ALFANI, AUGUSTO

ALFANI, AUGUSTO. – Member of the Accademia della Crusca, philosopher and educationalist, born in Florence on 17 November 1844, died there in 1923. A teacher of philosophy, he followed the somewhat eclectic spiritualist school of Augusto Conti; he contributed effectively to the compilation of the Crusca dictionary; he wrote on philology, philosophy, politics, and history; but his finest work lay in the education of children and young people, using his learning and his facile gift as a narrator to enlighten and encourage them in study, duty, and love of country, family, and religion, following the example of our great figures, especially Dante and Manzoni.

For children he wrote several recreational stories: Dal vero, In casa e fuori, Ernestino e il suo nonno (conversations of a fresh and gentle moral character), La Vespa (a highly original autobiography of a little dog), Re Moro (an autobiography of a horse), and moralizing booklets, rich in good advice: Lavori e Arnesi, Dialoghi; I tre amori del cittadino: la Casa, la Patria e il Lavoro. Through the two periodicals La Scuola and Lettere di famiglia he continued vigorously to wage a lively campaign for the formation of Italians against the invading materialist spirit. But his reputation as an educational writer is linked above all to Il carattere degli Italiani, effective and well-judged guidelines for the formation of an upright and steadfast character; and to Battaglie e Vittorie, in which the various industries are reviewed (following the example of M. Lessona in Volere è potere), illustrated by distinguished figures of Italians who excelled in them.