The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1881-08-09 00:00:00

lIPSTIBBI72Y.
INSIDE A CONVENT.

It is not improbable that some thoughtful passenger
by the Somerset and Dorset Railway, as he neared
Spetisbury station, may have eneculated on the
character of a huge, gloomy old building in the village
just below. No semblance of interior life is ever seen
there, and "no face at the window" ever watches the
passin; train, for it is and has been ter many years,
a convent for "ladies' ." Surrounded by high and
jealous walls, nothing intruded on its privacy till this
railway was merle, by which it is so completely dons!.
natal as to render it almost unsuitable for the purpose
for which It r ore answered so well; and pleasure-
seeking excursionists, if informed of the nature of
Sion House, only smile in derision, or ahrng their
shoulders at the insanity or enthamiasm which thus
immures itself. For within those murky walls shoat
18 sisters live their secluded lives, some of them
dou'itless "resting in the Lord and waiting patiently
for him," and others are, just as probably, "eating
their hearts out" with the monotony of each recurring
day, crying—inaudibly, though it be—"ln the morn.
ing would God it were evening," and "in the evening
would God it were morning," But of this there ii no
sigo, for no complaints ever reach outside those walls.
They never go cut: and, even if they did, S-,etisbnry
I s not one of the gayest or most attractive of places.
It possesses its one long street. ent Middle-street, its
church, two chapiils, railway station, and b'g grocery
store; but none of these would, we shonli think, have
much charms for "the sisters." Save and except the
father confessor, and his clerk, or the priest who per.
forms mass, no on ever sees 014111, speaks to these, or
known scarcely anything of them. "The world for-
getting, by the world forgot"—theirs is a a living
death, as it appears to us; or, as they no doubt con-
ac'ent.ously think, • life of self-forgetfaluess and
devotion.
_ .

The convent has • history of its own, dating back
as far as the year 1800; and although it is not our
porpoise to recall its varied experiences, we May just
mention that according to !' Shipp's Revised Edition
el Hutchttur' Dorset" it ti•oi became the real donne of
a society of religious ladies of the order of St.
Angnstine. They came from the Continent, in the
Duchy of Brabant, and having to fly at the near
approach of the French army in 1794. Returning,
they sought refuge in their own country, and Spell-
bury House, as it was then called, became a sort of
bosrdine school, in vrtech were over 70 inmates,
comprising :13 members of the society—the remainder
hen; boarders. There were separate residences for the
chaplain. This community remained until 1861, when
they were suoceesisd be a religious body, whose order
WU founded by a Swedish prinoees—St. Bridget-
After various vicissitudes of several centuries this
order found its way to Spetisbury, and named *heir
place of residence Sion House, after the name of their
residence in London. They possessed • piece of
sculpture of great value and some fine paintings, also
• valuable library of old books. In the cemetery, on
the west, lie the remains of the Earl of Shrewsbury,
and respecting one of the chaplains of their house the
following short inscription speaks volumes. It is as
follows : _ _ _

_ .
In memory of RALPH Botrrewonim,
Died July 13th, 1810,
Aged 63 years.
" Rase Pity on me, have pity on me, at least ye my
frienda."—J b.
While these lines on the tomb of another priest.
Rev. Charles Carew, who died in 1804, aged only 51
yews, shows up the somewhat melan irinly and dreary
sort of existent* passed by the lady residents of those
day.:—
- •

For thee the virgin wandering in thle grove
B.ered to solitode and heaveirhorn love,
With mournful looks she views the azure sky
The tender tear still trembling in her eye.
And as she sigh. a vow to heaven shall send
Pelee to my guile, my father, and my friend.

Thus far Hutchings; but moms years back these IsAles
were socaee ;et by the present order, respecting whom
even less is known than the scanty information even
that verbose and minute historian could supply respect-
ing the place. The building is &large, and roomy, and
as may be supposed, old-fashioned place, standing in
its own gram is, with extensive gardens reaching to the
river Stour, which members at its back, and renders
comnlete on that vide a privacy which we have never
heard has been intruded upon. But with all this
aeparateiness, and exclusion on Sundays and Pt* days
its doors stand open, and not only permit but invite
entrance. For the chapel Is to ths fore and by an easy
demaent of • few steps admission to it is gained; the
back part of the chapel being even visible from thorned
through the open doorway, and being attracted thee
some few &pods), evenings ago partly by curiosity, and
partly with • lesire to listen to the singteg. which we
wereinformed was really go vi, we found onrselvess
forming part of a congregation, numbering at the most
five-and-twenty persons.
Respect for the prejudices for a religion which when
dominaot has never phew* much respect for other
form of worship, induce here a reticence which true
christianity suggests, although it is to be hoped that
our unbiassed relation of the impression pr ducissi by
the visit may fail to cause an offence, which it is far
from our intention to give.
The chapel is then an unpretentious, rather low room,
capable of holding, at the most, about 130 persons;
hut in the present instance, as we believe is very often
the case, nearly destitute of worshippers. A marble
image, of life-sire. of Christ on the Cross is fixed, at
the end of the chapel facing the altar, and on the walls
are coloured nintures of the sort Peen in all Catholic
chapels-4 the progress to Calvary—the Crucifixion,
An. These pictures are poor daubs, and even so
provocative of emotion hardly worthy of exhibition.
The altar, however, is beautifully adorned and
decorated with flowers, lighted candles, and, as far as
could be judged in the distance, some, really
good paintings of the birth of Jesusl the Apotheosis of
the Virgin, and imogea of the Virgin and child Christ
wee the prominent features here, the Communion
being railed off and relieved by flowers in pots. In •
side gallery, so placed as to gain • view of the altar
and yet to be unseen by the congregation, were the
nuns. These, we judged, formed the choir, preformed
on the organ, and conducted the choral parts of the
service. Somewhat unpanctually entered the priest
on duty. habited in coarse, drab sackcloth robes. We
were informed he was not the chaplain of the place,
but an invalid convalesc Int. The deities being very
light, it is usual to sen I those who from ill health are
too incapacitated temporarily for harder Berries.
He c onmenoed int miog in English what appeared
to be a sort of litany to the Virgin, commencing
"Hail, Mary, Mother of God," with what seemed
endless repetition of the NaMe prayer.
Respect for that which is too sacred for comment
prompt us here to a reticence which will further apply
to the genuflexions; bowing" down to and worship-
' ping before the altar aol the Host; and the incense
burninge of the second hilt of the service, nearly all
the time the music and singing, and music continued
in the upper gallery, the responses from the congrega.
Lion being fervent and audibly devout. The hymns
and chants were fairly renderea, but notiatable enough
was that lank of swing and energy, and want of
" attacca," which is only to be gained by content with
other choirs, and listening to and joining in with
voices of acknowledged excellence. This could not be
expected from those whose lives are thus hidden, but
they are certainly as far superior to the usual run of
choristers in parish churches as they are below the first
rate of "the Pro." at Kensington, or at St. Mary, at
Mayfield..
The strain' induced In our party, an well, a feeling
of satisfaction, that those who thus voluntarily buried
alive, could yet cultivate at least one of the fine arts
to ameliorate the monotony, if not the misery of their
every-day lives.
During the in-onee burning and elevation of the
Host, the priest ch log his c sane raiment for sump-
tuous robed, of void ani crimson embroidery. To this
'unneeded the c inevitable with all sects and
places. In less than 35 minutes ell was concluded,
and we eacapod from the incense fumes and the con-
straint of the plane to the outer world, to the calm
co d quiet of the eveniitg of that hot summer', day,
thanklul that it had n it fallen to our lot to per one
existence "inside • convent."