Scandalous Scene at Rome.
The Roman correspondent of the Manchester (England) Examiner gives the following account of the proceedings in the Eternal City consequent on the assembling on the square of the Capitol of 10,000 children, the boys and girls taught in the city public schools. The immense majority of these children never received any schooling whatever, either religious or secular, before the occupation of Rome by the Italians. Those who did receive an education in the “Scuole Pie” and in the city workhouse school, bore a small proportion to the poor children who were left without any training. What the training was in the workhouse school, the events of the last week have shown. When the municipal authorities intimated to the monks and nuns who had the charge of the workhouse children that they must bring them to the square of the Capitol, there to receive the prizes with the other children, the monks and nuns flatly refused. The municipal assessor specially charged with the education department went to the city workhouse, and, accompanied by some of the first ladies in Rome, conducted the boys and girls to the Capitol square. But when the children returned to the workhouse with their medals, with the figure of Victor Emanuel on the same, the monks and nuns tore the medals off, trod on them, spat on them, and then gave to the children other medals bearing the figure of the pope. On these facts being reported to the Municipal Council at its Monday evening’s sitting, the Council unanimously resolved that all the monks and nuns employed as teachers in the workhouse schools should be paid whatever amount of salary was due, and then immediately removed, and their places given to lay school masters and mistresses. The order was carried out next day. Count Carpagna, with a staff of lay teachers, repaired to the schools. No opposition was offered by the monks, and no disturbance was made by the boys, but the nuns and the workhouse girls appeared utterly ungovernable. The nuns heaped every species of abuse on Count Carpagna, and the workhouse girls exhibited such a proficiency in slang that Count Carpagna asked the head schoolmistress where her pupils had learned a style of language not much in accordance with moral and religious training. But the worst was yet to come. When the elder workhouse girls had fully realized the appalling fact that they were to be separated from their father confessor, their fury knew no bounds. They dashed at Count Carpagna with the rage of wild cats, raising at the same time frantic shrieks of “Leave us our confessors!” “We will not be separated from our confessors!” “We cannot live without our confessors!” There was, however, no help for it; all the monks and nuns, excepting one nun, who was in bad health, and could not be moved, were put in so many omnibuses and cabs, and conveyed to the destination which they had themselves selected. From the first inquiries made by the new masters, but still more by the new mistresses, the change did not take place a day too soon. The state of filth—one can call it by no other name—both physical and moral, of the workhouse girls was beyond description.