Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1883-01-06
az you ask me honestly, think I shall be .

the room.
"why do you exasperate himr said Richard,
blandly. "Pd promise to carry peddler's pack IL
he said he was bent upon it-iust TO keep him easy
don't you sesi It's dozsn times more comforta-
be. And, for heavens sake, why did you say a
Journalistic It's nothing but newspaper man, when
ais said and done, and ever since those articles
about f.ther and Mrs. Elliott, he has hated news
papers. You might as well have told him you were
going to be a Roman Catholic-upon my word, l
believe he would have taken it better"
l find myself transcribing conversations in the
Bishops family which interested him but little by
comparison with bis school, without having dis.
tincty indicated the founding OF the school itse
When be had satisfactorily matured his pans the
Bishop built fair ediacs OF gray stone after ap-
proved architectural models, planted ivy shoots
about its walls wi an eye to the picturesque in
coming years, built It on a river bank with no eye
to malaria in any year, named it st. Thtresas Hail,
and evolved, with the aid Of wisely drafted
teachers, routins for the coming students.
'Dear children" these were called, who
were to be ours for fe sts as well fasts," the
Bishop announced, by which euphemism was meant
that there were no Christmas holidays. The rou-
tine was devised to keep every moment occupied
and every moment accounted for. II the Bishop
really believed that the tender maidens, whose
minds and souls he purposed fashioning after the
best models, were indeed potentially what he pro-
fessed to believe all women it was little curious
that he should have contrved for them to pass every
hour under the watchful eyes Of teachers in whom
all memory and comprehension OF Youth seemed
utterly wanting 1t is little problem whether girls
and boys have the intense sameliness to their in
structors that the latter have TO the scholars The
teachers novel has never been written 1t would
have remarkable success if it were composed in a
spirit of candor There was no tyranny at st. The
resa's; it was not Dothegirls' Hall yet Lowood
The fare was excellent, if the breakfast hour was
premature, and the only well-iounded complaint
that could have been made would have been at the
GOODNESS of the chapel.
To labor may be to pray, as the monkish Latin
announces, but the Bishop thought it best TO do
both things as the world large unders ands them,
and his chapel was the idol Of his heart. 1t was a
little gem OF architecture; neither money taste
had been spared in building the stained glass win
dow was as rich as that which lighted Madene's
apartment in the Eve OF st. Agnes; but since fur
lactS anu EtSlsteI5 mOuiu nave II6 elect
Of the chapel, and as the building had been com.
pleted in summer, when it is so hard to believe in
winter heating apparatus had been omitted from
the chapel and the daily worshpers zeal sometimes
suffered in consequence. This beautiful little shrine
was connected with the Hall by long, dark cor
ridor, on each side of which were situated music
rooms where unhappy planes were duly tortured.
1t also communicated by small gothic 1orway and
graceful porch with the grounds adjoining the
Bishops residence
The Bishop did not oficiate at the matutinal ser
vices They were CONDUCTED by small, meek,
modest, married morsel of humanity, who had the
proud consciousness OF being the sole representative
always excepting Bishop Doben himself-of the
dark sex ever seen by the damsels of ST. Theresa's
He it was-little Mr.. Brown-who, in reading from
the Psalms in The chaucel, was so overcome at the
shocking words He taketh no pleasure in the legs
OF man." that, with the inspiration Of propriety,
he improvsed upon the instant, He taketh no
pleasure in the fair proportions OF a mana
periphrass which has remained celebrated at St.
Theresas to this day. Be 1t said at once that there
was much religion at the Hall it used for stTn
gent discipline, for reward, for employment, for
Sermons, in four volumes, was available for each
student at any leisure moment. George Herbert's
Poems and William CroswelPs were conned by all
Coxe's Z" Thoughts on the Service" were presented
as the proper thoughts ON this subject Sewelrs
" Readings for Every Day in Lent" were accord
ingly diligently read during that season; 1.-THE
Catechsm Analysed and Proved by Scripture" was
the perennial textbook of the Sunday classes. The
effect of this system was might have been ex-
pected. school founded by the famous Bishop
Dobel when its solid reputation for rigid discipline
memorable routine, fine corps OF teachers, no
Christmas holidays, no spending money, no men
within praying distance and most credisable re-
lgious element well to the fore-when these facts
became established to the world as facts the school
simply attracted parents in despair TO send thither
maidens who were known to Their immediate CT, Gle
Of friends as "hard cases." Tne tender, plant aud
sensitive maiden would wither away in SO austere
an atmosphere, and she rarely APP cared there, or
Withdrew after short experience but a class
of vigorous, brilliant, free-thnking, rebelious
young women hourished like wild pome-
granates at st. Theresa's; studied read
novels, broke as many rules as they could, and
laughed the Bishops idealism to scorn in secret,
while they voted him tremendously handsome
man and coyly hung their heads when they met
him. The redeeming feature Of the school was that
hard study of hard facts was accomplished. The
religion might be sentimental but the mathematics
intellectual nothing, and the moreStbe girls
eschewed the enforced piety the more pride they
took in possessing a masculine solidity OF knowl.
edge. Not that they would ever dare to character
ize the nature of their requirements as masculine
fasts and feasts forbid Men were to them horde
Of dangerous, ravening monsters to be kept at
bay at all lizards; enemies against which all the
Facu ty strove with might and main, yet enemies in
seme delicious way not hostile to those who were
being defended from their depredations.
Novels were absolutely forbidden in the school,
so by some remarkable means, possessed By all
bodies Of the governed, novels Of the most rapid
description f5urished and abounded not wicked,
but vulgarly erotic-the Rhoda Broughton, the
ouida, the Lawrence novels. During their hasty,
surreputious perusa, large bets Of equally forbid
den confectionery were pending as to whether he
kissed her on the next page" or in how many chap.
ters. And yet they knew nothing Of kisses, cared
nothing for them, would have remained embar-
raised, stammering silly or preternaturay grave in
the presence of any man. gentleman or lout. They
wondered because they were repressed they
were idiotically innocent and splendid students.
Yes, it must be owned, from the stand
point of cultivation of the sterner side of the
intellect and actual conduct, the Bishops living
poem, in his study he liked to cali ST. Theresa's
was a triumphant success but whether the dear
children were likely to go forth into the world EN-.
bodiments OF the Bishops own feminine ideal was
quite different consideration. Some of them
might indeed appear TO have attained to such per-
fectness, for they were by nature, and the school
system fostered the trait in them little marvels of
egregious duplicty They found it, for instance, to
their advantage TO pretend to be profoundly pene-
trated by the religious atmosphere at St. Theresas,
to go into ecstasles over George Herbert, LEVEL,
Coke and company, to seem to revere the rules and
love their dear teachers, and inwardly to regard
these things quite differently. There was always a