Journal in France in 1845 and 1848 with Letters from Italy in 1847: Of Things and Persons Concerning the Church and EducationAllies, T. W. (Thomas William)
Religion
Journal in France in 1845 and 1848 with Letters from Italy in 1847: Of Things and Persons Concerning the Church and Education
Allies, T. W. (Thomas William)
France -- Church history -- 19th century; Italy -- Church history -- 19th century
Yours sincerely,
T. W. ALLIES.
Genoa, July 20, 1847.
MY DEAR ----.
* * * The last six days we have spent, as well as the heat would allow
us, in enjoying the different views which this most superb city
presents. My companions, who have both seen Constantinople, seem to
reckon it only inferior to that. To begin with the beginning: we
presented on Wednesday our letter to the Père Jourdain, a Jesuit; and
no sooner was it delivered, than, without reading it, or any sort of
preface, except W's reply in the affirmative to the question whether
he was a Catholic, he began a most furious attack on us as rebels
outside of the Church, Protestants, and what not. It so happened,
however, that the points he took were just those which I had most at
command; so he did not get much by his assault, was obliged to beat a
retreat several times, and finally left us all three convinced that
reasoning was not his forte, and that at least in his case the Jesuits
were not employing gentle insinuation as a means of converting, He
has, however, never renewed the battle since, but been very obliging,
and given us every assistance in his power. Among the sights he
directed us to was St. Anne's, a house of barefooted Carmelites, on
the back of the hills some few hundred feet aloft, commanding the most
delicious views of the city, the bay, the sea, and the mountains
round. A straggling and precipitous garden was covered with vines
festooned on trellis work, through which one caught the blue sky, and
water, and towers and domes brought out against them with full effect.
Then, after seeing the long, cool corridors inside, each of which had
a window opening on this gorgeous scene, and the little chamber of
each brother, furnished with a poor bed, some little pictures, a
crucifix, and the most necessary furniture; and on hearing the quiet
tenor of every day's life, the only fear was, whether there was enough
of the cross in it. But doubtless the being under obedience, the
having every day's work portioned out for one, supplies all that is
wanted; and however calm it seemed, every chamber, as it had the
figure of the Crucified, so it was conscious of the secret cross borne
by its occupant. They are occupied in instruction, and have a school
of novices. Genoa is particularly rich in charitable foundations; her
merchant princes cannot be accused of neglecting the poor and
suffering, nor of so assisting them as to show that they thought
poverty a crime and an offence. We have seen three great buildings
which have moved our admiration in this way. The Ospitaletto contains
444 sick men and women: it is served by six Capucins and fifteen
sisters of charity. Mass is said every day at half-past-five and six
o'clock, at altars so placed in the different wards that every person
can see.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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