, 1863-10-31
Qbifa9o Qribn11t.
AN AMERICAN MONASTERY.
The Monk6 Of La Trappe in
Iowa.
Description of the Monastery
and How the Fathers Live.
From Our Special Conespoadent.l

From Our Special conespoadentl
DUBUQUE. Oct 26, 1868.
Ileft Chicago day or t~o since. to pay a
Whit 10 the Ii Tt&ppe Monastery, fourteen
1Eales over the river, beyond Dubuque. Asa
preliminary to that Witt, I called upon Gle
ment Smith, Bishop OF Dabuque.-a noble
Citizen and q most incorporating Union
man-snd he was courteous enough to give
aletter of Introduction to the Abbot Of the
Monastery At New Melleray. I found him In
the church e. ornds. He wore nitro shaped
hut. and tho usual iopg robes Of priest In
undress. He is a :all, handsome mAu, with I
IN expression Of great intelligence. and genial
good hnmor. in bic face. His residence was
the old house tniit for the first Bishop Of
Dubuque, and WAS Ut that time. tha largest
house In the city. 1t stands close to the new
chuzch, facing the mighty river, and backed
hs bluffs TWO hundred feet high The rego-
nut s Of this Bish0prick are said to be in
uense, ana out of them tho church and
magnificent pa1Atial Eesidenca for the Bishops
laye 5ult been built. The latter, indeed, is
lot yet quite completed.
ALL oAA ~eAAessA5 - f4te@s%o VA @Ao IVY VI
the bluffs, amongst the trees, overlooking the
church and its precincts below. The new
cemster5 is three miles CT, as Mount St. Bcr-
nard. -
After I had received my letter o1 introduce
tion, ! returned to the julien Hote1, Where
Put up-the most homely and hospitable Of
all the inns where I hare lodged in the West
--and hiring pair OF horses and a buggy,
drove styajpAt over the crooked. faeey. Uphill
,,a dovn5.,e mad IN tho monast.Tv Il va
In many respects dangerous ride; especial
|, tLat part Of tho road, for about two miles.
-,,cn I'D f,o,, the r;ts IN thu v,,a.n,..s NJ
49,, "n.~A ~ ~ " W.. "a
hills. 10 Say thks II Was fooga' ana Narrow
.1d iagged, would give no idea Of It's terror
,na n,I1e..antnes. r.1se xt>n pron1I h,~a
"na unPAs'~es@. q A~A'e ''ep -, "'@i. Aa'o
seht Tue norhes piuogans. Pe4''meu. do"ntno
! prCeipfce into the r1YEr-by no means pleas
mt tbouehtI But as soon al arrived
amongst toe MUS nno 1ar Inland Faneys, I'll
| that trouble vanished, and looked T5rJ new
| and prettv. In thn uibst Of the g}o1,oua en-.
ia,,ntnt .h;ch t,eve now a.nect. If n,tnra
| !osmee. "1'-D %N'~ AZ" '@e>eN' - =. 1"A7
1tTould be difficult to exaggerate tho effect
of rhe autumnal t;nts Of the woods in their
oam,,,ng1,, ~ w .. v,,b ~ The 1,ndsc.n. crav na .nd
comn1ngn1ge WIN aae 1Anascapo' grey aao
dirk were The distant woods, and dun a3d
,o1,o,- rho nra,r,e. and 4ba ,rtarrad;.+a ~,
-"o ~. 40 A'oA 1'e".o '''
leys; and the gseat belts Of woodland, and
The tibs patches, and here and there the soil
tarJ trees, and the thick undercover of hazals,
eeous colors as TO give the idea Of an Arabian
Nights vision, 50 Eastern IT looked In Its
| trexuy hazel Pale orange, russet, dark ye1.
low, ciln.eon, ruby, pink and fiery Term:ilion
| these we're some Of the pigments wherewith
nature lad painted her autalnna1 scenery in
these pats, amongst the highlands of Iowa!
We passed many houses Oh the road; most
Of them isolated, and here and there q house
Of enrertsilnent for man and beast. At last,
when had arrived within couple Of miles
Of the nonasteTy, c1me up to one Of ne
most rcsptstabs looking o. tnese s1 n9nses n ss.;
lad no Ie'isn ior the nesh 'pots u Esypt, ano
| That their food consisted, Tor Inc most part.
u roots hnd nefos' suSa rs nelmaie u tae
oloen sie , o,a ea' aa mT a;os os.;tr II 81
me .ns' @ t,,s .u' Hna1, snd th5sa ~ f1,a rahEe
Ky hors1 5 Thich G 1 La brought with ne, For
re .oea o. oS cahSa1s of ts aas TX
~. 80 not rerv ssyorV nr temnrinr to
pot,3 va ~ sS ~ sssy nyy,1ed s nn Ina ained
we5} t5e1e ~ >'''>~ >@~>'>~
Nv roure now. for two miles, lay through
eoe crah1e eA hariH 1s wa1errnt oTn tu II. mid
6ie ~ ~ ano lire honitler stonea on each
.tSa ~ - Il + T,,r short Tn;.e the road "a,
e"an5aa ratbe1 1,ec;nltafe1r. 1,ntiI At the bot.
fo,n nFthe hI11s + sane tn astna. IF rnnn1nr
Eater svn - rhtrh md fo cross nesrIo arie deem
Fren+ +h;s no;nt fhe rnad oscenas 11ntf, NJ, a
| Saa. 49, @ton-.. ~ ~ "a wooas Mnat ~
sns .1,aas .1an1 - +ha ahhaa. oD9 "a nnmant
mo.sn psaIn niaa. ~ ran ~ nrnod nren f.r1n
Ftha t,1aT ~ s4,re.5 hefors1a ~ o1n-I-
1.nd ~ ~ sa.os,. s5s1nr eraSnsf1v f-nS, ths
ou9 1 p7t.nS fs,,t;aa T,a -nafa nrna,r
W. men ~ e t1ass 1,nsa 1Tova ne ;mnrasa,an ~
se e,,t11se ani renindea No If INNS n he
"a -; eEse+e1n 1a-1ns Enoa fences If soi;d
o,n au eae1o.aa .hasa reat asa. Tnsny ~ uhich
1ana 1at ea 3or5a4a "a desn,ata CIR ia .anoad
~ t.h;.tan 49, corn Fnrt1er ~ t5 ~
.n+ e-a .n,,,a ~ niaces ~ 1ra;ria wtIc5
~ T." st,,sn-" nce ~ "a 4,arl isnds he.or~.
~ tae r,a!e 1,nh,'. cst.tn - Enr,ne Whilst
~ ~ o1'a n1..,t thase fufr1anH s.snea th.re
a,.oe s1a;-tno r. M m Lorseh,rF "a.
e..I.h'a tse,,,e n iony won1en rnha ma
tla1e7 ~ 1.9,.d ~ Is. h.54 n 71.ce ~ czn
~ ,,o5;ed % m ~ nv Win har,d and raT
c1e,rIv g enonrfs that i,e wa 1 mnnf beionrino
~ ~ shbsT ct We|,erav 7 afferTsrd
is,rned m. i'e w. rhe P1st.naa of the es.
tsh1;shnent, He enouIred carerIV sfter I'D
r1ertion nerz. which | gag the first to carrg
into that wilderness, He did not rejoice ore,
fte fnte.ltrerce which rave him, but muflled
lia speech rs ifhe were goipg to funeral
He departed on his Way, end my heart dc
! net go with him.