The National tribune., 1894-04-05

tire service. Inc WoTtu seems 100 DuSy lor
them. It is a surprise to discover that there is
a Convent of Perpetual Alteration in noisy New
York City. This is the order that Victor Hugo
describes so wonderfully and that he thought
dying out at the beginning of this century, so
severe were its duties that it repealed and did
not find many anxious novices. The order is
not so very ancient. 1t was in 1649 that the
sacrament was twice desecrated by rude SOL
diers in two different churches in the city of
Paris. Two pious women who thought the
ordinary priestly professions and iBcantatioas
insufficient to satisfy God for the insult done
his service, did institute, and with their
moneys build a convent which should be for
the continual alteration of God and reparaton
for this offense.
The nuns of this order fast all the year round
with unusual fasting for Lent and the many
special days; they abstain from meat; they
rise from their first sleep, which is from / until
in the morning, to chant mathis; they sleep
in all seasons between serge sheets and on
straw; make no use of the bath never have
fire, and se0urge themselves every Friday;
they observe the rule of silence speaking only
during the brief recreation hours wear drug
get chcmses for six months in the year, and
only put them off during the Summer because
the heat and irritation together gave them
violent fevers and nervous spasms They never
see any man except the Archbishop of the do
cese; they never leave the convent and never
see their friends or relatives, except from be-
hind close gratings. and then only at lofg in
teryals and for few minutes.
But, then, their service. besides fasting and
ia hafn ha
cross praying For IL hours, from in the
early morning until in the afternoon. or from
that hour through the twilight, night and early
dawn again, woman kneels on the stones be-
fore the Holy Sacrament. She has a rope
around her neck and her hands are clasped.
She prays for the whole worlds guilt, for all
the faults, violations, discussions, for all the
crimes committed on earth. When kneeing
becomes uncomfortable she throws herself pros
trate with her arms ontstretched outlining
dark human cross and prays for the wicked
ness of the world TO be forgiven. She would
not turn cease praying were the walls to
crumble in around her.
Another way to keep the women from be-
coming worldly is TO prohibit any individual!
ownership of things. 1t is always our vail"
"our rosary" "our bed" never my" They
are not permitted to grow fond of anything.
Even the rosaries are changed every year to
prevent earthly attachments and the cell doors
always kept open. When the hours strike,
the salutation comes from every lip, "At
o'clock and at all hours praised and adored be
the most Holy Sacrament of the Altar" or at
o'clock it is "At o'clock and at all hours"
and so on.
Victor Hugo says: "These nuns are not gay
and rosy and fresh the daughters of other
orders often are They are pale and grave.
Between 1926 and 1890 three of them went
mad
On the day when novice makes her pro-
fession she is dressed ia her handsomest attire,
she is crowned with white roses, her hair is
brushed until it shines, and curled. Then she
prostrates herself; great black vail is thrown
over her and the office for the dead is sung.
The nuns separate in two files, one file passes
close to her, saying in plaintive accents. "Our
sister is dead" aud the other file responds
in ecstacy "Our sister is alive in Jesus
Christi"
And thus do these women Keep up the per-
petuai alteration, and surely God will find in
their lives the true and forgive the useless, as
he will forgive the frivolity and reward the
earnestness of the busy women of the world.
@&@
A woman's paper in England took vote
among its subscribers as to what was the great.
est grievance women have. The returns are
as here given:
Grievance Vote
Zone law for mau and another for
woman" Observation-Disclosures. 81
Numerical preponderance of women....... 10
Absence of good servants. Ia
SmsllDess of women's wages compared
win men So. .,....-.........-.,....-.. u
That men refuse to take women seriously.
The overcrowded state Of the female labor
market ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS.