St. Paul daily globe., 1895-12-22

tries of Europe; in the Islands OF
Sicily and Malta; in Calcutta, in. Asia
and Tunis, in Africa; in the United
States, Canada and South America.
Their mission, in a word, is one OF
universal charity. s}f =
Their work is done unobtrusively
and unostentatiously, and their man
ner of asking aims is one of speech
less solicitation Familiar to our citi-
zens are the forms of the little sisters.
clad in somber black, passing from
door to door silently seeking aid for
their aged and feeble wards. And,
as a rule. the people recognize, the
worthiness of the object receive them
kindly and give to them literally.
The Home" in st. Paul is situated
on Will<in street on the brow of the
bluff overlooking the river and COM
manding a magnificent view. The
building itself is a substantial red
brick of three stories and basement,
and fine architecture. The interior
is bright and airy and all that could
be desired. 1t is divided into two
wards, one for the men and one for
the women. All the apartments are
spotlessly clean and we'll kept, and
the dormitories have rows of couches
with ample bedding and snowy dra-
peries. The dining halls are spacious
and we'll provided with tables where
the sisters serve their charges first,
dining themselves when the others
have done. The building is lighted
by gas and heated by steam, the plant
for the latter being in charge of one
of the sisters.
There are infirmaries provided
with invalid chairs for the helpless
and sick; sitting rooms for the old
and sick; sitting rooms, where the old
people work or read; a chapel for
prayer and divine service, and re-
ception rooms for visitors.
There are now one hundred inmates
of the home in this city, the men and
women being about equal numeri-
cally. All are quite old and some
very aged. There is one old lady
there whom the attending sister told
me on the occasion of my visit, was a
little over one hundred years of age
She insists herself, however, that she
is much older. I found her sitting in
an easy chair, telling her beads.
About her were grouped a dozen or
more of her companions engaged in
knitting. sewing and kindred en-
ployments. They were all keenly
alive to the entrance of a visitor. On
being presented to the centenarian,
the old lady offered her hand very
readily and hoped brightly that my
health was good. I answered affirm
atively as I shook hands, and re-
turned the query.
How are you today, Grandma?"
asked.
"Oh, I'm well enough, thank God.
But I'm old; I'm very old-Tm a hum
dred and twenty" whereupon the
rest laughed derisively, which rather
nettled her.
'They laugh at me, dye see?" she
remarked, looking about her with
some scorn, because I'm old; but I'll
not mind 'em: they're young yet, an
frivolous. They'll know better
against the time they're a hundred
an twenty themselves.
I looked around, and with one ex-
ception, could not bring myself to be-
lieve that any of these young and
frivolous" laughers were a jot I'M
der eighty. The exception was a
comely, fair-faced lady of, perhaps,
sixty years, with bright eyes and an
attractive smile. She was very pale,
though, and her dainty hands, with
well-kept and perfectly trimmed
nails, were wan and colorless. Rest
ing against her chair were a pair of
crutches, speaking mutely and pa
thetically of her crippled condition.
In her lap she held prayer book and
a letter, the only letter I saw among
them all, and which suggested that
she alone had not yet been forgotten
by the outside world. Taking a seat
beside her l asked her to tell me
something Of her history if she
would. She responded willingly, and
briefly sketched her story. It was a
sorrowful one, full of trial, affiiction,
disappointment, bereavement, loss of
fortune and of health. She had been
wealthy once-at least her father had
been, and that was the same thing
Her mother had died before monetary
misfortune came upon them. She
was intelligent and had been well
educated, as the refinement of her
manner and speech plainly told me.
Hers was the story, after all, of
many others; an investment which
promised well and turned out i'll; a
family wealthy today and paupered
tomorrow; a father made sick and
childish through age, disappointment
and misfortune; a motherless daugh-
ter-she was the eldest-to be mother
to her invalid brother and helpless
sisters: time to come when she her