St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1886-04-11


little sister who formerly loved to dance has
| been waiting all the time on the other side
OF the grating. Come, she saws. '.Iet ma
| show you our house and garden.n Once
I back of the hall and parlor there are class
rooms and MUSHROOMS very much like any
other school. But there is peculiar quiet
ness and perfect neatneSs. That" she
says. pointing across the hall. lis the mon
astery side of the house. / can't take Won
there. Nobody is allowed to 90 there.
There are our cells. We have A bed. a
chair, table and a washstand-no looking
glass. We don't allow a looking-glass in
the house"
Haven't you ever seen yourself since
you became a nun?"
Once" with a smile zone of the sehoI-
ars was painting the frame to a mirror and
caught sight of myself in it."
I "How did you like yourself?"
The little sister laughed merrily-she
was always a great Laughter lin the world. -
Il don't know exactly; l ran away as fast
as l could"
Cant you get out on any emergency"
'Oh, yes; l went 10 the dentist once
! We can go when our business cannot be
attended TO at home. But We hate 10 go
/ We have large garden-see? 1t has 800
| fruit trees IN it-and we take our exercise
out here. 1t is ever so much nicer than
any spot outside"
| 1t looked very pretty and charmingly
peaceful. The sisters took great pride In
their garden, and did nearly all the work
themselves. In the spring they hired a
few labOrerS, but they feel the presence of
any outsider, even a workman, as a re-
straint, and get rid of them as soon as pos
sible.
Then she led the way ont of the garden,
with its Drim borders and well-kept paths,
back Into the house, up into the dormitories
The immaculate cleanliness was a revela-
ton. Rows of little white beds lined the
walls. Over each bed was a framework,
on which at night were hung dimity cur
tains. In one corner was the
BED OF THE SISTER
who slept in the dOrmitory; they take turns
| in doing this. The floor was uncarpeted
and the walls were whitewashed, but there
was a subtle air of comfort about every
thing. How sweet must be the sleep of
that sister and those young things under her
charge! In one corner, on a table. were
piled numbers of warm. red comforts.
I'VE make this ourselves for the beds in
very cold weather." the little sister ex-
planned.
She led the way into the music hall-a
magnificent hall, where the commence
ment exercises are held. "We begin
TO prepare for our graduation con-
cert in March," she said; lit
is very important you know. But
this is not half so beautiful as the chapel. 4"
Across the hall was the chapel. 1t was in
deed beautiful, and peryaded even more
than the rest of the house by the essence of
piety and order. On one side of the altar
was a grating similar TO the one in the par
loT down stairs. Behind this the sisters hear
mass. AS we entered through the grating
came a woman's mild voice in reading. ''The
mother is reading to the sisters" whispered
the little nun.
I'VE have a very nice choir among the
sisters" she continued, after we left the
chapel, land big organ-and very good
music we have on Sunday" She often
quoted the mother superior. who is always
spoken of simply as mother" She is
elected every three years, can be reelected
for another term, but is ineligible there
after in that convent, although on being re-
moved to another she may again be the
superior. There is no general OF the order
the bishop of the diocese is in all cases
the authority in matters outside OF their
rule. The mother superior has four cOad-
tutors, and one sister is called the aide to
the superior to admonish her and to keep
her EN- rapport with the spirits she is called
upon TO govern. There is besides
MISTRESS OF NovIcEs,
whose business it is to instruct the novices.
Everything is in common, is it not?' 1
asked. remembering that among the sisters
of charity they always say .'our shoes"
''our habit" our chair" etc. "Oh, yes"
replied the smiling little sister, ''we haven't
anything Of our own"
''Many people think" she continued,
''that all religious orders are alike. but they
are as different as can be imagined"
remembered the poor ClareS, who go
barefooted the year round: the Carmelites.
who never eat meat; the Ursuline sisters,
who are also teachers of youth, but whose
life is much stricter than the Visitation
nuns. Quaint as are the ideas Of the Visit
alton nuns regarding the manner proper for
young girls in the world, the Ursuline nuns
are even quainter. One of their
instructions is that mOdesty re-
keep her eyes fixed on the ground, and if
one is bold enough to look up and around
she is gravely warned that the consequence
of such effrontery will be to mark her as
being altogether shameless. Another rule
Is that they shall always make a courtesy
at the door before leaving the room. Some
years ago an Ursuline convent caught FIRE
in the night. and it was soon seen that
nothing could be saved except the lives of
the inmates. The sisters quietly walked
the girls, ordered them to dress. and told
them that the mother superior wished to
see them. Marveling much, but not daring
10 ask any questions, they rapidly dressed
themselves and filed down stairs. The
superior stood at the door holding it, and as
each girl appeared babe her fly for her life.
1t was remarked that not one of fifty girls
omitted to make courtesy before starting
to run.
All this was being recalled as the little
sister tripped along down the broad corridor
to the door.
You look happier than any woman 1
have seen for long time"
'Of course l am happy" she said, turn
ing her large, clear gaze on me. "Why
should l not be? can see my family often
(she had no parents), / spend my days
doing things like-at night l am not so
worn with fatigue / cannot sleep, nor vet
so restless from idleness that l stay awake.
We all try to make each other happy, too.
/ think / am quite well off.
l thought so too.-Chicago News.