Got there a little before ten and I spent the rest of the morning there. There were over 30 children all dressed alike in pink gingham and a head teacher with assistant, both Italian. Children came up and shook hands, wrote on slate in very legible writing, drew flowers, vases, balloons, backs, and worked with different parts of the apparatus. They talked freely, but were nevertheless under much discipline and the teachers scolded them in loud voices.
Miss Patterson and Miss. Hayward left at 11. I stayed till 12:20. After they left, other children came in and teachers till there were 126 children and 10 teachers. The chairs and tables were taken out and then they tried to teach them a motion play. The teachers were so slow and so cross and spoke so very loudly while the children were models of patience, endurance. Altogether I was much disappointed. The teacher told Miss Patterson that it was the first school of its kind in point of time.
Couldn’t get a tram so walked to the T. station where I got no. 14. Lay down after lunch - also finished a letter to Percy - then went with Miss Wood to an exhibition of the best of American artists in Rome.** It was very interesting and the school and grounds are charming. Met Dr. Edmiston and his wife in the car going out. Miss Wood was invited by Mr. Thomas, a young artist from Buffalo, N.Y.
A letter from Helen which I answered at once. She says Florence seems to have very little reserve strength.
*The school, La Casa dei Bambini, was located in the San Lorenzo district. It first opened in 1907.
**”International Exhibition of Futurism” in the Galleria Futurista took place in Rome in April and May, 1914 and included American artists, but this is not necessarily what she saw.
**Or it could be the American Academy in Rome, which has a School of Fine Arts and frequent exhibits
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