Daily Los Angeles herald., 1884-09-16


dispositons OF all and every party, sect
and creed. And as 1 stand here Today
looking at those who have assembled
here together 10 witness these cere-
monies, | feel that sympathy and love
have large place in human hearts,
much larger, as history tells, than in
those days before this dawn Of Christi.
anity inspired the kindness and sympa-
thy and love of mankind. one to the
ether. that first gave TO the world
asylums and hospitals for the suffering
aud sick. Hospitals for the sick and
wounded, and also those for the
poor aud infrln were wholly unknown
before the advent OF Christianity.
Among the ancients in Athens, those
who had suffered ia the service Of the
public, we're fed in a public place; but
there was no asylum for them in case
Of sickness. In Sparta, where all the
citizens ate together, there was no insti-
lution for the sick. In Rome, neither
Numa, nor Seryius. Neither the con-
suls or the emperors thought Of making
any provision for the poor or the in
| firm. And bo 1t said to the unfading
honor Of Christianity that the first
establishment OF hospitals were by
Christians. Among the first hospitals
ever established was one by pious
Christian Roman woman by the name
OF Fabiola, at about the end of the
fourth century. 1t was an establish
ment for receiving poor and sick per.
sons, aud after the establishment Of
Christianity, the Roman cmperors at
Constantinople built many hospitals for
the poor, aged people, for orphans and
for strangers.
The Emperor Julian, who repudiated
the Christian religion, attributed the
rapid progress of Christianity in great
part to these charitable institutions and
proposed to initiate the example of the
Christians in this respect in his attempt
to restore paganism. In Catholic coun-
tries the hospitals, | learn, are generally
attended by nuns and Sisters of Mercy,
Of whom even Voltaire, himself an I'M
believer in the divinity Of Christ and II
scoffer at the Christian religion, says
that there is nothing nobler than the
sight OF delicate females sacrificing
youth and beauty, and often wealth and
rank, to devote themselves to the relief
Of human miseries, and oftentimcs unde
the most revolving FORMS" And hospi-
tails. first making their appearance in
the dawning light of Christian civili-
cation, are to-day an honor to the ma
tions Of Europe and their American de.
scendants.
We are here, then, to-day to assist in
laying the corner stone of q hospital; a
hospital to take the place Of that other
one established here in the spring of
1857, and from which time 10 the pres.
ent more than 5000 men and women and
children, suffering from disease and
wounds, have been watched and nnrsed
and tenderly cared fer by the tender
hearted Christian women, who. filled
with that sympathy for suffering human
ity-with that love which bespeaks di-
vlnity--havs left behind them the ordi.
nary pleasures OF life to live The seli-de-
nyiag, self sacrificing life which attends
the exercise OF the duties OF ''S:ster of
Charity"
The order known as Sisters of Charity
in the United States was founded by
Mrs. Seaton in June, 1909. at Emmetts-
burg, Md, and which has since been
united 10 the society founded by ST.
Vincent de Paul in Paris for the relief Of
tho sick. The society starting with one
establishment in 1909 now attend to the
occup pants of 1903 establishments in the
United States alone. These l03 institu-
tons arc divided into hospitals, orphan
asylums, schools, industrial schools, in
sane and infant asylums; and of the lO3
establishments twenty two are hospitals.
And living in constant danger by contact
with disease in its worst and most con.
tagious forms, never stunning duty,
never fearing death, Young and delicate
women facing disease sometimes SO
loathsome and so revolving as to cause
strong men TO falter and turn sick. Pow
erty, chastity and obedience comprise
the vow taken by these noble women
who so conscientiously do their duty as
nurses in the hospitals of the Sisters Of
Charity.
We read of heroes, as they are called,
who face death bravely in battle, and
courage which can endure unfiinchingly
storm of bullets is respectable aud to
be respected; but, after all, this is only
one kind of courage and it is not so rare.
1t is really the few who do not have it.
A man who, for opinions sake, dares
face the storm of public denunciation
and the contumely of his fellow-citizens
is often possessed of higher order and
purer quality of courage than he who
faces the leaden hail. But in each of
these cases there is something of selfish.
ness, of worldly pride; something that
partakes of the poor clay not thorough
ly cleansed by the refining and purifying
element. The one expects, if he lives,
the praise and the honor and the renown
which men give to the survivors of bat
tie. The other, looking ahead and be-
lieving in his final victory, sees in the
future never-fading crown Of glory at
tendant on his name. But the young
woman standing on the verge of woman
hood and viewing the prospect of life
colored by the imagination and pleasant
fancies attendant on youth and health,
sees beckoning her towards them all the
pleasures of love and affection. and the
endearments and happiness of domestic
life. But looking again she sees passing
away beyond all this silent procession
moving on. In it are many with
wounds and bruises; some received
Dhtbtc, III Sohodtp
some by accident; some are sick with
loathsome disease; some lock wasted,
some look wan, but all look suffering.
These are some of the life's unfortunates,
aud she sees their pitiful, pleading faces
turned beseechingly towards hor, and
she turns away from the pleasures and
temptations of life and says to these
pale, worn faces, as Ruth said to Mao
mi, "Whither thou goest, l will go,
aud where thou lodgest, | will lodge.
Thy people shall be my people, and thy
God my God. Where thou diest, will
| die, and there will be buried. The
Lord do TO me and more also if aught
but death part thee and me-"
Here is a courage which only looks
for reward in heaven-the truest and
finest courage of them all. And now,
here we make new commencement, as
it were, in the interest OF the suffering
and the sick. Here, within these walls
about to be erected. will soon be found
many poor aud helpless people; and
here within its walls the kind sisterho
will with light tread and tender hands
and soft, kind voices, cheer the hopes of
some and sooth the last moments of
those whose lot ii is to die. And out of
the portals of this new hospital will
walk many man and woman with
health regained and life renewed by the
care bestowed by the Sisters OF Charity.
GsEa,tI. be,1a anI oh a,.tt, tha0a tbraa.