Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial. (Wilmington, Del.) 1878-1928, 1922-01-17
DANTE'S SExENTENARY



~ ~ osa>usy Cub and ~
gUou0no A01AAy Wen GAogsfy csss-
Vsasa hate's RueateNAry. Our
nAton InS>oy Harvey. who 10 AZ
uoOo1onAny vosus1 ~ ne Italian Ian
ouneN hsesNturs ana history. n to
pogeooeAeo - o. of ne celebrations.
or Oeev IhsAr.An. Mr.. Hallsv. i'd
Woeo - " ~ Hreat demand for books
~ tAltnA Mleraturo And hfs stimuli
,eaed 6y pau1oV ss1an<~nAry.
Last Novsmbsr . prdm1nsnt New
Ycsh haitian prsssntsd 70 crr Nation
q Capital. Q monument At Dante.
rruuAd&nt Harding and ex-Prcmier
vsvlAni Of France. VIM, like Napoleon
AuuapnrtA has IAnAn blood moving
n hts welnA paAd g,cwsns tr4outc to
Ne lmmostA PVT
Las Jusy. one hundred and sixty
yuvne American students sailsd for
Italy 10 bc pr~esut NJ the celebrations
commenwratins tho six hundredth an
nIvvruAry of DNnts's dAth- They
phcvd . memorial wreath upon the
paU4O epWh In RAvsnnA IN behalf N
inao1tus9ons q learning In the United
oAtsn. The American Delegation. %
hguadly representative Of our academic
Ma. had tho distinction OF being the
fsrN Official d~legAtion Of American
students ~ Italy. American interest
n pAnss 10 revealed 10 he broader thar
might commonly m supposed.
Quito Appropriately. the mcmbcrs n
the party wcrc mostly drawn from
admirers II ths romance lAnguaResi
and the fAo< that interest In the Dante
ccmmsnscrAtton h being manifested ~
widely proves ne rcsi!ty Of tho grea'
italian pc~s's hold on tho youth OF
twenstosh century America.
hut DAnte's hold on young Anrcrics
10 q virise and VITAL not n mcrel,
academic hid In spite OF hit
m~itasval ccsmowony and the darkness
und~r which he lobored the truth'
wharh he exyrcssod were ovcrlcstsns
trutha. and fundamentally modern. Al
pat. ~ philosopher. and as guide AND
prWegeor to man upon his earthly pn
gv1mA9~. Dante hangs tn all the age
end NOT merely To tho Italy OF th'
fourteenth century. In America ht
fame has long burned with a 'br'ish
and steady light. Lowell and Long
fetiVW WViV Rh'u2 NV N'a''tN '''
mpss enthusiastic VI hrs followers OF
this a,ie of thu Atlantic: and thei
wrrk Of interpreting tho writings o
Dante has ham carried ON by band
81 devoted erholars not alone at Har
vrri but ~ many other American uni
vcrwitics.
II IL quite appropriate for us a
wnming,onians, 10 turn our thought
for n moment 10 tho greatest lumi
nary IN thu armament OF culture
Arthur Rrisbanc. one OF the creates
American puhlic,s,s and a sincer'
lover of Italy. rertinently remarks
TO Homer. Dante ana Shakespcar
add the Bible, and you have the fou
works that should he read all throug
lifu. The bible In included in the lis
because OF It's magnificent writinI
nr~rt from spiritual value Rea
Isaiah and Job dozen times. Mt leas
and the Sermon on tho Mount nj lear
twioe for every year OF your life.
Homer. Dante. Shakespeare and tn
Bible any man can own. Every boo
store has them. II you know" thos
four hooks. you know your iangua 81
and you DO POUR thinking seated o
tho hish peaks Of genius.
"A dwarf on the shoulders Of
giant secs farther than tho giant
You will never go M far as HOME
Dante or Shakespeare could see,~ fo
you have no, their eyes. But rea
them thoroughly and YOU add or
Thousand per cent TO your fntellec
tusi cyesixht
Dante. GScator OF tho Italian lar
guaGc. one Who built On HIS own mi
fovtunea. sorrows and hatreds a mon,
ment Ia his genius that will last 70
ever. In rs much part OF an INTEL
s~nt mans reading as steel Is pa
~ building. Ruslsin says, al
byron said I, before him. There
no tenderness like Dartes. nei;h
amy Intensity nor seriousness Ike h
ouch seriousness that Il is inc.
pablo Of percelving that which is cor
monplaco or ridiculous. but fuses {
down into Its wh'tchot fire."
Giuseppe Mazzini. the prophet
the Italian Risorximento. who wi
Cnvour. Garibaldl and Victor En-
manuel IL shares the glory of ha'