The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1870-11-13

THE MORN
and before the class assembled the next
morning she had gone to the mistress and
confessed her fault; and although it was
OF course known to all the girls at the les
son, she seemed much happier than the day
before when in the place of honor. One
mischlevous foreigner, who invariably,
whenever she cOnld obtain the chance,
would drum few bars of the "Marseil-
!alse !" on the piano for the fun of witness
ing the CONSERVATION it created, was
stopped by being asked if she would con-
tinue to play it when she knew the pain it
caused our superior, Madame de GramOnt,
whose 1aIher was conducted to the guillo-
tine 70 the music of that air. Of course
sne oHence was never repeated, and an
other point of interest was added to our
gentle, lady-like Superior, whom we sell
oom saw, the Maitresse Generate, a woman
OF great Character, and literary ability
recognized outside of the convent walls.
being the more direct head SO far as the
school was concerned. Sometimes we had
visit from the venerable Madame Barras,
the foundress of the order, who lived to
see ramlhcations of it in every part of the
globe. One of the ladies, a Russian
princess of we'll known family, was al
ferent chapels of the order and it was my
delight to sit by her easel out of school
hours, and hear her relate, sometimes the
legend of the saint whom she was paint
ing, at others the struggles she had with
her family when she wished to become
Romanist. In summer, our great tete was
the 18th of August, the Assumption of
the Virgin, and it was a beautiful sight to
watch the procession as it wound through
the grand old trees in the park to the
chapel of 6" the Children of Mary" The
black robes of the nuns, the white dresses
and wells always worn on religious festi-
va]s) of the girls, each one bearing light
ed taper, all the clear young voices chant
ing the Ave Maria, the incense waving, the
Archbishop in gorgeous robes, with his at
tendant priests, leading the procession, fol-
lowed by yonng girls bearing white silk
banners with the cipher and attributes
of the Virgin embroidered thereon, and
four of the youngest children carrying
bouquets of white flowers almost as large
as themselves! 1t was like enchantment!
What change from fast day and Thanks
giving, which were the only holidays in my
New England experience!
And then, during the summer vacation,
when not more than thirty or forty
of the scholars remained, how we enjoyed
it! One of our amusements was to go
down to large kitchen, where all was pre-
pared for us-a long table in the centre of
the great room, with piles CT dough pastry
ready to be moulded into shape, and great
dishes of different kinds of jam. Here,
with white aprons tied around our waists
we undertook to prepare little patties of
every conceivable device and form. Two
lay sisters stood by an immense oven,
ready heated, and with large shovels put
in the dough and drew out the patties.
Never since did the most luscious prepara-
tons of Careme or Felix taste like these
productions! and they were good, I'M
doubtedly; for conventual pastry and
sweets have long been proverbial for their
excellence, and the most we could do to
spoil them would have been to make the
paste heavy Ivy handling. How proud, we
were too, when our favorite nun, for whom
the largest and most ornate was always re-
served, complimented us upon it's design
or flavor. The ladies had none of that
asceticism one would imagine, but were to
all appearance as happy as possible, and
entered into all our games with as much
zest as any worldly mistress could have
done; and think, as whole, have never
seen an assemblage Of more highly Guilt
tocratic bearing. True, nearly all had been
in the world, and of the world before TAX |
ing their vows, and, so far as l could see,
none seemed to regret it. After the girls
for the winter term, school cou-
tinued as before; but we had weekly lee
We've; and occasionally discourse from
some distinguished foreign priest passing |
through Paris. l remember listening with |
interest and establishment, to an English !
man of high rank who had. renounced |
wealth, position, and all their advantages,
to become priest, and expatiated to US
upon the superiority of life free from
care, reposing with perfect confidence in |
the bosom of the true Church, and ordered
oy her in all things. L, worldly hereto
that was, used to often look askance at the |
enclosure rallied off by the side of the high |
altar, where the great ladies of the Fau6ourg
,ften stole an hour from the world to spend !
1t their devotions; and | used to speculate
f, after had enjoyed all the world had to
give, should b0 satisfied to be like the
silent figures in the stalls by my side, who
we're permitted no expression of affection
20 any earthly being; for every mark of it
IN our side toward them was instantly
and if any of the ladies became
90 popular in the school, she was at once
em0ved to another of the numerous es-
Adjustments of the Sacred Heart. Christ
mass was also a great holiday, and for
weeks before, the different religious 30
.ieties were busy preparing "creches," or
miniature representations of the stable
where our Saviour was born, with all its
accessories. The CANCELS" tried to Guido
he "Children of Mary" in the beauty of
he wax image of the Child Jesus, and the
after often surpassed the former in the
gures of Joseph and Mary and the perfect
of the "horned CATTLE" All the
irls'> spare pocket money was given to
ontribute to these funds, and the creches
Tere often beautifully and artistically
lade.