Evening Republican, Volume 18, Number 231, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 30 September 1914 — Page 2

The CAMPAGNA of ROME

T CHE Roman Campagna has a quality which is unique, which differentiates it entirely from any other

scenery of plain or mountain upon our world’s surface. It stirs the imagination; it either uplifts or depresses us according to our O mood, and very

much too, I think, according to our race and inherited instincts and traditions- It has something of the mystery of the sea, even where it is bounded by that surging line of Sabine mountains; above all, it has the immense, the eternal tradition of that world-city of past empire and present faith, which reaches us so intensely when, looking from the high ground of Tivoli or the Alban Hills, we see the mighty dome of St. Peter's, a misty mass in the far distance, brood-

Ing as it were, over the city which lies scarcely distinguishable at its feet. “The Campagna of Rome," said Gregorovius, “is nothing else than the land of Latium, which is separated from Tuscany by the Tiber. From the time of Constantine the Great the name of Latium has fallen into 7 disuse, and that of Campania has been used in its place; and in the middle ages this name Indicated a great part of the so-called Ducatus Romatius.” Since the middle ages the district has been divided into two parts,- the Campagna, which comprises the inland district, and the Maritima, which extends along the sea coast as far as Terracina. Nature herself has divided it by mountain and plain into distinct compartments. It is divided into three plains. First, the Campagna around the city, watered by the Tiber and the Anio, and hemmed in by the Alban and the Sabine mountains, the hills about Ronciglione, and the sea-coast; secondly, the great plain tn which the Pontine Marshes are situated, bounded on the one side by the Alban and Volscian Hills and on the other by the sea; and, lastly, the valley of the Sacco, which rues down between the Volscian and the Equian and Ilernian hills.

A glance at any good map, such, for instance, as even the one given by Baedeker In his “Central Italy and Rome” (page 380), will help us to follow out the geographical divisions given as above by the great historian. We shall see there Bracciano with Its lake on the northwest, Subiaco to the far east, on the west the sea line, and in the very center Rome herself, with the Tiber winding down to her from the Umbrian uplands. And the same identification of the Campagna with the old Latium, the Latina Tellus (“Latin Land”), extending along the front of the Mediterranean for 120 miles, as with a superficial area of 1,245 square miles, has been followed by Signor Cervesaro in his work on “The Roman Campagna,” though he uses the Argo and the Palude (the cultivable land and the marshes) as expressing two essential and very Important divisions of this vast area. “The general color of the Campagna,” says this writer, “is a tawny red, paler where it undulates over the terraces of the slopes, greener in the fiats where it expands into broad meadows, and the whole wide plain from one horizon to another is bathed in a glorious sea of light. It is that wonderful, mysterious light, the ‘color of the air of Rome’ of which foreign writers speak; overhead, depths of sapphire blue which towards the horizon melt into a limpid opalescent haze, where every color, every vapor is etherealized and transmuted by the dreamy transparency of this fairy light. Under it the silent plain, starred by asphodels, to the Greek emblems of Hades, and flooded by pearly reflections, seems an Elysian field, where time is naught, and where every reality becomes only the fleeting aspect of an ever-vanishing Illusion. . . . The sapphire light that enfolds it, ennobles it indescribably, seeming to widen the horizon, and to open up mysterious, unfathomable distances behind its transparent veil. Dreams take shape and grow in this air.” Chateaubriand, too, had written of this Campagna. “From its barren soil rises the shadow of the great city. . . . It is more than difficult, it is Impossible to describe what one

PARTING SHOT WAS HOT ONE

Didn’t Get His Suitcase in Time, but He Had a Little Satisfaction. Here is a story that was told at a recent dinner by Dr. Allerton S. Cushman, director of the Institute of Jnduatrial Research, Washington, when reference was mad< to sacrifice jolys: Some time ago an esteemed cltl«ea went to the package room of a big railroad tor a suitcase he bad checked

feels when Rome bursts on one’s sight in the midst of her lost dominions; she seems to rise from a tomb in which she had b,een laid to rest. . . . A host of memories press in, overwhelming and thrilling the soul at the sight of this Rome which twice assumed the dominion of the world.” And, not to dwell too insistently on this side of our subject—this mystery of space and light, blended with the past sense of a tremendous destiny, “which destroys the weak, incites the hero to greatness, and is fateful to all” —who has expressed in any language pore tersely or more intimately the emotion it inspires than our Robert Browning, in his “Two in the Campagna?” The champaign with its endless fleece Of feathery grasses everywhere! Silence and passioq, joy and peace, An everlasting wash of air,— Rome’s ghost since her decrease. Such life here, through such lengths of hours, Such miracles performed in play, Such primal naked forms of flowers, Such letting Nature have her way While heaven looks from its towers!

It was natural that these qualities, pictorial as well as artistic, of the Roman Campagna should prove an irresistible attraction to the painters of landscapes; and, in fact, without going back so far as the days of Claude of Poussin, within our own age and in my own experience Poingdestre and Arthur Strutt, both of whom I knew in my student days at the British Academy of Rome; Henry Coleman, who, only a few months before his recent and lamented death, had described to me “within the walls of the same academy his own experiences of the romance of life among the herdsmen of the Campagna; Onorato Carlandl, who happily is z still among us in Rome, a genial figure in her art life and one of the famous “Twenty-five .of the Campagna” to whose excursions in that magic district I have been invited; Nardi, who is well known in this country, and Pazzini, who deserves to be better known; and, lastly, that master of every branch of his art, Aristide Sartorio, whose kindness has placed at my disposal a superb set of reproductions from his own studio of the Campagna to illustrate this article — all these have been under this spell, have been gripped by this wide desolation with an intensity which no beauty of foliage, or sea, or snowpeaked mountain can seem to equal. The population of the Campagna is largely nomadic, though there is a permanent settled race, not very numerous, using a language which is a mixture of Romanesque dialect and Abruzzese —the word “buttero” (cat-tle-driver), for instance being a corruption of "boum ductor.” The nomadic people who come down td the field woiQt differ very among themselves according to their “provenance,” but are largely recruited from the Abruzzi. Among them the Aquila men (Aquilani) are prized as good hedgers, the Rietl men, for sowing; the huntsmen and ollve-prunerto come down from Umbria and Sabina; and

a few hours before, and being in something of a hurry, he tried to beam upon the grip juggler that he stacked up against. “Look here, old pal,” he earnestly entreated, “my train leaves in just three minuses. Can't you get that suitcase of mine?" “You are not the only man on earth,” was the grouchy rejoinder of the grip juggler. “You will get your suitcase when your turn comes." Whereat the traveler subsided. He saw what he had collided with and

EVENING REPUBLICAN, RENSSELAER, IND.

these different nomads, who are generically known as “guitte,” keep very much to their own clan and locality, the men of the Marches never mixing with those of Aquila, nor even of one village with another. They live in miserable huts, or caverns, or sleep in the open. They are victims of the tavern landlord, or storekeeper, as from him alone they can get the necessities of their poor life, and were exposed, until recently, at any rate, to the ravages of the malaria fever. When the work of the land is over and harvested these nomads take their departure, and the Campagna returns to its

wonted solitude. But only a part of this vast tract around the farmsteads is under cultivation at all. Beyond this He the vast tracts grazed over by oxen, horses, and buffaloes, and by the sheep, who, in the winter are driven down to graze on the plain and, as the summer advances, are slowly driven up from the scorching heat into the hills. In conclusion, let me give a few words to my illustrations. Signor Sartorio has spent much of his time during the last years in the Campagna, studying most intimately its scenery and the life I have described. The results of his vrork have found expression in a series of .brilliant pictures, a number of which have now been exhibited in the Venice International exhibition; and I think it is not too much to say that the undoubted success these exhibited pictures have achieved is due not only to their unartistic merit, but also to the fact that they constitute a very precious record of the conditions of a life which may before long have passed away.

SELWYN BRINTON.

HE CATCHES BIRDS AT SEA

Barber on Ocean Liner Uses Whistling Brown Linnet Most Successfully as a Decoy. A,. —— The barber of the Atlantic liner Minnetonka finds a new and profitable pastime in catching wandering birds during the vessel’s voyage across the ocean—his profit arising from the selling of the birds on his arrival in port. All sorts of birds come on board, he says, and he finds a ready sale for many of the rarer specimens. His chief assistant in capturing the birds is a whistling brown linnet, which lures the wanderers l aboard from its cage in an open port. The vagrant flyers alight on hearing its whistle, and presently flutter Inside. Then the port is closed, and the strange birds are soon made “I have caught hundreds of them, and I supply the London zoo regularly,” said the bird catcher. “On a recent homew-ard voyage the linnet lured a snowbird. It was the first one the zoo had been able to secure in 18 years. What the birds require when they first alight on a ship is not food, but water, and it must be boiled. . “Gulls follow a ship all the way across the Atlantic. American gulls are regular convoys .as far as the English channel, where they desert us, and follow a westward bounder home again. The English gulls follow a liner over and back in the same way. The gulls like emigrant ships best, because the more passengers there are the greater the quantity of scraps thrown overboard.”

A Mind Reader.

“What makes you sure’ your congressman is not speaking his mind frankly and freely?” “The weather," replied Farmer Corntossel. “If he spoke frankly and freely he wouldn't offer any remarks except motions to adjourn.”

prepared to pay the penalty of his rashness. One long exasperating minute the grip juggler loafed! Then another! Finally the suitcase was produced. “Thank you!” freesingly remarked the traveler as be faded away. “If you ever lose your job here, come to me. I need a man to chase snails.”

So He. Keeps at Work.

When a man does not want to take a vacation it is a sign that he fears that he will not be mtssad at the shop,

PREPARING THE SALAD

IMPORTANT POINTS THAT MUST BE REMEMBERED. Flavor Should Be Varied, and That la by No Means a Hard Task —-Mix the Dish Immediately Before Serving. Avoid giving all salads the same taste by flavoring them with some condiment one is perhaps over-fond of. Variety is the main spice of salads as of life. While connoisseurs all agree that pure, fresh olive oil is the best for salads, there are people who prefer the fat smoked bacon and relish its flavor above all else. It is well to remember that we should know how to substitute one condiment or another, if necessary, and not go saladless for want of one particular flavoring material. Salt is perhaps the one indispensable seasoning, and of all flavoring substances the onion is the most valuable and enjoyable to all, even to those who would not willingly eat the salad if they knew the onion had been used. For use in salads, however, the onions must be mild in flavor and their presence cunningly concealed. Salads of all kinds should be gently handled. That is, they should not be heavily turned, but mixed in a very large bowl, by running the fork and spoon down the sides of the dish and then gently tossing the salad with an upward moyement, letting it mix as it falls back. In mixing a plain lettuce or other green salad it is well to put the 7 oil on first and then carefully toss the leaves about until all are covered, in every part, with a thin coating of the oil. Then add the other -ingredients and toss again. A small quantity of 611 is sufficient when this method of thorough mixing is observed. Lettuce should always be very carefully cleaned several hours before it is wanted and then wrapped In a wet cloth and put directly on ice until it is wanted. A salad should never be mixed until just before It is to be served. The various accompaniments of a salad add much to Its attractiveness. One thing full of possibilities Is the wafer. These should always be crisp, and if they are damp they can be crisped in the oven. Small wafers flavored with cheese are delicious with salad. So are thin salt wafers dotted with butter and sprinkled with pepper and browned in the oven. These should be served hot. Then there Is the cheese of various sorts that is served with salad. Imported cheese, naturally, is going up in price because of the war, but nothing is better than Philadelphia cream cheese, made into little balls and rolled in ground nut meats, or with two halves of walnuts or pecans pressed into the sides of a cheese ball. American domestic cheese sprinkled on wafers which are heated in the oven is also decidedly appetizing.

Stuffed Cucumbers.

Peel the cucumbers, cut them in halves lengthwise and scoop out the seeds. Mix together equal parts of finely chopped cooked veal and ham, add half the quantity of fine bread crumbs, moisten with melted butter and season with pepper, salt and a few drops of onion juice. Fill the cucumbers, place the halves together and tie with soft twine. Put them in a baking pan, pour in one cupful of stock and bake until tender. Remove the twine, put the cucumbers on a hot platter, thicken the gravy in the pan, pour it over and around the cucumbers and serve. -

Clean Up Rubbish.

If you, the housewife, get a wee bit tired of the daily, round sometimes, vow a vow and keep it. Each housecleaning time throw away or give away or sell everything that you do not need. Let all the rooms have nothing superfluous, but be particular to have the sleeping rooms so simply furnished that five minutes will suffice to set one in order and one hour to clean it thoroughly.

Evaporated Apple Plea.

One-quarter box of evaporated rappies and one half pound of rhubarb to a pie. Soak the apples over night Peel and cut rhubarb in small pieces. Use the usual amount of sugar for apple pies, a pinch of salt and a few bits of butter. Can use a little spice if you like. The rhubarb gives the flavor of green apples.

Cauliflower Au Parmesan.

“7 Cook the cauliflower in boiling salted water until tender and break it into small branches. Butter a baking dish, put in the cauliflower with stems down, cover with white sauce, sprinkle with two tablespoonfuls of grated Parmesan, cover with buttered crumbs and bake until brown.

Broiled Green Peppers.

Cut young green peppers into quartets, remove the seeds and partitions, place on a greased broiler, cook over a clear fire until the edges curl, sprinkle with a 'dash of salt, dot with bits of butter and serve on cooked beef.

For Fine Collars and Cuffs.

Before washing fine,lace or muslin collars and cuffs always baste them onto a pied of heavier muslin. You will find it Excellent to prevent their tearing or stretching in the process oi laundering. , t

IN ANCIENT ST. PAUL'S CHURCH YARD.

IN the rear of St. Paul’s churchyard are three rows of old tombstones which have been restored to their original places, the New York Sun states. In the upheaval of the last few months due to digging the Broadway subway beneath the historic graveyard, some of the stones were removed temporarily and others were covered with wooden frames to save them from injury by the subway laborers. That part of the subway work has been completed and the gravestones have been replaced, and new grass has been planted over the graves. In the last row is a plain white stone upon which may faintly be traced the name “George I. Eacker." A few years ago the date, 1804, could be discerned, but it is now Illegible. The stone has long ceased to attract attention, and it would doubtless surprise most of the visitors to St. Paul’s to learn that the white sandstone slab marks the burial place of the young man who killed the eldest son of Alexander Hamilton in a duel three years before General Hamilton was killed in his duel with Aaron Burr. Hamilton Received Fatal Wound. Philip Hamilton was not quite twenty years old when he cros'sed the ferry to the dueling ground at Weehawken to face Eacker, one of the young lawyers of the time who was attached to the political party of which Aaron Burr was the acknowledged leader. The meeting took place on Monday afternoon, November 23, 1801. David 8. Jones was one of Hamilton’s sec-

onds and Thomas Apthorpe Cooper, one of the popular actors of his day, represented Eacker. According to the best accounts of the affair, Hamilton had told his seconds that he intended to reserve his fire until Eacker had fired, and that then he proposed to discharge his pistol into the air. As the two young men faced each other there was a brief pause, then Eacker, it is said, leveled his pistol with accuracy, and, firing, shot Hamilton In the right side. Hamilton’s pistol was discharged at the same time, but it did no damage. The wounded youth was brought back to this city and died the next day. The duel aroused great excitement and the newspapers devoted far more attention to it than was customary for those affairs of honor at the time. One of the papers did not hesitate to call It murder. In this paragraph, which was published on the afternoon of November 24: "Died—-This morning, in the twentieth year of his age, Philip Hamilton, eldest son of General Hamilton, murdered in a duel.” The cause of the duel, as it appears in the light of the present-day, seems trivial. At the Fourth of July celebration of 1801, George Eacker delivered an address which by his partisans was received with great praise. He criticised the federalist, which angered the party favorable to Hamilton. A few 1 Jays before the duel, Philip Hamilton? with a friend named Price, occupied the same box at the old Park

theater on Park Row, with Eacker and some of Eacker’s friends. The Park theater was nearly in the middle of the block between Ann and Beekman streets, a little above the present Park Row building. Hamilton and Price indulged in some laughing remarks about Eacker’s speech. The latter, overhearing the conversation, asked Hamilton to step into the lobby. Price followed. There was a slight altercation, ending by Eacker’s using the word “rascals." According to the dueling code, that demanded satisfaction. After the performance, the three men repaired to a nearby tavern and when Eacker was asked for whom he meant the epithet he replied. “For both.” He then left, saying: “I shall expect to hear from you.” Challenges were issued "the next day, that of Price being accepted first. Eacker and Price met at Weehawken on Sunday, November 22f, and after exchanging four shots without injury, the seconds stopped the duel. Hamilton’s challenge was then accepted after the duel. “Reflection on this horrid custom must occur to every man of humanity,” said one of the newspapers, “but the voice of an individual or of the press must be ineffectual without additional strong and pointed legislative interference. Fashion has placed it upon a footing which nothing short of this can control." Father Fell in Combat Later. Young Hamilton had been graduated from Columbia college the year

before and was preparing for a legal career. Mr. Eacker apparently suffered no inconvenience as a result of the duel, but he did not long survive, for he died of consumption in 1804. He is the only person of that name appearing in the city directories of 1801 to 1804, in which he was listed as a “counselor at law at 50 Wall street” A little less than three years after the death of his son, Alexander Humilton was killed In the duel with Aaron Burr on July 11, 1804, and that did more than anything else to turn public opinion against the custom. The old dueling ground is now obliterated. The tracks of the West. Shore railroad wiped out every evidence of the bloody field years ago, but a little monument to Hamilton commemorative of the spot and the fate! event now stands on the Heights of Weehawken, almost above the exact spot, which was close to the river bank* Upon the pedestal of the monument is a large red sandstone boulder, upon which, it is said, Hamilton rested his head, after he was shot

Just Too Lovely.

T suppose you had a fine time in New York?” "Oh. glorious! I was there for five weeks and never ate twice in the same place.” Ceylon's Cocoanut Plantations. Ceylon has 1,000,000 acres in coco* nut,plantations.