The Massachusetts spy, and Worcester County advertiser. [volume] ([Worcester, Mass.]) 1825-1831, 1829-05-13
VISIT TO A NUNNERY.

Monastery in Georgetown, near Washington
city, which he recently visited:
The site of this Monastery is in the north
west part Of the town. 1t stands ON the Dor
i doris o." the heights" and overlooks the body
OF the town below. The enclosure embraces
about one acre. On the north side, is the
Academy conducted by the Nuns, consisting of
long range of buildings, three stories high
In the middle of the front or eastern side, stands
| the chapel. On the left of the chapel is the
room of the Father Confessor, and also the pri.
vate apartments of the nuns, into which no un-
hallowed tread of the worldly and profane is
ever admitted.
J The Academy, or High School for Ladies,
Is the most interesting appendage of the Con-
vent 1t contains a boarding school of upwards
of one hundred pupils-and free or charity
school OF much larger number of day scholars.
What strikes the visiter with most pleasure, is
I the perfect system and order with which every
thing is done. All is perfect clock-work. The
young Misses who compose the school, are
regularly and rigidly trained to do every thing
on plan and method.
! We first entered long passage. Here were
fixtures prepared for the cloaks, bonnets SC. of
the pupils, each numbered from to $50 and
each pupil has her particular number. The
next room we visited was another long passage,
adjoining the dormitores. In this was an ex-
tended range of wash-stands reaching through
its length. Here the pupils commence their
morning toilette. Each stand is furnished with
bowl, pitcher, napkin, soap, combs, brushes,
&c, and each numbered. The same is true of
the beds or couches in the dormitories-of the
departments or divisions Of their common ward
| robc-of their seats in the dining and study
halls, and even of the repositories oftheir shoes
&c. Each pupil has the same number through
out the establishment.
The Seminary is divided into four classes
The hall of the first class contains an extensive
cabinet Of minerals, to which many rare and
valuable specimens have been presented by the
officers of our Navy, and by Catholics of the
eastern world. 1t has also many rich speci-
mems Of art-the contributions of wealthy and
powerful patrons of the church. The sword
sheath and belt of Iturbde-ance a hero Of
South America-two of whose daughters are
now In this convent, was recently presented to
the cabinet by Commodore Rogers. 1t also
claims to have many sacred relics, such as
shreds or scraps from the garments of numer-
Gus saints-fragments from the church and
tomb of ST. Peter, and of other Sants-pieces
| of the wood of the Cross, &c. of which the in
dustry and credulty of the Catholics in the
east, have collected enough, in the last 400
years, to build ship OF the line. These relics,
80 says tradition, have been carefully preserved
by long line of Popes, Bishops, and Priests,
! and distributed among the churches and their
! converts, as the memorials of many precious
and hallowed associations The veneration
with which they are regarded by Catholics, is
well known. The same hall containing the
cabinet, has good chemical laboratory.
After visiting the other rooms, my conduct
resses led me to the domestic apartment, where
the culinary operations of the great family are
performed. This is kept with great care ;
| averu fhinr xpac neaf hripht and oil nd
but for the implements of housewifery, careful
ly arranged about the room, one might have
mistaken it for a drawing room.
| One feature in the training of these young
| ladies / was wonderfully pleased with. 1t is
this: two of them are taken every week by ro-
tation, and placed in this parlor kitchen, where,
under the instruction of one of the sisterhood,
( they perform all the operations Of housewifery,
for the week They make the bread and bake
1.-THE buildings, tarts pies, cakes, &c. They
| roast the beef and FOWLS and in short, perform
the whole labor of housekeeping, except the
drudgery. At the end of the week they return
to their study, and two others take their places.
! This is as it should be. Domestic education is
almost wholly overlooked with US. Young la
dies are trained up as if to charm and please and
| grace the drawing room were to be the sole
business of their lives. They arc taught to
sing, dance, to play the piano and guitar, to
read bad French and write worse English, to
trifle gracefully, (all of which acknowledge
| like very we'll, if backed by solid attainments,)
and now and then one, to think profoundly !;
but not one in ten, on arriving at proper age
for taking charge of family knows how to
make pudding pie that would be eatable,
unless she were to make it d" by book"
/ The Chapel in this convent will not vie in
wealth with those of the older Converts in
! Catholic countries. Its architecture and furKi-
ture are not splendid. 1t is supplied, of course,
with the usual furniture of vases, affairs, can
dlesticks, images, statues and pictures. Every
thing is ordered for effect. The imposing
forms of Worship heightened by the numerous
visible objects of sacred or superstitious regard,
backed by the willy influence of the Priests, and
the enthusiastic earnestness of the Nuns, are
well suited to captivate the ina gnations of
young and gddy school girls. OF their Semin-
airy, their plan, their broad, rigid and thorough
system of education, think we'll but at the
same time, cannot think it safe or at all con-
slstent Tor true prostestants to send their
daughters there-as many do.
The number ofnuns in this Convent, at pres
ent, is about sixty. Among them are descend
ants of several rich and powerful families
Their employment consists in confessions, Wig
lis tasts, penances, reading and religious exer-
cses, in teaching, in domestic concerns, and in
making fine needle-work for sale. The Charity
School embraces about 200 dav pupils. For
their humanity and benevolence in collecting
and teaching these children, the Nuns deserve
praise. In these employments they appeared
happy but the happiness of these devotees, if
real, must be of the negative kind.
In one respect was much disappointed. In.
stead of finding in the Convent, set of rigid,
sour, austere female ascetics, met with cheer.
fulncss approaching to vivucity-with kindness
the most engaging, and with politeness the
most natural and unaffected.