The Raymer enterprise., 1920-11-18
PISA: AN OLD CURIOSITY
SHOP OF HISTORY

SHOP OF HISTORY
A city Of 10000 skyscrapers before
Peter Mlnuit bought Manhattan island
for the present price of supper at
a Broadway cabaret.
A city that warred and traded with
empires, yet plunged into a disastrous
struggle with rival city over the
rights to lapdog.
A city which was seized after a
florentine Hobson bottled up" its
harDor entrance with sunken boats
slx centuries before the battle off San
tiag0 bay.
Such is Pisa. whose leaning tower
was endangered by recent earthquake
tremors In Italy.
risas record abounds in Incidents as
freakish as Its famous tower; vet 1t
possesses a history necessarily more
significant than any British or Amer.
lean city.
indicative Of Pisa's Importance in
the thirteenth century was her send
ing an ambassador to Rome. There
Dy hangs the story Of the lapdog. Dur.
ing the coronation ceremonies Of
Frederick II the Florentine emissary
admired the Iapdog Of certain car
dinal, so that dignitary promised to
give the tiny animal to its admirer.
Next day the Pisan ambassador said
rev Kind words about the same dog.
ana the cardinal just as readily prom
ised 1t to him. The Blorentine sent
for his gift, and got It; the Pisan sent,
ana received an apology. Florentlnes
began joking the Pisans about this in
cident, and fights ensued on the Ro-
man streets. When the Pisan home
folks heard this 1t gave them an ex-
ceilent chance to pick quarrel that
mad long been simmering. A sort Of
medieval Boston tea party was staged
BY the Pisans, who seized all the en-
emy merchandise within their reach,
and thus precipitated the first of
series Of wars with Florence which
eliminated In the subjection Of Pisa
BY her longtime rival.
The lapdog story seems trivial, yet
Characteristic Of certain childish
quality noticeable among the juvenile
civic nationalities that preceded ma
tional Italy. As further proof one
might recall the occasion when the
victorious army Of Lucca hung upon
q Pisan tower a mirror with the In
scrption "Oh women Of Pisa, use
these to look at yourselves" No 9th.
er challenge was needed for the Pisans
to march to the gate of Lucca, and
there to plant poles, topped with mir
rors. bearing retaliatory comment.
Were super Rip Van Winkle Of
medieval Pisa to come with his latter
day c0mpatriots to Ellis island In 1920,
not only the national bird Of his
adopted land. but the skyscraper line
Of New York might make him feel at
home.
Towers they were called, these Pisa
skyscrapers, huddled together for all,
the world like groups Of tall apartment
houses. Two reasons are assigned for
this method Of building, common to
Italian towns of the twelfth century.
One was that the wall permitted only
vertical expansion when population
pressure increased. Another, believ-
able In view Of the constant facflonal
fights and family feuds. attributed
them to the necessity for protection.
Bridges that could be thrown from
tower to tower further suggested the
skyscraper likeness On these precur-
sors Of the modern fire escape. many
community battle has ragged.
The Leaning Tower of Pisa served
humanity well, aside from becoming
the most effective bit Of city adver-
Using yet devised, for It permitted
Calico, native Of Pisp, to carry on
his experiments with the laws govern
ing the pendulum.