The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1872-02-17
EDITH O'GoRNAS's LEcTURE.-Quite

night to hear the lecture OF Miss Edith
O'Gorman, the Escaped Nun, on con-
vent life. She was introduced to the
audience by Rev. DR.. Westwood, who
stated that she came to the city we'll
recommended, bringing letters from a
clergyman DR.. Westwood had long and
favorably known.
Miss O'Gorman opened her lecture by
alluding to the Escaped Num-" by
whose advertised lecture here, some
months since, the ladies were so badly
humbugged. She, without further de-
lay, went into the merits OF her subject.
Her statement, she said, would give
places, dates. and all necessary infor-
nation. The monastic laws taught
that the Sisters must live in direct oppo-
sition to nature. Embraced within the
walls Of convent were found young,
beautiful, intelligent ladies, who had
been reared in luxury, and had for.
saken, in an hour Of wild and youthful
enthusiasm, homes OF comfort for q
home within the walls Of convent.
The candidate was required to take
vows of poverty, chastity and obedi'
ence. TO make sure of her salvation
she (the lecturer) had joined the order
of Sisters of Charity, in Madison, n.
j., in 1862. Preparatory to the candl-
dates reception she was required to
make full confession to priest. By
the confessional system the Church OF
Rome ruled over individual minds and
crushed out liberal sentiment. To join
the religious orders of the Church of
Rome required the remuneration Of
father, mother, sister and brother; every
feeling OF the heart was stifed, and a
farewell hidden to the entire world be.
fore lady entered convent.
Miss OGorman then proceeded to
give an account Of the manner in which
candidate was received. After the
three months probationary term had
expired the lady was shorn OF her hair
and dressed in the humblest and coarSest
garb; the bishop put the vail upon her
and said that by it she would be
known to have left the world and to
have become the bride OF Christ. The
lady responded after the usual form,
and the bishop pronounced benedic-
ton, after which he pronounced an
anathema (Which Miss O'Gorman read)
against any one who might attempt to
lead the nun from the life she had
adopted Such was the horrible mock
ery that Rome would furnish to our
daughters instead OF Gods blessing.
The admission to one order cost
SIS, 900 and the humble lay Sister in
the kitchen had to pay $500. The
Sister could not give anything-her own
money, no matter how small the
amount-without permission from a
narrow-minded Superior. The lecturer
had to fast on bread and water for two
weeks because she gave fifty cents to a
starving family. The nun was not
allowed to speak of anything as her
own. Dresses, shoes, and every kind
Of clothing must be spoken Of as "our
clothing" "our shoes" not as mine.
She must feel-and exhibit the feeling
that she belongs, soul and body, to
the community and the Mother Supe-
rior. 1t was a mortal sin to use per
fumery or anything Of that kind. She
miss OG. had never seen her face in
a looking glass for six years. To smell
a flower or contemplate its beauty was
breach of the VOW Of poverty, as time
was lost thereby. Tie VOW of chastity
prevented the nun from entertaining a
thought OF the opposite sex. BY it she
was restrained from looking on a man
or from taking even her father or brother
by the hand. The lecturer then read
from the written remarks Of saints re-
garding this point. One said that a
glance at the other sex damned the soul.
Laughter But should priest take
the hand OF a nun she need not with
draw it, because the VOW Of obedience
came in there and if she cherished a
love for a priest she was compelled to
tell that particular priest Of it. Laugh
ter and applause.
She Miss O'G) had known Of six
Sisters in love with one priest, ard he
was an ugly priest at that. Laughter.
A sister was forbidden to caress babe
for Tear Of awakening maternal affec-
tons. When the first fervor Of the
novice had passed away, the observance
of all the regulations was impossible.
The sisterhood gloried in the applause
Of the ignorant who mistook them for
angels, when oitentimes they were little
less than tissue Of deceit Life in a
convent was world in itself. Imagine
world made up Of cross old maids and
cross old bachelors, and what world !!
Laughter.
She would portray the daily routine
OF nuns life
At 430 A. NJ, at the stroke OF bell,
she arose, and at once knelt and kissed
the floor. One half hour was allowed
to wash, dress and put her room in per-
feet order. Then che proceeded to
another apartment, and, with her asso
ciates, knelt again, and invoked bless
ing from the Virgin. She remained in
this kneeling position for the space OF
one hour, and very frequently many Of
the Sisters tainted from pure exhaus-
ton.
After this devotion a bell rang for
mass, which being said, another bell
called the Sister to breakfast. This meal
being partaken of, she began her school
duties, which ended at II o'clock for
dinner. There was little time allowed
for recreation, and then followed the
school duties, which continued until 3
o'clock. The chapel was visited after
several hours, where devotional exer-
cises were observed, and after that until