New-York tribune., 1922-05-28
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HOOVER
Touring Italy
(Coutinued from, page t,co)


thar night when | went TO see the second
,erformance of Catalanis new opera. LA
W.Ily," that presently will come vending It's
nav into America | saw as perfect a pro
luc.on as ! have ever seen in the United
states; and | have seen many mighty good
mes in my own country. The great house
,efurbshed and recarpeted and reseated
SLED with the glory of Milan-it was a gala
7rht-was enough of q show in itself Add
10 this really fine new opera perfectly pre-.
sented, with q scenic investiture that would
have done high credit to David Belasco or q
Joseph Urban, and one realizes that no mat
ter how much of Italy's other glories NAV be
IN the musty past that of her chief CONNER
.ial and industrial city is in the present and
the future.
THE approach to Venice by rail is strangely
reminiscent OF that to Atlantic City-or
to Galveston, a wide expanse of perfectly
fat marsh borders the head Of the Adriatc
Sea-one can see across it for many miles
One discovers Venice from afar, Just like Gal
weston or Atlantic City, and reaches her BY
two-mile railroad causeway, built of 222
brick arches; itself quite a remarkable CON
sructon. There is no highway bridge, for
the simple reason that there are no wheeled
vehicles in Venice. But of that more in mo
ment.
The resemblance between Venice and Allan
tic City forever ceases the moment that you
pass through the portals of the railway sta
tion. In front of you d broad street-of
water. Fronting it many old houses tightly
placed together, their facades once gay in
red, now faded by time and the blazing south
ern sun into tones of indescrbable softness..
"A taxi to the Royal Danieli' was my de
mand
The porter of that tavern all but completely
lost his poise and his politeness and smiled in.
my face l had forgotten there were no taxis
in Venice We were ushered into waiting
gondola, of evident venerablity, yet most
steady seagoing hack it really was We
threaded the Grand Canal; several little
canals also. We went round sharp right
angled turns with d vast rapidity Our gon-
doer was devilish fellow. He sang his calls
al the turn. Finally our hotel a respondent
old Venetian palace 500 years old-and in
the bathroom of our suite the newest of plumb
ing made in London town. Our BEDS once the
property of doge; elaborate affairs they are
in the solidity of gliding and their intermin-
able carvings. But the old doge could not
turn hot water with spigot or the cleo
trio reading light above the bed.
Glow much?" we asked our seagong taxi
cabber
"Thirty-fve lire" he replied without hesita-
ton. The robber! For with the Ira even at
five cents this was a large charge indeed.
We turned in desperation and utter
bolr 70 he hOte el tho
the landing wharf.
"Twenty lire" he ruled.
"Thirty lire protested the genial pirate
of the gondola.
Twenty lire stood the porter of the Royal
Danieli.
We paid the 20 lire and then, in moment
OF weakness, added two little lire as sort
Of miserable pol0-bojre.
You should not have given him that two
lire said he who had come so noby to our
aid We trying TO abolish the wretched
tipping system here in Italy
So it is. Actually, so it is. That is, unless
you are the foolish sort of American traveller
who hardly keep his hands out of his
pocket under any conditions. Some months
ago the larger hotels of Italy, at the request
OF their employees, abolished the tipping sys-
TEN and substituted for it an added charge
OF 10 per cent upon the totals of the bills--in
Milan 1t Is is per cent, but elsewhere it is
H. i am not saying that the hotel and res
taurant employees here Will not accept tips
IN three separate cases where ! proffered them
they were promptly accepted. Human nature
is almost always human nature. But l am
merely stating the astonishing fact that sew
efal days in a high grade Venetian hotel
without giving a single gratuity of any sort
whatsoever have brought me the most excel
leht service. And when | go there will be no
double file Of servants with outstretched
pa!mS awaiting me at the door. The hotels
themselves have ended the practice.
lhl the life in Venice is never TO be meas
ufed as matter Of pour -boires, OF of their
sck' Life IN Venice is seemingly the most
sfefree thing IN all this world Whether 1t
" IN reality to the folk who must walk its
narrow streets all the days of their lives or
''ae through its and ofttimes odorous
canals shall never know nor care. For me
venice Is to-day. When / wish to see the
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