New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1880-11-28
IRISH CONVENT LIFE.
4 TALK WITH THE NUN OF KEYMARE.

\ TALK Win HE Nun VI hTNNAhi|'
THE LIFE AND WORK o. SISTER MARY FRANCES
CIARF-wHY YOUNG woMrN FNTrR CONVENE
--THE DAILY +, UIINE or 4 NUNS LlFE-lN1Eh-
VIEWING 1HF Nun OF KFNMARE.
FRoM SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT oF THE TRIBUNE
Dun IN, Aug. 30-The most famous Irish lady OF
our day and the most famous Irish nun since the
time of st. Bridget. is Sister Mary frances CARE
of the Convent OF konnare, in the County Merry
In religion she is called Sister Frances; IN Htefa
ture she still retains her family name oil CuSlsA :
but in the hearts and the homes OF the Irlsh iac'
in every cline and country. she IS known only ana
| honored and beloved as the Nun of kenmare.'
| No woman in Irish history was ever 50 widely
| known during her own lifetime and no irish num-
during her own lifetime, ever before welded On IN
! fuence 50 beneficcnt and widespread. Her books
both devotional and historical. have larger
| circulation than the books Of any other Catholic
| author now living. The Nun has written fifty or
| sixty books devotional, biographical. and his
| torica and they enjoy a high reputation among
scholars ms well as the people. Catholc critics
| and students from the Pope down, have spo1en III
| terms of great admiration of these BOOKS ana
eminent Protestant writer's have been equally lau-
Idatory Her chief historical books are History
| of Ireland a History of Cork, History OF kerry
| large octave volumes And her principal
| biographical books are lives Of O'Connen Father
Matthew, st. Patrick. st. Bridget and st. COLUMBIA
each. also. an elaborate study. Her dcv0tloual
books are very numerous and form mn exclusively
or rather dlstinctively Catholic library. More
than half a million Of copies Of these books have
been sold She has edited the only complete edi-
ton of OConnell's speeches. She has contributed
hundreds OF essays to periodical literature, and
never a week passes IN which letters from her pen
do not appear in newspapers Of England. the
United States. OF Australia.
Now a woman who has written so much and so
well is entitled the gratitude of her coreligionsts
ami fellow -countrymcn and equally from both
for she has been no less a Catholic than an IRISH
woman and she has rendered services equally bril-
liant to her native land and her adopted faith.
| BUT her literary lalors have hardly formed the
chief of her claims TO the gratitude of the IRISH
Although for seventeen years she has never been
| outside Of the walls that nciose the convent gar
dem she has aroused the sympathlcs Of the beuevo-
lent in every land for the victims OF famine and op-
| preston throughout Ireland, and Tor many years
| the convent and the poor around the Convent Of
| Kenmare have been largely supported by her IN
| fuence.
| The Nun of Kenmlre comes iIOm an old IrOtcs-
! tant family that foI some 800 OF 600 years has
produced people Of note in every generation. As
! long ago as in Queen Elizabeth's time there was a
| Lord Chancellor Cusack. 1t wa- an Anglo-Irish
| family and many of it- members held high admin
/ istratiye positions under the government of the
| Pale" Miss Cusack was educated as Protestant
in the Church of Engand-aud for five years of
| her youth she was q member of one OF the Frotcs-
tant ssternoods. Shortly afterwards she joined the
! Catholic Church. and became nun of the order Of
| Poor Cares This order was established in italy
| in 1919. and was introduced into Ireland in 1928.
II is an ausere order in Italy, the deyotIons Of the
nuns there are five or six hours long every day; but
! In Ireland rs there other orders established
at the time. the rigOrs OF the original rules were
! suspended IN order that the sIsterhood might de-
vote their time TO works OF charity. The Convent
of Kenmare was founded in 1861. by Miss Cusack
! and SIX other nuns.
! AGLMPsE OF CONVENT LIFE.
When. on my return to Ireland, received a cor
dial invitation to visit the Convent of Benmarc, l
did not hesitate to accept it. l had wanted TO de-
scribe life N a convent, and Kenmare is the most
! famous convent n Ireland. The convent adions
! the church-a splendid building for small a
! town and 4 monument to the energy Of the old
Archdeacon O'Sullivan, OF whose contests with the
! land-agents wrote in previous letter The con-
vent is built in the Elizabethan style and stands in
a large and beautiful garden. The surrounding
scenery is az grand as the inside of the walls
is lovely for it is the most beautiful parish of the
most beautiful county Of the south of Ireland
At the convent door I was met by the Reverend
| Mother a. tie Abbcss or Lady Superior Is styled,
and by the Nun Of Kenmare.' The Reverend
Mother formed a striking contrast to her famous
" Sister Frances" for the Superior is n woman of
ample and noble hgure-ruddy-cheekcd, blue
eyed. blonde the very embodiment of robust and
| vlvacIous health with such a CHEEKY ard hearty
welcome IN her voice and manner that her wei
come 10 Ireland sounded rather like the utterance
of a nations hospitality than an individual salu-
| tat1on And beside her stood "A little woman, with
delicate and refined features and a pale and sweet
! face with SIGNS Of the WEAKNESS that physical
suffering leaves behind It, but without single
trace Of sadness yet face that would have looked
| sad but Tor the merry braming Of her bright ana
keen brown eyes They We're clad in the habit of
| their order-a deep black serge dress, with 4 white
colt on their head and breasts, and the long black
veil There were heavy white cords around their
| waists and rosarics hanging from thcm The wei
| come of the Nun cordial IS the welcome of
the Reverend Mother. and l visited the convent
oltcn enough to know that 1t was as sincere as II
| was generous.
| There are twenty-five nuns IN the Convent OF
! Ecnmare / became well acquainted with most OF
them. and was greatly disappointed with them.
! For a brighter. a more intelligent. better cdu-
Gated. or a happier group Of women l have never
met anywhere before They answer to none of the
descriptions that l numbered up my mind with in
| my early youth and as had only seen nuns since
then Oh dress parade. 10 speak-in public and on
| duty-I hal never once questioned the veracity OF
| these rc-kcnmare-ite records For these kcnnare
INNS were so uncyil to my teachers as to refuse "a
have been crossed IN love- or 10 bc homcy, or 10 be
| . ascetie and narrow minded or even stupid Int
good = for they are witty and merry, and several
| - ticr, are handsome women, and not one Of them
| is ugly
But am keeping the Reverend Mother ana the
! Npu Of Kenmare standing all thi, while.
INTERVENING 4 NUN.