The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1900-02-26
FREE ITALIAN SCHOOL.
Commendable Enterprise of a Com
mittee of Prominent Italian
American Scrantonians.

Seven of Scranton's most prominent
citizens OF Italian birth have under
taken the establishment of a free
school where their compatriots, adults
and children may secure an English
education, and where, incidentally,
English-speaking people may take up
the study of Italian under the most
competent of teachers.
The committee having the project
i'm hand is composed of Franz Carlucci,
contractor, who is its president: Hon.
f. Tiscar, Italian consul to Scranton;
Rev. Dominic Landro. pastor of the
Italian congregation of the Cathedral
parish; Ferdinand Arigoni. contractor
and builder; Joseph Casesse, banker
and proprietor of the Roma hotel;
Victor Sartor, police officer and A.
Butti. architect.
1t is proposed to conduct the school
in old No. 16 public school building,
on Chestnut street. which has been
purchased by the Italian Catholic con-
gregation and is now being fitted up
as church, school and convent.
While the church and convent are to
be parochial affairs and under the
direct and full control of the congre- :
Independently by the committee, it be-
ing arranged that in view of the
school being made free and undenomi-
national the sisters. who were to have
conducted a parochial school, to be
supported by the congregation and the
fees of students, are to devote their
whole time to the free, general school
to be conducted by the committee.
These sisters are members Of an
Italian teaching order, where member
ship is drawn from the best Catholic
families Of Italy. The American head
quarters are in New York city. Upon
requistion to the Italian Headquarters
of the order in Rome, sisters needed
here are selected from the most thor
| oughly competent of those who have
completed their educarion, and after
finishing their English studies, in IL
fiye-year course in the New York head
quarters. they are sent out on missions
such as the one that calls them here.
1t Is the purpose OF the committee to
encourage the attendance at this school
or married women and grown-up girls,
that the English language and GUS
toms may be firmly implanted in the
Italian homes, and that the children
upon going home from school will not
| be compelled. through their mother )
| or Srown-up sisters ignorance of Eng
| lish. to totally throw aside the prac-
| tice of their new tongue. The men
folks who get out among the English
| speaking population, by reason of their
| daily work, and who thus readily learn
| the English, can be relied upon to helm
| out in furthering the learning of Eng
lish by his household by speaking it at
| home, when the others understand it,
night session for the adults is to be
a feature of the school.
The committee will ask the aid OF
the public in getting the school started
and for that purpose will send solicit
ors about with certified subscription
! books.
Several thousand dollars is needed
for the work, and as the Italian resi-
dents are neither numerically or finan.
cially strong in the community, they
find themselves called upon to make an
appeal to the public for assistance-the
first appeal they have ever made.