New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-04-02
THE ~NISERicoRDIA" N TUSCANY.
A FRATERNITY Of ALL SORTS AND CONDITIONS
OF MEN FOR OUTDOOR RELIEF

q
OF MEN FOR OUTDOOR RELIEF
Rome correspondent Of The London Lancet.
When the Romance Of Outdoor Relief comes
to be- written it will owe some Of its most touch
ing most picturesque chapters 10 the MsericOr-
dia-a brotherhood peculiar 70 Tuscany seen ~
its best in Florence though also admirably en-
evid nee at Siena. Pisa Leghorn and Lucca, an
not unworthily represented I'D the minor pro
vincial towns inland or maritime. Ecclesiastical
in origin it founded in l244 by Petro d
Luca Borsi. and its personnel Is drawn from
every social rank. all and individually bound 70
serve whenever summoned. without Zee or re-
ward The Grand-duke himself. when presiding
at a State banquet In the Pitt Palace mas mad
TO rise and leave his guests when MS turn came
and 20 bear hand with tradesmen noOles
mechanics professional men-with the company
in fact pr0mscuousiy improvised TO transport
TO hospital some victim Of an accident or 70
carry a patient from the sick bed 20 the subur-
ban lodging indicated by the physician
The service il not one Of 'unsklled lahor.
The members ~ the brotherhood have all been
previously trained 10 lift the sufferer from the
street 10 turn the patient IN bed, ana put hiin
on the -bara" or stretcher with the minimum OF
pain or II risk TO COMPROMISED HmoS or organs
and thereafter 90 bear MN lntot5n ne, ne 'ro C
0ughfares to his destination with the least pos
bile vibration. friction or disturbance. AS Often
happens the particular company told on on
suddeu duty is composed Of men as various IN
altitude as they are IN social position so that IN
carrying the "bara" shoulder high they employ
for the first part u the journey those OF them
who are as nearly as possible OF the same height
and when these are tired they lower their bur
den to the less tall without interruption OF
movement or alteration Of pace, and so continue
the shifting process until the sufferer Is at his
i0urnev's end and laid down in bed with scarcely
the consciousness Of having been Transported
al all
Few sights or sounds more impressive in
III. Florence Of to-day than the measured
march" ~ the Misericordia through rs crowded
street as ROBBED In black gowns and hooded IN
black cowls. with openings for the eyes. me
brotherhood wends its way with It's burden. the
bvstander lifting his hat sympathetically. the
traffic reverently falling aside, and the street
noises subdued 20 a momentary hush In the
presence OF the still sad music Of humanity
Queen Victoria II is well known, took profound
sive sotourns In Florence, and one Of its high
est office bearers, the late Cavalier Cesare
Barsi was deputed by the Arci- Con fraterntA TO
visit the villa Palmieri. there forth 10
Her Majesty its origin and constitution. the
nature Of its service. the resources at it's com
rnand and the more striking incidents in ITS
perience.
AS have said the brotherhood is peculiar 10
Tuscany, though other places have their equiva-
Tents each In its own way rendering similar ser
vice few II any. Of them. however. being able
to point 70 the same antiquity Of origin. 20 the
same large resources. or 20 the same admirable
discipline and organization. ! have been ed 70
give this brief notice OF the MsericOrdia from
the funeral obseques just celebrated in Florence
~ the prOvVed iture cor general prOVider and ad-
rninistratOr) OF the brotherhood Sgnor Giuseppe
RronZuoli-a singulary imposing and pictur
esque pageant composed Of three hundred mem
beers Of the Arc-C onfraternita. fifty capt di
guardia" (chiefs II the guard. and thlrty-iv
priests The procession included many citizens
among whom not a few surgeons and ply
sicians those II them who Immediately followed
the hearse bearing lighted torches