The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1884-05-04

teresting stories Of the MONKS here. Inefe
In haven into which oil who enter leave
name, family, and desire forever behind:
They are swallowed up In the silence ana
that melancholy devotion which seems
At times 10 be its own recompense. Father
Joseph's voice leads the monks choir. he
was n composer OF some note. and u 10 saad
taught Nellie Grant and Minnie Sherman
the accomplishment Of music. Father
Joseph has not been long Trapptst. His
wife died and his two daughters took the
veil. They died In bis arms before ne
io,ued the order Of st. Benedict. His son
h now clerk In the Patent ONCE at wash
ington.
AsI sit here In this little cell Of cham
Der, aud hear the "Salve Regina" ore
away and listen to the booming OF the bell,
I know Il Is 8 O'Clock, and all the little
world Is about to sleep. At 2 O'Clock In
the morning there 10 sharp tap on the
gong, which brings you TO your feet with
4 bound. The daily life Of the monks has
begun. Thus II commences every day In
the year. Hurrying down the endless cor
r;dor, past the congregation church, down
winding stairs, enter the monks church.
II Is late, for have stopped to dress my
self. The monks never undress. even
in cases OF sickness; and as l en-
ter the gallery above the choir, the
Fathers, led by the sweet tenor OF
Corredio Collier, are chanting the pure
(iregorian "Gloria in Excelsis Deo,"
from the Latin chants now so little hearc
| In this country. The grand cruciiorm
church, finished In polished black walnut.
il magnificent interior. The high arched
ceiling IL lost In the gloom OF the gaslight.
At the rear OF the main altar Is the repre-
seutation Of the cruciixion. On the right OF
the cross Is the Virgin. her agony depicted
even TO the tears on her cheeks. Az
Jesus feet f. Mary Magdalene and on the
left the other Mary. The statues are
all life size and were executed by
Father Timothy, a former brother, now
dead and gone. This Father Timothy
seems to have possessed wonderful
ski,l and patience and artistic &C.
mus OF high order. In the vestry Is
the Abbot's croyier or shepherds crook,
a wonderful specimen OF wood mosaic, the
result of seven years. application by Father
Timothy. 1t bears the portraits OF Jesus,
Mary. st. Benedict, and st. Eutropius,
with birds, flowers, and many other or
namertal designs. The modulations OF
color, and the expression given in
the faces are wonderfully achieved.
In the right and left arms OF the cru
ciform are affairs in facade; in the
bali-circle that surrounds the man
altar are five other affairs In inches; in the
Brothers choir are two more affairs, all
beautified with carvings by the hands OF
this obscure priest. who was buried years
ago in his dirty cassock ard cowl, and OF
whom there Is no trace except in these
proofs OF his genius. In the church are
some old paintings that have been in the
Order for hundreds OF years. In the circle
of the main altar are large paintings OF
s.Tbe Way OF the Cross" illustrating the
Tourney 10 Calvary.
Beginning at 2 o'clock every morning,
priests stand at all the affairs and celebrate
the holy sacrifice Of the mass. The monks
sing the four offices OF the church, and the
devotion lasts four hours and half. After
this the members enter the chapter-room,
and there, before the Abbot, Qhe Right
Rev. Father Benedict,l they confess any
faults Of which they have been guilty. The
Abbot assigns the pennance at once. and
that he may render Just decisions and not
abuse his supreme power, death constantly
stares him in the face. His seat is elevated
two steps from the floor. In front OF him
is an open trap-door, revealing the vault
where his body is to lie when he is dead.
When he has ended his decisions
he descends, closes the trap-d0or. then
steps upon 1t. The punishment prescribed
by the Abbot are either corporal or spirit
ual. III Che devotee has sinned through
pride, the penance Is humiliation, such as
prostrating himself at the reiectory door,
through which all the Brothers walk over
his body. Others are required to lash
themselves with cat-o'-nine-tails, a severe
little instrument of torture with sharp,
metallic lashes to do without meals for the
day, or to do extra work OF a severe char
acter. There Is no resistance to the Alb
bots decisions. and the violator Furnishes
himself. Every Friday night each monk
goes to his apartment In the dormitories
and scourges himself in honor OF the
scOuraging Of the Saviour.
| After the confessions in the morning the
monks go to work on the farm. in the vine
yard, the garden, the dairy, or the school,
lust as he has been directed by rule. The
farm consists OF 1900 acres OF fine land,
900 OF which are always in state OF high
cultivation. The dairy makes 100 pounds
Of cheese daily. There Is u three-story
Touring with a earding- and saw-mill
attached. They have a school where day.
scholars are taught free OF charge. or boys
can work to pay their board and go to
school, or by paying board can go to school
free Of charge. Father Benedict, the alb
bot, planned q girls school on the same
idea, and erected handsome building on
the Mount OF Olives" about mile from
the abbey. The Sister who was to have
charge, however, deserted the order, and
the building is unoccupled.
Gethsemane Abbey shelters about sixty
| monks Of the Cistercian Order. 1t is the
success achieved in 1S4S after failure
early in the century. In 1904 body OF
Trappists arrived in Baltimore under the
leadership OF Father Urban Outlet. They
pushed out to Kentucky and settled at
Holy Cross, in what is now Marion coun-
ty. KY, q short distance from this place.
They remained there until 1908, and then
removed into the inaccessible mountain re.
gion OF Kentucky. But in 1911 they aban-
doned the enterprise and returned to Eu.
rope. The Abbey OF Gethsemane was es-
tabished In 1913 and has fiourished. The
central part OF Kentucky il dominated
by Catholic influence, and contains
several fine Catholic schools. The aus
terlty Of the order founded by st.
Benedict is not preserved in all its
rigor at Gethsemane. which may account
for its success. The institution is con-
Quoted In harmony with the customs of
the surrounding country, and the austeri-
ties are confined to the religious ceremo-
MES OF the interior. 1t is very striking to
see two-scOre OF cowled monks working in
the field side by side, perhaps with never
q word Of conversation. They come and
go about the immense building; they meet
you constantly, hut you rarely heard
word Uttered. Even those who wait upon
guests discourage all conversation except
that which turns upon the needs OF the
visitor. While I was eating my dinner