The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1928-04-25

NOR can we tell when modern"
~ history began; life is too COM
pick and manifold to lend itself
readily to these dSSections. We
can only say that modernity dates
variously in divers fields; in Htera-
ture, from the invention Of printing
towards 1850; in economic life, from
the discovery of America and the
passage of civilization from the
Mediterranean to the Atlantic; in
religion and politics, from Luther's
rebellion of 1917. which broke up
the unity of Christianity and estab-
liShed the nationalistic modern
state in science, from Copernicus
book on The Revolutions of Celes-
tial Orbs," 1913; and in philosophy
from Bacon'S Advancement OF
Learning" 1909
But in art, who shall say?-or
shall we confess bitterly and sadly,
that the renaissance belongs rather
to the Catholic Middle Ages than to
protestant and scientific modern
times? Perhaps machinery destroyed
art when it displaced the artisan,
and quality went when quantity
came?
For the present we must forget
modernity and America, and put
ourselves back into a time when
Spain had not yet opened up the
New World, and the cities of the
Mediterranean controlled the trade
and wealth of Europe. 1t is still a
picture of cities and not Of states;
a picture of towns liberated from
feudal dominance, and growing tur-
bulently in freedom.
The liberation came first in Italy
because, as we have seen, her cities
were natural ports of exit and entry
for European trade with the East,
before the conquest Of the Atlantic;
and because she was most directly
bund by language and geography,
with Roman civilization and culture,
were not a thousand monuments Of
ancient architecture spread over her
soil?-and could not a hundred Of
her towns boast of a history that
went back before Pompey and
Caesar?
THE night which descended upon
her was the night of an Arctic sum-
mer;" the dawn began almost before
the twilight ended.
A ND so the first factor in the
N Renaissance is the rich mer-
chant class of the italian cities OF
Genoa and Venice, of Milan and
Ferrara, of Pisa and Florence, OF
Naples and Rome; it is Genoa that
will train Columbus, Venice that will
defend Europe against the Turks,
Florence that will finance every
thing, Rome that will become the
art center of the world.
We must not ask for much order
in the midst of this new liberty;
the two never did go we'll together.
We shall find the Dukes or Doges
of Venice ruling with poison and
daggers, and the Sforzi ruling Milan
like glorif1ed buccaneers, and the
Medici ruling Florence With hardly
a by your leave" to the people.
Within a century Q282-1382) Flor
ence has had three revolutions, dis
placing the nobility with the richer
bourgcoisie, and then these with
lesser merchants, and then these
with organized labor; in this in this
instability of government crime has
frolicked with life, with property,
feuds have run riot and kept the
streets wet with blood.
The propletariat ("Ciompi," as
their party is called held power
over Florence for five years Q378-
So; they fall because unable to
reorganize and operate industries
weakened by the fight of capital
1--WE are writing of 1878, not of 1919
When the "despotS" finally captured
the reins they maintained them
selves on top by waging war upon
other cities; they do not wait for
Machiavelli to teach them that in
ternal unity requires an external foe.
Most of these wars are fought by
"condottieri" and mercenarieS hired
for a pittance to play the military
game; usually they managed to have
battles without more than half a
dozen casualties on either side; but
time and again people suffered from
siege and flood and violence, until
even the Italians began to pray for
peace.
q
TN 1909 they paraded through
Il Milan crying pace! Pacel7 but
the reigning duke, Giovanni Maria