THE POOR ITALIAN PEASANT, ROSA GOVONA.
I was lost in thought, and dreaming of the incidents I had been
permitted to see, when the vast hall and its dark recesses recurred
to my mind, and the radiant angels, the recorders of noble actions,
were again before me, lofty figures of light holding back the cloudy
draperies, and bringing before me now an Italian countryside, hilly,
rocky, its distant town, and campanile, the angelus sounding in the
air; up the mountains and rugged hillsides a few peasants’ huts, and
in woods and valleys, brooks and waterfalls making a music of their
own, through which the angelus seemed to breathe the peace and rest of
religion.
The evening sunshine threw a golden glow over woods and mountain,
valleys and chestnut woods, and in one of those huts I saw a woman—a
working woman past the first bloom of youth—alone, noted for her
skill in needlework, one of dignified, calm, and modest demeanour. She
was troubled at the distress of a friend, a young orphan girl who was
forsaken and helpless, and, unfortunately, too young to live in that
country without some responsible protector. She had come to Rosa in her
trouble. “Come to me,” Rosa said. Her name was Rosa Govona. “Here shalt
thou abide with me. Thou shalt sleep in my bed, thou shalt drink of my
cup, and thou shalt live by the labours of thine own hands.”
I saw the young guest docile and industrious, a success and a comfort.
Her safety and happiness became evident, and I saw inmate after inmate,
young, helpless, and orphaned, gathered into Rosa’s home in the hills,
working and learning, adding one industry after another amidst calumny
and persecution. Ignorance and Vice lost no time in attacking them, and
only their silence and patience, loyalty to their Head, and blameless
lives, could, and did at last, quiet their enemies.
I saw, after a while, the authorities of the town (Mondovi) offer Rosa,
whose community had grown too large for the little village where they
first lived, a large house in the flowery plains of Carcassonne, but
the foundress of the home still could not receive all who flocked to
her. Lonely and poor girls, exposed to so many temptations of want and
evil, pleaded for admission to the shelter and order of her home, and a
still larger house at Brao rose, with its serene religion, its peaceful
order, its intelligent work, its ceaseless industry.
Years went by, and lo! another scene arose before me—Turin, the bright
capital of Piedmont, girt with its snow mountains, Monte Viso and the
lesser heights around it—Turin, its stately palaces and white streets;
and into this city came a poor working peasant, Rosa Govona, on whose
wisdom and goodness a large household now depended, her suite two
or three of the poor friendless orphan girls whom she had saved and
befriended.
“I saw the Fathers of the Oratory of St. Philip moved for the love of
God to give her a few rooms, and the soldiers at the barracks, roused
to enthusiasm by the reports ringing through the town of the good work
she had done, ransacked the place for straw mattresses and tables.
“Blessing and praising God, the little army of working women and girls
march into Turin, and in a short time large buildings which belonged
to a suppressed monastery are given over to Rosa and her people. The
buildings are large, but they are soon filled with forsaken orphan
girls, and the King (Charles Emanuel III.) considers and approves the
judicious rules laid down by Rosa, and orders the factories of the
establishment to be organised and registered by the magistrates who
regulate commercial matters.
“I see this vast organisation under the special patronage of the
Sardinian Government.”
Two great factories under the Rosinas (so called in honour of their
foundress) have risen into public usefulness, the one of cloth for the
army, the other of the best silks and ribands.
Thanks to this single-handed, poor working woman, Rosa Govona, I see
three hundred women, without dowry, without any resource save their
own labour and their conscientious discipline, earning an honest and
comfortable livelihood, and able to provide in youth for the comfort
and independence of old age.
I see houses depending on that at Turin established at Novara, Fossano,
Savigliano, Saluzzo, Chieri, and St. Damian of Asti.
I see over every house which she founded, engraved over the entrance,
the words she addressed to her first guest, “_Tu mangerai col lavoro
delle tue mani_”—“Thou shalt live by the labour of thine own hands.”
I see twenty-one years spent in going over the provinces of Piedmont,
and founding asylums for the unprotected and industrious poor of her
own sex, until, exhausted by her labours, she died at Turin.
I see her remains deposited in the chapel of the establishment, and
there, on the simple monument which covers them, may still be read the
following epitaph:—
“Here lies Rosa Govona of Mondovi. From her youth she consecrated
herself to God. For His glory she founded in her native place and in
other towns, retreats, opened for forsaken young girls, so that they
might serve God. She gave them excellent regulations, which attach
them to piety and labour. During an administration of thirty years she
gave constant proofs of admirable charity and of unshaken firmness.
She entered on eternal life on the 28th day of February in the year
1776, the sixtieth year of her age. Grateful daughters have raised this
monument to their mother and benefactress.”
I saw this noble and dignified life come to a close amidst those she
had saved and blessed. “They say of her that she was ever doing, ever
thoughtful and silent. In aspect she was grave, earnest, and resolute.
I beheld her as they describe her, a serious and beneficent apparition.
A plain cap, a white kerchief across her bosom, and a brown robe
constituted the attire of the foundress of the Rosinas. She imposed no
tie upon her people. They can leave their abode and marry if they wish,
but they rarely do so.
“I saw, in a later vision of the Rosinas, they are still prosperous
and happy. They are admitted from thirteen to twenty. They must be
wholly destitute, healthy, active, and both able and willing to work.
The old and infirm are supported by their younger companions.[2] To
preserve the spirit of the modest and retired life which Rosa wished
her daughters to lead, no commercial matters are transacted save at the
establishment in Turin, which governs the other houses.
“The labours of the Rosinas are varied and complete. Whatever they
manufacture they do with their own hands from beginning to end. They
buy the cocoons in spring, and perform every one of the delicate
operations which silk undergoes before it is finally woven into gros
de Naples, levantines, and ribands. Their silks are of the best
quality, but plain, in order to avoid the expense and inconvenience of
changing their looms with every caprice of fashion. They also fabricate
linen, but only a limited number of Rosinas can undergo the fatigue
of weaving. In order not to interfere with the silk establishment at
Turin, the manufacture of woollen stuffs is now carried on at Chieri.
Government buys all the cloth of the army from the Rosinas. They even
manufacture all the necessary ornaments, and make up the uniforms, with
one cut out for them by tailors. Gold lace and the rich vestments of
priests are likewise produced by these industrious women ... who are
renowned for their skill in embroidery.
“There is a large magazine at Turin where the produce of their labours
is gathered and sold by trustworthy persons, and is patronised by
Government and by the population, for their goods are excellent in
quality and fair in price, and there is a general preference for
the work of these pure and innocent women. The house in Turin alone
spends eighty thousand francs a year. It holds three hundred women,
and is governed by six mistresses and one director, a woman, and an
ecclesiastic administers and directs it; and it is frequently visited
by the Queen, who grants it a special protection and interest.”
And this was the work of one poor and obscure workwoman, inspired by
love of her orphan and helpless sisters, and in her devotion to her God.
(_To be concluded._)
FOOTNOTES:
[2] From _Women of Christianity_, by Julia Kavanagh, p. 326.
ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS.
MEDICAL.
MADDALENA.—Yes; you had better see a medical man. Your symptoms may
be due to anæmia, nervousness or heart disease. Of these the last is
infinitely the least likely. Anæmia is the probable cause, and is,
moreover, the simplest to cure.
AILING.—There are two questions that we ask every dyspeptic—how long
do you take over your meals? how much do you eat at each meal?
ONE OF FIVE.—1. Dilute the sulphur ointment with an equal quantity
of lanoline. Otherwise follow out exactly the advice we gave to “Fair
Isabel,” April 9, 1898. You are at the age when acne is most common
in girls.—2. The white marks on the nails which trouble your sister
are very commonly found. The only way to prevent them is to trim the
nails carefully; but do not scrape the nails, as this of itself will
sometimes produce opaque patches. About once a week rub the nails over
with vaseline or cold cream.
MUCH FRIGHTENED.—On page 63 of the present volume you will find an
“answer” dealing at some length with the question of the causation of
typhoid fever by oysters.
MINERVA.—1. There is no objection to using cocoanut oil for the hair
if you like it.—2. No; five feet two inches is by no means short for
a girl of fourteen and a half—rather the reverse, in fact. During
childhood and adolescence people increase chiefly in weight during the
winter, and chiefly in height during the summer.
A READER.—“Headache” is one of those symptoms which are met with in
a very large number of affections. It is not a specialised symptom
pointing to one organ definitely as the seat of disease. It is chiefly
met with in the following ailments:—1. Injury, or disease of the
brain. In this headache is nearly always present—it is a persistent,
intense pain. 2. Abnormal states of the blood. In the infectious
fevers headache is extremely common. In typhoid fever it is always
present at the beginning of the disease. Under this class of headaches
from abnormal states of the blood must be considered the headaches of
Bright’s disease, of anæmia, and of indigestion and biliousness. 3.
Headache due to mental fatigue. According to which of these causes
is at work, the seat of the headache will vary. If the head aches on
top, anæmia is the probable cause. Aching of the back of the head is
often associated with errors of refraction of the eyes—an extremely
common cause of mental fatigue and headache. The various forms of
biliousness give rise to headaches in different localities. Frontal
headache, occipital headache, and a sense of fulness deep within the
skull are all commonly met with in indigestion and biliousness. Fatigue
of the brain is a common cause of headaches, and it is, we believe,
the cause of your trouble. Overwork, too little sleep, innutritious
food, badly-ventilated rooms and errors of refraction of the eyes, all
produce fatigue of the brain and headaches. Then there is the “nervous
headache,” about which nobody knows very much. To treat headaches it
is first necessary to find out what produces them. If you suppress
the cause, the headaches will go. In treating headaches it is very
necessary to prevent the bowels from becoming confined. Eat well, sleep
well, and ventilate your rooms well.
CONSTANT READER.—The treatment of debility is one of very great
difficulty. For the condition, though alas! so very common, is not
well understood, and we have no sound working hypothesis as to its
cause. The most plausible theory is that debility is loss of nervous
energy—that in this condition the nervous system is in the same state
as the blood is in anæmia. The best way to treat the condition is by a
strong tonic treatment to stimulate the flagging nervous system. The
word “tonic” naturally brings up visions of quinine and iron to most
persons. Quinine is a tonic, but it is not the tonic which is required
in debility. The medicinal tonics are drugs which stimulate for a
short time. But in debility we want something which will stimulate
for weeks or months, and the Pharmacopœia does not provide us with
drugs wherewith to do this. But we can get a strong tonic treatment
without drugs in the following way:—Eat well of highly-nutritious
food, plenty of meat and green vegetables, custards, milk, etc. Avoid
food which fills you up without giving you sufficient nourishment, such
as excessive quantities of starchy food, dried peas and beans, soups,
etc. Eat as much as you wish. For drinks, the best are milk or milk and
soda. Beef essences taken as stimulants are sometimes useful. Cod-liver
oil, maltine, cream, etc., are also very helpful. These are definite
foods and not drugs. Tea and coffee may be taken in moderation. You
should also take plenty of sleep, and plenty of healthy, but not
severe, exercise; and, if possible, a change of air and scene.
OPTIMIST.—Some years ago an ingenious person made the remark that
there existed on the earth vegetable productions which could cure
all human diseases; that we had only to find the trees and we should
have a specific for every ailment. Quite so. We have only to find the
trees. But it is a significant fact that although we have explored at
least nine-tenths of our planet, and have tried almost all vegetable
productions for the treatment of disease, we have not yet discovered
one single specific for any disease. We see there are something
over ten thousand ways by which a man can lose his life. We suppose
therefore that we are to discover ten thousand trees with ten thousand
separate actions. True, the vegetable kingdom has given up many
valuable drugs, but not one single specific has it supplied to us.
The mineral kingdom has given us the nearest approach to a specific,
_i.e._, iron for anæmia.
STUDY AND STUDIO.
MISS VARDON (India).—Do not be disappointed when we tell you that we
think it is better to wait for a correspondent until the plague, of
which you speak, has ceased raging. You have been inoculated, your
house is free, and doubtless there is no danger whatever, but your
correspondent or her elder friends might feel a little uneasy. Besides,
we have received so many letters offering correspondence with the lady
in question that we fear yours would be too late.
SISSIE REDMOND.—1. Write about your farthing to the authorities of the
British Museum or of South Kensington Numismatic Department. We thank
you for your letter. As you grow older you will not mind “having your
hair up” and so forth, but the feelings you express are natural enough
for your age.—2. If we had “easier puzzles,” we should have so many
solutions that the Puzzle Editor would be wholly buried alive under
manuscripts, instead of only half buried, as he is at present.
A LOVER OF THE “G.O.P.”—1. The whole sonnet by Archbishop Trench is as
follows. We commend its advice to you with much sympathy:—
“Thou cam’st not to thy place by accident;
It is the very place God meant for thee;
And shouldst thou there small scope for action see,
Do not for this give room to discontent;
Nor let the time thou owest to God be spent
In idly dreaming how thou mightest be,
In what concerns thy spiritual life, more free
From outward hindrance or impediment.
For presently this hindrance thou shalt find
That without which all goodness were a task
So slight, that virtue never could grow strong:
And wouldst thou do one duty to His mind,
The Imposer’s—over-burdened thou shalt ask,
And own thy need of grace to help, ere long.”
Archbishop Trench’s _Poems_ are published by Macmillan.—2. We do not
think your writing is, as you say, “very bad.” The tails of your g’s
and y’s are not bold enough for the rest of it. The only way to improve
is daily to copy some model you admire, and never to let yourself write
carelessly.
C. G.—1. Many thanks for your pleasant letter. We have no knowledge of
the word “crofts,” in the sense in which it is quoted, and should think
it must be a misprint for “cups” or “crockery”; but if it is a local
expression, you would gain information by writing direct to the author
of the article in question.—2. If you cannot read an English play with
your party of thirty German girls—and we see your difficulty—could
you spend the time in working and reading some very interesting English
story aloud in turn? If that would not do, the only alternative seems
to be, to play English games. Of these there are a great variety.
“Subject and Object” is a good game. Two go out of the room, and return
personating a character in history or fiction, and some thing or
animal well known in connection with the character, such as King John
and Magna Charta; Una and the Lion. The others, by questioning them,
have to guess who and what they are. Any English handbook of games, or
_The Girls’ Indoor Book_ (56, Paternoster Row) would be useful. Two
questions are our limit, but we could not in any case help you about
the translations.
PANSY.—If you had told us in what part of England you live, we could
have helped you more definitely. There are numbers of schools and
classes all over the kingdom where girls can be trained as teachers
in any branch of technical instruction, and we can only advise you
to write for exact information to the Secretary, Board of Technical
Education, St. Martin’s Lane, London, W.C. You may also refer to Mrs.
Watson’s articles in THE GIRL’S OWN PAPER, for 1897, on “What the
County Councils are doing for Girls.”
F. L. J.—Your verses are very immature. For instance, you say “is
come” and “has come” in close connection; your lines are of irregular
length, and verses ii. and iii. dispense with rhymes, excepting in
the chorus. Your metaphors are mixed—sea, blast, battle, &c., are
all applied to life, in a confusing manner. We do not wish to be
severe, but it is necessary to observe the laws of composition and of
versification in attempting poetry.
ANCIENT.—It is impossible to value old Bibles without seeing them.
Yours is probably a reprint of the Geneva version and not valuable.
If, however, you would like to forward it to J. Arnold Green, Esq.,
56, Paternoster Row, London, E.C., he will be happy to give you advice
respecting it. Or you might apply to a firm of booksellers—Messrs.
Sotheran & Co., 140, Strand.
MISCELLANEOUS.
COOKIE (Barcelona).—Perhaps the following recipe would suit you. Take
one pint of wholemeal, one teacup of milk, butter of about the size of
a walnut; add a few small raisins and a teaspoonful of baking powder.
Mix well, and bake for about half an hour. To make good soda buns, take
of flour half a pound, butter three ounces, of sugar three ounces,
of candied orange-peel one ounce (or more, cut in small pieces), one
small teacupful of milk, the yolks of two eggs and white of one, of
carbonate of soda a small teaspoonful (not heaped), and a little grated
nutmeg. Beat and blend all well together, butter an oven-tin, and drop
the mixture into it, and bake for fifteen or twenty-five minutes in a
moderate oven. This will make about a dozen small buns.
A. M. GARD.—If the man to whom you are attached has told you that he
cannot at present marry, on account of his circumstances, and says,
in addition, that the oftener you meet each other, the harder it is
for you, and begs you not to fret, it is clear that he considers
it expedient for both to be free, and to keep apart. Under these
circumstances it would be both honourable and unselfish to keep out of
his society. We should always look for Divine leading, and pray for it;
and the indications in this case (quite out of your control) are very
clear, and point to retirement on your part.
A BERKSHIRE READER.—Take eight eggs for the rice cake. Tea, loaves and
biscuits are to be obtained of any baker or grocer.
SEPTEMBER.—1. The meaning of the name Cicely is “blind.” It is derived
from Cecil, a male name, from the Latin Cæcillius, a diminutive of
_cæcus_, “blind.” The original woman’s name was Cecilia, and Cicely is
a corruption of it.—2. Your question is very vague, and you do not say
in what part of London you wish to reside. The Young Women’s Christian
Association has many Homes for women in business. Apply for information
at the head office, 26, George Street, Hanover Square, W.
LORA.—This name is a form of Laura, and is found as early as 1208 A.D.
Laura is derived from _laurus_, a laurel or bay-tree. Laura corresponds
with the Greek name Daphne.
MAY MOREY.—The description you give sounds like the old willow
pattern, which was manufactured at Stoke-upon-Trent, by the first
Josiah Spode, about 1780. But we think perhaps the plate may be
porcelain, in which case the name Spode would be that of the second
Josiah Spode, who introduced the manufacture of porcelain in 1800. If
the mark be _painted_ in red, blue or purple, the plate is porcelain;
if _impressed_ on the clay, it is not. The first Josiah Spode
introduced the blue printed china. We could not say what the value is,
unless we knew its condition.
CHRISTABEL.—1. We should be afraid that the letters were not genuine.
The people who offer large sums of money on condition of a million
or more stamps being collected, are usually not to be found when the
subject is inquired into. But why not put an end to the nuisance by
writing a postcard to the sender and asking her to send no more “chain
letters” to you, as you will forward no more?—2. The two books you
inquire about are not of very great value. The _Milton_, by John
Gillies, was published in 1788, and went through three editions.
If yours be the one of 1793, it is number two, and is worth about
2s. The _Shakespeare_, or rather _The History and Antiquities of
Stratford-on-Avon_, by R. B. Wheler, 1806, 8vo., is worth about 16s.,
if in good condition, as it is a standard work on Warwickshire. Many
thanks for your kind wishes which we fully reciprocate.
BEATTIE.—The uncle has no legal authority at all, unless a guardian
or trustee, save that a near relative and an older man may have. The
duties of trustees are to see all the accounts of the trust, know all
the investments, and never to sign any papers they do not _fully_
understand.
MOTHER KITTY.—1. White felt hats can be cleaned with flour, and will
look quite well after rubbing. Of course all the trimming should be
taken off, and when finished, the flour must be well beaten out, so
that it may not come off on everything.—2. Handwriting is clear and
neat—what is called a “running hand.” Why do you put a knot at the
ends of the t’s? It is incorrect.
COOKMAID.—1. The date appears to be 1744, if your letters be right. We
cannot say of what value it is, because you omit the author’s name.—2.
The snuff-box is of value as a curiosity, but we could not say of how
much. A great deal of the wood of the _Royal George_ was used for such
things.
MAYBLOSSOM.—The name of David’s mother is unknown, as we have often
said. His grandmother was Ruth.
A LOVER OF THE “G.O.P.”—It is always better to err on the side of
kindness, and if you have had a conversation on business matters, and
are constantly meeting, you will find it awkward, and it would be
impolitic if you did not bow when you see him in the street. This does
not entail any further intimacy.
MARIGOLD.—The best German yeast is very good for making bread. The
“D.C.L.” brand is what we prefer for our own home use. We should employ
this in preference to brewers’ barm.
NOEL.—The name Noel is derived from the Latin _Dies Natalis_—Christmas.
It may mean born on Christmas Day. The French is _Noel_, Italian
_Natali_, Spanish and Portuguese _Natal_. And this last brings us to
the origin of the name of one of our South African colonies, Natal,
which was bestowed by Vasco da Gama, because he discovered it on
Christmas Day.
LE DUC.—We think your letter a very charming piece of effrontery,
and even the commendation you are kind enough to lavish on us does
not blind our eyes to the fact that you are a boy. We are glad to
see, however, that you say “only a boy” in your letter; so we will,
in consideration of that humility, overlook the fact that your place
is in the “B.O.P.” Strange to say, we have a great many boys who like
our paper, and we are glad to know they take an interest in what their
sisters are doing. The Diary you inquire about, _Write as you like It_,
is issued by Charles Letts & Co., so you can order it through your
stationer. About the pens, we regret we cannot help you, as we hear the
same complaint from others. But an Italian lady tells us that the only
good ones are to be purchased in Italy, which might form a good excuse
for going there. Any ordinary blank book will do for a diary; there are
many kinds described in the article of Feb. 1897.
MONAH STAIRS.—We do not think matters can be as bad as you say; and
you have your aunt and both your brothers to consult, and no one will,
we are sure, coerce you. You have also the doctor of whom you speak;
so we hope, by this time, you have cheered up and are looking on the
brighter side of things.