The Caledonian-record. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1920-current, 1921-02-28
PISA: AN OLD CURIOSITY
SHOP OF HISTORY


A city Of 10000 skyscrapcrs before
Peter Minuit bought Manhattan island
for the present price of supper at
a Broadway cabaret.
4 city that warrcd and traded with
empires, yet plunged into disastrous
struggle with Il rival city over the
rights to Il lapdos.
A city which was seized after a
Florcnline Hobson bottled up its
harbor entrance with Suuken boats
six centuries before the battle off San
tiaGO bay.
Such is Pisa. whose leaning tower
WAS endangered by recent earthquake
tremors in Italy.
PiSa's record ahoundS in incidents as
freakish as its famous tower; yet it
possesses a history necessarily more
lean city.
Indicative Of Pisa's importance in
the thirteenth century was her send
ing an ambassador to Rome. There
by hangs the story of the lapdog. Dur
ing the coronation ceremonies Of
Frederick ii the Florcntinc cniS>ary
admired the lapdog of a certain car
dihaI, so that dignitary promised 10
give the tiny animal TO its admrrr.
Next day the piSan ambassador said Il
few kind words about the same dog.
and the cardinal just as readily prom
ised it TO him. The Florcntinc sent
for his gift, and got ii; the pisan sent,
and received an apology. Florentines
began joking the pisanS about this in
cidcnt, and fights cnSucd on the Eo.
man streets. When the pisan home
folks heard this it gave them an eX-
cellcnt chance To pick quarrel that
had long been Sinmering. 4 sort of
medieval Boston tea party was staged
10y the PiSanS, who seized all the en-
cmy merchandise within their reach,
and thus prccipitatcd the first Of
series of wars with Florence which
eliminated in the subsection of Pisa
by her longtime rival.
The lapdog story seems trivial. Yet
characteristic OF a certain childish
quality noticeable among the juvenile
civic nalOnalticS that proceeded ma
tional Italy. AS further proof one
might recall the occasion when the
victorious army OF Lucca hung upon
Il piSan tower IL mirror with the IN
Scriptjon "Oh women of Pisa, use
these TO look at yOursclyes.' No 9th.
or challenge was needed for the PiS1ns
10 march In the gate of Lucca. and
there to plant poles, topped with mir
rorS, bearing rctaliatory comment.
Were n super Rip Van Wrinkle Of
medieval Pisa 10 come With his latter
day c0mpatriots to Ellis island in 1920,
not only the national bird of his
adopted land, but the skyscrapcr line
OF New York might make him feel at
homo.
Towers they were called. these Pisa
skysCrapers, huddlcd 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, bclicv-
able in view of the constant factional
fights and family fcuds, attributed
them 10 the necessity for protection.
Bridges that could be thrown from
tower to tower further suggested the
skyScrapcr likeness. On these precur-
sors of the modern fire escape, many
IL community battle has ragged.
The Leaning Tower Of Pisa served
humanity we'll, aside from becoming
the most effective bit Of city advcr-
Using yet devised, for it permitted
Calico, native Of Pisa, to carry on
his experiments with the laws govern
ing the pendulum,
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