Birmingham state herald. (Birmingham, Ala.) 1895-1897, 1896-05-03

parture of the steamer, with full COM
seriousness of the difficulties and pains.
deprivations and dangers Of the life to
which they had pledged themselves, they
boarded the vessel, and here the Plea
yune reporter met them, and almost the
first words put to their brave leader Sis
ter Beatrice, were these:
" Is there no feeling of hesitancy now
that the critical moment has arrived and
you must leave all those associations
which time has made so dear, to take up
your life among a sad, desolate and out
cast people? Do you feel no fear?
Hesitancy? she inquired, with an
heroic challenge in her sole eyes Why
should Sister of Charity hesitate? Are
we not pledged to a life of self-sacrifice
and devotion to humanity? And associa-
tons? Bearer ties were broken long ago
10 Follow the voice that called from with
IN to higher things-and-' she faltered
you spoke of the sad and desolate? An
experience of twenty-five years in char
1ty hospital has brought me face to face
with SO much sorrow, so much SUFFERING
that L think even in leper land no deep
er chords of human woe could be sound
ed. And fear?-fear-' she smiled why
should we fear? Is not God watching
over the leper home, and will he not take
care OF his ehildren-we and they for
they are our brothers-we are children
of common Father
Mr.. Joseph Keynes, secretary of the
phelps, of the board of directors, were
present to see the sisters Off Mr.. Phelps
was very enthusiastic at the consumma-
ton or much-cher.Shed plan. we will
do better work now, and it will not be
long before we have gathered in all the
lepers scattered throughout the state
There are at least 100 lepers in Louis
handsome hiding away where the law
cannot find them. We have thirty-one in
the Indian camp; as soon as it becomes
known that the Sisters of Charity are
actually there, the others roaming at
large will take confidence and come into
our retreat. The very name Of the Sisters
of Charity inspires confidence-and that
is what we need in our work. The board
alone could not inspire this. The Sisters
of Charity can We rejoice at our success
in getting such able members of the or
der The sisters will be in entire control
In the household management, and
everything except prescribing for the pa
TENTS, for of course the resident ply
scan must attend to this. No! there IS
no danger of their contracting the dis
ease except by incubation. But it re-
quires herolsm to go, and the sisters
have that-the work requires love and
devotion almost Superhuman, and the
sisters have that, too. The board is de-
lighted, and in O. short time we intend to
go before the Legislature for greater ap-
preparation, and will have the best kept
leper home in the country. The sisters
will help the board to accomplish this
'At this juncture large delegation of
gentlemen boarded the vessel and respect
fully approached the sisters.
oh, they are members of the press I
suppose said Sister Beatrice.
d" No sister, answered one, who for
the moment acted as spokesman for the
delegation. We are only delegation Of
lay Catholic gentlemen, and we have
come to bid you godspeed in your mis-
Sion.'
"The gentlemen spoke for some mo-
ments with the sisters on the work of the
mission which they had undertaken, and
kind wishes were expressed for the sue
cess of the noble cause. Nor did they
leave without thanking the nuns for the
benefits that would undoubtedly accrue
through their acceptance of this heroic
labor.
"And then the gong sounded, the gen.
temen withdrew and quietly took up
their position on the wharf at the vessels
mornings. The delegation of nuns who
had come to bid godspeed to their sisters
said to each in turn as they pressed their
hands, perhaps for the last time, Good
bye, God bless you And even then in
this last leave-taking there was no shrink
ing, no hesltancy; they had taken up the
work, they would follow it to the end.
Sister Agnes and Sister Mary Jane re-
manned on board to accompany the sis
ters to their new home and see them in
stalled. The other sisters descended the
stairway and took up their places on the
landing to watch the vessel steer away.
And then the last bell sounded, the ropes
were hauled in and the Paul Tulane
started towards its destination. With
uncovered heads, silently, reverently, the
men ashore looked upwards at the little
band of Sisters of Charity. They stood
on the deck waving their handkerchiefs
smilingly at their sister group, who
looked with prayerful hearts perhaps for
the last time upon their retreating fig
ures. Then waving of hats and hand
kerchiefs went up from the gentlemen.
1t was something of the tribute that
hero receives when he goes forth with
deathless courage to battle to the end and
wrest victory in cause that Is all but
lost And were they not heroines, those
women that We're going forth to battle in
a hopeless land? And the evening ange-
lus rung, while far in the east cleaned
the last lingering ray of the setting sun.
1t rested like a benediction on the little
band of Sisters of Charity, and the last
glimpse of them was the smile on their
faces as they turned their eyes towards
the leper land"