The St. Johns herald., 1890-12-25
IN A ROMAN CONVENT.
The Life CT Monks and Lay-Brothers De-
 scribed by Dr. Parknnan.

!
 break, and told me that in fifteen min
 IteS l was to join the Italians in retreat,
 and 20 with them to mass, writes Dr.
 Francis Parl1man, in Harper's Magazine.
 The mass was followed by another ser
 mon. after which we were all summoned to coffee in the room where we had
 taken tea the evening before. The re-
 port Of my heresy had got abroad. and ]
 found myself an object of curious atten-
 tion.
 After coffee we were dismissed to our
 chambers for an hour, end then listened to another sermon in the chapel. This
 consumed the morning till eleven
 o'clock, when a bell rang for dinner,
 and monks and laymen together moved in solemn procession to the refectory.
 The monks went first, the Superior at their head, then followed the laymen, and while the procession was forming in the corridor they all kept up the dis nal, unintcrmittad chan ting. The re- factory was Q long, high, dimly-lighted hall. A table of bare wood was stretched across the farther end for the dignitaries of the convent, and was continued down both sides. Here, on right and left, sat the rest of the monks, forty or fifty in number, and the laymen sat below them, nearer the door. The seats were wooden benches, placed on the inner side of the tables only. On the wall over the heads of the dignita- ries was a fresco of the Last Supper, as usual in refectories, while on the side walls hung grim pictures of saints with upturned eyes and palms pressed to- gethar. High up, near the ceiling, was a small pulpit. The entire hall was wLitcwashed above and panelled with oak below.
 At the head of the tables stood the Superior, who was General of the whole order, a tall, portly man with stern and austere countenance. The monks, motionless and in dead silence, stood ranged on right and left, robed in black from head to foot, and wearing on the breast the badge of their order-a heart surmOunted by a cross. Their harsh, cadaverous faces bespoke the rigor of their discipline, which is extremely se- were. When all were in their places the Superior raised his finger, and the whole assemblage broke out into an other chant. When at last it was ended the finger was raised again, and all took their seats. Not Q word was spoken but monk entered the pulpit from narrow door in the wall, and in drawl- ing, monotcnous tones read Latin ser mon, which lasted throughout the meal.
 He had hardly begun when file of lay-brothers entered, each carrying a receptacle formed of three trays, one above the other, connected by an up- right wooden rod, and holding great number of bowls and small dishes. The monks were served first. Before them were set bowls of @ diSmal-lookinG veg etable soup, along with dishes of dried pease boiled whole, and swclled to wonderful size by tho process. Each then drew cup, fork and wooden spoon from drawer in the table, and with a rUeful countenance proceeded to eat, first filling tho cup from an earthon bottle of cheap wine which stood on the board before him.
 We of the laity fared better, being served with rice, eggs, fish and dried fruit. The Italians seemed little edi- fled by the Latin sermon, which few of them could have understood. The meal was followed by a prayer, with low re- sponses from the monks, after which they all filed of through the dim gal leries to their dens, looking like living originals of the dreary portraits ranged along the walls.
 When 1 had got to my chamber and was refreshing myself with the Pio- neers, one of them came in to convert me. My father," said l, ''I am afraid your kindness will be thrown away"
 But he clapped mo on the knee, and exclaimed cheerfully: ''Ah, figlio, you will be good Catholic soon. No doubt of it"
 There was an amusing vivacity in him, quito different from his extreme solemnity whom at dinner. In the course of his talk, which was rambling, though pious, he kept offering nc his snUlf-box, freely using it himself mean while; and when he thought he had made good hit in his argument, he would wink at me with a comical look of triumph, on which we both fell to laughing, At length the bell rang for more prayers and sermons in the chapel, and this sprlghtly old apostle went back to his cell.
 After the sermon the laymen were 1 turned out to walk for while in the | convent garden, attended by Padre | Luca. He was not, think, one of the l PasSionist brotherhood, but a secular l priest, and his pleasant, plump, l good-humored counteIance contrasted l strangely with the dry, leathery visages | of the monks. As VIC walked up and | down the paths, shaded with olives and | oleanders, he took me by the arm and | talked of matters of faith, stopping from time to time at the little groups of Ital- ians, who, after reverontly kissing his ! hand, began to chat and laugh with him | in an easy familiarity, gracefully tenn percd with respect. He seemed to have ] their full affection and confidence, at | which, judging by what l saw of him, did not wonder.