The Lehi sun. [volume] (Lehi, Utah) 1913-1949, 1922-03-09

prepared by the National Geographic So
ciety, Washington. ID. CO
Capri. once the beautiful island
pleasure home of Roman emperors,
lies like an hour-glass on its side In
the blue waters Of the Bay Of Naples.
The glamor OF its old associations still
persists, but It's appeal to the many
tourists who now swarm to Its shores
Is the same, no doubt MS that which
drew great Romans to Tits delight
full climate, neither stimulating nor
enervatIng. and It's wonderful scenery
OF land and sea and sky.
Capri itself Is overlooking with
strange interest and beauty-crags,
terraced hills, the blue sea rufiied
white among half-covered rocks; In
comparable sunsets; and among all OF
natures beauties the scattered works
OF man from the ruins Of ancient mar
BILE palaces to modern villas.
Only a few miles across the sap
phlre bay Naples and the Neapolltan
coast are spread out In all their be-
wilderlng features. One writer has
described Capri and the nelghborlng
coast as more like miracle than an
accident Of nature, while another has
complained that the scenery Is "tOo
much like theater curtains come to
life" Nevertheless, every person who
arrives at Naples under fair skies and
beholds this llttoral for the first time
must be affected by It's loneliness.
Capri is an esthetlc wonder of the
world. Its area is but six square
miles; but surely nowhere else in the
world are so much lOvellness and 40
many Interesting things packed In so
little space. Artists have always
aocked TO Capri, each year bringing a
fresh brood, confident In It's ability
to paint the unpalntable cliffs and sea.
Some of these fingered on, some to
marry the handsome Capri girls, and
Howelrs Englishman who came to the
Island for three months and stayed
for thirty years is not a unique case
In this respect.
The fame OF the Blue Grotto has
made Capri shOw.place. and for up
ward of hundred years. day after
day. the tide OF seaslck tourists has
flowed and ebbed. In spite Of these
daily caravans, h0wever--in spite OF
the Anacapri road, the FunIcular
road, the Strada Krupp, much taste
less villa-buIldlng. and-before the
war-the vast hordes Of Germans.
Capri Is still essentially unspoiled.
IL Is true that the Capri women gave
up wearing their costume thirty years
ago; that the old Greek forms have
dropped out OF the island speech; that
the old days have gone forever; but.
despite this. there has been a gain in
convenience and comfort Of living for
both CapresI and foreigners. even nj
loss OF picturesqueness, and the com
PORTING fact remains that Capri's
beauty Is rugged and perennial, not TO
be destroyed by man.
Acquired by Augustus.
Capri was the first point in Cam.
pania where the Greeks obtained A
foothold, and Augustus possibly did a
tar-sighted thing by securing Il for
the empire in r. C. 20, thus prevent.
Ing Its seizure By eremles or nv
pirates. There was oer.omly the mat.
Ter OF pirates 10 be considered. They
have always been a pest OF the Medl.
terranean. AT the time OF PomDey's
celebrated campaign against the Medl.
terranean pirates. O. b. c.. they we're
wen organized ard intrenched: thew
mad naval stations and beacon towers
IN various places Centuries later the
English actually did seize Caprl In
1906 and called It the Little ClbraI
tar They might have held II Nor.
haps, to this day hut for the nm Incl
and incompetence OF Col. Hudson
Lowe later Napoleon's TALLER AT 81
Helena. -
The ruin Of the Capri Pharos m,
ancient lighthouse, so close 10 m,
largest OF the ruined palaces on Cnprl
Is a paramount point In the archaeol
ogy Of the island. The selection ~
capri by Augustus was most llkel,
biased to considerable degree nv m,
taet that II was Ideally situated fol
the Pharos. This was one Of thu mas
important lighthouses OF antiquity.