The New York herald., 1922-07-23
ITALIANS EXTENDING
AMERICAN STUDIES
Widen Opportunities for Co
operation in Exchange of
Summer Courses.
UNIVERSITY IS OPENED
Excursion Planned by Inter-
national Institute for Stu
dents of Agriculture.

Special Correspondence to THE NEW YORK
HERALD.
ROME, July S.-Arrangements for the
largest scheme so far projected for
bringing the American student in touch
with modern Italy are being worked out
here under the auspices of the Italy
America societies Of New York and
Rome, the University of Rome, the
American Academy of Rome. the Inter-
national Institute Of Agriculture and
Italian industrial leaders.
The plan in which these organizations
are cooperating Is to send to Italy, be-
ginning next surpmer. group of SO or
zoo American students and teachers who
will spend a month in specialized study
Of some phase Of italian life. Miss Irene
di Robilant of Rome. who for the last
two years has been in New York as the
executive manager Of the Italy-America
Society, Is spending severa! weeks in
Rome and Milan making all arrange
ments for next summers excursion.
According to Miss di Robilant the
Italy America Society is anxious to ex-
tend the knowledge of Americans about
Italy in other directions besides the ira
ditional one of art.
''The art side of Italian life Is all that
Americans come here to get" said Miss
di Robilant. "They do not realize that
the new Italy has developed significant
phases which call for the understanding
OF America For instance, here Is the
valley Of the Po, which is now the best
cultivated area in the entire world due
to perfecting the irrigation scheme con-
ceived originally by Leonardo da vinci
Americans should study also our indus
tries in the Milan district In order to
convince themselves that Italy Is capable
OF manufacturing American raw mate
rials for export to the Near East"
Plans for Next Year.
Accordingly the plan for next year
has been sketched as follows: The Uni
versity of Rome, which Is now giving its
first six weeks course specially designed
for American students, Is prepared to
repeat the course next year for students
desiring general view of the language,
literature. politics and art of the coun-
try. The American Academy will give
course in archaeology for the graduate
students under some of the best Ameri-
can archeologists.
Students Of agriculture will be taken
on an excursion through the farming
areas of the country under the auspices
OF the International Institute of Agri-
culture, which has a large staff of ex-
perts Signora Rosetti-Agresti. who was
associated with the building up of the
institute, and who will make a lecture
tour OF America next winter, Is person.
ally interesting herself in planning the
agricultural excursion. A fourth group
of students and teachers will make a
tour Of the Italian manufacturing and
shipping centers under the direction of
anf cfvio
vanni Caproni.
These courses will be given stimuli
taneously from July Is to August 15
and will end in general reunion in
Rome, after which the students will
be free to scatter to other parts of
Europe before returning to their uni
versities in America.
Miss di Robilant said that the trim
was being arranged at minimum prices.
The tourist organization of the Italian
State Railways will charter steamer
II sufficient students register, and thus
reduce the passage cost to a minimum,
while railroad fares in Italy will be
cut to a fraction of the ordinary rate.
The cooperation of prominent Italian
women and Of such organizations as
the Anglo-American Nursing Home Is
being obtained for making satisfactory
living arrangements, especially for the
women students.
Result of Cooperative Work.
The interest In this plan which is
being displayed by university heads and
professors on both sides of the Allan
tic. is a work of building up close cul-
tural and commercial cooperation be-
tween Italy and America carried on
by the twin organizations of the Italy
America Society in New York and the
Associations Italo-Americana in Rome
Leading the work are such Americans
as Paul Cravath, Thomas H. Lamont,
Ambassador Richard Washburn Child
and H. Nelson Gay, and such prominent
Italians as Arduino Colosanti Minister
of Fine Arts; Giuseppe Biraghi, head
of the cabinet of the Ministry of Edu-
cation; Senator Francesca Ruffini and
Prof Carlo Rormichi of the University
of Rome.
The work of these organizations has
already borne fruit in the establishment
In Rome of an excellent library for
American studies In Italy. and a bureau
for cultural, business and general in
formation on Italy for the use Of Amer
leans in New York. AS result of the
growing sympathy being built up be-
tween the two countries the University
of Rome Is for the first time this year
opening It's doors in a special summer
course for American students.
The presence of Prof. Kenneth Mac
Kenzie as exchange professor In the
University of Bologna is another con-
crete result of the work of the So
cieties and 1t is hoped that next year
the first italian exchange professor will
be sent to America. 1t Is believed that
Princess Santa Borghese, assistant pro-
fessor of English in.the University Of
Rome and the holder of diplomas from
Oxford, Rome and Bologna. will be the
exchange professor for next year.
Miss d Robilant's interest in the
building up of friendship between the
two countries began in the war, when
she drove an ambulance In the relief
unit donated by George Baker, Jr. She
was one of the twenty-five Italian
women who had the rank Of officer in
the war and has received all the mill
tary decorations. Her father. Senator
Mario di Robilant was commander of
the fourth army, and Is the seventh
general In the noble Piedmont family,
which has been a force in Italy for
many centuries.
Shortly after the formation OF the
Italo-Americana Society In 1919 Miss di
Robilant went to New York to take
charge of the work. and is returning In
a few weeks to continue her activities
In America