In 1709, the coldest winter in over five hundred years left Europe desolate and hungry. At this time, De La Salle had already started his campaign to change the education system in France, but his efforts were interrupted by this famine. Many days, the only remaining food was just a slice of bread for everyone in the brotherhood to share. De La Salle’s impact on others occurred when he taught that Divine Providence will always save you in the most desperate of times; thus, he and his teachings created an atmosphere of hope and kindness. He helped the younger brothers by moving them from Rouen, to ease the plight of teaching, where the novices remained for the next six years in order to recover from the famine. His selflessness was seen when
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The sea, lakes, rivers, and soil all froze for more than a depth of a metre. All livestock died from the cold in their barns, which cut off all the meat travelling into the overpopulated cities of the 18th century. In Paris, temperatures dropped to -15⁰C on January 14th, and remained there for eleven days, with even the courtiers in the Palace of Versailles struggling to keep warm in these frigid temperatures. According to a canon from Beaune in Burgundy, “travellers died in the countryside, livestock in the stables, wild animals in the woods; nearly all the birds died, wine froze in barrels and public fires were lit to warm the poor”. As a consequence of these frozen climates, many were found dead in their beds because they froze to death in their sleep. Since there was no way to travel to the cities because of all the snow and ice, Paris had to wait three months to get much-needed supplies. This second “Ice Age” was at its climax in 1709, and its ramifications were felt across the entire continent, as the weather wreaked havoc with fluctuating temperatures. For example, the 1690s saw many cold summers accompanied by failed harvests, while the summer of 1707 was so hot that people died from heat exhaustion. Another contribution to the extreme weather were the volcanic eruptions during the years of 1707 and 1708, which were Mount Fuji in …show more content…
The pivotal point of the famine soon became the evolution of the Brothers vows and curriculum. However, De La Salle’s contributions go beyond taking care of his colleagues, but rather to the rest of France by preaching grace, humility, and “re-shaping” the educational system in France. His struggles to create a new future for others created a realization that God’s grace is the greatest bank that we have to access for our time on Earth. De La Salle’s time here shows how he uses this grace and urges others to use it to strive for Heaven. His “saint-hood” is a constant reminder that we must think of other people before ourselves and to love others. The vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience demonstrate how his dedication to his work is out of charity and purely the want to educate others who would not normally have the chance to receive those opportunities. His impacts remain today, most importantly the need for free education that is valuable for everyone, not just the upper class in France. The learning experience from researching De La Salle was amazing to realize the number of contributions he made not just to the spiritual world, but also the secular
The sea, lakes, rivers, and soil all froze for more than a depth of a metre. All livestock died from the cold in their barns, which cut off all the meat travelling into the overpopulated cities of the 18th century. In Paris, temperatures dropped to -15⁰C on January 14th, and remained there for eleven days, with even the courtiers in the Palace of Versailles struggling to keep warm in these frigid temperatures. According to a canon from Beaune in Burgundy, “travellers died in the countryside, livestock in the stables, wild animals in the woods; nearly all the birds died, wine froze in barrels and public fires were lit to warm the poor”. As a consequence of these frozen climates, many were found dead in their beds because they froze to death in their sleep. Since there was no way to travel to the cities because of all the snow and ice, Paris had to wait three months to get much-needed supplies. This second “Ice Age” was at its climax in 1709, and its ramifications were felt across the entire continent, as the weather wreaked havoc with fluctuating temperatures. For example, the 1690s saw many cold summers accompanied by failed harvests, while the summer of 1707 was so hot that people died from heat exhaustion. Another contribution to the extreme weather were the volcanic eruptions during the years of 1707 and 1708, which were Mount Fuji in …show more content…
The pivotal point of the famine soon became the evolution of the Brothers vows and curriculum. However, De La Salle’s contributions go beyond taking care of his colleagues, but rather to the rest of France by preaching grace, humility, and “re-shaping” the educational system in France. His struggles to create a new future for others created a realization that God’s grace is the greatest bank that we have to access for our time on Earth. De La Salle’s time here shows how he uses this grace and urges others to use it to strive for Heaven. His “saint-hood” is a constant reminder that we must think of other people before ourselves and to love others. The vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience demonstrate how his dedication to his work is out of charity and purely the want to educate others who would not normally have the chance to receive those opportunities. His impacts remain today, most importantly the need for free education that is valuable for everyone, not just the upper class in France. The learning experience from researching De La Salle was amazing to realize the number of contributions he made not just to the spiritual world, but also the secular