The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1870-02-20
The Little Sisters Of tho Poor.

We copy the following interesting article ON
The Little Sisters of the Poor from the Man.
chester GHardiaa, of January 10. After giving
an account of it's origin, with which our reaxf-
ers are familiar, the writer goes on to say:
In January, 1862, 1--WE or six Little. Sister.
came to Manchester, and took two smalf fuussss
in Higher Ardwick, which they naado Home;
l ZOE ,orsy GO people In sepsember 1885, they
Plymouth Grove, where, by means Of . bax mr..
they were enabled to purchase, Tia oid sfs,cs;
coed house which they thus acquired stalds n
the new wings and chapel which we're sforfivs
erected, and give abundant room for plaaaa,sf
summer exercisein the shade Of old trees, and
for Kitchen garden. The ontbuiidings in
Bnilding continued from 1854 to the eiasa r.
1868, when the chapel was finished and dedi-
Order More bnilding 10 about to be- COM
meIiced, for the old house il somewhat deianE
dated, and upon its site 9 new wing will afford
the increased accommodation that IL much
needed. The building has no pretensions to |
architecturai beauty. 1t Is prominent In the
grove for its height and plafnness. The com
munlty IN plymouth Grove consists of thirteen
Sisters mostly from France and BeIaiurn. Int |
including one English lady beiopgin,, ~ th;s +
district and their present head is Sister Agnes.
L, Like al such ststerhoods the work performed
by them is honorary. No salaries reward them |
indeed, nothing that men could give conId
recompense them for the self.denying devotion /
OF their entire lives to the work they have
undertaken. That work is to provide a com
Portable home for the old age of men and wo-
men, to whom such a thing is priceless privi- /
iege. me first condition for admission is that
the applicant must be sixty years of age, and
II the old people are giving up housekeepin0
to enter the Home, they are able to contrihnte |
from the proceeds of the sale of their furniture
E2 or e3, which is appropriated to the cost Of
their bed and bedding. This latter however
is not an Indispensable condition. Sas manv are
admitted who can bring nothing to the common
NAL ami rS.lxy b. d. .
survive the capacity to labor, while at the
same time surviving the lives or the helm or
sometimes s alas, tho affections of those upon
whom they have the strongest claim. Once
received by the Little Sisters they are fed and
clothed, nursed, if inva1ids, (Which many of
them are), and Kept without the fear Of be-
while remunerative labor is impossihla IN
nearly, if not quite, all the residents in this
Tome L. for the aged, many of them can do little
offices OF undertake Jobs for the comfort Of tbe Il
nhited family. Two of the old men are shoe
makers, and make and mend the boots and
shoes OF the establishment. Two old tailorp
Inc plenty OF Gcenpation An old joiner keeps
proud of the post of coachman, and the head
groom gained his experience in noble service.
nose %. VINO ike gardening have plenty of room
~ indulge their fluctuations. Another is build
hg new piggeEy, as the exten sion of the
louise will require that the pigs shouId be re- [
l p' ' rom their present quarters. Some of
he old women occupy themselves in sewing or
InitGlng, and can help in the general domestic | I
york; All have perfect liberty to do what {
Iney IKE, to smoke, to read, to chat, and one
Jay week they may visit their friends out
ide While, of course, the old men and women
ccupy separate wings, they visit one another
Shen they please, and visitors from outside (
re always welcome. As the ages of the old I
'eopie range from sixty to nearly ninety, many +
Il them are very infirm Some are blind and l
ONE are SICK. The latter are carefully tended j
eceive the kindly and gratuitous medical All, =
Ice OF Mr.. Rhodes, surgeon, and are supplied q
,ith medicines from the drug groom whore one i
! the Sisters is an efficient apothecary. AS d
he religion of the Sisters is that of the Roman +
'athohc Church, it is natural that large BRO f
ortion of their family should be of tbs same r
attn But religion has nothing to do with q
Omission to the Home. Its inmates inclnde u
eYeral Protestants, and the honorary surgeon d
; Protestant, while the support of the HON, !
; largely obtained from Protestant sources g
"A VII
0O Worshipers, Mass is sung daily and every v