The San Francisco call., 1896-09-22

ligion would lay down their lives for the
honor of these women.
My object this evening is merely to ex-
plain TO You something about these sister
moods, their origin. their governments,
their work and their lives, so that those
not Catholics may know them as we do.
Let me first tell them what the nun is.
She is sister to every Catholic man, to
every Catholic woman and to every Cath
ollc child. They all reverence her and
love her and would die for her."
lie explained the need of organization
IN doing good, as in other matters, and
SAID that among the organizations created
Tor doing good those composed OF women
were far from being the least important.
After showing how the Catholic sister
hoods sprang into existence in order to
better perform charitable work he ex-
claimed:
"Who is Case that he should take the
place OF fsthers and brothers? Are not
these fathers and brothers able to protect
their women2 Are they migrating
preachers like this Case? Who is this
reverend blackguard who takes 1T upon
himself to do whaI you are perfectly able
to do?
"Who are these gentlemen of the beetle
brow who object to the vow OF the postu-
liant? They are cross between an Oregon
boot and handcuff. The only things
these gentry are acquainted with.
"The VOW these women take is only one
of obedience, chastity and poverty, and
before they are allowed to permanently
attach themselves to the sisterhood they
are made to thoroughly understand what
they are about to do; their vows are made
in public and they are given every oppor-
tunity to turn back. if they find that they
have made mistake.
zone thing which greatly disturbs thes e
defenders of our institutions is that the
i fsall
of how the sisters are locked behind bolts
and bars, and of having the Legislature
appoint men to inspect them as if they
were pesthouses.
THE q. P. A., remember, will not in
dorse any man for the Legislature who
will not take a pledge to secure the
passage of law providing for such in
spection.
Every mans house, according to the
Magma Charta, is his castle. And are we
to allow these curiosty-see to poke
their noses into our houses?
"There is not man or woman who can
not go to any convent in this City, as a
friend to another's house, and be shown
through 1t from garret to cellar with the
greatest alacrity and pleasure by the SIS
ters.
''Think of such men as Hudelson and
Price and Outflow and Winthrop trying TO
pledge men to pass law for the inspection
OF converts.
"They can't do it, shouted man in the
audience.
"No; they can't do it as long as there is
an American man in the country" re-
sponded the lecturer, laying special stress
on the word American"
The noble ana charitable work of the
Catholic sisterhood was reviewed at some
length. H told of their labors among the
lepers of Alabama and Molokai and among
the aborigines along the Yukon, in the
hospitals, in the day homes and other
places where suffering exists.
ITO the Catholic sisterhood," he said,
belong the credit of establishing the
present system of free schools, which were
inaugurated in Cork. We have our mag
nitcent hospitals and other charita BILE in
shtutions, but they have been provoked py
the glorious Torks of our sisterhoods.
And the hardest thing to US is to hear
these noble women reviled Dy these scoun-
drels OF the A. 2. A. !"
His concluding words were: They are
to us-even their very presence among US
| "a blessing and benediction from on high.
a sight of them is a call to higher and
holier thoughts. They are our fallen ma
lures highest, purest boast"