The daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1873-1877, 1874-06-16

fornla-Was that OF the UrSulneS, opened |
at New Orleans in 1927, when that city
was portion of French territory. For
about sixty years the nuns were either ma
tives of France or of French descent till
1871, when on the occasion of the revolt
of the French colonists in the West In
dies, the convent, with its academy, hos
pital, and asylum, received large aces
sions from San Domingo. This house still
exists, with an affiliation at Opelousas, and
has branches in Pittsburg, Cincinnati, st,
Louis, Alton, Cleveland, Galveston, Green
Bay, Mobile, and several other dioceses
that of New York, situated in what was
formerly portion of Westchester coun-
ty, being the principal, containing forty
seven members. The Ursuline Order was
founded in 1882, at Brescia, Italy, BY St
Angela of Merici, and was approved by
Pope Paul III. in 1914 as religious con
gregation under the name of st. Ursula
Its special duty is the education of young
ladies'; but poor school is, when neces-
sary, attached to each house.
THE CARMELITE NUNNERY.
erected in 1890 near Port Tobacco, Md,
through the exertions of the Rev. Charles
Neale, was the next convent established in
this country. That jealous clergyman,
having visited Europe in that year, re-
turned with four nuns, of whom three are
said to have been American, and one Eng
lish. On account of the difficulties sur
rounding their locality, the community was
afterward transferred to Baltimore, in
1881 and permitted to open school, which,
however, was soon after discontinued.
There are now in all eight houses of this
order in America, of which two-the moth
err house and one in St, Louis-are of the
reform of st. Teresa; the others, follow.
ing the less strict rule, add the care of out
side schools, asylums, and hospitals to
their other other duties The Carmelite
order of monks was founded in the early
part of the thirteenth century under the
rule of st. Basil, which was exceedingly
strict as regards modification, prayer, and
| fasting. The order of nuns was not Gre
ated for two centuries after, when John
LOrett, twenty-siXth general, founded fe-
male institute under the rule of his order,
and established several converts in France.
In 1852, Pope Nicholas Y. approved the
foundation and in lS47 FRANCHISE dam
broise. the widowed Duchess Of Brittany,
built the house at Nannes, in her own pos
sions, taking the veil and habit at the same
time. A hundred years later, St. Teresa
| of CASTLE, finding that many innovations
and relaXations had crept in. undertook
the work Of reform, and her efforts were
eventually approved by Pope Plus " in
| 1862. Thus there became two branches of
the order-the Mitigated Carmelites, whose
rule is not so austere as those of the Dis
| calceated, who follow the reform of St.
| Teresa. The latter are obliged to observe
perpetual silence, abstain from flesh meat.
sleep on straw, and wear habits of coarse
serge and sandals instead of shoes. Their
habit is a brown gown, scapular and hood
aud in choir white cloak and black veil
! THE FIRST VISITATION CONVENT.
! Soon after the arrival Of the Carmelities
! in Maryland, an effort was made bv few
Catholic young ladies in Philadelphia 10 es-
| tablish religious community. The prin-
| ciple movers were Miss Alice Labor and
two friends. Her companions, however,
| having died before anything tangible could
be effected, Miss Labor left PHILADELPHIA
| for Georgetown. ID. C., in 1898, and es-
| tablished herself there as a teacher
Gradually she drew around her young per
sons Of similar views and tastes, and a com
munity was formed, at first simply for the
purpose Of prayer and education but
when, in 1916, their rules had been ap-
! proved by the Most Rev. Leonard Neale
| Archbishop Of Baltimore, and recognized
by the Holy Father, they became a regu-
lar branch Of the Visitation Order, and
/ submitted to solemn vows and Enclosure
! Their houses now number about twenty.
and are to be found in Baltimore, Brook
| Ign, St Louis, Mobile. Covington, Du
| buque, and several dioceses in the South
and Southwest, The order dates back to
| 1910, when it was founded by St. Francis
dc Sales and St. Jane Frances, Baronne
de Chantal
While Miss halOT was working silently
/ in the District Of Columbia, there was an
other pIous woman-One whose name is
destined to be forever illustrious in the an-
mails Of the church in America-nobly
| struggling against unnumbered difficulties
in the same holy cause This was Mrs.
| Eliza A. Seton, the foundress Of
| THE SISTERS OF CHARITY
| in the United States.
| Like ali men or women whom provi-
dence selects for great ends, Mrs. Seton
passed through long novitiate of sorrow
and trials before she was found qualified to
lay the cornerstone of an institution
which, above ali others, has made Catholic
charity and womanly self sacrifice most
useful, most respected and beloved in this
country Born in New York on the 2Sth
Of August, liza, Of wealthy Protestant
parents, Der infancy and girlhood were
passed amid all the scenes of pleasure and
luxury that family position and affluence
could command and it was not till she
had married and entered upon matron-
hood that she experienced her first great