The Grenada gazette., 1888-06-02
FOR CHARiTY'S SAKE.
4 Monk Who Has Devoted His Life to
Pulling Teeth for the roor.

Pulling Teeth for the roor.
The correspondent cf the London
Tablet In Rome describes the work
shop. near the bridge Of Quattro Capi,
Of Ira Orsenico. u monk. ''who. year
after year. standing on tho same spot.
had grown gray in performing one
kind Of dreadful service for tho poor y
There. on the far side Of tho Thor. in
q little room by the bridge Of tho
@ ,atiro Capi, is n frate. to be seen
any time. who has been there these
twenty years, doing the Same thing
day after day for the love OF God and
his ncighbor. Close by the west ond
of tho old bridge Is large glass door
opening into little room, and abov,
the door is a piece Of faded tapestry,
upon which, in yellow letters arc
worked the words: FRA Orscnico,
d .n,is,a" Fra Orscnico is q tall.
powerfully built. gentle looking man
of about fifty. and ever since no was
thirty he has, outwardly at lcas'.
limited his life to the fulfillment Of
one corporal work OF mercy. From
sunrise to sunset he is there at his
post ready to pull out the teeth OF all
who 81 fer and come to him. no charrs
Of any kind. except arequcst for three
Hail Marys. The walls OF the room
are covered with pious pictures; but it
requires an effort to look at thcm. for
the eye is ins antly arrested by other
objects. Along one side of the room
and beneath the table upon which the
fratc keeps the tools Of his trade are
two solid oak chests, without lids, and
filled with teeth. Thousands and thou
sands of teeth of all sizes lie piled up
there in thcs, boxes. the results OF the
fra,e's industry. Above the table is
narrow shelf of wood which runs
around the room, and upon which arc
lovingly arranged all sorts f mon.
strous fangs, stubborn stumps. that
required triumph Ct skill and
strength to extract. "A
Fra Orscnico. who is dressed in the
black habit of Brother of ST. John Of
God. told me in n quiet, simple way
that he generally pulled out daily
about one hundred teeth. and that he
had drawn as many as four hundred
teeth in a single day. Aud he has
been doing that for twenty years.
Then, glancing uncasily at the little
mountain of bones with their streaks t
dull red beneath the table, asked the
Brother how many teeth he supposed
he had extracted from first to last. He
smiled slowly. and then said. vaguely:
perhaps millions" should perhaps
have gathered some further particu-
lars about this strange and devoted
man, but before could ask any
further questions the door opened. and
fee bic. poorly-dressed old woman
hobblcd in. and. without speaking. sal
down. One could have hoped that hel
withered. wintry old age would have
spared her that sort of trouble; and
SOnleHOW ! luu NV IuitC iO"'hO"
what she had come for when Fra
Orsenico asked me if l would like 10
see the operation--it would be over in
a moment 1t was meant in all kind
ness; and l am afraid my leavc-takin9 2
may have seemed little abrupt Al
hurried across The bridge saw q
sight which seemed like shadow
across the sunshine. a child was be-
ing led, or rather dragged. by two
people. who. from their obvious sense
of possession. knew were the par
ents. When they had passed Hooked
back; and they. too, were going to Fra
Orsenico. It is probably not neces
sary to add that the frate's methods
are very simple. A tooth that il
drawn can never ache again, ant
ann sthetics are costly. and require
great deal more time than the frat
has TO give.