New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1866-09-10

The benevolent institutions Of this city, in
point OF number and usefulness, will compare
iaYorably with those of any other city of the
same size in existence. There are at least
twenty separate and independent establish
ments which are devoted to mans wants
and the alienation Of his sufferings; which
protect him in infancy when he is neglected
and abandoned at their door; which furnish
him with food and medicine in sickness,
and which, Wien his earthly cares are finished,
provide his Eemains after death with a final
resting place Accompanied at one time by
Dr. Peck and at another by DR.. Hart, we
passed over every portion Of the Charity Hos
pital-that noble structure, grander in many
respects than some of the palaces Of European
potentates. The building, or rather the series
of buildings, occupies square, with garden
IN the center, contrasting pleasantly with the
sickness and misery of the surrounding wards.
The patients are arranged upon several floors,
on small four-posted bedsteads, with chintz
coverings and an air of neatness and order
characterizes the general arrangement. What
especially strikes you is the stiffness
We saw no one conversing with his neigh
boz, and each one lay quietly in his bed, ap-
parently combining his thoughts and feelings,
his sufferings and sorrows, to his own breast.
Silent, and having nothing to occupy their
minds, they yet watched With interest every
one who came and went. It is about the only
amusement Of the sick man
+I,a 1,1p,,,c entered were
devoted to steamboatmen tiremen, engineers
and the class who spend their lives upon the
water. Hardly any Of these Isbmaelites of
the ocean and great river appeared to have
been born within q thousand miles Of each
other,
There is much more indication Of character
in the female wards, in the attitudes, dress,
little ornaments and general expression Of
countenanee, and we still remember the ap-
pearauce presented by ayouthful figure as she
sat up in bed, with long hair falling over her
shoulders. Her mind had become affected
and she had been provided with this shelter
by the kindness Of her friends. Her history
as was perhaps the case more or less with al
most every one else there, was d painful one.
She had been deserted by the man who had
married her, six weeks after the performance
of the ceremony, and the baseness Of her
faithless partner had thus disordered her rea-
son,
We visited the dead-room, where the
corpses were swathed, head and feet in white
cerements, and arranged in rows. Some
were already placed in the rude pine cofins,
and only awaited the undertaken But what
affected us more than anything else we saw,
were the denth agonies of two of the semolepa
tients in the ward devoted to the outcasts O
that sex The bodyof one was almost mo
tionlessy save a slight quiyering Of the mus
cles Of the face; her lips were parted, and hel
eyes partially closed. The expression Of the
scountenance was one Of intense horror, ant
was reflected upon the frightened throng o
her room mates, who stood around her. Ih
other death bed, Immediately opposite, was at
tended by priest administering the last con
solutions of religion, assisted by a sister 0
charity We caught no sight Of the face bu
the sob and wall of agony and exclamation 0
despair were astonishingly touching. Deaf
beds do not always affect us, or if they do a
all it is with some thought incongruous to tn
situation. But this tone of voice and scene
a Camille of real life, the ministers of reigio
whispering of heaven, the doctors in tn
background regarding the matter from th
stand point of science, the frightened thron
who stood around-all brought to mind SON
of the representations Of Lorettes and Ea'
Ijynns which we witnessed last winter, wit
the conviction that the ideal in this case WI
Int a Door imitation of the real.
The sisters of charity, with their white boz
net and black dress, which give such a sil
gular fairness to the complexion, and who
form, from their neatness, a very pleasing ga
of devotion, are a noticeable feature OF th
Institution. and no one can help admirin6
faith which leads its followers to life SO lit
attractive We were already aware that t
sisters were little given to conyersing WI
strangers, but we could not resist the tempt
ton of endeavoring to extract something
the way of conversation in reference to
order Our effort was hardly success, a.
though we made decided attempt to appt
amiable, and employed that graceful addr
which some of our readers have perhaps
This remarked, no answers We're returned
cept to direct questions, We are obliged
admit that the pious sister appeared o
moderately interested in our conversatl
AS she only regarded us once with turt
look, and made the sign of the cross iml
diately afterwards, we could hardly plume
self upon having produced any ttatte1ing
preston.
Still we contrived to learn that there v
some twenty-five Of the sisters in this inst
ton alone, who devoted themselves to
work of charity, under the control of a 81
rior in this city, who, in Turn, was depend
upon the head ofthe order alone at Baltim
Most Of the sisters in the city have motto
kindred among u.s. they generally prefer
to be assigned to duty where they are
known. As this was all the information
could learn, and we were a little piqued at
learning more, we were indiscreet enough
approach the question Of age-that sui
upon whichl in or out Of orders, the fair
little disclosures to make. But when we
tured to inquire at what time Of life