The Waterbury Democrat., 1939-04-11


 it during recent weeks in Rome.
 BY MILTON BRONNER
 NEA Service Staff Correspondent
 Rome, April 11-War- like threats thundered intermittently by Pre- mier Benito Mussolini shake the world with fear, but Roman citi- zens in recent weeks have pursued their daily tasks apparently un- perturbed by events to come.
 If Fascist army officers have talk en precautions against air raids, they have done it so cleverly that no one would suspect it.
 This is in direct contrast to fear plagued London where laborers work day and night constructing air raid shelters, where district wardens make nightly calls to see whether civilians know how to don their gas masks, where the Houses of Parli- ment echo daily with urgent ques- tions about the progress of air de- fense, where "A. R. F." (Air Raid Precautions) is a household phrase.
 Italy is today great military power, but you see fewer officers and soldiers in all the avenues and centers in Rome than you will ob- serve in two-minute walk in Ber- lir. German big city street swarm with Brown Shirts. Not many Black Shirts are ordinarily seen in Rome. Today in Berlin you could not walk 100 feet without a Storm Trooper shaking 8 tin box in your face and asking for a contribution to the poor relief fund.
 There is no such annoyance either to the native or the visitor in the streets of Rome. The fashionable quarters are crowded with the trim, trig, handsome Roman young wom- en wearing their pretty spring hats and dresses.
 But Italian males from babyhood up are not allowed to forget that they arc material for soldering.
 Always there is held before them the vision that Mussolini has given them-that of an Italian empire which some day shall equal ancient Rome.
 Even in the nursery, boy babies are given a taste for the glories Of military life. The little lead soldier as toy has come back-and with 1899 realism.
 In one shop I saw not only the usual Italian lead soldiers, infan- try, cavalry, artillery with guns, tanks and airplanes, but also troop CTS throwing hand grenade, wield- inC flame throwerS and manipulate ing heavy machine guns.
 But the realism went even fur thor than that. There was a gas- blinded soldier being led by a dog, badly wounded man, his head in the lap of a nurse, another being carried by a fellow soldier. There was a full Red Cross ambulance corps complete with nurses and doctors and with cases of wound- ed soldiers of all kinds and descrip- tions
 Late Sunday morning sleepers often are disturbed by the roll of drums, echoed back by the stones of the ancient Roman Forum. This particular Sabbath students of th' University of Naples had come z visit Rome.
 Their trip was arranged under plan, similar to one existing in Ger many, which takes groups of work er5 and other around their country on cheap excursions.
 The university boys were halt ed, and rested at ease in front of a wall near the Forum.
 Here are permanently displayed huge maps in bas relief. Countries, outside Roman influence in ancient days and Italian influence ill mod- ern times, are displayed in black. Those which were part of the an- cient Roman empire and those which today are part of the Ital- i"n empire are displayed in white.
 The first map shows all Europe black, save for a tiny circle. This is the village of Rome founded &C., cording to the myth, by Romulus and Remus. A series. of maps then shows how, from great Caesar to great Caesar, Rome extended its grip upon the then known world. Finally, there is a map of today, showing Italy proper, Sicily, Sar- dinia, Libya and Ethiopia--the mod- ern Italian empire, so far.
 What maps do not exhibit, lit- erature does. Every bookshop dis plays books on Tunis, giving req sons why Italy has made imperiouS demands upon France. Another book, being pushed at the present time, is one called "Italy and France" by Virginia Gayda, the fa- nous Roman editor, who is supp posed to be in the direct mouth- piece of Mussolini himself. This book goes back in history and takes all the points at issue between Italy and France and which are very apt soon to be stressed with emphasis by Mussolini.