, 1874-03-29

phi1anthropic ladies' to pay rome attention h
thess poor, suffering creatures, ind give them
chance To enjoy few Of the good things wbil
they ore down here below. !Aa matter Of SELF
interest We would urge it, that they NAV cventu
ally ehare Ii tue brightness and glory which nil
| most assuredlY crown the efforts and suffering.
Of these petEecuted sewing women.
Mns. II, D. WYsKoop.
| TIE CONVENT At WASHINGTON.
Structures on u Letter from .s uath.,,
To TIC Editor Of The Ch,tago Tribune:
! Sra: I have read with much surprise, in yous
issue Of Feb. ~. 8 contribution from your Wash
ington correspondent in reference to Catholic
! convent in thB National Metropolis, and would
| thank you to publish few structures on that
| very sensational production, for the purpose OF
correcting the false Impressions which It was
calculated to make upon tho minds OF
your RAIDERS. In the frat place, it
must appear strahEe to honest-minded
people that your correspondent should have
selected for the exercise Of his fnnciful pen so
common an event as the profession of q nun,
and matters Of a spiritual and religious nature;-
thus running the risk Of exposing his ignorance
and prejudice, as he must necessarily have very
little, it any. acquaintance with such subjects.
in the second place, oue might reasonably sus-
pect that he was not actuated by the most
honorable motives in assaiting g family OF most
respectable and virtuous ladies in distant
newspaper, which might never, perhaps, come
under their observation. We have no
wish, however, to judge the aai-
mus OF your correspondent, or to deny
that he has some imaginative power but se do
not hesitate to pronounce him totally disquali-
fed FOR writing on the subject OF converts, and
to assert that, it he aspires to be respectable
character IS 3 correspondent OF the press, he
must acquire more information than is to be
gathered from the sentimental novel. The very
first paragraph in your correspondence article
will pro,e tho truth OF what we say for it is
nothing else than an exhibition Of bad grammar,
unmeanipg phraseology, alandero.s ;n2uendo,
and positive misrepresentation Of facts and
principles. These indeed, are the main charac-
te1istics OF his Communication: Not TO dwell
UPON minor considerations, let us advert simply
to thu claim which he has upon the confidence
OF your readers.
He epeaks OF final ro,cs in the Visitation Con-
rent at Washlugton, while there Is no such
thing know there as final vows. He atludes 10
the dramatic situation Of convent under The
dome OF the Capitol, while there is nothing dra-
matic in the fact, except tor a dreamer who
wauders mere in the region Of fancy than in tho
world of realities, and who cannot understand
how the genius OF cur American Republic har-
monizes in every respect with institutions tho
object of which is the practice OF religious per-
fection and the education OF female youth. Your
correspondent tells ua OF Miss Wight Tor Wricht}
"a beautiful girl" who .as cent to this convent
at Washington While her family wers in Europe.
Now, this convent did not exist ut that time !;
and, ae TO the young lady being beautiful, the
writer Of this, Tho knew her. has the impress
sion that she WAS the very opposite Of hand
some. It is not true that she swas talked of
for Lady St,perior;" it was just the reverse.
tuition in GeorgetQwn; but, fearing lest somo
otEer member Of the community would ba ap-
pointed in her place. she, in spirit OF pride,
ard in violation OF her solemn VOW OF obedience,
left the house,-not in ia monks cloak" {for |
there were no monks within LOO miles OF tho |
girls, which she found in the entry. Neither |
sfas her exit an escape from the premises, be- |
csuse no coercion il ever exercised to retain !
within the convent those who are determined |
your correspondent about the daughter Of tho |
Emperor 1tur6ide, the daughter Of Gen. Scott,
and the daughter OF ear-AdmiraI Sands None |
If these ladies' ever entered tho convent at |
Washington as members Of the community. As
% b1ies Scott, her life was prolonged
" her being in the institution Al George
own, rs Or, Van Bureh, physiclan Of the
establishment, testified. "Gath asserts that the
visitation Convent is the Oldest IN the United
states, which ia not correct. The UrBnlnes, at
Now Orleans, and the Cat1ne!ftcs. IN Maryland,
,ad been founded many years before. The SiB-
ers OF Charity ut Emmetsbure had also been Or
,anizci before tho Visitation Community.
We mention these blundering statements more
to chow that your correspondent Is
ot yery reliable as to facts, and the truth Of
bis imputation will appear still more plainly
rom tile following remarks To misrep1esant
ohyontuaI life. to exhibit it in an odlous light,
nd to surround It with an air Of mystery
. ;buchear to the public, seem to BE-
Le whole scope Of the article which you have
ubliahed. This is manifest from the language
YOUR correspondent: - the mystery OF c1ypts"
these self-inca:ccrated womcn," and Other ig-
oraut phraees, which, although born Of an
mpty brain, do not excuse the writer f1orn the
n Of dishonesty and injustice, BECAUSE neither
a mr. INV other man Lag rirht to cast q pub +,
. elur upon women who are models q their sex
,e cause Of education, without tnk king the trouble