"Nero was one of the most wicked emperors who ever ruled Rome. In the year 64 a terrible fire broke out. For six days flames swept the city. Yet Nero made no attempt to stop the fire nor to help the suffering people.
"Some say that the cruel Emperor played upon his fiddle while Rome burned.
"After the World War there came to Rome a new kind of King. He was really not a king at all but...."
"Il Duce! (The Commander!)" interrupted Anna.
"Yes, my dear," agreed her father. "His name was Benito Mussolini, the great chief of Italy.
"Mussolini was a poor boy, the son of a blacksmith. Like wicked Nero, he sometimes played upon his fiddle. But while he played, Rome did not burn. It grew.
"He founded a new system of government called Fascism.
"A wise man once was asked, 'What is the best quality for a child to have?' He replied, 'Obedience,' 'And the second best?' 'Obedience,' 'And the third?' 'Obedience!'
"This is what the Fascist teachers believe. Their moral is: 'Be strong to be pure. Be pure to be strong,' Il Duce has taught our people this wonderful lesson.