The Dominion. SATURDAY, AUGUST 10, 1918. AN ITALIAN PATRIOT

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 276, 10 August 1918, Page 6

The Dominion. SATURDAY, AUGUST 10, 1918. AN ITALIAN PATRIOT

To-day.is the anniversary of tho birth of Camillo Cavouh, who preeminently may be regarded as a maker- of Modern Italy. ' Tho Allies, who have; banded themselves together to destroy the Hohcnzollern and 'Hapsburg despotisms, _ arc, in. a. .sense,.a. League of Nations, and one way of making ■ such a union enduring is for its members to know each other's histories, become acquainted with each other's heroes,, and recognise each other's national celebrations. It is thus a fitting thing.to recall the heroic life of Italy's .greatest statesman, whose statue has been set up in ' nearly , every Italian city,' whose name is familiar to every Italian, and whoso birthday, will be observed .by ..Italians all over the world. When , Italy was- struggling towards independence, and unity, ho nation showed such sympathy and gave so much help as Britain. London was the home of the Italian exile driven from his land by the Austrian puppets who reigned there. British volunteers fought iii; the wars of the Italian patriots; munitions were sent from Woolwich Arsenal; a British Cabinet said to European Powers unfriendly to Italy's rise to independence: "Hands off; let Italy manage her '■■ own affairs!" The heroism of makers of Italy like Cavour, ■ Mazzini, and Garibaldi, the nobility of their mission, and tho! grandeur of their unselfishness inspired our great poets to sing, and tho story of the "Resurrection." of Italy can he found to-day in the pages of the .Brownings, of Swinburne, of Meredith; and in those of our American kin, Whittier and Lowell. for" help given is not a common virtue among individuals, and it is less common among nations. Britain, ■ for: example, lavished endless , help and. kindness on Turkey, and she requited Britain in this war by attempting, as the fas; of Germany, to stab Britain in Egypt. Italy's ease is different. She entered' into the war in something like the unselfish spirit that marked-.Ga-vour and the early makers of Italy. Mr. John Buchan, in his History of the Wai;, writes.that "she joined the Allies when their prospects were darkening." The Dardanelles expedition had not succeeded; the British had suffered terribly at Ypres; and Mackbnsen was driving the Russians to the San. It was , when Britain and her Allies were under a cloudy sky that the Italian people—alive once more to the ideals of Cavour, M.'zzna and Garibaldi, burning with, indignation at the criminality of Germany, and realising that their right place was 'alongside'their, old British friend— forced the Cabinet ami the Court •into this-newer and larger war of liberation. Mb. Lecky remarks iii his Di'.mrmicij and Libert;/ that the rise of Italy under Cavoui; and others was the "one. moment of the nineteenth century when politics assumed something of the character of poetry." The same remark may .be made with regard to the Italian people's entrance into the -war. ' Italian "diplomatists , no : doubt arranged that Italy should be, rewarded for her sacrifices in a . formal treaty, but "material rewards" did not count for much in the eyes of a people moved by an enthusiasm for British aims and fired by the passion for freedom aud. justice that inspired Cavouk.

Cavouk was the "brain" of the Italian struggle for 'liberation, as Mazzini was the "soul" and Gaiiiiut,di the "sword." Without Cavouk, the rn'eachfng of Mazzini and the fighting of Gaeidaldt would have been, in vain. Cavour was an aristocrat by-birth, and it was natural to him to be a companion of nobles and an adviser of princes. Lord Acton, notes that his mother was of Swiss Calvinist, descent, and her brother was a "Swiss Wilberforce," and his mother's "political Calvinism" had a profound influence on him. As he grew up he became, a democrat by. conviction, when as he saw the millions of the Italian peninsula ground down by injustice and .tyranny, and hatred of the Austrian'yoke burned like a lire in his bones. His land was not, a nation, only a ■ "geographical expression," ancl its score or-so-of petty States were under the heel of thcHAi'SnuRGS. By a happy providence he was born in Turin, in tin; little kingdom of Sardinia, and .his kingdom was the first in Italy to get a .Constitution,- largely through, his enterprise, and this kingdom led the revolt against Austria, and under its banner a scattered and broken Italy attained liberation, unity, and independence'. This great was largely Cavour's work' aa Prime Minister '..of Sardinia. Before he became the official leader of a nation he passed through a long and varied cuursc. of cduca* tion. Ho managed his father's estate and became a skilled agriculturist.. He" was always in touch with his Swiss relations, and the iron of political Calvinism entered his blood. He- soon saw • that Britain was in the vanguard of civilisation, and he visited the three kingdoms, studied British reforms, got to know English statesmen, -.and • night after night sat in the Strangers' Gallery in the 1 House of Commons and acciuircd a knowledge that served him in .good stead when., he became leader in the Sardinian Parliament and the adviser of his King. Journalism was another part'of his , pronsration for his life's task. He started // Itisorr/imeiilo (The 'licn■urr.ectiqn), a journal devoted to advocating constitutional- reform, independence, and union. _ He laid down the pen of journalism in 1848 when ho entered' the Sardinian Parliament, and' in 1852 'lie became Primi! Minister. He soon won respect as a statesman of genius,, and as a master in diplomacy second to none - in Europe. He startled the world by offering Britain an army to 'light with her in the Crimea. His offer was accepted, and the Sardinians covered themselves with glory in the war. Little Sardinia became recognised as a European- Power, and she claimed and eofc a place in the Congress of Paris. He made the matter of Italian independence one of European interest. He got France to light with Sardinia against Austria, and the united armies became victors over Austria, but Napoleon 111 suddenly drew back and made the peace of Villafranca, which nearly drove Cavour to suicide. He recovered, however. He was only "baffled- to fight better." Sardinia had been enlarged by the war, and other petty kingdoms were coming under her flag.; The time came when all his skill was' , needed to bring the Kingdom 'of

Naples (made up of Southern Italy and-Sicily) into the Union. Tho Government there was _ hopelessly corrupt, and the suffering people ripe for revolution. Gladstone had .unmasked" years' before the horrors of the- rule of the King of Naples, and said it was "government by the negation of God." Cavour could not-'go to the rescue of the people with an army without bringing down upon him the Continental Powers who were anxious to. cut up Italy among themselves. And here Garibaldi came to the rescue of the cause of freedom. Ho. landed in Sicily with a thousand men and captured it; ho crossed to Southern Italy and marched 200 miles north to Naples; lie won tho Battle of Yolturno, and smashed to bits the power of the Neapolitan-King. He then handed over the spoils of victory to Victor Emmanuel, and refusing all honours and rewards, retired to his island farm.. In this adventure of Garibaldi, Cavour played a double part. He banned publicly the expedition in order, to save his faco with tho jealous Continental Powers, but he secretly helped Garibaldi in every way. His - diplomacy was thus seemingly, a breachjof the moral law.,. It may be so, but he was dealing with, a Power that was almost outside moral law, and Gladstone had fixed that laboL on it years before. The success of Garibaldi exceeded Cavour's wildest dreams. But he rejoiced with trembling. He feared tho Continental Powers would not allow Victor Emmanuel to wear the crown of Naples, though tho. people, by an ovenvheiming vote, asked him to do so. And here Britain came to the 'rescue of Cavour and of Italy. The British Cabinet,, through Lord John Russell, .recognised , tho Government of United Italy, and proclaimed its action- throughout Europe. Tho other Powers could not say nay. When tho news reached Cavour he wept tears- of joy, and one who was with him said it was better than an army of 100,000. Cavour now saw a large part of the dream of his life realised. A 11 .,, Italy, save the Trentino and the 'city of Ilonic, was now under one nag, and tho people enjoyed constitutional rights. When Cavour died every Senate in Europe rang with his praise. It was said his , death was a loss to tho wholo of Europe. Lord Palmehston saicl his life pointed a moral and adorned a talc. The moral was that a man of energy and patriotism may confer on his country flic greatest benefits. The talc was that a nation as , good as dead had risicn to life and power and glory. But his life points another lesson. Bismarck was Cavour's only rival in the sphere of diplomacy. Each aimed at the unification of his country. But how different were their mottoes. On Bismarck's flag was blazoned "Blood and Iron"; on Cavour's "Liberty." The fruit of Bismarck's policy is that Germany is the outlaw among the nations of the world, and Italy is crowning herself with glory.in tho world war for freedom. . ■ !