Baton-Rouge gazette. [volume] (Baton-Rouge, La.) 1819-1856, 1846-08-29

terminated her suffings. Her noble biHh
and powerful connexions probably saved
her from the still more dreadful doom Of
Yale IN pace - But this austerlty,
whether real or affected, at length gave
way TO the natural course ofthings. Uhir.
terrupted prosperity, with u strive llahco
merely nominal, was not tho best soil for
the growth Of asGeticism. There sYiy first
a suspicion suspicion led to eigilant OBJ
servation-tbis to whisper-and whisper
TO bold report that the sisters Of kllngen-
thai were "holy no longer" The pro.
gress of deterioration Is well described by
our anonymous author :-
"By one Of these singular mysteries III
the human heart incxpliohble to ronsUn, the
nuns seemed to grow strangely more le.
niont TO themselves after they had coDdetn.
ned their hapIsss sister to so fearful u doom,
for seeking to escape from the thrnldoln of
her vows unless indeed the remembrance
Of the crime into which her detestation of
q cloisteral life led her, determined them to
abate itz rigers In their own instance.
They first coussd to ehat their matin and
vesper services, and this relaxation from
their ancient discipline was gradually fol.
lowed by many others yet moro striking
till at length the sober citizens Of Basic
were asiouuded by the open and ostenta.
tious display Of their luxury, worldliness,
and disregard oftho established decorums
ola religions calling. The largo heavy,
dismal, rumbllng vehicle, in which the phi.
Dress was wont ut Easter, and on other
high days and holidays, TO move with slow
solemn pace from one church or chapel to
another, TO pay her annual tribute Of wor-
chip to some particular saint, with two or
three subdued looking sisters, like herself
veilcd and mufiled from head To foot, now
rolled bfiskly through the streets seeming.
ly bent on q very different GRAND. Their
spacious garden stretched n Il considern.
ble extent along the left bank of the Rhine,
where such had, in former days, been
thankful to cultivate MS their sole muse
ment Q little narrow plot, scarcely larger
than that sole inherrita nee which Earth
best1ws IN all hor children nj their bitb,
no longer s%ufficing for mir and exercise,
they made frequent visits to their c0nysn
tual lands in the adjacent country. Their
repast8 in the re(cctory, ifnot equal to those
served up 10 the noble Indies ofthe convent
of st. Hildgarde at Zurich, one Of whose
dainty abbesses was said to have loved 50
much the roc oftho delicate lotte, that after
having extinguiBhcd the breed In her
lake she yas forced TO send to Constance
and Zug for supplies Of this favorite f8h
or to the luxurious feasts Of the Benedict.
inc monks In Lombardy, whose table 30
amazed Martin Luther, fresh from German
sou KRoUT and black barley bread, that be
deemed 1t his duty to warn them Of his In.
%tention, on reaching Rome, to report their
gcandal0us gluttony and e~xtravngance to
the Pope, for which the good man was
within an inch Of losing his life, 40 little
did they relish his sincerity or appreciate
his concern for their souls ; still they
were most RECHERCHE and abundant, ~
the loads Of fish aud fowl, and game and
legs Of mutton, and buttocks Of beef, seen
daily entering the side door leading 10 the
ample kitchen amply testified. Then their
dress-alas ! alas |! alas. that even the
history of d convent should add its teslimo.
ny to this besetting sin of woman.k kind
The thick white w0ollcn tuDics Of the
Dominican order, with heavy black man.
ties and coarse linen, were replaced bIaha.
biIiments made in the same form, but Of
the finest materials. A narrow braid of
glossy hair peeping under the snowy cam
brio which descended with symmetrical
precision on each side Of the face, attested
either the f0rgetfIlncss or contempt Of the
ofthe fair wearess for the invariable mon
astIc ordinance which prescribcs that the
hair, solemnly cut off ut the ceremony Of
the profession, shall never more be allowed
to grow. Their wells and pelerins were oil
the most costly cambric-they decorated
their slender fingers with jewelled rings,
And crosses on their bosom wore,
Which Jews might kiss and inidcls adore,
Their chaplets of gold or silver, enriched
with precious stones often curiously carved. |
would have We'd with those ofLouis Qua
iorze or Anne Of Austria and the quaint
and sad apparel oGtheir rule, thus modified
by the hand Of taste, became rather digui.
he'd, imposing, and becoming, than awful
Dr repulsiYe. But these were minor points
of oftenCe-dIst in the balance. when
weighed against other deviati0ns from
heir vows. The privacy Of the c]Ioistcr
vas no longer respected-young and noble
;hcvaliers, under the plea Of consanguini-
y or friendship, were to be seen at Utmost
I'll hours entering the great gates Of the
monastery, or longing in the magnificent
appropriated to the reception Of
and strangers. Strong suspicion
existed that they had followed the ex,
Of Anne of Howen, late abbess Of
he noble ladies at Zurich, who, a~vapling
IerseIf Of an ancient custom which conse-
rated a sombfe season of the year to the
nJoYm mt OF the carnival, went disguised
trough the city with her younger brother
'redrick. And as Henry Of Howen, the
1du'gent Bishop Of Constance, under
nder whose pastoral care they had placed
in l43l, was the brother ofthe .
oble offenders at Zurich, far too mighty .
If punishment, it is not altogether possible 1
rat the accusation might have some foun- j
alton. .
lfsnch reports gave scandal to the public a
large, they were heard with pleasure by !
le Dominican fathers of Basic. Nov wag 0
le time to be reVenged on the pert ladies' a
no bad openly and scornfulIy defed them.
he reigning pontf, Sixtus ", was soon t
ade acquainted with the amours of the nuns; u
though he was not exactly The man to d
row the first stone at criminals ofthis class, i
: directed Jacob ofS:ubacb, provincial o. the /
order in Alsace. 10 declare at an t
I'd the V~isiforfsl power Of the Bishop OF "
onstance, to replace the nuns under their d
rmer overseers, the yindictive friars, with il
authority greatly annnnenteh and -nI q