St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1894-08-27
BENEOICT|NE SCHOOL.
Protestant Mother Sends Her
Young Daughter to the
Academy
AND FINDS GOOD RESULTS.
Discovers No Radical Injury
to Her Child's Religious
Nature.
AND FINDS GOOD RESULTS.
EXCELLENT INFLUENCES.
The Mother Thinks Protest.
ants Should Draw Closer
to Catholics.

Some two months since in commun-
Ication in the SUNDAY GLOBE relative
to the Benedictine convent academy at
St. Joseph, Mimi, promised at some
early future time TO give the result of
all experiment by an extreme Protest
ant mother in the education of young
girl at a Catholic seminary. At that
time our daughter was still at the acad-
envy, and, although my visits to her had
been frequent, l was still somewhat in
doubt as to the result of the expert
ment, feeling sometimes that possibly
she had slipped away from the family
moorings IN the Protestant faith
farther than seemed to US wise or de-
sirabIe. After waiting two months
from the close of the school year, in
which have had the closest compan-
ionship Of my daughter, it. seems only
matter of justice to the Benedictlne
Sisters that the subject should be again
taken up, inasmuch as my former art1-
Gle left the question an open one.
Before taking Martha to the academy
we were the recipients OF all manner of
objections from well-dispoSed Protest
ant neighbors, all of whom agreed in
one argument, namely, that it was
dangerous experiment to subject a
Young, facile and pliable mind to the
subtle Influences of Catholicism-an in
fluence which might not leave her in all
her after life, and might create family
complications that would be extremely
undesirable. But her education, owing
to frail constitution, had been almost
absolutely neglected.; her parents were
poor people: the academy was very rea-
sonable, if not cheap, in its terms, and
the conclusion was reached to make the
trial, the child being thirteen years old.
She was taken to the school in Septem-
Der, and the following June returned to
her mother.
In my former communication l made
1t matter of wonder that an order like
the Benedictiue Sisters, in which are
enrolled so many women of superior
artistic and
Even Romantic instincts
should have selected the middle of SO
unattractive a prairie for the site OF
young ladies' Seminary, when SO nearly
adjacent was a fringe of low hills,
beautifully wooded, where we'll
shaded location could SO easily have
been obtained. But am now satisfied
that the sisters of the order were wise
in their generation, for sun and wind
are more healthful and bracing than
shade and moisture. and years close
observation has shown me that the
academy buildings are constantly ven
tilated by the purest of Minnesota air.
The faces of the sisters and OF the
young ladies attending are convincing
of that. When Martha was taken t
the school it was with many misgiving:
as to her living through the winter, a!
she was tall and slender, weak.lunged
and very promising subject for |
consumptive's trip to California. Whel
she returned in June she was still
taller, but erect, full.chested. stroni
and 1.-THE, hearty and full
faced-a trifie "Dutchy," perhaps
so robust was she in appear
ance and In fact-more like girl o
sixteen than one of fourteen. In tn,
first three months OF her schooling on
or the other of her parents saw he
every two weeks, and were able to not
the rapid betterment in her condition
with a qualification that was perhap
more than cheerful. And when tin
Christmas holidays came the DANCE
point was so far passed that neither o
them saw her for some time after. Sh
had been given the plain fare of tn
institution, al abundance of it, plent
of sleep, outdoor and indoor play CON
mersurate with her strength, had bee
kent constantly occupied in a Cheerful
manner, and given the manual of II
dian club exercises with reasopahl