St. Landry democrat., 1889-03-30
Protestant Nuns.
RELIGIOUS sIsTERHOODs OF MANY DIFFER
EMIT NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. THE
LAST IN LINE.

EMIT NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. THE
LAST IN LINE.
Protestant sisterhood is nineteen CEN
tury development such as the reformers of
three centuries ago could never have
thought possible. Even century ago no
such idea would have been tolerated. But
to- day there are in the ranks of Protestant
ism over $4,000 black stoled, consecrated
nuns. The average American has become
familiarized with the Episcopalian sister
hoods, and generally regards them as the
logical outcome of high church Anglican
ism. He is, however, somewhat surprised
to learn that the first Protestant nuns were
German, not English, and instead of being
resred in an atmosphere of Anglicanism,
were the credal descendants of Luther and
Zwingle, who look upon nuns garb as
the livery of the devil. 1t is equally sur
prising to learn that the movement has
spread beyond the liturgical Episcopalians
and Lutherans, and that now the disciples
of Calvin and Wesley are bent upon es-
tablishing similar orders.
In 1888 young German pastor, Theo-
dore FliedneP, undertook the work of res
yiving the medieval Order of Deaconesses,
of which Phoebe of Cenchrea was the pro-
totype, and induced young German girl,
Gertrude Reichard, to become the first
modern deaconess. A large house was
opened at Kaisersworth as the mother house
of the order, and in spite of opposition
from Romanist and Protestant alike, the
movement expanded until soon there were
deaconess houses in Strasburg, Dresden.
Breslan, Stettin and many another Euro
pean city. Beyrout, Smyrna, Jerusalem
and Constantinople were provided with
German deaconesses, and a little colony of
seven was planted in Pittsburg.
ALI this was due to the jealous labor of
Pastor Fleidner. At the time of his death,
in 1854 there were over 1900 deaconesses
engaged in more than 400 different fields
of labor. The past thirtv-fve years has
1900 Lutheran deaconesses are ct work in
1900 different localities.
There are about 40 German deaconesses
prosecuting their labor of love in this
country, nearly all Of whom are in Phila.
delphia at the Mary J. Drexel Home. a
home is to be opened in Omaha, Neb., and
several probationers. are now under
going course of instruction here prepare
tory to conducting that work. The term
of probation varies from two to five years,
and at the end of that time the novice dons
the uniform of the order and is conse-
Grated as deaconess.
The Episcopal sisterhoods, which were
started in England about 1848, were direct
limitations of the Lutheran orders, yet
differ from them in several important par
ticulars. The Anglican who enters upon
religious life must take it for all time.
Her farewell to the world is irrevocable,
and she may never marry. A Lutheran dea-
coness, on the other hand, may leave the
home whenever she deems best. A num-
Der of the German sisters have given up
their life of ministration for manageable
causes, but rarely for any other reason.
Another distinction Is in the fact that
the Lutheran Sisters are all members OF
one order, while there are sixteen orders Of
Episcopal nuns in this country, and many
others in England that have no branch
here. The Sisterhood of st. Mary and
All Saints at Baltimore is composed en-
tirely Of colored women, and the order of
st. Monica at Fond du Lac, Wis, is a re-
lipious sisterhood of widows. The sisters
of the Episcopal church are never known
as deaconesses and their work is largely
Of an ecclesiastical nature, yet In their
functions of nursing, visiting and teach
ing they nearly resemble the adherents of
the Lutheran and Methodist Churches.
The Methodist movement had its incep-
ton in Chicago in the summer of 1887.
Eight women were consecrated as dea-
conesses, and in three months they made
2751 religious visits. The work gradually
developed into training school for mis-.
sionaries, and last year nurses training
Ial e. Mo$I Hso$