Pies, ae

Italian people want

a new. social system

Children Of /Phe Sun
By Morris West, Pan Books Ltd.
e

hit the editorial

onsternation
C writers of the capitalist press
the world over recently. The Cor:
munist Party in Italy had record-

ed substantial gains. For the
first time since 1946 the total
vote of the Communists and So-

cialists was greater than that of
the Christian Democrats. :

What a calamity for the West!
And it’s hard for these writers
to explain. Didn't the U.S. send
millions of dollars to Ttaly to
bolster the economy and_ fight
Communism? And look what
they've got for their money.

Perhaps this newly-issued pock-
el edition of Morris West’s book
on the slum dwellers of Naples
can give some explanation to
those who want to understand
Tialian life and polities.

* * *

This book ranges far beyond
the subject of the children of
Naples: It is a vivid factual con-
demnation of the social and state
structure of Italy.

West first looks for answers in
the fine charitable work of a
Catholic priest who has_ estab-
lished a House of Urchins for
some of the slum boys. Himself
a Catholic, West expresses keen
disappointment with the role of
the Church., He says:

“The Church of the
shares the feudal origins of the
people. Much of its possession
in lands, in buildings, in accu-
mulated treasures of gold and
silver reliquaries, in jewelled
statues and the rest come from
the’ succession of feudal rulers

. . The most frequent criticism
I heard about the Church of the
Mezzogioro (south) was: ‘it ac-
commodates itself to the situa-
tion’ I, myself, have sat,
Sunday after Sunday, at early and
late Masses and have not heard
one word of social justice or
criticism of social evils.”

* * *

He tells the story of grain-seed
donated by American Catholic
organizations for free distribu-

south .

tion in the most distressed areas.
But the grain ended up only in
the hands of members of a right-
wing organization and
the whole story goes that they
had to pay part of its value in
cash. So much for the Church.

This is the land, as described
by West, of little or no educa-
tion, of constant unemployment,
of hunger and homelessness.
Here are big landowners and
speculators in. all commodities.
As West says:

farmers’

“Because there is no effective
control, and because most of the
south is held in feudal right by
old families, land are
hoisted out of all proportion to
value. So the skin game
unreal land values,
costs, wasteful

costs

real
#oCcS on “==

loaded housing

~ construction — and no hope at

all for reasonable

rental.”

ownership or

* * *
It is the country of the black
marketeer, of all forms of depri-
vation. The children of whom
West writes so graphically are
literally on the streets, cadging
food, steering customers to the
prostitutes, stealing, and spend-
ing their nights sleeping in the
alleys, gutters and doorways.
And the schools — what does
he say of them? ‘Figures on edu-
cation, too, make interesting
reading. Italian law prescribes
school. attendance to the age of
16. Yet, there are 50,000 children
in Naples who have no chance
of getting any education at all,
because there are not enough
schools and not enough teachers.
' “Fifty thousand illiterates a
year in a European city of two
million is a horrifying picture.

But the real facts are worse
still. There are so few schools in

Naples that even those who at-
stend the primary grades can
only be accommodated for two
or three hours a day. In some
areas they attend three hours a
day every alternate day.”

He tells a story of American
funds which had been sent to
Italy, and then, “ . here is a

postscript from an ex-minister of
Italy on the operations of a gov-
ernment body whose official title
is the Cassa per il Mezzogiorno
— literally the fund for the south.
He delivered it at a congress of
the Rotary Club in Rome on April
8, 1956.

“ “After a minute study of what
happens to hundreds’ of
millions of only

the
really

these
funds, there is
possible — conclusion:
Mezzogiorno is

Settentrione.

one
Cassa _ del
the Cassa del

“The flavour of the pun is lost
in English but the meaning is
blunt enough. The Cassa was set
up fo finance — the
south. Its funds are being diver-
ted to finance the industrialists
of the North.

depressed

“Wow much of them? Accord-
ing to Minister Corbine — who
ought to know — nearly 70 per-
cent.”

* * >

Is it any wonder that West
concludes: ‘‘The wealth of Italy
— and there is wealth in Italy,
make no mistake — is concen-
trated in too few hands: in the
hands of the black aristocracy in
Rome, in the hands of the great
industrial families of the North,
in the hands of people like the
Lauro family in Naples.”

Is if then any wonder the
Italian people want not just an-
other political party but rather
want a new social system .—
socialism? West wryly  com-
ments: ‘The Communists don’t
have to work in Italy. They can
sit back and let the signori work
for them.”

West would like to see bour-
geois reform but the industrial-
ists and landlords don’t want
to surrender a bit of their wealth
and the Church is “‘accommodat-
ing.”

This, is a good time to read
West's book — it helps to better
understand the character and
struggle of the Italian people.

_ PHYLLIS CLARKE

Andrea i

was with great . interest
j Fa I went to the Queen
Elizabeth Playhouse on Wed-
nesday, May 15. I had heard
Audrea Kalanj play several
times as a young girl. I had
20 doubts of her capabilities
as a pianist; what I did won-
der about was whether she
would develop that something
— that sensitivity of interpre-
tation — which makes the dii-
ference between an excellent
Pianist and a_ brilliant mu-
Sician.

As I entered the theatre I
was glad to see the ‘Sold
Out” notice and, looking
around at the widely repres-
entative audience, I wondered
how many felt as I did
Sad that the Canada Council
had refused help to this young
Canadian, yet proud that we
Were to hear the results of
three years’ intensive study
in the Soviet Union.

*& % %

It was Andrea’s big night—

A 21 percent rise in the
amount of turkey meat in
Canada was registered during
the first three months of 19638,
according to the Dept of Ag-
Beniture,

is on threshold

playing in her. home town.
Still very young, she came on
stage and opened her pefor-
mance.

I felt a slight nervousness
during the opening number,
Bach’s Prelude and Fugue No
24, but by the middle of Mo-
zart’s Sonata in C Major she
began to relax, losing her
identity in the music and cap-
turing the audience.

Beethoven’s Sonata in A
flat Major was the finest on
the program and the applause
was, aS someone remarked,
“terrific.”

Following intermission, Cho-
pin’s Nocturne No. 18 in E
Major and Ballad No. dein
G Minor, as well as Schu-
mann’s Fantasy pieces were
enthusiastically received. (I
particularly liked the section
entitled “Soaring’’). Toccata,
Op. No. 7 in C Major by
Schumann brought the house
down and concluded the pro-

gram.

rs ak *

There was no doubt that
Andrea was welcomed home
by Vancouver. Called back
time and again, she played
two tremendous encores, but

NS oh

audience still wanted
more. Finally, she blew a kiss
to all of us and, reluctantly,
we let her go.

Many years of hard work
and study lie ahead but we
can be proud that Andrea
Kalanj — talented young Can-
adian — now stands on the
threshold of being a “brilliant
musician.”

Let us hope that the Can-
ada Council will now see fit
to help her to the top.

— M.H.A.

after his execution.
The letter said:

Dear Angelita,

gave me a lot of pleasure.

write them soon.

more exercise,
will help me greatly.

Amandi.
during the war, and now.

soon.

sary.

only an hour.
a little longer.

outcome.

to defend myself fittingly.

happy.

as you asked me to.
help.

much.

Julian Grimau’'s wife Angelita with their daughters
Carmen, nine, and Dolores, ten.

Grimau’s last letter to his wife, Angelita, written from Franco’s
Carabanchel prison on April 12, was published in Paris several days

Up to yesterday I have received three letters, the last
dated the 7th. The little girls’ letters are very nice and

I am very glad that they are having such a gocd ;
holiday and getting used to collective life. Tell them I *
am very pleased with them, that I hug them and shall #

As for me, I must tell you that I am feeling better. #
I walk in the courtyard, so I get some fresh air and do %
which I badly lacked. I believe that this #

I have already named my military counsel.
asked for Commandant Don Jose Griffo Montilla. But this
was not possible, for reasons I do not know. Now the
defense counsel, the second, is Captain Rebollo Alvarez

He visited me yesterday and brought a written sum-
mary of the defense. The prosecutor is demanding the
death sentence. The charge consists of two parts: activities

All the indications are that the case will come up-:

One may think anyway that the defense counsel will B
have the time absolutely necessary to study the file and
‘work out the defense. That would be normal and neces- %

For the moment I have been able to talk with him for :
He promised to come back to see me for

When the sentence is passed I will inform you of the

I ask you to be calm and without anxiety .. .

and there is no reason at all why it should not be so.
Physically I am feeling better

Say nothing about all this to the girls. There is time BS
for them to learn about it. Now they should play and be

Today I saw my brother and embraced him for you
That pleased him.

I embrace all the family and thank them for their

I embrace you, the children and you. I love you very

Best regards to your mother.

First I

and I will know how

JULIAN

Twas a ratfor FBI

STERLING HAYDEN

Motion picture actor Sterling
Hayden, who ha’ recently com-
pleted a new film in England (pro-
nusingly) called, “Dr. Strange-
love: or How IT Learned to Stop
Worrying and Love the Bomb,”
appeared in 1951 as a friendly wit-

ness before the Un-American
Committee.
Interviewed’ by Paul Speecgle

of The S. F. News-Call Bulletin
(April 17,) Hayden was quoted
as saying:

“I messed myself up. I spent
a lifetime selling out. I always
hated acting buf I kept on act-

ing. I was a commuter on a
tinsel train. I was a_ card-car-
rying Communist for a month —
June of "46. .

“T left the party but named
names to the committee. I was
a rat, a stoolie, and the names
I named — some of these close
friends — were blacklisted and
deprived of their livelihood. It
would be a different story with
me and the committee now.”’

An autobiography by  Hay-
den, titled ‘‘Wanderer” is
scheduled for September  publi-

cation by Alfred A. Knopf.

May 24, 1963—PACIFIC TRIBUNE—Page 9