Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1889-02-02
PROTESTANT NUNS.
A NEW AND SUCCESSFUL ORnEg
IN THIS COUNTRY.

Religious Work For Women, Which
May be Initiated IN This
Country.
There IS growing interest in this coun-
try In the slorniation of Protestant sister
hoods aft or the model of those which thrive
SO well and do so much good ia England.
The : General Assembly OF the Presbyterian
Gnu tch, which met i'll London last sum-
me {, took up the question. and passed $
re solution in its favor; ether religious
Ddies have discussed it with more than
ordinary interest during the year, and al
least one New York pastor has actually
begun to lay the foundations of such ar
Order in connection with his church
This is Rev. DR.. R. s Macarthur, of Cal
vary Baptist church, who, in conversation
On the subject witk reporter of the T,ii
if5une, said:
Il am deeply Interested in this subject
because believe that the time has CONT
when such a movement would help the
work of the church, and prove of vast i'm
portance to a great many persons. 1t i:
especially desirable that women should
have an active part in religious work now
on account of the fact that SO many girl:
| and young women are cast upon the world
of business to shift for themselves, Just a;
boys are. Many of them are entirely with
| out the influence of mother or home, anC
the time hes come when something effect
i've must be done for them by the religion:
women Of our big cities. All the churche.
are more or less favorably impressed with
the necessity of enlisting women in every
day religious work, and will be grateful tt
the Tribune for taking an interest in thi:
| important subject"
The reporter Told Dr.. Macarthur some
of the points he had CLEANED in an inter.
view with Mildmay Sister and the doc
tor replied:
chat is the Very thing. A model O.
we all want. | hope you will give the
plan Of the Mildmay work in full"
SOME OF THE NOBLE ORDERS OF ENGLAND
Though dressed in the ''inky cloak and
| a full costume much resembling that of q
nun, the Miidmay Sister was full of cheer.
full animation, and seemed under no obi
CATION to put on an air of gloomy sancti.
moniousness. The reporter saw that she
was young and handsome, and subsequently,
learned that when she entered the Mild
may Sisterhood, some six or seven year:
Loo CHI tl,,,x 10. s.
clan in the British colonial service. and
had deliberately chosen the arduous life
she had since led rather than accept Other
offers of marriage or give herself up to the
inanities of humdrum society Devotine
all she had to the cause of suffering hu.
mainly, she went to work. This is hen
! own account of her novitiate:
LONG and careful training is required
to fit one for the duties of the order. ]
passed through all the varied stages OF
hospital nursing in the great CrumpsalI
! infrmary at Manchester, and after two
years of this, during which | was required
to do night work for months at time, ]
went to the home in London and did duty
as nurse, sometimes among the rich and
sometimes among the poor"
SIN what portion of London is the Mild
may home situated"
"At Newington Green in the northern
section of the city. But the institution
has many branches, and its work is sub
divided in such manner as greatly to
facilitate its purposes and increase its use
fulness. Its members consist of deacon
esses, sisters and nurses. The first devote
their attention more particularly to char
liable work among the very poorest people
of London, seeking out those in need of
help, finding their sick, and giving them
both spiritual and material aid The
duties of the sisters are on the same lines,
except that they have to attend more to
the details Of the work in whatever
branch of it they are employed, superin-
tend and supervise the work of the nurses,
act as dispensers, and assist in maintain
ing order and discipline throughout the
institution.
MANY INTERESTING DUTIES.
Besides the regular work Of caring for
the sick and needy, we also assist the poor
10 help themselves, and there is no DEPART
ment of Christian endeayor in which we
are not directly interested Some Of our
methods are wonderfully effective. During
the winter months we have a sewing-class
for poor widows in a warm and coy room.
and while the women are sewing a
deaeoness reads to them from the Bible or
some other good book From our invalid
kitchen we supply proper food for poor
invaiids in our own neigil5orhood, who
could not otherwise obtain good and we'll
cooked nourishment; and from our flower
mission last gear we were enabled TO send
flowers to nearly 10000 poor sick persons
in hospitals and in their homes. Among
the deaconesses and sisters are many wo-
men of culture and fortune, and some be-
longing to the highest rank Of English
society. We are not bound BY any VOWS or
for any particular length of time, and this
condition of our service gives it one of its
greatest charms"
"The Sisters Of AIildmay may marry.
then ~
:" Yes, they may, and mos OF them do
1t is a singular fact that although pro-
vision has been in force for many years
that after a certain term of service we
may receive pension during the rest of
our life, there is not yet single pensioner
1t has come to be almost proyerb that he
who seeks wife is sure to find thor
oughly good and accomplished one at
Mildmay. But this is merely incidental
1t is not surprising that women who are
trained as they are there outgrow many OF
the smaller aud meaner traits of human
nature, and acquire large degree of en-
durance, patient self-denial, and those
general and particular excellences which
go to make up the ideal Christian charac-
ter. They usually enter the work when
under 80 years old, and their success de-
ponds as much upon the earnestness and
sincerity of thsir purposes as upon the
actual work they perform.
UNIFORM AND WORLDLY SACRIFICE
" Yes, we are required to wear this uni
form as long as we remain in the order,
and it is we'll that such q provision was
made, as the badge OF Mildmay will secure
protection and respect in the very depths
of London's slums. The work we are
called upon to DO would be impossible
without a uniform True, it is coarse and
plain, and so much the better adapted to
our calling"
" And are you not required to renounce
what are considered worldly follies %
:" Yes, dancing and theaters are pro-
scribed, which is only natural and proper
sequence Of the rule which reouiree ne moi