The Marietta journal. [volume] (Marietta, Ga.) 1866-1909, 1891-03-05
STORY OF THE WALDENsEs.
The Descendants of People Who Were
Persecuted for Religion.

The Descendants of People Who Were
Prosecuted for Religion.
The Rev. DR.. Teoflo Gay, minister of
the Waldensian church, in Rome, is a
small, black bearded man, who in ap.
pearance ard speech might be mistaken
for a German rather thsn an Itahan.
His English, spoken in fun, round voice,
is fluent and clear. An Idea OF his work,
rs given by hiNnsolf, ID a. follows:
You have AL read Of the aaAappy Wal
deDses- Long ago they fed fresn their
homes in Switzerland acxess tho lofty
Alps and down into our Fsa}ian valleys,
there to find refuge frssm persecution
and cluster Of their own bre$hren.
For, years previously. branch of the
Waldensian church had bOen established
on the Tta2ian side OF tAs nsouAabains.
In the dark centuries Of the Middle
Ages our forekakhArs would accept noth-
ing but the Rbls, which was tAsir
strength and joy, and At ths sazaa time
the cause to thaza OF sorc triaA and trib-
uEstionS. The Wa2aeM0as kawa always
beGoxssd and feat tAat the RAAs was
in that beksf thsy hAve newer fA2haSsd
Even ia the eaekAst tiAaaas thAy had
theological school, In which tAs stuaanta
learned by heart whala books Of tho
Bible. Then, leaving their native val
leys, they journsyed opar ths mountains
to their COLONY in Ca1abuia, acting as
colporteurs ON hsroad. You know how
they entered the castles as merchants Of
gems and precious stones, and how, ex-
tolling the Word of God as the most
precious gem of all, they left the good
book with many great lord and lady
who had hardly heard of it before.
The Calabrian colony was destroyed
by the Inauisition, but the Piedmontese
valleys survived the persecutions-the
thirty-three terrible prosecutions to
which they were subjected--until they
were finally liberated less than half a
century ago.
You have heard, too, Of the fearful
WaldenSian massacre, after which only
1000 out of $4,000 prisoners escaped to
the mountains, and of the GLORIOUS re-
turn OF our fathers" to their valleys in
1852. That event, the most celebrated
In our history, was comme2noratsd, by
our people ON the occasion of the 2OOth
anniversary.
Today, on three valleys nesting to-
gether on the Italian side of the Alps
very near to Turin, the capital of the cid
Piedmont, there are 30, coo Waldansas,
descendants Of the early champions of
the faith
Napoleon the Great, when be was
crowned king Of Italy, earned our lsss-
ing gratitude by granting us Land and
privileges beyond any We had before en-
JSyed De then aaolaEea that the RETURN
OF oal1 fashers was tha most wonderful
feat III aihkary history, and Napoleon,
with all his fss1l5a, was an expert In mil
itary afGairs.
Charlaa Albert, king Of Savoy, when
he gave bis psopls a now conskibatisn-
now tho constitution Of Isaly-ia 1913
was Obliged DO ggsaas elvia and reAgiOaa
easAaneipa&isn to che VFabdanssA, and ii
was en2y at that daAe thaE ear serugges
seA<2ea asad eRr n8W era OF happiness and
prosperity begsm.
We have nSw, i'm CUR okisf seksae4Aaak
q theological sehool anil high school
for young ladiss. and Wsa2slanaann sohsels
we have everywhere. Travelling Through
QUE valleys you will at esaee gssasa you
are in a Christian country. Yoa wiz see
childreR going to Sunday school with
theiF New TestamentB under their arnaa.
You viii 500 mea and woa2aa, dressed
In holiday costume, coming down fregn
tho mountains 10 go to oAADoA. You
viii find the valleys dotted with the. edi-
fees devoted to our pure and sinapla
worship.
We don't Leave our valleys. Whsn
2,0G0 or 5000 Weaknesses went away
across the seas to found a cohoay in Uru-
quay people predicted tho dspopSa2ataon
of our native land; but there is no dan
ger of that. Our rnountains are not
elastic. They will not hold more than
sc, geo people within their high and ever
lasting walls. Some of the Waldenses,
therefore, are compelled from time to
time to emigrate.
But, though separated from Us by
thousands Of miles of earth and ocean,
the colonasts in Uruguay form one of
the seventeen parishes of the church of
the valleys, and send depaty every
September to our synod.
Outside of our own territory we have
planted the seed of our faith, and reaped
abundant fruit in ninety-seven different
places throughout Italy, including all
the large cities and many less important
towns. Herald.
Device for Stopping Runaways.