contact with his boys: in the playground, in his office, in the good night talks, in the confessional, in his letters, in his various initiatives as a writer, as an organiser and as a director or administrator. This contact is expressly documented in the The Memoirs of the Oratory of St Francis of Sales which in its very pages and general inspiration could be considered as the reflective expression of an authentic pedagogy, from his first rural Oratorian experience to his experience of working in the city of Turin. Further proof is found in the various biographies written by Don Bosco, biographies that show us quite clearly how he related to the young men in his care, being with them, talking to them according to their ability to understand. In these biographies we see the way he stressed the significant qualities of his educational method, duty, study, cheerfulness, and the sacraments. The power of a good education (1855); The Life of Dominic Savio (1859); A Biographical Sketch of Michael Magone (l861); The Little Shepherd from the Alps (l864). All of these biographies are like so many expressions of educational experience; they are stories which express a systematic pedagogy.
Finally, we should not forget thee documents which Don Bosco produced throughout his life and which give voice to his understanding of education in the minute detail of everyday experience: namely his many letters to authorities and benefactors; letters to friends and collaborators; and especially letters to educators and groups of young people. These letters are the expression of the way he shared his continual educative presence.
Many more elements will mentioned in the following chapters. Don Bosco's dream visions themselves could offer an indication of the growing awareness he had for the needs of young people. More than esoteric nightly fantasies, those dreams help us appreciate a deeper understanding of Don Bosco's Preventive System. The dreams should be considered as the outward expressions of feelings of anxiety, visions which express his concern: the present and eternal happiness of the young, the dangers which threaten their happiness, the initiatives he needed to discover in order to further that happiness. In essence, the dreams reveal the deep meaning of Don Bosco's life and the meaning of his mission as an educator.