Evening star., 1939-04-23
BY TOM and HARLE DAMMANN

and Mrs. Ddmnlann hare trdD-
eled 1Didely.
BY TOM and HARLE DAMMANN
ROME.-A deal of understanding
is necessary to take Italians Sc.
riously-that is. as far as militaris-
tic Fascism is concerned.
The record of Fascism is con-
vincing. not only in Ethiopia anc
Spain, but in Italy itself, where or.
der and comparative cleanliness ir
all walks of life have been wrought
out of sloppiness and filth. Never
theless, the gayety and senti-
mentality of songs which one hears
from one end of Italy to the other
the color of peasant dresses, the
laughter and chatter in the houses
and on the streets. the dignity OF
peasant women striding the roads
with great bundles balanced on thei,
heads. the daily siesta, the individ-
ualism of shepherds standing un-
der great umbrellas and watching
their flocks-all these seem more
characteristic of Italy than Fascism
on the march.
Signs of Compromise.
Perhaps in the end they will force
Fascism to compromise; even now
there are prophetic signs of this
And such cooperation will not be
without precedent, for religion made
the compromise centuries ago. Ro-
man Catholic dogma, philosophy
and ritual have become so inter-
tWined with the Italian spirit that
for outsiders religious ceremony is
as startlingly amusing as the pic
ture of militant Fascist leadership
impressing its Prussian philosophy
and military ritual upon its fol-
lowers.
We were fortunate to have seats
at the coronation of Pope Plus XII
In a sense our expectations of i'm
pressive solemnity were surpassed;
the literally heavenly music of the
Sistine Choir, the stately professions
OF richly robed cardinals and bish-
ops, the Pickering candles, the mag
niflcence of the church. the tradi-
ton and beauty of the mass all
guaranteed that.
But We hardly expected the coro-
nation of Pope to outdo football
game or grand picnic. Yet from the
moment those $4,000 people began
to file into the cathedral at dawn
until the actual coronation in the
early afternoon, the holiday spirit
reigned on par with solemnity.
Colorful Scene.
First of all there were the bril-
liant costumes of the soldiers, the
noble guards. the diplomats and the
countless other dignitaries. Every
time any of these moved about the
church people leapt on top of their
benches. raised opera glasses to their
eyes and pointed. buzzing excitedly
Finally Pope Plus himself came
Seated on a throne, borne on the
shoulders of noble guardsmen. he
was the personification of grace
The intense sincerity of his ascetic
face, the beauty of his long, slender
fingers and the simple. slow motion
of his hand as he blessed the peo-
pie moved every one. But more, he
was the peoples hero of the day.
Every one climbed to his bench.
Hands clapped and handkerchiefs
f1uttered. The cheer, "Vive II Papa ~
was long and deafening. And this
scene was tumultuously repeated
each time the Pope moved to an
other part of the church.
Preparations had been made for
long ceremony. In various parts
of the church were first-aid stations
equipped with cots and medical sup
plies and attended by doctors. The
worshipers. too, were prepared, and
it was not long before we became
accustomed to seeing them MUNICH
sandwiches or take long drinks
from wine bottles.
During the pontifical high mass
the crowd stood or sat watching the
celebration reverently silent. Oc-
casionally there were disturbances
at which some looked up with
amused smiles. but mostly they re-
manned oblivious munching their
sandwiches or mumbling their
prayers.
Religion Is Daily Life.
"You mustn't think our people
irreverent," a priest explained as
we left st. Peters that day. Re
ligion for us Italians Is our daily
life: like eating and sleeping. The
church is very much our home, and
so we are informal there"
Saturdays and Sundays are days
when young boys throughout Italy
must perform their pre-military ex-
ercises. We were always amused by
their extreme informality which re-
sembled, despite the presence of
snappy Facist uniforms and army
officers, sandlot gathering of city
boys back home. Young Italians,
for the most part, seem to enjoy
this duty and those who don't 60
through their PAGES with bored toll
erance.
The performances We watched
fniRht veil hAvN heAn rAhAaraala for