The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1873-12-14
CHAPTER XIV.
The House at Ashleigh Thorpe.

The House at Ashlegh Thorpe. K
Towards the close of q sultry day in the y
month of June, an English priest might De -
sauntsring lesaLey snIo%gRR t1s qSer
the first time in his life Che was very ySunS1
he bad visited the principal towns OF tne 5
Netherlands. In Antwerp and Brussels ne Ssn mao
which we allnde had left Client, intending 70
spend some two or three days in Brnges, in the
house of q Flemish ecciesia na. ana then re-
turn to London by way OF Ostend. Il
s. In the shady solitude OF the Ca1heoIai OIL
Notre Dame, examining its old monuments, he .
had long fingered and had VISITED some Oh Tue
sounding chimes of the tower in the Granoe
place told the hour of four, he betook himself
towards the Bishops Seminary, IN quest Oh Dis
friend.
Wearied somewhat with long ramble since
his arrival some hours previous at the station,
the Qua des Augustine, whom should he en-
counter but the friend of whom he was In
quest in company with an ecclesiastic, Dian In
the picturesque garb of a Belgian prlest:
Accompany me to st. Julien's," said the
latter; 1.-The distance is not much further
than il you leave me and go back with Canon
YOU very welcome, and will show you over the
Asylum, with which am connected"
The English priest yielded his asss9s s aGu
| Now may ask, whittier are yoq CONDUCT.
ing meT he said with q smile when, aiI hs
tonnd imself in a street in which there was |
nothing to attract the observation of stran-
GER, and which seemed to be inhabited merely |
by the poorer class of people.
friend. And on their pausing before tho en-, |
trance Of a long, low buiiding,, as his hand
priest said :,
This is St. Juiien's, an Asylum for the cure
Canon Van der Weyer observed that the
English priest changed color and invoiun-
| tarily started IS these words fell upon MS ear
then recovering himself quickly, no remarked
. at is WE'LL viii enter; though have
= terrible fear Of anything connected with tnat
= nothing very sombre in the outward appoint,
. ments Of the place" he added, as his eyes-feil
the o
: course, there is the sad and terrible IN the
,, Moosieurn said the Belgian priest in allow
y soft voice. our SisterhooG-for to female Re
= ligious are cou6ded the care Of these afflicted
=, ones-seek by many soothing ways to rule
"a seek to soothe. when they are not happy
a enough to be able to cure. OF course restraint
a. must be used, especially to the more violent Of
o. o. our eight hundred inmates, but we have nc
oo brutal keepers who break the ribs of naples!
~ maniacs by kicking them, as has been provee
h. ito be the custom in one of your largest Engsi
~ you entertain is not too strong, shall be hap
Oh by to show you over some portion of the place.
IN N. Canon Van der Weyer and the English fathe
= then followed the Belgian priest, and ieadiu
them down long corridor, ont OF who
~ divers apartments opened, be admitted tn
ed friends into u large room, in which cover
- | were laid for two persons, thus showing tina
"a ! himself and his friend We're expectedi by hi
IIu direction q third now added, and the Eng
n5b lishman speedily found himself hospitality er
tertaiued
The conversation at first turned on genert
ess subjects, then, after pause, the host Temari
NJ You have terrible fear of this malady /;
'Po ought to apologize for not having informe
iii. you of the nature of this asylum" g.
~, "C'est vrai," replied the Englishman, q
aea appalling fear, which cannot shake off. Ne
IF ertheess, Monsieur lie Chanoine," he adde
to turning to his friend, Il shall beg OF yon
, sn, tion of the building which there may
tiil nothing very terrible to distress my mind.
axe have heard this place spoken of before, b
t tnH "When will your proud England learn, 60
JUN the Belgian, " that Religious are the only
,.st persons to take charge of tho insanei lie
Ian they are mostly all gentlewonen, who do it
,%ps the love of God. Look at your county az
ono lums Mon Dieu! it makes me shudder
g in think of poor ladies and gentlemen, shut
"a - | in those places and dressed like paupers,
80 cause they have not good means to pay thu
are medical gentlemen who Eold these privs
hos asylums."
mas mas 81 trust it will not be long" replied I
~. Ua;d EnSlishman, before our countrymen "
' open their eyes to the fact of this crying o.
ind Many thousands of unfortunate people-fol
e1nu is too true that this terrible malady is on
o"A increase, oooped up in these places, 81
loot iected to the tyranny OF lOw-born paid offci'
noy to their brutal usage; and, unfortunately,
foy discrimination can be made as to the previ'
.aSa social position the patients have occupied
her that the lady OF gentleman, whose family
varv too depressed to pay the sums required by
IND keepers of these private asylums, are not
haor FREQ uently the companions of tho very ref
"'0A of society, whose naturally rough, unOu
,ply, waited bearing is sure to be made worse BY
=; more gently born, if their alteration of in
= Ts. lect be only partial, for at times, whom
oom- somewhat unolouded, their suffering must
fniIv extreme-the enforced wearing of the pNup
IT, garb is alone sufficient to excite them.
al are q very obstinate nation" he added, smili
had John Bull is e very pig-headed animal. WI
"A of is the sense of taking away patients Gle
"a of ing when their friends have provided 1t,
,rot; making them wear the dress of the parish :
srror mad doctor once told me that this cha
the alone exctes the respectable patient, not
49, frequently, to q state of absolute frenzy.
md And small WONDER" replied the host I"
mis-. will lead the way if you will follow: 1 8
after only take you, however, over small por
| of tho huildinO this EVENING"