JANUARY 1

Mons. Bertagna when speaking of Don Bosco's many little tricks would solemnly affirm: "charity used to suggest to Don Bosco so many holy tricks in order to gain souls to God that to speak of all would be an extremely difficult task. They were so many and so wonderful that they surpass all praise." So to those which we have already related and which we shall treat more at length in order to render them clearer and preserve the order of our narrative. 

The first preoccupation of Don Bosco was to put into practice his device or motto: "serve the Lord in gladness". Thus the most important factors of the life of the oratory were Fear of God, work and untiring study and to crown everything, holy joy. And this wonderful mixture rendered the life of the boys of Valdocco joyful, enthusiastic and ineffably sweet for almost all of them. One who has never witnessed such a scene will find it extremely difficult to form an idea of the din, the ingenuous lightheartedness, the games and joy of those recreations. The playground was indeed the scene of lively movement and Don Bosco was the soul of it. It was in truth a joy to Don Bosco to see his boys so innocently occupied. The boys knowing that when he could be, he would take part in their games. They would otherwise every now and then look longingly towards his room, and when at length he would appear on his balcony a loud cry of contentment would burst forth from those lusty youthful lungs. Then most of them would run to the bottom of the stairs to meet him and kiss his hand. 

There have been very few people in the world able to attract people to them as Don Bosco did and fewer still who have been known to avail themselves of this affection for the good of the children. Mons.. Cagliero, the clerics and the boys themselves used to say of him: "in him was seen the goodness of our Savior". 

"Cheer up" these were his first words to the new boy whom he saw sad and gloomy. And these two words coming from his lips produced a magic effect. They used to dissipate all sadness and to such an extent that the boy felt himself ready and willing to perform his every duty.

"How are you?" he would ask another and if he thought it necessary he would inquire whether anything was lacking. During the winter if he thought a boy was suffering from the cold, he would catch him by the arm in order to see if he were wearing a sufficiently thick woolen pullover, then he would say, "but you have not got enough clothing!" Have you a sufficiently warm blanket on your bed?" Then he would send him at once to the guest master to get what was necessary. He used to do the same to all he found suffering, yes even to those whose parents ought to have provided for them. He would always let the boys know in some manner or other that he also had at heart whatever might interest them. So he would ask them news about their parents, their family, their parish priest, their old school master and others of their native places whom he had had the chance of knowing. When they were writing home he would tell them to give his best wishes to this or that person but especially to their mothers and fathers. In fact, everything which could be of interest to his boys formed the subject of his conversation; their parish churches, their steeples and the most memorable facts of their provinces, for he knew by heart all the events of all the towns and villages of the Sardinian states. The boys on hearing the praises of their villages and provinces could scarcely contain their joy and would always remain grateful to their father and superior for such paternal kindness.