The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1878-10-18
Heroism of a Sister of Charity.


In 1920 an eminent and benevolent
trenchman, VI. Monthyou, founded his
celebrated prizes for charity, devotion and
courage, and intrusted TO the Academy
the selection of those who in the obscure
ranks OF poverty were distinguished for
their active virtue and benevolent charity.
Once year there is held grand meeting
oi The French Academy to read the reports
and bestOw the prizes. Last month the
chieI prize was bestowed on Aimee Milcent.
SISTER OF Charity in La Neniee. The
ioEowing history of her energy. devotion
ana charity viii be read with interest bv
all who honor courage and self sacrifice
In the west of La Vendee, famous for its
ancient loyalty and for the the pieiv og its
inhabitants, lies on the sea coast the village
of Saint-J Jean-de NIonta, where agriculture
Is now pursued, but which a few wears AGO
was without roads ana without industrial
works, covered with water during a part of
the year prey every a utumn to the pesii-
lehull levers OF the marshes, and but lately
counting one pauper TO every three ichabit-
ants. In this wilderness OF poverty and
want Sister Micent has for forty long years
devoted her life to the care of the poor, to
the tending of tie sick and to the moral and
religious education of children. This Sister
OF Charity was the adopted child of two old
people almost as poor as herself whom she
tenderly nursed, and who dying left her an
Income OF twenty-five sons q day. We,shall
see what great works = brave heart aud an
energetic will cOntrived TO do with an in
come of eleven pence per dav.
Left alone in the world at the age of thir-
~, Aimee Milcent, became a Sister of Char
lily, and looked after the sick people of the
commune. Hers no Sinecure office
French cOmmunes on the coast are scantilv
cultivated and extend over great distances 4.
the houses or novels are very widely seuara-
ted from one another. The sick people came
10 her when they could but to the greater
part of them she herself had to go walking
great distances over the waste lands and
through the marshes. To dress sores or to
nurse patients suffering from contaEious
diseases, too often fear-deSerted even by
their relatives, this heroic Sister of Charity
useG TO start before daybreak. walking thro'
swamps and across marshes in order to
reach her eXpectant patients by time in the
morning, and enable her to return home nj
the accus Umed hour when the sick or the
poor, or the children were waiting her kindly
care.
Aimee Mi!cent. in addition to these ont
door v orks of charity, had established in
the commune a pOOT-hOuSe of her own and
n little dlSpeuSary for Tie poor. Here the
sick were attended to-, the poor relieved the
hungry fed, and old men and women were
supplied in winter with warm clothes and
WOOD and fuel. Young mothers, too. receiv-
ed in their poverty outfits for their newly
born babies: and here, too. ORPHANS fouud
shelter. This house of ners Went among a
grateful people 10y the name of the BuJea7i
dc Ch0rite, bat this humble little home.
which seemed TO dispose of the energies and
resources of a public establishment, contain
ed only one ardent soul, fertile in works of
charity.
In life so occupied it might have been
expected that Aimee Milcent would have
considered herself entitled to rest on Sunday
at least, after she had gathered and guided
her scattered flock to The ever-opeH doors of
the liJtle church, and, after Mass. seen the
. children handed over TO the instruction of
the zealous village cure. But, no, this yer
table Sister of Charity had not necessarily
tTaverSed the country, entered into the
homes of so many families laid her hand on
so many social as well as bodily sores. with
out discovering that permanent source of so
much misery and suffering-the public
H house the centre of so much corruption and
degradation, to which even Young girls al
lowed themSelve to be enticed.
To snatch them from this deplorable place
of resort, Aimee Nilcent instituted the Pc
ItniOH dU Di1RdHcbe, kind OF social Sunday
gathering. Here the youug country girls
. were entertained with innocent amusements.
enlivened hy the high spirits of = woman
z who possessed the secrets of doing well eve
, rytbing that she did.
Courageous aud cool when she had to dreSs
4 p dangerous wound, patient in the presence
. of great sUfierings, indefatigabie in the dis
charge os all her great works OF charity,
3 this resOlute nurSe of the sick was trans
formed on the sunday into the fenLerCSt of
mothers, opening her warm heart TO the con-
fideuCes of her adopted daughters alike
ready TO share the gaie1y of those whose
hearts are free and spotlesS, or TO compen-
safe the sorrows of those whose souls were
/ troubled, or to lead back those who had
gone astray TO the right path.
Aimee Milceut was \ large hearted wo-
man, and toward the close of her iabOrious
and noble life the occasion came for her 60
show her ardent love for her country. At
the time of the FreueO-Cerman war the val -
liant SONS Of La Nendea showed that their
ancient loyalty, patriotism aud faith had
undergone 80 decay. Iu the midst OF the
disasters which befell the country this hero
ic Sister of Charity improvised an ambu-
lance, and devoted herself To the care OF The
wounded. She multiplied herself TO bring
succouT ana the consultations of religion to
J the wounded and in the discharge of This
/ new duty she showed an arior that made
her forget her advanced age, until with a
. heart desolated at the misfOrtuues of her
country, we'll at the sUfteriugS she
/ Witnessed, this heroic Sister Of Charity, ex-
hausted with Ter labOrs in her turn fell i'll.
In order to do honor 10 her veaerated Old
age, and to give mark of the esteem in
which she il held by her grateful country
/ men, the French Academy has awarded the
prize of Merit consisting OF one thou
sand francs, TO Aimee Miirent. the noble
and valiant Sister Of Charity in noble and
4 valiant La Nendee.- Westminster Gazette.