The New York herald., 1870-08-21


chapel, and the priest robed upon the altar be-
ginning mass. Breakfast at half.past seven is a
simple meal, such as ordinary persons in good
health would take. Fifteen minutes of recreation
follow, and all disperse, each to her particular
duty-to the study hall, the classroom, the music
book, the crQyon or palette, the laboratory the
direction OF domestic affairs the reception Of
guests or whatever else IL assigned to her charge.
At hali-past eleven religious exercises precede
dinner which is served at twelve, and is
ceeded by short recreation and "offce" until
half after Que, when instruction is resumed and
continued two hours. Various community, do.
mestic or personal duties occupy the time until
tea is taken at half past six and the early part of
the evening ia spent In the garden when the
weather Is favorable, in the community room II it
be not, and general conversation and quiet gayety
prevails Soon after eight O'Clock office is said,
and prayers follow; an hour later the whole house
is in slumber.
LIFE IN TIE CLOIsTER
is very unlike that painted by the unclostered I'M
agfnation. There is no gloom in the convent, no
melancholy, no mOrOseness, no eanui. More genu.
ine vivacity cannot he found among a collection
OF ladies Of any rank in worldly life than is
J0yed ana can be seen among the ladies' Of the
Sacred Heart in their times of recreation"
Sparkling wit lights up countenances deeply grave
IN meditation moments, and on The prie Dieu
within the chapel; and many bon mot is heard
in the summer twilight of convent gar
den that would immortalize less hidden lips. Sa
cred poems, anecdotes of sage aud saint, and
snatches OF tender hymns, mingie with quiet but
hands play best perhaps even mallet and ball en-
liven the group of white-veiled novices. When the
vvacity of the religious at these times attracted
the observation OF one not initiated into the esprit
OF the discipline of the Catholic Church, one of the
| ladies replied, "Why, sir we do not discard the
whole OF existence, but only its fOllies We think
with Madame Groetchne, that the one aim of life
should be to make our reason pious and our piety
| reasonable"
| But, in our brief outline OF daily duty, we have
| not even limited at its most difficult part--the
| spiritual exercises. 1t is these which give the
| extraordinary charm to the faithfully kept VOWS
of the vestal; it is these which make coward of
| an ordinary worldly heart How many persons
| can mediate, for instance, for an hour at time
| on the crucifxion? How the sublmity of the
| awful scene fills the fancy with holy awe, aud
thus the mind receives most valuable aid; yet how
| natural to fly the scene for very terror of weak
| incapacity But how much less are we not capa-
BILE of contemplating thoughts into which the stern
happiness OF sublimity does not enter! The reli-
| giOus is obliged to make every dogma of her
creed the object OF her continued and humble
| thinking The resurrection may be her theme to-
day. but the superiority Of the despised if he fear
| God, over the goddess monarch, will soon follow.
She may revel for moment in visions oil heavenly
| splendor, but she knees on an uncarpeted floor.
| Her obedience, too, il constantly subjected to
| the severest trials. Her superiors commando she
never questions. She may to-day give in
struction in painting, or run her taper fingers
| over harp strings or guide the young girl at
| the embroidery frame, to prove "women's
| small finger tips have eyes," tomorrow she may
have charge of the dorntory and battle the little
| children before putting them to bed Most of us
! like to know, at least why We are told to do a
| thing even wheu we know we must do it; the re-
| ligious never thinks of why. Reason dminishes
| in faith. Her heart says, with that of an eminent
| woman of her church, II love knowledge, l love
intellect love faith, simple faith, still more.
| love Gods shadow better than mans light" To
her the voice of her superior is the voice of God
| and quod Deus oUH the continuation of Fiat htr
While the old domestic ties are not wholly broken
| yet their gentle longngs cannot be ndulged; her
| superior is her mother; God she humbly CLAIMS
| for father the members of the convent household
| are her sisters. real mother lies dying in "A
| still home, miles and miles away; she does
not think offyiug to her side, though tears stream
| down her cheeks and ogonzing prayers
, are sept to heaven for the welfare of the
| beloved soul. All convent life is not all comfort
The Joy of it only the religious knows; the
| of it we can see and shrink from. She almost
| wholly casts away the pleasures of earth as
worthless, and her enjoyments are such as we do
cruciiX is to her exquisite bliss When she realizes
how Christs death is the pledge of her own immor
tality she fees oil the pride OF a victor. She il
| like King Charles, who, when Titan had painted
three portraits of him, conscious that the artist.
canvas, would live, exclaimed, This is the thrc
time have triumphed over de9th.n
But, accepting all the obligations and duties o
| religious life, and at the shine time dscarding
the Catholic premises from which we have been
viewing it, If we consider woman in the world and
| woman in the closter how infinitely better off in
! the material sense is not the latter? Worldly wo-
| man of to-day means gilded insignficance, empty
| pride, unlimited vanity, shallow pretension mock
| scholarship, manly womanness, domestic fraud
| and abuse and vice and sin; or. wealth lacking
base tool of boser uses, wrctched drudge or un-
| converted Magdaen. How many Marthas would
| not prefer to be Martha's sister,
| THE RECEPTION.
| Yesterday being an eminent feast of the Catbo-
I lie Church, the Assumption Of the Blessed Vir-
phor.n 20.
decorated, and the altar sparkled with countless
| tapcrs. harp was placed in the choir gallery
! in addition to the organ, and both instruments
were played by members of the order. The vocal
music was classical and brilliantly performed, the
! choir being conducted by the reverend mother
! herself who possesses n rich and powerful voice.
| The young lady entered the chapel, accom-
| panied by the mistress of novices, who conducted
! her to u py'ie Dien before the altar. She was
! robed in brocade white silk, gored aud cut "a.
tram, the trimmings being point lace and orange
blossoms The veil fell nearly to her feet, and her
hands were enclosed in white kid gloves. Her
abundant hair was dressed high, with fall of curls
over the chignon. AS the Church considers the
ceremony spiritual marriage, the costume was
eminently appropriate, and was rich in all re-
| spects. Father Chambers, robed in snowy sur
piice and white stole, kuet at the foot of the altar
and intoned the Veni Creofor Spiritus, which The
choir continued. At the close of the hymn a YER
sicle and response preceded brief prayer, and
the reverend gentleman, in accents slightly
touched by emotion, delivered the following in
struction:--
You have invited my child present at your
taking OF the vei other words
ngion. But who IL He, would ask the
this day pledge yourself for ever? know fun WELL
the beautiful of the men, the of her whose
elevation To heaven celebrate He is the
Most High God. the God OF glory,
king OF the Iatrarcbs, the Master Of the Apostles the
Teacher Of the Evsngess Of wb0se reign
end. But He has other titles which merit your love spe
cia and OF which He claims your
1le Christ bumbed HIMSELF taking the form of servant,
obedeni even to the death OF the for which God has
exalted Him at His right hand be the greatest In heaven
and Of earth whose heaven
bow. the of Jesus. The means by
which merit the grace persevere Him
whom you have chosen. f will deny himself let
him take his and follow Me-
turden lghtn Be enter the
gious e He viii give them abundant grace reach life
everlasting, IL the cross be borne patiently In n heroic
You not called To do great things
tie things great You lifted world and
it's chaDgeful whose love eternal which love
you have had place from all eternity, This He will