New-York tribune., 1873-01-01
CHRISTMAS AT THE ITALIAN SCHOOL.

The Italian School. which was founded II
years ago by Mr.. Brace, gwen bright little Christ
mas festival, Monday evening, at the Chapel Of the
House Industry Beside the children and their teach
ers there present large number OF ladies and
gentlemen interested n the school. Scattered about
were dolls and cakes and shoes and rumpets and
and toys of various mysterious kinds, and there was
restless regiment of little browE-sknned, blackeyed
girls and boys who gazed with ineffable delight upon
these gorgeous treasures and who with poverty
figures and piteous coughs and thin faces yet showed
not little OF the sweetness the archness and enthusi
asm OF happier childhood, Prof. yncenzo Borta made
a pleasant speech about the school-a speech which
gave the strongest encouragement for the future In re-
counting the results Of the past. The pupils he said,
were from the Streets the poor little wandering beggars
OF harp. violin. and monkey accOmpaniments.
These supposed to be rredeemable class, but
the school experiment has proved this untrue. The
attendance the day session OO and at the evening
session 800. The house, No 46 Franknst occupied
by the school, is quite fu, and the number OF pupils
would be largely increased II they could have larger
building In order to obtain this needed accommodation,
subscription OF from $4,000 to $4,000 has already been
generously gwen by friends Of the institution but at
least 900 more is necessary The italian Government
has for several years given much as it could
afford to the sehOol-abOut 5000 $500
year. The special feature OF the past year
in the institution the establishment Of italian
Young Mems Association consisting OF the old pupils OF
the school, nearly all artisans who spend their leisure
in their reading-room and in various charitable works.
for accomplishment of which they have formed them
selves into committees. One committee looks after
warrant children another has been the means of
Guiding from the low dance-hOuses the very Young
people who permitted to enter them another
investigates OF desttutOn among Italians and
often glves aid and st another attends to the employ
ment OF their poor COunTymen. The speaker contra
dcted tho assertion made ny newspaper that the 1900
Italians who recently arrived here were brgands from
Southern Italy and criminals, and described the simple
way in which they held out their abOr-hardened
hands, and said, "Brigands have not such hands" A
number OF these sent TO Virginia as railroad
laborers, and were said to make very excellent
Their transportation at the expense OF c0unryman
hereI bit OF generosity against which Prof Bota,
American, protested, since he thought that the COmms
sioners OF Emigration should have borne such expense
For tho last ten years the Commission has collected
$4,000 from Italian emigrans, and for all those years
have not had more than twelve engrants In charge
Quoting from the Census or 1870, he showed that the
percentage of crime among the Italians IN New-1Ork
was es than that OF any other OF f0regnbOrn popu
laton. Almost half OF the arrests made during
the year among the Irish-they were seven
teen per cent; the arrests among the French
amounted to per cent Germans five per cent and
Italians least OF all, four per cent Prof. Botta con-
cuded by presenting TO the school, In graceful little
Italian address, the portrait contributed by the poets
family, OF the late Henry G.. Tuckerman, who was
warmly interested In the methods and results OF the
experiment. This done, the distribution OF presents
began and the forlon but excited little creatures began
todde off enraptured, holding boxes almost as big
themselves, and smiling unlimited smiles over the eX-
quiste possession Of pair of boots. The cakes
went fast and the oranges and the dolls and with every
new gift 10y rippled the emall faces-tbe
fresh and wondering JOY which all children should know
this merry Christmas time.