St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1886-04-11
The Visitation Order of Nuns and an In
teresting Interview With a Happy
Sister.
Though Their Vows Can be Absolved, Few
Ever Wish to Go Back Into the
World.
Majority Iof Noviees Convent-Bred
Girls, Many OF Them Being
Orphans.
A Society Belle Who Entered a Con-
vent and is Happy--Their Daily
Life.


vents-are alike. Going up TO the great
door one rings and suddenly little wooden
shutter opens in the door and lay sisters
rugged yet gentle. face peers out. You are
invited into the parlOr. and the sister, touch
ing spring bolt, admits you. The room
that is. the one L am speaking offs per-
fectly clean, excessively bare, but sunny and
well warmed; carpet. few chairs and a
copy of Raphaers Madonna constitute
the furnishing. Extending half way across
the little room Is a close wooden lattice
work. and in this is a turning box. ex-
actly like those used in easter bazars, in
which the women put their wares, and by
slowly turning the purchaser gets what he
has bought Sometimes the fancy has
seized the Mussulman woman to put herself
in the box and to be turned round and
thence escape into the outer world. But
no Visitation nun has ever tried that
firstly, because the box is not big enough,
but chiefly because they don't want to 90.
And here, be it noted, the rarity with
which it can be accomplished. 1t is COM
mon mistake to suppose that on taking the
final vows. after completing the novitiate,
to leave would be a physical as well as
MORAL IMPossIBILITY.
In those phenomenal cases-phenomenal
because so rare-when a nun finds she has
made mistake, so far from OBTAINING her
the sisters are only anxious that she shall
go. A very little time and trouble accom-
plishes 1t quietly and without scandal. The
Visitation sisters take only what are called
simple yows"-that is, they can be alb
solved from them by the pope. and this alb
solution is never withheld unless the sister
hac saI -.
is ANONYMOUSLY dismissed. The sisters of
charity do not even take life VOWS. They
only take them for seven years
and at the end of that time
are free TO go if they will
but not one in thousand goes. 1t is true
that unless it is their intention to make II a
lifelong vocation they are not admitted; yet
provision is made for human intirmity and
human vacillation. The preparation Is such
that the nOvices almost invariably know
their own minds, and any idea of change
from their calm and peaceful lives is re-
garded as something too fearful TO be con-
templated. a majority of novices are girls
who are convent-bred-many of them being
orphans who have never had any other
home since they could remember. Natur-
ally it often happens that these girls
never desire to leave the convent, and
if they were permitted would enter upon
their novitiate as soon as they are IS, which
is the earliest age at which they are ac-
cepted. They are required. however. to
spend certain time-at least a year-''in
the world" as the sisters express it Per-
haps the nuns imagine, in their simplicity.
that the world opened 10 such girls is much
more attractive than it really is; but torn
from all they have known or loved, their
habits suddenly uprooted. thrust upon
strangers or sometimes unwilling relatives,
it is not strange that at the first moment
they will be received they fly back TO
THEIR CONVENT HOME
to begin the same pleasant. orderly life they
have been accustomed TO all their lives. Ii
is not hard to pick out these women among
the nuns. They are almost invariably
round-faced and rosy-cheeked; there are no
telEtale lines about their mouths: they have
had no struggle except TO get back to the
home-nest. The outer-world TO them would
be worse than purgatory. But they have
not often the seraphic look of those who
have known war and peace; they are not
the most interesting. Sitting before the
grating now is young woman of 25, who
has had several seasons in society and was
considered the most graceful dancer at the
germans in her native city. She was not
gayety. Suddenly she took a fancy to a
convent life. She was allowed TO try the
novitiate, without much confidence in her
ability to go through with it. Now she is
no longer novice; she has exchanged the
white veil for the black one, which falls
around face never suspected to be beauti-
full until then. She is happy and satisfied;
she has developed wonderful talent for
organizing, and il is predicted that one day
she will be mother superior. The common
idea that a convent life is the turning aside
of all the employments and affections of
women from their natural channels
is altogether wrong. A Visitation nun
has exactly the same cares and
labors that any other domestic woman has
except those Of society. She has a multi
tude of household duties; she has the in
structlon Of children, the responsibility of
them, sewing. teaching-only with exercises
of devotion mixed with all. The discipline
of the convent is admirable. There are
about thirty sisters-thirty-t is the
number usual in converts of this order.
The rule is mild--so much so that its found
ers, st. Francis de Sales and Nine. de
Chantal, were said to have founded an
Order of the Descent from the Cross" 1t
is teaching, not a contemplative order.
Indeed, there are few of the latter in this
country,
THE vIsITAT ION NUNS
and the Sisters of Charity immensely out
numbering any other religious houses. The
spirit Of these two organizations is strictly
modern and entirely different from the
medieval idea Of the religious life They
were both founded in France in the same
century and by men far in advance of their
age. The freedom from bars and bolts and
the liberty in going abroad of the sisters of
charity gave as great offense as the easy
requirements of the Visitation nuns. But
time has proved how well adapted they are
to the worlds progression. Until the
Visitation was founded the rules of
religious orders was appallingly severe
long vigils, rigid fasts and stern penance-
1t was the strong body. not the strong
soul, that could endure them. St. Francis
de Sales, seeing great field of usefulness
for many women who could not stand the
rigors then practiced. contrived this way to
turn to account the willing hearts in the
weak bodies. Nothing in the way of work
is required Of them that a tolerably strong
woman cannot accomplish. They rise at s,
breakfast at 9, dine at u, sup at again,
and at GAS every light in the building has
to be out. The day is filed with teaching
and other necessary employments.
interspersed with hours for recrea-
ton and prayer. Being a teaching
order. they are anxious to perfect
themselves in accomplishments. If
novice has decided gift for anything. she
is often provided with the best masters
from outside to cultivate her talent They
pay much attention to music, and the best
harpists in the country are found In the
Visitation converts. where the harp is al
ways favorite instrument.
NOVICFS