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The School at Rome

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Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Jan 9, 1908

FromReview and Herald, Vol. 85, No. 2.

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The School at Rome

By C. T. Everson

[This school is established for the purpose of enabling our workers to become acquainted with the people, that they may present the message to them. Gospel work can not be carried on in Rome as in most other places. But few of the students of the school are of our faith.—F. G.]
The school work at Rome is making good progress. We now have over eighty students in the school, and new ones are coming every day, so that by the end of this month I am sure we shall have one hundred students. We are giving special attention to the school work.
We have seven teachers now in the school, counting myself, and Mrs. Everson, who contributes her services. Professor Orlando teaches in the day-school, Professor Borghese in the school of music and the night-school, Sister Schell, Mrs. Everson, and myself in English, Sister Rochat in French, and Miss Doncker in German. Of course I do not teach as much as the others, as my time is so well occupied in other ways, but I am endeavoring to bring this work as soon as possible to a self-supporting basis, that thus we may have a strong center of influence for our work here, without burdening the conference. We have already done considerable in this direction, but will need some special help in the beginning, so that we may advertise the school and gain a reputation for it. Once the reputation of the school is established, it will not be so difficult a matter. Naturally it takes some good hard work to wake up these people. Things move slowly in these old nations, and especially in one like Italy. Here the energy and life of the nation have been stifled by the papacy, which takes special pains to keep the people in ignorance. So a school proposition is not an easy project. However, we have reason to be thankful to God for the progress made thus far. Last month we took in from tuitions nearly sixty dollars, which we consider a good beginning in a country like this.
We have a day-school in which we accept the students who come from the public schools. They remain with us every day from two to six in the afternoon, except Sabbath and Sunday, and thus we get in close contact with them and their parents. They have assistance in their lessons, and are thus enabled to present themselves at their schools with their lessons prepared. The help that we give them is such as the parents are often unable to provide.
In this department we have a splendid course of physical culture, which we hope to make a prominent feature of the school. The government is much interested in the introduction of physical culture into the public schools, and has a special committee working on this problem. With the splendid system which we have, and of which the others are ignorant, we can do a good work. We will prepare our pupils so that they can make a good showing, and then we shall give an exhibition of the physical culture work.
Then we have our night-school, where those who have had to leave school early in order to make a living, can come and take up their studies and prepare themselves for greater usefulness in life. In this department we have policemen, mechanics, tradesmen, etc.
Our music work is developing satisfactorily, and promises to be an important feature of the school.
In our school of languages we teach French, German, and English. There is a great interest manifested in this school, and many are enrolling in it. There is an awakening all over the world in the study of languages at the present time. Just now all Rome is talking about our school, as the result of a striking advertisement on the American order. Every one has read it, and comments very favorably on it. It was an advertisement that reads as follows—
“‘An Englishman Amazed’ [in large head letters].”
“‘But you have been in England?’ said an Englishman to an Italian student.
“‘No, I have never been outside of Italy,’ he replied.
“‘Can it be possible, and yet you speak English so well?’
“‘Yes, sir; I learned it all at Petrarch School [the name of our school], 185 Cavour St., where they teach French and German by the same method.’”
“‘Why, that is remarkable; but, however, they charge a good deal?’”
“‘On the contrary, very little—only three francs a month.’”
“‘Can it be possible?’”
“‘Yes, sir; and the school also furnishes beautiful, large class rooms.’”
“‘Why, I am amazed to hear that there exists at Rome such a school, that offers so many advantages for that price. I must go and visit it.’”
“‘Well, don’t forget the address—185 Cavour St.’”
“‘O, I won’t forget it; thank you. Good day.’”
“‘Good-by, sir.’”
We had this poster, about two and a half yards long, pasted all over town, along all the principal thoroughfares; and in fact the company put two on the side of the large Jesuit church, where Ignatius Loyola, the founder of the Jesuits, is buried. It made a big stir in town, and that day the door-bell of the school was continually ringing. Many new pupils have been enrolled. One of the students of our school said that the morning when the poster came out, he was passing a prominent street corner, where he saw a big crowd gathered. He at first took it to be a street fakir performing tricks, but afterward he saw the people intently reading our poster.
C. T. EVERSON.