Mexico Missouri message., 1918-01-17

commonly receives. For some
reasons most travellers leave
unvislted this very old yet strangely
modern and democratic city Of over
10000 Inhabitants. Yet hardly any
one In the world but has heard of the
town. For this is the home of Bologna
sausage, renowned and savory NOR
tadella, writes Edgar Ansel Mowrer to
the Chicago Daily News.
First Llgurian, then an Etruscan,
Roman, a medieval, a thoroughly mod
ern Italian town, Bologna is today the
seat OF good museum and a fine col
lection Of paintings Of the late rena-
Scence, type Guido Reni. Architectur-
ally, however, It is predominantly me-
dieval. The finest of its fine old public
buildings are a sort Of Lombard gothic.
over Its fine palaces, it's solid pictur-
esque old-worldliness, rise many tow
ers-that Of the Asinelli more than 800
years old and 820 feet high. 1t leans
four feet out Of the perpendicular.
Near 1t, near enough to astonish a Wis
ttor-one cannot imagine why these
two should have been begun within a
year and within thirty feet of each
other-is the other leaning tower, the
Tore Garisenda, unfinished, only 1853
feet high, but eight feet out Of the
perpendicular. Pisa's famous leaning
tower Is 20 feet higher and only leans
ID feet. But all this and more can be
found In any guide book.
More interesting are the intimate
sensations and aspects Of the place, its
personality among cities. These de-
mand and will repay q visit to the
handsome medieval town-medieval
yet quite modern-thronged with his
toric specters. Here EMO, son Of the
Emperor Frederick H. was confined for
some twenty years after Bologna with
the rest Of the Lombard league defeat
ed the emperor at Fossalta. Here "a
1o47 was held session of the Council
Of Trent here Rossini studied music
early In the last century, and later
built himself house. And here, too,
Carducci, modern Italy's greatest poet
and splendid figure. taught literature
and wrote beautiful and defiant words.
At the hotel where 1 write is an In
scriptlon to the effect that Lord Byron
once '1ived and conspired" in this very
house. And the inscription Is by Car
ducci. Yet perhaps the greatest citizen
OF Bologna was Giovanni Calvin, the
inventor of the galvanic battery and q
contemporary of Franklin.
Oldest University There.
"BonOnia docet"-Bologna teaches
announces the inscription on many an
Did coin. The university, the Oldest, If
I am not mistaken, in Europe, is re-
puted to have been founded by TheO- |
dosius the Great in 425. For nearly l.
BOO years 1t has been a mecca Of stu
dents. Even today Its reputation,
though less than 1t was, Is consider
able. But In 1862 the number of stu.
dents is supposed to have reached TO-
600. During the middle ages its name |
was synonymous with legal learning. |
Bologna led In law, as Paris in the
ology. Women were students and even |
occupied PROFESSIONAL chairs.
The beauty of one fair pedagogue,
Novella d'Andrea, must have been dis |
nstrous, for the good lady was COM
PEELED to lecture from behind a screen
The ArchlglnnasiO Antico, an old build |
ing formerly the seat of the university, |
bears painted on its inner walls the |
coats Of arms Of thousands Of former |
students, literally from every country |
In Europe. The newer buildings, near |
the Pinacoteca, lack atmosphere. Yet |
there are still many woman students. |
/ noticed today with pleasure a con-
stant passing Of co-eds through the dig |
nified main entrance. Alas the uni |
versity is itself party to the war. A |
placard outside the building proclaims |
It place Of refuge in case Of air raids,
80 far uninterrupted.
Disturbed by the War.
Yet not for nothing is Bologna a |
fortress guarding the Apennine passes
aad tha anat of an aFnau nnrwas A At,a |