Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER II THE ITALIAN SOCIALIST PARTY In the Eternal City, in the new and handsome Casa del Popolo, the socialists' own meeting-hall, the congress of the Italian Socialist Party was in session. Every one was alive with excitement, as it had been rumored that the party would be split into a thousand fragments. The Reformists, led by their able and forceful Turati; the Syndicalists, led by their brilliant, emotional, and impractical Labriola; and the Integralists, led by the impressive and not always consistent Ferri, — all were there, and lost no time in giving battle. It seemed only natural in Rome to be witnessing a battle of giants, a turbulent, hero-worshipping populace broken into factions, and the fate of one of the greatest and noblest nations in the world resting upon the outcome. At any rate, as I sat three days in that hall, this appeared to be not far from the actual situation. With all the lovable qualities; with a fine and sincere admiration for power and greatness; with quick and agile intelligence; with childlike frankness and honesty; with idealism and splendid emotion, quick to resent, quick to forgive; these men sat together for three days backing their leaders like boys with fighting cocks,—apparently deciding nothing of importance except not to split, but discussing almost everything in the wide world of interest. It was a thousand times more engaging than the German congress. It was comic, tragic, lyric, andabsorbing to watch. At times it was as impressive as cannonry, and as brilliant as fireworks; but in the end a thing of wonder and bewilderment. The middle-class character of the Italian gathering astonished me most. In almost every other country the socialist movement is mainly proletarian. In Germany there are few men in the movement not of th...