should make efforts to impress on their hearts a true feeling of God's holy presence, so that they may be able to see him everywhere, in all their occupations, and worship him and praise him everywhere.182

5. Preventive repression in school education

Recalling the days when he attended school in Chieri (l831-l835), Don Bosco describes a faithful outline of the discipline regime used in those days. It had been imposed by the Regulations for the schools outside the University, promulgated with the Rules with Royal prerogatives by which his Majesty (Charles Felix)approves the added rules both for common and public schools – as well as for the Royal schools. Dated July 23,1822 .183

The regulations were unequivocally Restoration in style.184 However, in the memory of the older Don Bosco, they were perfectly in tune with the basic dimensions of his preventive system of education because of the strong religious principles, and principles of morality and discipline which were part of the entire life of the school.

It is appropriate to recall that in those days religion was a basic part of the educational system. A teacher was faced with immediate dismissal should he make any unbecoming or irreligious statement. If this was the way teachers were treated, you can imagine how severely pupils were dealt with for any unruly conduct or scandal!

We went to holy Mass every morning; classes began with the devout praying of the

Actiones and the Ave Maria. They ended with the Agimus and Ave Maria. On feast days, all

the students attended the college church. Before Mass we had spiritual reading followed by

the chanting of the Little Office of Our Lady. Then came Mass and the explanation of the

Gospel.

In the evening we had further catechetical instruction, Vespers and another sermon. Everyone was expected to approach the holy sacraments; to prevent the neglect of this important obligation, once a month the students had to present a card to prove that they had gone to confession. If one fell down on this he was barred from end-of-year examinations, no matter how good he was as at studies. This strict training produced marvelous results. Many years went by without any swearing or unbecoming words being heard. The students were as docile and respectful at school as they would have been at home. And it often happened that in very large classes everyone got promoted at the end of the year.185 ….

I would like to note something about the college at Chieri that certainly exemlifies the spirit of piety that flourished there. During my four years as a student in the college I do not remember ever hearing any talk, not even a word, that could be considered impolite or irreligious. At the end of rhetoric course, of the 25 students, 21 embraced the clerical state, three became doctors and one became a merchant.186

The titles of the third and fourth chapters of the Regulations for public schools, Royal schools, community schools; teaching and examinations both in public and Royal schools are certainly repressive, in the sense that they imply total and inflexible control.

182 ibid, part 2, 8, nos. 1-2, 417-418.

183( Turin: Royal Press 1822), p.

184 “The Regolamento per le scuole fuori dell'universita…. were prepared by the Jesuits from Novara. No wonder, then, that

the Regulations of 23rd July 1822 used for Piedmontese schools until 1848, seemed as if they were made for novices in

a convent rather than students in public schools” (A. Lizier, Nel primo centenraio

185 MO (1989) 72.

186 MO (1989) 111-112