The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1918-10-17
TEUTON CRUELTY
LOOSE IN ITALY
ATROCITIES OF GERMAs IN ITALY
RIVAL THOSE PERFORATED
IN BELGIUM AND FRANCE
AUSTRIAN TRECHERY WORKS HAVOC
A Short Story of the Romantic Past
and Present Grandeur Of Venice
Queen of the Adriatic

Venice, Italy.-Rising straight out
OF the water Venice seemed more
the product Of a visionary world than
my dreams had made it. From the
many spires and domes Of the city
CLEANS OF gold shot forth at the touch
of the setting sun. But the dominant
note and color that cleaned through
the twilight vas white-the wonder
full semi-transparent white of ancient
marble with background of sea and
sky.
1t was a white city wrapped in its
evening veil, her beauty tangible and
unreal.
Exquisite as she is at twilight, it is
at night that the most subtle of her
many charms enrapture and envelope
the city like a magic web. There is
nothing in Europe to match the liter
al, tangible mystery and romance Of
Venice at night. The idle swish of
water against a thousand unseen
steps; the secret darkness of war
times, revealed rather than dispersed
by lights from windows and open
doors; the shadows and black re1ec-
tons OF trees and buildings in the
water; the pure white of marble steps
and walls under the moving lights Of
gondolas; the swan-like ~gondolas ST.
lently and swiftly moving through the
streets of water; the soft night wind,
the ordor OF magnolia trees, the throb
Of music woven into the picture-all
collectively and separately, holding
the observer in a trance of wonder
and joy.
Not only the beauty but the history
the records do not note its birth. 1t
was once the most brilliant CONNER
cial city of the world. For centuries
it was a nation powerful and strong,
mistress OF the adjacent seas, domin.
ating the commele5 Of .t.e Adrlat.c
and Mediterranean from Asia to
Egypt, from the Holy Land to Spain.
1t was renowned in the days of Christ,
and her sons participated in the cru
sades. Venice conquested and con
quered Constantinople, Genoa, Padna.
Greece, Cyprus and Asia Minor. IN
the 18th century she was the focus
of the commerce of the world, and
was then a republic.
Venice lost her prestige at the close
of the 18th century, when she was an
nexed by force to Austria. The deg
relation OF the fair city under the
rule of the House of Hapsburgs is
n OF the black pages of Teutonic
oppression.
The city is over two miles from the
mainland and is built on piles on III
small islands. There are $50 canals,
or streets of water, and stone bridges.
The art of Venice is the Renais-
sance style and also bears the orien-
tai style in its Mosiacs, combining
exhuberance of imagination and pa
thos in religious themes.
st. Marks church is in the form of
a Greek cross, crowned with five
domes. The bones of st. Mark were
brought from Alexandria to Venice
in S29, and repose in the church. The
piazza of the church is 800 by 500
feet and Is paved with trachyte and
marble. There are over 500 marble
columns and thousands of marble
statues. At every turn one is charmed
with new effects. 1t is superb and
unrivaled in it's fantastic charms.
The fact that this part Of Italy has
been made famous by the poetry of
Byron, Dante and Shakespeare gives
it added charm. Our Y. NJ. C. A.
headquarters in Italy are at Verona,
and but a few minutes walk from the
tomb OF Juliet.
Here also vas the scene of 1.-TWO
Gentlemen Of Verona" And from
where l write the old Merchant of
Venice piled his trade on the Rialto
and exacted his pound of flesh.
During the war Venice is to Italy
what Paris is to France. She has
been the objective Of the Austrians,
as Paris has been the objective of
the Germans, and for a few days last
fall the fall of the city seemed immi.
nent. The Piave river divides it's
mouth just before it enters the sea
north of Venice, and the Austrians
crossed the first branch Of the river
and Venice lay beneath her guns for
months. The city was seriously dam
aged by enemy guns and airplanes.
Last spring the Italians drove the en-.
envy back across the river and the
city now enjoys comparative safety.
The atrocities of the Germans and
Austrians, as they beat back the
armies of Italy last fall, easily matched
those of the Germans in Belgium and
northern France. Recently many re-
patriated prisoners have been re.
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