The Arizona sentinel., 1888-06-02
FOR CHARITYS SAKE.
a Monk Who Has Devoted His Life to
Pulling Teeth for the Poor.

TOh O7Ahl Us SAKE
"A Monk Who Has Devoted His Life to
Pulling Teeth for the Poor.
The correspondent Of the London
TABLET in Rome describes the work
shop, near the bridge of Quattro Capt.,
OF Fra Orsenico. n monk. ''who, year
after year, standing on the same spot,
had grown gray in performing one
kind of dreadful service for the poor"
There, on the far side of the Tiber, in
a little room by the bridge of the
Q1atlro Capt., is a 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 neighbor Close by the west end
of the Old bridge is large glass door
opening into little room, and above
the door is-a piece of faded tapestry,
upon which, in yellow letters, are
worked the words: Fra Orsenico,
Dentista." Fra Orsenico is tall,
powerfuliy-built, gentle-looking man
of about fifty, and ever since he was
thirty he has, outwardly at least,
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 suffer and come to him, no CHARGE
of any kind, except request for three
Hail Marys The walls of the room
are covered with pious pictures; but it
requires an effort to look at them, for
the eye is instantly arrested by other
objects. Along one side of the room
and beneath the table upon which the
frate 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 pileI up
there in those boxes. the results of the
frate's industry. Above the table is
narrow shelf of wood which runs
around the room, and upon which are
lovingly arranged all SORTS # mon
otrous fangs, stubborn stumps, that
required triumph of skill and
strength to extract
Fra Orsenico, who is dressed in the
black habit of a Brother of St. John of
God, told me in quiet, simple way
That he generally pulled out daily
about one hundred teeth, and that he
had drawn rs many as four hundred
teeth in single day. And he has
BEEN doing that for twenty years.
Then'7glancing uneasily at the little
mountain of bones with their streaks If
dull Ped beneath the table, Iasked the
Brother how many teeth he supposed
he had extracted from first to last He
smiled slowly and then said, vaguely:
Perhaps millions" l should perhaps
have gathered some further particu-
lars about this strange and devoted
man, but before 1 could ask any
further questions the door opened, and
feeble, poorly-dressed old woman
hobbled in. and, without speaking sat |
down. One could have hoped that her
withered wintry old age would have
spared her that sort of trouble; and
somehow l had not quite realized
what she had come for, when Fra
Orsenico asked me if 1 would like TO
see the Operation-it would be over in
a moment 1t was meant in all kind
ness; and 1 am afraid my leave-taking
may have seemed a little abrupt. As |
hurried across The bridge saw a
sight which seemed like a shadow
across The sunshine A child was be- |
ing led, or rather dragged. by two
people. who. from their obvious sense
of possession, l knew were the par
ents.. When they had passed Hooked
back; and they, too, were going to Fra
Orsenico. 1t is probably not neces-
sary to add that the frate's methods
arc very simple. A tooth that is
drawn can never ache again, and
an@;thetics are costly. and require a
great deal more time than the frato
has to give.