Just over twenty years ago, I thought that I was studying the architecture of Guarino Guarini so found my way to Torino, where I stayed at a Salesian residence at Piazza Rebaudengo. When I went to pay, the director said something like, "You are a student and looking after you is what our order is for. The only way you can pay us is by learning and making good use of what you learn."
Today's the feast of San Giovanni Bosco, who founded the Salesian Order. Non ho dimenticato, direttore.
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@libroraptor
Pray, tell what, did you learn?
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@ipd They assigned a priest who was an art historian to show me all the important sites so I could examine them first-hand, including some of Guarini's furniture that isn't in the art history books. He introduced me to the curators at the state library so I could access Guarini's books with no problem.
But probably the most important thing is that, while you can use learning to make money, it's far better to make people and good lives for them.
I ended up not writing on Guarini at all!
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@libroraptor
I suppose that after a tour like tha it left you speachless.
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@ipd It's part of becoming an historian of that period. I ended up working on astronomical observatories, botanical gardens, greenhouses, libraries, laboratories from the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries so was lucky to see a lot of glorious things and places with the support of a lot of generous people.
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@libroraptor
Do Jesuits and Salesians hang together?
I know a GUY from the Vatican.
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@ipd even Dominicans and Jesuits hang together these days – the old efforts to completely destroy each other are pretty much over
Not that I've seen a Jesuit and Salesian eating at the same table ... but it's hard to tell because priests mainly dress incognito.
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@libroraptor
The person I meant was Bro Guy, the vatacan astronomer, whose last post was keeper of the meteorites.
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@ipd Consolmagno? Not that I've met him. The only Jesuits I've really known are the Melbourne ones. I used to teach physics for them. One eats well with Jesuits, and the conversation is excellent. Was taught textual criticism by another at Fordham. I've had a couple of generic historian friends who used the Vatican Secret Archives a bit but I've never had reason to go there. Rome's not a city that I like much – far too paved for me, though I found the people to be nice. You're an astronomer?
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@libroraptor
That's the man, very nice fellow. I couldn't remember how to spell his last name, so I didn't. If you are studying his kind of thing, then look him up, He may be an astronomer, but he's very down to earth.
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@ipd Back in Australia, I found myself counselling some students in deep distress. Everyone says "Don't do it; refer them to expert services" but every expert service was behind eligibility restrictions, costs, and queues many months long. Educators hit this all the time.
I'm no psychologist. I read what I could in the library but really needed a real psychologist to back me up. The Salesians had one for their internal problems and said that I could just borrow him whenever.
Good people.
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@libroraptor
So the Salesians started taking care of kids displaced in the first industrial revolution. Seems apropos now that we are entering an artificial industrial revolution where there the displacement appears at this moment, going to be massive. Good on them.
Cheers to Don Bosco.
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@ipd yes, it started in an inner-city slum just a few blocks from the royal palaces – like the sharp rich:poor juxtapositions that can be found in the US today and even in New Zealand (I've lived on rich:poor fringe streets in both places). The story is that Don Bosco got sewing machines, gave them to unemployed young men, and taught them to sew for a living.
I think of it as building an economy from the ground up versus the top-down "stimulus" that "leaders" like to posture about today.
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@libroraptor
How far does ths go in explaining all the talented italian taylors here on this side of the other pond.?
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@ipd The tailoring fame all claims to be from Milan, no? Maybe we can start asking tailors whether they had a Salesian teacher.
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@jpkeates
Who knew that yoga would be so much work...
They gave me a last chant and then sent me off to do om work
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