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through the greater period immediately preceding the Great War.Mr. Borgese observes, and perhaps justly, that this period was thehappiest in the limited years of Italy's existence as a nation. A steadystream of emigrants poured out of Italy to America and otherlands, relieving the pressure on her glutted labor markets. Themillions who left sent back a steady stream of remittances to alleviatethe poverty of those who remained. The army and the war industriesabsorbed a large number of men who otherwise would havesought jobs.But under the surface all the old evils were growing in malignance.The national debt was rising ominously. The army, navy, and socialservices were absorbing half the revenues of the nation. Italy wasthe most heavily taxed nation in proportion to her wealth in Europe.In these years a new, malevolent force intruded itself into thelife of Italy. It was at this point, not after the war, that what Mr.Borgese calls the Black Age began. People can grow weary ofpoverty. This is particularly true of young people who have beentaught to read, to listen, and to think. The time when men acceptedwant as the continuing condition of their class under an ordinanceof God was past. Many devout peasants still did. But everywhereamong the working classes this day was over. The experience ofhundreds of thousands who had gone to America and who sent hometheir riches and the story of the realization of abundance confirmedthe growing belief at home that something could be done abouttheir hard lot, if only the right men were in power. That lot hadbeen a hard one for centuries.The socialist and the syndicalist had penetrated the minds of theworkers. If he did not convert them all to his philosophy he atleast shook their confidence in the existing order of things. The intellectualgroups—journalists, teachers, many professional men ofall kinds—became profoundly distrustful of the economic system.What was quite as serious was that great numbers began to harborthe impression that the men who led Italy did not know what theywere doing.There was a weariness of politicians and of public corruption.There was a deep resentment of the soiled pool of justice in courtsthat knew no justice save for the wealthy and in the big cities, for34