The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1895-03-29

the four sisters who assist her in her
duties are known as the council, and
their jurisdiction extends to every sis
ter of the Holy Cross in this country
For three months the novice is in
structed in some of the simple devo-
tional practices; her study of spiritual
things increases after that time, and
the last three years are a period OF ar
duous devotion and study. The recep-
ton ceremony, or taking the veil" is
an impressive one and is public among
most orders The novice appears in
all the finery and pomp Of a bride. The
several articles that constitute the
habit" are blessed and handed to her
one by one. Last is the veil, which is
intended, in the words of the ritual, to
hide her from the world in Jesus
Christ" She passes into small ad-
jacent room and arrays herself in the
black habit which in most instances
remains her distinctive garb for lie.
The final and most solemn vows pledg-
ing perpetual poverty, perpetual chas-
tity and entire obedience, are taken
near the close of the six years, all OF
which have been spent in the mother
house. Then it is she receives the
silver heart and blue girdle. Prior to
this the specific choice of vocation has
been made and shortly after the hnal
vows are taken she assumes her lie
work in a hospital or school.
Should One Go Back to the World.
Suppose she discovers then that
she is not content and cannot be use
ful?" I suggested.
IF the kindly efforts that are made
to make her content fail, she is dis
pensed' and dismissed"
And if she goes into the world, Will
it be with the ban of your disapprov-
al upon herr"
by no means" was the earnest re-
ply. eve are followers of Christ, and
try to emulate his spirit"
Some Other Orders.
There was an interesting description
of some of the other orders, particular
ly of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd.
1t is their duty to follow the example
of the Great Shepherd and find and
save the lost sheep. Theirs is the
most heroic work. was the comment
Their habit" is white and so are their
souls, but they labor among some fall
len women whom even the Jail officials
find unmanageable. They deal with
three classes. First, what is known as
the preservative class, which is COM
posed of those who have never done
great wrong, but have vicious sur
roundings; second, the penitents, who
nave ldllGll, Dul I'll WllOlAl SAiSAS NAS
hopes of reformation; lastly, the Mag
dalens, who have reformed and who
gladly don the brown habit and lead
an austere life as a safeguard against
the storms of temptation they were not
strong enough to resist. Ihls IS the
haven of safety sought by the fallen
women who. rumor says, nave joined
the sisters Sister Sienna touched
upon the .'contemplative orders" whose
ad q Hhnl0CaISt of
SELF and who give their lives to
prayer for those who do not pray for
themselves. OF these the Trappists
were mentioned. They rarely or never
see their friends, have but four hours
sleep daily, rise at 2 o'clock in the
morning for prayer, never eat meat
and observe perpetual silence. AS is
true of the Carmelites, Franciscans and
all "cloistered' orders, the lives OF the
members are spent in expiation of the
sins of others. THE Little Sisters of
the Poor" is an order devoted to the
care of INDECENT and aged men and
women. They beg all their food and
clothing used by themselves and their
charges, and never eat until the latter
have been served.
Hidden From the World.
Hidden from the world in Jesus
Christ" The words echoed in my ears
as l left the academy ana followed me
persistently all day. Yes, that symbolic
veil hides from the vision of the sis
tiers much of the heat and dust Of the
battle of life. It STILES to some ex-
tent the walls of the wounded. Yet who
shall say their ministrations are not
the gentler and more effective because
the appeals reach them through that
spiritual medium?
Meanwhile they pursue the even
tenor of their lives of noble self-sacri-
fee. ut is intended that we be as
consecrated as the sacred vessels one
of them said. The way is indeed mar
row, but poisoning beside it are the
flowers which are the "smiles of God"
and they will continue patiently on
that way until the hand of weakness
or disease is heavy upon them. When
fully assured that their usefulness is
over, they return, weak and old, to the
institution they left in the vigor and
promise of youth. There are many
aged sisters at the mother house wait
ing for the summons to leave the world
that has been the scene of patient and
unceasing labor, and to hear the well
done that none more truly deserve
than the Sisters Of the Holy Cross.
A