Year: 1875




mischief for nearly three centuries. The
infant department is carried on much the
same plan as the one at Rome, except that
the Infants were not swaddled, and that
many more of those admitted are sent out
to nurse in the country The pay given
to the peasant women who take charge of
these infants is fourpence day for the first
fifteen months, and after that three farth-
lngs day; and great must be their power
ty when, in the hope of some little gain,
they are eager to undertake the charge of
these babies. When the foster-parents are
tired of them they can always be brought
back to the institution and pass into
school IN the same building The boys,
however, are removed at six years old to
separate place, where they are kept until
they are eighteen, whereas the girls, unless
married, have to remain within these nun
merry walls till twenty-one The infants
under four years old had all sickly, dull,
apathetic looks and the nurses were quite
as unprepOssessing as the children. When
the schooling period is over they are made
to do the work of the institution. Wash
ing, scrubing, making macaroni, tending
silk-worms, weaving, cooking, are their oc-
cupatiOns, carried on under the supervision
of eight iaywomen and twenty-eight Sisters
of Charity. The school-mistress had been
trained in a normal school, but for all that
she was teaching the children in the Sicilian
dialect The long dormitories were clean
and orderly, but the curious and peculiar
feature Of this establishment was the par
latoriO, or reception-room. Picture large,
long room, the centre portion of which is
divided off from the sides and further end
by an iron grating which forms a cage, en-
tered only by well barred street door,
through which visitors from the outer
world are admitted Here they sit on ben
ches to CONVERSE with those beyond the iron
grating Friends Of the Sisters or en-
ployes of the place and the foster parents
are the usual visitors. Once a week how
ever, on Sunday mornings from 10 to II,
this place is the scene of the most novel
and ludicrous courtships we ever heard de-
scribed. One of the objects of this mother
ly establishment is to find fit and proper
husbands for the girls under their charge.
The fit and proper here is much like the
fit and proper of society the one requisite
being that the young man is bound to show
himself in possession Of sufficient means to
maintain wife in comfort before he is al
lowed to aspire to the hand of one of these
precious damsels Having given in his
credentials OF fitness to the guardians, he
receives a card which admits him next Sun
day morning to an inspection of the candi-
dates for matrimony. There, sitting on
bench, if his curiosity and ardor will allow
him to remain sitting, he awaits the arrival
on the other side of the grating of the
Lady Superior accompanied by girl. She
has been selected by order of seniority and
capacity for household work from the hun
dred or more between seventeen and TWEEN
ty-one waiting for youth to deliver them
from their prison. The two young peo-
pie, both no doubt breathless with agita-
ton at the Importance Of the ceremony,
have to take one long fixed look at each
other No word is spoken, no sign made
These good Sisters believe SO fully in the
language Of the eye, that to their minds
any addition is futile, and might but serve
to mystify the pure and perfect effect of
love at first sight. The look over, the
Lady Superior asks the man if he will ac-
cept the maiden as his bride. Should he
answer in the affirmative, the same ques-
ton is put to her, and if she bows her as
sent the betrothal has taken place, and they
part till the Sunday following. The young
lover again makes his appearance before
the tribunal of guardians, and there the
contract is signed, the day of marriage
fixed, and he is granted leave to bring the
ring, earrings, wedding dress, and con-
Jetti, and present them-through the gri-
diron of course-to his betrothed. Every
thing has to pass the scrutiny of the Sis
tcrs, for fear of letter or some tender
word being slipped in with the gifts.


During the few Sundays that intervene
between the first love scene and the mar
riage AN hours conversation within hear
ing of the Lady Superior is allowed, but
not touch is exchanged. The empty talk,
interspersed with gisgling, consists of in
quiries as to the wedding dress, the sort of
ooafetti most liked, and the occupation and
place of abode Of the suitor.