walks and the yearly school outings for working boys and academic students, the 'Autumn walks' or outings were evidently stressed.

It was a way to put into practice the principle of “love what the young love” so that they will love what the educator loves. These outings also contributed to building up an atmosphere of Christian joy which constitutes an integral and essential part of the formation of the young. They had a fundamental educational value then.

At the weekend oratory at Valdocco, these excursions or outings flourished ever since its beginnings, together with pilgrimages. They were absolutely necessary during the time-span between 1844-1846, when the oratory had no fixed abode or did not have at its disposal places of its own for worship. The Memoirs of the Oratory recall outings to Sassi, Madonna di Campagna, Stupinigi, our Lady of Consolation, Monte dei Capuccini.1202

The Autumn walks were classic. We have an account of a varied series of these outings which go back

to 1847 and continued until 1864.

1203

Even when the outings were over, the choir members and award

winners would enjoy a s hort stay at Becchi in Autumn.

The outings between 1859 and 1864 saw a particular development: they lasted almost two weeks.

They were well organised and an ever -growing number of boys took part in them. They would enter the

town with the band right up fr ont; the parish priest or personalities of the place would offer them an

improvised shelter and daily food, and along with the people would welcome them. There were visits

to to outstanding personalities, morning and evening religious services, recreationa l activities,

exhibitions by the band, theatrical performances on an improvised stage in the town square. They

included songs and skits in Piedmontese dialect, short comedies, gianduja, the classical Piedmontese marionette could never be left out.

The outing to Genoa during the October fortnight of 1864, is an historic one. On the way back to Turin, between Lerma and Mornese, Don Bosco was able to draw two outstanding personalities into the Congregation: Francis Bodrato and Fr. John Baptist Lemoyne.

The excursions or outings aimed at achieving a truly educational objective as they guaranteed first of all that the young would be looked after during vacation time and their feelings would be enriched:

Have the young experience first hand that to serve God can really be part of having a good

time.1204

The youngsters, after the completion of their school year, got considerable physical benefit too, as they

enjoyed a long, generous recreation.

These excursions or outings were effectively the prelude that led to the w ording of the Preventive System: “Let them have ample freedom to jump, run, shout as they wish”, to which was also added: “The walks are very effective means of obtaining discipline; they are useful for the upkeep of morality and good health.1205

1202 MO (1991) 140, 141, 144-146.

1203 There is some respectable literature on this. The best is by L. Deambrogio,Le passeggiate autumnali di don Bosco

per I colli monferrini. Castelnuovo Don Bosco, Istituto Bernardi Semeria 1975, 539 p. The last parts of the Storia

dell'Oratorio published in the Salesian Bulletin are dedicated to the walks, BS ii (1887) no. 3 March pp 30-33; no. 4

April, pp. 47-48; no. 5 May, pp. 57-58; no. 9, Sept. pp. 116-119; no. 10 Oct. pp. 129-132.

1204 MB II 384-391.

1205 Il sistema preventivo (1887), p. 54, OE XXVIII 432.