The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-10-07
CHELDREN or FLORENCE.
The Hospital O6 the %InnOcentl, the Most
RamOus Founding Institution.

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busy life forever hurryinR by. Is perhaps
the place OF all others In Florence where The
inveterate loafer unwilling TO leave the sum
shine and satiated for the moment with The
treasures OF church and picture gallery may
feel justified In lingering. Ii may be added
that the steps under the graceful arcade
which faces the Innocent Hospital ofer an
obvious and desirable resting place. An
incessant stream OF life hows daily through
the piazza, trans lad en- with country people
returning from market bound for the heights
OF Fiesole. and with city folk also, perhaps
only going h couple OF hundred yards, for
nobody In Florence walks IL he can drive.
while long carts Of the country rattle after
them, carrying twice as much OF humanity
as they are Intended TO hold. And yet this
square. one Of the busiest In the city. retains
a curious atmosphere OF repose. Possibly it
is because the traGic never passes nor DIVORCES
from its course to disturb the harmony about
a 4, quiet SSs = meadow SssaeT nAi a. east this IS how S1i'S Sa11Gs
found IL on weekdays. On Sundays, and on
testas. when the ta~shiona6ie w9rld noGSs to
Of the Innocent. IL Ia another matter,
A few children are generally playing. hut
bronze and marble sea monsters Of Tac,a.
which serve as fountains. Upon the right
re EE ts, s SrSsde o ssa sis horse 90 Dus ssz esf fdPeSer
at a blank window IN the palace. where once
the bust Of his lady smiled back at him
I0eIE 49, HuTtly n hlNt " ihCAc '.n'' .AFoNs
for had the wooing been conducted with the
heat and fervor extolled by youth another
S SeSSsy Sri SistO TSOt % fsSs Sesn 1 Sc there 70 he he
stands. 9 mighty monument to the negative
virtue Of delsyl But i y The lovely FACADE
Innocenti, which gives its chief. beauty end
character To the piazza. To al those Who
The long harmonious lines OF Brunelleschis
design, suggesting a rare combination, Of
strength and simPlicity; the N vide ebs shsll ,Es
swaddied babies. the blue of the porcelain
s sTay q Ing Stone ssns s Each EXQUISITE re p e sSl
tation of helpless infancy differs from the
other. each s instinct S %lIn .n 1Ie ys sna f Gbs co ana
ing OF these medallions has withstood wind
and weather. for did not LSc9 = i bHd out the
lions rave been classed of beauty in external
neSorS aeSSsE "G In the courtyafd Of the hos
the design q the swaddled babies ss is repea,ed:
colOring is the same. the babies are only
painted upon plaster; Above them. on the
the Instruments OF the passion, the cock Of
the Bigailo, and repeated at intervals the
porta, the gate, which is the badge of the
which may well. both Tor age and beauty, a:
ali the founding hospitals Of the world. IL
not so old as the actual society. for manu-
such a society for the protection OF founding
smOns the sI archives Of Florence. But in the
ansSt app ssn'S Of Leonardo q n at; BBTTuinnsi. the n 'h fsm s,Gs
scholar and secretary of the republic, who.
enjoyed the sunshine Of favor in the palsc:
Of Cosimo de- Medici.-, the hospital as We see
it to-day was actually founded There is
entine love OF little children than il to Be
found in the nance OF the great masters Of
to adorn with EXQUISITE and tender sentiment
the refuge Of destitute and nameless infancy.
In the gloom OF the cloister, over the en-.
a beautiful della Robbia relief of the Annun;
citation. surrounded with its lovely garland
the altar. Ghiriandajo's -Adoraton OF the
Magi." with the two little murdered inno-
S SssPsS T shs sa Eaies4nSS have uttered inter- SG Inte s TiSGs'
sion for the young and helpless which Is the
hospital. We lind it again " the pictures in
the board room, In the work OF Piero di Cosimo.
lender Shdan Seizure Sfe Tiippo N hhiIppiT's, IN a. Which, cha a
boy, angel brings the Christ Child TO the
Msdonna. II repeats itself IN the minutest
winged heads Of the putt over the doOrways:
and there is always the same, sense, of haT-
design. as in the medallions over the arcade
without. The hospital was Tor a time gen;
fSSSssy w fSsss'f 6nst 4y stand under Mtq't the ar S q
patrons OF the artists who were employed
upon the building. but il was placed at the
t GSs' Guild fspe of Six V MesTe Tse W Is,'s eSSdOSed Il e
with wOr.1 = Es1 Ff on syery ReeTIT1d soon OF s ! Ps npln bS III
raised it to the dignity Of an ecclesiastical
place a dignity which 1t enjoys TO the pres
For a time after its foundation very few
babies were brought TO The hospital; perhaps
the mothers were a little shy of the sump-
age. Their anonymity was, however. COM
pletely secured, for the babies were, as they,
still are. Of 80 tender an age that they could
which has only recently been walled up. The
first infant TO be so received was baptized
sme nsHaSary GS "a sIii ana n T those eae esTPy A days
the society Increased its funds by the absorb
tion, Of smaller analogous institutions, such
became possessed Of considerable properly
In the city; Everybody who knows the
the doors OF certain houses the sign of the
swaddled babies. painted on plaster, which
marks them IN the property of the Innocent.
In spite OF SO prosperous a beginning me
Hospital Of the fnnocents has passed through
more than one severe financial crisis. More
patton OF the French, when Napoleon, with
his particular genius for using up waste ma
terial, decreed that all f%oundllngs Of the male
sex over the age OF "a should be enrolled u!
a boy regiment. while those between II and
IL should be utilized as middies -Four CEN
Smeralda was received, with how much
interest and Ill suppressed agitation We may
magine. by the initiators of this prlncely
scheme. Much water has flowed under the
bridge since then, and at the present day
between seven and eight thousand foundlings
are annually supported by the society, al.
though comparatively few Of them are housed
in the actual building.
The history OF the Innocent Hospital ia
curious and instr uctive study in evolution,
Here the babies are still swaddled in the alp
proved Tuscan fashion, which has never
changed with the ages and which is immor;
talized In the della Robbia medallions, Aud
not so long. ago an administrative council
was formed whose object Is 10 sea that
every newest and most sanitary invention
and practice IL employed for the benefit %
these nameless waits, who are lodged aud
fed and nursed upon the best and most sCi"U-
tic principles 10 Europe. No heir to q hing
dom could be reared upon more hygiene
methods.