New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-07-24
ItaIy'S Heroic Response
Is Blind War HySteria
PEASANTS Accept Call to Front Duty, but Show
Little Real Enthusiasm-Those Who See
the Heroism of 1t Are Dreamers
Bv INEZ MILHOLLAND BOISSEVAIN
,Copyushted. 1915. by
Rome, June -.

Rome, June -.
81. foil me every one tells me
,,.lv was mad for war Maybe'
o., Ie, me tell YOU what l have seen
- also vha, have heard,
SO S," ers, station on Italian soil at
-, ~ the train stops is Modanc' There
W., rcrc delayed some time on account
o.toms and passports.
d" ,' sro,r Of volunteers fled into the
=, take their places in the
''1.' =, route for the frontier. They
"'.. - along singing and shoutinc
ma :5 ..c embellishments of the by
'"! ,.rs VOLTA, War enthusiasm at
80. Then discovered that all
',' .s.o we're in varying degrees under
" ;,epencc Of Houor. Does it take
=. mako men enthusiastic Cor war
T'-t ,rSered. The enthusiasm Of the
ID. IS easy 20 explain. It's eN-
. 70 I.l with YOUR mouth. To
s,fc 3. home and shout for the
= GLOW who IS going 20 do your
.rh.inc is easy. ,
woman leaned against a pile OF
- sobb.ng. 4 soldier passed
. J,s. 70 her singing the song Of Carl
80. 7, WAS too much. Fool she
a.e.re5 At him. why do YOU sing
No., Won know you are going TO your
III, Il is Just such nonsense as
r.n-. that has taken my son away from
- 20 be slaughtered" "SiGnora'' he
~ her. "it is better TO die sing
IN, than sigh.nC.'
rsva, officer boarded the train at
c.ros He was on the way TO join his
~, We spoke together long and
.oberlv. ,,,,.
80 waste. an ENTERPRISE that vio-
'...s his every instinct. He had no
-, ,,v IT, But he did not see what
S" could be done TO preserve the ma
.--si .r.e.ritv. Had an alternative
,,..,sf re would gladly have welcomed
-, .l,cvre..ve But war had come ana
ie nus. 30 his duty. 49,
Prt doing ones duty is not the
eeryalen. o. enthusiasm.
Cruel. Horrible, Menacing.
10 .,o hotel here in Rome l spoke TO
.'. s,-,r,o de cnambre what DO you
..,-t n the war;" ! asked her. She
,~-,s5 20 me. her patient body swung
mo pose Of passionate protest
,ssrs were in her ewes. W nat 90
,sirk Of war. madame? !, who nave
cent nv husband-to be killed per
hans. think it is cruel horrible,
rerscing. l think II so unDearaole
,ss. Il there were a revolution agalnS'
wsr should ioin il. Think, madame,
vIa+ will happen to me II my husband
!, Filled Life will be over for me, too
and who will look after my little bam-
F-o She. too. will die. Three OF Us
iss1 then for nothing. Or, If nv nus
isrd is wounded so that he cannon
rors then / must support him and M
hnbino. And l have always worked
\ would like some time TO rest,
q But what about the patrle .. / sara
4 Ia native. Ia patrie, what is It 10
me- work Just the same whether
here is war or no war. War makes
no work harder. c'est tout. And mag
irg. madame. now ! must work long and
Ing with always fear in my heart.
VIA. viii happen 20 him? l think !
shall die Of fear before | know. All,
madame. YOU should know my husband.
He is so gentle mad kind. The night
bef.r he left he cried: VIVA should
d." ne said. "killing man? !, who
cannot bring myself 10 strike dog?
Co no, hate any man. ! do not hate an
Ar.tr~r. why should ! kill him" All,
madame. so il is. And l, know how
he suffers. and ] suffer, too. | hate
the war tina, makes this suffering so
great"
By this time she was sobbinc. But
some reoplc want the war ! SAID.
Not many people feel ike YOU, do
thew I'm told that this is people 5
NOBODY wants it," she said. "No
wife wants u. J mean. They all feel
Ike nc On. YES. there are some Deo-
lie wLo want II. They think they
would have more chance to make ilv-
inc 4 some folks we're out Of the way.
have promised my chambermald TO
try and get the husband, who hates
\ nobody. transferred 20 a post where
n there will be no killing. as clerk IN a
\ bureau far from the battle line.
1T Is Better to Take Chance"
Later spoke 20 the headwaiter.
DO YOU like This war busineSs|'
"Ah. madame. it is not pleasant, but
We must DO ones duty
Docs any one like it%'
81, is here, madame; what can we
Protest; refuse 10 90"
"Ah, madame. then one is shot as n
traitor DO IS better 20 take a CHARGE
! agreed with him.
asked friend who had been here
many year. Does any one want TINS
var mo, that / can see" she said
Vow that Do is here, they whip up their
enthusiasm because IL must be faced
b.; up 20 two days before the war they
never dreamed they would have IT. They
yelled and clustered. and suddenly
Enen Il came. they sobcrcd into reallza-
uon. ] have travelled through the
1 Aoruzzi and other provinces; nowhere
I % ind enthusiasm. The country folk
are ~ despair; they say the war has
been brought on by lingo Rome. Ny
\ gTeieuere and chauffeur were called
| assure you, ] never knew more un-
tappy men"
Here is another version. asked a
l journalist. correspondent T an Amer
zen paper whether he would go gladly.
les, he said. like every one else.
But DO the Italians ike the war? That
mas not been my IMPRESSION | said.
I Like u? They love it. We are
aghters by tradition and training. We
sFe not like your English officers sol
Gers par, Of the time. We are trained
" hard fighting; Z is in our blood. The
.alon goes % war cXultant and sing
ng q. DO"
This, in view Of the experiences
4 told go. Of and in view OF others