The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1868-08-23

morning, lying ueau aU the lOOC VI SoHie
rocks lhe woman's child had sunk into
the fatal snow sleep. They were in the
MOrgue close by, crumbling into dusty de-
cay. Later in the year some Italian work.
men leaving Switzerland likewise persisted
in snOw-drift, and many more would in
evitably lose their lives every year if it was
not for the exertion of the good Fathers.
Every morning in winter the novices and
the dogs go down to the refuge to see if
there may not be some poor creatures who
have crawled in there, and to survey the
road and state of the poles which stand up
through the snow as Il guide to the best
track.
The dogs go first, and are sometimes so
buried in snow that only their tails and
noses are visible. They find the best track,
and also scent out travellers; but it is q
mistake to suppose that they dig them out,
| or carry them back to the convent. They
never go alone, and indeed the only days
when nobody ventures outside of the con-
vent are those when the singing wind is SO
| high that the dogs do not care to face it;
then the nOvices are excused.
Sometimes the snow mounts up to fifteen
feet round the house, and Il door has to be
used in the second story; and their hands
not unfrequently freeze in the chapel before
breakfast, in spite Of double windows and
| warmed passages. Their cells cannot be
warmed, but the doors of the Brothers are
left open during the night, and the winter
ment were, they told us, quite warm and
comfortable.
The good -Clavandier would not allow
that they find the winter long dreary.
They have their studies, their religious eX-
ercises, their music always, besides attend
ing to the poor travellers and when it is
fine and bright they make excursions, and
now and then indulge in their favoritc Win
ter pastime of sfedging down the mountains
close at hand, when the sides are quite
smooth with one white covering of snow.
90! wish You could sec us, them" said he,
laughing; ave are just like q parcel of
school-boys, screaming, tumbling, racing
over one another, to get up the sleeps, and
then flying down again faster than the
! wind. All, if you could see lis then you
would not ask if we are dull in winter.
And then, when the poor people arrive, we
have SO much to do. They arrive exhausted,
often FROST bitten, or with toes and fingers
frozen stiff, and we have to doctor them.
The Intirmier understands IL bit about sur
gerry, and we attend to them ourselves up
here, excepting amputation; that we have
not permission for"
"And why, since there is so much danger.
do people attempt this way at all in Win
teri"
"Ah, madame" the Clavandier replied,
g 1T is only the very poorest, those to whom
even one nights shelter and food gratis is
an object, who do attempt this pass. For
tuS pun pcdSituLS, WHO 10 lulO S"ll-
zerland i'll the spring to seek work, and re-
turn i'll autumn to spend the winter in
their homes, this is far the shortest route.
Some do so over the Simplon, it is true,
and, therefore, we have there also Il refuge
for the poor pedestrians. They are mostly
| a very low, lawless set; and, l assure you, 1T
is not from the poor that we receive the
| most gratitude"
But l must not repeat all our conversa-
ton, it-would be far too long; but every
ALI, x,Ix
it is impossible not to feel the deepest ad-
miration for the devoted lives of these ad-
mirable men in winter, and the simple, I'M
affected way in which they speak of it.
1t appears that only mountaineers can
bear the cold and that, with one exception,
the order are now all natives of the Vallais.
They have three houses; one at Martigny,
one on the SimplOn, and the Maison Mere,
on the St. Bernard. The superior lives at
Martigny, though he comes up on great oc-
casions, and it is at this latter establish
ment that the sick and aged are domiciled.
But the post which is sought most for is
that of the greatest danger and usefulness
on the great st. Bernard. During the sum-
mer they have, of course, an immense deal
| OF company, and in cOnversing with the
ClavandiGr one sees at once that he is a
man who has mixed with some of the best
society in Europe; and, as the natural re-
suit, he is one of the most liberal minded,
large, hearted, and intelligent men it has
ever been my lot to converse with.
He insisted on showing us to our rooms,
and it certainly did seem, as some one in
the Travellers Book had remarked, "very
odd to have gentleman take you to your
bedroom and light your chamber candle"
But it was no use protesting-he would
come himself and see that we had all we
wanted.
o, how cold it was the floor striking like
ice through the soles of our boots. We
were glad to jump into the bed heaped with
coverlets as fast possible. But the Con-
vent of st. Bernard, with all it's charms, is
not place to sleep in much or long. First,
it is in Switzerland, consequently there are
feas; secondly, there is n sort of exciting
effect in the air hostile to sleep; thirdly,
one is first of all SO afraid of not hearing