Ashtabula telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1874-1880, 1879-10-10


his misfortune.
The man of iron virtue hesitated
worse than his more amiable partner
had done. He was halting between a
/ point blank lie, which might entail the
penalties of perjury, and the truth
which would cost him money.
COwardice performed the Office of
conscience, and the truth came out
The firms money, which George Gilbert
had lost, had been won by the senior
partner; and the court instructed the
Jury, that, as the sum in question had
actually been delivered to one of the
Joint owners, who was bound to account
to his associate, the prisoner could not
be convicted.
God bless you, Mr.. Parker" faltered
the happy little wife. 81 knew you
would bring us out all right"
1t was evident her trustful woman's
nature gave me all the credit of result
in whose achievement my share had
been next to nothing.
The lesson was not lost on George Gil
bert. His FIST false step was the last;
and the richest fee l ever received was
the heartfelt gratitude of his noble
/ faithful wife
The TrappiStS.
The new Melleray community, in
Iowa, says the Philadelphia Times, is a
! fair specimen of Trappist monasteries
on both continents. Over thirty years
| ago sixteen monks left the city of
Waterford, Ireland, for America. On
their way from New Orleans to st. Louis
six of them were attaked by cholera and
died. The remaining ten chose a desc
/ late prairie, near Dubuque, for their
future home, purchasing four thousand
acres of land at twenty-five cents an
acre. Since then the community has
received large aCcessions of members.
The same land is now worth $40 an acre,
and the monastery, when completed,
will have cost S150, 900. Each brother has
some special employment. There are
among them blacksmiths, tailors, car
penteTs, masons, machinists, farmers,
physicians, artists. Farmers for miles
around get their repairing and other
work done at the monastery, and it is
optional with them whether to pay for
it or not. Two of the monks have
gained for the house by their industry
over $4,000. Probably the most re-
markable of the rules is that requiring
perpetual silence. Without permission
from his superior, which is granted in
certain cases of necessity, a Trappist
never speaks, except in prayer or sacred
song. All sleep in one dormitory. The
beds are placed against the opposite
walls, in two rows. In the center of the
room stands an image Of the Blessed
Virgin. A plank and straw mattress
constitute the furniture of each bed.
The monks retire to rest at seven in the
evening and arise at two in the morn
ing, when they at once go into the
chapel. There they spend several hours
praying meditating and chanting psalms.
At PRAYER all must kneel or stand.
Once a month, in the chapel, each
bortner publicly accuses himself of ali
his vanities or imperfections. Flesh
meat is never allowed, except to the
sick, and those in health take but one
meal and collation. in winter, and two
meals in summer. Eggs, cheese, fish and
butter are among the forbidden articles
of diet The only food is bread, milk
and vegetables. On the last three
Fridays in Lent dry bread and water
make up the Tepast. Before meals long
grace is said, and after meals the Mis-
erere is slowly chanted. The luxuries
of the community are confined to snuff,
which is doled out in meagre allowances
on Sunday.
In the house all the monks wear the
cowl and habit, the only parts of theiI
dress that are ever taken off except
when new clothing is required. Their
dress is the same winter as in summer.
The motives governing them in stunning
the bath and changes of Undertaking
are the same that actuated certain
Fathers of the DeseTt-cOntempt for
the body and desire to be living re-
Dukes to luxurious worldlings. Some of
the monks are priests, others only lay
brothers. All, including the abbot,
work in the fields, long and hard, with
the exception of the monks whose labor
is required in the shops or the house.
Yet even these do considerable farming
also. The monks live entirely by their
own industry, and sell what they do not
want, their fowls, cheese, beer and
other articles having reputation for ex-
cellence and being in great demand. II
is said that there is no better farmers in
the world than the Trappists. They are
scientific agriculturists, and, in many in
stances, they have by means of terracing
and irrigation, transformed seemingly
barren mountain sides into beautiful
gardens. They manufacture all their
own tools, furniture and clothing and all,
or nearly all, of the raw materials re-
quired for those things are obtained
from their land, The Trappists are
noted for their charity and hospitality.
The needy repair to the monastery and
have their wants supplied. A visitor is
received in the "guest room," which is
almost bare of furniture, and after send
ing in his credentials, is committed 10
the care of the "guest MASTER" who, by
virtue of his office, is freed from the
bond of perpetual silence so far as may
be necessary for extending courtesies to
guests.
The abbot is one of the leading
scholars of the American Catholic
church, and belonged to a wealthy
family. When not working in the fields
he wears a mitre and carries a wooden
crozier. On his finger is a jeweled ring,
which nobody is permitted to kiss. A
more workmanlike article than his
pectoral cross, which is attached to bit
of common twine, could be whitfield out
by a school boy with "Billy Barlow"
His habit is frequently thing of shreds,
and always of patches, but always clean.
He sleeps in a common dormitory on 4
plank no softer than those enjoyed by
his spiritual children. Above his bed,
OF rather plank, is little holy water
font, and a picture of "Our Lady
Lourdes." In winter he enjoys the
luxury of an old blanket hung before his
bed to keep off the chilly breeze. The
sailors hammock or the railroader's
bunk is luxurious in comparison with
the lord abbot's pallet. Excepting his
plank and straw, his only furniture Is
little bench, upon which are an earthen
Jug, rusty knife and wooden plate.
Such is the man who freely chose, in
preference to the pleasures and wealth
of the world, the loneliest and most
exacting of cloisters,
The march of the monks from dorml-
tory to chapel, cowled and with tunlcs
belted about their emaciated bodies, is
described as being awfully solemn.
They go in twos, hardly making sound
with their feet as they pass under the
hyssop of the abbot, and, in the dlmness
of the meagre artificial light, they
appear like so many skeletons marching
to the grave. In their stalls IN the
chapel they must kneel or stand. Re-
'.iting the Office, they all lower then
heads at the names of the saints of the
ORDER and kiss the ground at the names
OF the Father, Son and Holy Ghost.
The only salutation that ever passes
between the monks, at work or in the
monastery, is "memento mori" (remem-
Der DEATH. Indeed the thought of their
Nnar L Il.