. was a general closing Of
all the large hotels and the transfer
nation of the Lido into a sort of huge
sanitarium where thousands of con-
valescing soldiers now bask in the
sun, wrapped in long white tunics and
await the time for returning to the
front ''to finish the job" With the
hotels scores OF curiO. lace and other
shops closed to save expenses while
awaiting for the return OF the good
times.
But those who have most suffered
from the absence of visitors are the
thousands OF pigeons nesting in the
buildings and towers of Venice's IA
nous square. It is a well known fact
that the few pounds of Indian corn
the municipality provides for their
sustainance are anything but sufficient
TO properly nOurish the poor creatures
and that il was the charity of the
tourists which I'm former years and at
all seasons provided them with sub
stantial 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
he seen and the poor birds vainly
cluster around the man who stops TO
admire this or that facade or the
frescOes OF St. Marks. The corn VEN
ders. known TO thousand OF Americans
d hy 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
emi crate t. avoid starvation.
Gondoliers Suffer.
AS to the gondOlas and the condo
lers. they have suffered terribly from
the war. and their fate resemble
much that Of the pigeons. IL was the
tourist and the wealthy visitor who
patrOnized the gOndOlier. and their
absence from the city FOR more than
a year has compelled scores of gOn-
dOla-prOprietOrs TO go out of business
and sell their outfits at a sacrifice.
The gondOlier. the thick-set, sun
burned, muscular specimen of human
ity that sent the gondola skimming
% yards over the CLASSY surface at
every stroke of the long oar. has dis
appeared with the mobilization and
Is now either at the front, or serving
on one OF the men-Ofwar cruising the
AdriatiC Only few old ones are
left. and the visitor who now crosses
the grand canal is painfully impress
ed ~ the small number of 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 represented by the
squares is even more saddening. Navy
officers in Immaculate white uniforms
replaced the variegated, fashionable,
wealthy crowd that in former years
added to VeHices charm and piCtuT-
eSQueness, and tell in uumistakable
words the story OF italy at war
Yet Venice is resigned: no one com
plains. every class has sacrificed on
the altar OF patriotism its own pTi-
vate interests.
KILL. CA1vTI n.