The weekly times-record. (Valley City, N.D.) 1912-1922, 1921-09-08

|
life. Just mention the Royal Opera
/, or Berlin and his eyes just beam
with pleasure. Not that he is getting
old, even though he is sixty, but it is
| the enthusiasm that he has for any
| thing musical. His whole enthusiasm
now is put into his pupils. He has
but a few but he devotes his time to
! them and personally I think the
person who could not learn to sing
from him had better pack his trunk
and 60 back home. He has hun
dredss of applications from people
who desire to study but am told
| that he doesn't c.--e to teach over
ten or twelve. All he better for that
! ten or twelve, OF whom happen to
| be one, for they get 50 much more.
Generally speaking, the living ex-
penses here are considerably cheaper
than in the States, possibly about two
thirds what it would cost in Chicago.
! OF course the tourist is the one who is
he buys K i IS the custom 1 in America
/ to go into store and ask the price of
an article and if the price is too high
one leaves and goes elsewhere. The
American here is different (the tour
list mean) In the first place he
doesn't know the comparative value Of
the dollar and lire and many of them
who are out for good. time don't care.
It is the custom among the Italians
to ask more for an article than they ex-
pect to get even among their own peo-
pie. After short argument salts
factory price is reached which is u.s.
ually about right for these people are
! vi oil I'D o1,,a no
American enters the store and asks
He can't argue with them and they
it or leaves it. He may as we'll
( shop keeper will do likewise. If he
right but where is the honest guide
lions with the Longones has proven
a wonderful help in locating the best
stores, which are usually one price
stores and, in many cases, we have
been able to get good discounts.
.'The political situation here leaves
things in terrible condition. The
prevailing sentiment here is socialis-
tic but there are Socialists Of vary
ing degrees. There is the Fascist
(something like that, which is the
rabid element, then the Socialists
who, though real Socialists, are not
so rabid about it. then the Catholic
party, composed of every part put
under that head on account Of their
religion. Opposed to these rarties is
the conservative governmental party;
which. though controlling the, gov
eminent at this time. does not have
enough of majority to enable
them to take firm stand against
any measure whatever that is decid-
eddy anti-Socialistic. At the present
time majority of the Catholic party
votes with the governmental party
but the makeup of the Catholic party
is such that no one knows how they
will vote on any one thing. AS an ex-
ample Of things, we have just had a
combined telephone, telegraph and
postal strike which lasted two weeks
and just ended last Saturday. These
men reported for work each day but
refused to work and nothing could be
done until the House of Deputies met.
It was impossible to get word in or
out of Italy except n an extremely
urgent matter and then the fee was
terrible. When> the House of Depu-
ties MET they discharged 1000 post
Office employees and allowed the de-
mands of the balance. This took two
weeks of consideration and about ten
! minutes to settle it after the Cham
Der met. Apparently, no one could
settle it before. The Fascist element
is strong here in Naples and are
causing considerable trouble just at
present. They go into store and ask
their prices and, regardless of costs,
they usually demand them to put their
prices down before such date or they
will bust up the place. Last night
they completely destroyed cafe and
nothing seems to be done about it.
They consist Of mob of abut 600
students about eighteen years Of age:
no older, and have no more idea Of
values than their age will allow. These,
are only couple Of the many similar,
cases.
III must say that we are learning
to like Naples very much. The first
week or two it seems that it would
J! be impossible to stay two years in:
such a place but we have gotten to
the point that we can eat spaghetti
once day without the use Of bib,
and go down through most Of the al
leys without the use of a gas mask.
The weather is ideal. What little,
rain we have consists Of a few show
} ers about every other day. The
nights are nice and cool and even
the days never get warmer than 90
4 degrees. They say that the winters
are equally as nice.
Gust now the language is the
| most important for it is the key to
the rest and let me tell you I'm not.
finding it an easy matter to learn.
Flo doesn't seem to have much trou-
BILE with it but I'm determined to get
it mastered enough to get by on all
4 occasions before the last of August.
Of course the acting does not come
for at least six mnths yet. BY that
4 time we will have a good start on
the others. One does not have to
have over three operas to begin
with, so ! am hoping that we will
I - .Ao.koJ ~, nooornhor 900