Los Angeles daily herald. [volume] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1873-1876, 1874-06-24
LETTER FROM ROME.

[SefIor De Cells, editor of La Cronica,
of this city, has favored the HERALD
with the following translation of an
interesting letter from his papers cor
respondent at Rome:]
have for long time ceased to give
the readers of your paper any news
from this interesting old capital; but,
much against my will, my extraord-
nary occupations and misfortune in
my family have, until now, prevented
me from keeping up my regular cor
respondence with our dear Cronica.
am going now to take fresh start
on a subject which L hope will prove
very agreeable to your intelligent
readers; | mean the ltalian-American
schools, with which the New W Grid
so largely contributes to regenerate
the Old Continent. Mr.. Van Meter,
of New York, was the founder of the
ltalian-American schools which were
established in this city three years
ago. He is a fine-loOking gentleman
of about fifty; Of q very afiable, mild
disposition and manners, and one that
ut first Sight inspires confidence and
draws the affections of all who know
him, especially the little ones, who not
only find benefactor in him, but
loving father as well.
1t would be long and tedious to emu
merate the great obstacles this gener-
Gus gentleman had to surmount be-
fore he could attain the noble object
OF popular education-the object for
which he had abandoned his distant
native country; but the consistency of
his nature, his vast intelligence and
the love for the human race which
seems to animate him, made him con-
quer, in a short time, all popular pre-
.judice, Ignorance, and, what is still
worse, religious superstition. In this
manner Mr.. Van Meter was soon en-
abled to open two schools, one for boys
and one for girls, which not only are
at present in a flourishing condition,
but can be set up as model schools.
The object of this establishment is to
bring the children up as good Chris
tians, good citizens and more particu-
larly as men who love humanity, in
order to attain at some future day uni
versal fraternity, which will lead to
the happiness of the human race. The
boys school is located near the Vati-
can and is we'll attended, mostly by
children of the poor, who heretofore
lived in an almost total moral abjec-
ton. 10 these, besides educating
them carefully, Mr.. Van Meter fur
nishes good, substantial food.
The Girls School occupies a mag
nificent hall in the ground-foor of the
same house where Mr.. Van Meter re-
sides, and is frequented by about fifty
girls of good families. Besides gen.
eral instruction they are taught draw
ing, English and French, embroidery
ure of paying visit to this school and
noticing personally the progress
achieved by these interesting young
ladies, and we were particularly
2 pleased at the frank, bright manner in
which they answered our questions,
showing a. very remarkable efficiency
in elementary education.
In addition to this, Mr.. Van Meter,
not being satisfied with caring for the
moral and intellectual education of
the children, has also provided for
their physical training, and with this
object in view he has selected large,
airy rooms, will, plenty of light and
located near the gardens, so that his
pupils can breathe healthy, pure at
mOsphere.
The furniture in both schools is ex-
cellent, especially the benches, which
are made after the same pattern as
those used in your schools, and which
ought to be adopted bv our municipal
authorities. Honor to Mr.. Van Meter,
benefactor Of the Roman youth!
Gratitude and thanks are also due to
the generous American Committees,
who, with their splendid donations,
assisted that gentleman in defraying
the great expense annually incurred
by these schools. We sincerely hope
and pray that Mr.. Van Meter may be
enabled to open new schools next
year, in order to spread instruction as
much as possible among our growing
youth, who stand in SO much need of
being regenerated.
In other letters / will treat Of the
commercial, industrial and artistical
importance of the American and
Spanish American colonies in this
Eternal City. Yours truly,
,..... G. B. PROF. ALCIONI.
Rome, May "a, 1874.