The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1891-05-16
MR.. LYNE'S CAUSE
Miss Povey One Of his Followers,
Relates Some Startling
Experiences.

Experiences.
The Rev. J. F. Lyme, who calls him.
self s'Father Ignatius, Order of St.
Benedict" has within the last week
assumed the position of CONSERVATION
of Protestant Episcopal doctrine IN
this city. He has accused the Rev.
DIR. Heber Newton, of All Saints
Church, of atheism; the Rev. DIR. w.
s. Rainsford, of st. Georges Church,
of laxity Of doctrine, and OF attend
ance at the theatre; h Rev. Or.
Huntington, Of Grace Church. OF dis
belief in the dogmas OF religion; n
Rev. DR.. Morgan Dix, rector OF old
Trinity, of tiIne-serving carelessness
and indifference; the Rev. Mr.. Mallory,
editor of the C~hurchmdD. OF a disre-
gard for true religion, and d hlgnt
Rev. Henry Potter, Bishop oil New
York, OF paying no attention TO the
spread of heresY in his diocese.
at is impossible to avoid asking the
question. 'who is the prosecuting
attorney in this case?n
The title of a book published by
Holder & S~toughton, No. 81 Pater-
noster Row, London, reads:-"Nun-
merry Life in the Church of England;
OF. Seventeen Years With Father
Ignatius, by Sister Mary Agnes, Q. ).
b. Edited, with preface, by the Rev.
w. Lancelot Holland, NJ, A. Vicar OF
All Saints, Hatcham.n The book Is
the recital of the experience OF Miss j.
NJ. Povey, who in 1868 became infatu-
ated with the teachings OF Mr.. Lyme
and Joined herself to the convent
founded by him, where she remained
for seventeen years.
The ceremony of taking the vows as
a novice under the lgnatian rule is
described at length, and a hymn
which is sung and which was written
by Mr.. Lyme is reproduced at length.
One extract reads
Then my love shall kiss me.
Call me all His own"
The introduction of such language
into the solemn service when u per-
son Is d~edicating herself to religion is
sufficiently startling, but it is not
until another verse is reached that Mr..
Lvne's muse shows what she is cap
able Of
..'Mid the throng of Virgins
In the lily's vale
Where our Spouse is feeding
Sunbeams never pale" Z
The vow of poverty in this Protest
ant Episcopal convent is translated to
mean that a nun may not have a
needle or thread, a flower, a thimble,
or a book. She may not kiss a child
without permission of Mr.. Lyme. III a
thing be left out of place the offender
is forced to wear it for a day, and
Miss Povey relates her experiences
when adorned with a pail, when she
had q dust pan and brush fastened to
her waist or a coil of clothes line
around her neck.
For some reason it was Mr.. Lyne's
idea that the vow of chastity was
broken by a nun lifting her veil be-
fore another Ill Miss Povey
was directed to sweep the kitchen,
and there being a scrub woman pres
ent, she had to keep her veil down.
Through it she could not see, and the
woman attempted to take the broom
from her, seeing her difficulty. Miss
Povey had to sweep, for that was
obedience, and had to keep silence,
for that was obedience also, so there
was a struggle. At last she said
'sThank you, but | must do it, This
~wickedness she confessed to Mr..
LYME, who was very angry, and pun
ished her by giving her the whole
Psalter to recite.
In order to speak to Mr.. Lyme, these
nuns were forced TO PROSTATE them
selves at full length, kiss the hem of
his sacred garment, and then, kneel-
ing, say what they wished, so long as
he would let them.
At Feltham, where they had their first
convent, Mr.. Lynedoes not seem to have
had things quite his own way. The
Mother Superior was a woman blessed
with much good sense, and she did
not think it well for a man to govern
a lot of women as absolutely as he
wished. His orders were sometimes
so indiscreet that grave scandal
would have followed them. But Mr..
Lyme was clever enough to know
what to do; and he used to give these
orders from 1.-The altar" when nc one
could demonstrate.
II recollect how he ordered a young
and delicate sister, who was very ill
and consumptive, to walk barefooted
in the snow up and down the garden.
On another occasion he ordered her
to carry a number of stones till she
had made a great heapand then, when
she had done this, he ordered her to
carry them all back againi"
But they were not without amuse.
ment at Feltham, when Mr.. Lyme was
there, as witness this:-"He ordered a
young monk who had come TO Felt
ham with him to put on a high hat,
and then to hop up and down the
centre path in the convent garden, SC
that all the nuns might see him.
This Was a test of obedience.
Once Father Ignatius intenAd to
bring a young monk, i'll, from his
monastery, to be nursed by a young
ovice nun. and she vas TO devote
HnoH,s GarsanariiIa