Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1921-04-13
GRACE.
Hotel Savoia & Jolanda,
Naples, Italy,
Feb. II, 1921.

My dearest Mother:
The whole of Italy is one big
Art Gallery, and more can be learned
here in a day than from years of
study at. home, but when all is said,
the most attractive feature of our
life over here, is the habits and every
day life of the people. 1t is certainly
the land of Ulysses "Lotus Eaters,
and the many Americans I meet here,
are Of the same opinion.
Let me tell you about St. Marks
Square, and it's many surrunding
beauties. Napoleon called this square
"the most sumptuous reception hall
known, and around it are built the
most handsome palaces in the city.
All the ground floors are filled with
cafes and fine shops, but the coffee
and tea shops are the places which
draw the crowds. They are built on
most artistic plains and very elegant
inside, while all around on the street
outside are placed tables and seats
where those who prefer can have
their tea served in the open air. The
coffee is very strong and always SER
we'd with about three fourths boiled
milk to dilute, while pastries are
passed around on large trays. An
orchestra plays to the well dressed
crowds,who throng there to drink tea
and chat, as though there was not an
other thing in life half as important.
Dark-haired, dusky looking women
pass in and out among the tables
with huge baskets of flowers for
saie, and, it must be confessed, moth
ing could be pleasanter.
We spent the morning going over
the Doge's palace. While it was most
interesting it was hard for an Amer
lean of the twentieth century to take
in these glimpses of life of the mid
die ages. Side by side with their ca
pacity for creating beauty, were ex-
amples Of cruelty too horrible to de-
scribe. We saw banquet halls, senate
chambers and throne rooms that SIM
ply would have to be seen to believe
that such magnificence was ever put
to use; yet joined to that same palace
| is prison so horrible that you can
not realize it also was put to use. AS
we crossed the "Bridge of Sights"
which connects the Doge's Palace
with the prison, I tried to forget the
torture chambers of the past, for the
sunshine of the present.
Later we went through the Arse
nal of Venice where we met two de-
Ilightful Americans. One was an Off
Ger from our battleship Crooks"
stationed here, while the other has
charge of the sailors order of "The
knights of Columbus" in Venice.
Both spoke good Italian and inter-
preted much of the life around here
for us, which heretofore was seal
ed book. They say there are three
reasons why Italy does not love A
merica: first, President Wilson
thwarted their ambition in regard
Fiume; second, the depreciation OF
the value of lire is laid to our door,
and; third, Prohibition in America
has killed their export trade in wines
and the poor devils have little else to
export. Italy has no wheat nor coal
and the government is buying them
at an enormous cost. In fact these be-
ing absolutely essential to human
life, the government buys both and
sells them to the people far below
cost, thereby losing billions of lire
to preserve human life. 1t looks like
these nnations have a hard road tc
travel as long as the rate of exchange
remains so low, and it is going to up
set the world if things don't improve
Our sailors over here draw theil
pay, which when changed to lires,a
mounts to sum as large as the sal
ary of an Italian bank president. VI
the other hand the Italian sailor
draws the equivalent of about a quar-
ter of a cent day. 1t looks hard
doesn't it,.
) There is one thing you will under
stand after trip to Europe as neve'
; before, and that is what a powerful
institution. in one period of tn
f worlds history, the Catholic churcl
has been. Such wealth and grandeu
as exist in their churches even toda.
, is hard to grasp. Some of them ar
2 regular Art Galleries and treasur
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