The Kansas City sun. (Kansas City, Mo.) 1908-1924, 1915-12-04

A SOANASA5t says NhO AhiA n
Sentinel. With a %unanimity of sentiment more
complete than at any time in a generation the
nation rallied around the king as the bearer Of
the national flag. Socialists, liberals and repub-
licans not only forgot their special doctrines and
tenets, but Wed with one another in becoming
more loyalist than the monarchical followers
themselves.
A first natural tendency was to exaggerate,
with a wealth of detail more or less important,
the simplicity and democratic character of the
kings life at the front. A little of this, however,
goes a long way and the Italian press has been
prompt in putting a stop to the multiplying of
little homely tales which are liable to carry
with them an element of triviality.
A rev letters from soldiers to their families
suffice to give all the information of this kind
about the kings daily life that is considered
important to be known, as an insistcnce upon
them might naturally lead to the inference that
In this form of existence is comprised the mon
archs entire activities with the army. Such a
letter is the following, from Private francesca
Menegoto, addressed to he father:
1 recently found myself near the king, in an
observatory which l had helped to build. AS
agile as a hare, he moved around from one cor
ner to another. l assure you that he is exceed
ingly brave. He ate lunch with us and divided
his portion of ham and cheese with US and after.
ward gave us four 'Toscano' cigars and spoke
with US as if he had been himself a simple sol
der asking US many questions" This private
A~NtSN " hOlJ III us IGlJGT IL TACT lldJ ne was
one of a company who had distinguished them
selves by a brilliant achievement which was i'm.
portant in the days military operations and that
If he and his companions had been signally hon.
ored by the king, it was not because the latter
mingles on all occasions more or less Familiarity
with his privates, but as recompense and encour-
agement for duty well performed.
The king himself is a soldier and is consulted
by General Cadorna, the chief of staff, on every
movement of importance and regarding the daily
line of endeavor, but he leaves to the command
ers the performance of their various functions,
and the stories told. in a mistaken zeal of ex-
aggerated loyalty, by some correspondents re-
garding the actual direction of artillery fire or
infantry movements by the king himself are
protested against by all serious persons as de-
feating their purpose, besides being literally in
correct.
The press of Italy today dwells only on such
incidents as may be considered symbolic, such
as the event narrated in a letter by Soldier
Franco Tuminelli when he wrote:
The Kings Presence Cures.
OF much influence on the minds of our sol
diers is the presence of our beloved king, and in
this regard l wish to tell you the incident that
happened to a sergeant of artillery named Vim
cenzo Sanitra, a native of vallelunga. This poor
fellow, after fighting for a long time, was severe
ly wounded in the arm and was found by the am
bulance corps in an unconscious condition. When
he recovered his senses we observed with dis
tress that he had become dumb and that he had
lost the power of speech.
1T happened that at that moment our SOW
ereign was in the neighborhood and, learning of
the sad case, he fastened with his customary
.paternal solicitude to the bedside of the injured
man. So great was the emotion experienced by
the soldier at the sight of the king that speech
returned to him and he was free from
the nervous crisis that had been brought on by
the sudden terror he had felt on finding that he
was wounded and risked falling into the hands
Of the enemy as a prisoner.
"The first cry that issued from his lips was,
Long live Italy! Long live our beloved king!'
The sovereign. touched by the words. patted the