Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-01-31
AN UNIQUE ASYLUM.
How Foundlings Are Carefully Pro
vided For In Peru.
THE CURIOUS TURNsTILE.
How the Little Ones Are Received and Cared
Fortnight Useful Trades-work Of the
Sisters Of Charity-An Inspection OF the
Great Building-Human Flotsam.
rom the Stars Travelling Commissioner.

the woman hospital, which was shaken down
by the great earthquake of twenty years ago, is
very ancient-looking structure struggling
over an entire square, whose closed doors and
small, heavily barred windows give no hint of
what may be going on within. My attention
was first attracted by its appearance of
antiquity, the inter silence that broods over
the locality and the number OF black-gowned
priests and blue-gowned Sisters of Charity who
are constantly gliding in and out its worm
eaten portal. One day, having extended my
walk to the farther side of the enormous build
ing, where.it faces an unfrequented thorough
fare. observed something which aroused my
curiosity to the highest pitch-merely kind
OF wooden cage or turnstile set in the walls,
shaped like circular box, with two compart-
ments, which CHANGED to be slowly revolving as
passed. What could it be-another mystery
OF the Monkery," or q relic Of Inquisition days?
While l looked the box slowly turned again
and presented its blank side to the street, SO
like the surrounding walls that one might pass
q thousand times and never notice it. But a
little groove remained into which the fingers
might be fitted: and Of course the spirit Of
Mother Eve impelled me to try it. Pulled one
way, it refused to move pulled the other, the
cage swung around with a rheumatic creak and
turned its empty compartment to the view.
Journalistic enterprise demanded q solution Of
the riddle. and forthwith I became a walking
interrogation point until the bottom facts were
attained.
g. WHAT THE SWINGING BOX MEANT.
The ancient edifice-which is now nearly
three hundred years old and for more than two
centuries served as a convent for the nuns Of
Santa Catarina-is one of the several founding
institutions which have long hourished in Peru,
and the swinging box, like those we read of in
France and Italy, is set every night, with its
hollow size outward, for the reception Of any
infants that may be placed in it by unknown
hands-a perpetual open door for the shelter Of
those unwelcome waits who are UNNECESSARILY
worse than orphaned and whose acknowledge
ment brings ruin upon their erring parents.
The mother or her emissary, stealing along that
deserted street in the darkness has only to put
the newborn citizen into the box, give it the
slightest impetus and around it turns affording
immediate protection to the tiny occupant,
while eye inside the building can see who
placed it there. Sister of Charity is stationed
on the inner side of the wall. whose sole bust
ness it is to watch for new arrivals at all hours
OF the night, to receive and care for them.
PERU IN ADVANCE OF MOST COUNTRIES.
Anewspaper column is not the place for discus
sing those social questions that have perplexed
the wsest heads and noblest ever since this
sinful world was young-those saddest prob
lens tina. seem to thwart the plans Of the Al
mighty and almost make one doubt His over
ruling care; am only to relate what exists in
Arequipa, as in many other parts of South
America, leaving my readers to approve or
condemn, according to their individual con-
victions.
THE WORK OF SISTERS OF CHARITY.
In due time we obtained permission to visit
this unique asylum, which, like all other be-
nevolent institutions of South America, is con-
Quoted under the direct auspices of the
Church Of Rome. No spot on the earth's sur
face is too bleak or forbidding. no human beings
too degraded and no depth Of crime or misery
too dark to bepenetrated by the ministrations Of
learned monks and gentle Sisters of Charity
not merely by the easy method OF sending
Bibles, tracts and the contributions Of other
people, but by going to live among the objects
of religious solicitude and devoting toilsome
years to lettering their condition.
THE MYSTERIOUS HOLE IN THE WAL.
Led by the matron We went frs. to inspect
the mysterious hole III the wall. Close to its
inner opening stands the little iron bedstead-
with n cross at the foot of it and picture of
the Mother Of Sorrows at its head-where rests
the good sister whose nightly business it is to
watch the revolving cradle and to take ont new
corners. She informed me that the number of
additions to the household by this means aver
aged about three q week, and that 80 far during
the current year eight months Of it were then
gomez only scventy-two had been received.
She said that the majority of these children
whose birthdays nobody celebrates evidently
belong to the poorest classes and arrive naked
or wrapped in wrags; others are dressed in the
daintiest raiment that love and wealth and the
instinct OF maternal tenderness can suggest;
that with the hitter ia usually found a generous
sum Of money for the childs main ena nee and
not infrequently tear-blotted letter beseech-
ing especial care for the forsakon baby and
promising to pay well for its future support
What suggestions of tragedy are hereof hui
man frailty and divine compassionate the old
perplexing problem that came with the tcmpter
into Eden!
AN INExHAUsrIBLE SOURCE OF REVENUE.
This box is an inexhaustible source Of reve-
nue. for the asylum and nearly every night it
is secretly revolyed by outside hands (presum.
ably by those who have unacknowledged chill
drcn within) and purses put in labeled for the
support of the infant received on such and
such a date. No questions are ever asked and
no efforts made to trace the parcntage of the
waits. On certain days of the week the insti-
tuition is open to visitors and the children NAV
be adopted by whoever desires thcra thus Civ
ing the unknown parents an opportunity Of
secretly seeing their cas:aways and Of even
tually reposscssing themselves of them without
fear OF discoTery-unles5, as sometimes hap
pens, nature is too powerful to be overcome BIZ
guile and unfortunate babies develop q marked
resemblance to the authors of their being.
The outer walls OF the quaint old building
are four feet thick and ramble around three
inner court yards, each Of which has its central
fountain and tengle Of flowers and passion
vines, and clump OF olive fig trees shading
the shrine Of q Christ, Virgin or saint These
courts are surrounded by corridors whose
tiled arches are upheld by long lines of oueerly
carved pillars. now st-eaked with mold and
crumbling under 'the insidious tooth of time"
Traversing their moss-grOwn pavements. we
found the path obstructed by several donkeys
that had been driven to the inner doors with
af,f4 nI liz av,1 IL