Liberty advocate. [volume] (Liberty, Miss.) 1835-1866, 1843-07-15


THE BROTHERHOOD OF MERcY.-Some-
lines at Florence, in the midst of cava.
una or PdS-dc deur, bell with sharp,
shrlll, excoria.lng sound, will be heard; il
IS The bell della misericordi1 listen; il
II sound but once, it is some ordinary ac-
cIdent; if twice, for one Of serious ma
lure; 1t II sounds three times, il is case
d dealh.--lf you look around, You will
sea light star in some Of the boxes, and
Il will often happen that the person you
have been speaking to, if Florentine,
wi II excuse himself for leaving you, will
quietly take his hat and depart. You en-
quife what that bell means and why ii
produces so strange an effect. You are
told tits the bell della miSericordia, and
that he with whom you were speaking is
a brother of the order. This brother
hood OF mercy is one Of the noblest insti-
tutions in the world. 1t was founded in
1914, on occasion Of the frequent pesti-
lence which at that period desolated the
town, and il has been perpetuated to the
present day, without any alteration ex-
cept in its details-wiIh none in its purely
charitable spirit. 1t is composed of Sc
venly-iwo brothers called chiefs Of the
watch, who are each in service four
months in the year. OF these seventy
Two brothers, thirty are priests, fourteen
gentlemen, and twenty-eight artists. TO
these who represent the aristocratic clas-
ses and the liberal arts, are added 500 la.
borers and workmen who may be said to
represent the people. The seat Of the
brotherhood is the place del daonso. Each
brother has there, marked with his own
name, box containing black robe like
that Of the penitents, with openings only
for the eyes and mouth, in order that his
good actions may have the further merit
Of being performed in secret. lmme.
diately after the news Of any accident or
disaster is brought 10 q brother who is
upon guard, the bell sounds its alarm,
once, twice, or thrice, according 10 the
gravity Of the case and ~ the sound OF
the bell, every brother, wherever he may
be, is bound to retire at the instant, and
hasten to the rendezvous. There he
learns what misfortune or what suffering
has claimed his pious Offices, he puts on
his black robe and broad hat, takes the
taper in his hand, and goes forth where
the voice Of mercy calls him. IL il is
some wounded man, they bare him TO the
hospital; If the man is dead to the chapel ;
the nobleman and the day laborer, cloth
ed with the same robe, support together
the same litter and the link which uni.es
these two extremes Of society in some
sick pauper, who knowing neither, is
praying equally for both. And when
these brothers OF mercy have Quilted the
house, the children whose father they
have carried out, or the wife whose hus-
band they have borne away have but 10
look around them, and always, on some
worm-eaten piece Of furniture, there will
be found pious aims, deposited by an
unknown hand. The Grand Duke him
selfis member of this fraternity, and !
have been assured that more than once,
at the sound Of that melancholy bell, he
has clothed himself in the uniform Of char
ily, and penetrated unknown, side by side
with day laborer, to the beds head OF
some dying wretch, and that his presence
had Afterwards been detected only by The
aims he had left behind. Dumas In Italy.