Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1921-07-05
HOW PRIZE WINNING
FAMILY WAS RAISED
BY FAY STEVENSON

NEW YORK.-'Live in one place.
Don't keep moving from one flat to
another. for it isn't. fair to the chill
dren who go to school and get used
to one neighborhood. Give them
plain food, good warm clothing, put
them to bed at 8, even when they
are in their teens, and when they are
naughty give them spanking-a
good one. Children brought up on
cake and the movies do not turn out
we'll"
That is the way to bring up a
family of sixteen children. accord
ing to Domenico Zacchea and his
wife Vincenza, who live at No. 419
East 18th street and have been
awarded $500 prize offered by The
Evening World to the New York
living children. all born within the
limits of Greater New York.
The Zaccheas were both born in
Italy but they met and married in
New York City and in the twenty
three years of their married life
have brought nineteen children into
the world. Sixteen of these children
are alive, living at home and I'M
married. They are: Giuseppe, TWEEN
ty; Antonetta. seventeen; Rosa, six
teen; Lucia, fifteen; Angelina, thir-
teen; Giovanni, eleven; Theresa, ten;
Joacomino. nine; Michele. eight;
Elena, six; Giovanni. five: VincenZo,
four; Rocco, three and Nunziata, one.
The names of those who died were
passed on to those born later. There
We're Rosa, who would be nineteen
if she lived Archangela, who would
be fourteen, and Rocco, who would
he FIVE Rocco was the twin brother
of Giovanni.
Although it has been a pretty
hard struggle at times to even have
a roof, bread and milk, 1 have al
ways welcomed all my children"
said Mrs. Zacchea, a plump little
woman Of forty-four, who has been
in this country so long that she
speaks perfect English with the ex-
ception of an occasional 'a' on the
end of some words when she is in
a hurry.
"a rolla stone gathers no moss"
she said with an emphatic nod of her
head, and her husband, a tall strong
ly built fellow of forty-seven, nodded
his head in approval of her phil
THAT is why in twenty-three
years. we have lived in just two
flats" said he. when We were
first married, we lived on East 18th
street. Then the family began to
increase and we needed more room
50. We, moved here and have lived in
-
we always paid our rent, no matter
# We went without bread to do it.
But I'll let the wife tell you about
Us. She is the one who brought I'D
the. kiddies and kept the home to-
gether."
We were sitting in the kitchen OF
the fiVe-room fiat which contains six
beds and is just a bit crowded for
eighteen, even if some are babies
Little Mrs. Zacchea sat on the edge
OF huge dining room table stirring
large kettle of soup On the stove
as she talked.
grammar school education" She said,
and that is why 1 made up my mind
they should live in one locality. I
sent my boys to P. S. 40 and my
girls to P. S. so. Two Of the boys
are chauffeurs and the oldest girl IS
a dressmaker, while two are learn,
money to help us. but since we nave
to pay $40 a month for this fiat.
which cost SIS eleven years ago. we
don't seem to have any more money
than then. My husband earns $40 a
week working in the storage room of
department store. He used to earn
from $40 to $12 a week-but money
doesn't count now.
1t has been no light work to care
for sixteen children all these years,
but L always sent the children o
school, kept them in warm clothes
Sometimes they had nothing but
bread. I bake four loaves a day for
them. IF I had milk I gave it to
them. IF I didn't they had water.
Once day I had soup or spaghetti
for them. We never had much cake
in our family and we never go to the
movies. [ want my children to be
sensible and not get foolish ideas in
their heads. They go to bed at 8,
and when they are bad L spank
them"
When I gave this good, sensible
mother the 500 prize and she took
the crisp four $50 bills and two $40
bills between her strong, capable
fingers, she looked grateful but most
placid.
Il never have had a parlor in my
life, we have never had d bank ac-
count, never S. ahead which we
might call our own" she told me.
| Every cent we had was used i'm
mediately. Maybe you think I am
going to take this 500 and furnish
up a Darlor now. NTaybs you think
am going to put it in the bank.
Well. I am not going to do either
Of those things. We all need new
shoes It wiA take 500 to buy shoes
for eighteen people. That means
that we can not spend much over IS
q pair you see. And I have attended
| to the necessary things for my chill
dren.
Our home is a place to sleep, eat,
to study, to rest and get ready for
the outside world, Children do not
need a parIor to be happy Ttey
need mothers love, good clothes,
food and plenty of sleep. We have
a kitchen and six comfortable beds.
we can get on until the small r
children get their e. cation. Some
day 1 may have a home in the coun-
try. I may have vegetable gar
den and a parlor. Now we are fitting
ourselves for life. Some day 1 may