School journals: the Mondragone
In many of the Society’s schools, yesterday as today, a journal is often published by the pupils themselves or where they can express their creativity, a tool that additionally allows the school to convey messages to families and the outside world.
In the provincial library, for example, several school journals from colleges still exist: “Il Massimo”, an echo of the institute of the same name, which has reported on daily events for decades. Even in the Society’s ‘historical’ institutes, monthly journals were printed; in the historical archives, in the fonds of the various colleges, some copies or the entire series of school journals are often preserved. Today we see one of the most long-lived, that of an institute in Frascati, not far from Rome: the Mondragone College.
The voice of the College: Il Mondragone
The periodical was officially presented to the student community in 1866; the first handwritten copy is preserved in the archives.
During the school year all boarders and their families were constantly updated on the latest news thanks to a school journal ‘Il Mondragone’ edited by the students themselves.
“Il Mondragone” was not the College’s first school journal, it was in fact preceded by other editorial experiments that did not enjoy the same fortune and continuity within the College:
- Il Conforto ‘a journal that comes out when it pleases’ – remained in manuscript ‘for the comfort of those sick with rubella’ and was distributed in the school from 1876 until 1880, intended precisely for those confined to bed by illness. The magazine features several sketches and illustrations depicting the life of the sick in the school.
- Il Pavone (The Peacock) ‘Sings Every Monday’ only ‘sang’ for the brief space of a few issues.
- La Ricreazione (Recess), published since 1880.
- Il Drago (The Dragon) since 1902.
Some coexisted with Il Mondragone, offering the student population a certain variety of choice, but the Mondragone formula was the one that survived all the others and was rewarded by time: over the years, the journal was professionally typeset by the boarders, the graphics, the choice of fonts and illustrations were taken care of. The last copies, those of the 1950s, are even printed on glossy paper.
The second life of “Il Mondragone”
The closure of the college also corresponded with that of the periodical, which gave its loyal readers the sad announcement. However, the journal experienced a second life starting in the 2000s when the Mondragone alumni foundation decided to continue printing it in order to remember the alumni, maintain the memory of the institute and the fathers who worked and lived here.
Our Historical Archives hold the entire series of The Mondragone up to 1953 with one small gap. The Mondragone Alumni Association donated a copy of the missing issues, ensuring that the historical archive has access to all years.
The school journal is an invaluable source for researchers, as it presents – month by month – a comprehensive bulletin of all the College’s news, as well as publishing essays, serialized stories, the results of boarders’ examinations, important announcements, references to the life of the College but also to historical events.
The magazine also contained the chronicle of all the more or less important events and happenings at the College: illustrious visits, reports of outings and outings, obituaries of fathers, teachers or deceased boarders.
There is no shortage of appeals from young journalists to subscribe to the journal so they can receive the news and stay informed about life in Mondragone, as can be seen in the photo.
The magazine is much appreciated by researchers, some issues of Il Mondragone can be consulted on the website of the Mondragone Alumni Association.
Maria Macchi
