The morning times., 1897-01-03
SOCIAL LEADERS IN RETREAT
Seek Sp ual Renovation With the Gentle Nuns in Convent
of Vista aion-Three Days Spent in Prayer
and Meditation. u

sect thee to a nunnery'' is the advice
OF Hamlet 20 0phelia. 1t is advice which
has its attractiveness to many woman OF
the world in all times. A life OF gaiety,
fashion and dissipation pals at times
on the most devoted of society's subjects,
and they yearn for retreat into quiet
meditation and prayer.
Extremes have a longing TO meet. The
Fashionable hungcrs for the complete anti
thesis OF herself-uhe num- But 10y the same
token the nun should hunger for life. The
nun does hunger for life. She hungers
with the deepest lOngingof her pure heart,
but not for the life OF the world. She has
fixed her eyes on higher glory than
social rout, and feeds her soul upon visions
OF heavenly splendor and the society of
angelic hosts.
AT different times OF the year il is Gus
tornary for ladies OF society to make
what is known as a retreat. There Is no
special time for this practice, and 1t is
not general one. IL has of late years be-
come something of a fad with the womenof
social Boston, where the order OF the Sa-
cred Heart has large institution.
There is no house Of that order in Wash
inrton. but the sisters OF the Visitation,
who have their convent On Connecticut
avenue, often receive a few ladies at
time who are desilous OF undertaking such
penance and modification OF the flesh as
this practice involves o that here, as in
New York and L oston, number ofthe most
distinguished ladies Of the city have made
the retreat.
The Retreat During Lent.
PERHAPS more women are moved TO this
practice during Lent, after the close OF the
social seas on than at the pre- sent time, but
q few go at the end of the year. with the
idea or preparing TO start afresh and TO
enter the new year with its tumultuous dis
fractions with a set of resolutions that will
keep them from shipwreck in the war OF
selfishucss and vanity.
There is no set time The nuns make 4
retrcat during the summer. The idea that
they can get away from the world any
more than they are at present, or that
there should he need OF il, seem pathetically
amusing to the worldling but the sisters
have their own distract. Ons within the
cloistercd walls, and retreat with them is
clustering within their hearts and refuge
into abs olute silence.
Fancy two or three women who have re .
solved an ong them sclycstolcaye the world
for a time. They COasult their confes-
sor, a priest, perhaps, who knows the world
asthcy know it. and WHO profoundly appre-
ciates how much hey stand inneCd OF what
they have desired He also II ows sthe con-
vent. he knows the most prudent and sym
pathetic sister, ana he takes a visiting card
and writes a lire rec, n.ncLGing their re-
ceptiOn. They rcpairtOthc convent atOnce
20 make the necessary preparation, and If
It is their first retreat they have much to
learn and TO Unlcarn on this occasion.
They step forth from on escutcheoned
carriage ard leave it standing at the curb
with all the pomp OF its liyeried coachman
and {, oman and the jingling, clanking
harness, and 20 ruStling up to the big en-
trance The outer { 6oorsare wide open, and
the tiled vcStibule, spollessly clean, looks
bospitahle and inviting.
They pull the brass knob, and hear Jing-
ling IN q lar corridor OF a s4very tell, and
they have some vague idea Of the wide
walnut doors sweeping open TO lat them
enter But nothing of that sort happens
and for oace they wait ANONYMOUSLY, ant
the minutes pass.
After they have Chafcd a bit inwardll
atthe delay and become nervous and fuss.
and chattered a little among themselves
they are in a moment reduced to silence
by hearing the grating Of key.
Instead Of the Coors at last sweeping
open othem, a small panel pushed gentl
back, and within the glc ON OF a darkene
corridor, behind grating, appears tn
face OF woman swathed in white line
and drapcd with. a black veil. The eye
nj nd a Rar
tain dignity, which sheds a benedict
and reduces them TO humble confusion.
The Entrance.
The Spolseswoman summons her fleetin
SAVIOR faire. and saySin wha sounds to the
others and to herself as wen, a hurrie
and worldly way, that she would like I
see Sister So and SO, ana that they are frol
Father This or That. The cards are passc
In through the grating, and the sister tell
them the reception room is on the nigh
and the panel is closed.
They turn TO the smaller Co0r in the sid
of the vestibulc. 1t, too, is locked, but
clicking noise is heard, ana The door swini
back, ana they rustic in. For a momcI
they gaze around the room in silence, al
lCok at each other in surprise. The roo
issomberly furnished, butit is OF this thi
awes them; it is the long grating that e.
tends across the room, dividing it int
twocompartments. The back fthc apar
ment Us almost shut off from the out,
world 10y this lattice, but an opening lar2
enough TO pass a book or Iarcel thro ugh
made by panel at one side.
The visitors seat themselves in silenc
one taking the chair placed in a oonve
al -s-aY Z ha