Mexico Missouri message., 1918-01-17


time the seat Of the general staff.
Even today its streets, cafes and ho-
tells are thronged with soldiers. They
monopollze everything. They have Ia
ken one Of the eight churches which
go to make up the intensely interesting
basilica of Santo Stefano. Tearfully
the sacrLstan's wife told me how they
are using the building for a storeroom,
how they have damaged the walls and
ruined the paintings AS the guide book
fails to give even the merest descrip-
tion Of the church in question, It is
doubtful If 1t contains anything worth
special protection. Possibly the sacris-
tan's wife exaggerates. But she is
antimilitarist and wound up long re-
cital of her woes with the reiterated
ejaculation: "And to think that there
are some people who wanted this
warW Since the war began hardly a
soul has visited the tombs of Saint
Vitalis and Martyr Agricola. Churches
Seven and Eight are closed. Life is
indeed askew.
The military have occupied the park
above the Piazza DELI Agosto-a re-
minder Of the heroic days OF 1s4S and
Italian "risorgimento." Here aa
throughout the entire European world
the military are the masters.
1t Is market day. ALI Bologna is in
the streets. The Piazza di Re EMO is
the scene Of a motley throng. Ths
Bolognese are handsome and intelll-
gent. The town is the center of the
book trade. 1t breathes culture, It is
also center of industry and has q
socialist administration. This fact has
undoubtedly embittered the struggle
between Catholic and freethinker.
Crusade Against Profanity On.
On the walls of the cathedral I no.
ticed strange announcement. Tomor.
row, 1t informed me, the church would
witness the Inauguration of crusade
against blasphemy and foul speaking.
to be undertaken by none other than
his eminence Giorgio GusmIni, cardi--
nal prince Of the church and arch
bishop Of Bologna. Cardinal Gusmini
has recently opened a "school of re.
ligion" in his own archiepiscopal pal
ace, intending thus to inculcate more
firmly the rudlments Of Christian the.
ology among the lay youth.
But the cardinal has outlined no eahy
task. The ancient motto Of Bologna ia
"nbertas," easily taken to mean free
dom from restraint. The Bolognese are
traditionally turbulent, Early In their
history they embraced the cause of
GueR against Ghibelline, burgher
against knight, and though they bora
the yoke Of the proud Bentivoglio fam.
lily, theirs was no herbivorous submIs-
sion. The civic theater today occupies
the former site Of the Bentivoglio pal.
ace, burned In 1907 by an angry mob.
With Milan, Bologna pours forth ever
fresh life to the socialist liberalIst cur
rents in Italian politics. And, coInci.
dentally, Milan and Bologna are the
only two towns In Italy where there
exists anything like the so-called night
life of great capitals. In this respect
as In many others Bologna ''feels big
ger" to the visitor than the number of
its inhabitants would imply.
Architecturally, the entire city is In
contrast with the ardent pleasure-lov-
Ing character of the inhabitants. The
gothic municipal buildings, which tes-
tify to an ancient and intense com
munal life, the many fine churches, the
hundreds of fine private palaces, the
towers, the miles Of arcades, the we'll
supplied yet severe display windows,
give a thoroughly monastic air to the
place. Alas for externalsI One soon
discovers that cafes are numerous and
well freQuented. The easy freedom Of
Bologna might be taken by pietist for
simple godlessness. Yet Bologna is to-
day one Of the most interesting cities
in Italy. Too long 1t has been buried
under the reputation Of Florence, rich
er in museums surely, but not nearly
so interesting modern city, nor so fine
a specimen OF the antique. Externally
Bologna bears comparison wita its
Tuscan rlv