,,the ,,nineteenth ,,century ,,apostle  
,,of ,,the ,,little ,,ones4  ,,by ,e4   
,,uhlrich4    ,an article published in  
,,the ,,catholic ,,world in #aijc1 about
 ,don ,bosco4 ,today1 he is better known
 as ,saint ,john ,bosco1 the patron     
saint of young people4  ,illustration3  
,don ,bosco and ,bartholomew ,garelli4  
,,when one man in his lifetime has cared
 for1 trained1 and sent out into the    
world1 as useful and law-abiding        
citizens1 ten million children1 then the
 attention of people may well be drawn  
to him again and again1 for it is the   
lives of such men that keep the heart of
 the world from despair4  ,he who was to
 have such wonderful sympathy and even  
more wonderful influence on neglected   
and unfortunate childhood and youth1    
began his life as a poor1 hardworking   
boy1 even as ,st4 ,vincent de ,paul did 
in his day4 ,giovanni ,bosco was his    
name1 and he was the son of humble      
peasants and herded his father's sheep  
until he was fifteen years old4 ,then a 

kindly priest discovered the boy's      
unusual gifts of mind and heart1 and    
taught him the elements of ,latin and   
,greek4 ,after that ,giovanni was sent  
to the seminary at ,chieri1 where he was
 ordained to the priesthood in #ahda4   
,full of zeal to fit himself for his    
work as a shepherd of souls1 he went to 
,turin and entered an institute for the 
training of priests in practical work4  
,it is notable that his first experience
 was in visiting prisons4 ,here his     
heart and mind were touched by the      
spectacle of the many youthful criminals
 he met1 and he was constantly thinking 
how to reclaim them and1 even more      
important1 how to prevent them from     
entering upon criminal ways at all4  ,it
 was on the #hth of ,december1 in #ahda1
 that ,don ,bosco found1 in a most      
humble occurrence1 the occasion which   
showed him the mission for which ,god   
had destined him4 ,it was1 as so often  
happens1 but a simple thing2 but1 when  
we are open to the guidance of the      

,divine ,will1 the simplest things may  
have the greatest import4 ,there was no 
boy to serve his ,mass1 and a           
street-boy1 who happened to look into   
the sacristy1 was asked by the sexton to
 do so4  ,i do not know how1 said the   
boy4  ,never mind1 said the sexton2     
,i'll show you what to do4  ,but ,i     
never was at ,mass before4  ,stupid     
creature6 said the sexton1 angry now1   
what are you doing here then8 ,and he   
boxed the boy's ears so hard that the   
little fellow went off crying4 ,at this 
,don ,bosco turned around and reproved  
the astonished sexton for his crossness4
  ,but what difference does that make to
 your reverence8  ,it makes a great deal
 of difference to me1 for that boy is my
 friend4 ,call him back at once2 ,i must
 talk to him4  ,the sexton did so and   
the poor boy came back2 ,don ,bosco     
asked him kindly if he had never heard  
,mass before1 and he said ,no4  ,then1  
said ,don ,bosco1 stay for this ,mass   
which ,i am going to celebrate1 and when

 it is over ,i shall talk to you a      
little while1 if you will wait4  ,the   
boy1 whose heart had been won by ,don   
,bosco's kindly manner1 gladly agreed to
 stay4  ,after ,mass1 ,don ,bosco said  
to him3 ,what is your name1 my little   
friend8  ,bartolomeo ,garelli4  ,where  
are you from8  ,asti4  ,is your father  
still living8  ,no1 he is dead4  ,and   
your mother8  ,she is dead too4  ,how   
old are you8  ,i am fifteen years old4  
,can you read and write8  ,i don't know 
anything at all4  ,did you make your    
first ,communion8  ,no1 not yet4  ,did  
you ever go to confession8  ,i did when 
,i was very little4  ,why don't you go  
to ,sunday-school8  ,i am ashamed       
because the other boys are all younger  
than ,i am and know so much more1 and ,i
 always have such old clothes4  ,if ,i  
were to teach you all by yourself1 would
 you like to come8  ,oh ,i would be very
 glad to come1 if no one would box my   
ears for coming4  ,you need not be      
afraid of any one4 ,you are my friend   

now2 no one else will have anything to  
say to you4 ,when shall we begin8       
,whenever it pleases you1 father4  ,very
 well1 we will begin at once4  ,don     
,bosco found that the boy did not even  
know how to make the sign of the cross4 
,yet this poor1 untaught child of the   
street became the corner-stone1 so to   
say1 of ,don ,bosco's life-work4 ,in a  
little while ,bartolomeo brought friends
 of his along1 and they in turn brought 
their friends4 ,by the #beth of ,march1 
in #ahdb1 there were thirty members of  
,don ,bosco's class4 ,some of them were 
apprentices to the different trades1    
some were street vagabonds1 and some of 
them grown men4 ,the next year there    
were three hundred of them4 ,don ,bosco 
had to find a place of meeting larger   
than his little sacristy2 but1 alas6 no 
sooner was he well established in his   
new quarters than notice was given him  
to move4  ,people insisted that they did
 not want him and his noisy1            
disreputable vagabonds in their own     

respectable neighborhood4 ,when1 at     
last1 there seemed no hope of finding a 
suitable meeting place in the city for  
his boys he did not despair4 ,for two   
months1 each ,sunday he led them out    
into the suburbs of ,turin1 said ,mass  
for them in some church1 then taught    
them under the open sky4 ,afterwards he 
let them play games and amuse           
themselves1 and in the evening the whole
 crowd went back into the city1 singing 
hymns as they went4  ,in #ahdd1 with the
 help of some kindly priests1 ,don      
,bosco opened the first night schools1  
teaching reading1 writing1 and          
arithmetic4 ,these schools were soon    
imitated all over ,italy4  ,don ,bosco1 
however1 continued to meet with trials  
and tribulations in his work1 as seems  
true in every good cause4 ,his plans    
were so novel and so large that he was  
even accused of being crazy4 ,a crazy   
man1 however1 ought to be out of harm's 
way1 and so it was quietly arranged that
 ,don ,bosco should be taken to an      

insane asylum4 ,two prominent gentlemen 
of ,turin were to manage his transfer to
 the asylum4 ,they hired a closed       
carriage and drove to ,don ,bosco's     
house4 ,he received them very kindly1   
and soon was talking to them            
enthusiastically about the oratorium and
 the great church he wanted to build1   
the schools and the workshops which     
would be grouped around this centre4 ,he
 spoke so glowingly that one could have 
thought he saw the whole thing before   
his eyes4 ,the gentlemen looked at each 
other knowingly1 as if to say3 ,it is   
plain that he is out of his mind4  ,a   
little fresh air will be good for you1  
,don ,bosco1 one of them ventured4 ,we  
have a carriage outside4 ,you might     
drive a little way with us4  ,don ,bosco
 smiled and went out with the two       
gentlemen4 ,they stepped back in order  
to let him enter first1 but he begged   
them to precede him4 ,they did so and   
then ,don ,bosco hastily shut the       
carriage door and called out to the     

driver1 ,ready4  ,the driver had been   
instructed to drive to the asylum as    
fast as the horses could go1 and not to 
mind any possible protests or           
resistance4 ,so he started off at a     
gallop at ,don ,bosco's word4  ,when the
 carriage arrived at the asylum1 the    
gentlemen inside were in such a rage    
that the superintendent ordered them put
 into separate cells at once1 and1 if   
necessary1 in straitjackets4 ,luckily   
for them1 the chaplain of the asylum    
knew them1 and they were let go about   
their business4 ,however1 they at least 
were convinced that ,don ,bosco was     
saner than some people thought him1 and 
did not wish to be the agents of any    
more forced cures for him4  ,don        
,bosco's trials now took another form4  
,the police of ,turin began to take note
 of his boys and to suspect in them     
potential socialists4 ,indeed1 the very 
existence of the work was threatened1   
when ,king ,charles ,albert1 then ,king 
of ,sardinia1 took personal action in   

behalf of ,don ,bosco's young rogues1 as
 he put it1 and even sent sixty dollars 
to help the work along4 ,with that the  
worst storms were over4 ,don ,bosco     
organized his ,oratorium of ,st4        
,francis of ,sales1 as he called his    
meeting place1 for he had a special     
devotion to ,st4 ,francis4 ,he chose the
 name ,oratorium because the earliest   
meetings were in the chapel in which he 
met that first1 pitifully ignorant      
street boy4  ,in the spring of #ahdf1   
however1 he was homeless once more--put 
out again for the sake of his boys4     
,thereupon he leased a piece of enclosed
 land outside of the city4 ,here1 in the
 open air1 under the free sky1 the      
,sunday meetings were again held        
undisturbed4 ,early in the morning ,don 
,bosco was there1 seated on a grassy    
mound and hearing confessions4 ,some of 
the boys were kneeling near by1 waiting 
their turn1 others were saying their    
prayers1 and still others1 farther away1
 were quietly playing4 ,at nine o'clock 

,don ,bosco called his boys together4   
,he had no bell1 so one of the boys beat
 on an ancient drum as a signal4 ,then  
he separated them into little divisions1
 and sent each division into a          
particular church to hear ,mass4 ,later 
they returned1 and there was            
,sunday-school1 games1 and singing4     
,after awhile a little shed near by was 
rented and arranged for a chapel4 ,in   
the fall of #ahdf he added a few rooms1 
and thus he began his first school4 ,to 
be sure the boys' dormitory was nothing 
but a hayloft pressed into service1     
while the housekeeper was ,don ,bosco's 
sturdy peasant mother1 who had come to  
the city to help on the work of her     
beloved son4  ,in #ahea he was able to  
build a church dedicated to ,st4        
,francis de ,sales1 and two new houses4 
,now there is a magnificent group of    
buildings on this same land4 ,the church
 is in the centre2 two imposing wings   
are the ,oratorium1 of which ,don ,bosco
 had dreamed and talked so              

enthusiastically that once people even  
thought him crazy4 ,the dream has more  
than come true4 ,there is a little town 
in itself here4 ,all about are buildings
 representing various kinds of trades   
and activity4 ,there is a great printing
 establishment with ten presses1 a book 
bindery1 a large locksmith shop1 a      
carpentering shop1 a shoe factory1 and a
 tailoring establishment4 ,there are1   
moreover1 libraries1 study-rooms1       
classrooms1 dormitories1 gardens1 and   
playgrounds4 ,over one thousand people  
live here and follow their various      
employments4  ,don ,bosco is dead2 he   
died on ,january #ca1 #ahhh4 ,but his   
work went on under ,don ,michelle ,rua1 
who was himself an orphan1 raised and   
trained by ,don ,bosco4 ,here1 in the   
mother house1 are some thirty ,salesian 
priests1 as the members of the          
congregation founded by ,don ,bosco1 at 
the suggestion of ,minister ,ratazzi1   
are called2 nearly two hundred ,salesian
 brothers1 who are the master workmen1  

and four hundred students4 ,in addition 
to the resident pupils that are being   
trained and cared for1 about five       
hundred boys and apprentices spend their
 ,sundays and recreation hours at the   
institution1 something in the way in    
which children in this country go to the
 ,settlements that have been established
 here and there in the large cities4    
,more than one hundred and fifty of     
these institutions were founded by ,don 
,bosco in ,italy1 ,france1 ,spain1 the  
,tyrol1 and ,england4 ,he also founded a
 sisterhood1 so as to be able to take   
care of young girls as well as of boys1 
and to help in the missions which he    
established in ,south ,america1         
especially in ,patagonia1 where fourteen
 thousand savages were baptized by his  
missionaries before ,don ,bosco's death4
 ,latterly the sisterhood he founded has
 been working among the neglected       
,italians in this country too1          
especially in ,new ,orleans1 and there  
are ,salesian ,fathers of ,don ,bosco in

 ,new ,york ,city4 ,this special        
missionary work1 however1 was not       
counted in the general estimate of the  
ten million children saved by ,don      
,bosco4  ,every year eighteen thousand  
apprentices leave his institutions and  
go out to work1 trained in body and mind
 for contact with the world4  ,as a     
means of maintaining his work1 ,don     
,bosco founded a third society to which 
men and women1 lay or clerical1 can     
belong1 their object being to help      
provide means for this great work1 and  
the ,holy ,father himself belongs to    
this third society4  ,in appearance ,don
 ,bosco1 the simple country boy1 who was
 destined to do this great work in this 
day and age1 and to show the world one  
true way of helping to solve the        
problems of labor and capital and       
government that disturb the nations of  
the earth so much now1 was a tall man of
 very pleasing features and manner4 ,he 
was not very eloquent as a talker1 but  
his heart was filled with a heavenly    

love for poor and unhappy childhood4    
,few of us are so limited in means1 or  
in opportunity1 but we can follow him a 
little way4 ,even the young children who
 go to ,sunday-school often know1 or    
could easily learn1 of some neglected   
child that has perhaps no parents1 or   
has parents who have no faith1 and which
 therefore hears nothing of religion and
 of right4 ,like ,garelli1 ,don ,bosco's
 first pupil and follower1 regular      
,sunday-school children could take such 
a child to their own ,sunday-school4    
,the children of the ,paulist           
,sunday-school in ,new ,york ,city1 for 
instance1 are constantly encouraged to  
bring with them any child they know     
which does not go to ,sunday-school in  
any other place4 ,if1 in addition to its
 spiritual neglect1 the child is in     
bodily want1 bringing it to             
,sunday-school attracts the attention of
 older people who are able1 on occasion1
 to give it material as well as         
spiritual help4  ,to those of us who are

 older1 surely there can be no greater  
appeal than that of childhood for love  
and instruction4 ,to withhold these is a
 more bitter injustice even than to     
withhold food and clothing4 ,the one    
causes the body to suffer1 but the other
 may mean the death of the soul1 and    
delivers the body to the lawlessness and
 to the excesses that lead to untimely  
death in one generation and help on that
 lamentable degeneration--physically1   
morally1 and mentally--in the succeeding
 generations which is1 to-day1 one of   
the most discouraging questions in the  
dark problems of the great cities4  ,and
 it must always be remembered that among
 the poor and the unfortunate the       
inspiration for better things must come 
from those who have more than they of   
means1 of time1 of intelligence1 and1   
above all1 of devotion4  ,in every age  
,god seems to have raised up men with a 
genius for holiness1 to speak to the    
people according to the needs of their  
day4 ,and thus1 in a century in which   

the powers of darkness were directed    
towards destroying childhood and youth  
by godless teaching1 and by lack of any 
teaching at all1 either sacred or       
profane1 the providence of ,divine ,love
 raised up the humble peasant priest of 
,turin as an apostle to youth and a     
bulwark against its enemies4  ,there is 
a vast margin for the following and the 
extension of his example right here     
among us4 ,we have with us always1 not  
only the unfortunate and neglected      
little ones of every race and color on  
the earth1 but1 even more pitiable1     
those little ones who1 by nature and    
inheritance1 would be with us1 as a     
matter of course1 were it not for the   
careless drifting of their parents on   
the easy and pleasant current of        
indifference1 that spiritual            
sluggishness in some ways more          
reprehensible and certainly less        
respectable than honest doubt or        
definite unbelief4