The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1871-04-23

We had hoped that the nuns OF Ireland
were safe from insult on Irish coil. In the
House of Commons, the manly instinct Of
the members rebelled against threatened
outrage to the inmates of the convent
homes scattered throughout the Kingdom,
aud, out of an attendance of 275, only 70
could be mustered to follow the fanatlcai
leadership of the member for North war
wickshire. 1t was a result that did credit
to the Commons, and was an honorable
atonementfOr two OF three outbursts OF mis-
cradle intolerance and insulting persecu- |
ton. Mr.. Villiers, the Chairman of the
Committee that sat last session on Cenven- |
tual and M0nastic Institutions; Mr.. Penn
berton and Mr.. Pease, who were members of
that Committe, and other gentlemen of the
House of Commons, bore testimony to the
utter failure of every attempt to blacken the
bright fame of these venerated institutions,
and declared that the evidence produced
against them by the Murphys, and the
other adjuncts of Mr.. Newdegate, was
altogether out of proportion with the pre-
tensions made" We have already pre-
scented to our readers q somewhat detailed
sketch of the alterations suggested for
adoption, in the payment of teachers in the
Irish National Schools, to the Commission
ers of Education. We believe that what
we have stated is perfectly reliable, and we
have to offer our congratulations to the ma
tiOnaI teachers on the prospect opened out
before them of concessions which they have
we'll deserved, and for which they have
long and braveiy struggled. We rejoice
that we have borne more than once will
ling hand towards the achievement of this
result, and that, when the teachers had but
few friends among the journalists of Ire.
land, our name was not absent from the
list. 1t is pitiable that, in this moment of
triumph and of comparative exultation,
the fruits of the victory should be grudged
| Tn Nf w 81 IN he
! them, and, more than all, that the grudge
| should be to some of the DOblest, che most
| unsetfish and the purest of the land. The
| Convent Schools of Ireland have attained
an almost world wide celebrity. They have
sent forth to every portion of the universe
teachers, who were children in them, and
who have been, in the lands to which they
have gone, the handmaidens of peace, re-
ligion and civilization. Yet the readers of
the enlightened Daily Express are informed
that the nuns are every often Ignorant
and, when they are not heipiessiy ignorant,
that they have no "power of com nn nicat..
ing the little that they know" We had
thought that language such as this, applied
to ladies such as these, could never have
found utterance in this city or this country
Has the writer ever visited the schools OF
the Sisters of Mercy in Baggott street, OF
Gardiner street, or Kings Inns street, the
schools of George's-hill, or of Warren.
mouat9 If he did, he would soon compre.
bend on which side "the half education
was and an hour or two spent in listening
, to one of the humble daughters of st
, Vincent de Paul." while giving instruction
: in history OF geography to the pupils of he
class, might add not trifie to his presen
; stock of information. But, apart fron
all this, is there not a chivalry that journal
a lists GU ght not to disregard The Nuns c
r Ireland are ladies who have abandone
y much home and friends and world
. prospects, and all the sweet endearment
: that make domestic life 30 full of charm
> among us, and abandoned them that, i
:, their Uoisters, they may love God and the
Il neighbors with the higher and more pract
cal perfection. This is their only purpose
It the fulilment of it their loftiest ambition
r The ladies whom the writer of the artic
D, we have referred to would see in our Coz
t. vent Schools are the same whose steps !
+ might trace to the bedside of some patien
8 agonizing in fever or in cholera-the can
~ whom he might follow to some miserab
1t den in one of our city slums, and beho
III Frightening it with her presence, her CO
a soling words. and her gift of money or
q, bread-the same whom history will pr
r. serve unto all generations as the '' mi
r. istering angel" of the battle field, al
o. record as the .pnwearied aud undismay
;n bearer of comfort and of succor to t
81 friendless desolate dying of the fight.
Gu Dublin Freeman.