Show gondola in in ight fight F for its ex existence istance use of motor boat io I 1 causing much trouble washington D 0 A recent demonstration by indignant gondoliers gondo liers in venice ice because of tho the increasing use of motor bouts boats on the canals of if the city way may have tho the most elementary economic consideration at its roots thi the fight to hold ones oneri job but there Is much uch more at the bottom of it aswell as well n bulletin frob drori the washington A 1 0 headquarters of the no national dional geographic society Ve nices environment evolved the gondola almost as truly as an aquatic life changed legs into flippers for seals or put well web feet on ducks says tile the bulletin venice not only has water avenues largo large canals in which motor boats can operate but also many scores of find shallow water lanes la aes ues and water alleys where the use of mechanically propelled graft craft would be out of the question probably no other bout boat as large as a 0 gondola even though driven by oar or pole could navigate these small channels success fully gliding over surface this distinctive craft Is more like anskate a ecate gliding over a surface ti than 1 an it n boat plowing into it doth both ends end are curved up and the bottom Is flattened the weight of the gondolier in the stern stem tends to raise the prow and the boat seems eager to climb oui out of the water at every stroke although a few motor boats have operated satisfactorily for years cars on the broad orand grand canal one can imagine their troubles in a truffle traffic jam on evan even the medium abed sized waterways to be not u unlike those of a farm set down tax lealis avenue even if it were not surely protected by the existence of tile the smaller canals sentiment would fight ably av with th the tha gondoliers gondo liers tor for tva the alto el tor or it la ip little lt less one cau can hardly imagine ne venice without gondolas and the gon dollers themselves set tes ore are on an important factor in venetian life henry james called these sturdy sunburned water loyl loving ng men the true children of venice they typify much more closely than the ilie merchants find and artisans mal gentry gen try on thear pile made ground the spirit of tho the founders of venice who built up among the waters voters the unequaled maritime t world pow power er of its day the visitor to venice for the first farsi time Is sure to be disappointed in the appearance of the gondola so much that Is romantic has been associated with those these boats that th the stranger estranger unconsciously expects them to be gayly decorated but each Is like fill all the rest a somber unrelieved black the powerful council of the old venetian republic provided for this dusk dusky v hue back in tile the sixteenth century and the requirement has been followed as aa faithfully ever since as naif f the mighty ten still held unquestioned powers of life and death over all the orio one explanation of the tha queer law Is that venetians were vere squandering too huep much money moncy vying with one another trappings in Tings aking their heir gondolas will costly trappings trap another Is that it was to lend prestige to authority at any rate tile the edict excepted except edi the te gondola gond olaa a of the doge and the foreign ambassadors which were richly embellished in gold and cri crimson tuson measure of wealth fe aith at the height of venetian prosper pros per ity the wealth of cert certain ikin individuals might be measured by the number of condolas fon gondolas dolas they maintained as la in amer c ca today ones bank account may sometimes be inferred from the automobiles lie he bans ans at the present time there citero are relatively few privately owned gondolas they serve us as taxi cabs with stands at prominent points along the canal banks some venetian families hire a gondolier and his boat from month to month and as Is true of chauffeurs chauff eura in some moderately well to do families fA milles in tile the united states the gondolier when ft hen not rowing his bout boat may act ns as butler or ok gen cral manservant man nian servant about the house the gondola Is first mentioned in manuscripts of 1004 A D but had probably been evolving from forms not greatly different since the first venetians took up their abode anthe on the lagoon mud banks several centuries earlier the unusual craft has flouris only lil where it A ft was is born bora and Is hardly ardly known in other parts of the world save as a curiosity or to give a breath of venice to feit ornamental lakes of world fairs une of the jev fey tr transplantations trans ansill plantations a neat ions of the lie gondola that lias been attempted was to the grand canal that louis XIV built at ver sallies in 1074 these boats a gift ol 01 venice unlike their patterns were brilliantly decorate decora teJ A colony of ital ita tan lan gondoliers gondo liers and their families was wa established in the parisian suburb and remained until the french bev one of those these years and it la 13 freely predicted that it la Is not far distant a public units links player will romp to the front as the winner of the national beur or the national open championship p pion ship of the united states states chick evans and francis Out who hiiva have both carried oft off both those honors we were e once cadd caddies les but at the time they achieved the spotlight both were members of private clubs gene barazon Ba razen who has been both open and nd professional ff onni champion in this country to Is another former caddy everybody in washington plays golf from the president of tho the united states to tho the humblest government clerk and including cabinet me members ibbers senators representatives the chief justice and associate justices of the united states supreme court diplomats army and navy off leers professional men bankers and business men and all their wives and daughters |