The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1885-07-03
THE GROWTH OF sIsrERHooDs.

A lady who writes in the Pal Mall
Gazette, of London, calls attention To
the fact that there is at this time an
"almost excessive vitality among Cath
olic sisterhoods.
The modern desire of women to ex-
tend the range Of their activity, which
is shown in their pursuit Of greater po
litical and Industrial opportunities. is
also, even in this age Of religious skept-
icism. impeiling extraordinarily great
numbers OF them TO undertake the self
sacrificing work of these sisterhOods.
The widespread anxiety among earnest
and serious minds because of the terri
ble evils of society is another cau7e of
this increasing tendency. COnscien-
tious women OF the most delicate sensi-
bilities and finest education throw them
selves into the religious life under the
conviction that only by absolutely turn
ing their backs on the vanIties OF the
world can they render the needed ser
vice to their unfortunate fellow beings.
Not even at Rome, we are told, is 1t
exactly known how many nuns there
are in the world, and only the Bishop OF
each diocese, whose duty it to keep in
sight every nun of whom he is the Off
cial protector, could state the number
under his charge. But in France alone
there are certainly more than hun
dred thousand, and they are multiplying
throughout the world. Nuns are every
where at work, ard. almost before the
Madhi's name was heard of, colony of
nuns from Verona had confronted him,
and had made ready for martyrdom
rather than apostasy.
For instance, there is the Sisters of
Marnr ioh fnnnda6
as lately as 1881 by young irish lady
and two associates, and whose work
was mainly "a most serious application
to the instruction of poor girls, vista
tion Of sick, and protection of distressed
woman of good character" " They now
count 133 houses in Great Britain and
Ireland. besides many in North and
South America Australia and New
Zealand. The nuns of the Good Shep-
herd, specially vewing to 'employ them
selves in the instruction of penitent
women" have since 1885 founded COM
munities in the four quarters of the
globe, and are rapidly increasing. The
great congreL alton of the Sacred Heart,
established by Sophie Bavat, and sane
toned in 1926 by Rome after \ long and
comparatively hidden existepce," has
now ,050 women engaged chiefly in
training the daughters of weli-to-do pa
rents, earning, indeed, obloquy by
their devotion to the richer stratum of
society, where ignorance and bad exam
pie are probably most dangerous.
Then, there are the Little Sisters of
the Poor" a congregation founded a
little over forty years ago, and which
now numbers more than four thousand.
They have established 230 houses in
different parts of the world In France
the Little Sisters of the WoIkingman -
! is community of recent organization,
| whose mission is altogether in work
| shops and factories.
These are only few, and only the
| moIe modern, of the sisterhoods for
! there are eighty-eight diffeTut orders or
| congregations at work in Paris alone,
/ and in all there are many hundred
/ thousand educated women, the flower
! of our civilization, working with sue
| cess toward the reconciliation OF labor
! and capital, of the learned and the ig-
/ noTant."
Moreover, we are told that ''the de-
mand for their services is increasing be
| yOnd the development of their cOmmu-
! mites. extraordinary as L. is" and that
! ''including the communities that are
allied TO the Sisters of Charity by theiI
Ty year renew their vows, with few ex-
! ceptiOus. -
| These sisterhOOds are roughly classed
by the writer from whom we quote as
| OF two systems of gOvernment-.'On i'
| which each house is republic. of which
| the Superior is elective, which has its
own budget, and, like a bive OF bees
| can send forth families, to be in turn
autonomous OF an order NAV be mon.
archical and have one head, elected
| however, only for a term of years, who.
| with her staff. controls the labor of the
whole society,"" The rule of the sisters
| of Charity is thus centralized, and 1.-THE
| responsibilities of the Superior can he
| imagined when We think of the dIsper-
sion Of her twenty five thousand daugh.
ters throughout the world. Her secre.
taries must he accomplished linguists
for her world wide correspondence is in
| various tongues. She is elected ONLY
for three years. but so well is the sys
tenn organized that 10 visible hitch evel
! Interrupts its manifold enterprises. -
At this time. too, the Episcopal
! Church is giving increased attention tC
| It's slsterhoods, and t has been comBe.
! led 10 do 50, for they meet a positive
demand among the pi1us women Of the
| Church. At first the opposition tC
them was pretty general among botf
the clergy and the laity, for they were
regarded as a step ROmewaTd but they
| hourlshed in spite of their enemies, IN
| til all parties of the Church now seen
| TO be united in recognizing their neces-
sity to satisfy the desire of woman fol
! absolute devotion to Christian work
Meantime, too. EpispOcsl clergymer
are taking monsstic vows, fascinated
| oy the thought of a life wholly conse-
Grated TO religious duty.
! Nor must we forget that these order.
! offer an ideal communism which apneal.
| with irresistible power to many of the
most earnest minds of the time.-Neu
| York Son.
"A TALK BETWEEN Two STRAIGHT
| OUT MEN.-General Logan called up-
/ on Secretary Manning before leaving the