The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-11-29


/ old age to which the Carmelites lived, 1
must tell you this: In 1886 when our COM
munity was sadly in need of money, we
asked the Paris house to assist US, and
| among the sisters, alive al that time, was
Mother Raphael, who was 81 years old,
and who had been a novice with Nine
Louise de France"
Think Of that! Think Of a lady who
lived before the French revolution, one
who bad made her life, from the physical
standpoint, life of continual self-denial.
and we read books and listen to lectures
On how to live so that we may have many
years OF life, and we never once think of
the certain effect of a apod life, a pure
life' and life of unselhshness. A few
questions, and I was told that, year in
and year out no flesh is eaten. On fast
GAYS neither fish, eggs nor milk are IN
duIged in. The bed is of straw, sheets
or serge, the habit rs serge, the long black
ven Is always worn over the face. Speech
Is Fever INDUCED in, except during the
hours of recreation. After "A little more
chat, during which Mother Raphael high
~ commended the energy of the women
OF to-day, l said: "Au revoir' for a few
minutes and went into the pretty little
chapel l stood by the grating before the
cholf and as a special favor, the serge
curtain was drawn up and l saw the
stately figure of Mother Raphael and the
slender one of the younger sister who had
You who are out in the world. who think
much of work may ask:
What do the Carmelite ladies' do?''
Ihey pray and pray and pray without
cedsIhB When You are at the opera
when you are at the gay supper. when
you are interested in the play. or when
you are whirling around in the dance.
I tr voices are going up to God asking
him TO keep you out of temptation. They
say to you when they talk to Won. thar
IL IS good for you to have a pleasant time
that they are happy in knowing of vour
pleasure that your vocation is to be In the
world; and they urge upon no one to come
TO Them But, be you Jew or Gentle
Mohainmedan or Buddhist, whether YOU
nave faith or whether you are an unbe-
never, you need only ask for a specfal
prayer and 1t will be said for Won The
WIG whose husband is out in the storm a.
sea- the mother whose boy is a profiipate
the young girl who doubts the love az ber
petrothed each one may go and ask that
eIe sehtie sisters say special prayer
and II will be said, said with low said
with faith, and said without asking Fo-
gold. "SiNiis loI
When the sisters moved into the honse in
which they now live close carriages were
Drought 10 convey them from one convent
10 the other, but the street for blocks. was
crowded with people eager to see them
step over the threshold, across the nave
lIeht ana INTO the carriages. Mother Ra-
phael laughed heartily at the curiosity
out she did not tell me what was said TO
me by man of the world that is. that in.
TINS crowd, collected to look unon Az.
kindly nuns, many fell upon their knees
calied GODS blessing upon them and thank,
ed them for having helped with praver
ana good advice, when more than mere
material assistance was needed. II seems
strange
ters expect to leave the house until the
KISS or death has been pressed upon, their
Ups, ana they are carried away to that
GODS acre, which has been dedicated 70
them, they are not all not only happv of
heart ana pleasant of speech but there
seems 10 be about them a special halo of
Womanliness, that makes the bicycle-rid
Ing, loud-speaking, positive woman OF TO-
gay appear vulgar and unfeminine Neither
you nor can explain this only l. believing
tnat much good is gained by silent PRAYER
and quiet meditation, am convinced that
by continual prayer they are brought so
close TO God that they exhale sweetness
ana purity just as an Annunciation lily
sends forth perfume. Their faith may not
be yours, it is not mine, but no matter
what your faith may be you cannot nav a
visit to the Carmelite Nunnery in Balti-
more, without feeling the better of it. And
when / said goodbye to Mother Raphael I
felt honored by touching her hand, for
knew that as surely as there are MANY
roads leading to heaven, she certainly was
upon one that leads directly to the throne
of God.
.
Once more I am out In the sunshine.
To-day is before me, and kindly conduc-
tors helps me into the electric car Where
have been? With ladies' to whom the
French revolution was but yesterday with
ladies whose genealogy goes back to that
first community upon Mount Carmel. How
great Is their aristocracy, and how poor
and mean is the aristocracy of the
dollari Incorrectly 1t is called almighty"
and yet you and 1 know that it's great
ness is as nothing compared to the sincere
prayers that are said by the Carmelite
nuns every day. The man who made his
fortune yesterday has some student hunt
him up few ancestors and if he gave
thought to the Sisters of the Order of
st. Teresa, he would call them poor
nuns!' How little he knowsi They are
rich nuns-rich in faith, rich in hope and
rich in charity. The conductor looks at
me once or twice with a sympathetic air:
IL must be that he is used to seeing on
his car women who have gone to the Car
melite convent to ask for prayers, and he
imagines that the tears coursing down NV
cheek are caused by grief How mis-
taken he isl They are tears Of thankful
ness. 1ney are my thanksgiving for haV-
ing had the blessing of God called down
upon me by a woman whose life is dedi-
Gated to God. If you had been with me
you would have felt like me. And the
outside world would have seemed very
noisy, very vulgar and very undesirable
compared with the quiet and peace of
the house in which 1 had been. but your
work and mine Is out here, out in this
noisy, busting, vulgar world. All that
we can hope is that we may do our best.
and that the gentle nuns may send up a
daily prayer for you, who are a Jew for
somebody else who is a Catholic. for
somebody else who is a Protestant as
well as for Rah
The Value of Diamonds.
From the New York Times.