Evening star., 1927-05-19

in the cinders have marked where
men were, but continued not; but in
the walls of palatial homes and still
more pretentious public buildings are
preserved golden vases, marble and
bronze statuary, mosaics and painted
pictures, and written records and lit
erature done with the stylus upon
sheets of papyrus. Above all in inter
est are the architectural remains.
The art Of the days of the great de.
struction remains the wonder and in
spiratiOn Of modern artists. All the
world, therefore, will stand in eager
interest while Mussolini's excavators
proceed to unearth the buried treas.
ures of Herculaneum, richer perhaps
in art than was even Pompeii. 1t was
the play city of luxurious aristocrats.
y * **
Contrast the destruction and the
subsequent preservation of the relics
of its wrath, wrought by fire in SO or
by water in 1927! What wealth will
the present Mississippi River flood
bury in sand or carry off to the seal
How much will be preserved of the
home comforts and art of today for
the vision of future generations? Or,
home for home, wherein are the resi-
dences of the most luxurious Ameri-
cans superior to those of the people
of Pompeii and Herculaneum? The
beginning and the climax" of the
Christian era,
Chiefly, the difference will be found
now in the more evenly distributed
comforts of life. In ancient days, the
slaves-white or colored-lived at
night in holes in the ground, and wore
chains on their legs. They were more
miserable, perhaps, than were the col
ored slaves Of America, for they were
educated, refined in breeding and
therefore more sensitive. There were
many more slaves than free-more
captured "barbariansP than native
Romans. All We're ruled with tyranny
and cruelty, while personal initiative
and liberty were suppressed.
| Italy or the Roman Empire origi'
mated little Of its own art or valuable
productions, but got it's wealth almost
exclusively out of conquest. Outside
of the brief century of the Renais'
sance, what has the Rome of more
recent ages accomplished beyond re-
| tanning the art of those brilliant dec
| AIDES?
/ The undertaking of Mussolini to
create a new economic Italy is monu
mental in its scope, If carried out as
professed, and while it affects no
greater population than may now be
affected by our Mississippi flood, the
| task of inspiring an equal self-relf'
I ance, initiative and efficiency Is not to
| be compared with the easier burden
| upon American enterprise and Govern
i ment in setting our tiood sufferers on
| their feet, for with widespread educa'
ton and self-reliance our burden is
| light"
There is divergence of opinion as
| to the genuineness Of Mussolinl s
plans to rehabilitate or create Italian
productive efficiency. There are
some who look upon MusSolini as the
| worlds most outstanding genius and
| statesman. There are others who are
more cynical, who point rather to the
crushing of personal liberty, the So
cialistic abasement of human rights
| in behalf Of the state. Such skeptics
see little practical differences be-
! tween a Mussolini and a Lenin. Both
are charged with oppression and die
| tatOrial tyranny.
| Indignant denial will declare that
| FaScimo hts the conditions found In
| Italy, where the people are alleged
| to have Sunken into idleneSS and
dreaming, and where they needed a
dictator to arouse them to systematic
| industry. Yet it is Mussolini him.
self who says the youth of Italy are
| tired of liberty and want only order
| want hierarchy and dictatorship
and direction-not personal freedom.
Jf that he q correct estimate of
Italian development, how far have
present day standards and efficiency
| of the masses advanced over such as
| built Herculaneum and Pompeii? A
| study of the state of civilization, as
disclosed by the ruins of the ash
buried cities. indicates that before
! Mussolini surpasses it he will have
a long way to travel.
Mussolini was as much a Socialist
as Lenin himself before the World
War. Ills recent biographer. Luigo