Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1915-07-12
MARVELS WROUGHT
BY PATRIOTISM
The War Has Led an Italian De-
faulter to Give Himself Up for
Fear of Being Called Deserter,
and Old Men Beg to Fight.
BY ADALBERTo CAPoRALE

anu Olu Nen beg TO flgnC.
By ADALBERTo CAPoRALE
TT WAS the moral factor that turned tn
italian people, as a mighty whole hear
and soul, in the church and In the mass
meeting, in favor Of war against Austria
Italy's former ally. Trieste and Trent d.
not represent, in fact, either big territorial
acquisitions or any great economic advan
tages for the italian Kingdom though ther'
are military reasons necessities Of defens,
and other material advantages. They how.
ever could not be the deciding factor fol
the great mass Of the people. Trieste and
Trent are the two unredeemed sisters Of the
"Conto Citta;" are the captives upon which
the captors, the hated Austrians, exercised
their denationallzing energy and power
The historian of the future cannot fail to
| recognize and emphasize the fact that,
moved by a powerful uncheckable moral
factor, the italian army. that is, the Italian
people--for the army is in democratic Italy,
vital part of the whole compact of the ma
tlon-has achieved the quick military sue
cesses of the first stage Of the war mainly
! owing to the morale" Of the troops and the
! nation. There are incidents and episodes
which seem to US 5000 miles away, unusual
and astounding, and are only the normal
happening of every day, the result of what
has been the moral dynamic force moving
the italian masses in these last few months
of anxious waiting and warmly cheered
hopes for the opening roar of the cannon
and the rattling of the machine guns So II
has been seen that nearly all the members
Of the Parliament have requested to be sent
to the front and have been appointed off,
GERS in the territorial militia. But 1t is GER
IA IN hon tb,t old :,
insistently begged to be given uniform and
a rife and be allowed to be killed for their
beloved Trieste and Trent and that boys in
their early teens have deserted their homes
to go to the front to fight for the "unre-
deemed" as they said.
Garibaldi Lieutenant Volunteers
Ten days after the opening of hostllities
old, whte-haired man, still having the
appearance of perfect health, climbed the
stairs OF the War Office and passed his card
to a high officer He was Immediately intro
duced, and exhibited documents proving that
in 1860 General Cosenz. one of GaribaldPs
lleutenants, had appointed him a sublieu-
tenant He asked to be sent to the front
with the rank given him by Cosenz The
old man, who no other than Commenda-
tore Farrari famous sculptor, resident OF
Buenos Aires, was born in 1887, and was one
of the Thousand" Garibaldians who con-
quered a kingdom and presented 1t to King
Victor Emmanuel H. He had crossed the
Atlantic with the absolute confidence that
the Government would listen to his fervent
prayers and send him to fight against the
Austrians
The streets of Rome are crowded with
aged soldiers all volunteers, many Of them
wearing the ribbon of the Corona dItalla,
others the green ribbon of Commentators
Maurziano, still others the black ribbon of
the Order of Malta, and all donning the uni
form of privates and ready to face all the
hardship Of the life at the front, though
many of them belong to the Roman nobility.
Their dream is only one--to be allowed a
fight, and their only regret is to see others,
younger and stronger ones, sent before them
An old man, Ga years old zanobi Barsanti.
has been enlisted and sent to the front after
insistent requests. He was given the rank
of sergeant. He is veteran of another war
against Austria, that of 1865, and fought at
Mantana and was with the troops who occu-
pied Rome. Another old man of II, Edoardo
Iagher, succeeded also in being enlisted
after medical examination and insistent
begging, and was attached to a regiment of
infantry. He fought with Garibaldi in 1860.
and six years later against Austria as a
Bersagliere.
Patriotism Converts a Defaulter
But here is an extraordinary story. Last
year Bonaventura Corti, a messenger Of n
Florence bank, disappeared with a package
containing $4,000, which he had been ordered
to deposit in the Banco di NapoU in Flor
ence. All the efforts made by the police 10
discover the whereabouts OF Corti failed.
Seven days after war had been declared
against Austria, Corti went to the Cara |
bineers station in Florence and gave him
self up saying that his act was prompted |
by fear that he would be considered a de-
serter.
How many of these people, who make a |
supreme gift of their lives to their country.
joyously. with the Same readiness and the |
same spontaneous dash as II they were going
to help their mother out of a dangerous
situation-how many of them win return 10
their wives and children? They know. these
old veterans Of war and these others who
have fought recently against the Turks. they
know what is war, But they go to the front
for their "Patra," ready and anxious 10
shed their blood for the oppressed sisters OF
Venice and Breseia.
II is the combination of ideal and material
reasons that has brought about the moral
unihcation Of Italy in the present war
against Austria. and It is the high morale OF
the troops and the people which makes the
military successes of General Cadorna pos
sible and tangible