The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1868-12-10
AN AMERICAN CONVENT.
AN INSIDE vIEw-How TIE NUNS LIVE

A writer in an eastern monthly has an
article on with the Nuns" from which
we cut the following account of the con
veniCal school at Hochelaga, near Mons
treal. We read:
Within three hundred yards of the st.
Lawrence river. commanding from its upper
stories, a view If the city and mountain Of
Montreal, the Islands and the Victoria bridge
"a vista thirty miles in all directions. Of as
| fine a prospect can he seen in North A.
lnerica-s;a and the church, convent and
school. in single building. with hundred
acres Of grove and garden attached. This
/ school ahne is larger than any female coll
! leSe L know except Vassar-the halls, say
/ fifteen feet wide by nineteen high balconies
/ ant bay windows in abundance on the roof
promenade-deck covering perhaps an
! eighth Of an acre, surrounded by a balus-
! trade; separate stuiy and recitation rooms
| Tor each branch every apartment heated
| with steam and thoroughly ventilated am
pie space and provision for calesthruics aud
indoor exercises generally; restricted Of course
| III range, but large; organ, twelve grand
! pianos. and all other means for musical ac-
c"mltllshment Of every kind-it had at least
all the Instrumentation necessary for the
physical comfort and estketical culture of
its inmates The two extensive dormitnries
| were particularly admirable, Here the genius
OF Order appeared TO reign supreme The
bed linen on the couches was as white as
! swans down, a clothes press at the head Of
| each bed, the contents of which, opened at
random. were found arranged with perfect
| system and neatneSs, sci arate lavatorv and
furniture for each pupil in like condition
! IN word, complete expression of just the
| habits (for the young ladies attend to all
| htT oh fba hoS Of
try to teach their daughters often with very
limited success. AS we entered each room,
all the inmates rose, bowed and remained
standing until we retired. The culture Of
manners Is speciality at all Catholic schools.
| A young woman might come out of such an
institution a Ounce. but hardly gawk or
| satterp. And scme of US who think it a
| quite venial deficiency that good wife and
mother should be acquainted With the comic
sections of geometry. and the theory of COM
pound radicals in chimistry, will regard the
habit Of order. cultivated So assiduously
with regard to both time and tangible things,
at these seminaries, os more helpful and val
| uabIe than all the mastery of French and
| waXwOrk, pastal abbeys. and wursted flow
ers. patiently and successfully commuai-
Gated.
Our visit was made on a Sunday after
noon. The girls, scatt cred through the reci-
| tatlon rooms, were mostly engaged in wri-
ting t. their parents and friends. The spa
cious and elegant reception room on the first
floor was filed with many happy children
and their r, latiVes who had come from tho
city, or further than that, to see them
| Whatever Of idolatry may be charged against
the ancient faith, there Is none on the Lords
Day. There vas reIfert decoTum, but all
were cheerful, and many as merry, as if
they had been at May party:
! ''One great attraction Of those conventual
schools is their cheapuess. You can educate
ynur daughter at the best institution of tho
kind in Canada for about one third. inclui-
ing the difference in the currencies, of what
il would cost you at Protestant seminary
# a similar grade in the United States -
And with this the Catholic school will grow
rich at its business, while the Protestant one,
unless amply endowed, is begging donations
The secret of the difference is in the conioint
vows of ceilbIcy and poverty resting on the
nuns. Whatever diversity of views there
may be as to the moral value of these restric-
tious, there can be none as their economy
The teachers get no salaries for their labor.
and cost their employer-tne church-noth-
ing but the absolute necessities of a most
frugal life Those who have had To 90 with
the building up of Protestant churches can
realize he superiority of the Roman system
in these particulars. Every brick and beam.
every shovelful of earth and trowelfal IF
, mortar iL the Protestant house costs money.
Aud when the ed6cs is completed and Won
get a young minister. without encum-
biance.' at a small salary. he marries the
prettieSt girl in the congregation within
year, and you are in for parsonage Then,
of course, the salary must go up. and in a
little while. besides he minister YOU sill be
supporting the gospel in the shape of his
mAtronly hel lpmeet- nalf dozen IN promising
Scinus and two Irish Cltholic servants.
"A more apparently cheerful cAAs of peo-
pie than the mus I have vat t. ses. Tnev
seem TO have buried with the excitement
most of the annnyauces Of life. These who
do not know us, said one of the superiorS of
the Loretto order 20 me. think our life one
mcnotonous vigil and PRAYER IF such were
the case We shonid IS. without doubt. very
81 upid peop!s There are but few minds so
constituted as 70 bear the perpetual contem-
platiou OF spiritual subjects without injury.
The rLOst of cur duties are active, and suffi-
ciently varied To give hsAlthful enilvmeUt tn
the different faculties of the mind. In at
tendance upon the sick in ministering in va
riuus ways & human want and suffering. in
teaching children such kno~ledge as will
make them safe and useful in this world ard
happy in the next. We fiud great deal to do
besides telling our bea6s. Why Er.- ,
J she CONTINUED. when | vas sent from Dub
lin, with others. to establish tbs LoFettO or
+ der in Canada, it was part of nv instructions
, to visit ana inspect every church and con-
vent whore / stopped on nv route, so famil-
iariZ. myse with plans, materials and prices
that might better understand how to erect
- we'll as conduct q school Of this kind I
built this house. q large and substantial
, structure, admirably located ) and think
! Il well built as far as it goes; but our order
in his country was new ard poor. Il we
had bad more money it would have been lar
ger and BETTER"