Italy: Symbol of the Nation

Antonio Segni's frail physique conceals a formidable will. Says a friend: "He is like the Colosseum; he looks like a ruin but he'll be around for a long time." Last week slight, silver-haired Segni, 71, proved the accuracy of the description. He outlasted his rivals during five days of cutthroat politicking and nine closely contested ballots in the Chamber of Deputies, was finally elected to a seven-year term as President of Italy. Quipped Antonio Segni's partisans in a somewhat blasphemous parody of the miraculous vision that came to the Emperor Constantine as...